Today in Texas History – August 12

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From the Annals of the Indian Wars –   In 1840, the Battle of Plum Creek was fought between a Texas army comprised of militia, Rangers and Tonkawa Indians and several allied bands of Comanches.  The battle occurred in the aftermath of the Council House Fight.  The CHF had resulted in the deaths of several Comanche chiefs who had met with Texans under a flag of truce to exchange white prisoners.  The Comanches felt betrayed and Chief Buffalo Hump organized a retaliatory raid through the Guadalupe River valley east and south of Gonzales. Hump had several hundred warriors and a band of almost one thousand including families who followed the fighting to tend to the fighters and seize plunder.  In a series of raids, the Comanches moved through the Gonzales area killing settlers, stealing horses, and making off with whatever they could carry.  One raid sacked the town of Linnville.  The Texans were led by  Gen. Felix Huston, Col. Edward Burleson and Ben McCulloch.  Much of the fight was a running battle with the Comanches.  However, when the Texans finally caught up with the Comanches on Plum Creek a showdown finally occurred.  The Comanches likely would never have been caught except for the tremendous success of the raid.  They were bogged down by attempting to herd several hundred horses and plunder laden mules back to the Llano Estacado.  The actual battle took place near present-day Lockhart and reportedly resulted in the deaths of 80 Comanches – an unusually large number for such fights.

Image from texasbeyondhistory.net.

Today in Texas History – August 11

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From the Annals of Labor Relations –  In 1994, Major League Baseball players went on strike beginning the longest work stoppage in major league history.  The strike resulting in the cancellation of the World Series – the first time the baseball season did not end with a champion in 89 years.

Major League owners had the most enduring control over their players of any American sports league.  Until 1975, the reserve clause had effectively killed any notion of free agency in baseball and kept player salaries artificially low.  By 1994, the main source of conflict was the owners’ plan  to institute a cap on player salaries.  Making unproven claims of financial hardship, owners argued that player salaries had become unsustainable.  The players, led by union head Donald Fehr, refused to agree to a cap.

The level of distrust had been exacerbated by the 1985 secret agreement of the owners to not sign one another’s players.  The pact was remarkably successful in practice as all 28 major league teams sat tight for three seasons.  When the illegal conspiracy was discovered, the players’ union sued and won a $280 million judgment. Consequently, when the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the Players Association expired in 1994 negotiations for a new deal were difficult. On August 12, the petulant and peeved owners locked the players out, and cancelled the rest of the 1994 season.

No progress during the off-season and on the eve of the new baseball season, 28 of 30 owners voted to field replacement teams.  On March 31, Judge Sonia Sontomayor stepped in, issuing an injunction against the owners. On April 2, 1995, the players returned to work.

Astros fans have long claimed that the strike robbed Jeff Bagwell of a landmark season.  Bagwell was hitting .368 with 39 home runs through the date of the strike.  But he had broken his hand on August 10 when he was hit by an Andy Benes pitch in the top of the third inning.  The real losers were the Montreal Expos who were 74-40 and cruising through the NL East at the time of the strike.  The franchise never recovered.

A Perilous Situation for Perry Probably Means Less Perry

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Multiple sources are indicating that Rick Perry’s flagging presidential campaign may not make it past the quarter pole.  On the day after missing the first GOP presidential debate, Perry campaign manager Jeff Miller told staff that they would no longer be paid.  Despite the lack of income many workers are staying with the campaign for the time being.  How long Perry can hang on without some improvement in the polls is questionable.

“Money is extremely tight,” admitted Katon Dawson, Perry’s South Carolina campaign chairman. “We all moved to volunteer status. Our team is working as hard as it was last week.”   Perry’s supposedly independent super PAC still has money in the bank, but the campaign itself is essentially broke.  Perry aides vowed that they will continue raising money to compete in the early 2016 contests, but expenditures are down to transportation, hotels and meals for Perry and his travelling staff. Perry is planning to campaign in South Carolina on Thursday and to visit Iowa next week.

