Monthly Archives: October 2008

(Community Matters) Wasn’t able to be there for tonight’s official party, but Amy & Kirk Rudy and I did go up to the KDK Ranch last night for the family pre-party.

the birthday boy this morning while we were making breakfast

Janet & Amy at the fishing pond

Kent’s sister & my good friend, Gilford

the fabulous ranch house

(Community Matters) Hated missing Suzanne & David Booth’s house warming party last night. Looking forward to an evening with them and checking out their place on the old Davenport Ranch.

(Community Matters) FiveThirtyEight.com

This is not the time when John McCain can afford a bad polling day. And yet he’s had perhaps his worst one of the year.

As a result of all of this, there is now no perceptible rebound for John McCain; in fact, the race may still be trending toward Obama, although the safer assumption is that it’s flat. Meanwhile, Obama’s electoral position appears as strong as ever. John McCain’s chances of winning the election have dwindled to 3.7%, down from 6.5% yesterday.

(Community Matters) Headed to the KDK Ranch this evening/overnight with Amy & Kirk Rudy to celebrate Kent Mayes’ 50th birthday.

(Community Matters) I may have a new favorite house in Texas. Carla & Tony Martinez hosted an Obama fundraiser in Brownsville last night with Juan Sepulveda and Secretary Henry Cisneros as the honored guests.

Obama campaign’s Adrienne Donato and Tony & Carla Martinez

This is the entertaining building on their full block compound

Juan addressing those gathered

Nick Garza runs the campaign in Brownsville and was until very recently an Olympic contender for the decthalon

Michael Montoya (Juan’s right hand man in the Obama campaign) and Eric Rodriguez (who runs the Obama office in McAllen)

Randy, Secr. Henry Cisneros and Mercedes

about 100 people attended last night, including Rio Grande Valley heavy weight Alanzo Cantu and lots of electeds

(Community Matters) Given that the Morman Church has gone into overdrive to deny Californian gays & lesbians their equal constitution rights by viciously funding the campaign for Prop 8 in California, and given that they are intentionally threatening my own equal, constitutional rights, you won’t find me again defending their church or beliefs. They’ve risked their rights as a tax exempt organization.

(Community Matters) If you didn’t go to Texas A&M or grow up in Bryan-College Station, this might not mean as much to you.

The Eagle.com
Barack Obama is the better choice for our president
Eagle Editorial Board
Published Sunday, October 19, 2008 6:05 AM
In the past 50 years, The Eagle has never recommended a Democrat for president. We made no recommendations in 1960 and 1964 — when Texas’ own Lyndon B. Johnson was on the Democratic ticket — nor did we in 1968 — although we did praise Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey’s position on the Vietnam War. We did not in 1976 and 1980. In 1972, The Eagle recommend Richard Nixon, in 1984, Ronald Reagan. We recommended George H.W. Bush in 1988 and 1992 and his son in 2000. We recommended Bob Dole in 1996.
Four years ago, the Editorial Board couldn’t recommend George W. Bush for a second term, but we also couldn’t recommend Sen. John Kerry either, so we made no choice.
This year is different, in large part because of the very difficult challenges facing this nation after eight years of a failed Bush administration. We are faced with a choice between Sen. John McCain, who claims to be an agent of change but promotes the policies of the past, and Sen. Barack Obama, who also wears the change mantle, but offers a vision for the future, even if he has yet to fully explain how he would carry out that vision if elected president in little more than two weeks.
Every 20 or 30 years or so, a leader comes along who understands that change is necessary if the country is to survive and thrive. Teddy Roosevelt at the turn of the 20th century and his cousin Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan — these leaders have inspired us to rise to our better nature, to reach out to be the country we can be and, more important, must be.
Barack Obama is such a leader. He doesn’t have all the answers, to be sure, but at least he is asking the right questions. While we would like more specificity on his plans as president, we are confident that he can lead us ever forward, casting aside the doubts and fears of recent years.
John McCain is a great American, no question. He served his country with honor in the Navy – enduring five years of hell in a North Vietnamese prison — and he has represented Arizona and, indeed, the country well in the Senate. He has been a maverick at times, but his unbridled support for the Iraq War shows a lack of understanding at the weariness of the military and the country to remain much longer in a country unwilling or unable to govern itself.
Perhaps Obama won’t be able to bring American men and women safely home from Iraq in the promised 16 months, but at least he is willing to make the effort.
Also of great concern is McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. Like Obama, she has little experience in governing, but unlike the Illinois senator, she is a candidate of little intellectual curiosity who appears to be hopelessly unready to be president. The fact that people are confused by the difference between Palin and comedian Tina Fey’s caustic impersonation is clear evidence that Palin should not be, as they say, a heartbeat away from the presidency.
We also are dismayed by the tenor of the McCain-Palin campaign. If their goal is to severely wound an Obama presidency should that come to pass, they are dangerously close to succeeding.
It is time for America to look to its future with hope and optimism. It is time to say we can be better. It is time to redefine who we will be as a leader of nations.
With hope in our hearts and confidence in our choice, The Eagle recommends a vote for Barack Obama for president. Posted from my blackberry

