Archive for the ‘Texas’ Category
Tuesday, May 5th, 2015
Happy Cinco de Mayo! My efforts to move the LinkSwarm back to it’s usual Friday position by posting early have failed, so I’m trying to get it there by letting it drift back one day later each time…
“Canadian Partnership Shielded Identities of Donors to Clinton Foundation.” Just in case you missed that. Because trying to keep up with all the sleazy bribery angles of the Clinton Foundation is like trying to drink from the firehose…
Speaking of which:
“Hillary may want to talk about inequality, but is there any better example of a couple who gorged at the trough of Wall Street and foreign autocrats, chose not to follow the rules, never could stop chasing more and more money and (in Hillary Clinton’s case) went to extraordinary lengths to destroy “personal” e-mails that might have pulled back the curtain on all that?” (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
Hillary hires Scott Hogan, an organizer of the failed “Everytown” gun-grabber astroturf to run her “Grassroots” campaign. Hopefully he’ll bring Hillary the same outstanding success he brought to gun control…
Russian stooges in Ukraine: “Soviet terror famine? No, that was all just a big misunderstanding!” (Hat tip: Dwight.)
Islamic State murders 600 more Yezidis. (Hat tip: Jihad Watch.)
The Islamic State also claimed post facto credit for the Garland attack.
Speaking of which, here’s an interview with Bosch Fawstin, the winner of the Draw Mohammed contest. (Hat tip: Legal Insurrection.)
Emergency room visits up under ObamaCare.
Lefty lawyer Laurence Tribe calls Obama’s “force everyone to use green energy without congressional approval” plan unconstitutional. “After studying the only legal basis offered for the EPA’s proposed rule, I concluded that the agency is asserting executive power far beyond its lawful authority.”
Drug cartel violence heats up in Mexico: “Gunmen shot down a Mexican military helicopter Friday in the western state of Jalisco, killing three soldiers, and set fire to buses, blocked roads, and attacked banks and gas stations in a sharp escalation of violence against the government.” This is evidently the handiwork of the New Generation drug cartel.
Minimum wage hike hits San Francisco Comic Store.
When the Social Justice Warriors started attacking the company Protein World over their “Beach Ready” ad campaign, Protein World didn’t cave, they fought back. Result: They earned an additional $1 million in four days.
Not understanding that the Presidency is not an entry level job, and that the Republican field was already packed, Ben Carson joins the Presidential race.
Ditto Carly Fiorina, whose tenure as CEO of Hewlett-Packard was not an unqualified success, and whose 2010 California Senate race lost to Barbara Boxer by 16 points.
And evidently Mike Huckabee is going to run as well.
Texas Democrats are furious that a new ethics bill might keep them from scratching each other’s backs. (Hat tip: Push Junction.)
The Austin American Statesman is moving printing and packing operations to San Antonio and Houston, resulting in about a 100 jobs lost in Austin. Previously. (Hat tip: Dwight.)
Social Justice Warriors can’t even win elections at UCLA.
Austin’s Highland Mall closed on April 30th.
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Austin, Austin American Statesman, Ben Carson, Border Controls, Bosch Fawstin, Carly Fiorina, Charlie Hebdo, Clinton Foundation, Communism, Crime, Democrats, drug lords, Elections, Everytown for Gun Safety, Garland, Garland Shooting, genocide, gun control, Hewlett-Packard, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton Scandals, Holodomor, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Jalisco, Laurence Tribe, LinkSwarm, Media Watch, Mexico, Mike Huckabee, Military, New Generation drug cartel, ObamaCare, Regulation, Republicans, Russia, Texas, Ukraine, Yezidis
Posted in Austin, Border Control, Communism, Crime, Democrats, Economics, Elections, Foreign Policy, Global Warming, Guns, Jihad, Media Watch, Military, ObamaCare, Regulation, Republicans, Social Justice Warriors, Texas, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, May 4th, 2015
The name of the second dead terrorist in the Garland attack has been released. “A federal law enforcement official is confirming the identity of the second gunman in the shooting outside a contest for Prophet Muhammad cartoons as Nadir Soofi, according to AP reporter Eric Tucker in Washington.”
Oh, and the lawyer for Elton Simpson, the first terrorist identified, says that he’s “a devout Muslim.”
Try to contain your shock.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also gets it right the second time, calling the attack a “heinous crime” and stating “We live in a country where the First Amendment is one of the paramount promises of this nation,” Abbott said. “That provides people the ability to speak out to say what they want. Just as people draw cartoons mocking the governor, people may draw cartoons mocking others.”
