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Today in Texas History – October 5

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From the Annals of the Undeclared Wars – In 1964, Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson first began to come under pressure for his plan to escalate the undeclared war in Vietnam.  Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisconsin) began to speak out against preparation for additional troops in Vietnam.  Nelson claimed that Congress did not intend the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to endorse escalation into a full scale war in Vietnam.

The GOTR had been passed on August 7 in response to North Vietnamese patrol boats allegedly firing on U.S. warships in the waters off North Vietnam on August 2 and 4.  Whether there was an attack and if so, whether it was provoked has been much debated, but the incident prompted Congress to pass the GOTR with only two dissenting votes in the Senate.  The GOTR gave Johnson power to “take all necessary measures to repel an armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.” Johnson apparently viewed the resolution as giving him a free hand and began a major escalation of the conflict which ultimately cost the U.S. 58,220 lives and achieved nothing.

America’s True Love Affair

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It wasn’t always this way.  You used to have a rifle and maybe a shotgun for hunting.  Some folks had a pistol – usually a revolver.  Boys had a .22 to shoot bottles and vermin.  Maybe a few guys bought a gun that their wife didn’t know about and hid it in the attic. A few “collectors” had some rare pieces. You might have some extra ammo around.  No one had an arsenal.  No one kept 1000’s of rounds of ammunition in their garage or basement.  Some men and a goodly number of women liked owning a gun, but it didn’t go much beyond that.

Somewhere that changed.  Red can’t exactly pinpoint it, but maybe it was in the late 70’s that the gun lust started to build.

After college, Red was living in an apartment up in Northwest Hills with his friend Tom.  He didn’t own a gun, but there were some fairly well-to-do country boys who lived next door.  Red thinks they were taking the 5.5 year route to a degree at UT and enjoying their time in Austin before heading back to God knows where.  Tom was much friendlier with these guys than Red who was working pretty hard to make ends meet.  But when Red would go over to visit, the guns were always out.  And as Tom put it, these boys wouldn’t just handle their guns – it was like they were fondling them.  You almost expected them to put their lips up to a .45 and give it a long loving kiss.  It was a love affair. Red’s not sure but between the three of them, they probably had 20-30 weapons in that apartment. You’re probably wondering like Red did at the time, “why so many guns, gentlemen?”  Because other than that, they seemed like fairly normal country boys.  Except for this.  They were virulent racists.  As they more or less indicated, they were armed to the teeth because at almost any moment “the niggers in East Austin” were sitting there plotting how they were going to rise up, sweep into Northwest Hills (or any other white part of town) raping, pillaging, killing, looting and most importantly stealing all the guns.  They weren’t about to let that happen to their little corner of the world.

This was the first time Red encountered true naked gun lust.  Yes many of his friends had guns, but Red did not at the time.  Red’s daddy had been through the worst of it as a medic and ambulance driver in a battalion aid station in France, Belgium and Germany in WWII. Red could only guess at how many wounded and dying soldiers he had seen.  He wanted nothing to do with guns or hunting.  He did let Red have .22 and shoot bottles out at the ranch, but that was about it.

But still, the gun lust in Red started to grow.  He started hunting in his 30’s and found that it was an enjoyable experience.  Not so much the shooting and taking of game, but the outdoors experience and camaraderie.  And everyone had a nice deer rifle but Red.  So he bought one and then a shot gun and then he wanted more and more.  The lust was taking hold.  When Lil’ Red came of hunting age, he got a rifle and a shot gun (both nicer than Red’s by the way).  But was that enough.  The lust was strong and Red couldn’t even tell where it came from.  It made no sense really. Red believed that there should be some restrictions on gun ownership, that nobody needed a semi-automatic weapon or stockpiles of ammo, that there should not be loopholes for background checks and that some other ideas might be useful as well. Yet, the creeping lust was there. Red would always check out the gun counter at the local sporting goods store and think, “It would be nice to have one of those.”

Finally, Red said enough was enough.  He kept the two hunting rifles and shotguns because they were actually used for hunting and a .357 because his father-in-law gave it to him and sold everything else to someone in whom the lust was still running strong.  Yet, it still makes Red a little proud somewhere deep inside that he is a “gun owner.”

