Archive for the ‘Austin’ Category
Friday, June 21st, 2024
More evidence of the Biden Recession, California’s welfare state goes extra crazy, Chicago has to spend mad money to produce illiterate children, an Assistant DA resigns, a cyberattack hits car dealers nationwide, a Brazilian thief gets ventilated, and God unites the entire world in hatred of the New York Yankees. It’s the Friday LinkSwarm!
Statistics show that the economy is contracting. Just like we already knew. Thanks, Joe Biden.
California’s tax dollars and welfare state at work:
Taxpayers are funding a new high-rise building in Los Angeles where homeless people will enjoy skyline views, a cafe, a gym, and an art studio, not to mention the free rent.
The fancy new building is 19 stories high and has 278 units, each costing about $600,000. The total cost was $165 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. It is the first of three new high-rise buildings that will soon house homeless people.
Snip.
This modern tower for the homeless includes a TV in each apartment, a gym, an art room, a soundproofed music room, a computer room with a library, a TV lounge, a courtyard, and a cafe that will host movie nights. There are also six common balconies, four of which have dog runs.
Where are politicians getting all the money for this project? The buildings are funded by the city’s supportive housing loan program, Proposition HHH, which was approved by city voters in 2016, as well as state housing funds and $56 million in state tax credits.
The three apartment buildings will be located around the headquarters of the Weingart Center, a nonprofit that assists homeless people. Kevin Murray, a former California state senator, is the man behind the project. He serves as the chief executive of the nonprofit.
I’m sure all the Homeless Industrial Complex members involved got generously paid for their efforts. Once again, the message of the Democratic Party is: You’re suckers for working for a living.
“Chicago Doubles Education Spending, Tragedy Ensues.”
Illinois Policy just issued a report showing that while CPS has doubled spending per student since 2012, grades are down by 60-80%, depending on the subject. “Just 1-in-4 CPS students can read or perform math at grade level,” the report says. “The percent of students enrolling in college after high school graduation is decreasing. And for those who do enroll, another study found many are struggling to finish college in four years – just 30% get their bachelor’s in four years compared to 47% nationally.”
By every other measure… there’s no other way to put this… CPS is falling apart.
- In 2023, 26% of students in grades 3 through 8 across all of CPS could read at grade level and about 18% could do math proficiently. For 11th grade CPS students, only 22% could read at grade level and 19% do math proficiently.
- CPS’ failure to engage students shows in the chronic absenteeism rate. Chronic absenteeism has skyrocketed.
- According to ISBE data, 86.3% of teachers in CPS were rated as proficient or excellent in 2023, down from 91.4% in 2019. Yet many students in CPS are struggling to reach proficiency in core subjects.
There’s much more at the link, all of it tragic. An entire generation of Chicago students is failing — and being failed by their schools and, let’s be brutally honest, by their families.
If you’re thinking that CPS must be seriously underfunded to achieve such dismal results, you must have been living in a cave for the last 40 or 50 years. CPS will spend a jaw-dropping $29,028 per student this year. My family lives in a lovely exurb of Colorado Springs and our district spends roughly one-third of what CPS does — $10,214 per student — and we get much better results. It isn’t about the money. It rarely is.
Turtle tank captured.
Another week, another series of Ukrainian strikes on Russia oil depots. First in Platanovka, Tambov region, some 500km from Ukraine…
…then the Lukoil Depot in Krasnodar, where fuel trucks were apparently targeted…
…and an oil export depot in Rostov-on-Don.
“MS-13 Gang Leader Arrested in Texas. Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios will be handed over to a New York court to face terrorism charges.”
Loper Bright Enterprises V. Raimondo offers the Supreme Court a way to roll back the Administrative State.
The case began in November 2022, when Loper Bright Enterprises, a fishery based out of Cape May, New Jersey, appealed a district court opinion to the Supreme Court. The conflict between Loper Bright and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) started after the agency decided to require private fisheries like Loper Bright to pay their regulatory inspectors for their time observing fishery practices.
While the law doesn’t explicitly allow this practice, the Fishery Service cites the Chevron Deference, a precedent set by a 1984 Supreme Court case, which states that an ambiguous law can be interpreted by government agencies as they see fit. In short, the Fishery Service wants private companies to pay their salaries and found a legal loophole to justify it.
While this may seem like an isolated incident, it is just one example of a long history of government agencies infringing on individual liberty. The outcome of this case holds supreme importance for the future of our republic and the preservation of our financial and civil freedoms.
Since 1950, the federal government has steadily grown in size. Today, it has over 2.9 million civilian employees, more than Walmart has worldwide. This growth has paved the way for the creation of a governmental pseudo-branch denoted the “administrative state.” The administrative state contains government employees who have a significant impact on people’s everyday lives but yet aren’t held accountable to citizens in the form of elections. These unelected bureaucrats undermine the central ethos of a republic, where elected officials are supposed to seek the good of their constituents or risk not being re-elected.
The problem with this system was made evident during the pandemic. During the COVID shutdown, hundreds of millions of Americans were sentenced to lockdowns, impacting their schools, churches, and families. Many of the people behind this policy were members of the CDC, one of the government agencies that comprise the administrative state. The decisions they made were not subject to the traditional checks and balances which typically constrain the US government. Instead, America found itself under a tyranny of the unelected.
This overreach extends beyond individual liberty into private business. When businesses can be encroached upon at a whim by unelected authorities, long-term investment becomes a much riskier endeavor. When the COVID shutdown occurred, many small businesses, with their small profit margins and high overhead, were unable to weather the storm. For the companies that survived, the blatant government intervention and the severe consequences that followed left a sour taste in their mouth for future capital investments. You’re not going to build a new business if a bureaucrat can shut it down the next day. All of these factors contribute to government agencies having a negative impact on financial markets and investor portfolios.
The Chevron Deference precedent, which is at the center of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, gives even more power to these governmental agencies. When ambiguity exists, this precedent allows courts to simply defer to agencies’ interpretations, even if those interpretations favor the agencies’ own interests. It also allows courts to seek out ambiguity in order to give near-unbridled power to these agencies.