And here’s the cartoon that won the Draw Mohammed contest:
Tags:Crime, Draw Mohammed Day, Garland, Garland Shooting, Greg Abbott, Jihad, Texas
Posted in Crime, Jihad, Texas | No Comments »
Monday, May 4th, 2015
More details are trickling out about the failed Islamist terror attack on a Mohammed art exhibit being held in Garland:
“A senior FBI official has identified one of the men as Elton Simpson, who was previously the subject of a terror investigation.”
“FBI agents and a bomb squad swarmed Simpson’s apartment in north Phoenix, Arizona and used a robot to carry out the first sweep of his home, the channel reported. Investigators are reviewing computer records from materials found at the home.”
Bruce Joiner, the security guard and Garland ISD officer shot in the incident, has already been released from the hospital.
“A jihadist named as Abu Hussain AlBritani, which SITE said was British IS fighter Junaid Hussain, claimed that ‘2 of our brothers just opened fire’ at the Prophet Muhammad exhibition in Texas.”
“Other ISIS supporters claimed on Twitter that one of the gunmen was a man calling himself Shariah Is Light on the social media site, using the now-suspended account name @atawaakul, according to New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi. He had posted a message earlier that said ‘the bro with me and myself have given bay’ah [oath] to Amirul Mu’mineen [ISIS leader Al Baghdadi]. May Allah accept us as mujahideen #texasattack’.”
Despite some saying “ISIS has claimed responsibility,” I’m not seeing proof that any official ISIS account has claimed responsibility.
From a 10 AM conference by Garland police officer Joe Harn:
There were concerns about security for the Mohammed art event from the very beginning.
Garland police officers worked the event as private security officers (which is quite common), and the event paid an additional $10,000 for security.
Both suspects drove up, got out of their car with assault rifles, and started shooting at police officers outside. The officers returned fire and killed the suspects.
Suspects were evidently wearing body armor.
The first officer who fired put down both suspects, using his duty pistol.
Sounds like the bomb squad used explosives to breach the trunk of the suspects car, but did not find any bombs.
Because of the security plan and perimeter, no one else was hurt in the incident.
Says while others have released the names of suspects, Garland police hasn’t.
They’re working with the FBI.
It will not be a quick investigation.
Some people attending the event were put up in hotels, and still haven’t been able to return to their cars, which are part of the crime scene.
Nothing about motives or terror organization affiliation, which is probably beyond the scope of Garland police.
No forensic results yet, but they may have them by the end of thee day.
Another conference scheduled for 3:30 PM today.
Officer Harn did a good job conveying just what he knew, and refusing to speculate on what he didn’t know.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued the following statement: “Texas officials are actively investigating to determine the cause and scope of the senseless attack in Garland, Texas. This is a crime that was quickly ended thanks to the swift action by Garland law enforcement. Our thoughts and prayers remain with all those affected tonight.”
With all due respect for the governor, this was not a “senseless attack,” it was a premeditated act of Islamic terrorism.
Tags:Crime, Garland, Garland Shooting, Greg Abbott, Jihad, Joe Harn, terrorism, Texas
Posted in Crime, Jihad, Texas | No Comments »
Sunday, May 3rd, 2015
Evidently the suspects had explosives on them.
Organizer Pamela Geller is live-tweeting:
Details as the come out.
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess they weren’t Unitarians…
Update 1: SWAT team is evidently evacuating the conference center and taking people over to a local high school. Ambulances on scene.
Update 2: Two Twitter feeds to follow for the story are Pamela Geller and WFAA reporter Jobin Panicker.
Panicker conveys rumor the two dead suspects were carrying AK-47s. That rumor almost invariably pops up during these types of incidents, but 98% of the time its wrong. But they may have had other MSRs.
Update 3: A nearby Wal-Mart has been closed, and another suspect is reortedly inside with a hand grenade.
Update 4 Evidently SWAT team members were already on site for the exhibit before the shooting started, which shows considerable forward thinking on someone’s part.
Update 4: Reports of Garland ISD policeman also being treated for a non-life threatening gunshot wound:
Unclear whether this is an additional policeman, or if this is the policeman who was initially shot.
Update 5:
Update 6:
Update 7:
Probably more likely than the “third suspect with a grenade” scenario.
Update 8: Not seeing reports of an additional cop shot besides the Garland ISD officer, so I believe that is the only law enforcement officer hit.
