At least one Dallas area parishioner is incensed about the decision of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas to not allow open or concealed carry in its churches. In fact, incensed enough to cut off tithing to the church and re-direct the money to the NRA. He or she better hope that Wayne LaPierre is standing at the Pearly Gates instead of St. Peter.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to amend the holy crap out of the U.S. Constitution looks to be a non-starter judged solely by the complete lack of buzz surrounding his “big” announcement. Red saw Megyn Kelly giving him what-for on her show a few nights ago, but other than that – cue the crickets. So instead of directing so much of his energy towards not actually running the state he was electing to govern (hence the title “governor”), Tom Herman of the Austin American-Statesman suggests that Abbott turn his attention to a document that actually could use some revising – namely, the bloated, turgid and all too frequently amended Texas Constitution.
Abbott is correct on another front: There indeed is a Constitution overdue for a major overhaul. It’s our very own semi-beloved Texas Constitution, a 90,000-word, 385-section, 491-amendment mélange of a mess of a pastiche of a patchwork of a guiding document.
The last real run at reworking the Texas Constitution — and it turned out to be a run that barely got beyond the starting line — was in 1999 when then-state Sen. Bill Ratliff, R-Mount Pleasant, and Rep. Rob Junell, D-San Angelo, tried it.
As the 1999 legislative session began, Ratliff and Junell noted a new millennium was approaching and “we must exercise foresight to prepare this state and its citizens for the challenges of the next century.”
From the Annals of the Political Machines – In 1938, San Antonio mayor Charles K. Quin was indicted for misappropriation of funds. Quin, an attorney by trade, had practiced in San Antonio since 1923. He also served as an assistant city attorney and a city utilities attorney before returning to private practice in 1932 as a partner of C. M. Chambers, the Democratic mayor of San Antonio. When Chambers died in 1933, Quin was selected to fill his unexpired term and then prevailed in the regular election later that year. A mayor, Quin was head of the San Antonio political machine tradition and associated with the gambler and bootlegger Charles Bellinger. The Bexar County grand jury indicted Quin and two other city officials for allegedly using city funds to pay wages to more than 400 “precinct workers” in the 1937 election. Not surprisingly, the indictment was quashed but Quin was defeated in the next election by Maury Maverick. Quin vanquished Maverick in the 1941 election, but resigned from the mayoral office in 1942 to accept a position as a State District Court judge – a position he held until his death in 1960.
Charles Kuffner at Off the Kuff does his usual excellent job of detailing the candidates for the Democratic and Republican primaries in March – so Red doesn’t have to.
Red’s only beef is CK’s snark about Jim Sharp. JS has had some issues off the court – as they say – but as a judge he did an admirable job of balancing the competing interests and reaching well-reasoned and fair results. Especially as the only Democrat among the 18 court of appeals judges sitting in Houston. He must have sympathized with George Goebel when he said, “Did you ever feel like the world is a tuxedo and you’re a pair of brown shoes?”
Last night’s GOP debate in Las Vegas focused largely on issues of national security – not a surprise with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer at the helm.
Red’s favorite topic was when WB asked the estimable candidates about enforcing a No-Fly Zone in Syria and whether they would order a Russian plane shot down. As always, Red translates the responses for you.
Chris Christie – Hell yes, I would shoot down a Russian plane. I call Putin and tell him, “No flying, fuckhead.” And then when he ignores that we shoot. And unlike the other weenies on this stage, I would insist on shooting down the planes myself – you know because I was a tough ass New Jersey prosecutor. How does that work? Every time a Russian jet entered the NFZ, I would be on the line immediately, targeting that sucker, remotely pushing the button to launch the missile and then celebrating afterwards with a double-meat bacon cheeseburger. Fuck Yeah!
Rand Paul – If you want World War III, here’s your candidate. [Pointing to Christie] If you are not absolutely bat shit crazy – like most of the respected candidates on this stage – and would prefer a big wussy in the White House, look no further. I am the biggest wussy on this stage and proud of it.
Jeb!!!!????$ – I have called for the NFZ and I would shoot down a plane with my sainted mother in it if it was violating the NFZ. Sorry, Dad.
Donald Trump – I too would shoot down a plane with Jeb!!!!$$$$?’s mother in it. But I like Putin bombing the shit out of Syria. I back it 100%. I would back it 1000% if that were possible, and believe me percentages well in excess of 100 will be the norm when I am elected president. 100% will be old hat. No one will be talking about 100% when I am President. 500% will be the absolute minimum.
Ben Carson – We shoot down Russian planes absolutely. Then afterwards, I deal with the possibility of nuclear conflagration in my thoughtful, deliberate and respectful way as we descend into chaos and world war.
John Kasich – Why are you asking this question? Why am I even still here? Is Red spelling my name correctly?
Ted Cruz – After I finish carpet bombing Syria and explaining in excruciating detail why that is not a war crime, there will be no real need for a NFZ. In fact tourist groups will want to fly over Syria to see the glowing sand.
