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.

Jade Helm 15 Update, Cont.

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Red was batching it this weekend and went looking for evidence of the imminent takeover of Texas by the United States – the country which more or less legally controls it already.  A few hours cruising in the Redmobile failed to discover anything remotely suspicious.  They must run and hide when they see Red coming.   Even the buzz on the internet is barely audible at this point.  The only real development was the arrest of 3 North Carolina men who are accused of trying to lure Army troops into a booby trapped camp in South Carolina.  Stars and Stripes has the story.   Hey, you buy a few illegal weapons, make some pipe bombs, exploding tennis balls and coffee can anti-personnel devices, then plan to draw in government forces and massacre them and the next thing you know the feds are all over your case.  What’s happened to freedom in this country?   So bury your guns now.  Don’t worry about encasing them in anything, just get ’em in the ground quick because the jack-booted thugs of the Federal government are coming to take away your women, children and most importantly guns.  Since there might be some issues with burying the women and children, Red recommends that you just put them in the cellar.  And if you don’t have a cellar, send ’em off to Grandma’s house.  That way you might get in a round of golf before Obama sneaks in and takes away your new set of Callaways too.

Vigilantly yours,

Red

Judge Orders Man to Get Married or Go to Jail – Red Wonders if There is Really Any Difference?

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Smith County Judge Randall Rogers has taken judicial activism to a new level.  Joosten Bundy was arrested following an altercation with his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend.  Rogers ordered Bundy to either get married to his girlfriend or face two weeks in jail.  Raw Story reports on the unusual (and probably illegal) ruling.

Bundy said that he got into the fight because her ex was being “disrespectful” to her, telling the judge, “I took matters into my own hands and I know that’s wrong.I know I was raised better, but it happened.”

“Is she worth it?” Judge Rogers asked Bundy, according to court transcripts.

“I said, well to be honest, sir, I was raised with four sisters and if any man was talking to a woman like that,” Bundy stated, “I’d probably do the same thing.”

That was when Rogers laid down the terms of his release.

“You know, as a part of my probation, you’re going to have to marry her within 30 days.” the judge said, telling him the alternative was 15 days in jail.

“He offered me fifteen days in jail and that would have been fine and I asked if I could call my job [to let them know],” said Bundy. “The judge told me ‘nope, that’s not how this works.’”

According to Jaynes, who was in the courtroom at the time, the judge then embarrassed her by making her stand up.

“My face was so red, people behind me were laughing,” said Jaynes. “[The judge] made me stand up in court.”

“It just felt like we weren’t going to be able to have the wedding we wanted,” she explained. “It was just going to be kind of pieced together, I didn’t even have a white dress.”

The couple got a marriage license and were married by a justice of the peace, but Bundy was unhappy because the impromptu wedding meant many in is his family couldn’t attend, and Jaynes father criticized the judge for forcing the wedding on the young couple.

“[I felt] anger; I was mad. [The judge] can’t do this by court ordering somebody to be married,” said Kenneth Jaynes. “I contacted a couple of lawyers but they told me someone was trying to pull my leg…that judges don’t court order somebody to get married.”

According to a local attorney, Rogers’ ruling was illegal.

Hold Your Horses – Literally

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A dispute amongst factions of the Texas GOP will result in a shut-down of Texas horse racing this week.  Although, the Texas racing industry has never taken off as envisaged in the 80’s, this internecine dispute will disrupt legal horse racing in Texas.  The Texas Racing Commission does not have funding to continue in operation and Texas law requires Racing Commission supervision at all tracks in the state.  The Houston Chronicle explains the root cause behind the shut down.

Texas Racing Commission officials have stopped signing off on new races and started warning that the agency will shutter by the end of the month unless the Legislative Budget Board approves a funding request.

“Absent the necessary approvals from the LBB, the agency will no longer be able to pay its employees or its rent and will close by the end of the day on August 31, 2015,” commission executive director Chuck Trout told a lawyer representing the tracks in a letter last Friday, adding that, “if the agency closes, all racing will also stop.”

Commission officials believe the board controlled by lawmakers will ultimately approve the money if they repeal a controversial new racing game, but the warning nevertheless has plunged Harris County’s Sam Houston Race Park and others around the state into unexpected uncertainty. State law requires commission staff to attend each race, so closure could leave the tracks unable to operate.

The tumult marks a dramatic escalation in a year-long battle between the commission and some lawmakers over the new game, known as “historical racing.”

Also known as “instant racing,” the game allows players to bet on previously-run races that have been stripped of identifications. It is seen by the tracks as a necessary innovation to help them to keep up with states where more betting is allowed, but it has drawn opposition from critics who say the terminals resemble slot machines and would expand gambling here while hurting charitable bingo groups.

