Author Archives: Red from Texas

Unknown's avatar

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 – June 12

1 Reply

From the Annals of Killing – In 1901, Gregorio Lira Cortez shot and killed Karnes County sheriff W. T. Morris.  Morris was investigating a horse theft and learned that Cortez had recently acquired a horse.  He confronted Cortez and his brother Ronaldo and their tenant farm.  Problems with translation led to Morris shooting and wounding Ronaldo.  Cortez then shot and killed Morris escaping to a nearby farm.  When the Gonzales County attempted to arrest Cortez at the farm, both he and the owner were killed in a shoot out.  Cortez then walked 100 miles to a friend’s home where he obtained a horse and made out for Laredo.  The ensuing manhunt involved over 300 men, but Cortez was only captured when he was betrayed by a friend.  With many newspapers  covering the massive manhunt, Cortez became a hero to many Hispanics and some Anglos.  After his arrest and first trial, a mob attempted to lynch Cortez while his case was on appeal.  The lynching failed but the appeal was successful.  Cortez was tried again and sentenced to life.  Cortez was finally granted a conditional pardon by Gov. Oscar Colquitt and released in 1913. Cortez’s escape, the massive manhunt and capture and trials made Cortez something of a folk hero. His exploits are celebrated in many variants of El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez, a popular ballad that has inspired books and at least one movie.

Not too Friendly in Frenship

Leave a reply

The racists are coming out of the woodwork in the aftermath of the McKinney pool party incident.  The San Antonio Express-News reports on one sad example of an elementary school teacher who just couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

A teacher at an elementary school near Lubbock has been fired after writing she was “almost to the point” of supporting racial segregation following a controversial police incident in McKinney.

Frenship Independent School District officials have fired Karen Fitzgibbons, a fourth-grade teacher at Bennett Elementary School in Wolfforth, for making the controversial post, the district announced in a statement Thursday.

“Frenship ISD is deeply disappointed in the thoughtlessness conveyed by this employee’s post,” the release said. “We find these statements to be extremely offensive, insensitive, and disrespectful to our Frenship community and citizens everywhere. These comments in no way represent the educational environment we have created for our students.”

Tar Balls on Texas Beaches – Not so Mysterious

Leave a reply

ABC News reports that mysterious tar balls have been washing up on Texas beaches.  Just how often do these folks go to the beach?  In Red’s experience tar balls at the Texas coast are not that unusual.

We don’t have a source for the oil,” Jim Suydam, a spokesman for the Texas General Land Office, told ABC News today, noting that samples of the substance have been sent to the U.S. Coast Guard for analysis. So far, their only conclusion is that it is a “crude oil product” that came from “two different sources.”

“It is unlikely the source is from Texas waters, but possible sources include offshore rigs, a pipeline, a ship, or from natural seepage,” Suydam told ABC News in a statement.

Tar balls are dense accumulations of hydrocarbons that have been mixed and rolled with sand and shells before washing ashore. The source could be natural leaks along the continental shelf, which runs 40 to 100 miles off the Texas shoreline, or the result of frequent spills that occur when crude oil is transported from one tanker to another in the Gulf of Mexico before being brought into port.

If the investigation proves the oil came from man-made sources, it will come as no surprise to Luke Metzer, director of Environment Texas, an environmental advocacy group based out of Austin.

“Oil spills are a way of life here in Texas,” Metzer said, noting that 543 spills occurred in 2012, according to the Texas General Land Office.

“It all adds up to have a big toll on the marine life in the Gulf,” he said.

Metzer argued that Texas should establish “no-take” Marine Protected Areas, which prohibit fishing, oil drilling, and other extractive uses.

Today in Texas History – June 11

Leave a reply

From the Annals of Banditry –   In 1865, during the chaos following the defeat of the Confederacy, bandits broke into the office of the Texas State Treasury in Austin.  The thieves apparently targeted over $300,000 in specie and U.S. Coupons.  At the time, Austin had no police force and the thieves believed that escape would be easy.  However, Austin citizens rallied to find the bandits.  Among those involved in the hunt were volunteers from Gen. Joseph Shelby’s band of Missouri raiders who were encamped near Austin while escaping to Mexico – possibly to avoid prosecution as war criminals.  The thieves fled to Mt. Bonnell.  Several were wounded in the ensuing fight but only one was captured.

Ted Cruz – Not Ready for Primetime

Leave a reply

Former Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn assesses the GOP presidential field and does not appear to be overly impressed with either of the favorite sons from Texas.   ThinkProgress has the full report.

Rick Perry: “Good guy. I don’t think he’s capable at that level.”

Ted Cruz: “Not ready for primetime.”

Is Mark Levin a Rascist, a Moron or Merely a Lying Scumbag?

