Search this site

Bucking the status quo entails knowing what you're talking about. LIV wants to hold many more and better-organized educational forums on topics of interest online to bring independents together across the state. We would appreciate you taking 3 minutes to respond to this survey. We propose a variety of forums and wish to gauge your interest. You can also suggest your own topics. And, we're happy to receive your recommendations for speakers. Please take the LIV Forums Survey here. Note: If you do not have a gmail address or wish not to use Google Forms, please send an email to us at contact@livtx.org and we'll email you a copy of the LIV Forums Survey. Thank you!

Kinky Friedman’s death today at age 79 is well-covered in the Texas Tribune and on Kinky’s Wikipedia page . LIV sends its condolences to Kinky’s huge network of family, friends, and fans who love him dearly.   I met Kinky in 2005, in the runup to his independent bid for Texas Governor. I met with Kinky at his ranch in Medina. It was his love and care for dogs that made plain what a sweet guy he was, that Kinky Friedman. I know that all dogs are beautiful on the inside, but at the risk of offending any fellow dog worshippers, Kinky had maybe 8 or 10 outwardly beauty-challenged dogs living in his cabin! He took us out to meet the 60 dogs in his lovely dog-centric rescue facility. Kinky named his dogs after famous people. He was very clever at pawning them off on others. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with Reba McEntire and to take her home to Bastrop. I came to meet with Kinky, along with Gerardo Cardenas, then treasurer of Independent Texans PAC . I was an emissary for the Carole Strayhorn gubernatorial campaign. Carole, the Republican State Comptroller, had planned to run for Governor in the Republican primary against Rick Perry . One of her signature issues was the Trans-Texas Corridor, aka the “NAFTA Highway” opposed by a broad array of groups, including the Independent Texans PAC. Kinky had already declared his independent candidacy, but I came to warn him that Carole was considering skipping the primary and running as an independent.   I helped bring the two campaign managers together; Carole’s son, Brad McClellan, and Kinky’s seasoned and whip-smart independent consultant, Dean Barkley from Minnesota. Barkley played a major role in the successful gubernatorial election of Jesse Ventura in 1998 on the Reform Party line. We knew each other having gone through the four years of exhilarating success and then heart-breaking failure of the Reform Party USA. We never regretted a moment and yes, it almost killed the independent movement and me too.   What I Never Said Before We Can Learn From   It was my feeling that Kinky was not treated with adequate care by the Strayhorn campaign. I think they assumed Kinky might get a few percentage points. I wasn’t sure of that at all. Instead, Carole and Kinky damn near equally split the independent vote. Strayhorn, who had $8 million in her campaign coffers, wound up with 18%. Kinky received 12.6%. Their combined votes would have put one of them in second place at 32%. Rick Perry won with 39% and Chris Bell, the Democratic candidate, received 29.8%. I feel the same today as I did then that had Carole met directly with Kinky and asked him before the filing deadline to move to the Lt. Governor’s race, Carole Strayhorn would have beat Rick Perry as an independent in 2006. Instead, pride stopped her from giving Kinky the respect he deserved and we all lost. On a separate note, I want to give homage to all the people who backed Kinky in his campaign, including the brilliant Barkley, who I still talk to from time to time. They ran one helluva campaign, especially their petition drive. They got their signatures spending ¼ of what the Strayhorn campaign spent by mobilizing volunteers. I believe it was this creative (and fun) work that explains how well Kinky did. Candidates running independently invariably fail to mobilize their most important asset – their following. (Hint: RFK, Jr. could well be learning this lesson the hard way today.)   Happy Trails and farewell to Kinky Friedman from all who loved him, including hundreds of four-legged friends like our Reba-doo. _____________________ Note: Please feel free to share your Kinky Friedman stories in our comment section. And, please, after a good cry, consider a way to remember Kinky is to get involved in the independent movement in your community. LIV is ready, willing, and able to help. We also regret the passing of Ms. Edee Baggett of National Ballot Access, one of America's leading ballot access petition companies. Linda is also mourning the passage of a personal friend, Barry Levine , who played an important role in the early days of the independent political movement that put Lenora Fulani on the ballot in all 50 states in 1988.