If the Supreme Court upholds Chevron, it will further entrench the power of unelected bureaucrats and make it increasingly difficult for individuals and businesses to challenge agency overreach. However, if the Court rules against Chevron, it would represent a shift toward increased restraint of the administrative state, leading to a reevaluation of the scope and authority of federal agencies.
Israeli arms exports hit record sales. Funny how having products that actually work stimulates sales. I’m betting Russia is enjoying the opposite right now…
Baseball game announcer: We will not be singing the national anthem. Crowd: The hell we won’t! Patriotism ensues.
Soros-backed Manhattan DA Alvin Braggs drops all charges against the pro-Hamas protestors who smashed up offices at Columbia. Because of course he did.
Speaking of DA’s behaving badly, a followup: Assistant Travis County DA Joseph Frederick, who was charged with aggravated assault, has resigned before he could be fired, his lawyer saying this was to maintain his health benefits, because he has Parkinson’s. Which is strange, because COBRA covers involuntary termination as well.
Argentine President Javier Milei has a glorious rant about how you can’t negotiate with leftists.
Brazilian thief pulls a gun in a phone store, instantly gets lit up like the 4th of July.
No surprise: San Francisco named America’s worst run city.
This week’s California restaurant chain closing due to the minimum wage hike: Arby’s. (Hat tip: Dwight.)
“CDK Global, a major software provider to auto dealerships in the U.S., has been hacked, forcing the company to shut down most of its systems temporarily. This cyberattack effectively halted sales operations at approximately 15,000 car dealerships, including those under General Motors, Group 1 Automotive, and Holman.” Without this software, there’s essential dead in the water. (More details.)
Man finds a GPS tracker his Toyota dealership installed in his car without telling him, despite him declining that option and despite not financing the car.
“MacKenzie Scott Gives Millions to Philly Nonprofit Tied to Anti-Israel Penn Encampment.” Scott is the woman who divorced Jeff Bezos.
Another week, another catch and release illegal alien child rapist.
Black San Francisco firefighter attacks Asian firefighter with a wrench. So San Francisco fires the Asian guy who was attacked.
CNN drops down to 396,000 Total Viewers. Why would any company still buy advertising on such a small platform? (Hat tip: Stephen Green at Instapundit.)
Speaking of money-losing MSM outlets, the incoming editor of the Washington Post says thanks but no thanks after the staff there preemptively published a hit piece on him. How’s that letting the inmates run the asylum working out for you, Jeff Bezos?
Ecomorons spread paint on Stonehenge.
George R. Nethercutt Jr., the Republican who ousted Democratic Speaker Thomas S. Foley in the Newt Gingrich Contract with America wave of 1994, dead at 79 (Hat tip: Dwight.)
Because tranny pandering is more important than actually healing people, Oregon moves to make reporting microaggressions mandatory for doctors.
Tubi, which is free, drew in more viewers than Disney+.
Morgan Freeman hates black history month. “My history is American history.”
Employees at small Philadelphia chain of three coffee shops unionize, and the owner immediately shuts them down because they’re no longer profitable.
Is olive oil good for your brain? I hope so, since it’s an Atkins-compliant dressing for my salad, so I generally get more than the recommended teaspoon a day.
Himmler’s top 10 pistols. Some went for pretty breathtaking sums at auction.
Another Metal Ball Studios monster height comparison video, but this one is first person.
“New Debate Rule Allows Moderators To Zap Trump With Giant Cattle Prods Anytime They Feel Like It.”
“Tropical Storm Alberto Crosses Into Texas, Immediately Registered To Vote As A Democrat.”
“God Confirms Heaven Will Bring All Nations, Tribes, And Tongues Together In Hatred Of The New York Yankees.”
Mine!
(Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
Still between jobs, so hit the tip jar if you’re so inclined.
Tags:Alvin Bragg, auctions, Austin, Babylon Bee, baseball, Biden Recession, black, Border Controls, Brazil, California, cars, CDK Global, Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios, Chicago, CNN, Columbia University, Crime, Dave Rubin, Democrats, Disney, dogs, drones, education, environmentalism, George R. Nethercutt Jr., Guns, hacking, Heinrich Himmler, homeless, Illegal Aliens, Israel, Javier Milei, Joe Frederick, Kevin Murray, Krasnodar, LinkSwarm, Loper Bright Enterprises V. Raimondo, MacKenzie Scott, Media Watch, Military, Morgan Freeman, MS-13, National Socialism, New York Yankees, Obituary, Oregon, Platanovka, Proposition HHH, restaurants, Rostov-On-Don, Russia, Russo-Ukrainian War, San Francisco, self-defense, sex offender, Social Justice Warriors, Stephen Green, Suchomimus, Supreme Court, Tambov, tanks, Texas, Travis County, Tubi, Ukraine, Washington Post, Weingart Center, Welfare State, World War II
Posted in Austin, Border Control, Crime, Democrats, Foreign Policy, Guns, Media Watch, Military, Social Justice Warriors, Supreme Court, Texas, unions, Waste and Fraud, Welfare State | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, June 11th, 2024
This is just a weird story.
Travis County Assistant District Attorney Joe Frederick was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after threatening to shoot his roommate, according to the arrest affidavit.
The affidavit says that a guest was visiting Frederick on Friday afternoon, June 7, at his apartment in west Austin. According to the documents, Frederick had been having difficulty streaming pornography on the TV in his apartment, and asked his roommate to fix the issue.
So here’s a 51 year old Assistant DA, who’s worked in the DA’s office for 17 years, he lives in an apartment with a roommate, and his idea of entertainment for a visiting guest is to stream pornography. Which he evidently has trouble viewing, so he demands his roommate help fix the issue.
A whole bunch of things don’t seem to be adding up here.
According to the court documents, after the guest left, Frederick accused his roommate of making “googly eyes” at the guest, suggesting jealousy. This upset his roommate due to him feeling like he was being called a “hoe.”
Does rather sound like a gay lover’s spat than an ordinary roommate fight, doesn’t it?
This escalated into an argument and an exchange of insults; the roommate tried to knock over a TV stand but was stopped by Frederick. The roommate then went back into his bedroom and locked the door to avoid further conflict.
