David Bruce Collins—the Official Site

Ambassador DBC and Questions for Council Candidates

18/7/2019

dbc holding up his Ambassador sticker from Bike Houston

A few years ago, in the wake of my run for the US Senate, beloved friends and HAUSmates started calling me "Senator." The nickname stuck, and it has become my playa-name in the Burner community. It helps distinguish me from the other Davids in that crowd, not all of whom even have playa-names.

BikeHouston calls me an Ambassador, meaning that I (a) help promote the interests of the organization in my area of town and (b) help shape its approach to policy initiatives in city government. Last night, a couple dozen of us ambassadors got together at the BH office and did some (b) work.

Several BH initiatives and programs came under discussion, including:

Bike Friendly Driver classes, the next of which occurs Tuesday evening 23 July, designed to educate motorists on mixing safely in traffic with cyclists. Members are encouraged to take the class so they can then teach the class.
The Austin Street Team ride, Saturday 27 July at 4 pm, at which a group of BH members and other cycling advocates will ride the length of the soon-to-be-constructed protected bike lane on Austin and La Branch Streets between downtown and Hermann Park. The rides starts at Baldwin Park in Midtown.
Another series of Bike to Vote rides, assembling cyclists at neighborhood bike shops and riding en masse to early voting locations. These will happen during the early voting period, 21 October through 1 November, for the upcoming Houston City Council election.

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Promised Summer Vacation Slideshow, Part B

11/7/2019

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Unlike Part 1, this gallery features only selected photos from the our 6,000-mile journey through 15 states in 15 days, via 15 Interstate highways. Also unlike Part 1, I'm adding captions and Alt text here.

We didn't get photos from every state or person we visited along the way, but we got most of the locations that weren't just overnight stays. Plus, Kayleen went out of her way to find souvenir fridge magnets from all 15 states on the trip.

Cadillacs partially buried nose-first at the Cadillac Ranch installation near Amarillo TX.

Kayleen standing with a blue 1957 Cadillac Sedan de Ville by the Cadillac Ranch souvenir shop.

dbc with a white 1958 Sedan de Ville at the souvenir shop near the Cadillac Ranch.

The "Legendary Road" mural in Tucumcari NM features scenes from the history of the Western US and US Highway 66.

Photo of the dashboard of the Kia Niro that transported us all over the West and Midwest, with the fuel economy gauge showing 60.7 MPG.

Stylized octopus mural on the outer wall of a sushi restaurant near the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City

After-dinner wine a picnic table outside the residence of friends Sam and Homer in Salt Lake City.

The trees and waterfall at the Travelers' Oasis truck stop in Eden ID.

The Oregon Trail Motel on US Highway 30 in Baker City OR.

The Oregon Trail Restaurant in Baker City OR, next to the Oregon Trail Motel.

The bike rack outside the Pendleton Woolworks in Pendleton OR.

Exhibit of native weaving and other artifacts at the Pendleton Woolworks.

An elaborately beaded native vest and moccasins.

Bolts of various grades and colors of wool at the Pendleton Woolworks.

The entrance to the main house, where tours of the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery begin, in Woodinville WA.

The bottling line at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, Woodinville WA.

The filler, labeler, and boxing apparatus for wine bottles at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery.

The Summer 2019 concert calendar for Chateau Ste. Michelle.

A substantial Newfoundland dog visiting Chateau Ste. Michelle with his people.

English lavender in full bloom at Lavender Hill Farm, Vashon Island WA.

Kayleen cutting some lavender blossoms at Lavender Hill Farm, Vashon Island WA.

Out to dinner in SeaTac with long-unseen friends from Massachusetts.

Tesla charging stations in a parking lot in Butte MT.

Silk flowers adorn "Harriet's Booth at Pannekoeken Huis in St. Louis Park MN (Twin Cities).

A delivery cycle and Holstein painted waste basket at Carr Valley Cheese Store in Mauston WI.

A softball field and some high-rise dwellings in South Chicago.

