Right wing blogger case dismissed

February 14, 2025

OMG! WTF? GOP!

The cases against Aubrey Taylor, some kind of political blogger, were dismissed yesterday. From a previous post:

A right wing blogger, Aubrey Taylor, who publishes an online publication called Houston Business Connections, (It’s a blog) was indicted yesterday for assaulting the chair of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee campaign.

The case was dropped after the prosecutor claimed “Probable cause exists but cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt.” Taylor is a strange dude. He has a serious criminal record and has served time. The Houston Chronicle wrote about the assault as well as the dismissal. According to the Chronicle Taylor filed a civil suit against the chair the day after the assault. He is demanding $100,000.

Taylor likes to parade around polling stations dressed up like someone in the press in a war zone, flack jacket and all. The flack jacket looks like a life jacket for skiing and it might well be. I don’t know which side of the aisle he is on but Democrats should stay away from him. Again from a previous post:

He has ties to Steven Hotze an extreme far right influencer of the Harris County Republican Party who also has been charged with a felony, although much more serious.

Taylor list Hotze as the “Man of the Year”. Hotze is under indictment for aggravated assault for his role in an attack on an AC repair man who Hotze claimed had thousands of illegal votes in his truck. (He didn’t) His case will be coming up this year.

Taylor’s lawyer claims the case was dismissed due to the incompetence of the previous District Attorney, Kim Ogg. Ogg has become like the jelly of the month club. She just keeps on giving.

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Posted by johncoby

Who funds True Texas Project?

February 13, 2025

For a group that has been around for 15 years I am surprised at their fundraising totals.

TTP over 15 years raised $315,612. $184,216 came from 7 donors donating at least $2,000. $116,731 was donated by Timothy Dunn and Defend Texas Liberty. Dunn and Farris Wilks created and funded Defend Texas Liberty. You can see the donation breakdown here. As you recall DTL was disbanded after Texas Monthly exposed them for meeting with a known white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Google Nick Fuentes. Here is a sample:

Fuentes is documented by the ADL including “On a livestream episode, Fuentes “jokingly” denied the Holocaust and compared Jews burnt in concentration camps to cookies in an oven.” 

Timothy Dunn also created Empower Texans which is also no longer in business. Empower Texans donated $31,000. Also our State Senator Mayes Middleton donated $13,000. The two billionaires Dunn and Wilks are all over this organization as well as others such as the new Texas United for a Conservative Majority. They donated $40,000 to TTP. Make what you will about this information. Here are the top donors:

Contributor NameAmount
TEXANS FOR A CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY40,000.00
Empower Texans PAC25,000.00
Defend Texas Liberty PAC24,731.97
Defend Texas Liberty PAC21,000.00
Dunn ,Timothy18,000.00
Dunn ,Timothy13,000.00
Middleton ,Mayes13,000.00
Saulsbury ,Dick12,000.00
Empower Texans4,000.00
Texans for Dan Patrick3,000.00
Mason  ,David2,400.00
Mason  ,David2,085.00
Empower Texans2,000.00
Mason  ,David2,000.00
Patrick ,Dan 2,000.00

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Posted by johncoby

True Texas Project and CCISD. A warning to parents

February 12, 2025

This is very disturbing and CCISD parents and voters should be concerned.

The True Texas Project is an extremist, anti-government, christian nationalist group partially funded by the two West Texas billionaires featured on a CNN special. (Deep in the Pockets of Texas.) According to the Houston Chronicle Buzz Aldrins church, the Webster Presbyterian Church, banned the far white group from holding their meetings in their facilities and removed the group’s events from its calendar.

Upon learning about the group’s fringe political positions, clergy took action to ban the group from meeting at Webster. Church authorities confirmed that TTP was off the schedule, and “no longer meeting at Webster Presbyterian Church.” 

TTP moved their meetings to the Webster Community Center for a few months. Then again moved to the Holiday Inn on Bay Area Blvd. But there is more. In June of 2024 their 15 year anniversary event was cancelled by Fort Worth. If that wasn’t bad enough a number of far white speakers withdrew because of their plans to amplify white nationalist figures and rhetoric. According to The Texas Tribune:

Billed as the 15th anniversary celebration for True Texas Project, the conference agenda claims that there is a “war on white America,” and urges attendees to embrace once-fringe ideologies such as Christian nationalism or the Great Replacement Theory, which claims that there is an intentional, often Jewish-driven, effort to destroy white people through immigration, interracial marriage or the LGBTQ+ community.