Frederick attempted to force his roommate’s bedroom door open, damaging the door while doing so. Eventually, the roommate opened the door to use the bathroom, finding Frederick standing in the hallway pointing a gun at him.
Here’s where Frederick not only violated Jeff Cooper’s rules, but kicked it up into clear felony territory.
According to the affidavit, the roommate reported that Frederick made statements to him saying “Get away from me” and “You’re a danger to yourself and everyone around you.” The roommate went to the bathroom, observing Frederick going inside of his (the roommate’s) bedroom and closing the door.
The affidavit says the roommate then opened his bedroom door, pushing Frederick backwards. The roommate reported that Frederick raised the revolver and pointed it at his roommate’s face, saying “I’ll shoot you.” The roommate then began to record Frederick’s actions.
The affidavit says that the video footage shows Joesph holding the revolver while walking around the living room area, telling his roommate to “Get the f— out.” It also says that Frederick is heard accusing his roommate of pushing him, and that the gun is self-defense.
Police recovered the revolver as they investigated the incident. The affidavit says the revolver was fully loaded.
No injuries were reported.
The 51-year-old Assistant District Attorney was booked into the Travis County jail at 3:49 a.m. on Saturday, June 8. His bail was set at $10,000.
Frederick is out of jail as of Sunday, June 9.
None of this is what I would classify as “normal behavior.” I’m guessing intoxicating substances may have been involved.
What is it about that Travis County DA’s office that drives people mad? First Rosemary Lehmberg drives around with an open bottle of vodka, now this. (Current Soros-backed hard left DA Jose Garza entered office already mad.)
Is Frederick a Democrat? Well, his LinkedIn page says he was “Intern, Michael Madigan Speaker of Illinois House of Representatives” back when he was in college, and Michael Madigan is not only a Democrat, he remained Illinois Speaker until 2021, was widely perceived to run “The Combine,” one of the most corrupt political machines in America, and goes on trial for federal racketeering charges later this year. But Frederick’s intern job was all the way back in 1995, so maybe it’s wrong to assume his political affiliation from that. People generally don’t spend 17 years in the DA’s office if their goal is political power.
I wonder if the charge will get pled down, as so many felon charges do under Garza’s soft-on-crime regime, or if they’ll move the trial to another county.
(Hat tip: Dwight.)
Tags:Austin, Crime, Democrats, Joe Frederick, Jose Garza, Michael Madigan, Travis County
Posted in Austin, Crime, Democrats | 15 Comments »
Saturday, June 1st, 2024
Enjoy some light irony on Saturday, namely the fact that the environmentalist-backed light rail project is forcing the closure of a health food coop.
Austin’s cooperatively-owned grocery store and market Wheatsville Food Co-op is going to be closing its original North Campus location eventually. The last day for the 3101 Guadalupe Street shop will be on December 31, 2026.
A press release noted that Wheatsville board of directors and management decided to not renew the West Campus store’s lease, which ends at the end of 2026. A major reason for this decision was the city’s light rail plan Project Connect, which would run through Guadalupe Street. “While this project is in the public interest, it will also curtail our ability to operate in this location,” says general manager Bill Bickford via a statement. The train would take up the major street’s middle lane, so then it would be “impossible for the large trucks our primary suppliers use to access the delivery area,” he writes. Therefore, “if we cannot receive product, we cannot operate a grocery store.
Rita Daily, Wheatsville’s marketing director, noted through email that the shutter was announced to the owners — its website boasts over 28,000 members — this morning. The company is going to se if they can reopen or operate what they describe was “small-format stores” instead.
There’s a south Austin location that will evidently remain open, though one wonders how long the south location can survive without a steady influx of dewey-eyed leftwing college saps the Guadalupe location’s proximity to UT provided.
The irony on top of the irony is that statutory difficulties make it more and more likely that Project Connect light rail system will never actually be built, so the coop will be closing only to line the pockets of high priced consultants.
Granola will oft granola mar…
Tags:Austin, Democrats, environmentalism, light rail, Social Justice Warriors, University of Texas, Wheatsville Food Co-op
Posted in Austin, Democrats, Social Justice Warriors | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, May 29th, 2024
We have the results of yesterdays runoff election, and it’s a mixed bag. Sitting Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan survived Dave Covey’s challenge by less than 400 votes. Evidently a ton of gambling special interest money an encouraging Democrats to vote Republican pulled him over the line. However, almost all Phelan’s political allies pulled into a runoff went down:
Former Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson defeated incumbent Justin Holland in the Texas House District 33 runoff.
Challenger Alan Schoolcraft beat incumbent John Kuempel in the Texas House District 44 runoff.
Helen Kerwin whomped incumbent DeWayne Burns in the Texas House District 58 runoff by 15 points.
Challenger Keresa Richardson knocked out Frederick Frazier in the Texas House District 61 runoff with 67.6% of the vote.
Challenger Andy Hopper defeated incumbent Lynn Stuckey in the Texas House District 64 runoff by just shy of 4,500 votes.
Challenger David Lowe went into the Texas House District 91 runoff behind Stephanie Klick, but beat her by over 1,000 votes.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is cheering the results a vindication for school choice.
“While we did not win every race we fought in, the overall message from this year’s primaries is clear: Texans want school choice,” Abbott said. “Opponents can no loner ignore the will of the people.”
The governor’s electoral crusade for school choice came to a head this week, as eleven out of the 15 Republican challengers Abbott backed this cycle defeated House incumbents in their primaries. Abbott also worked to boot seven anti-voucher Republicans off the ballot in the state’s March Republican primaries.
Voucher bills have failed in Texas, most notably, last year, when 21 House Republicans voted against expanding school choice as part of an education-funding bill. Abbott’s push to oust school-choice dissidents was backed by major Republican donors and groups, such as Betsy DeVos’s American Federation for Children Victory Fund, which spent $4.5 million on the races altogether, Club for Growth, which poured $4 million into targeting anti-voucher runoff candidates, and Jeff Yass, an investor and mega-donor, who made about $12 million in contributions to both Abbott and the AFC Victory Fund. Abbott spent an unprecedented $8 million of his own campaign funds to support pro-voucher candidates.
