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.

Take a Look at JJ Watt’s “Cabin in the Middle of Nowhere”

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JJ-Watt-Cabin-5

CBS Sports  gives us a look at JJ Watts’ now famous “Cabin in the Middle of Nowhere.”  The cabin is actually a 4500 square foot log home on 35 acres about 30 miles from Milwaukee.  It comes complete with air conditioned barn/garage and very nice landscaping.  For Watt, who signed a $100 million deal with the Texans last year, the $800,000 price tag was fairly modest – for what appears to be a very nice home away from home.  Keep in mind that the photos show the contents of the previous owner.

A Lot of Dam Problems in Texas

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The Houston Chronicle reports that more than half of Texas dams are in danger of failing.  Some failures would be catastrophic.  Overall Texas dams received a grade of D- from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2012.  The Chronicle looks at what might happen if the Barker and Addicks  dams which hold potential floodwaters from Braes and Buffalo Bayous were to fail.

Let’s look at at one disaster scenario for the Houston metro area. From a 2011 Chronicle op-ed: “If either Addicks or Barker Dam failed when water levels were high, stored stormwaters would erupt down Buffalo Bayou, inundating the Memorial Drive area and crossing Westheimer into the Brays Bayou watershed. Extensive damage would occur in River Oaks, the Central Business District and even the Texas Medical Center.”

The article was published after the Army Corps of Engineers rated the Addicks and Barker dams as “extremely high risk” in 2009. Only six dams in the country received this designation. The state has made some short-term repairs to the structures, and this year long-term rehabilitation finally should get under way. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers claims that there is no imminent danger of failure, but recognizes that problems exist.

It is important to know that Addicks and Barker dams are not in imminent danger of failing. These two dams form reservoirs that are dry much of the time. They are continuously monitored by a full-time staff to ensure their structural integrity. But, the fact that the Houston metropolitan area is the nation’s fourth largest population center is a primary concern. Any dam safety issues at Addicks and Barker could have a far greater impact due to the magnitude of people and property downstream, as opposed to other dams around the country in rural or low-population density areas.

Having our Addicks and Barker dams designated as “extremely high risk” is a big step toward increasing their safety. This designation moves them up to the front of the line for funding for repairs and studies, and all actions required for these two dams will be expedited.

If you live in Houston, keep your pirogue handy just in case.

Today in Texas History – March 3

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From the Annals of the Forgotten War – In 1899, Congress authorized the formation of the Thirty-Third Infantry Regiment which became known as the Texas Regiment.  The Regiment was formed for combatting the Philippine Insurrection – America’s forgotten war that officially lasted from June 2, 1899 until July 4, 1902 but lasted as a lower level conflict for at least another decade. The Regiment was organized at Fort Sam Houston. Approximately one third of the officers and enlisted men were from Texas. The Regiment served in the Philippines from October 27, 1899, until March 2, 1901. The Thirty-third fought in battles at Magnataram, Tirad Pass, Vigan, and Taguidin Pass.  The Regiment was mustered out of service in San Francisco on April 17, 1901.  However, some soldiers from the Regiment remained in the Philippines to serve with the Philippine Constabulary.

Texas Marriage Under Assault – From Serial Heterosexuals

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Rep. Tony Tinderholt (TP- Headcase City) has filed a complaint with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct against Travis County District Judge David Wahlberg who recently ordered the Travis County Clerk to issue a marriage license to a long-time gay couple with two children.  Tinderholt is understandably concerned about the sanctity of the institution of marriage – apparently having been married five (5) times himself.  Tinderholt obviously believes that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman – at least until he gets tired of his current wife or vice versa.

Tinderholt has complained that Judge Wahlberg failed to give notice to the Texas Attorney General’s office before issuing his order.  One problem – Wahlberg was not the judge in the court where the constitutionality of Texas’ ban on same sex marriage was challenged.  That was in a case before Probate Court Judge Guy Hermann.  Texas litigants are required to notify the Attorney General when challenging a Texas statute on constitutional grounds and that was done in the probate case.  The AG declined to intervene and the case proceeded.  Wahlberg was acting on a request based on the prior ruling.  It seems highly unlikely that any action will be taken against Wahlberg.

And the current over/under on Tinderholt’s latest marriage – Red is putting that at 3.5 years and going short.

The Second Siege of the Alamo – By UNESCO?

