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.

The Inmates are Running the GOP Asylum

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The embarrassing fallout from the Jade Helm 15 conspiracy theorists of the Texas Tea Party continues to mount.  The International Business Times reports that 32% of GOP primary voters nationwide actually believe that Jade Helm 15 is a secret plot of the federal government to take over Texas.

Hey morons, listen up!  In case you hadn’t noticed, the federal government already controls Texas and has for over 150 years now and has over 50,000 troops stationed here to boot.  We tried to secede once and it didn’t work.  And if the number is 32% nationwide, one can only imagine what it is in Texas since this is the nest.  What is troubling is that these are the people that have an outsized say in how this state is governed since winning the GOP primary is tantamount to election in any statewide office.  Unbelievable.

A conspiracy theory that the U.S. military is plotting to invade Texas and impose martial law has gained some traction among Republicans. A poll by Public Policy Polling released on Wednesday found that 32 percent of GOP primary voters nationwide believe that the federal government is in fact trying to take over Texas.

The conspiracy centers on an exercise the Department of Defense is planning to conduct, known as Jade Helm 15, across several Southwestern states including Texas. It’s not uncommon for the Pentagon to conduct practice missions with troops, but this one is large-scale and meant to simulate entering a hostile country.

Pointing to briefing documents the military had provided the public to explain the exercise, a group of conspiracy theorists began arguing that it wasn’t an exercise at all, but an excuse for the military to deploy troops in order to take over Texas, seize guns, arrest political opponents and impose martial law. The conspiracy theories gained more traction after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to send the Texas State Guard to monitor the U.S. military’s movements. And Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is running for president, was criticized for further stoking the fire after he asked the Pentagon to clarify their intentions and said the concern was justified because no one trusts the administration.

But it didn’t appear to give Cruz a boost among those who believe the conspiracy theory. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was leading among the Texas-takeover believers, winning 23 percent of that constituency compared with Cruz’s 18 percent.  

Well, there is a silver lining.  At least Ted Cruz is not benefitting from pandering to these nut jobs.  One can only imagine the anguished looks of disappointment on the faces of these fools, when they realize that the jack-booted thugs of the federal government haven’t actually come to take away their women, children and most importantly guns.

Today in Texas History – May 14

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From the Annals of the Revolution – In 1836, Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna and Republic of Texas provisional president David Burnett signed two Treaties of Velasco ending the Texas Revolution.  The public treaty, signed not surprisingly at Velasco (now Surfside Beach), ceased the fighting, called for withdrawal of Mexican troops and exchanges of prisoners, but Mexico did not formally recognize Texas’ independence.  The self-styled “secret treaty” had provisions for normalization of relations after the terms of the public treaty had been met.  The still vastly superior Mexican forces in the field honored the treaty and withdrew to Mexico.  In effect, the treaty was a venal effort by Santa Anna to save his own skin as it provided for his immediate transport to Veracruz. The story of Texas might have been vastly different if Gens. Urea and Filasola had decided to ignore Santa Anna’s command to stand down.

Despite the treaties, disputes over whether the Texas/Mexico boundary was on the Rio Grande or the Nueces continued and ultimately was the provocation that started the Mexican-American War that John Polk desperately wanted.  As a result, Texas’ boundary was never finally resolved during the days of the Republic.  It was not determined until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848 at the end of the Mexican-American War.

Spam of the Day

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When Red started blogging, he did not realize how much Spam would be coming his way.  And now he feels a need to share these wondrous tidbits on occasion.  With comments of course.

whoah (Okay I’ll stop)  this blog is fantastic (at least we agree on something) I like reading your posts.  Stay up the great work! (Definitely staying up for now) You understand, many people
are looking round for this information, (some looking square too)
you could aid them greatly (glad to be of assistance).

UT President Turns Down Money

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The Bryan-College Station Eagle reports that incoming UT-Austin President Gregory Fenves is turning down a salary offer of $1,000,000 because of concerns over the impact of such a salary in times of belt-tightening and budget cutting.  Lest ye feel too sorry for Fenves – don’t.  He apparently will still make in the neighborhood of $800,000 with bonuses and deferred pay.

Emails show the incoming president of the University of Texas at Austin declined a $1 million salary offer because he was concerned it could upset students and faculty at the school that has been stretched for funds in recent years.

“With many issues and concerns about administrative costs, affordability and tuition, such a salary will affect the ability of the president to work with the Texas Legislature on matters important to the university,” Gregory Fenves said in an email to Pedro Reyes, the UT System’s executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Fenves warned that the proposed paycheck would draw “widespread negative attention from students and faculty because of budget constraints seen in the last five years.” His email was obtained by the Austin American-Statesman through an open records request.

Fenves is expected to receive his requested base salary of $750,000 a year, making him an outlier in a field where salaries generally push north of seven figures.

Michael Young, who became president of Texas A&M University on May 1, is the highest-paid leader of a public academic institution in Texas. His total annual compensation is $1.4 million, including $1 million in base salary.