View of Lake Michigan across Lake Shore Drive (US Highway 41) from Kenwood Park, Chicago.

Street art, featuring Chicago pioneer Jean Baptiste Pointe Dusable, in an underpass below the elevated trains in Kenwood, Chicago IL.

Wells House co-operative dwelling on South Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

An image of a young human's face seems to spit a stream of water at the Millennium Park Splashpad, North Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

Another slow-motion human face image at the Millennium Park Splashpad, Chicago.

Pride Parade graphics in the window of a book store on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago.

Kayleen points to the honorary street sign for Bob Fosse Way in Downtown Chicago.

A short list of cocktails and "pyes" sold during the production of "Hamilton."

The front of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago.

A "Wired to Wear" pole banner on one of the streets of the University of Chicago campus.

Saint Louis Gateway Arch and skyline, seen from across the Mississippi River in East Saint Louis IL.

Plaque on the pedestal of the bronze statue of Mickey Mantle, in his hometown of Commerce OK.

Bronze statue of Mickey Mantle and his home run swing, near Commerce High School in Commerce OK.

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Promised Summer 2019 Tour Slideshow, Part 1

11/7/2019

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Herein is the first of two summer vacation slideshows that I thought I might be able to post last week. However, I have been a busy unemployee lately. It isn't that I haven't had enough time, but that I haven't had enough time in one continuous chunk. Part of my busy-ness was making sure that the US Women's National Team won that World Cup thing to justify all that swagger.

This first gallery comprises photos from the Fremont Solstice Parade, held almost three weeks ago on a chilly Saturday in "Junuary." It contains no photos of the procession in which I participated, the nearly one thousand paint-clad cyclists and skaters who rolled down the parade route before the parade itself began. If you're curious, you can search on Flickr for Fremont Solstice Cyclists to find photos of nekkid humans on bikes and skateboards.

You'll find the other gallery here.

I present to you these 60 photos with minimal context or explanation. You can look at the pictures and form your own conclusions on what it all means. The context I will provide is that the Fremont Arts Council in its various incarnations has for 30 years staged these deliciously trippy parades through this artsy district just west of the University of Washington.

The FAC takes pains to remind the public that the Solstice Cyclists are a separate entity, and that the wheeled procession is not part of the parade. The organizers of the Cyclist group maintain friendly relations with the FAC mostly by following the FAC's rules and dictates, which purportedly exist for reasons of logistics and safety. This leads inevitably to some grumbling among the cyclist participants, along the lines of Why must we do A this year? Why can't we do B? We've done B for years, and it's never caused any problems. The two entities usually negotiate a satisfactory compromise.

The rules for entries in the parade are fairly simple, per the website:

☼ No printed words or logos: Please do not wear your team jersey or a t-shirt with words printed on it. We ask that you do not carry signage identifying your crew during the parade. Also, please do not pass out handbills or flyers to the crowds during the parade. Your group will be identified in our publications, website, and will be announced to the crowds as you pass by in parade.
☼ No live animals (except guide animals): Please leave your pets at home for this event. We ask that no animals join the parade for both safety and sanitation of the parade route.
☼ No motorized vehicles: We allow motorized vehicles for handicapped access only. Our parade is a human-powered parade!
☼ No actual weapons or fire: Safety first!

In no particular order, my favorite parade entries in this, the third Solstice Parade I've attended, are:

the Alice in Wonderland group
the Flying Spaghetti Monster (which I wound up explaining to a young mom with her toddler)
the samba school
the group from Extinction Rebellion

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#CloseTheCamps Protest and GP Houston Organizing

3/7/2019

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We're back in H-Town after our big roadtrip to Seattle, Chicago, and various points between. During the two weeks' travel, I took a break from blogging, as there was no time for it with all the driving and hotel check-ins and visiting friends and other activities. For me, you might say that it was a vacation from unemployment. As for Kayleen, she started her new job Monday, the day after we returned. Selected photos from out excursion will appear in a later post.

A portion of the crowd demonstrating near Sen. John Cornyn's office at 5300 Memorial Drive.