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Texas Sen. Donna Campbell (TP-Loonytown) has filed a bill that would prevent foreigners from owning, operating or managing the Alamo.   Campbell’s unusual bill stems from her fear that designating the Alamo as a UNESCO World Heritage Site would mean that the revered shrine would come under some UN domination.  As the San Antonio Express-News reports, there is little  support for Campbell’s efforts to protect the Alamo from this non-existent threat.

The Alamo and four other San Antonio missions are being nominated for UNESCO’s World Heritage designation, which Campbell told the committee was “not necessarily” an honor. There are currently no historic sites in Texas that are on that list, but there are 22 around the United States, including the Statue of Liberty. “I can tell you anything that starts with U.N. gives me cause for concern,” Campbell said. The city of San Antonio and Bexar County support the designation.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, asked Campbell what kind of support she had from San Antonio. Campbell told the committee, “I don’t know.”  “The only people who have talked to me about the bill have opposed it, and that’s why I assumed you had some support for it,” Zaffirini said.

Sadly, a Tradition Dies

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For the first time in its over 90 year history, the UIL Boys and Girls State Basketball Championships will be played outside of the University of Texas campus.  The event had been held at old Gregory Gym or the Frank Erwin Center since 1921.  The 2015 championships will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio which can accommodate a huge crowd.  The basketball tournament is being displaced from Austin because of the success of the over-lapping South by Southwest music festival.  Hotel rooms in Austin have become very expensive during the festival forcing some teams to stay at hotels as much as an hour away from Austin.

An anecdote for those who remember the old Gregory Gym days.

In 1977, Red and his brother wanted to attend the Thursday session at Gregory Gym.  The venerable field house seated about 5500 fans and would be packed for the 4A semifinal games that morning.  All seating was general admission.  When we got to the gym, there were already at least two or three thousand people waiting on the broad steps and all the way out to Speedway.  The steps to the gym had large 3 foot wide stone bannisters running up each side.  We parked ourselves at the bottom of one of the bannisters waiting for the doors to open.  At the precise moment the crowd started to rumble with the opening of the doors, we charged up the bannisters around the crowd on the steps and plunged into the throng in front of the doors.  Red caught a jet stream that carried him to door with the first entrants. Smashing my ticket into the hands of the attendant, I joined the mad rush across the court to grab a front row seat at the top of the key.  My brother found me within seconds.

We watched Fort Worth Dunbar beat Houston Westchester and Dallas South Oak Cliff defeat San Antonio Burbank.  Cletus Hubbard from Dunbar had a sweet fade-away jumper that simply refused to miss that day.  But SO-C took them down in the finals on Saturday.

Today in Texas History – March 2

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From the Annals of the Republic – In 1836, in Washington-on-the-Brazos, 59 delegates signed the Texas Declaration of Independence establishing the Republic of Texas as an independent country from Mexico. The Declaration was produced over one night of extended drafting. At the time, Texas troops and volunteers were under siege at the Alamo 150 miles away.

At the first meeting of the Convention of 1836 on March 1,  the convention voted to appoint 5 delegates to draft the Declaration.  The committee, consisting of George C. Childress, Edward Conrad, James Gaines, Bailey Hardeman, and Collin McKinney, prepared the declaration in record time.  It read and quickly adopted by the delegates of the convention the following day. The Declaration is certainly reminiscent of that of the United States. It outlines the functions and responsibility of government, states a list of grievances against Mexico, and concludes by declaring Texas a free and independent republic.

No Wonder Dewhurst Got Whupped

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The Dallas Morning News reports that former David Dewhurst advisor Kenneth “Buddy” Barfield was sentenced to more than 7 years in prison for his embezzlement of millions of dollars from Dewhurst’s campaign war chest.

Barfield was also ordered by a federal judge to pay $2.5 million in restitution,  after pleading guilty in October to three charges, including wire fraud, falsified tax returns and theft of campaign funds from a candidate for federal office.

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks said that the 87-month sentence was a “little bit low,” as compared to others he’s given out for similar offenses. But taking into account Barfield’s cooperation in the case, the judge said he hoped the sentence would be a deterrent.  “The seriousness of the offense I don’t think can be overstated,” Sparks said.

Barfield used the money to pay his home mortgage, tuition for his children and personal expenses. Barfield’s rather unsophisticated scheme involved false bank deposits, fake invoices and reports that inflated the amount of cash on hand.  Barfield’s businesses were also paid for work that was never performed including polling and political mail-outs.  Judge Sparks remarked that Barfield’s actions “could well have impacted elections.”  Hopefully, Ted Cruz will send Barfield a care basket every now and then.