A Perfect Austin Evening

Great band, crappy picture.

When you hear that Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World, you probably think of a night at the Continental Club, or Emo's, or any of a couple dozen other venues -- packed with people, the music loud and intense and danceable, a firehose of sounds and images blasting you.

But sometime live music is a babbling brook on a moonlit evening, filling the air with just enough sparkle and rhythm to make magic. And so, last night in the "yard" of a coffeehouse under a just-past-full moon, a dozen friends and I listened to great music in what was essentially a private party.

It was the perfect arena for my mood. I was feeling pensive and quiet after a long, hard week. I went to the Irie Bean coffeehouse on South Lamar to meet up with my friend Laura and some others. Shanna, Karen and Danien were there, and so were new acquaintances like Callie, Dan, Amy, Elise and Emily. I even took some pictures, which I will post soon.

The music was wonderful. Ghosts and Sparrows is Barbara K, Richard Bowden and John Jordan. They are all great musicians, and each song turned into a jam, with Barbara on guitar, John on bass and Richard on violin alternately adding great licks and sublime texture to the music. They were accompanied occasionally by Thom the World Poet, whose meditations on Life Its Ownself were perfectly framed by their music.

A perfect Austin evening.

UPDATE 9/30/07: More pictures from Irie Bean here.

We buried my mom today.

In the shade of an outdoor chapel, with a breeze blowing through the pecan trees, the air sunstruck and clear and warm. It was a perfect day. The ceremony was at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, where my dad is already buried. It was a chance for the armed forces of the United States to pay their last respects, in a ceremony rich in symbol and elegant in execution.

Two soldiers in dress uniforms held the United States flag as an honor guard fired a 21-gun salute. Then the flag was folded in a ritual as precise and symbolic as any liturgy: thirteen folds in honor of the original thirteen colonies, until the flag has become a deep blue triangle with stars. Then, after an achingly slow and solemn salute from the other members of the flag detail, its commander came in front of me, knelt on one knee and presented the flag to the family:

On behalf of the President and a grateful nation, it is my privilege to present this flag to you as a symbol of the faithful and dedicated service your loved one gave to her country.

And then it was the Church's turn. A dear family friend and priest led a simple but beautiful service, blessing the hallowed ground in which Mom would be laid and then praying for her.

May the angels lead you into Paradise.
May the martyrs greet you on your way
and lead you into the Holy City, Jerusalem.
And with Lazarus, who once was poor,
may you have riches of eternal life.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace.
Amen.
May her soul and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

John Cornyn, Pot; Lou Dobbs and Bill O'Reilly, Kettles

Yesterday and today, the Border Trade Alliance is hosting its annual convention. The BTA exists for the commendable purpose of "address[ing] key issues affecting trade and economic development in North America" and "advocat[ing] on behalf of policies and initiatives designed to improve border affairs and trade relations among the three nations."

Although it is the Border Trade Alliance, the conference is being held in Austin. Not exactly a border town, but then the bars stay open later here than they do in Eagle Pass. Not as late as in Matamoros, though.

Maybe they held it in Austin so that their keynote speaker, U.S. Senator John Cornyn, (Jerk-TX) could attend. Nope, apparently not, since he participated by videoconference. Personally, I'd have rather watched a Sopranos re-run during the luncheon.

In response to a question from BTA President Maria Luisa O'Connell, Cornyn opined that "I have not seen the United States relationship with Mexico at such a low ebb during my adult life and I think it’s a dangerous situation.”

Let's let Steve Taylor's Rio Grande Guardian pick up the story:

Cornyn made his comments via teleconference in response to a question from Maria Luisa O’Connell, the BTA president. O’Connell said she was concerned that decisions in Washington, D.C., were being based on fear and ignorance, not facts.
“My concern is that the border is going to be seen as a scapegoat by politicians and the media. Everything is going to be, ‘let’s hold it at the border because that’s what is going to solve the problems of the country,’” O’Connell said.
O’Connell said media personalities like Lou Dobbs and Bill O'Reilly had made a career out of bashing the border and she asked Cornyn what strategies could be developed to counter it.