(Community Matters)
We just left Dr. McLaughlin. “Good reports, even including bone marrow. . . . Big stack of reports, all good.”

Maintenance? Inconclusive. Reports say no for large cell. PRIMA trials underway to determine if maintenance effective for small cell (aka folicullar). See you in six months (3-month CT scan and blood work in Houston).

“Bone marrow says no lymphoma.”. We feel great!

(Community Matters) Off this morning to Houston where I’ll meet Michael Mitchell for a consultation with his oncologist at MD Anderson.

Then catching another flight to Harlingen where I’ll meet up with regional Obama director, Adrienne Donato. We’re headed to Brownsville – where we’ll meet Juan Sepulveda and Michael Montano – for Carla & Tony Martinez’ Obama fundraiser this evening. Henry Cisneros is the guest of honor.

Carla & Tony known for their Texas-sized hospitality and hacienda. Looking forward to the evening. (In a conference call yesterday, Joe Biden said stay alert, citing an AP poll saying we were only even.)

(Community Matters) Habitat’s first annual The Build was a super success yesterday during lunch. Not sure how much attendees donated but looked like a lot at our table which included Rudy Green, Mike Cook, Nav Sooch, John Thornton, Bill Bock, Will Meredith, Amanda Chiampi, Shobi Partos and Jon (the volunteer featured in the campaign). A total for the luncheon and pics forthcoming.

Over 200 people gathered to celebrate the work of Habitat in Austin and to honor Nav Sooch who was recognized “Changing Lives Award” for his philanthropy and investments in affordable housing. Austin Ventures’ John Thornton served as emcee. Michael Willard providing the narrative and story. Silicon Labs co-founder, David Welland, also joined us.

At the end, we announced a $250,000 Habitat grant from the Chestnut Commons fund at the Austin Community Foundation. This a part of the money raised from the Meredith family donation of land at Featherlite and the partnership with Momark Development, EF, et al. Habitat will use these funds to renovate longtime, low income Chestnut neighborhood residents’ homes. The Entrepreneurs Foundation and Silicon Labs presented another $50,000 grant to fund Habitat’s administrative costs for this program.

(Community Matter) I snuck out from the FuseBox party early to join Kent & Lauren Mayes, Janet Harman, Kelly & David Sooch at Ruth Chris’ to celebrate Kent’s 50th! birthday.

Kelly, Janet & David

Kent & I have super duper friends since 1991. His daughter Lauren is my goddaughter. Love seeing them in their new family with Janet, Kelly & David. What a great bunch. Much more celebrating this weekend at the Llano ranch, though I just get to attend Friday night (headed down with Amy & Kirk Rudy) since five generation Sepulveda reunion taking place at our ranch on Saturday.

(Community Matters) Steven, Amy Rudy and Ron Berry organized a FuseBox friend raiser at our house yesterday evening. Lots of folks, mostly artists, here to discuss the April ’09 festival. Love seeing the city wide collaboration may expand to include UT as well as Art House, AMOA and other important Austin art institutions. Steven, Amy & Brent Hasty are helping Ron launch a separate 501(c)(3). Artists from around the world; the merger of performance art (theatre & dance) with visual art – a new website launching in two weeks.