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 13

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From the Annals of the Franciscans –  In 1709, an expedition led by Franciscan fathers Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares and Isidro Félix de Espinosa reached the site of what is now the city of San Antonio and named the nearby springs San Pedro Springs.   Capt. Pedro de Aguirre and a small company of soldiers accompanied the expedition.  The stated purpose was to befriend (and ultimately convert) the Tejas Indians who were believed to be encamped on the Colorado River. The expedition continued on and reached the Colorado on May 19.  However, the Tejas encampment was not discovered.  In fact, the Tejas were at least another 40-50 miles north of the Colorado.  The friars’ orders did not permit them to explore beyond the Colorado and they also received information that the Tejas were not particularly well-disposed to interference from Spaniards.  Consequently, the expedition turned back and moved south of the Rio Grande.

Insurance Industry Attempts to Cut Back on Your Rights

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The Dallas Morning News Watchdog  reports on Sen. Larry Taylor’s (TP-Friendswood) bill to make things even more difficult for Texas consumers to obtain reasonable settlements from their insurers.  Taylor incredibly claims that this bill – carefully crafted by the insurance lobby – is a consumer protection statute.  Taylor obviously works under the “Big Lie” principal.  When questioned about some of the provisions in his bill, Taylor was unable to respond – perhaps because being the bought and paid for tool of the insurance industry does not also make you very smart.

The Texas Supreme Court has essentially written actions for bad faith denial of coverage out of the statutes – so right now it is a winning strategy for an insurance company to just deny coverage.  If 10% of their customers shrug and say “Okay” the impact on the insurer’s  bottom line is tremendous.  But now Taylor wants to make it even easier for Texas insurers to deny claims.  Senate Bill 1628 has been characterized as the “Christmas List for insurance companies.”  Among other things, Taylor’s bill requires insureds to provide a complicated sworn statement to their insurer before filing suit, and cuts back the penalties on insurance companies for failing to pay claims.  Among the brilliantly worded language in the bill is the following:

An insurer knowingly fails to act in compliance with this subchapter only if the insurer is actually aware of the insurer’s failure to pay a claim for which the insurer is liable.

So the insurer is not responsible unless you prove that it knew that it knew that it was denying a viable claim?

Today in Texas History – April 10

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From the Annals of the Storytellers –   In 1906, William Sidney Porter (better known as O’ Henry) published his second volume of short stories.  The book entitled The Four Million  contains the famous story The Gift of the Magi, in which a husband and wife sell their most loved possession in order to give each other a Christmas gift.

In a strange and prophetic twist, Porter’s literary career took off after he was convicted of embezzlement and jailed in Austin in 1898.  After he was indicted, Porter fled to Honduras.  However, he returned to Texas upon discovering that his wife had a terminal illness.  Porter spent the next three years in prison writing adventure stories to support his daughter. He devoted himself to his writing and began to perfect his craft of writing stories with an unexpected twist – sometimes humorous as in the famous tale of The Ransom of Red Chief  and sometimes more serious as in The Gift of the Magi.    Upon release, he moved to New York where he secured a job writing stories for the New York World.   He published his first collection, Cabbages and Kings, in 1904 and several more before his death in 1910 totaling almost 300 stories.  His popular success did not translate into personal success and he battled alcoholism and financial troubles to the end.

Photo of the O’Henry Museum from austintexas.gov

Look at this Interesting Organ I Found While Antiquing

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The Huffington Post reports on the controversy surrounding a show featuring male strippers in Warrenton during the recently concluded semi-annual antique madness in the Round Top area.  Some of the locals were upset when Stephanie Welch booked the American Cowboy Las Vegas Revue for performances at an enclosed tent amidst the many antique dealers in beautiful downtown Warrenton.  Welch saw the handsome hoofing hotties at another antiques show and decided to book them on the same weekend as the 47th Original Round Top Antiques Fair.  The fact that the coolly clad cowboys were performing on Good Friday and Holy Saturday did not sit well with some of the locals who picketed on State Hwy 237.  Even some local politicos got in on the action.

“I find all of it pretty distasteful to begin with, the fact that they’re actually having it on Good Friday and Holy Saturday across the street from the church really makes it distasteful to me and the vast population,” Fayette County Judge Ed Janecka told KXAN TV.

In the interest of full disclosure, Red and family were in Warrenton on Good Friday shopping and visiting friends who exhibit (not that kind of exhibition) there.  The large tent where the buff and booted boys were dancing was clearly visible from the friend’s booth.  Only for a brief moment could we hear the rhythmic thumping of the dance beat.  As we left after sundown, about 50 protestors were still walking the shoulder of the road carrying signs and crosses.  They were peaceful and mostly unobtrusive in expressing their rights to free speech.  At least they left us alone because one of our party was wearing his Jesus shirt.   And frankly, I have never noticed the church in Warrenton because it is covered up by vendors and shoppers during the antiquing frenzy.  All in all a lot of hubbub about nothing.

