Today in Texas History – August 31

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From the Annals of Murder –  In 1934, Hutchinson County Treasurer Arthur Huey killed Asa (Ace) Borger in the town that was named after him. Huey was angry after the failure of the Borger State Bank and after Borger failed to post bail when Huey was arrested for embezzlement. Huey pled self-defense, claiming that Borger was after him.  He was acquitted but failed to stay out of trouble.  In 1937, Huey was convicted for theft of county funds and sentenced to the State Pen.  Until his tragic end, Borger had been a relatively successful businessman.   As young man, he had promoted several boomtowns in Oklahoma.  His greatest success came in 1926 when he purchased 240 acres in the Panhandle and organized the Borger Townsite Company. The company began selling lots and grossed between $60,000 and $100,000 on the first day. Later that year,  Borger sold out completely netting more than a million dollars. His house in Borger is a Texas historical landmark.

Photo of Borger in 1927 from http://www.legendsofamerica.com

Jan Mickelson Update – Yep, He’s Still Crazy

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Iowa radio host Jan Mickelson, who recently came out in support of slavery (you read that correctly – slavery), is back at it – this time cheering on Texas officials who have been violating the 14th Amendment by refusing to provide birth certificates to American citizens.   Mickelson has proposed that undocumented immigrants should become “property of the state” (or state-owned slaves) and be conscripted for forced labor unless they leave Iowa.  He is now applauding the Texas Department of State Health and Human Services’ plan to deny birth certificates to American children of undocumented immigrants. Media Matters has the details.

On his August 28 show, Mickelson criticized what he called “street hustler” civil rights groups who have filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of State Health Services for refusing to issue birth certificates to U.S. citizen children born to undocumented immigrant parents. [T]he plaintiff’s complaint alleges that Texas stopped allowing “matricula consular” identifications — official papers issued by the U.S.-based consulate of the immigrant parents’ home country — “to meet the requirements to acquire a birth certificate for their U.S.-born children” around two years ago.

Mickelson, who denies that the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship applies to the children of undocumented immigrants, said he thinks it is “cool” that Texas is refusing to issue these birth certificates and expressed his appreciation of Texas’ approach as “Iowa passive-aggressive,” which will prevent such children “to start this process of looting.”

Bye Bye Jeff – UT Puts a Traitor in His Place

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According to numerous reports, a state district judge has removed any legal impediments to UT-Austin’s plan to remove the statute of CSA President Jefferson Davis from its place of prominence on the South Mall of the main campus.  Kudos to UT for removing this monument to slavery, segregation and racism from daily viewing.  Predictably, the Confederate apologizers and historical revisionists expressed outrage that UT would no longer seek to honor a traitor who was dedicated to preserving slavery.  KSAT has the story.

A judge on Thursday cleared the way for the University of Texas to move a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis away from the main area of campus, despite objections from a Southern heritage group that called uprooting the monument a “cultural atrocity” and compared it to the Islamic State destroying ancient artifacts in the Middle East.

Civil rights activists say the nearly century-old bronze likeness of Davis highlights the university’s racist past and the statue had been targeted by vandals. New school President Greg Fenves recently ordered it moved to a campus museum, but allowed other Confederate symbols to remain.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans, which earlier this year lost a U.S. Supreme Court decision over rejected Confederate license plates, had sued to prevent moving Davis’ statue.

But state District Judge Karin Crump said state law allows the school to determine where to place statuary on its campus. And she noted the original will of benefactor George Littlefield, who commissioned the statue of Davis and others, stated that it be placed in a position of prominence.

Texas will move Davis to the campus Briscoe Center history museum, which also houses one of the nation’s largest archives on slavery.

“Putting it in the Briscoe Center, far from whitewashing or erasing history, but puts it in the proper historical context,” said Gregory Vincent, Texas vice president for diversity and community engagement.

Vincent said the school would move the Davis statue within the next few days.

Photo from http://www.insidehighered.com 

Today in Texas History – August 28

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From the Annals of Nueva Espana –  In 1767, Hugo Oconór was appointed as governor ad interim of the Spanish province of Texas.  Oconor, who was of Irish descent, had flaming red hair and was called the “Red Captain” by the Native Americans.  He was inspector general of the Provincias Internas in 1765, when he traveled to Texas to investigate trouble between Governor Ángel de Martos y Navarrete and Rafael Martinez Pacheco  concerning San Agustín de Ahumada Presidio. With the removal of Martos y Navarrete on August 28, 1767, Oconór became governor ad interim of Texas.  The province was troubled by attacks from numerous Native American tribes. In particular, the Apaches were regularly raiding San Antonio de Bexar. Oconór reinforced San Antonio and was so generally highly regarded for his leadership that his return to Mexico in 1770 was greatly lamented by the soldiers and citizens of the province.

Painting of Don Hugo Oconor from the Joel D. Valdez Library, Pima County, Tuscon, Arizona

New Feature Called – Michael Berry – Liar or Merely Idiot?

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Yesterday on his rant that passes for a radio program, Michael Berry was on a tear about Bill Clinton desperately wanting to cement his legacy in a way that Franklin Roosevelt was unable to in failing to get his “socialist hag” of a wife elected president.  MB went on to claim that Bill Clinton was “run out of the White House.”

Guess Red missed that part where Bill was “run out of the White House.”  Last Red remembers ol’ Bill got elected to two terms, served them both, fended off a BS impeachment by the House, left the country with a budget surplus, and exited with an approval rating hovering around 65%.  Run out indeed! Herbert Hoover was run out of the White House.  Richard Nixon was run out of the White House.  Gerald Ford was run out of the White House. Jimmy Carter was run out of the White House.  Bill Clinton was not.  I guess MB thinks his audience is so stupid they will believe anything he says.

I Hope it Was a Pro-V 1

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KWTX has the sad story of a Salado man who drowned while trying to retrieve a golf ball from a water hazard.

Police identified the man Friday afternoon as Johnny Watson, 74. His body was found at around 9 a.m. Friday in the pond on the fifth hole of the Mill Creek Golf Course in Salado.

“We received a call about a man who slipped into the water trying to retrieve a golf ball and drowned trying to get out,” police Chief Jack Hensley said Friday afternoon.

“He didn’t know how to swim,” Hensley said. Watson was in the water for about 10 minutes, Hensley said.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.

This is why Red buys the X-outs on Ebay.  Count no man happy . . .

Today in Texas History – August 27

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From the Annals of Texas Presidents –  In 1908, Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) was born at his family’s home near Stonewall.   He was the first truly Texas son to become President.  Dwight Eisenhower was born in Denison but otherwise had little connection to the state.  LBJ rose to power representing Texas in the House of Representative and Senate.  But, he probably never would have become President but for the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas in 1963.  LBJ’s legacy of tremendous accomplishment in civil rights and attempts to eliminate poverty were overwhelmed by the Vietnam War.