Not every incumbent went down. Incumbent Gary VanDeaver beat challenger Chris Spencer by some 1,500 votes. But backing Phelan, opposing school choice and voting to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton has proven so toxic for incumbents used to romping to easy primary victories that it’s hard to imagine Phelan being able to get reelected as speaker.
Brandon Herrera entered the runoff 21 points behind Tony Gonzalez for U.S. District 23. Ultimately that gap was too large to make up, but he only lost 50.7% to 49.3%. That a sitting congressman with a huge name and money advantage only managed to beat a YouTuber by one and a half points shows that Republican incumbents ignore gun rights at their peril.
Other Republican U.S. congressional race runoff results:
Caroline Kane edged Kenneth Omoruyi by less than 50 votes for the Houston-based U.S. District 7. Democratic incumbent and pro-abortion favorite Lizzie Fletcher got 2/3rds of the vote in 2022, so Kane has quite an uphill slog ahead. Still, a Republican blowout like 1994 or 2010 could theoretically put it within reach.
Craig Goldman pulled in 62.9% against John O’Shea for Fort Worth-based U.S. District 12, which retiring Republican incumbent Kay Granger won by 64.3% in 2022. He’ll face Democratic nominee Trey Hunt in November.
Jay Furman beat Lazaro Garza, Jr. by just shy of 2/3rds of the vote for the right to face indicted Democratic incumbent Henry Cuellar in San Antonio to the border U.S. District 28 in November. Cuellar beat Cassy Garcia 56.7% to 43.3% in 2022, but Cuellar’s indictment and widespread dissatisfaction with Biden’s open borders policies make this a prime Republican pickup target in November.
In a very low turnout runoff, Alan Garza defeated Christian Garcia, 419 to 361 votes in the heavily Democratic Houston-based U.S. District 29. As Democratic incumbent Sylvia Garcia pulled in 71.4% in 2022, it would take a Democratic wipeout of Biblical proportions to make this race competitive, but you can’t win if you don’t play.
In Dallas-Richardson-Garland based U.S. District 32, another heavily Democratic district, Darrell Day beat David Blewett to take on Democrat Julie Johnson. Incumbent Democrat Colin Allred is taking on Ted Cruz in the Senate race.
Finally, in Austin-based U.S. District 35, Steven Wright edged Michael Rodriguez by 11 votes for the right to take on commie twerp Greg Casar, who garnered 72.6% in 2022.
Tags:12th Congressional District, 2024 Election, 32nd Congressional District, 35th Congressional District, 7th Congressional District, Alan Schoolcraft, Andy Hopper, Brandon Herrera, Caroline Kane, Chris Spencer, Craig Goldman, Dade Phelan, Dallas, David Lowe, Democrats, DeWayne Burns, Elections, Fort Worth, Frederick Frazier, Garland, Gary VanDeaver, Greg Casar, Guns, Helen Kerwin, Henry Cuellar, Houston, Jay Furman, John Kuempel, John O'Shea, Justin Holland, Katrina Pierson, Kay Granger, Kenneth Omoruyi, Keresa Richardson, Lazaro Garza Jr., Lizzie Fletcher, Lynn Stucky, Metroplex, Michael Rodriguez, Republicans, Richardson, runoff, Second Amendment, Stephanie Klick, Steven Wright, Texas, Texas 23rd Congressional District, Texas 28th Congressional District, Texas House District 1, Texas House District 33, Texas House District 44, Texas House District 58, Texas House District 61, Texas House District 64, Texas House District 91, Tony Gonzales, Trey Hunt
Posted in Austin, Democrats, Elections, Republicans, Texas | 4 Comments »
Friday, May 17th, 2024
More Biden corruption unearthed, the Biden Recession has canaries dying left and right, yet another Katy ISD teacher involved in child sex crimes, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge is being given another tomb raider to destroy. It’s the Friday LinkSwarm!
Missouri AG Accuses Biden DOJ Of Coordinating With Trump Prosecutors.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on Thursday as part of a probe into whether the Biden DOJ coordinated with Trump prosecutors.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on Thursday as part of a probe into whether the Biden DOJ coordinated with Trump prosecutors.
More shady Biden accounts discovered.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer dropped a bombshell on Thursday, revealing that his panel had unearthed new financial accounts tied to the Biden family investigation. Adding to the drama, Comer announced a fresh subpoena aimed at an undisclosed bank, ramping up the pressure in this ongoing probe.
“This morning, I issued a subpoena for targeted financial information from a certain financial institution related to Jim Biden, Sarah Biden and Hunter Biden. This is a result of many of the documents that Devon Archer turned over,” Comer told Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business.
The Oversight Committee began investigating the Biden family’s alleged shady business dealings over two years ago. In March, they called for Biden to testify before Congress, stating that “the committee has accounted for over $24 million that has flowed from foreign sources to you, your family, and their business associates.”
“It is unbelievable,” Comer continued. “I don’t think you would find very many people that have a billion-dollar net worth that have as many different bank accounts as this Biden family had. Many of these were shell companies.”
Those were “companies [whose] sole purpose was to launder the money that the Bidens were receiving from China, from Romania, from Russia,” Comer added. “And never one time through the course of this entire investigation, even during the depositions with Hunter Biden and the transcribed interview with Jim Biden, were they able to answer exactly what the family did to receive this money.”
(Hat tip: Stephen Green at Instapundit.)
Don’t look now, but silver just broke the $30 mark for the first time in forever. A whole lot of investors think inflation is baked into the cake now.
IKEA says that the current economy is the worst they’ve ever seen. There are lots of other canaries keeling over as well…
“Hunter Biden Loses Bid To Halt Tax Evasion Court Proceedings As 9th Circuit Dismisses Appeal.” Will a member of the Biden crime family actually serve time for their misdeeds?
“Nearly Half of All Masters Degrees Aren’t Worth Getting. According to new research, 23 percent of bachelor’s degree programs and 43 percent of master’s degree programs have a negative ROI.” (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
If your farm is in the state of California, State Farm no longer wants your business.
Meanwhile, the government of San Francisco is buying booze for homeless people.
“Daniel Perry Pardoned by Gov. Abbott Following Parole Board Recommendation.”
