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 – May 31

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The Veramendi Palace doors are in the Alamo, along the east wall. Express-News file photo

From the Annals of Spanish Texas – In 1783, Fernando Veramendi was killed by Mescalero Apaches near the presidio of San Juan Bautista in Coahuila while on a business trip to Mexico City.  Veramendi was born in Pamplona, Spain and moved to Texas in 1770 first settling in La Bahia.  While conducting business in San Antonio de Bexar he found a bride, Doña María Josefa Granados, and thus, married into one of the influential Canary Islands families who were the primary Spanish settlers of San Antonio.   Now well-connected, Vermandi opened a general store, lent money to other settlers, and acquired large tracts of ranch and farm land.  He built a large home on  Soledad Street that later came to be known as the Veramendi Palace. He was a civic leader and was elected as an aalderman in the ayuntamiento of 1779, and later as a senior alderman in 1783. He was killed while on a business trip to Mexico City. He had five children the most prominent of who was his son Juan Martín de Veramendi who served as governor of Coahuila and Texas in 1832-33.

Photo of the doors from the Veramendi Palace displayed at the Alamo.  The building was demolished in 1910.

Red Weighs in on Push Cart Controversy

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Several current PGA tour members have questioned the manhood of NCAA golfers who use push carts instead of carrying their own bag.  Golf Digest has the full scoop.  Harris English,  Billy Horschel and others seem overly offended  by the amateurs employing modern push carts (Red remembers the days of pull carts).  Not all pros have fallen in line.  Bob Estes for one indicates that he wishes he had used one as he now suffers from some medical conditions possibly caused by years of carrying a hefty bag.

Red himself forswore the use of a pull/push cart for many years and insisted on walking and carrying.  But in order to still walk as much as possible, Red has moved into the pro-push cart camp.  For those who think golf is no exercise at all – Red challenges them to walk 18 holes in the Texas summer heat sometime. Walking an average 18 hole course is typically the equivalent of about 16-20,000 steps.  That’s anywhere from 4 to 6 miles.  Red you ask, how can that be when a course is only about 7000 yards?  That leaves out the green to next tee box stroll of up to 100 yards or more, the walk around the green while putting, the searching for your and your fellow players’ balls, measuring distance, and general meandering, etc.  Lugging a 20-30 lb bag for 6 miles is really not that much fun.  Even the younger Red would usually be wondering about the sanity of same after the 14th hole.  So the pampered elites of the PGA tour who haven’t lifted a bag in years and have a caddy to cater to their every whim on the course need to layoff the amateurs – most of whom are playing for the love of the game and will never play for the big money.

Today in Texas History – May 30

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From the Annals of the NEOs – In 1961, a chondrite meteorite landed in the backyard of a man in Harleton  in Harrison County.   The 8.36 kilogram meteorite was recovered within thirty minutes from a reported depth of about two feet in soft sandy soil.  It was distributed among scientists for a careful study of a freshly fallen meteorite, especially with respect to cosmic-ray-induced effects.  Known as the Harleton Meteorite the specimen is housed in the collection of the Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Trumph-Kim Medal – Red has a few possible captions

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Kiss me with your Commie Lips, kiss me (with apologies to Ian Drury and the Blockheads).

Hey Shortstack – what you standing on a milk crate?

Supreme Leader, huh?  I like the sound of that.

Five stars – one for each of my kids and one for every relative you’ve offed.

Vlad saw this and boy was he jealous!

That jagged line symbolizes me ripping up the Constitution.

Melania knows a good surgeon that can take care of the double chin.

We make a deal and there’s a McDonalds in Pyongyang next week.

Really – you like K-Pop too?

This is my tough negotiator stare – used before I totally cave in to save face.

 

Today in Texas History – May 29

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Image result for texas state soil conservation board

From the Annals of the Dust Bowl – In 1939, the State Soil Conservation Board came into existence.  The SSCB was created in response to the horrific losses of cropland topsoil during the Dust Bowl drought of the 1930’s which drove many small farmers and ranchers from their land.  The SSCB’s mission was to oversee and implement state conservation laws and organize and assist soil-conservation districts across the state.   The SSCB’s headquarters were in Temple.  The Governor appointed five board members to establish policies to prevent further loss of topsoil including construction of terraces and inmplementation of modern farming practices to prevent erosion.

In 1965, the agency was renamed as the State Soil and Water Conservation Board. Over the years the board has coordinated a variety of programs.  There are now 216 local soil and water conservation districts in Texas.

Trumph – the Insult Comic President [TM] Tweets – Red Translates

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“The 13 Angry (and unfortunately competent – unlike the Bozos surrounding me) Democrats (aka Traitors) (plus people who worked 8 years for Obama (aka the Kenyan Terrorist) (and maybe for that idiot Bush too)) working on the rigged Russia Witch Hunt (And damn, why did I associate with so many witches), will be MEDDLING (or as some would have it – doing their job) with the mid-term elections (my last chance at escaping the pokey before I exit stage right), especially now that Republicans (stay tough!) (and proud we are of all of them) are taking the lead in Polls (God Bless Rasmussen). There was no Collusion, except by the Democrats (and Manafort, Page, Papadopoulos, DJ, Flynn, Stone, Mikey – oh shit, this list goes on doesn’t it)!”(and if I keep saying that long enough people will believe it – pretty cool, huh?)

The Best Golf Tournament in America

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Image result for colonial golf tournament

The finest non-major golf tournament held in the United States takes place in Fort Worth this weekend at Colonial Country Club.  The event – dubbed the Fort Worth Invitational this year – has been held at the same site longer than any other tournament.  As a result, CCC and the PGA have this tournament working like a finely-tuned, well-oiled machine.  The facilities for the spectators are fabulous, there is ample room at most holes for up close viewing of the action and the overall layout is spectacular and compact.  You can catch action on every hole without having to walk miles in the process.  The venerable course holds up as well and while scores can be low only once has more than 20 under been the winning score.

