Author Archives: Red from Texas

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About Red from Texas

I'm proud to be Red. I have lived most of my life in Texas and I love this place. Here are a few things you should know about me. 1. I am happily married and intend to stay so. 2. I live in a house that is older than you, unless you are really old. 3. I own 2 rifles and a shotgun. I think handguns are just trouble. 4. I have never killed a man, but have taken out some deer and hogs. 5. I was a good student, but never close to being valedictorian. 6. In no particular order I like the Houston Texans, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Astros, FC Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Texas Longhorns and Houston Dynamo. 7. I hate Dallas but always have a good time when I go there. 8. I was a Dallas Cowboys fan for 26 years but declared that I was no longer a fan during the 1987 strike. 9. I don't own any pets. I like cats, and a good dog and I have met at least 3 of them in my lifetime. 10. I think the best part of Texas is west of I-35. 11. I own two pairs of cowboy boots, but don't wear them very often. 12. I don't have a pronounced Texas accent, but can affect one when needed. 13. My last meal would be fried shrimp with tartar sauce, a baked potato with all the fixins', a dinner salad with 1000 Island dressing, yeast rolls and chocolate fudge pie for dessert. 14. I'm an old Dad, but my children are none of your business. 15. I have two degrees from UT-Austin and somehow managed to fall in love with and marry an Aggie. 16. Most of my family are right-wing nut jobs but I love them anyway. 17. When I get to play golf on a regular basis, I shoot in the low 80's. 18. I don't get to play golf on a regular basis. 19. I think Fort Worth is the best town in Texas by a long shot. 20. I have a mean herb garden. Regards, Red P.S. Remember it's not a color, it's a state of mind.

Abbott Wants Fed Money for Healthcare

Gov. Greg Abbott has adamantly refused to expand Medicaid even though it would provide billions in federal dollars and provide health insurance for many of the millions of Texans who are still uninsured.  The negative economic impact on the Texas economy is estimated to be at least $66 billion in lost funding – money that would create jobs and keep workers and their families healthy.

Abbott, who must be seen doing everything he can to oppose “Obamacare”, hasn’t been shy about attempting to hang onto another source of critical funding for Texas hospitals.  The federal government provides a huge amount of money to Texas hospitals through the uncompensated care pool. For four years, the feds have reimbursed Texas’ safety-net hospitals for care they provide to people who cannot afford to pay because Texas refuses to embrace Medicaid expansion.  Now that the feds are threatening to cut off this funding, Abbott is up in arms and has his administration attacking those who are arguing for Medicaid expansion.  The Texas Tribune has the whole sordid story of Abbott’s duplicity, his attempt to smear his opponents and his refusal to turn over the emails that show his role.

Make up your mind, Gov. Abbott.  Either you are for or against the federal government funding health care in Texas.

DPS Issues Gang Update

The Texas Department of Public Safety issued its latest “Gang Update” on Monday August 31.  According to the DPS’  Texas Gang Threat Assessment, several Texas based gangs remain a major problem.  The report ranks gangs in order to determine which ones are the most dangerous.  Under the ranking system, Tier One gangs pose the biggest threat.  These include Tango Blast with 15,000 members, Texas Mexican Mafia with over 4,700 members, and Texas Syndicate with more than 3,400.

Today in Texas History – September 1

From the Annals of the Civil War –  In 1863,  Major Santos Benavides led 79 men in the Thirty-third Texas Cavalry across the Rio Grande in pursuit of the bandit Octaviano Zapata.  Zapata had been an associate of Juan Cortina.  During the Civil War he was recruited by Union forces to aid them in military action in south Texas seeking to prevent the Confederacy from exporting cotton to Matamoros.  Zapata’s raids also kept Rebel forces occupied in Texas.  Zapata’s force often flew the American flag during their raids – leading Texans to refer to the group as the “First Regiment of Union Troops.” The Cavalry caught up to Zapata near Mier, Tamaulipas the following day.  The confrontation ended with Zapata and 9 others were dead.  The remnants of the bandit gang dispersed.

Photo of Santos Benavides from http://www.forttours.com

Rick Perry for President – of Texas?

The Texas Nationalist Movement is launching a petition drive to put a vote for secession on the primary ballot in March.  It requires 75,000 signatures to get such a question on the ballot and Red predicts that TNM will have no problem meeting that goal.  The question would be obviously non-binding and meaningless, but would be an early indicator of the actual level of fervor for Texas secession among the restless natives.

The only possible path to legal succession would be for the state to request Congress enact legislation authorizing secession and to have it approved by the U.S. and Texas.  That seems a long shot at best.  The illegal means would be to declare secession and essentially start a revolution.  That didn’t work out so well the first time.

Red has a couple of thoughts about what might actually happen if Texas secedes.

  1. Jeff Davis will be back on the south mall at UT.
  2. Illegal immigration to Texas will balloon.
  3. Texas’ economy will go in the tank for about 10 years.
  4. Within 50 years, Mexico will invade and reclaim Texas as its own.