Gov. Greg Abbott has pardoned U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry following a recommendation of pardon and restoration of his firearm rights by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
The board voted unanimously on the recommendation.
Shortly after the recommendation was made, Abbott officially pardoned Perry.
“The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles conducted an exhaustive review of U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry’s personal history and the facts surrounding the July 2020 incident and recommended a Full Pardon and Restoration of Full Civil Rights of Citizenship,” Abbott wrote in a press release.
“Among the voluminous files reviewed by the Board, they considered information provided by the Travis County District Attorney, the full investigative report on Daniel Perry, plus a review of all the testimony provided at trial. Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws on self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney. I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation.”
Perry was convicted of murdering Air Force veteran and Black Lives Matter protester Garrett Foster in 2023. A Travis County jury deliberated for 17 hours before finding Perry guilty of murder but not aggravated assault of Foster at the intersection of 4th Street and Congress Avenue in downtown Austin, as well as threatening a crowd with his car during the 2020 protest.
Perry, who was working as an Uber driver, shot and killed Foster with a .357 Magnum revolver after Foster approached the driver door of his Hyundai Ioniq.
This dispassionate description hides the fact that Perry’s car was surrounded by a crowd of rioters, including the one who aimed a gun at Perry. This was a clear case of self defense that never would have gone to trial if Travis County’s far left Soros backed DA Jose Garza weren’t so in favor of radical left wing rioters and hostile the right of self defense.
Is the DOJ trying to protect Pfizer from a whistleblower lawsuit?
The Department of Justice recently argued that a whistleblower lawsuit against Pfizer, filed by Brook Jackson, should be dismissed.
Jackson, a 20-year veteran in clinical trial administration employed by a third-party vendor (Ventavia Research Group), worked on Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trials in 2020. Alarmed by what she witnessed, Jackson raised concerns to her superiors, Pfizer, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2020.
She claimed the trial was being run, documented, and reported in a manner that violated Federal law and was potentially dangerous.
Hours after contacting the FDA on September 25, 2020, Jackson was fired. Her sealed whistleblower complaint seemed to stall, with the FDA not investigating her claims. Faced with inaction, Jackson filed a lawsuit.
As the case progressed towards discovery, the DOJ intervened, asking the judge to dismiss the case. Jackson argues that the government failed to articulate a legitimate reason for dismissal and did not demonstrate why the burdens of continued litigation outweigh its benefits.
Disturbingly, a former FDA lawyer who worked at the agency when Jackson’s complaint was filed has moved to the DOJ and is now representing the government in its attempt to shut down the suit, raising concerns about regulatory capture and the use of government to shield companies from accountability.
In 2021, the British Medical Journal published an article investigating Jackson’s claims and found them credible. The journal’s investigation concluded that Jackson’s account was supported by documentation and raised serious questions about the integrity of Pfizer’s vaccine trials and the FDA’s oversight.
Other former Ventavia employees vouched for Jackson’s complaint, describing a “helter-skelter” work environment and lack of oversight.
Despite evidence and corroboration, the FDA did not inspect Ventavia after Jackson’s complaint, and Pfizer did not mention any problems at Ventavia in its FDA submission for emergency use authorization.
BMJ’s findings lend significant credibility to Jackson’s claims and raise serious questions about the integrity of Pfizer’s vaccine trial data, the adequacy of regulatory oversight, and, ultimately, the approved emergency use authorization.
Follow the money…
Court throws DEI amendment to NY constitution, off November’s ballot. “The NY State Supreme Court (trial court) in Livingston County (near Rochester), granted summary judgment throwing the ERA off the November ballot, on the ground that the proponents of the legislation did not follow the constitutionally required procedure for advancing a ballot initiative for a constitutional amendment.”
“Katy ISD Teacher Arrested on 9 Counts of Possession of Child Pornography.”
A Tompkins High School teacher has been arrested on nine counts of possession of child pornography.
James Paul Stone was booked into the Fort Bend County Jail Monday.
According to the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable’s office, thousands of images of child pornography were recovered from Stone’s residence, including several images that Stone admitted to producing himself.
Ah, not this crap again. “Venezuela Moves ‘Substantial Quantities’ Of Troops To Guyana Border.”
China’s latest car has every bit of the outstanding quality we’ve come to expect of products from China.
“Army of Leftist wackos storm Tesla factory like Orcs attacking Helm’s Deep.” This was in Germany.
Princeton pro-Hamas hunger strike collapses after nine days.
New York City raised the minimum wage to $16 an hour, and now restaurants are using Zoom hostesses from the Philippines.
“Nobody fucks with my snowy, psychotic hat.”
Google AI can’t understand or answer any questions about the Holocaust, but sure loves to spit some Hamas talking points.
Which is a bit worrying, given how hard Google is pushing AI:
(Hat tip: Not the Bee.)
Comcast, Netflix and Apple+ are going Voltron to defeat Disney.
Spider-Man, Spider-Man/A Nick Cage Noir Spider-Man/Anime? No my friend/It will be live action/Whoa, Nick Cage Noir Spider-Man.
As a reward for destroying Indiana Jones, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is going to be given another tomb raiding franchise to destroy.
If you have mounds of money lying around, you can own Elvis Presley’s very first record.
Robert “Bob” Reale, of Reale’s Italian Cafe, RIP. It’s our favorite Austin Italian restaurant, and would come around and check on you while you were there.
“Latest Polls Show Biden Will Need Twice As Many Fake Ballots To Win Election This Year.”
Hit the tip jar if you’re so inclined.
Tags:#BlackLivesMatter, AI, Andrew Bailey, Austin, Biden Recession, Brook Jackson, California, China, Comcast, Crime, Daniel Perry, Department of Justice, Disney, Donald Trump, Economics, education, Google, Greg Abbott, Guyana, Hollywood, IKEA, James Biden, James Comer, James Paul Stone, Joe Biden, Katy ISD, LinkSwarm, Media Watch, minimum wage, Netflix, New York City, Nicholas Cage, pedophilia, Pfizer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, restaurants, Sarah Biden, silver, Social Justice Warriors, Spider-Man, State Farm, Tesla Motors, Texas, Travis County, Venezuela
Posted in Austin, Crime, Democrats, Economics, Media Watch, Social Justice Warriors, Texas | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, May 7th, 2024
Not living in Austin, I missed the news that several de-annexation elections were on the May 4th ballot.