Update 9:
Garland’s Twitter feed is here.
Tags:Crime, Draw Mohammed Day, Garland, Jihad, Pamela Geller, Texas
Posted in Crime, Jihad, Texas | 1 Comment »
Thursday, April 30th, 2015
Time for another Texas vs. California roundup, albeit a somewhat smallish one:
UC-Berkley misused nearly $2 million in National Science Foundation funds on staff salaries, travel expenses, and booze.
How California teacher’s unions indoctrinate children with left-wing propaganda.
Thanks to overly generous pension rules, Vallejo may be headed for a second bankruptcy. (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
Eureka, California will be laying off police to pay for pensions. (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
Farmer Brothers coffee roasters is moving from California to Denton. (Previously.)
Jerry Brown has ordered a radical cut in California’s greenhouse gases. Evidently he wants all of California’s manufacturing to move out of state…
Though Texas does a vastly better job than California managing statewide finances, local debt is close to California’s:
Among the top ten most populous states in the nation, local debt in the Lone Star State was the second highest overall, at $219.7 billion. Only California’s local governments had amassed more, at $269.2 billion.
On a per capita basis, local debt in Texas ranked as the second highest ($8,431 owed per person), with only New York in tougher shape ($10,204 owed per person). The average local debt burden among all mega-states was $5,956 owed per person.
So California may use drought bond money to pay for water not for people, but for the Delta Smelt?
West Coast truckers strike over alleged millions in wage theft. You may have gathered that I’m not exactly a pro-union guy, but from what a relative has told me about the trucking industry, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the strikers were fully justified in this instance…
Tags:California, debt, Democrats, environmentalism, Global Warming, Jerry Brown, pension crisis, Texas, unions
Posted in Democrats, Global Warming, Texas, unions, Welfare State | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015
More good news from the Texas legislature: The Texas House has voted to remove jurisdiction over statewide elected and appointed officials from Travis County’s corrupt, partisan Public Integrity Unit. Instead, such investigations would be handled by the unimpeachable Texas Rangers rather than the likes of Ronnie Earl and Rosemary Lehmberg.
It was only a historical fluke that Travis County managed to exercise such authority in the first place, and given the Public Integrity Unit’s willingness to pursue abusive vendettas against Republican political figures such as Tom DeLay and Rick Perry, removing that responsibility was long overdue.
Democrats will no longer be able to get revenge against Republicans from the Travis County prosecutor’s office for what Republicans and voters have done to them at the ballot box over the last two decades…
Tags:Democrats, Republicans, Rick Perry, Ronnie Earle, Rosemary Lehmberg, Texas 84th Legislative Session, Texas Rangers, Tom DeLay, Travis County, Travis County Public Integrity Unit
Posted in Austin, Crime, Democrats, Republicans, Texas | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, April 21st, 2015
House Bill 910, which gives Texas Concealed Handgun License holders the right to open carry, has passed the Texas House. Since the Senate has already passed a version, and Governor Greg Abbott has promised to sign the bill, its all over but the gun grabbers shouting about how it will result in a state-wide bloodbath.
You know, just like happened after concealed carry passed.
Here’s the text of the law.
Tags:CHL, Crime, Guns, open carry, Texas, Texas 84th Legislative Session
Posted in Crime, Guns, Texas | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, April 15th, 2015
Hope you’ve finished your taxes already! Time for another Texas vs. California update:
Detroit and Stockton’s bankruptcies may signal further problems nationwide, says New York Fed President William Dudley. “While these particular bankruptcy filings have captured a considerable amount of attention, and rightly so, they may foreshadow more widespread problems than what might be implied by current bond ratings.”
The Texas senate approves a $211.4 billion biannual budget, which will need to be reconciled with the $209.8 billion House budget. Both budgets offer tax relief, but of different kinds.
The senate also zero funds two rogue agencies the Texas Racing Commission and the Travis County Public Integrity Unit. Expect Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, with deep ties to the gambling industry, to go to the mat to save the Racing Commission.
The Texas senate has also passed signifcant spending limit reform in Senate Bill 9.
CalPERS raises contribution rates by 6%.
California senate OKs yet another restrictive energy policy bill. Yet another in their continuing “Let’s send as much business to Texas as possible” acts…
Los Angeles Unified School District extends lavish employee benefits package another three years, despite existing underfunded liabilities. (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
California sets aside $261 million for cost overruns on its already pricey high speed rail boondoggle.
