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.

Today in Texas History – August 4

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From the Annals of the Governor’s Office – In 1941 Lt. Gov. Coke Stevenson became Governor when W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel was installed as U.S. Senator following a special election.  Known as “Mr. Texas”, Stevenson was a no-nonsense conservative whose remarkable life story appealed to most Texans.  He had basically educated himself rising from mule team freight hauler, to bank custodian, to bank cashier, to lawyer.  Stevenson’s political career began with election as county attorney of Kimble County.  He later served as County Judge. Before being elected as Lt. Gov. he served several terms in the House and was selected as Speaker of the House.  Stevenson’s approach was so low-key that his critics accused him of doing nothing. He served two more full terms as governor stepping down in 1947 at which time he was the longest serving governor in Texas history.  Unfortunately, Stevenson is perhaps best known for his loss in the 1948 Senate race to Lyndon B. Johnson.  Stevenson is portrayed heroically in Robert Caro’s Means of Ascent.  Critics have complained that Caro’s portrait of Stevenson was influenced by his growing disgust with LBJ as his research progressed.  Nonetheless, Stevenson’s rise from poor country boy to Governor is a remarkable story in itself.

Photo from http://www.texashistory.unt.edu

Ken Paxton Indicted and Friendless?

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Attorney General Ken Paxton has been indicted on felony charges related to securities fraud.  Many commentators are wondering where are the GOP office holders and hordes of Tea Party loyalists coming to Paxton’s defense.  Noted Paxton supporters such as Sen. Ted Cruz (TP – Texas) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are nowhere to be heard or seen in defense of Paxton.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Morning News speculates on what the indictment and possible conviction means for Paxton’s political future.

What is different for Paxton is that there is no case to be made that he is a victim of dirty politics, said Southern Methodist University political science professor Cal Jillson.

“Even when you are offering a political defense, you have to keep one foot on the base — you have to make claims that are rooted in some plausibility,” Jillson said.

Paxton’s case was heard in Collin County “which is a red, red, red belt of Texas conservatism,” Jillson said, and the evidence was obtained by the Texas Rangers. The charges stem from investment deals with business partners who are under investigation by state and federal authorities, he said.

Paxton, once a small-town lawyer, already has been shown in news reports to have become involved with land flips and about 30 businesses once he got into the Legislature, Jillson said.

“It’s complicated and delicate for an attorney general, more so than for a governor or a senator, because you are the top elected legal official in the state,” Jillson said. “As the top legal officer, to find yourself under felony indictment is beyond awkward.”

Paxton can remain in office while under indictment. If he were convicted of a felony, his law license would automatically be suspended and he would be unable to serve.

Gov. Greg Abbott would name a replacement, who would face confirmation by the Senate.

During the legal fight, it is likely Paxton will keep a low political profile but try to make as many professional appearances as possible to deflect attention from his legal problems and reinforce the idea that he is tending to state business, Miller said.

Attacking the process is unlikely to help him either legally or politically, he said.

“It’s all courtroom,” Miller said. “Game on.”

Today in Texas History – August 3

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From the Annals of the Feud – In 1898, the Colorado County Feud began.  The Feud was ignited by the County’ Sheriff’s race and involved a series of gun battles between members of the Townsend family of Columbus. The actual election was between incumbent sheriff Sam Reese and a former deputy Larkin Hope. Former state senator and power broker Mark Townsend dropped his backing of Reese and endorsed Hope. The move indicated victory for Hope since Townsend typically backed the winner.  It was not to be, as Hope was gunned down Columbus.  Hope’s backers suspected Jim Coleman, a close friend of Sam Reese’s sons, Walter and Herbert, was behind the killing. Townsend picked a new candidate, Will Burford, and, with feeling running high against the Reeses, Burford won the election. Less than a year later, on March 16, 1899, Sam Reese was killed in a gun battle on the street near where Hope died. Will Clements, Marion Hope, and Mark Townsend were among those shooting. Stray bullets killed Charles Boehme, a bystander, and wounded a boy named Johnny Williams. Even though the best evidence suggests that Reese had provoked the fight in which he was killed, his sons vowed to get revenge. In five more gunfights five more men were killed and several others wounded. The dead included Reese’s brother Dick, Burford’s son Arthur, Will Clements’s brother Hiram, and Jim Coleman. No one was ever convicted of any of the murders. Those accused included Mark Townsend, Jim Townsend, Step Yates, Will Clements, Walter Reese, Joe Lessing, Frank Burford, and Marion Hope.  Perhaps not so curiously, the Townsends, Reeses, Burfords, Clementses, Hopes, and Lessings were all related to each other.

Jade Helm 15 Update, Cont.

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Well Red was down in Old Mexico (as Red, Sr. used to call it) this week.  Flying in a  Bombadier (why on God’s green earth are US airlines flying French planes much less one with the word “Bomb” in it is beyond Red), Red was unable to discern any notable change in regions of South Texas (one of the last bastions of the Lone Star Democrats) from 30,000 feet.  So apparently not only are the jack-booted thugs of the Feds reasonably sneaky, they are good at camouflage (a word Red always thought sounded suspiciously French) as well.   And while in Mexico, Red failed to see any hordes of illegal (or soon to be illegal) immigrants rushing to the Rio Grande.  In fact, everyone looked pretty damn occupied going about their business – which of course only made Red more suspicious.  But the illegals (thinking back to Red, Sr. again, Red wonders exactly what he would now call them since other terms have disappeared from the common parlance) are probably getting some training from the aforementioned JBT’s who may be using them to divert our attention away from the bigger issues of Obama coming in to round up our women, children and most importantly guns under the guise of a “Training Exercise.”  Anyhow, Red will stay closer to home this weekend and keep his ear to the ground while reaching for the stars (thank you Casey Kasem).