Today in Texas History – October 4

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From the Annals of the Insurrection –  In 1862,  insurrectionist troops under Confederate command surrendered Galveston to Union forces.   Commander William B. Renshaw led a squadron of eight ships into Galveston harbor to force surrender.  The rebel commander, Brig. Gen. Paul O. Hebert, had removed most of the heavy artillery from the island believing it to be indefensible.  As the squadron approached, the Fort Point garrison fired on the federal ships, return fire dismounted the rebel cannon. Col. Joseph J. Cook, in command on the island, arranged a four-day truce while he evacuated his men to the mainland. The Union ships held the harbor.  Union forces did not contral the town until the arrival of the Forty-second Massachusetts Infantry, led by Col. I. S. Burrell on December 25.  Union control was short-lived as rebel forces recaptured the island and drove off the Union squadron about a week later.

Today in Texas History – October 3

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From the Annals of the Republic –   In 1842, President Sam Houston ordered Alexander Somervell to organize the militia and volunteers and invade Mexico.  The call for volunteers was answered by about 700 men who were eager to avenge punitive raids made by Mexico earlier that year.  The expedition left San Antonio on November 25 capturing Laredo on December 8.   The expedition quickly began to break up as approximately 185 returned home.  Somervell continued on and with a little over 500 men seized Guerrero.   By December 19, Somervell realized that further action would likely be disastrous and ordered his men to disband and return home by way of Gonzales.  A large contingent of 308 men disobeyed the order.  This group commanded by William S. Fisher continued to Mexico on the predictably ill-fated Mier Expedition.  That raid ended with the capture of the majority of the expedition and execution of seventeen men.

Red’s NFL Picks – Week 5

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Red was 3-3 last week remaining a respectable 15-9 for the season.    The money line wasn’t too bad either:

Rams covered – paid $

Texans/Titans over – paid $ – Note that the Texans had covered the Over by themselves early in the 3rd quarter.

Niners covered – paid $

Falcons lost – Bust

Titans lost – Bust (an alternate pick)

Packers/Bears went over – Bust

Answer to Last Week’s Trivia:  The Chicago Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals) and the Decatur Staleys (now the Chicago Bears) are the only two original NFL franchises in the league since its formation in 1920.  The Packers joined the next season and it is the franchise that has been in the same city with the same mascot the longest.

This Week’s Trivia:  In honor of the Texans’ 57 point whipping of the Titans – Which team scored the most points in an NFL game?  Bonus for naming the opponent and year. Double bonus for correctly calling the number of points scored.

Your High Point Game of the Week – Bengals over Bills.  Bills are the biggest surprise of the season so far leading the AFC-East at 3-1.   Unfortunately for Bills fans, the first place crown rests uneasily on the franchise from Western New York.   After a horrendous start to the season, the Bengals drank the Brown tonic – which cures all ills.  The Bengals are too good to suck as much as they did for the first three weeks.  They aren’t good enough to make the playoffs but  . . .  Someone thinks the Bengals are for real as they are giving up 3.5 this week.  Red likes the over at 39. Cincinnati 37 Orchard Park, NY 33

Your Low Point Game of the Week –  Vikings  over Bears.  Vikings can’t catch a break with Dalvin Cook out for several games most likely.    Red thought for a moment about  picking the Bears.  But then he wrote that down – “Red is picking the Bears.”  Oh, hell no. There is no line on this game right now and that is as it should be.  Minnesota 17 Chicago 13.

Your Middling Point Game of the Week – Buccaneers over Patriots.  Jameis Winston v. Tom Brady would seem to be a no-brainer.  And last Sunday it seemed the script was going according to plan.  The suddenly lame-ass Patriots defense had the team in another hole and Brady led the comeback to tie the game.  But then, the writers gave it a happy ending with the Panthers winning.  Here’s the stat that tells it all.  The Panthers punted once.  They did have two turnovers.  But when your defense has 3 stops all day, it’s not going well.  Red just isn’t sure the Pats offense is going to be able to score enough points to keep up with the up and coming Bucs. Tampa Bay gets 4 points and doesn’t even need it.  A pretty hefty over at 54 but Red is going with that too.  Tampa Bay 35 New England 27.

