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.

Lone Star Rail District Moving Forward

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The Lone Star Rail District plans to connect San Antonio and Austin by efficient and time effective rail service seems to moving slowly towards reality. LSRD officials are seeking $500,000 in funding from the San Antonio City Council to begin planning work in the Alamo City.  The LSRD plan includes improving the existing Union Pacific rail line between San Antonio and Austin for passengers at an estimated cost of $800 million. But LSRD first has to build a $1.6 billion freight line east of San Antonio to divert freight traffic.  Funding for the rail line improvements is expected to come from state and federal grants as well as the private sector.  LSRD also needs assurances from municipalities along its route from San Antonio to Georgetown that they will pay for continued maintenance and operations of each stop.

LSRD envisions transported 20,000 people each day and reducing traffic on I-35 by 18,000 vehicles.   The plan includes 16 stations with six in the San Antonio, one in New Braunfels, one in San Marcos, one in Buda/Kyle and the rest in the Austin-Georgetown corridor.

Red took the train from Austin to San Antonio exactly one time – with his mother when he was 5.  Red didn’t ride on a train again until he was 20 years old and taking a train from New Jersey into New York City.   The average European could not imagine a 15 year gap in train trips.

Thanks for Nothing Katie Lang

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Hood County Clerk and Tea Party favorite Katie Lang explains why she cannot fulfill the duties of her office because of her religious beliefs.  If that is the case, she needs to step aside and let someone who actually can perform one of the essential duties of the office take over.

Oh, and by the way, Lang’s religious beliefs ended up costing Hood County $44,000 in her failed attempt to deny a marriage license to Joe Stapleton and Jim Cato.  In fairness, Hood was led astray by that paragon of legal virtue – Attorney General Ken Paxton – who encouraged Texas civil servants to violate the law.  Off the Kuff has the details on how the taxpayers of Hood County took it in the shorts because of Lang.

Jade Helm 15 Update, Cont.

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Red has plumb lost track of how many days we are now into the massive Jade Helm 15 conspiracy in which the jack-booted thugs of the federal government are coming to Texas to take away our women, children and most importantly guns.  As far as Red can see, the Feds have yet to take away a single one of the aforementioned WCAMIG’s.  But this is how the war is won.  First, you get your opponent all riled up and in such a froth that they can’t hardly think straight.  Check.  Second, you give a plausible explanation for your actions that soothes the weak-minded.  Check.  Third, you roll out the troops in the most non-confrontational manner possible.  Check.  Fourth, you lull the rest of the populace to sleep by seemingly doing nothing to take away their WCAMIG’s.  Check.  Fifth, you keep doing that. Check.  Sixth, you swoop in and lickety-split grab the WCAMIG’s while the vigilant ones have fallen asleep on the couch during a baseball game after 6 beers and 2 plates of nachos.

Don’t let it happen to you!

Vigilantly yours,

Red

Dipped, Battered, Fried, Re-dipped, Battered, Re-Fried, Coated with Sugar and Dipped in Chocolate

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KSWO in Wichita Falls  reports on the finalists for the new food to showcased at the Texas State Fair in October.  And as a big surprise, various fried delicacies are included.  The winners will be chosen by a panel of celebrity judges in a cook off on August 30.

The . . . finalist foods include fried cowboy corn crunch, with sweet corn, jalapeno, cream cheese and a hint of smoky bacon.

Fernie’s holy moly carrot cake roly has carrot cake coated with cream cheese.

The Lone star pork handle includes a marinated chop, dipped in batter and deep fried.

Pretzel-crusted pollo queso features shredded chicken, cheese and bacon rolled into a ball, crusted with pretzel breading and fried.

The smoky bacon margarita – is self-explanatory.

Somewhere Sid Miller is smiling.

Today in Texas History – August 18

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From the Annals of Nascent Revolution –  In 1813, the Battle of Medina was fought.  The fight was between the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition and Spanish troops and took place some 20 miles south of San Antonio de Bexar.  The battle was the end of the effort led by Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara to break Texas away from Spain and declare and independent republic.  The expedition was an offshoot of the initial failure of the Mexican War for Independence that began with El Grito by Padred Hidalgo in September 16 , 1810.  After some initial success, the expedition was decimated at Medina losing some 1,300 men and effectively ending the revolutionary movement in Texas. 