Vigilantly yours,

Red

Wigglers in the Water

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Residents of a small Texas town woke up to discover that water coming out of their taps was contaminated by tiny red worms.  Red for one is totally grossed out.   The Houston Chronicle has more.

 No one seems to know how worms got in the tap water, but residents in Old River-Winfree, a town of about 1,400 people 25 miles east of Houston, are drinking from bottles this week.

On Monday evening, the first residents of the Woodlands Acres Subdivision showed up at city offices with containers full of water and small red worms they say came out of their faucets, sprinklers and shower heads. Three days and dozens of reports later, Mayor Joe Landry said, “people are not taking chances.”

Landry’s office has been using city money to buy bottled water to hand out to residents. When he spoke by phone with the Houston Chronicle, he had just returned from the nearby Dollar General to restock the water supply. City officials have handed out at least a thousand bottles, he said.

He also opened three men’s and three women’s shower facilities in the city office for any resident to use.

Landry said representatives of J&S Water, the town’s private water utility, have told him that the company had an electrical problem and its chlorinator stopped working. J&S did not respond to inquiries from the Chronicle.

“We’re hoping for an update as to where we need to go with the situation from here,” he said. “We’re hoping for directives. Right now we don’t have any answers.”

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality officials planned to visit the town to test water safety and try to identify a solution.

“We’ll be working with the city to identify where the breach occurred and how to fix the breach and flush the system,” agency spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said.

How the Mighty Have Fallen

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The Amway Coaches Poll has neither UT nor Texas A&M in its top 25 preseason poll.  The only Texas teams to be ranked are TCU at No. 2 and Baylor at No. 4.  Both of the formerly down-trodden programs are clearly holding onto the recent success.  More recent in the case of Baylor.  TCU has been performing on a fairly high level in the last decade.

Longhorns a Long Way from Respectability

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USA Today reports that the University of Texas football team is not ranked in the pre-season polls for the first time in 17 years.

For the first time since 1998, Texas will begin the season without a number next to its name.

The Longhorns  are unranked in the Amway Coaches Poll, which was released Thursday. It’s not surprising given that the team finished 6-7 in 2014, capping Charlie Strong’s first year as head coach with a 31-7 loss to Arkansas in the Texas Bowl.

Texas had its worst season in recent history in 2010 when it followed a national championship loss to Alabama with a 5-7 record. The program hasn’t been the same since, going 36-28 the last four years without a single 10-win season. Still it always found a way into the preseason poll in that span, averaging a 19.5 ranking.

Not this year. Texas only received eight points, putting them at No. 38 outside the poll.

Today in Texas History – July 31

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From the Annals of the National Pastime –  In 1990, Nolan Ryan posted his 300th career win.  Pitching for the Texas Rangers, Ryan threw 7 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts in an 11-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. His historic 300th victory came in his 24th season in the majors, his second with the Texas Rangers.  Ryan had failed in his first bid for a 300th win the week before, pitching at his home stadium in Arlington, Texas. His second attempt came against the Brewers in front of a friendly crowd in Milwaukee. Ryan improved as the game went on, and by the fifth inning, the Rangers had taken a 5-1 lead. Ryan rung up two strikeouts in the fifth, one in the sixth and two more in the seventh inning. With two outs in the eighth, a defensive error put two runners on base, but with a crowd of 55,000 rooting him on, Ryan once again summoned the fastball that had won him 299 previous games. The talented young Gary Sheffield popped-out on a 96 mile-per-hour fastball to end the inning. After the Rangers tacked on insurance runs and the bullpen closed it out for an 11-3 win, Ryan became the fourth-oldest 300-game winner in baseball history after Phil Neikro, Gaylord Perry and Early Wynn.

Pistol Packing Pastor Pops Prowler

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KTRK reports on an early morning shooting at a Baytown Church.  Pastor Benny Holmes has apparently shot an intruder.
Baytown police responded to a shooting at the Church of New Beginnings. Police say the pastor armed himself and shot an intruder. KTRK Photo. Police say Pastor Benny Holmes was at the church sometime after 6:00am this morning when he a heard a man trying to break into the building. Homles then armed himself and shot the intruder.
The intruder was then rushed to Memorial Hermann Hospital via Life Flight. His condition is unknown.
Pastor Holmes made national headlines last year for taking down a suspected package thief in his front yard. At the time, he said pointing his 45mm pistol at the grandmother was the only way he would get her to feel the fear of God.

Today in Texas History – July 28

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From the Annals of the Toreros – In 1908, James Harper Gillett made his first appearance as a novillero  at Plaza de Toros in  Guadalajara. Gillett was born in Ysleta in 1884. His parents divorced in 1889, after which he had no contact with his father for twenty-four years.  His mother married Guadalajara resident Samuel M. Lee in 1895. The family lived in Guadalajara and Gillett began calling himself Harper Baylor Lee.  Lee learned the art from his friend Francisco Gómez, El Chiclanero, a retired matador from Spain.  Lee determined to see if he could make it as a as a professional torero. In 1910 he became the first American to attain the rank of matador de toros.  He appeared in fifty-two corridas and killed 100 bulls. His career was cut short by the chaos of the Mexican Revolution. After reconciling with his father in 1914, he changed his name to Harper Baylor Gillett.