When I read this, I said to myself, "Self, this is obviously a set-up. When it comes to demagoguing immigration and border security, John Cornyn takes a back seat to no one." But Cornyn, pirouetting like that Michael Flatley-Riverdance guy, answered with what appeared to be a straight face:

Cornyn responded that a lot of work needed to be done.
“I think we just have to not give in to some of the fear and demagoguery that unfortunately seems to creep into our discussions about our relationship, not just Mexico but with other countries around the world,” Cornyn said. “We have to listen to the facts and not give in to fear.”

It's probably a good thing I was not there. I'd have laughed so hard I'd have to be ejected from the place. To their credit, members of the BTA were having none of it, and point-blank accused him of being anti-immigrant. Read the rest of the story to see what happened.

Mom's Cows

My mom spent the last three months of her life in a nursing home in LaVernia, a little town just outside of San Antonio. My sister, brother-in-law and niece live there, and so it made sense for her to be there, and my kin out there did a wonderful job of caring for her.

In the evenings, they'd take her for a little stroll around the property. One evening Mom spied some cattle in the field next door to the nursing home, and in no time had befriended and named them. From left to right, they are Pico, Frances and Julie.

For most of the summer, we'd take a little walk in the evening and call the cows over to the fence, where my mom would talk to them and we'd feed them some grass or hay. It's a tribute to the way my mom lived that some cows became part of the extended family.

Life is so beautiful sometimes.

Nancy Eckstein, 1917 - 2007

My mother passed away on Tuesday, September 18, 2007, three months shy of her 90th birthday. She died comfortably and at peace, surrounded by her family. She had an amazing life, and was an amazing woman -- smart, curious, warm, compassionate, and irreverent.

May she rest in peace.

There's Much To Do in Texas

Senator Kirk Watson's video summary of all the issues he's working on.

Bexar County Moves Forward on "Voter Fraud" Investigation

The San Antonio Express-News has an update today about an ongoing investigation into allegations of voter fraud. This is one of those cases that depends on a chain of circumstance and reasoning that often does not hold together.

According to the story, the investigation was set in motion after Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen cross-checked voter lists against a list of people who'd declined jury duty summons on the ground they were not citizens. Apparently, she found 330 people who claimed non-citizenship but were registered to vote. Apparently, 41 of those people had actually voted in elections going back to 2001.

People who receive jury summons must fill out a juror questionnaire (a sample can be found here) that, among other things, asks if the recipient is a U.S. citizen. After filling out the questionnaire, the potential juror must sign it, stating that "I CERTIFY THAT ALL ANSWERS ARE TRUE AND CORRECT."

If the potential juror indicates he or she is not a U.S. citizen, s/he is disqualified. Obviously, no one can legally claim to be a non-citizen as a ruse for getting out of jury duty, but some citizens probably do.

On voter registration applications, the first question is "Are you a U.S. citizen?" The registrant must sign the application after acknowledging that "giving false information to procure a voter registration is perjury, and a crime under state and federal law."

When, in the hope of proving "voter fraud" exists, eager county administrators double-check jury summons responses against voter files, they may get inconsistent answers. At a minimum, the person who's registered to vote and then declined jury duty on citizenship grounds is lying on at least one of the forms. The question of whether voter fraud exists, however, is more complicated, since they must prove the voter is a non-citizen who actually voted.

While it looks sexy to say 330 registered voters said they were non-citizens in order to escape jury duty, much more needs to be shown to prove intentional "voter fraud." That's why, in spite of the hullabaloo to the contrary, relatively few of these cases have been prosecuted.

Colin Powell Interview in GQ

I just read Walter Isaacson's interview with Colin Powell in the new GQ magazine. It is very good, thoughtful reading. We need to get Colin Powell off the bench.

Matthew Dowd on the Petraeus/Crocker Show

I've watched some of the congressional testimony by Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus the last couple days. I have been impressed with their coolness and resolute professionalism as they try their best to put a positive spin on a terrible situation. At times, they reminded me of surgeons, holding out hope to a family even as they describe the cancer that is killing one of its members.