Should political independents let the two-party U.S. war machine grind down our economy, along with hundreds of thousands of Ukraine's young people, and support a genocide in Israel? Obviously not. But, what can we actually do? The first step is to talk about it. The second step is to recognize that independent politics is irrelevant in the absence of thorough political and civic education. On Friday, June 14, the nearly $900B National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the U.S. House (217 to 199) on a largely party-line vote, with most Republicans supporting passage. The bill will now move on to the U.S. Senate for extended debate. The NDAA contains language for automatic registration for the Draft, something not seen since Vietnam. More here from Antiwar.com , " Congress Moves Toward Automatic Registration for a Military Draft ," Tomorrow night, Monday, June 17, at 8 pm we will have an open discussion about what war and peace have to do with the independent political movement. RSVP here . Before or after tomorrow night's discussion we suggest you watch this presentation by Professor John Mearsheimer at the Centre for Independent Studies that has gone viral. The world's most recognized international political science scholar, John Mearsheimer, also covers Iran in this very important presentation. Go here for Mearsheimer's presentation, " Why Israel is in Trouble ". Please note that tomorrow night's discussion is open to any topics covered in this post and in the most recent LIV News here .

City of Bastrop : Independent Texans PAC (IT PAC) was founded in 2001 after the implosion of the Reform Party founded by Ross Perot , IT PAC's slogan is "the poorest little PAC in Texas, NOT a political whorehouse". In two small turnout local Bastrop elections, IT PAC was able to lend an effective helping hand by simply augmenting the concerns of a broad cross-section of voters of all persuasions. They put aside their differences and worked together, even in a GOP runoff.   In the small city of 12,000 people, IT PAC supported Kerry Fossler , a winning candidate for Bastrop City Council, a non-partisan race. The PAC documented that Fossler's opponent ( Jimmy Crouch ) was supporting the placement of a project -- the Gateway multi-use shopping mall and hotel -- at a location that was all kind of wrong. Gateway developers had been working it with a few Council Members and the City Manager to move a zoning change before anyone understood that it was at the top of the hill adjacent to Bastrop State Park and overlooking Bastrop. The park was the epicenter of the massive Bastrop Complex Fire in 2011. Gateway would have destroyed one of the small piney wooded forests left. When the news hit, hundreds of people showed up at a hearing, startling the clueless promoters. It also helped that the opposition disparagingly called everyone "tree huggers." The fire had already made tree huggers out of everyone who lives in Bastrop. LIV's article  linked to the picture above spread like wildfire on social media.   IT PAC also put together its case by drawing the connections between the local clique promoting the Gateway Project and a local coup’ d’etat attempt to humiliate and drive Bastrop Mayor Lyle Nelson  out of office with a doomed recall petition, while also stripping the Mayor’s few powers. (This IT PAC article on the attempted recall  was quite popular.)   The bottom line is IT PAC was able to spur a community dialogue leading to an "each one, reach one" effect with neighbors talking to neighbors. There is nothing more powerful than local talk in local campaigns, if you stick to facts and allow people to express their differences – including your opponents. GOP Runoff Candidate, Butch Carmack: A similar strategy was taken up by IT PAC supporting a winning candidate in the GOP runoff for Bastrop County Commissioner Precinct 1, Butch Carmack . It didn’t hurt that Butch’s opponent bragged about the support she had from big developers, and Butch had demonstrated his concerns about how growth is on fire in Bastrop. He is also well-known and well-liked as a straight shooter. Bastrop's growth curve here , is THE issue driving many problems begging for solutions. The humble 4 x 6 postcard posted above went a long way when the word got on social media. Butch supporters -- and there were hundreds -- simply called their friends. It's very cool that more people are now watching their local government. Here's a post on NextDoor by a neighbor who had largely ignored local politics until the Gateway Project hit his idyllic neighborhood like a sledgehammer: "Politics on every level has turned into a dog fight between two very dysfunctional groups. It’s all about them and their misdirected pride and huge ego. HELLO, the public is still out here…Remember us???"   What's Next for the Texas Independent Movement? We need your help to build Texas independent electoral politics! Be sure to read all the post published in LIV News, June 11. Write us a note here  or give us a call at 512.213.4511. Donate to us or become a dues-paying member. And, please sign up to join us for our June 17th forum, " Blessed are the Peacemakers ."

“Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.”  W. H. Auden Ten years ago a friend told us we would be at war with Russia. We thought he was nuts. On Saturday, June 8, ABC News ran this report  with U.S. generals pressing President Biden to give Ukrainian President Zelensky  a green light to go beyond the "limited" permission he already received to strike Russia within its borders. Take a breath and ask yourself how you would expect the U.S. government to respond to anyone with even "limited" permission to strike inside our border. Do you wonder what happened to diplomacy, peace, and disarmament? If you answered yes, you might just be an independent. F or now, a faction of the GOP opposes the war in Ukraine. And, for now, a faction of the Dems oppose Israel's continued prosecution of war -- and genocide -- in Gaza. Even independents -- Bernie Sanders  and RFK, Jr.  -- by choosing which war they oppose, have failed to represent the millions of Americans. Check out this poll on Gaza with the majority of Americans of all persuasions saying Israel went too far. As well, check this out on Ukraine: "Recent polls highlight a growing anti-war sentiment in the United States, with around 70% advocating for the Biden administration to pursue a negotiated peace for Ukraine with Russia," writes Alexander Mitchell, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, February issue, 2024 . Texas, where the political war knows no bounds. In March, LIV covered the Governor's Executive Order GA 44 curbing free speech on the war in Gaza on university campuses. The Governor moved further to squelch small "r" republican values guaranteed by Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. and Texas constitutions by prosecuting his political war against other Republicans in the Texas GOP primaries and runoffs. (Be sure to read our post, "King Greg's Runoff Primary Wars," linked below. What can we do? First and foremost is to dare talk about it and dare to listen. If we can do that, maybe we can figure out something to do! We have some ideas we'll talk about at this forum: Take 37-minutes to watch this Breaking Points session linked above with Prof. John Mearsheimer , focused on what's happening in Ukraine and Gaza. Then, please read the remainder of this newsletter. And, please plan to join us for a discussion at our " Blessed Are the Peacemakers Forum" on Monday, June 17 at 8 pm here. In this edition : King Greg's Runoff Primary Wars : The Texas Taliban Texas independent electoral politics : Bastrop experience VanDeaver & Burns Experience Action, Reads & Calendar - calls Congress!

Independent Texans PAC also played a minor role in two high-stakes State Rep GOP runoffs. Gary VanDeaver talks about the "quiet war" on rural Texas and its resources in this campaign ad. We're excited to report that Rep. Gary VanDeaver  for House District 1 (northeast Texas) who voted against the Governor's school vouchers, won his GOP primary runoff. VanDeaver is an exceptional legislator and community leader. It will be interesting -- and telling -- to see if he is back-benched along with any other legislators who refused to "wear no man's collar," in the words of Davey Crockett.   We're sorry that we cannot report the same success for Rep. DeWayne Burns . another exceptional leader in water resources and eminent domain reform. But the "new" Texas GOP is headed in a different direction and sowing the seeds of destruction of one-party rule. What Was Learned in the VanDeaver & Burns Experience The IT PAC simply did not have the funding ability to break through these high-stakes races with its sassy, fun, and hit-the-nail-on-the-head 30-second videos still on Independent Texans' home page   with footage from the hit movie "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” Too bad for all involved. For more background: It was a cutthroat primary season even by Texas’ standard s  -- Texas Tribune. What's Next for the Texas Independent Movement? Join LIV if you like to shop the ballot. Continue to stop the war on rural Texas. We need your help to build Texas independent electoral politics! Write us a note here  or give us a call at 512.213.4511. Donate to us or become a dues-paying member. And, please sign up to join us for our June 17th forum, " Blessed are the Peacemakers ."