Carly Fiorina – I would insist on a NFZ and shoot down anything that flies. But I would not call Putin first – who by the way I talked with earlier today. Others on this stage talk about making America great again. But what is their plan? I have a plan. You know what would make this country great again – World War III. I promise you that we will have WWIII if I am elected president.
Marco Rubio – Thank god we are not talking about immigration.
The counter protest to the Mock Mass Shooting staged across from UT-Austin seems to have drawn more interest than the main event. Time has the poop.
About 100 people with flatulence noise makers marched against a mock mass shooting Saturday at the University of Texas to divert attention away from pro-gun demonstrators.
The group took to the streets of Austin with machines that make fart sounds in their counter “mass farting” protest, the Houston Chronicle reports. Their march was in response to guns rights groups’ plans to stage a fake mass shooting at the school, complete with fake blood.
“This is about a choice between fear and a little bit of good humor,” organizer and UT alumnus Andrew Dobbs told the crowd, according to the Chronicle. “We are in a scary time right now and lots of scary things are happening and some people want us to be more afraid.”
Old Uncle Fear, the best weapon that the right-wing has in this country.
Texas will be forking over more than $2.7 million to draw in WrestleMania next year. This absurd waste of taxpayer dollars stands in direct contrast to Abbott’s campaign pledge regarding the use of such funds. Apparently, that notion flew out the window once Abbott got his hands on Events Trust Fund. The Texas Tribune has the full story.
Gov. Greg Abbott has agreed to spend up to $2.7 million in taxpayer funds to bring the barrage of blood, sweat and spandex that is WrestleMania to Texas next year.
During his 2014 campaign for governor, Abbott expressed discomfort with such taxpayer-funded economic incentives, saying he wanted to get government “out of the business of picking winners and losers.”
But last week, his office signed off on the award from the state’s Events Trust Fund, state records show, one of 20 such awards approved since September. That’s when the governor’s office took the reins of a few incentive programs designed to strengthen Texas’ hand in vying for large sporting events and conferences from the state comptroller’s office.
“You don’t have to be popular with other senators, but you need to be respected by other senators if you have what it takes to be President of the United States . . . I mean, Barack Obama wasn’t popular with all the other senators, but he was respected . . . I don’t think Ted [Cruz] has the respect of his fellow senators.”
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D- Mo.)
At lunch today, someone told Red that several months ago, Sen. John Cornyn asked a local GOP power broker (the source of the story) if there was something he could do to get rid of Cruz.
Richard Parker argues that the Tea Partisans are actually creating a poor climate for big business in Texas by wanting to secure a religious path to discrimination and by trying to keep undocumented kids poor and ignorant.
Welcome to Texas, Toyota, and all the accountants, lawyers, contractors and other companies — big and small — that are making the long trek to relocate here.
You will find Texas to be immensely friendly. We’re especially friendly to business, which is why you’re coming, of course. Hence, the outlook for Texas is bullish: It’s on track to supplant Germany as the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2050. Texas is so friendly to business that even Democrats stress the word pro-business before mumbling the word Democrat.
But there’s something the eager chambers of commerce and glad-handing mayors probably didn’t tell you before you made up your mind to come to Texas. There’s a political party emerging in Austin the likes of which we’ve never seen.
Until recently known as the tea party, it’s the Anti-Business Party of Texas, and it’s about to open the door to a future of uncertainty that will affect your workers, worry your shareholders and befuddle your customers.
If you saw the uproar from businesses — from Apple to American Airlines — in Indiana over a so-called religious freedom act, then brace yourself, because Texas could be next.
Two measures in the Legislature would unravel a law that seems to have worked well since 1999. State Sen. Donna Campbell and Rep. Matt Krause, both of the Anti-Business Party, propose to bar state or local governments from enforcing anti-discrimination laws in the event of a religious claim. They even want to enshrine the ban in the Texas Constitution. This would effectively gut anti-discrimination protections, particularly for gay people, in most cities.
Campbell also is effectively trying to deny an affordable college education to the children of unauthorized immigrants.
State GOP leaders have denied GOP primary voters a chance to decide if they favor secession from the USA. The Tea Party wing had requested that the GOP put the following question on the primary ballot in March:
“If the Federal Government continues to disregard the Constitution and the sovereignty of the State of Texas, the State of Texas should reassert its prior status as an independent nation.”
The State Republican Executive Committee rejected the proposal which would have been a non-binding referendum.
The defeat was not unexpected, as the saner powers-that-be did not want this to become an issue in November’s election. The SREC clearly disagreed with Tanya Robertson, the SREC member who introduced the proposal and argued that the measure would have been “harmless,” allowing voters to register an “opinion only.” She also suggested the ballot language would have helped “get out the vote” among some Texas Republicans who have been sitting out recent elections. “The goal of these is to take a thermometer of how Texans feels about an issue, and what better issue for Texans to do that with?” she asked.
Indeed, what better way? Red thinks it is unfortunate that the rest of Texas will be denied an opportunity to see exactly how crazy the Republican base in Texas really is.
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