In 2017, Texas lawmakers passed a bill stopping cities in large counties from being able to annex areas if residents didn’t want to be part of the city. But between the time the law passed and when it went into effect, many areas were annexed.
Last year, lawmakers passed House Bill 3053 to allow neighborhoods that were annexed during that time period to disannex, if voters approve.
Lost Creek in West Austin is the largest area proposing to deannex itself from the city. It’s been a part of Austin since 2015, but many residents have been petitioning to separate them from the city, claiming they’ve been paying city taxes for services that have been lacking. Neighbors in the area have had to pay for off-duty sheriffs to patrol the area.
The results? Anywhere voters voted (for a couple of propositions, literally no one showed up to vote), they voted to get the hell out of Austin.
Three areas voted to disannex from Austin after saying they’re paying for services they don’t receive.
Katieva Kizer lives on Blue Goose Road in northeast Austin, which is one of the six neighborhoods that voted to leave Austin’s city limits on Saturday.
“The whole time we’ve been with them, it’s been a run around as to who should provide anything,” Kizer said.
Texas passed HB 3053 which stopped cities in large counties from being able to annex areas if residents didn’t want to be part of the city. But between March 2015 and December 2017, many neighborhoods were annexed.
“My grandfather fought the annexation of this little area the whole time here until he died in 2015,” Kizer said. “He was the kind of guy that would call the county … Call the city and tell them, ‘You need to come do things.’”
Kizer said they never got any benefits from the city in the seven years they were annexed and that their roads and water infrastructure deteriorated.
“I did call and contact the city for services, and they’re like, ‘No, we’re not up to date in your area to provide those services,'” Kizer said. “Huge potholes everywhere … They didn’t actually come and fix our road until they started doing new construction in the rest of the area. It was only to benefit the newcomers to the area, not anybody that’s already been here and paying taxes.”
Lost Creek, Blue Goose Road and River Place Outparcels voted to leave Austin on Saturday. Kizer was one of the three people to vote and said there are nine or 10 houses in their 28-acre neighborhood.
“They can’t tell you that every vote doesn’t count because three of us voted, and it could have just been one of us,” Kizer said. “If it was none of us, then it would have stayed the same. So every vote does matter. It does count … Because just the three of us made the decision for all of us.”
Disannexing means they will no longer receive certain city services, like fire or police protection, no street maintenance, public health sanitation, and more.
“There weren’t a lot of things to look forward to or that they were giving us,” Kizer said. “So, the major benefit is that I get to go back to being county taxed.”
Lost Creek, the largest of the neighborhoods at 738 acres, had more than 1,500 people vote with 91% for disannexing. River Place Outparcels, a 212-acre area, only had one person vote for disannexing, and no one vote against it.
The City of Austin seems to have no problem finding money for the homeless industrial complex or funding toy trains, but falls down on basic necessities like fixing potholes.
As foretold by the Historical Records
Until Austin gets its act together (or the charter is revoked), maybe the legislature should let any neighborhood in Austin vote to disannex itself from the People’s Republic…
(Hat tip: Dwight.)
Tags:2024 Election, Austin, de-annexation, Elections, Texas, Texas House Bill 3053
Posted in Austin, Texas | 10 Comments »
Sunday, May 5th, 2024
Austin’s liberal establishment has been trying to trick taxpayers into pouring billions into their light rail boondoggle for decades, finally winning an apparent victory when voters approved a scheme in 2020. But it turns out that the terms of the ballot language may have doomed the project.
Austin’s controversial light rail program, approved by voters in 2020, could be null and void due to an allegedly unconstitutional financing proposal.
According to press reports, during a court hearing, proponents of the transit scheme found themselves unable to defend the project’s ability to borrow money. Absent this authority, it is unlikely to continue.
At issue is the convoluted structure of the measure presented to voters in 2020. Designed to evade state limits on debt and borrowing (which seemed like a money laundering arrangement), the measure created a so-called “governmental corporation” called the Austin Transit Partnership. According to the 2020 proposal, the Austin Transit Partnership was supposed to be funded by a one-time increase to the city’s maintenance and operations property tax.
However, proponents of the project lowballed the cost estimate.
Austin’s liberal establishment, lowball cost to get something passed?
Combined with Biden’s inflation, this has led to a situation where the Austin Transit Partnership now needs to borrow substantial sums.
Unfortunately for proponents, state law prohibits using maintenance and operations property tax dollars to pay debt for so-called ‘governmental corporations.’ While a second component of the property tax—interest and sinking—could be used to pay debt, that’s not what was approved in 2020.
It was obvious to any non-Democrat that the Project Connect light rail project was a boondoggle from the git-go, just as the previous light rail effort was a failure. The fact that more than three years on, Project Connect still doesn’t have a definite plan or path is a handy indication of its dysfunction. Hopefully Texas courts will put it out of Austin taxpayer’s misery.
But I’m sure lots of consultants got paid quite handsomely…
Tags:Adam Cahn, Austin, Democrats, light rail, Texas Scorecard, waste
Posted in Austin, Democrats, Waste and Fraud | 14 Comments »
Sunday, April 28th, 2024
Yes, this is already halfway over, but I only found out about it tonight: There’s a Texas Peace Officers Memorial Weekend happening this weekend (April 27-28) at the Texas Peace Officers’ Memorial on the grounds of the state capitol.
A PDF detailing events and times can be found here.
I’m not sure if any of the usual leftwing idiots (the ones calling for the death of police officers) will be there to cause a scene, but it wouldn’t surprise me…
(Hat tip: RoadRich.)
Tags:Austin, police, PSA, Texas
Posted in Austin, Crime, Texas | No Comments »
Thursday, April 25th, 2024
If you follow news on conservative blogs, you’ve probably read about antisemitic riots roiling liberal campuses like Columbia, where Jewish students have been assaulted or threatened by Hamas supporters who loudly proclaim their desire to “destroy Zionists” throughout the world.
The usual gang of idiots tried that at the University of Texas and quickly found out that Texas isn’t New York.
