ID Theft

Last week I mentioned David Hogg and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) issues he was dealing with. I said Hogg was trying to inject much needed energy into the Democratic Party.  Yesterday, I saw this tweet:

@ShaneGoldmacher

NEWS: Randi Weingarten is out at DNC, citing disagreements with Ken Martin in a resignation letter.

“I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging.”

She had been on DNC since 2002.

Good riddance.  I have my reasons for not to be impressed with Weingarten. She is part of the tired and worn-out DNC leadership in DC.

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It was a disappointing weekend for Gov. Greg Abbott. The protests across the Lone Star State were peaceful. The featured photo is today’s hard copy Chron E-Board headline. Here is from the E-Board take by Op-Ed Editor Lisa Gray on the H-Town protest:

Both the weather and the mood were sunny. It was the kind of sweetness that follows a storm. The violence in L.A. still hung in the air, as well as Gov. Greg Abbott’s online bluster and quickness to call up the Texas National Guard to deal with protests across the state. Police are trained to keep the peace, to de-escalate fraught situations. The National Guard, not so much.

No FAFO for sad Gov. Greg Abbott. He didn’t get to be a tough guy this past weekend. Sad.

Chron Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Lisa Falkenberg also had a take today on Saturday’s H-Town protest. Here is my favorite part of her column:

“The president has a mug shot. My Mexican parents don’t!” read a sign held by 29-year-old Alex Godinez. He said he was born and raised in Houston but his father, who works in remodeling, and his mother, who works at a restaurant, are in the country illegally and fear being ripped away from the life they’ve made.

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I learned over the weekend that I am a victim of ID theft. Yep. I noticed last week that my credit score had dipped. Then I got a letter on Saturday inquiring about an application for a credit card account made under my name. I dealt with this matter and upon checking my credit report, I found that three credit cards had been issued under my name to an address in California.  I then remembered getting a call last week from a retail credit card company seeking payment on the balance. I told them I didn’t have an account with them. I guess I was wrong.

Yesterday, I spent a few hours dealing with this and I will spend time today on this.  I have a debit card and two credit cards, and I don’t carry credit card balances.

A couple or so years ago, I was contacted by a law enforcement agency in California informing me that my personal information had been uncovered in an ID theft ring investigation. They sent me an image of what they discovered. Yikes. At the time, nothing came of it in terms of fraudulent activity under my name. Not so anymore. 

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The Grammys announced last week that they have added a new award category – Best Album Cover.  I wonder if they made this retroactive how “Revolver,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” and “Abbey Road” by The Beatles would fare. Herb Alpert’s “Whipped Cream and Other Delights” would certainly be considered.

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I also watched the carnage on the PGA tour this past weekend. The U.S. Open was played on a tough course and yesterday, in the rain. The golf course and weather conditions hammered and humbled the tour’s best. J.J. Spaun was the lone survivor, nailing a 64-foot putt on the final hole. Wow.

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The Astros have now won 5 in a row. A walk-off win on Saturday and a walk-off win yesterday. We play the next 4 against the A’s in Sacramento. Yep, Sacramento. We are 41-30. The Astros are playing good baseball.