Leave a reply

Red has intentionally avoided joining in the chorus of voices regarding this week’s incident at the pool party in McKinney.  But then Red inadvertently hit upon Mark Levin’s screed that poses for a radio show yesterday.  He was ranting about the injustice of the resignation of Eric Casebolt –  the McKinney police officer who was caught on camera wrestling a 15 year old girl in a bikini to the ground and then yanking out his gun and pointing it at two other black kids who had approached and then already started retreating.  Levin was desperately attempting to justify the now disgraced officer’s actions.  Levin claimed that the officer was justified in pulling out his weapon because he was confronted by “two brutes – BRUTES” – screamed into the microphone by this pathetic excuse for a commentator.    Watch the video and decide for yourself about the actions of these “BRUTES.”  They apparently respond to cries from the girl being manhandled by the officer, but as soon as the officer looks up, they move away and are rapidly leaving the area when Casebolt pulls out his gun – only to be restrained by another officer who hasn’t lost his cool.   One of the teens, Adrian Martin, was interviewed by Lawrence O’Donnell last night.   Martin, the only person arrested in the entire ordeal, was later released with all charges dropped.  If the lack of any real arrests doesn’t sway your opinion about the gross overreaction of Casebolt, then maybe O’Donnell’s interview with Martin will.  Martin, who appears to be on the slight side for a “BRUTE” is a well-spoken young man.  He indicated that he has no intent of suing the police for wrongful arrest and expressed his gratitude to the police officers who responded appropriately to the incident.  But that won’t sway the Tea Party screamers like Levin.

Today in Texas History – June 10

Leave a reply

From the Annals of the Revolution –  In 1832,  a rebel force attacked Anahuac in the first armed clash between Anglo-Texians and Mexican troops. Juan Davis Bradburn, formerly an American citizen, was commander of the Mexican post at Anahuac on Galveston Bay.  He was an ardent opponent of slavery which was illegal under the Mexican Constitution of 1824.  Bradburn was unpopular with the Anglo-Texians in the area for his opposition to slavery and enforcement of Mexican law.   When he granted asylum to 3 escaped slaves from Louisiana, tensions began to heat up.  Attorney William B. Travis was hired by the slaves owner to attempt to regain control of the slaves.  Travis was probably involved in writing a letter to Bradburn claiming that 100 men were coming from Louisiana to reclaim the slaves.  When Bradburn realized it was a hoax, he arrested Travis.  Patrick Jack, a ringleader of the Texians opposed to Bradburn confronted Bradburn about Travis’ arrest and was himself arrested.  The arrests provoked Jack’s brother to bring a contingent of men from Brazoria and other towns to secure the release of the prisoners.  Bradburn agreed to exchange Travis and the other Anglos for nineteen cavalrymen held by the insurgents. The cavalrymen were released, but when Bradburn discovered that a number of rebels had remained in town overnight, he refused to free his prisoners and began firing on the town. The insurgents withdrew to Turtle Bayou, where they drew up a series of resolutions explaining their action. Bradburn appealed for help from other military commanders in Texas. Col. José de las Piedras marched from Nacogdoches, but met with Anglo insurgents near Liberty and agreed to remove Bradburn from command and free Travis and the others.

Can We have Their Names Please?

Leave a reply

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a sweeping border security bill that will cost the state over $300 million to fix a problem that may not exist anymore. Statistics show that crime in the Rio Grande valley is at an all time low. But that doesn’t matter to Abbott who justified the massive increase in police presence by claiming that, “Here in Houston, there are more than 20,000 dangerous gang members that are associated with cross border traffic crime.”  Abbott went on to claim that there are more than 100,000 such hoodlums In the state. Abbott cited no source for his numbers.  It’s becoming more and more clear that Abbott will say anything because Texas Tea Party voters who control the electorate clearly will not hold him accountable. Need a stat to support throwing money at a problem- just make one up.

You Can’t Ignore a Headline Like This

Leave a reply

The New York Times has posted an article under the headline “John Boehner, Ted Cruz and the One Finger Salute.”

Speaker John A. Boehner has had ample reason to give Senator Ted Cruz of Texas the stink eye, shall we say. Mr. Cruz has repeatedly encouraged House conservatives to push Mr. Boehner sharply, even untenably, to the right, and he helped orchestrate the government shutdown at the end of 2013, which Mr. Boehner tried mightily to prevent.

Mr. Boehner did not hide his displeasure at those junctures, but he has refrained from criticizing Mr. Cruz personally. Asked about him last fall, Mr. Boehner said they had not talked to Mr. Cruz since he was elected to the Senate in 2012.

Last week, however, at a closed fund-raiser — in Texas, no less — it seemed to some of the 40 people in attendance that Mr. Boehner made his feelings about Mr. Cruz quite clear.

During the event, in Midland, Mr. Boehner was asked by the chairman of the state’s Republican Party, Tom Mechler, for his thoughts on Mr. Cruz’s presidential campaign. Mr. Boehner chuckled and then raised a middle finger.