Get Your Tax-Free Guns

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The Senate has approved Senate Bill 228  which designates one weekend a year where as a tax-free holiday for gun sales.  The bill sponsored by Sen. Brandon Creighton (TP-Conroe) exempts  firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies from sales tax during the last weekend in August.  Creighton calls it a Second Amendment tax holiday weekend.  Part of the rational for the sales tax exemption stems from a similar tax holiday that occurs one week earlier in Louisiana.  Proponents claim that Texas businesses near the Louisiana border lose considerable sales because of the tax disparity for that one weekend.  The Legislative Budget Board estimates that Texas will lose over $3.5 million in sales tax revenue each year if Creighton’s bill becomes law.

Photographing and Mapping Texas

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The Houston Chronicle reports that data artist Eric Fischer has pinpointed the most scenic spots in Texas (and other places around the world) based on the geotags of Flickr photos.  He has created the Geotaggers’ World Atlas.  Check out where the most scenic spots in Texas are.

When Did the Right Wing Come to Hate the Military?

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Digby of Salon wonders how the Tea Party came to hate the military so much.  It is a stark contrast from the traditional right-wing support of an ever-expanding military.  Remember when it was unpatriotic to oppose continual increases in defense spending or to question whether the U.S. should be sending troops to fight overseas.  These folks couldn’t fall over themselves fast enough to support W. Bush’s foolish wars and the creation of a big brother surveillance state, and call out anyone who opposed that as practically a traitor.  “You’re either for us or against us.”  Ask yourself, what has changed?

You have probably heard these lyrics at least a thousand times at televised Republican rallies:

 And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me

Those of course are the words to “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood, a song that could almost be described as the conservative national anthem. It perfectly expresses the patriotism of the Real American, the man and woman who love their country without reservation, the ones who boldly invite dissenters to “love it or leave it” and attack anyone who would dare besmirch the red, white and blue. These colors don’t run, hippie…

But something has changed. In fact, it appears that the right wing in this country has become downright hostile to the one government institution they heretofore had defended with every fiber of their being: the military. This week, members of the conservative fringe, having apparently become convinced that the army is holding a large training exercise in the American southwest in order to prepare the ground for a federal government takeover of Texas, are themselves metaphorically spitting in the face of U.S. soldiers:

“It’s the same thing that happened in Nazi Germany: You get the people used to the troops on the street, the appearance of uniformed troops and the militarization of the police,” Bastrop resident Bob Wells told the Statesman after the meeting. “They’re gathering intelligence. That’s what they’re doing. And they’re moving logistics in place for martial law. That’s my feeling. Now, I could be wrong. I hope I am wrong. I hope I’m a ‘conspiracy theorist.’”

Greg Abbott must be wondering how to quell the shit storm of adverse media coverage he has created by kowtowing to lunatics such as these.

Today in Texas History – May 1

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From the Annals of Public Art – in 1948, the Mustangs sculpture on the University of Texas campus was dedicated. The sculptor was Alexander P. Proctor.  Proctor was contacted by J. Frank Dobie for his fried oilman Ralph Ogden who wanted to give a sculpted group of mustangs to UT.  Proctor made a 15″ high clay model of small compact group of six mustangs.  He later added a colt and the model was approved.  He worked on the sculpture throughout much of 1939 while living on part of the King Ranch where a herd of wild mustangs still roamed.  Proctor finished the plaster cast, but it sat in the Gorham Bronze foundry waiting material for casting which was delayed because of WWII.  It was presented to UT when finished.  Proctor was present for the dedication. Unfortunately, Ogden had died but his wife presented the statue in his honor.

Tradition Schmadition

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The Texas A&M University Board of Regents has voted to change the University seal. According to the Bryan-College Station Eagle the vote was held without discussion and was unanimous. The 52 year-old  Star-T pattern is out – to be replaced with the block TAM (or ATM depending on your point of view) familiar to fans of Fighting Texas Aggie Band.

System Chancellor John Sharp approved of the change, “When you talk about brand identity, having that ‘Block TAM’ is something that brings it all together. That change makes it very obvious when you see it, where you are and what you’re talking about, that it’s Texas A&M.”

The change may not go over well at the tradition-bound school.  The seal change has already provoked negative online reception, including a petition on change.org asking to return the seal to its original state.

Red wonders what’s next – Marijuana leaf garlands?

Let the Gays Marry and There Will Be Rioting in the Streets

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Raw Story reports that Texas Rep. Bill Flores (TP- Bryan) has linked the rioting in Baltimore to the trend in favor of gay marriage.

On the Wednesday edition of the Family Research Council’s Washington Watch radio program, Flores told FRC President Tony Perkins that crowds of conservatives were showing up at the U.S. Supreme Court to urge justices to support the “rights of tradition marriage.”

Perkins suggested that the government was just creating more problems for itself as courts throughout the nation continued to rule that LGBT people should have equal marriage rights.

“A lot of these problems are created by the breakdown of the family, which the redefinition of would only accelerate,” Perkins opined.

“You’re exactly right, Tony,” Flores agreed. “Let’s talk about poverty for instance… The single best indicator of whether or not a child is going to be in poverty or not is whether or not they were raised by a two-parent household or a single-parent household. And so the breakdown of the family has contributed to poverty.”

“You look at what’s going on in Baltimore today, you know, you see issues that are raised there,” the congressman continued. “And healthy marriages are the ones between a man and a woman because they can have a healthy family and they can raise children in the way that’s best for their future, not only socially but psychologically, economically, from a health perspective.”

“There’s just nothing like traditional marriage that does that.”

Red doubts that Flores intended for this to sound as stupid as it does.

