Tragic and Sad

46 years ago today was the last time a Democrat carried Texas in a presidential election. Commentary is talking about Jimmy Carter in 1976. I was heavily involved in the effort here in the state.

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Eye opening. Tragic. Sad. Revealing. Heartbreaking. These are a few of the words to describe the article that was posted last night by the Texas Tribune and ProPublica on the Uvalde school shooting.

The article reeks of law enforcement incompetence and cowardice.  Here is a key part:

The Texas Tribune and ProPublica have for the first time obtained recordings of more than 20 emergency calls and dozens of hours of conversations between police and dispatchers that lay bare the increasing sense of urgency and desperation conveyed by children and teachers. In chilling, muffled 911 calls, they begged for help from inside the school.

Although the existence of some 911 calls and body camera footage has been reported publicly, the totality of the recordings show the pervasiveness of the miscommunication that unfolded that day.

During some calls, dispatchers and officers warned that class was supposed to be in session in rooms where the gunman had been shooting. On others, law enforcement officers said they were unaware that anyone aside from the gunman was in the classrooms, even as dispatchers received calls from children seeking help.

Ten-year-old Khloie Torres was one of those children. While state officials previously released a transcript with excerpts from one of Khloie’s phone calls, the news organizations obtained additional recordings of her pleading for help that had not been made public. Khloie survived that day.

In an interview, her father, Ruben Torres Jr., said he is “disgusted” that police did not quickly intervene. The fact that his daughter had to wait so long to get help is “mind-boggling,” Torres said.

“There was no control. That dude had control the entire 77 minutes,” said Torres, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. “They didn’t have him barricaded. He had the police barricaded outside. It’s plain and simple. The police didn’t go in. That’s your job: to go in.”

Police. Barricaded. Outside.

DPS Director Steve McCraw still is on the job.

Here is the entire must read article: Uvalde shooting 911 recordings reveal fear of people at Robb Elementary | The Texas Tribune.

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Here is from today’s Chron front page:

Republican Alexandra del Moral Mealer raked in $3.7 million over the last month of her campaign for Harris County judge, widening her fundraising advantage over incumbent Democrat Lina Hidalgo in the home stretch of the closely watched contest.

The last round of campaign finance reports before the Nov. 8 election showed Mealer more than quadrupling Hidalgo’s $911,000 haul from Sept. 30 through Oct. 29. Mealer also outspent Hidalgo, $4.7 million to $2.2 million, during the month-long reporting period.

The fundraising disparity, largely powered by donors from the Houston-area business community, has given Mealer a shot to deliver Republicans’ first countywide win in Harris County since 2014. Recent polling indicates the race is a dead heat.

Nearly three-quarters of Mealer’s latest haul came from contributions of $20,000 or more, mostly donated by a who’s who of business executives and high-powered Republican donors. She also received a number of smaller donations from people who have won or bid on county contracts, a group from which Hidalgo has refused campaign contributions.

Commentary is thinking that Judge Hidalgo must be doing a good job since all these rich GOPers want her out of office.

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The Christmas tunes are up on SiriusXM. 5 channels. 55 – Country, 71 – Traditional, 104 – Contemporary, 105 – Timeless, and 620 Mannheim Steamroller. It is 53 days until Christmas. Why not.

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Commentary is ok with this:

PHILADELPHIA — MLB’s regular-season rule of starting extra innings with a runner on second base is likely to stay next season.

That won’t draw an objection from either manager in the World Series. 

“I’m kind of in favor of it because it saves your pitching as much as anything,” Astros skipper Dusty Baker said. “It makes you play a different game at home than you do on the road. So yeah, I’m in favor of it.”

In a recent interview with Sirius XM host Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the rule, implemented during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and kept in each of the following campaigns. 

“The clubs like it, the players like it,” Manfred said. “And I think overall, the fans like it. I think it does bring sort of a focus to the end of the baseball game in a way that has been positively received.”

Manfred doubled down during his news conference after announcing Monday’s Game 3 postponement, saying “seems like it has legs to me.”

Extending the extra-inning format, however, requires getting the approval of the MLB Players Association.

“That’s a decision for the players to make,” MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said before Friday’s World Series opener. “That’ll be one of the things that we’ve got to talk to the guys about.”

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Kyle Tucker won the Gold Glove for AL right fielder.

Rookie Jeremy Peña won the Gold Glove for AL shortstop.

Nice.

Commentary has said it before. I try not to get emotionally invested in the Astros. The Astros don’t treat me as a fan. They treat me as a business.

That being said. Look at the bright side. If we win the 2022 World Series, it will be at The Yard.

Lance McCullers, Jr. was hammered last night. He wilted on the big stage.

It is simple.  We must win three out of the next four games.

The players can play their game or they can choke.

#LevelUp!