AUTHOR
I'm done with running for office—for now. I have a book to promote, my first novel in 15 years, entitled The Earthworm That Blows No Trumpet. I'm also planning to republish A Small Town for Its Size this year (for real—I didn't manage it in 2015), minus some of the typos I left in it.
I also have republished my 1997 work Eastern Daylight in its original format, as a free online novel! You can also download each chapter as a separate PDF.
Meanwhile, as I am currently not running for office or working on the next book, I will try to keep up my blog.
I'm done with running for office—for now. I have a book to promote, my first novel in 15 years, entitled The Earthworm That Blows No Trumpet. I'm also planning to republish A Small Town for Its Size this year (for real—I didn't manage it in 2015), minus some of the typos I left in it.
I also have republished my 1997 work Eastern Daylight in its original format, as a free online novel! You can also download each chapter as a separate PDF.
Meanwhile, as I am currently not running for office or working on the next book, I will try to keep up my blog.
POLITICIAN/ACTIVIST
For more than 30 years, I have also participated in various activities with dozens of groups established to promote peace, social justice, economic justice, and environmentally sound policies. Most of my activist work has been within the Green Parties of Texas and Harris County.
As a practicing Green, I am painfully aware that these ideals of peace, justice, and ecology are connected. Yes, "painfully," because here in Houston I can find people affected by war, injustice, and environmental foolishness within easy cycling distance, and I can feel their pain.
While neo-liberal capitalism could be used as a tool to achieve them all, the 0.01% make obscene profits from war, injustice, and environmental degradation. The Preamble to the Constitution implies that our government's main purpose is to protect the People from stupidity and greed. Unfortunately, the forces of stupidity and greed have bought the government, and they will not allow our elected representatives to legislate them back into Pandora's box. The only way restore power to the People is through revolution, preferably by nonviolent means.
I Finished Third in a Two-Way Race!
In 2014, the HCGP nominated me for County Judge. (No, you don't have to be a practicing attorney to be a county judge in Texas. It's just the misleading term for the county's chief executive—kind of like the Texas Railroad Commission, which has bupkis to do with railroads.)
The final tally, according to the Harris County Clerk's office:
Emmett: 403,261
Undervote*: 202,865
Collins: 80,384
* The undervote refers to those who voted in other races but not this one. Most of the undervoters probably voted straight-ticket Democrat, not knowing or caring that several races had no Democratic candidate. If even half of those voters had actually looked at the down-ballot races, I might have captured a much more respectable share of the vote than 16.6%.
Low Turnout = Nobody Wins
You could argue, as Jello Biafra might, that the real winner in all the races in Harris County and statewide was NOBODY!!! About two-thirds of the registered voters, more than 1,357,000 Harris County residents, did not vote at all in the 2014 election. The statewide turnout was even worse. If the figures from the County Clerk and the Texas Secretary of State are to be believed, Emmett will continue as our county's chief executive on the say-so of 20% of our registered voters.
Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick will run this state with less than 20% of the state's registered voters putting them in office. Now that's what I call democracy: government of the 20%, by the 1%, and for the 0.01%!
This was not my first campaign. In 2012, the Green Party of Texas nominated me for the open US Senate seat. Some guy named Cruz won that race. In a four-party race, I received about 67,000 votes statewide, or 0.86%. Not bad for a Green candidate in Texas with no money and a minimal campaign effort.
If even 1% of those 67,000 decided to become active Greens, the Green Party of Texas would become a mighty political force.
For more than 30 years, I have also participated in various activities with dozens of groups established to promote peace, social justice, economic justice, and environmentally sound policies. Most of my activist work has been within the Green Parties of Texas and Harris County.
As a practicing Green, I am painfully aware that these ideals of peace, justice, and ecology are connected. Yes, "painfully," because here in Houston I can find people affected by war, injustice, and environmental foolishness within easy cycling distance, and I can feel their pain.
While neo-liberal capitalism could be used as a tool to achieve them all, the 0.01% make obscene profits from war, injustice, and environmental degradation. The Preamble to the Constitution implies that our government's main purpose is to protect the People from stupidity and greed. Unfortunately, the forces of stupidity and greed have bought the government, and they will not allow our elected representatives to legislate them back into Pandora's box. The only way restore power to the People is through revolution, preferably by nonviolent means.
I Finished Third in a Two-Way Race!
In 2014, the HCGP nominated me for County Judge. (No, you don't have to be a practicing attorney to be a county judge in Texas. It's just the misleading term for the county's chief executive—kind of like the Texas Railroad Commission, which has bupkis to do with railroads.)
- The incumbent, Republican Ed Emmett, won as expected, and I wish him well.
- There was no Democrat, thanks to a nominee who dropped out of the race in August.
- The Libertarians did not field a candidate.
The final tally, according to the Harris County Clerk's office:
Emmett: 403,261
Undervote*: 202,865
Collins: 80,384
* The undervote refers to those who voted in other races but not this one. Most of the undervoters probably voted straight-ticket Democrat, not knowing or caring that several races had no Democratic candidate. If even half of those voters had actually looked at the down-ballot races, I might have captured a much more respectable share of the vote than 16.6%.
Low Turnout = Nobody Wins
You could argue, as Jello Biafra might, that the real winner in all the races in Harris County and statewide was NOBODY!!! About two-thirds of the registered voters, more than 1,357,000 Harris County residents, did not vote at all in the 2014 election. The statewide turnout was even worse. If the figures from the County Clerk and the Texas Secretary of State are to be believed, Emmett will continue as our county's chief executive on the say-so of 20% of our registered voters.
Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick will run this state with less than 20% of the state's registered voters putting them in office. Now that's what I call democracy: government of the 20%, by the 1%, and for the 0.01%!
This was not my first campaign. In 2012, the Green Party of Texas nominated me for the open US Senate seat. Some guy named Cruz won that race. In a four-party race, I received about 67,000 votes statewide, or 0.86%. Not bad for a Green candidate in Texas with no money and a minimal campaign effort.
If even 1% of those 67,000 decided to become active Greens, the Green Party of Texas would become a mighty political force.