The only downside has been the inability of to attract a better field in recent years – and the sometimes brutally hot weather in late May.  The list of past champions, however, is impressive and includes such all-time greats as Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Cary Middlecoff, Billy Caspar, Ben Crenshaw, Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Jordan Spieth.

Look for Red on Sunday relaxing in a luxury skybox by the 13th green with cool beverage in hand.

Today in Texas History – May 25

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Investor Juan: March 2012

From the Annals of White Collar Crime – In 2006, Chairman Kenneth Lay and CEO Jeffrey Skilling, the top honchos at Enron Corporation, were convicted of conspiracy, insider trading, securities fraud and making false statements to securities regulators – actions that resulted in the collapse of the one-time energy giant.  The Enron scandal affected as many as 20,000 employees – costing many of them their life savings; it also caused massive losses to outside investors.  Lay, who seemed somewhat repentant and humbled by the extent of the accounting scandal that affected thousands of lives, would die in his luxurious Aspen home before ever seeing the inside of a prison cell.  Skilling, who remains adamant as to his lack of wrong-doing despite numerous books and articles that exposed him as the rotten center of the massive Enron fraud, also remains in federal prison and is scheduled to be released in February of 2019.  Red gives props to the Bush Department of Justice for going after these crooks.  One of the major failings of the Obama administration was the failure to even attempt to prosecute those guilty of possibly even worse crimes that resulted in the 2008 financial meltdown.

Today in Texas History – May 23

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Bonnie & Clyde pistols sell for $504,000 - 2aHawaii

From the Annals of Crime – In 1934, notorious outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were ambushed and killed by Texas Rangers in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. The bank robbers were killed by intense gunfire that left their stolen Ford Deluxe riddled with bullet holes.

Parker met Barrow in Texas when she was 19 years old while her husband was in jail for murder. Barrow was soon sent to jail for robbery where Parker smuggled a gun that helped him escape.  He was caught and returned to jail, but when paroled in 1932, he immediately hooked up with Parker, and their multi-state crime spree began.

From 1932-1934, the couple, aided by various accomplices including Clyde’s brother Buck and simple-minded Henry Methvin, robbed a string of banks and stores in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico and Louisiana. Although romanticized in popular culture and film, the Barrow gang were hardened criminals. It is believed that the gang was responsible for as many as 13 murders including nine police officers.

They were notorious for some close calls.  They were almost captured in 1933 during surprise raids on hideouts in Joplin and Platte City, Missouri. Buck Barrow was killed in the second raid, and his wife Blanche was arrested, but Bonnie and Clyde escaped.  Then in January 1934, they attacked the Eastham Prison Farm to help a gang member break out injuring several guards and killing one. This proved to be a crucial mistake.

Texan prison officials took the matter into hand and retained Captain Frank Hamer, a retired Texas Ranger, to track down Parker and Barrow.  Hamer found B&C in Louisiana, where Henry Methvin’s family lived.  Hamer and a group of Louisiana and Texas lawmen hid in the bushes along a country road outside Sailes, La.  Parker and Barrow would not escape this time.  As soon as they appeared, the officers opened fire, killing the couple instantly in a hail of bullets.

 

Mike Toth – Justice for Sale?

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Mike Toth – a member of embattled Texas AG Ken Paxton’s inner circle – won the GOP primary for a seat on the important Austin Court of Appeals yesterday.  Observers wonder about Toth’s impartiality in light of his aggressive out-of-state fundraising that violated the voluntary ethical guidelines that almost every judicial candidate in Texas follows.  At one point almost one-third of Toth’s campaign cash came from out of state – something very unusual in a normally somewhat obscure down ballot judicial race.

According to the Texas Observer, Toth soaked up cash from controversial right wing billionaire Peter Thiel and from John Thayer , former hedge fund manager from  Greenwich, Connecticut who notified the Texas Ethics Commission that would exceed the $5,000 expenditure cap that all normal judicial candidates agree to.  Other questionable funds have flowed to Toth personally and politically.   Joel Lumer, a Florida lawyer claiming to be a long-time friend of Toth’s, contributed $10,000 to Toth and also gave Toth’s family $24,000 for their children’s college funds [plus a Canon Ef 200mm lens and a “monetary gift” of $2,268], according to campaign records and personal financial statements on file with the Texas Ethics Commission.  Who gives someone else $24,000 for their kids’ college education without expecting something in return?

To top it off, Toth has waged an unconventional campaign as if he were running for Congress – not a judicial post where you are supposed to be impartial.  Toth touted his Tea Party and Trumpian bona fides and left little doubt in Red’s mind that he will be a judicial activist of the most pernicious sort – one using the old saw of substantive due process to knock out laws that he personally disagrees with and running roughshod over the legislative process.   Toth’s claim to rule impartially on the facts and the law if elected seems especially doubtful in light of his over right-wing campaign designed to push the GOP’s hot buttons.

Former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Phillips appeared appalled by Toth’s right-wing campaign.

 Phillips, a Republican said, “he had never seen anything quite like” the mailer Toth sent out.  “I’m concerned anytime a judicial candidate suggests, even indirectly, that his or her election will lead to a particular policy outcome,” Phillips said. “To conduct a campaign based on your view of hot-button political issues confuses rather than enlightens the electorate.”

Red is endorsing Gisela Triana – sight unseen – against the unfolding ethical nightmare that Toth seems to embody.