Astros Baseball

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Red likes baseball but going to more than 5 or 6 games a season starts to seem like work.  Red was out at Minute Maid Park for the second time this season to see the suddenly stagnant Astros against the Detroit Tigers.  But even though they lost, Saturday night was fun because they welcomed back the 2005 NL Champions.  That will be the first and only National League Pennant the ‘Stros will ever win barring another realignment.  Red shares some random observations with the loyal readers:

  1. Luis Valbuena is pretty darn good defensive first baseman. Too bad defensive first basemen are a dime a dozen and there are too many nights when LV can’t hit his way out of a paper bag.
  2. Preston Tucker seemed to catch Ian Kinsler’s sinking line drive to end the 5th inning.  When the call was overturned on replay, the umpire determined that the baserunner would likely have scored from second and the Tigers took a 1-0 lead and the Astros defense was called back into the field.  How do you make a credible determination in real time that the runner would have scored?  If Tucker had come up throwing instead of trying to sell the catch, it could have been a close call at the plate.
  3. The Detroit Tigers’ bat boy is bigger than most of the players.
  4. Orbit looks like he needs a good dry cleaning. Red aint touching that fur.
  5. The Astros’ Dugout Girls (Red has looked for their official name and can’t find it) all have rag arms.  Only one of them can throw a free T-Shirt 12 rows.
  6. The waffle cone stuffed with mashed potatoes and fried chicken with honey mustard is pretty damn good.
  7. Saturday night games should not start at 6:10.
  8. From the 2005 team, Brad Lidge still looks damn good.  Jeff Bagwell – not so much.
  9. If you are picked to sing the National Anthem – don’t start off with God Bless America.  To her credit, the young lady admitted her goof and then belted out a very credible version of the Star Spangled Banner.
  10. It was cool that Brad Ausmus (now Tigers manager) could join his mates from the 2005 team in the pre-game festivities.  Then he had to go ruin the occasion by winning.

Sid Miller Formulates Foreign Policy

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Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is wandering far afield during his current junket to China.  Miller is supposed to be promoting Texas agricultural products, but took time out to share the following post on Facebook.

Sid Miller's Sunday night Facebook post.

So we now have an Agriculture Commissioner who is in favor of nuclear war with the “Muslim World.”  That’s over one billion people at last count.  That’s a lot of bombs.  Sid, when we want your opinion on foreign policy matters, we will ask for it.  Don’t hold your breath.

Today in Texas History – August 17

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From the Annals of Bad Luck –   David Crockett was born in what is now Greene County, Tennessee (technically a part of N. Carolina at the time of his birth).  Crockett’s family traversed Tennessee in a series of failed attempts to establish businesses.  Crockett himself was first employed as a drover in a cattle drive from Tennessee to Virginia and was also indentured at various times to pay off his father’s debts.  Crockett’s political career began with his appointment as a justice of the peace in 1817.  From there he sought and won office to the Tennessee state assembly in 1821 and served several terms representing different districts.  He lost in his first run for Congress in 1825, but after being encouraged to try again, he won election in 1827.  Crockett was a consistent champion for the rights of poor settlers whose property rights were endangered by a complicated system of land grants. He introduced a bill to abolish West Point which he viewed as providing free education for sons of the wealthy.   He served two terms before being voted out for his opposition to the Indian Removal Act.  He was returned to Congress 2 years later and served 2 more terms before being defeated in 1835.  Crockett arguably was the best known American of his day – especially after publishing his autobiography.

His decision to go to Texas was likely motivated by a desire to continue his political career.  Crockett was 49 and his military service had been largely limited to work as a scout and hunter finding food for the troops.  Some have speculated that he believed his fame would translate into the presidency of a newly formed Texas nation.   The details of his death at the Alamo have been hotly debated.  More on that on another Today in Texas History.

Today in Texas History – August 14

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From the Annals of Print Journalism –  In 1819, Eli Harris published the first edition of the Texas Republican  in Nacogdoches.  The paper is believed to be the earliest newspaper published in Texas for which records exist in contemporary St. Louis and New Orleans papers. It is unknown how many issues of the Republican were printed.  It was short-lived as  sources indicate that the Texas Republican  had discontinued publication by September 1819.