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Houston Democracy Project Blog

Stay The Course-The Right Is A Violent Threat To Freedom

7/13/2024

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Unlike Trump's celebration of the brutal attack on Paul Pelosi, I oppose any violence.

Stay the course. Don't be afraid. Keep speaking about the threats to democracy from Republicans and the right from the local level to the national level. 

Republicans promise violence if they lose and authoritarianism if they win. Take it at face value and stay strong for the fights ahead. 

Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what.

The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.  

Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]​
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Power Back On--Hurricanes Are Political

7/12/2024

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​We finally got power back today after Hurricane Beryl.

Thanks for nothing Centerpoint. 

(Above you see a Houston home I saw on my travels waiting for Centerpoint to turn the lights back on.)

Hurricanes are political. For one thing, there is little dispute today that climate change makes the storms more potent. And with Hurricane Beryl specifically, the poor response by Centerpoint, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's attacks on Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Mayor Whitmire's endless blustering about whatever is in his mind at the moment, give the storm its own distinct politics.     

On the day of the hurricane, I turned off KPRC Channel 2 when they cut away from Lina Hidalgo when she started discussing the storm in Spanish. No need for a TV station to do that in a place like Houston/Harris County.

And then there are the endless calls for us to be "Houston Strong." First Responder this and Let's Come Together that. I'm tired of being Houston Strong. The storms worsen inequality and stress people out. I still recall how Hurricane Ike back in 2008 was used to force people in subsidized housing to leave Galveston. Let's address the causes and impacts of the storms. 

A good way to move forward would be to remove Houston Republican Councilwoman Twila Carter as Chair of Council's Resilience Committee. Councilwoman Carter supports a climate-denying insurrectionist felon for President of the United Sates. Is this type judgment a good bet to help lead Houston's fight to recover from Beryl and to prepare for the next storm?

​I don't think so. It's important that we be willing to name names at the local level as we fight for a livable future for Houston. And it is important that we have greater focus on Houston City Council.  

Here we go again with another round of recovery. Let's see how far we get in this recovery before the next storm.    

Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what.

The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.  

Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]​

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All Must Share Burden Of Fighting The Right

7/5/2024

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If my dad could spend a year at the Chinese/Korean border as combat medic in Korean War, then our Democratic elected officials in Houston & Harris County can sacrifice personal and family time in ‘24 to aggressively work against an authoritarian, anti-democratic Republican Party.

People in power don't navigate our political and social systems to take risks for us. They send other people to do the fighting and to take the risks. Let's not let that be the case in 2024. Demand that the people who benefit from systems delivering increasingly authoritarian outcomes share the risks of fighting back.     

Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what.

The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.  

Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]​
Please CONTRIBUTE
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Happy Fourth Of July From John Cornyn Houston Office Protest Team

7/4/2024

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​Happy Fourth of July from the John Cornyn Houston Office Protest Team!

Voting is essential. But like the American Revolution, we are going to have to show up in many different ways for the fight against King Trump and tyranny.

Join us each Tuesday, 11:30-1, 5300 Memorial Drive. We are 386 weeks and counting.

We all have the ability to act and to fight back. Don't rely on others. Act yourself. The Cornyn Protest is out there in good part so people can see others just like themselves willing to stand out in the open from democracy. Don't be afraid.     

Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what.

The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.  

Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]​

Please CONTRIBUTE
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You Have No Obligation To Be Sitting Duck For A Right Wing Committee To Violence

7/3/2024

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You have no obligation to be sitting duck for right wing clearly committed to violence.

Discuss with the people in your lives what self-protection looks like for you & your home.

Make clear with Democratic elected officials that the right is a threat to your the safety. Tell them that elected Democrats have an obligation to help the full Harris County and Texas Democratic slate & to be ready for protest as well. Don’t take no for an answer.

Keep personal e-mails, phone numbers and whatever contact information you need to keep in touch with the people you'd count on in a political or societal crisis.

Don't rely on systems that are not working for your future. I don't have any brilliant answers. But I know I can at least prepare as best I can for whatever outcomes are on the way & I can demand that elected officials understand the stakes of 2024 and do all they can to fight.        

Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what.

The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.  

Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]​
Please CONTRIBUTE
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Back From Cincinnati & Ready To Go

7/2/2024

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​I'm back from a visit home to Cincinnati and ready to blog and keep fighting on many fronts.

Above is a picture of the overlook in Cincinnati's Eden Park and a picture of Fountain Square in Cincinnati. The river in the first photo is the Ohio River and across the river is Kentucky. 

Cincinnati is a great place to see. Plan your visit today! 

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    Author

    I'm Neil Aquino.

    I'm a rank & file Houstonian. I’ve volunteered extensively for Democratic candidates and causes, and served as staff for multiple campaigns. My work for Democratic campaigns has involved communications and strategy. 

    I’m an organizer of the Weekly John Cornyn Houston Office Protest. The Cornyn Protest team has been outside Senator Cornyn’s office each Tuesday for eight years now with one clear message: In addition to voting, we must show up physically and non-conventionally for the fights over democracy. Events have proven this assertion correct. 
    ​
    I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later on Egberto's YouTube channel.​
    ​

    I am the 2024 Barbara Cigainero Volunteer of the Year Award recipient the Houston LGBTQIA+ Political Caucus. I have a political science degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati and ran a Cincinnati City Council office.  

    I read a lot of books and follow baseball closely. 

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