With a new poll showing he is the frontrunner leading up to the Texas primary, republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum will be in Houston today, Friday, February 24. The candidate took the day off from the campaign trail on Thursday for a fundraiser in Dallas. According to media reports he met with donors to the Red, White and Blue Fund. That is a super PAC that is spending millions on the Santorum campaign.
The number of candles on the cake were in dispute,(25, 35, 41?) as the ever-fabulous and youthful looking Jason Fuller celebrated another birthday milestone Sunday night.
Family, friends, political leaders and movers and shakers in Houston society feted the birthday boy, who is the regional director for U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas)
The party was hosted by local PR whiz Cindy Clifford at the lovely Memorial-area home of Marty and Parvin McVey.
A whose who of Houston helped Jason blow out the candles including, Margaret Alkek Williams, Melissa King, Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos, State Rep. Carol Alvarado, Bellaire City Councilman Corbett Parker, David Bray along with many others, including Jason’s twin brother, Jeff Fuller.
After attending a fundraiser in Houston on Sunday night, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to speak today, Monday, February 20, on the campus of Texas A&M in college station.
Conservative students have announced a protest against what they call her “Job-Killing” Legislation.
I’ve attached the news release: College Station, TX – On February 20 at 5:30 p.m. former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will be speaking at Texas A&M University. Starting at 4:30pm, the Texas Aggie Conservatives (TAC) will be protesting the economic legislation she has passed and continues to promote.
The conservative student group will be using street theater and protest signs, including a Grim Reaper costume to label Pelosi as a “job killer.” The protest will occur outside the entrance to the Annenberg Conference Center near the Bush Library on the west side of campus.
“Pelosi is a job killer. Her economic agenda is largely responsible for the continued high youth unemployment rate,” said Cary Chesire, one of the protesters. “Obamacare, out-of-control deficit spending, increased federal regulations, and heavy taxes are destroying the jobs that students like me will need when we graduate.”
The group draws their conclusions from a report released from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which indicates the unemployment rate for youth has hovered around 20%. This is comparable to the rates in Arab countries. The national average is 8.3%.
“I don’t want unemployment benefits when I graduate,” said Chris Woolsey, another protester. “I want a job. D.C. needs to stop the crushing spending and regulation, so that employers will have the capital to be able to hire people like me in the future.” The Texas Aggie Conservatives previously used similar street theater tactics against President Obama when he visited Texas A&M in October of 2009.
The Texas Aggie Conservatives (TAC) advances the conservative movement at the university, local, state, and national levels by educating students and the public through campus based political activism. It is a recognized student organization of Texas A&M University. For more information, visit www.aggieconservatives.org.
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HOUSTON-The Emancipation Proclamation is a landmark of American history. As divisive as it was daring, Abraham Lincoln’s historical document, issued as the nation was consumed in an unthinkably violent civil war, declared that “all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”
Behold the original document on display inside Discovering the Civil War for a very limited time during a special public viewing beginning Feb.16-Feb. 21, 2012 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Background on the Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War, formally proclaiming the freedom of all slaves held in areas still in revolt. The issuance of this Proclamation clarified and strengthened the position of the Union government, decreased the likelihood of European support of the Confederacy, and, as the Union armies extended their occupation of the southern states, brought freedom to the slaves in those states. The Proclamation invited black men to join the Union Army and Navy, resulting in the enlistment of approximately 200,000 freed slaves and free black people before the War’s end.
Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation, it placed the issue squarely on top of the wartime agenda. It added moral force to the Union cause and was a significant milestone leading to the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865, formally outlawing slavery throughout the nation.
The Emancipation Proclamation linked the preservation of American constitutional government to the end of slavery, and has become one of our country’s most treasured documents.
Relive the gripping saga of one of the bloodiest battles in American and world history. Discovering the Civil War, a special exhibition from the National Archives commemorating the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War gives visitors the opportunity to consider and ask questions about historical evidence, listen to a wide variety of voices, and make up their own minds about the struggle that tore apart these United States and that continues to shape our national identity. The exhibition is the largest ever assembled from the incomparable Civil War holdings of the National Archives.
Due to the limited nature of this rare viewing opportunity, it is highly recommended that visitors pre-book tickets. Tickets may be purchased online or by phone. For more information, visit
Houston TX–Houston City Controller Ronald Green and Houston City Council Member Larry Green will host a press conference and reception saluting Black History Month and Harry Johnson, president of the Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Fund.
The event schedule is:
1:30 p.m., Remarks by Controller Green and others;
2:00 p.m., Proclamation presentation, City Council Chamber;
2:30 p.m., Reception, Controller’s Conference Room, 8th floor, City Hall.
Mr. Johnson–a native Houstonian–led the fundraising drive to underwrite the statue of Rev. King that was unveiled in Washington D.C. November 2011.
“We are thrilled to have Harry Johnson in attendance at our event,” says Controller Ronald Green. “He will also be at the City Council meeting that day to receive a proclamation in his honor for a lifetime of good work and his recent success with the Rev. King statue in Washington.”
Also at the event will be a photo display of significant events in Houston’s African-American community’s history, a complimentary commemorative photo and a Black History Month Quiz available for students of all ages.
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The History of Black History Month
Almost a century ago, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Kentucky-born, Harvard educated historian spoke of the lack of attention paid to Black Americans, and in 1926 began a series of lectures, symposiums and exhibitions in order to arouse interest for the little known Negro History Week in February. Dr. Woodson’s campaign was successful, and before long mayors and governors were issuing proclamations honoring Negro History Week.
Since October 6, 2011, members of Occupy Houston have used Tranquility Park as their staging area.
At one point dozens of people were part of the movement to protest social and economic injustice, but in recent weeks, only a handful of people have taken part in the local occupation.
Mayor Annise Parker and the Houston Police Department have decided it’s time to move out the occupiers and cleanup the park in time for the beginning of the city’s spring festival season.
According to the news release from the Mayor’s office, the City of Houston has reinstituted the dawn to dusk limits on activities in Tranquility Park. As a result, those participating in the Occupy Houston encampment have been asked to peacefully pack up their belongings and leave the park at dusk tonight. The Houston Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team will be on hand to provide transportation to shelters, if needed. The move comes approximately four months after Occupy Houston movement began.
“I told Occupy Houston leaders in January they need to decide the next phase for their effort,” said Mayor Annise Parker. “I support their right to free speech and I’m sympathetic to their call for reform of the financial system, but they can’t simply continue to occupy a space indefinitely. We have to get the area ready for the spring festivals and that necessitates their leaving.”
What did it cost taxpayers? According to the city, providing a police presence at the park for the last four months has cost the Houston Police Department a total of $54,917.68 and $287,268.00 in overtime and regular salaries, respectively. The end to the encampment will free those officers for assignment elsewhere.
The Houston Parks Department estimates it will cost more than $13,000 to clean up and lay new sod in the park.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to make a fundraising trip to Houston on Friday, March 9, according to various sources.
Details are still being worked out, however, the contribution levels appear to be set already.
This is what I received in an email:
Mary Benton Media 