IRHO, it couldn’t happen to a less qualified, superbly coifed, more self-aggrandizing, empty suit, pompous bag of wind than Rick Perry – unless of course it were Donald Trump.

 

Just How Worthless is Your College’s Football Coach?

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In most cases, pretty darn worthless it turns out.  The Count of Wall Street Journal fame has run the numbers of the coaches at the major football schools.  Rather than looking at won-loss records or conference championships, the Count analyzes exactly how well each coach did against opposing teams that were ranked in the Top 25 at game time.  This eliminates stacking of the records against lower division opponents, perennial doormats and the intra-conference weak sisters.

Who is the best college football coach?  Not surprisingly, it is the coach of defending National Champions Ohio State – Urban Meyer with a .707 mark.  The highly regarded Nick Saban is a piker by comparison with a .597 career average against quality competition.  So who is number two?  Jimbo Fisher at Florida State has racked up a .666 winning percentage in his 18 games against ranked competition.  But really, the oft-maligned Bob Stoops is likely the better coach – coming in batting .649 when going against the big boys in 77 games.

In Texas Gary Patterson at TCU is at the top of the heap with .559 winning percentage in 34 such contests.  A&M’s Kevin Sumlin is a respectable second with a .500 mark in his 20 top tier tests.  UT’s Charlie Strong (3-6) and Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury (2-7) don’t have enough games (at least 15) to make Red’s list – but neither is trending in the right direction.  And you have to wonder at UT’s hiring of Strong when he had an all-time 2-1 record in games against real teams before joining the Longhorns.

Who looks really bad?  Wunderkind Mike Leach is a pathetic .236 in 55 games against ranked competition and is fading fast having gone 1-11 at Washington State.  Kansas State’s legendary Bill Snyder is more legend than reality with a .278 record in 79 games.  Flavor of the Month Art Briles is on similar ground at .286 with all 10 of his wins over Top 25 opponents coming at Baylor.  And at the bottom of the heap is Colorado’s Mike MacIntyre who has yet to get on base (.000 in 15 games).

Who is coming on strong?  Mark Richt at Georgia racks up considerable numbers by virtue of playing in the SEC and is looking respectable at .535 in 71 games against the Beasts of the Southeast and others.  David Shaw sports an impressive .625 mark in his 24 games – all at Stanford. The only other coaches above the .500 mark are Gus Malzahn (Auburn), Les Miles (LSU), Brian Kelly (Notre Mama). Jim Mora (UCLA)  and Steve Spurrier (S. Carolina).

Jade Helm 15 Update, Cont.

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Red was batching it this weekend and went looking for evidence of the imminent takeover of Texas by the United States – the country which more or less legally controls it already.  A few hours cruising in the Redmobile failed to discover anything remotely suspicious.  They must run and hide when they see Red coming.   Even the buzz on the internet is barely audible at this point.  The only real development was the arrest of 3 North Carolina men who are accused of trying to lure Army troops into a booby trapped camp in South Carolina.  Stars and Stripes has the story.   Hey, you buy a few illegal weapons, make some pipe bombs, exploding tennis balls and coffee can anti-personnel devices, then plan to draw in government forces and massacre them and the next thing you know the feds are all over your case.  What’s happened to freedom in this country?   So bury your guns now.  Don’t worry about encasing them in anything, just get ’em in the ground quick because the jack-booted thugs of the Federal government are coming to take away your women, children and most importantly guns.  Since there might be some issues with burying the women and children, Red recommends that you just put them in the cellar.  And if you don’t have a cellar, send ’em off to Grandma’s house.  That way you might get in a round of golf before Obama sneaks in and takes away your new set of Callaways too.

Vigilantly yours,

Red

Judge Orders Man to Get Married or Go to Jail – Red Wonders if There is Really Any Difference?

