National Beer Day

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Most of Red’s friends don’t really need a special day to enjoy hoisting a cold one, but today is National Beer Day, so Red don’t mind if he do.

National Beer Day is a celebrates the day that the Cullen–Harrison Act  went into effect. Upon signing the legislation President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made his famous remark, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.” Following the repeal of Prohibition, the CHA allowed people to buy, sell and drink beer containing up to 3.2% alcohol by weight  in states that had enacted their own enabling legislation.  A huge celebration ensued with people lining up to have the first legal alcoholic beverages in more than a decade. On that first day, 1.5 million barrels of beer were consumed, inspiring the future holiday.

Truthfully, Red is not much of a beer man, but his favorites include Negro Modelo, Shiner Light Blonde, Genesee Cream Ale (hard to find in Texas), Bohemia and Miller Genuine Draft.  No fancy craft beers for Red.

Enchanted Rock Vandals Arrested

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Charles Agawereh and Meredith Baird of San Marcos had the bright idea to spray paint their street names of CA$H and TRUCK on the beloved natural landmark Enchanted Rock. And the couple was apparently stupid enough to post the photo on Facebook.  It didn’t take police long to identify the two since their street names were known from an earlier arrest in San Marcos.  The pair now face felony graffiti and drug-related charges, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife officials.  Hope the 15 minutes was worth it.

 

Today in Texas History – April 7

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From the Annals of the Empresarios –  In 1825, Green DeWitt successfully petitioned the Mexican government to settle a colony of “four hundred industrious Catholic families” in Texas between the Lavaca and Guadalupe Rivers.  DeWitt’s Colony was less successful than Austin’s never reaching the maximum allowed number of families before the contract expired.  By 1830, the total population was only 377. The areas of settlement were primarily along the Guadalupe and San Marcos rivers, but also on the tributaries of the Lavaca River.  DeWitt did manage to reach the required minimum of 100 families, and his colonists were allowed to receive land titles.  DeWitt appointed Jose Antonio Navarro as land commissioner.  The land was surveyed by Byrd Lockhart and in 1831 and 1832, 189 titles were issued.

Today in Texas History – April 6

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Elisabeth Ney by Friedrich Kaulbach.jpg

From the Annals of the Artists –  In 1911, the Elisabet Ney Museum was founded in Austin. It served as one of the earliest centers for artistic development in Texas.  The German-born Ney spent the first half of her life in Europe before emigrating to the U.S. at the age of 39 with her husband Edmund Montgomery.  The first settled in Georgia before coming to Texas where Montgomery purchased Liendo Plantation near Hempstead.  Ney ran the plantation while Montgomery tended to his studies.  In the early 1880’s, Ney was invited to Austin by Gov. Oran Roberts.  She purchase land in Hyde Park and built a new studio named Formosa.  She revitalized her artistic career in Austin creating her most famous works – statutes of Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston for the Chicago World’s fair and the memorial to Albert Sydney Johnson in the Texas State Cemetery.  The museum which bears her named is located on the site of her studio in Hyde Park.

Hillary’s Campaign Speaks – Red Translates

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Red got this message from the Hillary Clinton campaign yesterday.  As always, Red translates so that you don’t have to.

It seems the Sanders campaign is finally seeing the writing on the wall (and it says Victory): Hillary has won more votes  AND more pledged delegates (if you include all the Democratic Party suck-ups disguised as so-called “Super-Delegates”) in this election — her lead in both is nearly insurmountable (nearly, but not actually).

So this morning, Bernie’s campaign manager claimed the convention could be an “open convention,” (the horror!!) and declared they’re going to try and flip delegates’ votes (the double horror!!), overturning the will of the voters (unless of course you are talking about the SD’s who don’t represent the will of anything except the Clinton machine).

Your vote is your voice (but really we all know money talks and that’s why you are getting this email and we are changing the font just in case), and the Sanders campaign (those Commies) shouldn’t be trying to circumvent the process (by attempting to win) — or the nearly 9 million (and counting) people who have made their voice heard for Hillary in this election (just ignore the voices of the millions who have voted for Bernie – they’ll eventually get hoarse and go away).

We need to head into our next contests stronger than ever (oops – Wisconsin) so that we can widen our delegate lead (twist more SD arms), widen our vote lead, and secure this nomination (wrap up more SD’s) long before we get to the convention (let’s leave that mess to the GOP)– can you chip(again “money talks” blah, blah, blah) in to help Hillary win key states like New York and Pennsylvania (really, she’s worried about New York?)? When you do, we’ll send you a free sticker (Red has always dreamed of having a free Hillary Thank You Sticker – it would complete him) to say thank you!

 

Coldest Opening Day Ever for Astros

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Game time temperature at New Yankee Stadium was a nippy 36 degrees.  Colby Rasmus had partial ski mask on.  One might have thought this would be the coldest Astros game ever – but not so.  In April of 1982, the Astros played the Cubs at Wrigley Field with a game time temperature of 26 degrees.  They played again the next day when the temperature had risen to a balmy 36 degrees – thus, tying today’s afternoon start against the Yankess for second coldest game in Astros history.  Brrrr.

