Dan Patrick

Rick Perry: Mum's The Word

Rick Perry has adopted a more behind-the-scenes approach this time around. That doesn't mean he hasn't been busy.

State Rep Wants to Force Universities to Allow Faculty to Research Intelligent Design, Thousand-Head Giants, and Earth-Creating Ravens

The current legislative session has been, as far as we can tell at Hair Balls, a series of marginal victories for the state's education system. The voucher system State Sen. Dan Patrick attempted to instill -- the same kind that's beset Georgia in corrupt conflicts; the same sort that's hollowed Lou ... More >>

According to Latino Educational Group, Dan Patrick Hopes to Limit Ethnic Studies at Texas Universities

If any state has set the lowest bar in recent years in regards to racial and ethnic relations, Arizona may stake the best case. Between the Minutemen patrolling the southern border and the manic let-God-sort-'em-out attitude of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, amongst the increased hardening of Sen. John McCain ... More >>

Voucher Bill Senator Backpedals, Denies Any Bill in Works

After months of preaches and promises on a potential voucher proposal during this legislative session, it appeared Sen. Dan Patrick had finally found a mark willing to sponsor a bill relating to his "Business Tax Scholarships." As reported in The Rio Grande Guardian last Wednesday, Sen. Eddie Lucio, ... More >>

Zack Kopplin, The 19-Year-Old Face of the Anti-Creationist Movement

Having fought his battles in Louisiana, the Rice University student is now ready for Texas and any move to put faux science in the public schools here.

Bipartisan Bill Filed Creating Hike & Bike Paths From Houston's Utility Easements

People have been talking about it for years, but the idea came one step closer to reality this week when a bipartisan group of legislators filed bills to help create hike-and-bike paths along Houston's utility easements. Those easements -- the property surrounding, say, those large electricity towe ... More >>

How Less Accountability and a Smaller Tax Base Could Place Jesus on a Stegosaurus

After a comprehensive, scathing report detailing the implementation of Bible-as-literature courses within Texas' public school systems -- nothing like looking to Noah's sons to figure out which race you belong to! -- it's perhaps not the best time to revisit the latest steps in Texas' long slog towa ... More >>

Vouchers on the Front Burner: New Texas Senate Education Committee Chair Talks "School Choice"

New Chair Dan Patrick is making his mark on the Senate Education Committee early, putting his goals for school choice front and center on his agenda. The clamor over school choice will likely drown out many of Patrick's other goals for the session: expanding career and technology courses; dropping ... More >>

Sen. Dan Patrick Named Senate Education Chair, Re-dedicates Himself to Private School Vouchers

Conservative Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) probably wasn't expecting broad accolades from the education community when he was named chair of the Senate Education Committee on Thursday, and the quick negative reaction from mainline education groups did not disappoint. The dean of Harris County conser ... More >>

Comment of the Day: If Dan Patrick Is Gay, How We'll Find Out

We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involving wit ... More >>

GOP State Senator John Carona to Colleague Dan Patrick: I Heard You're Gay, But I Never Said It

When Republican state senators attack!!!! (Things get extremely passive-aggressive.) Texas state senators Dan Patrick, Tomball's Own, and Dallas's John Carona got in a nasty e-mail fight first discovered by the Quorum Report. QR is behind a paywall, but some subscribers have posted highlights of t ... More >>

Dan Patrick Says He's Polling Great For U.S. Senator

Dan Patrick inches closer to US Senate race​Tomball's favorite state senator, Dan Patrick (R-Tea Party), has weighed in on the polling landscape for his possible run for the United States Senate. And he likes what he sees. Patrick says the recent Texas Lyceum poll (the one that showed Presid ... More >>

Calling All Sluts

Time to fight back

Thank You, Lord: Dan Patrick May Run for Senate

God is on line two, with a campaign contribution.​If you take as a given -- which you should -- that it's going to be awhile before a moderate ever gets elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas, then you want your troglodyte senatorial candidates to be as entertainingly fringe as possible. So lo ... More >>

Sonogram Bill Signed: Three White Guys Sitting Around Talking

Sid Miller knows best.​Texas, you may now consider yourself even more safe when it comes to women abortin' babies just `cause they feel like it. Governor Rick Perry, in a big ceremonial show, signed into law the bill that mandates women seeking abortions must undergo sonograms. His official ... More >>

Mandatory Abortion Sonograms Bill Passes: Ladies, Get Ready For Your Close-Ups

Dan Patrick has reason to smile; women, not so much.​Any woman seeking an abortion in Texas will be forced to undergo a sonogram and be asked if they want to view it or listen to the fetal heartbeat, thanks to a bill that passed today and that Governor Rick Perry says he can't wait to sign. P ... More >>

"Choose Life": Bill to Put Your Religious and Political Views on Texas License Plates Passes Senate

Holier than thou, person stuck behind me in traffic​State Senator Dan Patrick is proudly reporting that the Texas Senate has passed by a 21-10 vote his bill creating license plates that say "Choose Life," thereby, we guess, breaking off the crippling shackles of all those Texans who have been ... More >>

Sonogram Bill: God & Dan Patrick Get It Passed

God speaks through Dan Patrick​Saying it was "God's time" to get the bill passed, State Senator Dan Patrick succeeded today in getting approval for Texas women to be forced to view a sonogram, and to hear whether the fetus has arms or legs, two hours before getting an abortion. During the deb ... More >>

The Whipping Boy

How did class size limits become the symbol of an unnecessary luxury in our schools?