This event was so extreme even some of the far white extremists refused to participate. The event “lineup features figures with ties to antisemites and extremists, including Paul Gottfried, a far-right author who mentored neo-Nazi Richard Spencer.”

Sitting Trustee Scott Bowen is a member of this organization and has been a speaker at one of their events. Now the wife of Seabrook City Council Member and CCISD Trustee candidate Joe Machol has been tied to the local group. I’ve asked CM Machol about her and his affiliation with the group and have not received a response. I hope she would consider distancing herself from this group.

I’m looking at their fundraising numbers and will report.

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Posted by johncoby

CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen draws an opponent

February 10, 2025

This might be a tough opponent for Bowen.

If you have been a reader of my pathetic blog you know I do not like what Scott Bowen has done to our school district. I will have more to say, in detail, about that soon. (Like next Monday morning) Bowen has drawn an opponent one that will hopefully bring civility back to that particular chair.

Rebecca Lilley has filed to run against Bowen. I know very little about her but from what others have been telling me she is a great candidate and would be an excellent Trustee. As one person put it “Classy and Brilliant”. She is listed as the Chairman of the Board on the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce website. She was the former League City Regional Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board. She is the Director of Community and Physician Engagement at Memorial Hospital.

Quite a great start! The filing deadline is Feb 14, this Friday.

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Posted by johncoby

From the turmoil of Seabrook to CCISD. Joe Machol enters the race

February 10, 2025

I have no idea why Seabrook City Council Member Joe Machol wants to challenge a very good Trustee on the CCISD Board.

And believe me I have asked. Machol and I were to talk after my week in Cancun but he has ghosted me ever since. It is a valid question. What happened to make you wake up one morning and say “I have to run for CCISD Trustee?”. I’ve asked this question to many candidates including Machol with varying responses. CM Machol said he wanted to share his “conservative values” with me:

“I have picked up my packet to run for office against Jessica Let’s talk so you can get my conservative platform. “

He hasn’t returned my calls. CM Machol was recruited by Trustee Scott Bowen to run against Trustee Jessica Cejka. Bowen sits next to her on the Board. This recruitment makes for a great working relationship. Bowen is also up for reelection. I expect Bowen and CM Machol to run as a “coalition” much like what has happened in other districts like Keller ISD which is now in a state of turmoil. I also expect both of their campaigns to be funded by out of district money including from Bowen’s Billionaire Buddies.

Seabrook is in a state of turmoil with recalls abound wasting tax dollars and a Board that can’t seem to get along. It’s not pretty. CCISD doesn’t need any of this. We have enough turmoil with Bowen and Larson on board. We do not need a third agitator especially when the district is going to face some extraordinary challenges in 2025.

CM Machol resume on Seabrook City Council is impressive but lacks any indication of a background in education unlike Cejka who has a background in education as well as time in the classroom and owner of a small business. There is really only one reason why Machol is running and it doesn’t seem to be the welfare of our parents, teachers, or students.

During the election process hopefully Machol will detail why he is running.

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Posted by johncoby

Trump calls for a day of preying

February 7, 2025

Let us prey.

Oh Lord  Let us prey.
Let us prey on the poor for they cannot afford to fight.
Let us prey on the sick for they cannot afford insurance.
Let us prey on the Hispanics for they will not vote.
Let us prey on the Blacks for their lives do not matter.
Let us prey on the disabled for they are weak.
Let us prey on the Muslims for they are now targets of hate
Let us prey on the Immigrants for they do not belong here.
Let us prey on the police as we flood the streets with guns.

And oh Lord
Let us prey on his supporters for they are too ignorant to know we are preying on them too

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Posted by johncoby

UPDATE: Bills addressing the rising cost of home insurance

February 6, 2025

Don’t get excited.

Bills addressing the rising cost of home insurance have been filed by our elected officials representing the Bay Area. Unfortunately the bills do not address the rising cost of home insurance. Here is a summary and contact info for our elected officials:

House Bill 2067 HB2067 is filed by our State Representative Dennis Paul. It will require an insurance company to provide to the policyholder a written statement on the reasons for nonrenewable or cancellation of a policy. This bill does NOT require the companies to report this information to the Texas Department of Insurance. Megan Kimble of The Houston Chronicle wrote an article about this cancellation data not being recorded by TDI. The bill will NOT reduce premiums or deductibles. I just don’t see the value of this bill.

Senate Bill 1006. SB1006 is filed by our State Senator Mayes Middleton a “companion bill”. It is the same as HB2067 and is filed to expedite its passing.