National: Call your member of Congress. Tell them you want bread and butter, not bombs. Our friends at the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance  weigh in against forced and anti-competitive electronic animal ID. Big Ag is at war with small and medium farms and it's killing small farmers and the rights of consumers to local healthy food supply. Call. your member of Congress right away, All the info you need is here . “ He has been transformed into a living symbol of the progressive elites’ abuse of power and contempt for the principle of equality, ” much to the dismay of many who are getting ready to vote for him whether he's in jail or not, thanks to the Democrats!  Thanks to the reliably independent conservative The Texan -- not on Dunn's payroll: The Aristocrats Who Martyred Trump Central Texas: Colorado River? Read this from Green Gate Farms  "All We Wanted Was a Conversation ,"  then this article from Texas Monthly Business : Their Dream Was to Build an Organic Farm. Then Elon Musk Moved Into the Neighborhood . Is Sandow Lakes Ranch Poised to Bring California To Rural Central Texas ? Thanks to long-time environmental activist Travis Brown  and the local paper Lexington Leader,  there is a solution. It's all about location, location, location and, please note: Lee County is tired of having a target on its back. River critters are endangered, so is our water and so are we. Thanks to the Texas Tribune , the reliably centrist nonprofit online news source: Texas Freshwater Mussels Endangered Species Act Wortham, a small town in Freestone County (northeast Texas). where the left and right come together -- Open Government Violations. Thanks to Current Revolt and KUT News: City Denies Record Due to Being Inept? CALENDAR of Events Monday, June 17, 8 pm , join LIV on Zoom to discuss, "Blessed Are the Peacemakers." We will discuss any and all content presented in LIV News, on June 11th, particularly focused on the Breaking Points interview with Prof. John Mearsheimer on Ukraine and Israel. RSVP here . We will make some plans for LIV Action. On July 12 , a truly open presidential debate hosted by the Free & Equal Foundation will be held at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas. You can also watch online.   Details here . On August 5-6 , LIV will have an exhibit at the Southern Family Farmers and Food Systems Conference at Texas State University. Lots more here . We hope to see you there!