Tea Party Rule: Almost One-Third Of Texas House Signs Up With Dan Patrick

It's The AUSTIN Tea Party now, Sam Adams​Last night Keith Olbermann said Texas had "a Tea Party legislature The Nuge could be proud of." Today State Senator Dan Patrick proved him right. Patrick announced his Tea Party Caucus today, and it contains fully 47 members of the 150-seat House, and ... More >>

Watch Out Muslims: State Senator Dan Patrick Creates "Tea Party Caucus" In Legislature

Dan Patrick: FINALLY the Tea Party will be heard in Texas​Right-wing radio guru Dan Patrick has announced the creation of a Tea Party Caucusfor the upcoming Texas legislative session.And no, "Tea Party Caucus" is not necessarily a synonym for "Texas Legislature," at least not yet."The Tea Party ha ... More >>

National Blog Goes Nuclear On Dan Patrick's Looks

​The national political website Wonkette has got ahold of the story of Dan Patrick's new independent-ish party. And the commenters are sparing little in roasting our favorite state senator.There's lots of stuff about Texans, conservatives, etc. -- Wonkette is not generally a tea-partyin' place -- ... More >>

Dan Patrick: Radio Host, State Senator, Founding Father

​Dan Patrick, the former wacky sportscaster, sports-bar owner, current talk-radio czar and state senator, is adding another title to his portfolio: Founder of a movement.Today Patrick is announcing the creation of the Independent Conservative Republicans of Texas, a group that will, we guess, ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Long Live The BCS

​By the slimmest of margins, America was spared the unthinkable horror of seeing a (*shudder*) mid-major team contend for a national championship last Saturday. And if you don't think there were some urgent calls made from the executive office of the BCS to the replay booth in Jerry's World (Cowbo ... More >>

The Curse Of Self-Loathing, Self-Loving Sportscasters

​So we're watching the ALCS last night, a couple of days after watching Sunday Night Football on NBC, and it just gets to be too much.We've had this feeling for a while, but now there's just no getting away from it.Since when has it been such a goddamn favor for announcers to deign to bring themse ... More >>

"The Sports Animal" Does Some Shedding

Is one of the myriad sports-talk radio stations in town beginning to blink in their eyeball-to-eyeball-to-eyeball-to-eyeball battle?Clear Channel, the communications giant, swung the layoff ax across the country today, and it hit notably in Houston.The biggest names: Brad Davies and Craig Rober ... More >>

Houston Is Loving Its Rush Limbaugh Again

Photo through wikimedia commonsHouston has always been a big Rush Limbaugh town -- it was one of the first to sign on to his show, when a small Tomball station run by Dan Patrick picked it up. (Patrick rode that rocket to KPRC and eventually a state-senator gig, much to the chagrin of people who don ... More >>

Cost Cutting: Dan Patrick Says Drop Those Caps On Elementary Class Size

Just in time for the 25th anniversary of the landmark Texas House Bill 72, Senator Dan Patrick has pre-filed a bill to amend it in several ways -- no, he's not touching No Pass, No Play -- but he is fiddling with the cap in place on the number of kids that schools can cram into their K-4th grade cla ... More >>

Has Sarah Palin Cracked the Glass Ceiling for Other Former Sportscasters?

The NFL Pregame Shows Suck. Here's How to Save Them.

A Call for Calls, or Why I Need My Own Radio Show

Dumb Questions, Dumber Answers

News from the Fighting 478th

Flash Back

Renaissance Man

A cop learns the pain of piercing

Brother, Where Art Thou?

A hot historic painting gets a cool Crawl reception

Will May Ever End?

Sweeps month brings startling news: strippers!

Letters

Overkill, Saint Joe, Pick of the Litter

Right-Wing Revolt

Local conservative talk radio lives to rant again

2001: A Bell Mayoral Odyssey?

Councilman Chris tests the waters against Brown

Starting from Scratch

Geezer Alert!

Secrets of talk radio revealed

God's Plan

At Dan Patrick's KPRC talk-radio station, it's politics with a capital G

News Hostage

Letters

The Usual Suspect(s)

If Lanier aide Dave Walden isn't running the Prop One campaign, who is?

You Gotta Have Hope

Why? Because without it, the stadium promises fall apart.

Letters

Talk Radio Takes Aim at the Bad Guys

Dan's the man behind a new anti-crime group