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Lyin’ Ted, er – Make that Lyin’ Rafael

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Sen. Ted Cruz (TP – Texas) has put out a pathetic attempt of parody song attempting to smear his opponent Beto O’Rourke with the following line:

“Liberal Robert wanted to fit in, so he changed his name to Beto and hid it with a grin.”

Of course, Rafael Edward Cruz felt no such similar need to fit in.  He just used Ted because he was a big fan of Ted Kennedy.  Red has to admit that Lyin’ Rafael has a ring to it. What it does show is that Lyin’ Ted learned from the beating he took at the hands of Trump.  Go after your opponent no matter what your personal circumstance might happen to be.  Trump was the consummate liar and crooked businessman – so he reversed that by calling his opponents liars and crooks.  Lyin’ Ted has a name that would not fit in well with his conservative base – so attack your opponent for using a nickname that was given to him and that he has carried since birth it would seem.  The only problem for Lyin’ Ted is that such a strategy may work for a once-in-a-lifetime political anomaly like Trump – it probably doesn’t work if you are already an unlikable, stick-up-your-ass narcissist like Lyin’ Ted.

 

Today in Texas History – March 6

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Odessa – The Globe Theatre

From the Annals of the Theatre – In 1958, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the Globe of the Great Southwest. The theater is located in Odessa and is a replica of the original Globe Theater in Southwark, London which was built in 1598 for William Shakespeare’s acting company.  Now called simply the Globe Theater and operated by Odessa College, the theatre is 410-seat venue featuring an authentic Elizabethan stage used for classical and modern plays as well as community theater, concerts and other community events.  The GT was built in response to a proposal from Odessa College Professor Marjorie Morris.  Shakespearean scholar Dr. Allardyce Nicoll has called the theater “the most nearly authentic replica of Shakespeare’s own Globe anywhere on Earth.”

Today in Texas History – March 2

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Texas Independence Day - Wikipedia

From the Annals of the Revolution – In 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico.  Following a meeting on March 1 at Washington-on-the-Brazos of delegates from the seventeen Mexican municipalities of Texas and the settlement of Pecan Point, George C. Childress and a committee of five were tasked with preparing a resolution calling for independence.  In the early morning hours of March 2, the convention voted unanimously to accept the resolution prepared by the committee.  Fifty-eight members of the delegation signed the document announcing to the world that Texas had declared itself to be the independent Republic of Texas.   Less than two months later after the Battle of San Jacinto, actual independence was secured.  The Republic would last only about 10 years until Texas was annexed by the United States.

A Justice for Sale in Austin?

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A Republican candidate for the Third Court of Appeals in Austin is stretching what are traditionally considered the limits for appropriate campaigning.  Mike Toth a card carrying Tea Party member and protégé of embattled AG Ken Paxton is embracing Donald Trump and conservative identity politics in his campaign for a seat on the influential Austin Court of Appeals.  Despite being in Austin, the Court is firmly in Republican hands because it covers a 28 county area stretching all the way to San Angelo.  Toth is also accepting contributions in excess of the standard $5000 limit.  Judicial candidates in Texas typically pledge to not accept contributions over $5000 as anything more than that gives the appearance of buying justice.  Toth is apparently blowing through that limit and accepting gifts of money for the education of his children from a Florida lawyer, as well as embracing our Realty TV Show President.  The Texas Tribune has more.

Candidate Michael Toth, a special counsel in the office of Attorney General Ken Paxton, has pulled in $151,000 so far in the 3rd Court of Appeals GOP primary contest, and more than a third of it comes from out of state, records show.

[O]ne of Toth’s major non-Texas donors, former hedge fund manager John Thaler of Greenwich, Connecticut, has notified the Texas Ethics Commission that he plans to exceed a $5,000 expenditure cap the candidates agreed to; that allows Toth’s opponents to ignore donation and expenditure limits.

Toth isn’t shy about touting his Tea Party bonafides and running on the same issues that non-judicial candidates use to attract Republican primary voters. In one mailer, Toth brags that he fought for “tougher border security, defended President Trump’s travel ban, sued to crack down on sanctuary cities” and “supported extreme vetting of refugees.”

Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Tom Phillips, a Republican, said he’d “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 than enlightens the electorate.”

