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 – April 16

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From the Annals of Tejano –  In 1971, the greatest of all the Tejana stars, Selena Quintanilla Perez,  was born in Lake Jackson.   Selena’s impact on music and fashion made her one of the top Mexican-American artists of the 80’s and 90’s. She was named the “top Latin artist of the ’90s” by Billboard and was the “best selling Latin artist of the decade”.  She began her career at age 9 and recorded her first album at 11.   She was named top female vocalist award nine times at the Tejano Music awards.  Her list of career accomplishments could go on for pages.  Tragically, she was killed by the founder of her first fan club on March 31, 1995 in Corpus Christi.  Her posthumous album Dreaming of You debuted at No.1.  The crossover album was destined to make her a star beyond the world of Tejano music.  Red was driving past the Astrodome when he heard the news of her death.  The same Astrodome where Selena held the record for attendance in one of her appearances at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  Red had asked Mrs. Red for years to go see her, but never did to his everlasting regret.

Texas Is Redder than Red, New York and California are Blue and Florida is . . .?

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Letters From Texas explains why the Tea Party ignores Electoral College math at its peril and why another Bush and Rubio might last for a while in primary winnowing process.  The succinct point is that there is no path to victory for a GOP presidential candidate that does not lead through Florida.  In contrast, a Democrat that wins Florida is almost assured of victory but has other routes to the White House.

And It’s Never Too Early to Start Talking Football

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For years Red has complained about the big boys of college football scheduling non-conference games against the weak sisters to avoid losses that might knock them out of the running for the no longer mythical National Championship.  The move to a 4 team playoff last year should go a long ways towards the high and mighty at least scheduling the lofty and muscular.  My thinking is that with 4 playoff spots available, coaches might approach non-conference scheduling a little differently.  For example, when it comes to crunch time for the selection committee at the end of the regular season – what is going to look better – a one point loss to a 9-3 Georgia which played a tough schedule or that 55-3 ass-whupping of Southern Northeast Middle Louisiana State?

And maybe just maybe, Red’s Longhorns are headed in the right direction and others will follow.  NBCSports reports that UT will be playing the toughest non-conference schedule in the land over the next five seasons.

 A home-and-home with Notre Dame. A home-and-home with USC. A home-and-home with LSU. Plus home-and-homes with Maryland and California, one-off games with Central Florida and South Florida, and no dates with FCS opponents. That’s all in the next five years. (If we voyage into the next decade we’ll see a road date at Arkansas and home-and-homes with Michigan and Ohio State as well.)

It’s enough for the folks at ESPN’s Stats & Information department to rank Texas atop its list of toughest future non-conference schedules.  “Overall, Texas is projected to play a Power 5 opponent in 10 of its 15 nonconference games over the next five years, tied for the most Power 5 matchups of any team,” the group writes. “The Longhorns are also one of 10 Power 5 teams that will not face an FCS opponent during that time.”

Well done, well done.

“Unnamed Sources” Claim ISIS Camp is Located 8 miles from El Paso – Red Calls Bull Dog on this One

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Judicial Watch is reporting that Mexican Army and “federal law enforcement officials” have discovered an ISIS camp just outside of Ciudad Juarez close to the U.S. border.  The report is based on unnamed sources and provides extensive details of what would be a large-scale operation to infiltrate the U.S.  Frankly, Red thinks that ISIS has its hands full avoiding an ass-whupping in Iraq and Syria while taking time out to destroy priceless archeological and historic relics.   That coupled with the fact that Judicial Watch is a right-wing advocacy organization well-known for filing frivolous lawsuits to advance its conservative agenda.  But maybe, Red is wrong.  So here is what the good folks at Judicial Watch are claiming.

The exact location where the terrorist group has established its base is around eight miles from the U.S. border in an area known as “Anapra” situated just west of Ciudad Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Another ISIS cell to the west of Ciudad Juárez, in Puerto Palomas, targets the New Mexico towns of Columbus and Deming for easy access to the United States, the same knowledgeable sources confirm.

During the course of a joint operation last week, Mexican Army and federal law enforcement officials discovered documents in Arabic and Urdu, as well as “plans” of Fort Bliss – the sprawling military installation that houses the US Army’s 1st Armored Division. Muslim prayer rugs were recovered with the documents during the operation.