House Bill 2067. HB2067 is a bill filed by Representative Oliverson establishing a grant program to “fortify” homes against windstorm damage. This is promising but unlike the Alabama program created 15 years ago does not guarantee a reduction in premiums if a homeowners fortifies their home.

Contact our elected officials about these bills Please send a quick email and call our State Representative Dennis Paul and State Senator Mayes Middleton via their staff Greg.Bentch@house.texas.gov (512) 463-0734) and Matt.patterson@senate.texas.gov (512) 463-0111) respectfully.

Ask for a response. Ask how these bills will reduce your premiums, make deductibles reasonable without the loss of coverage or rights.

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Posted by johncoby

League City Attorney clears League City Attorney

February 4, 2025

You can’t make this stuff up.

After an article from I45Now on the handling of a public information request (PIR) concerning a domestic dispute at the home of City Council Member Justin Hicks, Mayor Long demanded a full report on the PIR process. On Monday that 5 page report was released and it didn’t disappoint in raising more questions. In short the Attorney says her office did no wrong giving Hicks special assistance in a personal matter.

You have to hand it to TJ Aulds of I45Now for breaking the story last week. In his latest article he catches Mayor Long in an interesting moment:

Contacted soon after the report was issued, Long - who said he reviewed the report on Sunday - said after he read the report, he was “satisfied” with how the city attorney’s office handled the request for records.

That was until Aulds notified him; the timeline shows Hicks twice contacted the city attorney’s office and received an advance copy of the city’s request, even before it was submitted to the attorney general or i45NOW.

Oops. The article continues:

‘It’s certainly unusual treatment,” Long said when asked if it was proper that Hicks was communicating with the city attorney and provided information ahead of all others, even though the domestic disturbance call to his house was not connected to his duties as a city official.

I get the feeling this is not over.

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Posted by johncoby

Pasadena shooting. Are our schools safe?

February 2, 2025

No.

If you are concerned about the safety of your kids at school you might want to do a drive by and look at the glaring holes in security. For instance notice the drop off line, the recess area, the track, football practice area, and the parking lot used for band practice. They are wide open. Also notice the gym especially after hours. Yesterday there was a shooting at a band event in a gym. Even with police posted at the door anyone could (and someone did) walk in with a concealed weapon.

This isn’t the fault of the school district. There isn’t enough money to erect brick walls, barbed wire, or bullet proof school buses in public or private schools. There isn’t enough money to post police at every event and metal detectors at every door. After the Santa Fe shooting the Lt Governor claimed he was going to do just that, put metal detectors at over 8000 public schools. (He didn’t.) I think the questions at that time are applicable today:

Beside the $126M initial price tag [for metal detectors], this isn’t a solution to the problem. How will metal detectors protect the Band kids as they practice in the parking lot? Or the football players on the field? Or those gathering in front of the school waiting for it to open?

And even if we could make every campus look like a prison how will that protect your kids at church, Walmart, parades, concerts, clubs, or any public event? It won’t. Look to our elected officials to put more money into school safety this legislation session and to make a big deal about it to look like they are doing something.

Don’t fall for it. Again. We have a problem with the wrong people having easy access to fire arms.

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Posted by johncoby

The Hypocrisy. The Hypocrisy. Hicks Facebook plant.

February 1, 2025

It was a line I have always remembered from Apocalypse Now by Marlon Brandon. You can watch it here.

But, back to Justin. Facebook can be a bitch. Back in 2022 Hicks was meddling in the CCISD elections. His buddy, Scott Bowen, candidate for CCISD, Misty Dawson, had lost the election by a very slim margin unlike Scott Bowen’s other candidate, Stephanie Parizo. She lost by 25 points, not votes, points. Bowen really needed Dawson to win to swing the Board and make him the President.

Dawson brought a suit against her opponent, not CCISD. So Justin posted the following on Facebook claiming that CCISD providing legal assistance to the winner was illegal, a violation of Texas Penal Code Chapter 39.02. What is Texas Penal Code Chapter 39.02? Glad you asked:

The Board consulted with the legal community and was unanimous in supporting funding. That vote including an AYE from Bowen leaving Hicks with egg on his Facebook. Fast forward to this week’s chaos. Hicks seems to have intent to obtain a benefit from city resources, specifically the City Attorney, for his own personal domestic dispute.

So using Hick’s own words “What I need you to do: Email the entire board and tell them to NOT use taxpayer funds to defend a personal civil suit (felony).”

Damn Facebook.

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Posted by johncoby

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