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's  decision to hold runoff primaries on the heels of the May city elections* and just after Memorial Day (May 28) was no accident. It all but guaranteed confusion and low turnout. The $8.8 million money bomb delivered by the Governor along with his political allies that we like to call the Texas Taliban – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick  and Attorney General Ken Paxton  – is blowing up the GOP from within.   The cash from billionaire brutes Tim Dunn  of West Texas, and Pennsylvania-based TikTok investor, voucher king and largest contributor in the U.S., Jeff Yass , to promote made-up “BS” (the term Abbott’s mastermind consultant, Dave Carney used) effectively started a cleansing operation by the going-crazy Texas GOP. What’s crazy is the GOP stalwarts are being led to believe that millions of Texans, who are Democrats or independents, should have no power in the Texas Legislature. Their chosen nemesis, business Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan  was forced to spend 12 times that spent by the Texas Taliban behind their approved opponent to hold on to his seat by 366 votes. Of course, Ken Paxton predictably cried wolf that Phelan " stole the election ". Meanwhile, Quorum Report's Scott Braddock just published this article behind their paywall explaining how all of the Texas Taliban's bloodletting and money "laundering" could lead to a swift kick in the pants for guess who? King Greg himself and by plenty of Republicans. Small turnout elections, like King Greg's runoff primaries, are easier to influence. However, that dynamic works both ways.   * Please note that some cities moved their May elections to November where nonpartisan city council and mayoral candidates get lost in the hyper-partisan bloodbath known as the Presidential election. Austin is one such city thanks to a wayward Democratic cabal that turned the city over to the downtown big real estate lobby in the early 2000s. What’s Next in the Texas Taliban’s Cleansing Operation?     The much gnashing of teeth about those dastardly “Democrats who crossed over” to vote in GOP runoffs, might seal the deal with a compliant and captured GOP to close their primary in the 2025 Legislative Session. On that note, Texas voters of all stripes, including Republicans, have been “crossing over” to some extent forever. Why? Because a free and thinking electorate likes to shop. Duh!   The Texas primary has always been open. Every two years voters can choose in which primary to vote. The Texas Taliban also intends to prevent any Democrats from leading committees in the Texas House, no matter how qualified they are. That's what 46 members of the GOP Caucus signed this letter  to support. Way to go wingnuts! (Thanks to the 40 Republican legislators who did not sign. For the current Texas House party identification, visit this Ballotpedia page .) We also thank Jeremy Kitchen  who did an initial rough analysis of the spending per voter in the Texas Taliban’s bought-and-paid-for election. We are watching for his update that will come after the July 15th campaign finance filings.  See Kitchen's spreadsheet here  and webpage here . At What Cost to Governance is Hyper-Partisanship? The right to representative government.   The cost of hyper-partisanship to the Governor and his birds of a feather has yet to be fully realized, but they have rolled their own dice. For now, the heaviest cost is to  every Texans’ right to representation embodied in Article 1, Section 2 of the Texas and US constitutions . It’s about real , small “r” republican values!   Here's what the Texas Constitution pledges   to the people of Texas (and notice it doesn’t mention the Governor or anyone else in government choosing those for whom we may vote or those who may emerge as leaders ) :   ARTICLE 1. BILL OF RIGHTS, Sec. 2. INHERENT POLITICAL POWER; REPUBLICAN FORM OF GOVERNMENT . All political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their benefit. The faith of the people of Texas stands pledged to the preservation of a republican form of government, and, subject to this limitation only, they have at all times the inalienable right to alter, reform or abolish their government in such manner as they may think expedient. (Feb. 15, 1876.) Get involved, y'all. Be sure to join us on Zoom at our next Event on July 17th. Visit our Event calendar. And, please become a dues-paying member of LIV today!

People are leaving Austin. It's never been "cool" to pave over paradise and put up a parking lot. But having made Austin "just one big real estate play," in the words of us who fought, and lost, to make Austin's growth pay for itself, may well be proven right. Growth at break-neck speed may not be sustainable and can even be destructive. That's because the balance between the human race and the rest of nature is delicate. Just think about all those who benefit from keeping this trajectory in place for Bastrop's growth. Who does it benefit? We'll talk about this later with civility and grace. For now, we have a bad idea we can nip in the bud in Bastrop. Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 28, at 6:30 pm at Bastrop City Hall is when the small city of Bastrop, gets to use its home rule power to stop a zoning change that would allow for the destruction of a small forest at the gateway to Bastrop State Park. Get more details by clicking here or on the picture at the top of this article. None of us who lived through the massive Bastrop Complex Fire in 2011 or shortly thereafter, will ever forget what happened to us, our forests, and the many creatures besides us humans who have tried to live here in peace. Read and share this post and show up on Tuesday at 6:30 pm at Bastrop City Hall, y'all! You can either speak or fill out a card asking for a NO vote on the zoning change for Gateway. Instructions are included in the flier linked to this post. Don't Austin our Bastrop.

The City of Bastrop Texas has approximately 12,600 residents. Its rate of growth is high, nearly 25% since the last census in 2010. But Hays County's rate of growth over the same period was 84%! The truth is that no county or city is prepared for these rates of growth and we cannot stop people from coming here. The fact is, however, there are limits to growth. Our limits in Central Texas are with infrastructure -- especially water and roads. And, we do have rights as citizens, voters, and taxpayers to advocate for sanity despite being surrounded by insane hyper-development. The City of Bastrop is one of a handful of Texas cities that adopted the "B3 Code." Strong Towns is a non-profit organization that we really like. Strong Towns was founded by traffic engineer Chuck Marohn and has helped towns utilize the B3 Code as a strategy for maintaining and enhancing property values and their tax base. By using incremental densification, towns become more walkable and thus more attractive to residents. Over 1500 residents deliberated with Bastrop City leadership for over one and a half years before deciding to adopt Bastrop's B3 code . But since then it appears that a few people who got elected to the Council along with the current City Manager, have made it their business to overturn the B3 Code. This could be the impetus behind the Gateway project . A simple message to the citizens of Bastrop is this. Under state law, you have the right to plan your city. Stick to it and press on. Let's defeat the Gateway Project and move on to better ideas. Hoping to see you at the Tuesday, May 14, City Council meeting. On the same agenda is a discussion of charter amendments. Remember that those who make the rules, rule. See agenda here . What You Can Do: Become a dues-paying member of LIV to help us get better at what we do. We are all volunteers. We need all kinds of help, so reach out to us to volunteer. Join us on Twitter Spaces every Wednesday at 8 pm . Get along you little independent dogies!