They also reminded me of two guys standing waist-deep in a septic tank, grimly shoveling sh*t and explaining how they hoped they could shovel it out faster than new crap was coming in. They preferred not to speculate about what was wrong with the tank or how it got that way; their job was to shovel it out. They did not know how long it would take or how much it would cost, but they did believe the level of waste was going down slightly.

Which begs the question: how long should they shovel before we give up on the mess?

Do we have a moral obligation to leave Iraq better off than we found it? Certainly Colin Powell was right when he told George Bush the Pottery Barn Rule: "If you break it, you buy it." If it turns out that's not Pottery Barn's rule after all -- it isn't -- does that mean we can abandon Iraq to the ethnic, sectarian and criminal bedlam we've unleashed?

On the other hand, we cannot remain there indefinitely. The American people simply will not tolerate it. Repatriated Texan Matthew Dowd has written an elegant and thoughtful essay for the Huffington Post in which he lays out the mood of the populace:

1. In the public's mind, the Iraq War was a mistake, and continuing the status quo is simply continuing on with a mistake...
2. The public does not see withdrawal from Iraq as a signal America doesn't support the troops...
3. The public is waiting for leaders from both political parties to stand up to the president and say enough is enough...
4. The war in Iraq is now seen exclusively as a foreign policy concern, and the American public no longer supports the initiative as part of national security...

(Hat tip to Evan Smith at State of Mine for the Dowd link and the cogent summary.)

The most interesting moment in Petraeus' testimony may have been when he was asked by Senate lion John Warner (R-VA) whether he thought our strategy in Iraq was making American safer. At first, he dodged the question and then, according to Slate's Fred Kaplan:

Warner repeated his unanswered question: "Does that make America safer?"
Petraeus said, "I don't know, actually. … I have not stepped back. … I have tried to focus on what I think a commander is supposed to do, which is to determine the best recommendations to achieve the objectives of the policy for which his mission is desired."

Kudos to Petraeus for being intellectually honest -- he didn't try the old "we're fighting them there so we don't have to fight them here" canard (a self-discipline I wish Texas junior Senator and Bush-enabler John Cornyn would imitate). But you know he's gotta be wishing he'd never been asked that one.

It seems clear now that the next President -- whatever his or her party -- will inherit the War on Iraq and the Bush Quagmire.

Ann Richards Bridge Over Lady Bird Lake

It used to be the Congress Avenue bridge over Town Lake. But Austin has some new heroes these days, and today the City of Austin formally renamed the bridge after the late, great Ann Richards. It's a nice tribute to Richards, who died on September 13 of last year, evoking her famous March to the Capitol when she led several thousand people across the bridge and up Congress Avenue to her inauguration as Governor of Texas in 1991.

Her ascendancy heralded a New Texas, although George Bush stalled out its momentum and Rick Perry has gone after it hammer and tong. Her greatest accomplishment may have been the diversity of her appointments to state boards and commissions, and the fact that even charter members of the Good Ol' Boys Club like Bush and Perry feel compelled to remind the people of Texas how diverse they've been in their appointments.

Her great legacy, however, will be a new generation of Texas leaders, some of whom are just starting out at the new Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders. If they can bottle Ann Richards and pour her into those kids, look out, world!

Daybreak in the Hill Country

I am spending the Labor Day weekend out in the Hill Country near Mountain Home, at my favorite place on earth. I got here yesterday afternoon and had dinner at the fabulous Cowboy Steakhouse in Kerrville. Dinner was great, even though my friend (and restaurant owner) Lorrie Ferris was not there.

I went to sleep last night with a cloudy sky and a milky full moon trying to peek through the haze. This morning dawned slow and sweet, with the air cool and damp and a light haze over the hills in the distance. This was the view from the porch of my cabin.

Today's agenda: a hike with Xena, some reading and relaxing, and an hour or two spent in the swimming hole.