Today in Texas History – April 30

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From the Annals of the Troubadours –  In 1933, Willie Nelson was born in Abbott.  Nelson was raised by his grandparents, wrote his first song at age 7 and joined his first band at 10.  He took the long road to success with stops in Canada, Colorado, Missouri and Nashville before settling down back in Texas in 1972.  He is frequently credited with having helped launch the progressive country era that made Austin a music landmark.

Red has seen Willie play at least a dozen times at venues ranging from his golf course outside of Austin to an Austin City Limits taping.  One of the more memorable times was at the old Bull Creek Lodge on 2222 (now the County Line on the Lake) in 1976.  Willie came out on stage with a cowboy hat and seemingly brand new short hair cut (never explained) which was among the last times the Red Headed Stranger performed without his trademark bandana and flowing locks.  Red and a buddy were out in the parking lot during a break, when we noticed a very short man with an extremely good looking woman talking heatedly to the door man.  We just thought it was someone else trying to get in for free.  Finally, the woman just shouted, “He’s with me” and the door man let them in.  Fifteen minutes later the short man was up on stage and Willie was introducing his good friend Johnny Paycheck.

Photo by Jerry Nelson Young from imgbuddy.com

Abbott Kowtows to Paranoid Fringe of the Tea Party

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Gov. Greg Abbott is sending Texas Guard troops to “monitor” a U.S. Armed Forces training exercise being conducted in Texas.  Abbott is apparently listening and responding to the paranoid fringe of the Tea Party who fear that the Feds are coming to take over the state.  Remember the days when the so-called conservatives supported our military?  It seems so long ago.  What changed? Oh yeah, a black man became President.  The Dallas Morning News reports on the Abbott’s latest attempt to assuage the Tea Party and provides some details on the planned operation.

The operation causing rampant suspicions is a new kind of exercise involving elite teams such as the SEALs and Green Berets from four military branches training over several states from July 15 to Sept. 15

Called Jade Helm 15, the exercise is one of the largest training operations done by the military in response to what it calls the evolving nature of warfare. About 1,200 special operations personnel will be involved and move covertly among the public. They will use military equipment to travel between seven Southwestern states from Texas to California.

On Monday, command spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria attended a Bastrop County Commissioners Court meeting to answer community questions and was met with hostile fire. Lastoria, in response to some of the questions from the 150 who attended, sought to dispel fears that foreign fighters from the Islamic State were being brought in or that Texans’ guns would be confiscated, according to a report in the Austin American-Statesman.

He was forced to rebut that martial law was underfoot and said misinformation has been spread by those with a “personal agenda.  You may have issues with the administration. So be it. But this institution right here has been with you for over 200 years,” he was quoted as saying. “I’ve worn this uniform across five different administrations for 27 years.”

Radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been sending out warnings for weeks regarding the exercise, saying it is the U.S. military positioning itself to take over the states and declare martial law.

Abbott apparently has heard the concern and ordered the Guard to monitor the training and U.S. military personnel.

“To address concerns of Texas citizens and ensure that Texas communities remain safe, secure and informed about military procedures occurring in their vicinity, I am directing the Texas State Guard to monitor Operation Jade Helm 15,” Abbott wrote in his letter to the commander of the Texas Guard.

Today in Texas History – April 29

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From the Annals of the Spanish Sea –  In 1554, three Spanish treasure ships ran aground during near present-day Port Mansfield. The San Esteban, the Espíritu Santo, the Santa María de Yciar, and the San Andrés had set out from Veracruz on April 9.  But a powerful storm in the Gulf of Mexico doomed most of the fleet.  The San Andrés somehow survived.  Incredibly many Spanish sailors were unable to swim and more than half of the crew of the three ships drowned before reaching the beach on Padre Island.  The survivors organized two efforts to return to Mexico.  One small group sailed in a small boat to report back and organize a relief expedition. A larger group of survivors started an overland journey to Mexico in the mistaken belief that it would be a short trip.  Local natives, however, attacked the survivors and only one Spaniard, Fray Marcos de Mena, reached Pánuco.  A salvage expedition arrived at the site of the wrecks within two months, but only recovered about half of the 1,000,000 ducats lost in the Gulf.

The remains of the three ships lay undisturbed until 1967 when a General Land Office employee discovered that a private salvage company was excavating the shipwreck site.  This set off a decades long legal battle over the right to recover artifacts in Texas coastal waters with Texas ultimately securing the exclusive rights over such wrecks.  The find was  considered a major discovery and at the time was believed to be the earliest Spanish material ever recovered from American waters.  Artifacts recovered from the wreck included a small solid-gold crucifix, one gold bar, several silver discs, cannons, crossbows, and three astrolabes.

Photo of recovered artifact from  nautarch.tamu.edu

Naked and Unafraid at Texas State

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A Texas State University student sat nearly naked on the steps of the Allkek Library for almost an hour as part of an art project and protest about the objectification of the female body.  The San Antonio Express-News reports that the senior art student was overall pleased with the results of the performance art piece.

Monika Rostvold, who quickly became the talk of campus, said in a phone interview that the 45-minute demonstration was for an art project that focused on fellow students’ reactions and objectification of the female body, said Rostvold, a fine arts senior.

“I wanted people to view my body as beauty and power and not a sexual object,” said Rostvold, a fine arts senior. “The fact that it is Sexual Assault Awareness Month I wanted to create a piece about the standards that exist in our society. Being a victim and having friends who are victims of sexual assault I wanted to take control of my body by eliminating my presence and exposing myself.” 

Red holds this out to be an almost totally SFW blog – so no photos here.