Austin All-Star Marching Band is Southwest Bound on their University & College Tour Summer June 25, 2011- July 5, 2011 Making stops in Houston, TX..ElPaso, TX..Las Cruces, New Mexico..Phoenix, Arizona..Las Vegas, Nevada..Los Angeles, Berkeley, East Palo Alto, California. Visiting (Texas Southern; UTEP; New Mexico State University; Arizona State Sun Devils; UCLS; The Grand Canyon; UNLV; USC; CAL, Stanford)
AUSTIN All-Star Band!!!! 2011
Mr.Larry Jackson taking in the view!!
Band members over looking the Mountains at the Grand Canyon!!! Amazing***
Band members over looking the Mountains at the Grand Canyon!!! Amazing***
Senator West Offers "Fair Texas Plan" Special Report by Sandra Crenshaw, Austin, Texas
While sitting in the public hearings of the both the house and the senate, I reflected on the battle cry of the Republicans while they stood behind their drastic budget cuts to education and health care. "The voters of Texas asked to balance the budget with no new taxes "No new taxes" has been described as the key philosophical difference that has colored this year's budget debate. I kept wondering why do the Black and Hispanic population of Texas have to threaten court action to get the fair representation that They ask for. Are we not Texans,too?
The GOP controlled lawmakers adopted a new map that includes four new congressional districts,but not without a fight. The proposal brings the total to 36 seats that Texas was awarded due to the massive growth in the Hispanic population. Democrats went to war because the map is short of a South Texas Hispanic districts, Tarrant County is split among five Republican districts, creating an Arlington based congressional district and because the most controversial proposed central Texas district held by Rep.Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin since 1995, was sliced and diced leaving Travis County split among five districts, none anchored in Travis.
Oh, but in a world in which turn around is fair play, did the Democratic lawmakers join the voters from throughout the state "slice and dice" the Republicans to the same degree with commitments to make good on their threats to take the battle to the Washington.
The plan gives Republicans 72% of the 36 districts when generally only 55% of the 25 million Texans vote Republican. The maps are not line with the state's growing diversity, the League of Women Voters testified. Senator Judith Zaffinrini from Laredo grilled the Texas capitol lawyers to determine if they had reviewed the map for voting rights act violations, making it obvious that the responses to her legal question would go on the record to present to the Judge.
Dallas lawyer and former state representative, Domingo Garcia was on the hill to speak against the map. Garcia said that North Texas has the largest Hispanic population in the country without an Hispanic congressperson. "How is it fair that Anglos make up only 45% of our state population but they control 72% of our population", Sen. Eddie Lucio, D_Brownsville asked. High school students from Austin questioned how were they to get congressional internships
when under the proposed map there would be no Austin based congressional offices.
North Texas hero, Dallas County Senator Royce West offered an alternative "Fair Texas" plan as an amendment. While speaking, Senator West referred to his colleagues as the "red jerseys and the blue jerseys" referring to Democrats and Republicans and acknowledged that the Republicans had the ball, but politics like football had rules to ensure that the game is fair. West complained that "this is the most closed process I have witnessed. No minorities or Democrats were consulted when the plan was being drafted." The West amendment was tabled.
Sen. Kel Seilger, R-Amarillo,the Republicans chief map maker politely dismissed the court threats and basically told the angry Texas citizens "Bring it on." In defense of his map, Selifer responded "It's going to the courts anyway. The courts have drawn all or part of every map that we've had since 1971. I am confident that this proposed map will sustain all of your legal challenges." The Senate approved the map 18-12 with same West vote: along party lines
Under the Voting Rights Act, the US Department of Justice or a Washington, DC federal court panel must review Texas redistricting plans and verify that minority voting is not diluted by the new boundaries. If the maps are approved by both chambers of the legislature, and then signed by the Governor. Texas must send its proposals to the Department of Justice for preclearance. Again since any Texas citizen can go before the DOJ and oppose these maps, why can't we just get justice in Austin?