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Smith County Judge Randall Rogers has taken judicial activism to a new level.  Joosten Bundy was arrested following an altercation with his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend.  Rogers ordered Bundy to either get married to his girlfriend or face two weeks in jail.  Raw Story reports on the unusual (and probably illegal) ruling.

Bundy said that he got into the fight because her ex was being “disrespectful” to her, telling the judge, “I took matters into my own hands and I know that’s wrong.I know I was raised better, but it happened.”

“Is she worth it?” Judge Rogers asked Bundy, according to court transcripts.

“I said, well to be honest, sir, I was raised with four sisters and if any man was talking to a woman like that,” Bundy stated, “I’d probably do the same thing.”

That was when Rogers laid down the terms of his release.

“You know, as a part of my probation, you’re going to have to marry her within 30 days.” the judge said, telling him the alternative was 15 days in jail.

“He offered me fifteen days in jail and that would have been fine and I asked if I could call my job [to let them know],” said Bundy. “The judge told me ‘nope, that’s not how this works.’”

According to Jaynes, who was in the courtroom at the time, the judge then embarrassed her by making her stand up.

“My face was so red, people behind me were laughing,” said Jaynes. “[The judge] made me stand up in court.”

“It just felt like we weren’t going to be able to have the wedding we wanted,” she explained. “It was just going to be kind of pieced together, I didn’t even have a white dress.”

The couple got a marriage license and were married by a justice of the peace, but Bundy was unhappy because the impromptu wedding meant many in is his family couldn’t attend, and Jaynes father criticized the judge for forcing the wedding on the young couple.

“[I felt] anger; I was mad. [The judge] can’t do this by court ordering somebody to be married,” said Kenneth Jaynes. “I contacted a couple of lawyers but they told me someone was trying to pull my leg…that judges don’t court order somebody to get married.”

According to a local attorney, Rogers’ ruling was illegal.

Hold Your Horses – Literally

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A dispute amongst factions of the Texas GOP will result in a shut-down of Texas horse racing this week.  Although, the Texas racing industry has never taken off as envisaged in the 80’s, this internecine dispute will disrupt legal horse racing in Texas.  The Texas Racing Commission does not have funding to continue in operation and Texas law requires Racing Commission supervision at all tracks in the state.  The Houston Chronicle explains the root cause behind the shut down.

Texas Racing Commission officials have stopped signing off on new races and started warning that the agency will shutter by the end of the month unless the Legislative Budget Board approves a funding request.

“Absent the necessary approvals from the LBB, the agency will no longer be able to pay its employees or its rent and will close by the end of the day on August 31, 2015,” commission executive director Chuck Trout told a lawyer representing the tracks in a letter last Friday, adding that, “if the agency closes, all racing will also stop.”

Commission officials believe the board controlled by lawmakers will ultimately approve the money if they repeal a controversial new racing game, but the warning nevertheless has plunged Harris County’s Sam Houston Race Park and others around the state into unexpected uncertainty. State law requires commission staff to attend each race, so closure could leave the tracks unable to operate.

The tumult marks a dramatic escalation in a year-long battle between the commission and some lawmakers over the new game, known as “historical racing.”

Also known as “instant racing,” the game allows players to bet on previously-run races that have been stripped of identifications. It is seen by the tracks as a necessary innovation to help them to keep up with states where more betting is allowed, but it has drawn opposition from critics who say the terminals resemble slot machines and would expand gambling here while hurting charitable bingo groups.

The commission approved historical racing last summer over the objection of Senate Republicans, who sent a letter saying the agency did not have the authority to make such an authorization unilaterally.

