Wednesday, May 26, 2004

The Bad Burrito

Well, this is irritating.

Things have been going very well for the past two days. Then I do lunch at this Mexican place at a friend's recommendation. Sometimes I do Mexican and there's no prob. Sometimes I do Mexican and live to regret it.

This is one of those latter times. The culprit was a "wet" seafood burrito, meaning it had a red sauce draped over it. Given the sauce and the fact that it was the "special" may have indicated that the seafood in question was insufficiently refrigged before being introducted to the fire.

Suffice to say that I'm not at all well at the moment, such that I missed my Tai Chi class tonight. I'm not really happy with that, but its better than trying to meditate while you are sweating heavily and belching up Bad Burrito.

In other news, Haetmunkey (yeah, I'll get the links back up) sends word that the Unitarians are now legit again in Texas:


Denison church's tax-exempt status granted


By Jay Root
Star-Telegram Austin Bureau

AUSTIN _ Reversing an earlier decision, state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn announced Monday that a Unitarian church in Denison would get its tax-exempt status after all.

The decision came after the Star-Telegram reported on May 18 that the comptroller's office had ruled the Red River Unitarian Universalist Church was not a religious organization for tax purposes.

The status was denied, the state said, because the church "does not have one system of belief."

Stunned church officials said it was the first time in U.S. history that any state had denied tax exempt status to the Unitarians because of their religious philosophy. Father-and-son presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams are among past adherents of the Unitarian church.

Jesse Ancira, the comptroller's general counsel, sent a letter Monday to Dan Althoff, board president of the Denison church, informing him of the change.

"Comptroller Strayhorn asked that I review the file on your congregation's application for tax exemption," Ancira wrote. "After reviewing the submitted application ... it is my opinion that the Red River Unitarian Universalist Church is an organization created for religious purposes and should be granted the requested tax exemption."

Althoff and other members of the church could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.

Strayhorn spokesman Mark Sanders said Strayhorn directed her staff to review the decision after questions were raised about it.

"She asked her general counsel to look into the matter and he overruled earlier staff decisions," Sanders said.


"Strayhorn directed her staff to review the decision" after people starting pointing at her office and mocking it. I love how bureaucracy works. (Yeah, that's snarky. Blame the Burrito)

And finally in a less-snarky mode, I want to note that this template is by Todd Dominey. Credit where credit is due.

More later (Brraaaak) (Excuse me).