Your Offensive Game of the Week – Packers over Cowboys.   The Cowboys’ loss to the Rams exposed some serious weaknesses in the Dallas defense.  The Cowboys’s middle is soft – Sean Lee notwithstanding.  Everyone knew the Cowboys secondary was weak, but the run defense was fairly good last season and the pass rush was effective in spots.  But this season, the Cowboys’ defense has been rolled and smoked by the Broncos and the Rams.  That doesn’t bode well for the Packers game this week.   A-Rodg is expert at exploiting the weakest link.  His only problem this week will be choosing among the weak, weaker and weakest links.  Somewhere someone is giving the Packers 2.5.  Take it and run.  The Pack might cover the 53 point O/U by their lonesome (see, e.g. the Texans last week), but don’t bet on it.  Green Bay 44 Arlington 30.  

Your Who Cares Game of the Week – Giants over Chargers.  The only problem with this week’s Shit Bowl is that it is not being played in the Shit Bowl Stadium in Carson, CA where the Chargers play their “home” games.  In case you haven’t been paying attention.  The Chargers fans are not exactly flocking to the 27,000 seat stadium that is their temporary home.  In fact, opposing fans – always on the make for a bargain – are swarming into the tiny venue and making things very uncomfortable for the hapless Chargers.  The Chargers may be glad to play a game on the road in an environment that is supposed to be hostile.  And hostile it will be this week as fans of the winless Giants (who supposedly had Superb Owl aspirations, says Red chortling) are likely to boo every player on the field, all the coaches, the cheerleaders and the ball boy.  Unload the .45 before settling in to watch this Doleful Doo-Doo Display lest ye empty the chamber into your 70 incher at the 2 minute warning. Take the under at 44.5.  New Jersey 17 Somewhere in California 13. 

Your Red Knows Some Trivia Game of the Week – Rams over Seahawks.  The Rams are looking very for real after rather handily dispatching the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.  3-1 is very for real in the NFL over the course of any 4 weeks of the season. The Seahawks offensive line is simply atrocious. It seems Russell Wilson is running for his life on almost every play.  He is good at that but it does wear on a body.  Red looks for the Rams to return to Earth later this season, but not this Sunday.   This one’s a Pick’em.  Red picks the Rams. Los Angeles 35 Seattle 24.  

 

Justice Don Willett Gets Appointment (subject to confirmation) to 5th Circuit Court of Appeals

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Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett has been appointed by Donald Trump to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.  The 5th Circuit covers Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.  Willett is perhaps best know as a minor celebrity Tweeter with almost 100,000 followers – unprecedented for a judge.  As an elected official in Texas that is probably okay.  With a lifetime federal appointment it remains to be seen if Willett will continue on Twitter.

Willett is a conservative of a different mold.  Traditional conservative judicial practice remains deferential to legislative enactments.  That is, statutes and regulations are rarely struck down.  Rather, the traditional conservative judicial approach is to interpret a law or regulation to achieve the desired result.  In Texas, a prime example is the Texas Whistleblower Act, which the Supreme Court has “interpreted” into a utterly meaningless law that provides almost no protection for any whistleblower.

Willett’s approach is different and he appears to be an unabashed judicial activist for the right.  Willett’s most famous opinion is a concurrence in Patel v. Texas Dep’t of Licensing and Regulation – known as the “eyebrow threader” case.  Texas required eyebrow threaders to obtain a license which required 750 hours of training.  The Texas Court struck down the law, but it was Willett’s concurrence that drew the most attention.  Some view it as the most libertarian judicial opinion written in decades.  Willett appears to be ready to strike down any law that interferes with his view of “economic liberty.”  The question will be how far does his view of economic liberty extend.  Almost every statute or regulation dealing with business activity is some restraint on economic freedom.  The real question is who gets to decide.  In the Lochner era, the courts made the decisions and that doctrine was used to strike down minimum wage, child labor and other laws.  The opinions were always couched in defense of individual economic liberty, but the effect typically was to provide business with unfettered freedom in the market place to do as they pleased regardless of the consequences.  Will Willett attempt to usher a new era of Lochnerite decisions.  It remains to be seen how far his view of economic liberty extends and whether he will apply it to protect the actual economic liberty of individuals or in service of an unregulated business environment.