Reefer Gladness?

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Under current Texas law, possession of small amounts of marijuana can result in up to $2,000 in fines, up to 180 days of jail time, and a conviction of a Class B Misdemeanor on your record just for the first offense.  And the law is used to disproportionately punish minority offenders.  When was the last time you heard about an upper-middle class white kid going to jail for holding a joint?

But now, the Texas Legislature is awash with bills to change the current laws on marijuana possession.  They range from complete decriminalization to making possession of small quantities essentially equivalent to a traffic violation.  Progress Texas gives an outline of the essential features of each bill.

Rep. Joe Moody’s (Democrat) Bill – HB 507

  • The most effective civil penalties bill filed
  • Changes possession of less than one ounce of marijuana to a civil penalty – similar to jaywalking or not wearing a seat belt
  • Anything over one ounce of marijuana remains a class B misdemeanor

Rep. Harold Dutton’s (Democrat) Bill – HB 414

  • Would change any marijuana possession less than one ounce to a Class C Misdemeanor
  • Makes possession a simple ticketable offense you could pay
  • Punishments increase if ticketed multiple times in a year

Rep. Gene Wu’s (Democrat) Bill – HB 325

  • Possession of less than .35 ounces of marijuana becomes a Class C Misdemeanor
  • Makes possession a simple ticketable offense you could pay
  • Punishments increase if ticketed multiple times in a year

Rep. Senfronia Thompson’s (Democrat) Bill – HB 1115

  • Rather than potentially being arrested when carrying up to four ounces of marijuana an officer will only give a citation; However, the person charged is still responsible for appearing in court at a later date.
  • Does not reduce the penalty of marijuana possession (Class A or B misdemeanor), which can still result in jail time.

Today in Texas History – April 9

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From the Annals of the Iceman –  In 1978, George Gervin scored 63 points for the San Antonio Spurs in the final game of the regular season to edge out the Denver Nuggets’ David Thompson for the NBA scoring title.  It was one of the closest contests for the NBA scoring crown ever.  Gervin was unstoppable for the Spurs against the New Orleans Jazz.  But Thompson did not go down without a fight as earlier that same day he scored 73 points against the Detroit Pistons. for the season, Gervin averaged 27.22 points per game to Thompson’s 27.15.

Gervin would lead the league again in 1979, 1980 and 1982, making him one of just three NBA players to ever capture  at least four scoring titles.  Only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have claimed more scoring titles.  Gervin  ended his career with nine NBA All-Star and three ABA All-Star appearances and scored  26,595 points over his NBA/ABA career with a scoring average of 26.2 points per game.

Illegal Use of Sausage

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In a most disturbing story, the Dallas Observer reports that six people including five volunteer firefighters from Ellis County have been arrested for sexually assaulting a new trainee with a link of chorizo sausage.  The Texas Rangers were called into investigate after the victim reported the assault.  According to reports, the six idiots first considered using a broomstick to anally rape the victim, but changed their minds and used chorizo instead.

The trainee was bent over the couch while Tucker and Stafford held him down and the sausage was inserted into his anus, the Rangers say. Then Wisakowsky cut the sausage out of the package and attempted to reinsert it, but the sausage broke up.

The trainee told the Rangers he was then released and he crawled into the nearby restroom with “smashed up sausage still between his butt cheeks.” He removed the sausage, threw up and took a shower to clean up. While he was showering, he says, someone took his clothes from the restroom. He came out of the restroom in a towel to look for his clothes. When he did, he says, Tucker took his towel. The man covered his genitals with his hands and ran to his truck to get some shorts, he says.

One can only wonder how these morons ever became volunteer firefighters.

Don’t Mess with Borris

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The Texas Tribune reports on a dust up between Rep. Borris Miles and a DPS trooper assigned to protect Attorney General Ken Paxton at the Vince Young Steakhouse in Austin.  Miles apparently wanted to speak with Paxton who was having dinner with state representatives and others in a private room at the restaurant when he was stopped by the officer.  Profanity ensued.

Miles claimed the plain clothes trooper did not identify himself until after he had placed his hands on the lawmaker.

 “A white man just walks up to me and starts grabbing me,” Miles said. “What do you do?” 

The DPS report confirms at least part of Miles’s story.

“When I saw Rep. Miles make a move for the door, I stood up, grabbed his arm to divert his attention to me and told him he was not allowed to go into the room.  . . I then positioned myself between him and the door. At this point, Rep. Miles became belligerent with me, using excessive profanity.”