More than 20 people have been arrested, including a FOX 7 Austin photographer, by law enforcement on the University of Texas at Austin campus Wednesday.
UT Police have issued a dispersal order directing everyone to leave the South Mall area immediately.
Hundreds of students walked out of class Wednesday to rally for Palestine and attempt to occupy the South Lawn on campus.
The students gathered on the South Lawn and set up tents while chanting “Free Free Palestine” and other slogans, including ones aimed at the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and even Austin police.
DPS said in a release on social media that it responded to the campus at the request of the University and at the direction of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott “in order to prevent any unlawful assembly and to support UT Police in maintaining the peace by arresting anyone engaging in any sort of criminal activity, including criminal trespass.”
UTPD is warning people to avoid the area in the 2200 block of Speedway for “police activity”. This area is between the South Lawn and the Gregory Gymnasium where the march began.
Abbot went further and suggested that antisemitic protestors be expelled.
On Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that the arrests would continue until the crowd dispersed.
“These protesters belong in jail. Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period. Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled,” said Abbott.
State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), who chairs the Senate Education Committee, noted in light of the protests nationwide that the First Amendment does not protect violence or harassment.
“Let’s be real: if campuses witnessed protests with anti-LGBTQ+, anti-Asian, or anti-Hispanic slogans, the backlash would be fierce and immediate. Yet, when protests challenge Israel’s existence, they’re often waved off as acceptable political speech. It’s an unacceptable double standard, one that’s been fueled significantly by DEI programs,” he wrote in a post on X.
Creighton was the author of the state’s ban on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and departments on college campuses that went into effect earlier this year.
“And let’s not forget what Israel is fighting against —Hamas, a known terrorist organization, carried out the Oct. 7th attack—the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. This isn’t about politics; it’s about recognizing and condemning terrorism and violence,” Creighton added.
The first amendment affords these morons the right to protest for their incredibly stupid causes. However, the right to protest is not the right to break the law, and clearly leftwing campuses across America have been letting their radical darlings break laws at will. Eugene Volokh has additional information on what is and isn’t lawful protest and both public and private universities. “There is no First Amendment right to camp out in any university, public or private. Indeed, there is no First Amendment right to camp out even in public parks (see Clark v. CCNV (1984)), and the government’s power to limit the use of property used for a public university is even greater than its power as to parks (Widmar v. Vincent (1981)).” (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
Disruptive protests that break the law are not constitutionally protected. Pro-Hamas protestors may get away with that sort of thing in deep blue cities and states, but that sort of thing doesn’t fly in Texas.
Tags:anti-semitism, Austin, Brandon Creighton, Crime, Eugene Volokh, First Amendment, Greg Abbott, Israel-Hamas War, Jihad, Social Justice Warriors, Texas, Texas DPS, University of Texas
Posted in Austin, Crime, Jihad, Social Justice Warriors, Texas | 10 Comments »
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024
If you thought “No runoffs in my area, so I don’t have to vote in May,” after the primary election, think again!
Come May 4, Texans in large counties have tax appraisal district director elections.
Many Texans will have their first opportunity to elect representatives to the governing boards of their local appraisal districts, making the agencies that assess property values for tax purposes more accountable to citizens.
A new property tax relief law, passed last year and approved in November by voters statewide, included a provision for voters in counties with a population of 75,000 or more to elect three new members to their county appraisal district board of directors.
The three elected board members will serve alongside the five appointed directors and the county tax assessor-collector, who will become an ex-officio board member.
Directors elected in May will take office on July 1 and serve a term that expires on December 31, 2026.
Going forward, elected appraisal district directors will be on the ballot in November of even-numbered years and serve staggered four-year terms.
The five directors appointed by local taxing units (counties, cities, school districts) that participate in the appraisal district will also transition to staggered four-year terms, starting in 2025.
Property tax consultant Chandler Crouch, who has championed appraisal district reforms for years, told Texas Scorecard, “I believe the legislation that implemented these changes is a direct result of the trouble I’ve experienced and would not have happened if it weren’t for concerned Texans demanding change.”
Crouch was targeted by his local Tarrant County appraisal district officials after helping thousands of residents protest their property taxes and calling attention to problems within the system.
In the wake of several scandals, longtime Tarrant Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Jeff Law resigned last September.
“Over the past few years I’ve seen plenty of corruption at the appraisal district. I believe the problems I encountered would have been dealt with much quicker if we had someone at the appraisal district that was directly accountable to the taxpayers,” said Crouch.
In addition to adding elected appraisal district directors in the state’s 50 largest counties, the new law puts the directors in charge of appointing members to the appraisal review board.
The appraisal review board (ARB) is the group of citizens that hears taxpayer protests and resolves disputes between property owners and appraisal districts. Currently, ARB members are appointed by the county’s local administrative judge.
At least two members of the majority voting for ARB members must be elected directors.
Any possibility for voters to check tax increases is a good thing.
As far as the Williamson Central Appraisal District Board of Directors election, information on these down-ballot races are quite sparse. The candidates are:
- Place 1: Hope Hisle-Piper and Jim Buell
- Place 2: Mike Sanders and Jon Lux
- Place 3: Collin Klein and Mason Moses
According to this Facebook thread, Buell, Sanders and Klein are running a taxpayer-friendly slate, while Hisle-Piper, Lux and Moses are already appointed members of the board, using a loophole to run for the elected seats. Sanders asserts “If they win, each of them will then hold two positions on the Appraisal Board.” That hardly seems kosher. On that basis, I’m tentatively recommending a vote for Buell, Sanders and Klein, but if you have any countervailing information, please share it in the comments below.
Note: Early voting for this election has already started and runs through April 30.
Travis County also has appraisal district elections, and Don Zimmerman, Matt Mackowiak and Bill May are the obvious choices for conservatives there (though less a vote for May than one against lifetime Democrat Dick Lavine).
Both Ted Cruz and Democratic opponent Colin Allred raised around $10 million for their senate race, but Allred has a much higher burn rate.
The U.S. Senate race in Texas is shaping up to be an expensive bout between Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Congressman Colin Allred (D-TX-32), with both candidates posting high fundraising totals and the challenger burning through most of his haul.