Photo from www.bloodhorse.com

Today in Texas History – August 10

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From the Annals of War Crimes –  In 1862, the Battle of the Nueces took place in Kinney County.  A force of mostly German immigrant Unionists from the Hill Country led by Fritz Tegener were attempting to escape to Mexico and then onto Union controlled New Orleans.   They were camped on the west bank of the Nueces River about twenty miles from Fort Clark when they were attacked by mounted Confederate soldiers. The Unionists had camped without choosing a defensive position or posting a strong guard. The Confederates, led by Lt. C. D. McRae, came upon the camp on the afternoon of August 9. Firing began an hour before sunlight the next morning; nineteen of the sixty-odd Unionists were killed, and nine were wounded. The nine wounded were executed a few hours after the battle. Two Confederates were killed and eighteen wounded, including McRae.  McRae only had authority to arrest the civilians for avoiding service in the Confederate Army, but instead he chose to massacre sleeping civilians and then allowed the execution of unarmed wounded men.   Question for the supporters of the so-called “noble cause” – Was it noble to execute wounded prisoners?

Print of the Nueces Massacre from lifeofthecivilwar.blogspot.com.

Ken Paxton Ignores First Rule of Holes

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The news just isn’t getting any better for embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton who now faces possible contempt charges over his refusal to follow the law of the land on same-sex marriage following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling.  Paxton has put up roadblocks wherever possible to state recognition of same-sex marriage hoping no doubt to assuage to his Tea Party base in light of his other legal troubles.  Under the guidance of Paxton, the Texas Department of health has so far denied a terminally ill gay man a death certificate naming his legally wed spouse as his husband. AP reports on the brewing controversy in a federal court in San Antonio.

Judge Orlando Garcia ordered Paxton to appear in a San Antonio federal court next Wednesday after a Houston gay man was not provided an amended death certificate for his husband. The court order comes just two days after Paxton was booked on securities fraud charges.

The hearing is to determine whether Paxton and Kirk Cole, interim commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, should be held in contempt after potentially disobeying a July 7 court order barring the state from enforcing any laws “that prohibit or fail to recognize same-sex marriage,” according to the court order.

Garcia further ordered that state officials must provide an amended death certificate to John Stone-Hoskins of Conroe, who had filed court papers earlier Wednesday asking the judge to force Texas officials to place his name on the certificate for his husband, James Stone-Hoskins, who died in January. The two were married last year in New Mexico. 

He had argued that the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision on gay marriage in June means his name should be placed on his spouse’s death certificate. The ruling required all states to recognize same-sex marriages, even those performed elsewhere, and overturned any legal bans.

The certificate listed James Stone-Hoskins as single and referred to his husband as a “significant other.” In court papers John Stone-Hoskins says he’s facing a terminal illness and wants to settle his estate and have state records recognize his marriage. He added during a news conference Wednesday that he should be able to inherit his spouse’s estate but cannot because the certificate doesn’t list him as the surviving spouse. Complicating matters was that his husband didn’t have a will when he died, according to court papers.

“This is about every same sex couple that’s going through or could go through what I’m going through now,” he said.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has said it’s reviewing the Supreme Court ruling to determine if changes must be made to death certificate documents.

“This involves taking a broad look at a variety of forms and vital records,” agency spokeswoman Carrie Williams said in a statement provided earlier to WFAA-TV in Dallas. “Our attorneys are working with the AG’s office on the analysis. We hope to finish the analysis in the coming weeks. Once we complete that analysis, we would make any necessary changes as soon as possible.”

 

Today in Texas History – August 6

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From the Annals of Anglo-American Relations – In 1842, Charles Elliot arrived in Galveston as the newly appointed British charge d’affaires to the Republic of Texas.  Elliot, a British knight and retired naval officer, was a veteran of the Colonial Service previously serving in Guiana and China. In 1842 he was reassigned to hardly desirable duties in the Republic of Texas.  But Elliot made the best of the situation.  While in  Texas he worked for the abolition of slavery, free trade and peace with Mexico. He was friends with Sam Houston and Anson Jones, and worked with the British ambassador to Mexico for an armistice between Texas and Mexico in 1843. He was instrumental in negotiating the release of prisoners from the ill-fated Mier expedition. He opposed Texas annexation by the United States.  When Texans voted for annexation he was recalled.