Texas Democrats, we need to retake this wonderful place! 56K :(

[Maestro]

Capitol grounds...


Wonderful, beautiful oak on the grounds


Southern entrance and grounds


In commemoration of Texas schoolchildren (as if the current repuke dominated congress really cares :eyes:)


The beautiful Tyler Roses in the background


The loving lady on top of the dome


Let's walk in (two Texas' finest future stars are waiting to go in)


Did you know that all the doors in the Capitol Building have these 8 pound hinges?


Hello, Sam Houston (Statue from 1888)


The center of the Capitol Building is very open with a view all the way through the dome.


That little dot you see in the above photo is this star.


This is the original Alamo flag. It is not in the Capitol building but in the Visitor's Center on the grounds of the Capitol. Let's remember that the war with the Mexicans was actually fought with the help of many Mexicans who were tired of the Mexican government's poor handling of basic issues with respect to life in the territory of Texas under Santa Ana.


One of the first Lone Star flags


Back to the Capitol Building...remember the rules.


The Senate Chamber: Have a seat and soak up the history.




Beautifully decorated ceiling and lights


Let's walk over to the House chamber




We can't leave without taking a look at all the portraits of the governors and presidents of Texas in the center dome area. This area takes up four floors.
The floor is beautiful and along the wall you can see some of the portraits.


Looking down through the gorgeous balusters.


As we left, I thought of all the great Democrats that have served Texas. I thought of Ralph Yarborough, of Barbara Jordan, Jim Hightower as Ag Commissioner and as a great political writer, Ann Richards, Jim Wright, Martin Frost, the great columnist Molly Ivins, Sam Rayburn and even the more conservative line of the party in the spirit of Lloyd Bentsen and LBJ. Speaking of LBJ, here is a photo of LBJ and Westmoreland with my grandmother.

I also thought of new Democrats that will hopefully bring the party back to dominance. For example, I so hope that David Harris can defeat Smokey Joe Barton who is so beholden to Big Oil his blood is black. Of course, our own David Van Os comes to mind. He is definitely the sort of progressive Democrat I want to see in Austin.

However, I really, really, really, want to see a Democrat, namely Chris Bell, living here.


I would like to see ex-governor Goodhair cleaning bat guano here under the Congress Avenue Bridge.




So my fellow Texans, it is time to bring back Texas government to the people and take it out of the hands of the corporate elite. Write every newspaper you can find describing the ills of the repukes. If you can volunteer to make some phone calls, walk with a candidate or just donate a bit of cash, do it! Every little bit helps. Ever since Ann Richards left office, I have seen my awesome state become more polluted, lose control of how to finance schools, break down the separation of church and state and the Texas economy has faltered. Thus my salary, while under Clinton and part of * was rising, has completely stagnated under Goodhair and * the president.

Texas also deregulated the energy industry which in part has caused our energy costs to skyrocket while most other states are seeing only minimal increases in their energy costs. This guy has a plan. Of course the deregulation plan didn't even start well here and it continues to wreak havoc on energy costs just like California. Those that supported deregulation should have seen this coming. Of course with Enron pushing for deregulation here, what would one expect. * and Lay were so buddy-buddy, it was a foregone conclusion that deregulation would occur.

Texans have been duped. There is no one fighting for us in Austin. We need to bring back people whose concern are the people of Texas, white, black, brown or purple, English speaking or not, atheist, protestant, catholic, jew or muslim. I'm sick of what I see and it saddens me to see what has happened. I want my children to be proud of their state, their country and, perhaps more than anything else, proud of me. To that end, I will fight. Will you?

[PDittie]

1. Great photos, Maestro

Help is on the way.

David Van Os wants to raise $30,000 in thirty days in order to take back Austin. Can you help?

[Maestro]

2. I will

Pay day is coming up soon.

[KatyaR]

3. Beautiful photo essay--isn't it interesting that architecture alone

can be so beautiful and inspiring, but adding the human element can make it actually disappear from our sight?

Hopefully the upcoming elections will mean change for both Texas and Oklahoma.