The commission approved historical racing last summer over the objection of Senate Republicans, who sent a letter saying the agency did not have the authority to make such an authorization unilaterally.

Photo from www.bloodhorse.com

Today in Texas History – August 10

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From the Annals of War Crimes –  In 1862, the Battle of the Nueces took place in Kinney County.  A force of mostly German immigrant Unionists from the Hill Country led by Fritz Tegener were attempting to escape to Mexico and then onto Union controlled New Orleans.   They were camped on the west bank of the Nueces River about twenty miles from Fort Clark when they were attacked by mounted Confederate soldiers. The Unionists had camped without choosing a defensive position or posting a strong guard. The Confederates, led by Lt. C. D. McRae, came upon the camp on the afternoon of August 9. Firing began an hour before sunlight the next morning; nineteen of the sixty-odd Unionists were killed, and nine were wounded. The nine wounded were executed a few hours after the battle. Two Confederates were killed and eighteen wounded, including McRae.  McRae only had authority to arrest the civilians for avoiding service in the Confederate Army, but instead he chose to massacre sleeping civilians and then allowed the execution of unarmed wounded men.   Question for the supporters of the so-called “noble cause” – Was it noble to execute wounded prisoners?

Print of the Nueces Massacre from lifeofthecivilwar.blogspot.com.

Ken Paxton Ignores First Rule of Holes

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The news just isn’t getting any better for embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton who now faces possible contempt charges over his refusal to follow the law of the land on same-sex marriage following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling.  Paxton has put up roadblocks wherever possible to state recognition of same-sex marriage hoping no doubt to assuage to his Tea Party base in light of his other legal troubles.  Under the guidance of Paxton, the Texas Department of health has so far denied a terminally ill gay man a death certificate naming his legally wed spouse as his husband. AP reports on the brewing controversy in a federal court in San Antonio.

Judge Orlando Garcia ordered Paxton to appear in a San Antonio federal court next Wednesday after a Houston gay man was not provided an amended death certificate for his husband. The court order comes just two days after Paxton was booked on securities fraud charges.

The hearing is to determine whether Paxton and Kirk Cole, interim commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, should be held in contempt after potentially disobeying a July 7 court order barring the state from enforcing any laws “that prohibit or fail to recognize same-sex marriage,” according to the court order.

Garcia further ordered that state officials must provide an amended death certificate to John Stone-Hoskins of Conroe, who had filed court papers earlier Wednesday asking the judge to force Texas officials to place his name on the certificate for his husband, James Stone-Hoskins, who died in January. The two were married last year in New Mexico. 

He had argued that the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision on gay marriage in June means his name should be placed on his spouse’s death certificate. The ruling required all states to recognize same-sex marriages, even those performed elsewhere, and overturned any legal bans.

The certificate listed James Stone-Hoskins as single and referred to his husband as a “significant other.” In court papers John Stone-Hoskins says he’s facing a terminal illness and wants to settle his estate and have state records recognize his marriage. He added during a news conference Wednesday that he should be able to inherit his spouse’s estate but cannot because the certificate doesn’t list him as the surviving spouse. Complicating matters was that his husband didn’t have a will when he died, according to court papers.

“This is about every same sex couple that’s going through or could go through what I’m going through now,” he said.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has said it’s reviewing the Supreme Court ruling to determine if changes must be made to death certificate documents.

“This involves taking a broad look at a variety of forms and vital records,” agency spokeswoman Carrie Williams said in a statement provided earlier to WFAA-TV in Dallas. “Our attorneys are working with the AG’s office on the analysis. We hope to finish the analysis in the coming weeks. Once we complete that analysis, we would make any necessary changes as soon as possible.”

 

Today in Texas History – August 6

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From the Annals of Anglo-American Relations – In 1842, Charles Elliot arrived in Galveston as the newly appointed British charge d’affaires to the Republic of Texas.  Elliot, a British knight and retired naval officer, was a veteran of the Colonial Service previously serving in Guiana and China. In 1842 he was reassigned to hardly desirable duties in the Republic of Texas.  But Elliot made the best of the situation.  While in  Texas he worked for the abolition of slavery, free trade and peace with Mexico. He was friends with Sam Houston and Anson Jones, and worked with the British ambassador to Mexico for an armistice between Texas and Mexico in 1843. He was instrumental in negotiating the release of prisoners from the ill-fated Mier expedition. He opposed Texas annexation by the United States.  When Texans voted for annexation he was recalled.