Law enforcement and intelligence sources report the area around Anapra is dominated by the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Cartel (“Juárez Cartel”), La Línea (the enforcement arm of the cartel) and the Barrio Azteca (a gang originally formed in the jails of El Paso). Cartel control of the Anapra area make it an extremely dangerous and hostile operating environment for Mexican Army and Federal Police operations.

According to these same sources, “coyotes” engaged in human smuggling – and working for Juárez Cartel – help move ISIS terrorists through the desert and across the border between Santa Teresa and Sunland Park, New Mexico. To the east of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, cartel-backed “coyotes” are also smuggling ISIS terrorists through the porous border between Acala and Fort Hancock, Texas. These specific areas were targeted for exploitation by ISIS because of their understaffed municipal and county police forces, and the relative safe-havens the areas provide for the unchecked large-scale drug smuggling that was already ongoing.

Red suggests unleashing kamikaze javelina drones to disrupt the alleged ISIS warriors flooding into the land the free.

Fifth Circuit to Rule on Obama’s Immigration Actions

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The Fifth Circuit is set to hear a motion to lift the district court stay of the President Obama’s recent actions on immigration.  U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen blocked the President’s November executive action which grants relief from deportation and work permits to approximately 5 million undocumented workers including many who currently reside, work and pay taxes in Texas.  Hanen refused to lift the stay while the Administration appeals to the Fifth Circuit.   Off the Kuff reports that the panel hearing the motion may not be too friendly to the Obama Administration’s position. The panel includes Judges Jerry Smith, Jennifer Elrod and Steven Higginson.  In fact according to Kuffner, it may be downright hostile.

Smith’s conservatism is tribal and, at times, belligerent. It would be very surprising if he cast a vote in favor of politically controversial programs spearheaded by Barack Obama.

He is joined on the panel by Judge Jennifer Elrod. Elrod is a George W. Bush appointee, while Smith is a Reagan appointee, so her record is not as thick as Judge Smith’s.

Elrod’s record on immigration suggests that she will take a similarly conservative approach. In Villas at Parkside Partners v. City of Farmers Branch, the full Fifth Circuit voted 9-5 to strike down a local ordinance that effectively made it a crime for undocumented immigrants to rent a home. Elrod dissented from this decision, claiming, somewhat improbably, that the ordinance “does not constitute a regulation of immigration.”

Texas Thunderstorms

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As we enter our peak thunderstorm season, it is best to be reminded of the awesome power of these natural phenomena.  When the whole building starts swaying and the windows rattle with each boom, it can be a little scary.  Then there is this photo posted in the Washington Post yesterday of a thunderstorm near Lubbock that closely resembles a thermonuclear bomb blast.  Other amazing photographs are included in the accompanying story.

If that doesn’t put the fear of God into you, nothing will.

Super Hole for Taxpayers

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The NFL has reportedly required up to $50 million in upgrades to NRG Stadium in advance of the 2017 Super Bowl.  Many of the upgrades would be to the luxury boxes and club section inhabited by the Swells.   The question of who will foot the bill is up in the air and no one is stepping forward.  To his credit, County Commissioner Steve Radack has stated that Harris County should not be on the hook.  The Houston Chronicle reports that Radack is adamant about not spending taxpayer money on a perfectly good stadium.

If the NFL has its way, luxury boxes and club seats at NRG Stadium will undergo major upgrades at the expense of Harris County or its tenants before Super Bowl LI arrives in Houston in 2017.

But if the decision is up to Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack, using public funds to improve suites for corporate executives and billion-dollar companies would be a non-starter.

“I’m not about to vote to spend a single dollar of county money updating these luxury suites,” Radack said.

 With 21 months to go until the sporting event that launches Houston onto the world stage for one glorious Sunday, much work still remains to prepare for the big party. One of the most significant tasks appears to be dressing up NRG Stadium. The price for seating updates and other improvements could rise as high as $50 million, including $5 million to enhance the facility’s WiFi capacity, sources previously have told the Houston Chronicle.

Red likes the Texans and likes going to at least a couple of games each season.  Red’s tickets are in Section 547 – up there with the Riff and the Raff. Nonetheless, Red is all on board for upgrading WiFi at the stadium.  It is almost impossible to get a signal from some of the carriers during a game.  But there is no way that taxpayers should be paying for upgrades to luxury boxes and club level seats.  The denizens of those hallowed grounds are the last ones who should be looking for a hand out from Harris County – since no doubt a goodly number of them are virulently anti-tax.