California’s drought is something environmentalist liberal elites have brought on themselves: “Those who did the most to cancel water projects and divert reservoir water to pursue their reactionary nineteenth-century dreams of a scenic, depopulated, and fish-friendly environment enjoy lifestyles predicated entirely on the fragile early twentieth-century water projects of the sort they now condemn.”
More on the same theme.
San Diego builds a desalinization plant (Hat tip: Moe Lane.)
Central California is already starting to suffer water-related thefts.
In the wake of the Vergara ruling, California Republicans want to overhaul how teachers are hired and fired. Naturally teacher’s unions are opposed…
Judge rules that California must pay for sex change operations for prisoners on Eight Amendment grounds. “To contend that ‘forcing’ a prisoner to continue as a man violates the Constitution is absurd…It is nonsensical to grant imprisoned convicted felons health-care ‘entitlements’ that many law-abiding, hardworking taxpayers don’t enjoy.”
California prostitutes demand prostitution be legalized. You’d think they’d get a sympathetic hearing from California’s Democrat-controlled legislation, what with all they have in common… (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
Stanford student council candidate grilled over Colleging While Jewish. This could go in the regular LinkSwarm, but I noticed that both of these recent incidents took place in California.
Tags:Budget, California, drought, fraud, Joe Straus, Los Angeles Unified School District, Regulation, Texas, Texas Racing Commission, Travis County Public Integrity Unit, unions, Vergara vs. California, waste, water, Welfare State
Posted in Budget, Democrats, Regulation, Texas, unions, Waste and Fraud, Welfare State | No Comments »
Thursday, April 2nd, 2015
Time for another Texas vs. California roundup. The Texas House passed a budget, but I haven’t had a chance to look at it in any detail yet…
Unemployment rates in February: National average is 5.5%, Texas at 4.3%, California at 6.7%.
Even though hiring slowed to 7,100 new jobs in Texas in February, it was still the 53rd straight month of positive job creation, and Texas added 357,300 new jobs over the preceding 12 months.
A report from the Dallas Fed goes into more details.
California institutes mandatory water restrictions due to drought. California is indeed suffering a horrific drought, but it’s imposition of or acquiescence to idiotic environmental restrictions (see also: Delta Smelt) have made things much worse.
Some have proposed free market solutions to California’s water problems.
Workers comp abuse at LAPD/LAFD. (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
Add Richmond, California to the list of cities that have radically underfunded their public employee retirement plans. “The shortfall of $446 million works out to about $4,150 for every city resident.” (Ditto.)
San Bernardino reveals its bankruptcy deal with CalPERS. (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
Volokh the Younger examines the legal framework around the California rule (“not only that public employees are entitled to the pension they’ve accrued by their work so far, but also that they’re entitled to keep earning a pension (as long they continue in their job) according to rules that are at least as generous”), as well as its practical effects:
The California rule distorts what the salary/pension mix would otherwise be, given employer and employee preferences, and given the tax code as it is. Because underfunded pensions are a popular form of deficit spending, public employee compensation may already be too pension-heavy, and the rule makes it more so by freezing pensions in times of retrenchment. The incentive effects of the rule, given the political economy of government employment, may well exacerbate this tendency. And the possible theoretical reasons for preferring a pension-heavy mix don’t go very far in justifying this particular distortion.
California runs out of room on death row. Maybe they could subcontract to Texas…
Fresno’s deputy police chief busted on drug charges.
Tags:Alexander Volokh, California, Fresno, LAFD, LAPD, Los Angeles, pension crisis, Richmond (California), San Bernardino, Texas, unemployment, unions, Welfare State
Posted in Texas, unions, Welfare State | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 1st, 2015
This is one of those rare April Fools jokes that works as both a joke as sound policy:
In tandem with his plan to foster technological innovation at the Texas General Land Office, Commissioner George P. Bush today announced an agencywide ban on the use of the font Comic Sans in all agency documents and correspondence:
“As land commissioner, I am committed to making the GLO a technological leader in state government. While this unrefined font is appropriate for early childhood instruction in our Texas schools, the use of Comic Sans is not befitting when conducting business on key matters concerning the state of Texas. Comic Sans has no place at an agency positioning itself as a technological pioneer.”
And the tell a bit further down:
“Current agencywide substitute font recommendations are Helvetica, Times New Roman, or even Arial,” Elam said. “Any of the standard ones really. Except Papyrus. It’s terribad.”
+
Tags:April Fools, Comic Sans, George P. Bush, terribad, Texas
Posted in Texas, Uncategorized | No Comments »