Fifth Circuit Rules Texas Voter ID Law Violates Voting Rights Act

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The Dallas Morning News reports that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that Texas’ voter ID act violates section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.  The ruling, however, is narrow and neither a complete win nor loss for either side.  Red would support such a law if there was one iota of evidence that in-person voter fraud is a real problem.  Everyone who knows anything about elections in Texas knows the real hanky-panky occurs with the mail-in ballots and the current law does absolutely nothing  to prevent massive abuse in that regard.

The hard part of the ruling to swallow is the Fifth Circuit’s finding that the intent of the law was not to discriminate against minority voters.  Red understands that is tough fish to land, but come on . . . really?  Even in Texas, the GOP is scared because the angry old white men that are dying off are being replaced by young brown ones.  Gerrymandering will work for a while, but demographic destiny takes over at some point, and with the legacy that Patrick and Abbott are leaving, recruiting Hispanics and Blacks to the Grand Ol’ Party is going to be a tough sell. If they can cut minority voting by even a percent or two, then they might just hang on for a couple of more election cycles past their expiration date.

In an unanimous decision, a three-judge panel ruled that the controversial and Republican-backed measure violated Section 2 of the landmark civil rights law. The law has been part of a complicated legal battle for years.

But the victory was narrow win for opponents of the law. The judges also rejected a previous judge’s ruling that the law was passed with the intent to discriminate. The Fifth Circuit sent that portion of the lawsuit back to a U.S. district court.

The court wrote that, if the lower court finds in its review of the case that the voter ID Law only violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, it should find a solution that can still reduce the risk of in-person voter fraud and satisfy the legislative intent of the voter ID law.

“Simply reverting to the system in place before SB 14’s passage would not fully respect these policy choices — it would allow voters to cast ballots after presenting less secure forms of identification like utility bills, bank statements, or paychecks,” the court wrote in a 49-page opinion.

Texas could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, or the state also could ask the full 5th Circuit to review the case. But now, a fight over what exactly the complicated ruling means is more imminent.

Cruz, JEB!!!!$$$$$?, Paul In – Perry Out

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Three of the four GOP presidential candidates with ties to Texas made the cut for Fox News first national debate on Thursday.  Sen. Ted Cruz (TP-Texas), JEB!!!!$$$$$?, and Sen. Rand Paul (TP – Curly Top) are in but former Governor Rick Perry is on the outside looking in.  Perry who, to his credit, has relentlessly attacked Donald Trump as a sideshow act, tried to make the best of his situation claiming that “One debate won’t make or break a candidate.”  Perry seems to have forgotten that one debate and one moment in one debate (“Oops”) broke his candidacy in 2012.  But in reality, Perry is getting more press out of missing the Fox debate than he likely could have generated from a scintillating performance – and how likely was that?

Today in Texas History – August 5

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From the Annals of Cross-Dressing –  In 1973, Vander Clyde, known to the world as Barbette, died in his home town of Round Rock.  Clyde was famous for his high-wire and trapeze act in which he dressed as a woman, performed incredible stunts and then removed his wig and flexed muscles at the end to show that he was actually a man.  Clyde was apparently enamored of the circus from his first visit to one in Austin.  He immediately began training to walk the tight rope on his mother’s closeline.  After graduating from high school at 14, he joined a circus act called the Alfaretta Sisters on the condition that he dress as a girl. After a few years of circus work, Barbette went solo and adopted the stage name Barbette. Although popular in the U.S., Barbette gained his greatest fame in Europe and particularly in Paris where he was championed by Jean Cocteau. He was forced to retire from performong after a bout of pneumonia left him unable to perform, but continued to work training circus acts for many years.

You Just Can’t Make this Stuff Up

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Sen. Ted Cruz (TP- Texas) apparently is feeling the need to jumpstart his campaign in first out of the box Iowa.  So what better way than to combine a popular pork product and assault weapons.  In a recently released video, Cruz is shown frying bacon by wrapping it around the barrel of a semi-automatic rifle.  The video was produced by IJ Review a conservative media outlet that also produced the classic “How To Destroy Your Cell Phone with Lindsey Graham.”  In the video, Cruz claims this is how we fry bacon in Texas.  After wrapping a strips of bacon around the barrel and covering them in foil, Cruz competently fires the weapon until the grease starts to drip onto the floor of the indoor rifle range.  Taking a small bite, Cruz remarks, “Mmm, machine-gun bacon.”

First, in Texas, we fry our bacon in a cast iron skillet until crispy.  Second, our mothers taught us to not make a greasy mess at an indoor rifle range.  Third, our fathers taught us to not defile our weapons by using them for unintended purposes. Fourth, we take gun safety seriously. Fifth, we enjoy the great outdoors and practice shooting there whenever possible.  Sixth, we don’t like stupid stunts that pander to the lowest common denominator. Seventh, Red is not going to dignify this nonsense by posting a link to the video.

If only he had used Canadian bacon.