For those who are interested, the Texas Observer has a thoughtful piece on Willett.

Today in Texas History – September 28

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From the Annals of the Llano Estacado –   In 1874, the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon put an end to most of ongoing conflict between the last of free-ranging Plains Indians and the U.S. Army.   After the battle, most of the remaining  southern Plains Indians (Comanches, Kiowas, Kiowa Apaches, Cheyennes and Arapahos) settled in reservations in Indian Territory.   These tribes had camped in Palo Duro Canyon a regular wintering ground.  Col. Ranald Mackenzie led his Fourth Cavalry Unit in the attack.  Mackenzie reached the edge of Palo Duro Canyon on September 28 guided by the Tonkawas under Chief Johnson.  Mackenzie planned to take the encampment by surprise at sunrise on September 28.  Comanche leader Red Warbonnet, however, discovered the soldiers and fired a warning shot and was killed by the Tonkawas.  The camps were scattered over the vast canyon floor.  Mackenzie picked them off one by one with  the Indians unable to rally together.  The battle was really a series of skirmishes against a number of war parties from various tribes.

The battle resulted in very little loss of life as many of the outnumbered warriors and followers fled the canyon. One soldier and three Indians were killed.  The main effect of the battle was to capture the winter supplies and an estimated 1400 horses.  Without supplies and horses, the tribes were in an untenable position and were forced to return to the Indian Territory.

Today in Texas History – September 27

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From the Annals of Television –  In 1948, WBAP-TV in Fort Worth began operations with the showing of a speech by President Harry Truman.  WBAP (now Channel 5- KXAS) was the first TV station in Texas.   The original plans called for WBAP-TV to sign on the air at 7 p.m. on September 29.  However, Truman’s whistle-stop campaign rally in Fort Worth prompted a change. WBAP launched two days early to broadcast Truman’s speech.  The first image broadcast was a crowd shot taken from just west of the speaker’s platform at the Texas & Pacific terminal building on the southern edge of downtown Fort Worth.  WBAP was an NBC affiliate but showed programs from ABC as well.  WBAP somewhat oddly billed itself at “the first station south of St. Louis, east of Los Angeles and west of Richmond, VA.”

An Economic Boom Trump Can Actually Take Credit For – Bomb Shelter Sales Exploding

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Donald Trump has claimed credit for just about anything good that has happened with the economy over the last 9 months despite the lack of evidence that any of his policies have had any effect.  You might note that after years of denigrating the excellent unemployment numbers during Obama’s later years, Trump now claims them as his own.  Red believes that any administration gets too much credit or blame for the state of the economy and that the business cycle runs largely independent of executive policy (but not Federal Reserve action).  But there is one area of the Texas economy that Trump can take credit for – Bomb Shelter Sales are Booming (pun intended)! 

As reported by NY Mag, sales at Texas-based Rising S Bunkers are up 700% since Trump was elected. Rising S (which is short for Rising Son – or Jesus) was largely in the more mundane storm shelter business but has transitioned into up-scale bunkers for well-to-do survivalists because – you know –  Jesus likes him some wealthy paranoiacs.  RSB manufacturers its bunkers in the Dallas area, but sales are worldwide.  With the rising tension in N. Korea, Japan is a hot market right now.

Owner Clyde Scott makes his sales pitch which sounds very much like predicting an impending Trumpocalypse.

“We are the longest living government in the history of the world without a complete collapse, the United States. It’s our time.”

Rising S’s basic bunker costs $125,000 – a bit out of Red’s price range right now.  And Red isn’t going to buy just any bunker – he is going to insist on having Pepper Spray Portals and Custom Cabinets.   Until Red can afford that, he’ll just have to head to the hills and hope for the best.