Both candidates announced close to $10 million raised in the April quarterly report last week. The two touted the fact that their contributions came from every — or in Allred’s case, almost every — county in Texas. The pair’s average donations were both around $35.
Cruz reported $15.1 million cash-on-hand at the end of this period — which includes monies raised into the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Texas GOP itemized for his race — to Allred’s $10.5 million left on hand.
Cruz’s number is $2.7 million more than he raised in the first two quarters of 2018 combined. Allred’s haul exceeded 2018 candidate Beto O’Rourke’s first-quarter number by close to $3 million.
Though he posted a record first quarter haul in 2018, the biggest money for Beto’s bid really started flowing in during the spring and summer following the primary; he raised nearly $80 million in that race, and narrowly lost to Cruz, who raised $45 million that cycle.
Both Cruz and Allred have raised around half of their money in 2024 from within Texas, with big money figures and organizations on both sides of this fight salivating for another high-profile clash. More than 12 percent of Allred’s haul came from California to Cruz’s 32 percent from Virginia, the vast majority of which is due to the GOP’s small-dollar donor interface, WinRed, being headquartered there.
The Democrats’ version, ActBlue, is headquartered in Massachusetts.
One of the most interesting factors in these reports is Allred’s burn rate — the amount of money spent relative to what he raised. Allred has plenty of money left over, but he spent 96 percent of his haul, more than two-thirds of which was spent on media advertising.
I would be lying if I said I was up to date on the latest campaign finance trends, but it’s universally acknowledged that a burn rate that high this far out from the general election is “bad”…
…and that media buys this far out from the general are fools gold. Maybe Allred thinks he needs to get to the same level of name recognition as O’Rourke did in 2018, but that’s simply not possible. He’d need just as many fawning media profiles as O’Rourke got, and the national media is too busy ramping up the Orange Man Bad machine to do that. This time in 2018, I’d already seen a zillion Beto signs and bumper stickers, and I doubt I’ve even seen five for Allred. And, after all that money and name-recognition, Beto still lost…
The latest poll on the race from the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation — which pegged Allred down 5 points to Cruz — showed the challenger with a +24 net favorability rating to Cruz’s +3. However, Allred’s undecided total was 40 points, showing that there are loads of movable voters who could go either way on him; Cruz’s undecided number was 1 percent.
Polls this early mean very little. But cash on hand is rarely overrated…
Can Brandon Herrera take down Tony Gonzales in the runoff?
In his nascent bid for Congress, Brandon Herrera is putting two things to the test: embattled Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23), and the ability of next-generation politicians to overcome statements — and jokes — made on social media.
Known popularly as “The AK Guy,” Herrera is a YouTuber boasting a large following whose schtick is firing cool guns and teaching his viewers about their characteristics and history. His X bio reads, “Congressional Candidate (R TX-23) YouTuber, Second Amendment Absolutist, VERY Politically Incorrect.”
The field of Republican primary challengers pushed Gonzales to a runoff, with the incumbent falling 4.6 points away from winning the primary outright; Herrera received 24 percent of the vote, finishing a comfortable second place and securing a runoff against the incumbent.
Now he’s the last man standing between Gonzales and a third term in Congress.
But standing between Herrera and the upset is the very reason he has such a large following: his irreverent, and very entertaining, streaming persona. Herrera’s YouTube channel has 3.3 million subscribers and the pinned video is him testing out the “magic bullet theory” related to the JFK assassination — namely that the bullet attributed to the president’s death looks as if it didn’t actually hit anything, let alone a human being.
But it was a different video that caught the attention of his opponent — and a national media outlet.
“Rep. Gonzales’ right-wing GOP challenger posted videos featuring Nazi imagery, songs, jokes,” reads a headline from the publication Jewish Insider. The video in question is an informational on the MP-40 submachine gun, developed in Germany during the Nazi Third Reich.
Discussing the gun, Herrera refers to it as “the original ghetto blaster” and then shows a sardonic black and white montage firing the weapon as the German military marching song “Erika” plays.
“If the MG-42 was Hitler’s buzzsaw, the MP-40 was Hitler’s street sweeper,” he adds.
At the end of the video, Herrera says of the sarcastic tone and jokes, “The best way to not repeat history is to learn about history. And the best way that I know to get you guys to learn about history, is make really f—– up jokes about it.”
In acknowledging the “edgy” humor, Herrera unknowingly handed ammunition to his future political opponents — the effectiveness of which remains to be seen and a potential dagger that Herrera brushed aside.
“Whereas before you have little statements that can be taken out of context or jokes that were made that would tank careers, it’s no longer that way,” Herrera told The Texan in an interview, suggesting the current political climate has passed the point of caring about such remarks.
“One of the big catalysts for that change was the way that Trump ran his campaign. I think people related to him and people aren’t really afraid to see that side of elected representatives anymore.”
About the potential shift, Herrera added, “[Candidates] don’t have to be as squeaky clean, and really, fake as they have been in years past. And I think we’re getting closer to an era of real people.”
“Being representatives now, which I think is going to be a net positive because people are realizing it doesn’t matter what jokes have been made in the past, and it doesn’t matter if your congressman was caught swearing or something like that. People care about how you vote and I think that’s the core of it. And that should be what people vote on.”
Is a post-Trump disdain for political correctness going to prevent it from being used on other candidates for edgy humor? Maybe. But a bigger problem for Herrera is that he came out of the primary 21 points behind Gonzales. That’s a large gap to make up, especially since Gonzales is out-raising Herrera. Absent dramatic developments, the vote and money gaps may be too big for Herrera to make up between now and May 29.
Speaking of gun policies for candidates, Ammo.com has a roundup of ratings.
Tags:2024 Election, 2024 Texas Senate Race, Austin, Brandon Herrera, Colin Allred, Democrats, Don Zimmerman, Elections, Hope Hisle-Piper, Jim Buell, Jon Lux, Mason Moses, Matt Mackowiak, Mike Sanders, Republicans, Taxes, Ted Cruz, Texas, Texas 23rd Congressional District, Tony Gonzales, Travis County, Williamson County
Posted in Austin, Democrats, Economics, Elections, Jihad, Republicans, Texas | 3 Comments »