Congratulations to Kerry Fossler and all the residents of the City of Bastrop! Fossler won with 53% of the vote in her two-way race with Jimmy Crouch for Bastrop City Council Place 4. It's not easy to defeat an incumbent, even one that's only been in office one term. And though Kerry was an exceptional candidate -- and is a natural leader -- she also ran at the exact right moment to give Bastrop an exceptional chance. While Austin's growth is slowing, growth in the counties around Austin is rapid. Therefore, cities around Austin are dealing with big challenges to our water, land, and affordability. The Fossler v. Crouch race heated up just as developers pushed the Gateway shopping center, hotel, and more at the top of a hill of piney woods (aka the Lost Pines neighborhood) overlooking the city of Bastrop and next to the Bastrop State Park. If you missed our article about it, be sure to read it here . MOST IMPORTANT -- SHOW UP BASTROP ON THURSDAY NIGHT! This coming Thursday, May 9th, at 6 pm, the Planning and Zoning Commission will -- for the second time -- be asked to approve the change in zoning of the Lost Pines area from rural (P2) to the highest density commercial development option (P5). The posting is not up yet, so perhaps staff and the City Manager will have second thoughts. We can only hope and show up! Watch for the posting here . We leave you with a quote from Pablo Serna , a licensed architect and respected member of the Planning and Zoning Commission in previous years. We hope to learn more from Serna as the city grapples with affordability and development and the efforts by developer interests to neuter the decisions made with the involvement of 1500 citizens to plan the City of Bastrop. It's called the "B3 Code" and it's an important tool for citizens to plan their city -- unless you like what happened to Austin: “By recommending this zoning change and increases to development, the city staff has betrayed the will of the people.  For nearly ten years, the citizens of the City of Bastrop have been working with professional planners, architects, and engineers to capture a vision for the future growth of Bastrop. None of the numerous planning documents have the area known as the “Lost Pines” on the chopping block for massive commercial, retail, and hotel development. It was obvious to everyone that the Lost Pines were a natural treasure, part of the Houston Toad Habitat, and worth conserving at all costs. We now call upon the Planning and Zoning Commission and ultimately the City Council- to stay the course and deny this request.” Pablo Serna On a personal/political note from us at LIV, witnessing citizens of all political backgrounds working together on this local race gave us a ray of hope for the future of all Texans. Let's keep this going! Please share this article! Got questions? Contact us and feel free to post a comment below this article. You don't have to agree, but be nice. :)

Quorum Report: Dave Carney admits Abbott's campaign tirade to remove House opponents based on "bull#3!t". Read it here . Meanwhile, Glenn Greenwald's System Update report on last night's show covered Texas Governor Greg Abbott's extraordinary abuse of power on behalf of a foreign government -- Israel -- over the rights of the citizens of Texas.   The dear Governor is attacking freedom to protest, aka political speech with extreme government overreach.   This should tell you that what Quorum Report is suggesting is true. The Governor is capable of telling us whatever he wants in his never-ending quest for power over us. LIV Board Member, Debbie Russell, said: Abbott's overreach was on display Wednesday when he sent DPS in riot gear (unheard of before) to UT, falsely arresting over 70 students, to crush divestment dissent. More here about the UT-Austin protest and the faculty confidence lost in the university president from the Austin Chronicle.