David Ortez

I am going to be taking a ten-day hiatus as I travel down south to Mexico to visit my girlfriend who is studying Spanish. Becky has been gone for 3 months and will not return to the states until September. That makes for a perfect excuse why I should visit Mexico now more than ever! Until mid-July folks!

I entertained this topic over lunch with friends in which we all shared our opinions of who had the edge in the 2009 Mayoral Election of the City of Houston. When it comes to the four candidates … who is the candidate to beat?

In order to answer that question though one must understand who enjoys the support of the establishment. There is only one candidate that in my opinion is enjoying an advantage although they do not boast it, which is good.

Gene Locke has the support and endorsements of high profile Democrats such as former Mayors Lee Brown and Bob Lanier. I must note though, Annise Parker did receive the endorsement of 56 Democratic Precinct Chairs but that may not translate to much to voters that rely on the big names.  Read More »

I took it upon myself this last week to draft up a list of 21 Questions that I would like to see Annise Parker, Gene Locke, Peter Brown and Roy Morales answer. The questions are not tough and in fact should be fun for the candidates to respond to.

More than anything I wanted to engage with the candidates at a level that the mainstream press or media fail to. This is like an interview … but at the talk show level … nothing like Meet the Press.

I set the deadline for July 13, 2009 … just after my return from visiting Mexico City and Oaxaca. I honestly expect the candidates to formulate some responses and if they fail to answer these simple questions … well I will be disappointed to say the least.

I have embedded the questions for all to see … and so that all candidates understand that I have sent the same questions to all of them. I sent the questions via electronic mail and first class mail.  Read More »

Armando Walle may be serving his first term in the Texas House of Representatives but that does not mean that he is sitting on the sidelines. Honored with the distinction of “Freshman of the Year” by the Women’s Health Caucus, Walle was able to sneak two bills by the veto-happy Republican Governor Rick Perry.

House Bill 1633 and 2113 will take effect on September 1, 2009 and serve as a major accomplishment for Walle who represents House District 140, located in Houston.  Read More »

I reserved my opinion in the aftermath of the Iranian election that took place on June 12, 2009 because I wanted to see how the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would handle the situation.

It is apparent now that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has underestimated the will of the people. Although the protestors may be a minority ... mostly comprised of young college students ... they are vocal and are keen on getting the word out.

Using the latest in social media networks ... from connecting on Facebook and scheduling protests to sharing news with the rest of the world via Twitter or video on YouTube ... photographs on Flickr and stories on blogs.

Last week was calm compared to the turmoil and bloodshed that this week has already presented. Pandora's box has been opened.  Read More »