Texas GOP Ready to Play the Gay Bashing Card One More Time

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The Houston Chronicle gets an early jump on the 2017 Legislative session by looking at proposed GOP legislation that would legalize discrimination against gay Texans based on one’s religious beliefs.

Get ready for another round in Texas, too. For state Rep. Matt Krause, a Fort Worth Republican, the fight here extends to legislation next session that would “supplement the state’s existing law to allow business owners to refuse services to people whose lifestyles clash with their religious beliefs,” as reported by the Austin American-Statesman’s Tim Eaton.

Except Krause isn’t only after a law, which would require simple majorities in both chambers and Gov. Greg Abbott’s approval. He wants to send the question to voters as a proposed constitutional amendment — the first time they will vote on something remotely related to gay rights since 2005. Krause has to clear a high bar first, though. He needs to win the support of two-thirds of the House and Senate to get it on the ballot. Still, the issue is that important to him, Krause told Eaton.

“I wanted to put it in the constitution to make it even stronger,” he said. “It is still something I think is very important.”

Should Krause get the election he desires, it will create some crucial challenges and opportunities all around that may well define the political contours of this fight in Texas for years to come.

Red supports the proposed amendment.  Red is anxious to discriminate against numerous of his fellow citizens who have raised Red’s holy ire.  Red’s religious beliefs will prohibit him from providing services to left-handed owners of dogs that weigh more than 50 lbs (the dogs that is), drivers who fail to follow the “every other car” rule,  anyone who claims soccer is boring, stockbrokers, people who fart in elevators just before exiting, Rep. John Culberson, Dallas Cowboys fans, lake trash, Bluetooth cell phone users, anyone appearing on a “Best Dressed” list, several of Red’s in-laws and a few cousins, Aquarians, ethnic Albanians, and high-school science teachers.  There are probably a few more, but this is a good start.

U.S. Supreme Court Upholds One Man One Vote

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In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge by two Texas citizens that would have upended the doctrine of One Man, One Vote.  The case, Evenwel v. Abbott, was masterminded by highly successful Supreme Court lawyer Ed Blum and his erroneously named Project for Fair Representation.  Blum and the plaintiffs claimed that Texas State Senate districts were unconstitutional because they were drawn on the basis of total population instead of the number of eligible voters.  The argument was a clever ploy to redirect political power from more liberal urban areas to more conservative rural areas who have higher numbers of eligible voters as a percentage of total population.   Although the U.S. Constitution mandates that congressional districts be drawn on the basis of population, there is no such mandate for state legislative districts.  Alas, the ploy failed and the Court held that Texas could legally apportion its legislative districts on the basis of total population.

Adopting voter-eligible apportionment as constitutional command would upset a well-functioning approach to districting that all 50 States and countless local jurisdictions have followed for decades, even centuries . . . Appellants have shown no reason for the Court to disturb this longstanding use of total population.

Unfortunately, the Court left open the question of whether a state could use some other basis to draw its districts.  Expect another run at this naked attempt for the Republicans to maintain their stranglehold on Texas politics.    Right now, the population difference between the largest and smallest districts in Texas is about 8 percent. If the State were to change and instead use the number of eligible voters in each district for apportionment, there would be about a 40 percent difference between the largest and the smallest districts.  That would be a remarkable shift of power back to more conservative rural areas and result in unbelievable redistricting battles.

Today in Texas History – April 5

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From the Annals of the Gunslingers –  In 1896, U.S. deputy marshal George A. Scarborough shot John Selman in El Paso.  Selman was a notorious gunman and gambler. Selman was perhaps best known as the man who killed John Wesley Hardin in 1895.  Selman, as Constable of El Paso, had also shot and killed former Texas Ranger Bass Outlaw on April 5, 1894 after Outlaw killed Texas Ranger Joe McKirdict.  Outlaw had been a close friend to Scarborough.  Selman was tried for the shooting and found not guilty.  On the second anniversary of Outlaw’s death, Scarborough called out Selman into the alley behind the Wigwam Saloon.   An argument ensued followed by a fight.  Scarborough claimed both drew their guns, and that he then fatally shot Selman. Selman died the next day. No gun was found on Selman’s body.  Scarborough was indicted for murder.  Conveniently before the trial, a thief was arrested who claimed to have stolen Selman’s gun immediately after the supposed gun fight. Scarborough was acquitted but was forced to resign his position as deputy marshal.    April 5 was an auspicious day for Scarborough. As with many of his ilk, he died at the end of a muzzle.  He died at his home in Deming, New Mexico on April 5, 1900 following a gun fight with cattle rustlers in Arizona.

Photo of U.S. Marshall George Scarborough from murderpedia.org