Photo of oddly legless bulls in front of NRG Stadium from stadiumjourney.com

Today in Texas History – April 14

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From the Annals of the Dust Bowl –   In 1935,  a massive dust storm swept across Oklahoma and Texas earning it the title of  “Black Sunday.”   The storm became the stuff of legends.  It inspired songs and was likely responsible for the coining of the phrase “Dust Bowl.”   That Sunday afternoon was described as warm and sunny, but a wall of sand and dust kicked up in the Oklahoma panhandle and  northwestern Oklahoma around 4 pm.  The storm moved quickly to the south and southeast across  Oklahoma.  Wind speeds of more than 40 mile per hour were recorded along with a plunge in temperature.  The worst part of the storm was in the Texas panhandle.  Wind speeds reached 60 miles per hour and the massive dust cloud blotted out the sun.  Reports were that for a brief time it was so dark that you could not see the hand in front of your face.  Avis D. Carlson of the New Republic described a massive dust storm as follows:

“People caught in their own yards grope for the doorstep. Cars come to a standstill, for no light in the world can penetrate that swirling murk…. The nightmare is deepest during the storms. But on the occasional bright day and the usual gray day we cannot shake from it. We live with the dust, eat it, sleep with it, watch it strip us of possessions and the hope of possessions.”

Steven Hotze – Bigot or Ignoramus? You Decide

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Raw Story reports on Dr. Steven Hotze’s testimony before a Texas House Committee comparing gays to rapists and murderers.  Hotze, a well know right winger who was once Chairman of the Harris County GOP, made his argument that Texas should ignore the U.S. Supreme Court if it should rule that same-sex marriage is protected under the U.S. Constitution.  Hotze apparently believes that Texas need not follow the supreme law of the land and should chart its own course in discriminating against gays.

Saying the state should only enforce laws that are “morally right,” Hotze explained how that determination is made, stating, “First you look in the Bible.”

“There are ways around the law. We have legalization — the Supreme Court, even though I believe it was completely wrong, said it is constitutional to kill a baby in the womb,” Hotze said. “I think it’s a horrible injustice and it’s unconstitutional. But, let me just say this, in Texas we said ‘We don’t believe that’s right. So we’re going to do everything we can to protect the unborn that we possibly can,’ and we’ve done that. And that’s the same thing.”

He added, “If they were to come out ruling that marriage between two individuals is legal, I would say let’s do to stop it just like we stopped abortion. Cut off funding for it, that’s all I’m saying.”

Told by Turner that he respects people no matter how they live their lives, Hotze claimed that sexual preferences  is a choice homosexuals make, just as murderers and rapists choose to commit “immoral acts.”

“If you make that a standard, that it’s a person’s chosen behavior, no matter what it is, it gives them minority status? You’ve got to be kidding. Where do you stop?’ Hotze said incredulously. “Look, if people are involved in activities that are immoral and wrong, you can love them, but you don’t respect what they do and you try and help them find a way out. Whether they’re alcoholics, whether they’re murderers or adulterers. Whether they’re perverts, pornographers or whatever. You want help them. Or homosexuals, you want to help them out.”

Turner again stated that people should be respected, no matter their differences, to which Hotze replied, “Then we can get rid of all the laws against people that do immoral acts, like murder and rape and embezzling. Cause you want to make them feel good, don’t you? You don’t want to make them feel bad about their actions because they might be born that way.”

Jordan Spieth Wins Masters – Breaks Texas Drought

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Jordan Spieth won the Masters Sunday in record-tying fashion carving out an 18 under par total of 270 for the tournament.  He also broke a drought for Texas players winning the tournament that had lasted for 20 years since Ben Crenshaw claimed his second Masters title in 1995. Texans have now won a total of 13 Green Jackets in the 79 years the tournament has been played – or almost 16% of the total titles.  Here is a list of the Texans who have put on the Green Jacket: Byron Nelson – 1937 and 1942; Ralph Guhldahl – 1939; Jimmy Demaret – 1940, 1947 and 1950; Ben Hogan – 1951 and 1953; Jack Burke, Jr – 1956; Charles Coody – 1971; Ben Crenshaw – 1984 and 1995; and Jordan Spieth – 2015.