Free Republic

Kinky says he won't step down. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell called on independent Kinky Friedman to drop his 20-month-old bid for governor Tuesday night. Friedman didn't directly answer his opponent but said in a telephone interview: "Hell, no. Why would I do that? "I don't want to step down for anybody when I think America is going to have a big turnout" on Election Day, Friedman said from a hotel in McAllen. "I'm not looking for a way out. We don't negotiate with terrorists." Republican Gov. Rick Perry "better watch this, because we're going to beat him," Friedman said....

DALLAS -- Legalizing casinos in Texas makes sense because residents already drive to nearby states or fly to Las Vegas to gamble, independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman said today. ADVERTISEMENT "This is common sense," said Friedman "It's crazy to have Louisiana gamblers mad at Oklahoma for taking away their Texans." Friedman, a musician, author and humorist, said he recently returned from a "fact-finding mission" in Las Vegas and estimated that half the people he met there were from Texas. Texans are also responsible, Friedman said, for transforming the regional gambling hot spot of Tunica, Miss., from the "poorest little town...

AUSTIN (AP) - "One tough grandma" may be her famed campaign theme, but "Grandma" is also how Carole Keeton Strayhorn is known to friends and strangers alike, her lawyer argued Wednesday. The nickname "Grandma" should be listed as part of the independent gubernatorial candidate's name on the November ballot and is not merely a slogan, her attorney Roy Minton wrote to Secretary of State Roger Williams. He was responding to Williams' suggestion last week that it appears Strayhorn's use of "Grandma" is a slogan and under Texas election law shouldn't be allowed on the November ballot. Williams sought more information...