“Trump’s trip to El Paso is the equivalent of a criminal returning to the scene of the crime.”
Todd Curry, UTEP political science professor – referring to Individual 1’s enforcement of forced family separation, the death of child asylum seekers, inadequate detention facilities and force-feeding of hunger strikers in the El Paso area.
From the Annals of the War Presidents – In 1966, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson met with South Vietnamese Premier Nguyen Cao Ky in Honolulu. At the time, American involvement in the Vietnam War was already spiraling out of control and the motivation for the talks may have been to address growing public opinion against the war. The talks resulted in the issuance of a joint declaration in which the United States promised to help South Vietnam “prevent aggression” and establish “the principles of self-determination of peoples and government by the consent of the governed.” As part of his public relations campaign for continuing the war, Johnson declared: “We are determined to win not only military victory but victory over hunger, disease, and despair.” Johnson referred to this as “The Other War” meaning the supposed effort to improve the lives of the South Vietnamese through increased security, and economic and social programs to win the so-called “hearts and minds.” Red does not need to point out the utter failure of all of this.
Last week, Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., introduced the Bad Lawmakers Accountability and Key Emends Act (the “BLAKE”) named after former Texas Congressman Blake Farenthold who used $160,000 in taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit and then resigned from Congress with a pledge to pay the money back. The taxpayers are still waiting on the corpulent congressman to make good on that one.
The BLAKE Act would prevent former members of Congress from federal lobbying if they fail to repay taxpayer money used to settle litigation. While commendable, the BLAKE Act comes a bit late. New legislation has already ended the prior practice of using taxpayer funds to settle sexual harassment claims. Members of Congress must now use their own money (please don’t laugh) and no longer have access to the funds that the free-handed Farenthold used to settle claims against him.
But even the BLAKE Act would not apply to the bawdy Blake because in his current position he is not legally classified as a lobbyist even though it would seem he has no other useful skills. You see, Fats Farenthold was hired by the Calhoun Port Authority as a “legislative liaison” and because he is a Texas state employee he is not required to register as a lobbyist. The loophole would be just big enough for the bulky Blake to slip through.
And just what exactly the frolicking Farenthold was hired to do has become the subject of some interest. The Victoria Advocate is on the story. According to reporting in the VA, it seems BF’s main job may have been to attempt to steer government contracts towards a private company owned by Calhoun Port Authority Chairman Randy Boyd. Good work if you can get it at the rate of $160,000 per year.
From the Annals of Racism – In 1840, the Congress of the Republic of Texas determined that the presence of any more free black citizens in the Republic was utterly intolerable. As such, the Congress passed the racist Law of February 5. These legislators (which included many of the founding fathers of the Republic) were apparently concerned that the presence of any more than the very few free blacks in the Republic would somehow affect the status of slavery. And after all, the protection of slavery had been a major motivating force for the revolution as slavery was outlawed in Mexico in 1829 by its partially black President Vicente Guerrero. The law declared that all free blacks who had entered Texas after the Texas Declaration of Independence must leave the Republic within two years or be declared slaves for the rest of their lives. Free blacks already in the Republic before Texas independence would continue to have all the rights of their white neighbors – which in practice they did not.
From the Annals of the Anagrams – In 1829, the Mexican government officially changed the name of La Bahía to Villa de Goliad. Coahuila y Texas state legislator Rafael Antonio Manchola had proposed the name change because neither the settlement around the mission and presidio of the same name was not located on “the bay.” He suggested the name of “Goliad” which was a partial anagram to honor Father Hidalgo, one of the leaders of the fight for Mexican independence.
Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (still awaiting trial) is polishing up his conservative bona fides by claiming that local prosecutors are not going after abortion related crimes. Paxton is going to the Legislature seeking funding and authority for his office to prosecute abortion-related crimes – something that is currently left to local prosecutors. Paxton cites an agreement between 5 large county district attorneys in claiming that Texas law is not being enforced by local prosecutors. This appears to be wrong on two fronts. First, the DA’s agreement was made in connection with ongoing litigation over a 2017 state abortion law. Five of the district attorneys in the eight Texas counties that actually have abortion facilities said they would not enforce the challenged portions of the law while the issue of constitutionality was being litigated. There never was a permanent agreement to not enforce the law – it was a “wait and see” while the challenges to the law were working their way through the courts. Second, Paxton produced no actual evidence of any abortion-related crimes. Travis County DA Margaret Moore who has jurisdiction over several abortion facilities has indicated that she is not aware of a single abortion-related complaint that could be investigated or prosecuted.
From the Annals of Space Exploration – In 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up upon reentry killing all seven astronauts. It was the second catastrophic failure of the Space Shuttle program following the Challenger which exploded about a minute after liftoff in 1986. The problem occurred during the launch when a piece of foam insulation broke off from the external tank and struck insulating tile under the left wing of the Shuttle craft. NASA was aware of this problem as previous shuttle launches had seen foam shedding damage in various degrees. Some NASA engineers suspected that the damage to Columbia was serious, but managers limited the investigation arguing that any fix was impossible even if a major problem was confirmed. The engineers were right and when Columbia re-entered the atmosphere hot gasses penetrated the heat shield causing the Shuttle to ultimately break apart. A massive search and recovery mission ensued with pieces of Columbia being primarily found over a 28,000 square mile area of Texas and Louisiana.
National Weather Service Radar Image of Columbia breakup upon reentry.
From the Annals of the Hoteliers – In 1859, The Menger Hotel opened on what is now Alamo Plaza in San Antonio. The hotel was the idea of William Menger was a local brewer. Menger hired an architect, John M. Fries, along with a contractor, J. H. Kampmann, to build a two-story, 50-room hotel which would be the first top rate hotel of its kind in San Antonio. The Menger has been in more or less continuous operations under several owners and has expanded several times since its opening. It is renown for its mahogany paneled Menger Bar (where Teddy Roosevelt recruited the Rough Riders), the Spanish Patio Garden, an elegant and spacious main lobby and the Colonial Dining Room. It is a member of the Historic Hotels of America and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Although remodeled, the original part of the hotel still stands and one can imagine the wonder of travelers at finding such an oasis in San Antonio. The Menger continues to serve as a center for meetings and other social affairs in San Antonio. And it is one of Red’s favorite hotels in Texas.
“I think God calls all of us to fill different roles at different times and I think that he wanted Donald Trump to become president, and that’s why he’s there.”
Sarah Huckabee Sanders – White House Press Secretary
So now SHS is not only paid by the taxpayers to lie for Individual 1 – a/k/a Trumph – the Insult Comic President™, the public gets the added bonus of her divinations of God’s will. This would truly be insulting to people of faith (like Red) if it weren’t just so damn funny that these clowns really think that they have a divine right to rule. So little has changed. However, if God’s mission was to make Individual 1 President as the lynchpin to destroy the current incarnation of the Republican Party, then who is Red to question God’s wisdom?
From the Annals of the Blues – In 1982, Sam (Lightnin’) Hopkins passed away. Hopkins was a blues legend whose influence cannot be overstated. He was born in Centerville, Texas, in 1912. By age ten, Hopkins was already playing music with his cousin, Alger (Texas) Alexander, and Blind Lemon Jefferson. He played all over for decades on the blues club circuit except when he was incarcerated in the mid-1930’s at the Harris County Prison Farm. In 1950 he settled in Houston and finally had his breakthrough in 1959 when Hopkins began working with legendary producer Sam Chambers. White audiences were exposed to his music and began to appreciate the blues legend. In the 1960s, Hopkins switched to an acoustic guitar and became a hit in the folk-blues circuit. During the early 1960s he played at Carnegie Hall with Pete Seeger and Joan Baez, and by the end of the decade was opening for rock bands. Hopkins recorded a total of more than eighty-five albums and performed around the world. His most famous songs include Mojo Hand, Baby Please Don’t Go, Bring Me My Shotgun, Jail House Blues and Have You Ever Loved a Woman.
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