Just a portion of the crowd demonstrating near Sen. John Cornyn's office on Memorial Drive. Protesters also occupied the other three corners at Memorial and Detering.

This Is What a Crowd of Pissed-Off (Mostly) Democrats Looks Like!
Yesterday I got back to activism, showing up at the weekly protest in front of Sen. John Cornyn's office, with a larger-than-usual crowd gathered to yell "CLOSE THE CAMPS!" and other slogans. I don't like chanting, but it warmed my heart to be present there. I didn't even mind all the Democratic Party t-shirts that showed how deluded the wearers are. MoveOn, for example, had a fairly large contingent in attendance. My UU brethren numbered about a dozen. I was immensely gratified that venerable Houston activist Gloria Rubac and some friends showed up to represent F.I.R.E. (Fighting for Immigrant Rights Everywhere). We got some media coverage from the Chronicle and several TV stations (e.g., KPRC).

Despite Cornyn's recent flippant tweet about having to withdraw his money from Bank of America in response to its no longer doing business with private prison companies, the senior senator from Texas has apparently introduced legislation to stop the family separation policy. Republicrat Rep. Henry Cuellar has put the same bill before the US House. Did the protests have anything to do with that? I'd like to think so, even if not; the bill was announced two months ago. If adopted, watered down or not, the bill would still bring a return to the unacceptable "keep families together behind bars" policy of the Obama administration.

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Sketch Comes Through and Other GPTX News

14/6/2019

At a lunch meeting Wednesday, Laura Palmer informed me that her husband Don "Sketch" Palmer was the angel who got harriscountygreenparty.org back online for another six years. As mentioned earlier this week, hcgp.org is no longer in HCGP's possession, and the Party will not likely spend the thousand bucks to ransom it.

As of last week's Annual State Meeting of the Green Party of Texas, Sketch is the newly elected GPTX treasurer. Here is the complete listing of the State Executive Committee, delegates and the Green National Committee, and current regional coordinators. The regional coordinator system may be retired soon.

Just prior to the ASM, I relented to Laura's plea to stand for an at-large position on the SEC, and fortunately for me I was not elected.

The Post 2504 Landscape
A Green buzz is reverberating through Texas and all around the nation in the wake of HB 2504 becoming law and guaranteeing a ballot line for 2020. The National Committee has a vested interest in having a strong Green presence in the second-most populous state. Veteran Greens like me, who have faded from the scene to avoid intra-Party squabbles, are becoming active again. Among those with whom I have conversed, the focus have shifted more than ever toward recruiting candidates for 2020 and amassing the funds to back them up.

harriscountygreenparty.org is Back Online

12/6/2019

This is an update of an item posted here Saturday before last. The good news is that the Harris County Green Party has it web presence restored, as of yesterday according to whois.com. The domain harriscountygreenparty.org is secured until May 2025.

The not-so-good news is that HCGP will likely have to find a new short & snappy domain name for the HCGP website. They cannot reclaim the hcgp.org at the usual annual rate, as the Network Solutions chat transcript below shows.

A message arrived yesterday in one of my email boxes, informing me that I had been removed as primary contact for the domains currently owned by HCGP. That was what prompted me to contact Network Solutions in the first place. I'm quite OK with not being the primary contact, even if I didn't request the removal. A second chat session revealed that NS could not tell me who has taken over the role of primary contact.

Governor Abbott Signs Ballot Access Bill

11/6/2019

HB 2504, which we have examined in several recent posts, is now state law. The Green Party of Texas officially has access to the 2020 general election ballot. I tried to make this post look like straightforward news reporting, but I failed in that endeavor. I'm pretty doggone excited about it.

Individual candidates who wish to run as Greens will have to pony up filing fees or collect a goodly number of signatures on a petition in order to run for elective office; the amount of dollars or signatures varies according to the office sought.