Today in Texas History – August 31

From the Annals of Murder –  In 1934, Hutchinson County Treasurer Arthur Huey killed Asa (Ace) Borger in the town that was named after him. Huey was angry after the failure of the Borger State Bank and after Borger failed to post bail when Huey was arrested for embezzlement. Huey pled self-defense, claiming that Borger was after him.  He was acquitted but failed to stay out of trouble.  In 1937, Huey was convicted for theft of county funds and sentenced to the State Pen.  Until his tragic end, Borger had been a relatively successful businessman.   As young man, he had promoted several boomtowns in Oklahoma.  His greatest success came in 1926 when he purchased 240 acres in the Panhandle and organized the Borger Townsite Company. The company began selling lots and grossed between $60,000 and $100,000 on the first day. Later that year,  Borger sold out completely netting more than a million dollars. His house in Borger is a Texas historical landmark.

Photo of Borger in 1927 from http://www.legendsofamerica.com

Jan Mickelson Update – Yep, He’s Still Crazy

Iowa radio host Jan Mickelson, who recently came out in support of slavery (you read that correctly – slavery), is back at it – this time cheering on Texas officials who have been violating the 14th Amendment by refusing to provide birth certificates to American citizens.   Mickelson has proposed that undocumented immigrants should become “property of the state” (or state-owned slaves) and be conscripted for forced labor unless they leave Iowa.  He is now applauding the Texas Department of State Health and Human Services’ plan to deny birth certificates to American children of undocumented immigrants. Media Matters has the details.

On his August 28 show, Mickelson criticized what he called “street hustler” civil rights groups who have filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of State Health Services for refusing to issue birth certificates to U.S. citizen children born to undocumented immigrant parents. [T]he plaintiff’s complaint alleges that Texas stopped allowing “matricula consular” identifications — official papers issued by the U.S.-based consulate of the immigrant parents’ home country — “to meet the requirements to acquire a birth certificate for their U.S.-born children” around two years ago.

Mickelson, who denies that the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship applies to the children of undocumented immigrants, said he thinks it is “cool” that Texas is refusing to issue these birth certificates and expressed his appreciation of Texas’ approach as “Iowa passive-aggressive,” which will prevent such children “to start this process of looting.”

Bye Bye Jeff – UT Puts a Traitor in His Place

According to numerous reports, a state district judge has removed any legal impediments to UT-Austin’s plan to remove the statute of CSA President Jefferson Davis from its place of prominence on the South Mall of the main campus.  Kudos to UT for removing this monument to slavery, segregation and racism from daily viewing.  Predictably, the Confederate apologizers and historical revisionists expressed outrage that UT would no longer seek to honor a traitor who was dedicated to preserving slavery.  KSAT has the story.

A judge on Thursday cleared the way for the University of Texas to move a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis away from the main area of campus, despite objections from a Southern heritage group that called uprooting the monument a “cultural atrocity” and compared it to the Islamic State destroying ancient artifacts in the Middle East.

Civil rights activists say the nearly century-old bronze likeness of Davis highlights the university’s racist past and the statue had been targeted by vandals. New school President Greg Fenves recently ordered it moved to a campus museum, but allowed other Confederate symbols to remain.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans, which earlier this year lost a U.S. Supreme Court decision over rejected Confederate license plates, had sued to prevent moving Davis’ statue.

But state District Judge Karin Crump said state law allows the school to determine where to place statuary on its campus. And she noted the original will of benefactor George Littlefield, who commissioned the statue of Davis and others, stated that it be placed in a position of prominence.

Texas will move Davis to the campus Briscoe Center history museum, which also houses one of the nation’s largest archives on slavery.

“Putting it in the Briscoe Center, far from whitewashing or erasing history, but puts it in the proper historical context,” said Gregory Vincent, Texas vice president for diversity and community engagement.

Vincent said the school would move the Davis statue within the next few days.

Photo from http://www.insidehighered.com 

Today in Texas History – August 28

From the Annals of Nueva Espana –  In 1767, Hugo Oconór was appointed as governor ad interim of the Spanish province of Texas.  Oconor, who was of Irish descent, had flaming red hair and was called the “Red Captain” by the Native Americans.  He was inspector general of the Provincias Internas in 1765, when he traveled to Texas to investigate trouble between Governor Ángel de Martos y Navarrete and Rafael Martinez Pacheco  concerning San Agustín de Ahumada Presidio. With the removal of Martos y Navarrete on August 28, 1767, Oconór became governor ad interim of Texas.  The province was troubled by attacks from numerous Native American tribes. In particular, the Apaches were regularly raiding San Antonio de Bexar. Oconór reinforced San Antonio and was so generally highly regarded for his leadership that his return to Mexico in 1770 was greatly lamented by the soldiers and citizens of the province.

Painting of Don Hugo Oconor from the Joel D. Valdez Library, Pima County, Tuscon, Arizona