Today in Texas History – May 13

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From the Annals of the Unlucky –  In 1865, the last battle of the Civil War was fought near Brownsville at Palmito Ranch.  Union and Confederate commanders had previously reached a local truce thinking that a confrontation in the what appeared to be the waning days of the war over non-strategic ground in south Texas would be a waste of time, ammunition and most importantly lives.  Despite this on May 11, Col. Theo. H Barrett sent 300 mostly Black troops to take possession of Brownsville.  The Union force surprised about 150 Confederate cavalrymen and quickly routed them.  However, later in the afternoon the Confederates engaged the Union in a skirmish.  The Union commanders assumed that the Confederates had received reinforcements and quickly withdrew.  On May 13, Col. John “Rip” Ford arrived with artillery and assumed command.  The Confederates opened up with the cannons and an ensuing cavalry charge.  The Union troops were quickly routed and fell back to Brazos Island.  Approximately 30 unfortunate Union soldiers were killed in the meaningless and unnecessary battle.  After capturing some Union troops, the Confederates learned of the surrender of Lee and Johnston.  This small battle is only remembered because it was the last actual battle of the Civil War.

Dan Patrick Knew About Secret Tea Party Taping of Legislators

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The Texas Tribune reports that the Texas Rangers will be investigating the American Phoenix Foundation’s practice of secretly taping Texas Legislators.  The right-wing group has apparently been taping the lawmakers to find out if they are conservative enough and ostensibly to use the videos to support campaigns of Tea Party primary opponents for incumbent Republicans.

But the real news is that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick knew about the surreptitious videos and simply chose to not tell anybody about it.

A senior staffer for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was told by DPS about the secret tapings but senators were not told of it at the time “because no senators were believed to have been targeted by the group.” One senator, Houston Democrat Rodney Ellis, said Monday, “I would have preferred to have known if it was a possibility.”

In the words of Al Czervik, “Now I know why tigers eat their young.”

Texas Rising to Premiere on Memorial Day

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The History Channel will premier a new series Texas Rising over Memorial Day Weekend.  The initial episode will air on May 25 at 8:00 pm (CDT).  Texas Rising  will be 10-hour series based on the Texas Revolution and the rise of the Texas Rangers.

Texas Rising has a large cast with notable names such as Bill Paxton, Brendan Fraser, Ray Liotta, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olivier Martinez, Thomas Jane, Crispin Glover, Jeremy Davies, Christopher McDonald, Max Thieriot, Chad Michael Murray, Trevor Donovan, Robert Knepper, Jeff Fahey, Rob Morrow and Kris Kristofferson.  The series is directed by Roland Joffé.   It might be worth watching just to see how badly Kris Kristofferson butchers his role as Andrew Jackson. 

Today in Texas History – May 12

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From the Annals of School Songs –  In 1903, “The Eyes of Texas” was sung for the first time.  As a prank, the UT Glee Club serenaded President Wilson L. Prather with a parody song based on the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” The lyrics, written by John Lang Sinclair, were based on Prather’s oft-repeated admonition to students that “the eyes of the Texas are upon you.”  Prather’s saying was based on hearing Robert E. Lee say “the eyes of the South are upon you” during his time as a student at Washington College. The song became popular with students and was adopted as the official school song and copyrighted by UT.

Notre Dame Won’t Let Quarterback Transfer to Texas

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Texas fans continue to wonder how Ohio State can win the national championship with a third-string quarterback at the helm, while the Longhorns struggle to find even a decent starter. The Longhorns may be in desperate need of a major college quality quarterback, but they will have to look to someone other than Everett Golson.  The Notre Dame quarterback has indicated that he will to transfer to another school for his last year of eligibility.  Because Golson has graduated (despite missing the 2013 season for academic reasons), he can play immediately for a quarterback-hungry team.  Golson who led the Fighting Irish to a 8-5 record in 2014, including a Music City Bowl win over LSU, has thrown for 5,850 yards, 41 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in his college career.  He threw for 3,445 yards and 29 touchdowns last year, but his 14 interceptions and losing 4 straight games to end the regular season were enough to open a competition with Malik Zaire. Zaire was ahead in the competition after spring training prompting Golson’s decision to transfer.

But Notre Dame can control the terms of releasing Golson from his scholarship.  Coach Brian Kelly will apparently refuse to allow Golson to transfer to Texas – where he would likely be the frontrunner  – because Notre Dame opens against Texas in South Bend next year.   Maybe just maybe there is a quarterback out there somewhere for the hapless Horns.

Quote for the Day

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“We asked them to play. I will say there is less enthusiasm among the Aggie network now than there was back then. We have new friends and we like playing LSU and we like playing these folks. We’re hopeful that sometime in the future there will be a bowl game that we’re able to play in, you know, if [Texas] gets there. But the great thing about playing us is that you can get on real TV if you play us.”

Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp

Last time I checked the Aggies finished in 6th place in the SEC West in 2014, in 4th place in 2013 and in 3rd place in 2013.  Maybe you should at least win your division in your conference before getting all high and mighty.   Meanwhile, the Longhorns still suck.