There's potential confusion in reading the record. The legislative history for HB 2504 says "Effective immediately," but that is merely an indication that the bill's status as statute takes effect immediately. The provisions of the bill itself go into effect on 1 September 2019, at which time the Texas Election Code will be officially modified.

I'll try to find out whether the effective date means that a prospective Green Party candidate must wait until September to begin collecting signatures; that doesn't appear to be the case, as there's nothing to stop a candidate from raising funds right now.

To be continued.

GPTX Annual State Meeting This Weekend

7/6/2019

I won't be attending this year, but I thought I'd at least disseminate today's press release:

*****

Green Party delegates from across the state will gather this weekend June 8 and 9 for their Annual State Meeting held this year at the Belton-Temple Holiday Inn, halfway between San Antonio and Dallas.

Besides electing new party officers and minor bylaws improvements, Greens will plan for their 2020 candidates support for political offices, and the need for local leadership in solving the climate crisis through legislation and ordinances. A carbon tax, single-payer health care, the need for cities to have noise ordinances curtailing loud delivery drone services, the social changes of driverless cars, doctor shortages, lunar-solar power, women’s and minorities’ human rights, the runaway military budget, death penalty abolition, immigration solutions, cryptocurrencies and banking, and more forward-looking topics may be discussed.

The Green Party of Texas is one of many in the U.S., and is part of a growing movement around the world for decentralized government and ecological responsibility. Read about the Ten Key Values at https://www.GP.org and www.txgreens.org.

A Musical Epiphany: Facing a Dying Nation

3/6/2019

Promotional image for IVH's June 2019 concert at the Midtown Arts & Theatre Center, Houston (MATCH)

Before getting to the main thrust of this item, here are three facts to frame it:

This past weekend I participated in a series of concerts with International Voices Houston, which I did not publicize on this blog for a mixture of reasons not worth delving into here. (I did publicize it on Facebook, for what that's worth.) I have now sung in the IVH's low tenor subsection for four consecutive performance cycles—i.e., since April 2018. The choir rehearses mostly on Mondays; last spring, no longer having Green Party duties on Monday nights, I gave in to the entreaties of some fellow choristers at First UU Church and (sort of) auditioned.
I am a vicarious psychonaut—i.e., I have never (to my knowledge) consumed hallucinogens, but I enjoy hearing and reading accounts of trips from people who have, including some friends and acquaintances. The reason I don't indulge is that, in my 20's, an acid-eater friend of mine informed me that LSD amplifies your emotional and mental states; even as a youth, my emotional and mental states tended to be pretty dark most of the time.
For decades, I have suffered from literal nostalgia: per Webster, a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition. In my case, I've caught myself weeping as precious memories leap out of their boxes when I hear songs I associate with poignant moments—even goofy songs like "Rock Lobster." Don't you dare judge.

"The World Is a Stage" was a concert featuring a couple dozen songs from about 20 different Broadway musicals spanning more than 80 years, from Porgy and Bess to The Greatest Showman (adapted from the film). When it comes to musical theatre, I have pretty particular tastes, and at the outset I worried that this show would be an exercise in pandering. Happily, it wasn't. Artistic Director Mark Vogel's taste in musicals is roughly similar to mine.

I was particularly grateful for the inclusion of the medley from Hair, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." It closed the first half of the show. (The second half opened with a heart-tugging "I Know Where I've Been" from Hairspray.)

Even more gratifying, we didn't just stick to what the middle school–level arrangement prescribed: Providing a more graceful segue between the parts, our two sightless and soulful sopranos Jessica Callahan and Jennifer Parrish wailed out "Flesh Failures" minus the "Manchester England England" part. By the time we got to "Let the Sunshine In," I could barely sing for the lumps in my throat.

We're Sorry. This Site Has Been Disconnected.

1/6/2019

Sigh. I figured I'd give them a few days to straighten it out before officially bitching about it here. It's been a week now.

The Harris County Green Party's website is currently offline.

There's placeholder/squatter content on both hcgp.org and harriscountygreenparty.org. The former is listed as for sale; the latter, pending renewal through Network Solutions.

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