[Maestro]

6. Thanks so much.

Really just being in Austin surrounded by the history inspired me but seeing some of the hand-crafted architecture of the Capitol Building was just awe-inspiring.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Kicking for bat guano eradication nt

[Maestro]

7. Yes wouldn't that be a sight!

In fact, I'd pay to see it! :rofl:

[tammywammy]

5. Great Photos!

I really really hope that it's Bell in the governor's mansion next. :)

It's been so long since I took a tour of the capitol. I remember the first time I went, with my grandparents when I was like 5 or 6. I remember standing there staring all the way up to the top of the dome. It was amazing.

[Maestro]

8. Thanks.

I hope to see Bell there too!

[Stevepol]

9. Get the voting machines straightened out & you'll retake TX!!

TX has a lot of Dems and if the votes are counted fairly and the votes aren't thrown out for various reasons, I believe Dems could ride again in TX!!

[jobycom]

11. It'll take a lot more than that. But it can be done.

We have lost a lot of fair elections, but some results have been promising lately. Democrats have been showing strong and winning in Republican safe districts in the last few months (including a special election to replace one of DeLay's pawns, Todd Baxter, who resigned when the DeLay story broke). There's promise. I don't know about the governor's race, it's a mess, but we can start cleaning up by retaking that Capitol Building, one district at a time. Work in your district, campaign, don't assume that just because it's a local seat it's not important. The Legislature is the tool DeLay used to corrupt the system, and it can be the tool we use to clean it up.

And if they try to cheat, it will be easiest to prove at the local level, too. Don't let your guard down.

[Maestro]

12. I hope.

But the rovians and bushlers are strong here and with so many gerrymandered districts now favoring repukes (thanks you asshole DeLay) it is going to be difficult but a worthy fight.

[jobycom]

10. And if you've never seen it in person, I've got a spare bedroom. It's

worth the trip. Those are exceptional photos, Maestro (the little girl in front of the door looks so much like my daughter I had to examine it closer!), but even so, they don't completely capture its grandeur, do they? You should take a few at the State Cemetery, too. Be sure to get Ralph Yarborough's marker if you do. Try not to get Connally's in the same shot, though.

[Maestro]

13. Next time I am down there I will try.

BTW, here are some more of my kids at the Capitol.

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

14. Beautiful pictures

and thanks for the inspiration we need to take our state back!

[Maestro]

21. No problem

Sometimes I just need to get my frustrations out. I thought this would be a nice way. There is less cussing in front of the kids. ;)

[StellaBlue]

15. Awesome post.

I was a tour guide from Jan 1998 - July 2001, and, thank Allah, I find myself working in the Capitol again now. I walk through the Tyler roses every day.

One of my favorite places in the world.

[Maestro]

20. So you are there now?

Too bad we couldn't have met.

[StellaBlue]

22. Yep, lucky me!

Where did you go, pray tell?

[GOPisEvil]

16. Great post. Lovely pictures of the Capitol.

Every Texan should visit the Capitol; it's gorgeous. So much history. We need to take it back in the name of the people of Texas.

[Maestro]

19. Thanks.

I hope you have fun at your get-together.

[muse]

17. I'm glad you got to the Capitol with the kids!

Where else did you end up in Austin? I remember when you asked our advice about places to go!

[Maestro]

18. Well, I was so enamored with the Capitol and

since the hotel where my wife had her conference was literally a stone's throw from the Capitol I decided to hang around the downtown area. The first day, the kids and I went to the Capitol, walked down Congress Avenue, grabbed the "Dillo" and headed for the Children's Museum. We had a blast there. Here are some more pics.
Congress Avenue

On the Dillo...

Inside the Children's Museum creating a tornado.

Pretending to be shopping...

Having a blast with the trains...

Dark pic of me inside the Capitol...


Later on in the evening, we headed down to the TGIF in one of the hotels by the Congress Avenue Bridge to watch the bats. That was fun. I got to enjoy a nice ale while waiting for the bats.


The second day, the kids and I were pretty tired so we hung around the hotel. I wanted to go to the park that was mentioned to me. I can't remember if it was you or someone else. I also wanted to go the Texas History Museum and another musuem by UT but we just didn't have enough time. We had to check out by 1:00. We also had family waiting on us in San Antonio. Austin was fun, though. That was the first time I'd been back since '87 back when I would hit Sixth Street with my buds from UT. I would drive in from SFA.