Catholic Bishops Cut Ties with Texas Right to Life

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The Greenwich Time reports that last week the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops formally cut ties with the anti-abortion group Texas Right to Life.  The TCCB is the church authority that sets policy for parishes which serve approximately 8.3 million Texas Catholics.

Texas Right to Life is the oldest and probably most influential anti-abortion group in Texas and is primarily funded by big time GOP donors.  TRL largely functions as a wing of the Texas GOP and its endorsements carry a lot of weight in the Republican primary.

 The bishops’ directive stated that Texas Right to Life has engaged in misleading attacks against political candidates, lied about the Catholic church’s position on state legislation and argued that church-supported bills don’t do enough to limit abortions.

“We’ve asked our pastors, parishes and Catholic schools to refrain from asking (Texas Right to Life representatives) to come onto our premises because their teachings don’t always align with what the Catholic Church teaches regarding certain life issues,” said Bishop Joe Vasquez, head of the 25-county Austin Diocese.

It’s a bad sign when you are so radical in promoting the anti-abortion agenda that the Catholic Church gets fed up with you.

Quote for the Day

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“I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon.”

Donald Trump on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS mass shooting.

Red really believes that Trump really believes that he really believes that he would be heroic if only given the chance.  Like on 911, when he sat in the comfort of Trump Tower gloating that he now had the tallest building in New York after the World Trade Center towers fell.  Now that was some heroism.

Wild Cat in Neighborhood Turns out to be Mountain Lion

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The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that a mountain lion was captured in a Laredo subdivision on February 25.  The secretive cats are rarely seen in the wild – much less observed in urban areas.  The lion was tranquilized after being located in the Santa Rita subdivision.  The cat has been turned over to the State Game Warden who will assess its condition and likely release it back into the wild in a more remote location.

Photo from the Laredo PD’s facebook page.  Nice of them to cover the lion’s head to protect its privacy rights.

Today in Texas History – February 26

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SWEATT, HEMAN MARION | The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas ...

From the Annals of Segregation –  In 1946, Heman Sweatt met with University of Texas President Theophilus S. Painter and other university officials to present a formal request for admission to the UT School of Law.  Sweatt was accompanied by representatives of the NAACP. Sweatt had already agreed to sue UT if he was denied admission and present a test case for the integration of higher education in Texas.   UT denied him admission. Painter informed him that although his credentials were adequate enough he could not allow him to enter UT.  As one court put it, “he possessed every essential qualification for admission, except that of race, upon which ground alone his application was denied.” The Texas Attorney General Grover Sellers backed up Painter’s decision.  Sweatt filed suit against Painter on May 16, 1946.  The trial court found that under the “separate but equal” doctrine, Texas had to build an equal law school within a six month time frame. After six months had passed the judge threw out the case because Texas A&M had planned a resolution to provide a legal education for blacks. Sweatt, with the backing of the NAACP, appealed.  The case finally reached the United States Supreme Court in June of 1950.  The Supreme Court held that black students were not offered an equal quality law education in the state of Texas, and as a result UT would have to admit qualified black applicants.  On September 19, 1950, Sweatt registered for classes at the UT School of Law. However, as a result of the tremendous amount of stress and emotional trauma from the long drawn out court cases Sweatt’s mental and physical health had taken a turn for the worse.  He later withdrew from the school.

Today in Texas History – February 23

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Remember The Alamo! - InfoBarrel

 

From the Annals of the Revolution – In 1836, the siege of the Alamo began.  The Texian defenders of San Antonio de Bexar were unaware of the impending arrival of the Mexican Army. After hearing some reports, Col. William B. Travis place a sentry in the bell tower of the San Fernando church.  Advance scouts of the Mexican Army were surprised to find the town entirely undefended and the Texian troops were not alerted until the first columns of the Mexican Army were within about one mile of the town.  The Texians were unprepared for a long siege and scrambled to find food and supplies as they retreated to the Alamo compound.  By midafternoon, the town was filled with over 1500 Mexican troops who quickly surrounded the crumbling mission and began the 13 day siege.  When they raised the red flag of “no quarter”, Travis fired a cannon shot in response.  Jim Bowie thought this was a foolish response and sent an emissary in an attempt to negotiate an honorable surrender.  When it became clear that Gen. Santa Anna would only accept unconditional surrender, the fate of the Alamo defenders was sealed.