Posts Tagged ‘Austin’
Wednesday, March 21st, 2018
So ends his reign of terror: The Austin bomber blew himself up real good:
The 24-year-old suspect accused of setting off a string of violent devices in the Austin-area is dead after detonating a device and killing himself, Austin police has confirmed. Austin police are warning the public that there may be other devices out there and to remain vigilant.
The Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said the suspect, identified as a 24-year-old white man, was identified by police in the past 24 hours as a person of interest. The man then became a suspect.
Authorities said they used surveillance video from the FedEx store on Brodie Lane in South Austin to lead them to the suspect, according to KVUE’s Tony Plohetski. Authorities also got information from Google and from the suspect’s computer history that confirmed the suspect was looking at information on where to go to ship devices, according to Plohetski’s sources.
WFAA’s Jason Whitely said law enforcement had identified the suspect at approximately 9 p.m. Tuesday and were closing in on him based on packages he sent from FedEx. Whitely added that police wanted to surprise the man.
Authorities located the vehicle the suspect was known to be driving, and found it at a hotel in Round Rock, Manley said.
Multiple officers from the Austin Police Department and federal agencies took positions around the hotel as they awaited the arrival of tactical teams, Manley said.
The vehicle started to drive away, and authorities followed the suspect. Manley said the suspect’s vehicle stopped in a ditch on the side of the road. As a SWAT team approached the vehicle, the suspect detonated a device, Manley said. The explosion knocked an officer back, causing the officer to suffer minor injuries. Another officer who Manley said has been with the department for 11 years then fired at the vehicle. That officer has been placed on administrative duty, per standard procedure.
The suspect was then confirmed dead. Manley said they are not naming the suspect until next of kin has been notified. KVUE’s Plohetski reports that the suspect is from Central Texas.
Police do not have a motive yet and do not know if the suspect was planning on delivering another bomb at the time of his death.
Manley said at a press conference shortly after the suspect’s death that “it’s been a long almost three weeks,” and this is the culmination of the hard work of multiple agencies.
Chief Manley said they “don’t know where the suspect has been the past 24 hours,” and that there may be other devices out there. The public must remain vigilant and call 911 if they see anything suspicious.
(Hat tip: Ted Cruz’s Facebook feed.)
More details as they occur and when I have time, including some details from the events of yesterday.)
Update: Police have identified the no-deceased Austin bomber as Mark Conditt, 23, of Pflugerville. Not seeing any mention of any radical political or religious affiliation.
Developing…
Update 2: Was he posting to Reddit?
Sounds like an asshole who just wanted to blow things up…
Tags:Austin, bomb, Crime, Mark Conditt, Pflugerville, Round Rock, Texas
Posted in Austin, Crime, Texas | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 20th, 2018
Another bomb exploded in central Texas, this one at a FedEx facility in Schertz near San Antonio:
At least one person has been injured when a package bomb exploded at a FedEx facility near San Antonio in Texas early Tuesday. Federal agents said the incident is likely linked to attacks by a serial bomber that have killed two people in Austin, the Associated Press reported.
The incident happened at about 12:30 a.m. at the FedEx Ground distribution center in Schertz.
The San Antonio Texas Fire Department said a FedEx employee apparently suffered a non-life-threatening “percussion-type” injury from the blast.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI were sent to the scene as well as SWAT and bomb squads from the San Antonio Police Department.
NPR says the package was intended for Austin.
[T]he package was moving from an elevated conveyor belt to a lower section when it exploded,” the television station reports.
It “contained shrapnel consisting of nails and pieces of metal, sources said,” according to the CBS affiliate, which said the Schertz facility has 75 employees.
Developing…
Tags:Austin, Bombing, Crime, San Antonio, Schertz, Texas
Posted in Crime, Texas | No Comments »
Monday, March 19th, 2018
I should have posted about the Austin Mad Bomber story earlier, but I have no more of a clue who’s behind it than anyone else.
A fourth bomb has exploded, injuring two men. As opposed to previous bombings, this one was in southwest Austin, rather than east Austin, and the two victims were white and Hispanic rather than black (the profile of the previous victims).
Wikipedia has an article and a map of the bombings:
If you have any tips on catching the bomber, the reward is now up to $115,000:
Call the Austin Police Department TIPS line at 512-472-TIPS (8477)
Call the Texas Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477)
Text the letters “DPS”- followed by your tip – to 274637 (CRIMES)
Tags:Austin, bomb, Crime
Posted in Austin, Crime | 1 Comment »
Friday, March 9th, 2018
My oldest dog is dying of cancer, which has rather put a crimp in my time and desire to blog, so posting may be a bit sparse for a few days. Enjoy an abbreviated LinkSwarm:
ICE conducts more raids in California. Evidently enforcing federal law is controversial when it conflicts with the Democratic Party’s goals of importing more illegal aliens… (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
The popularity of incumbent Democratic senators up for reelection this year in states Trump won is under water.
China: Colossus or Paper Dragon?
“Sri Lanka Declares Nationwide Emergency After Buddhist-Muslim Clashes.”
Nice one, Brigid at Borepatch:
You’re a passenger in a light plane. Your pilot dies. Can you get the plane safely to the ground? (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
Invasion of the stinkbug swarm. (Hat tip: Ann Althouse.)
Oberlin College “got woke” and now they’re going broke, thanks to declining enrollment and a variety of Social Justice Warrior idiocies, including sexual misconduct showtrials and #BlackLivesMatter pandering. Now they’re complaining that they can’t get a fair trial in their own namesake town because everybody hates them.
Austin American-Statesman sold to GateHouse media for $47.5 million. The sale doesn’t include the land the Statesman building sits on, which is worth considerably more than the newspaper… (Hat tip: Dwight.)
Tags:2018 Election, Austin, Austin American Statesman, Border Controls, California, Democrats, dogs, Elections, LinkSwarm, Oberlin College
Posted in Austin, Border Control, Democrats, Elections, Texas | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, February 28th, 2018
The Twenty-First U.S. Congressional District, the seat held by retiring Republican Lamar Smith, runs from Austin to San Antonio, encompassing much of the western Hill Country. It’s heavily Republican and largely white, though with a significant Hispanic population.
There are no fewer than 13 Republicans candidates for this seat, including a former U.S. Representatives, Ted Cruz’s former chief-of-staff, a State Rep, two previous candidates, and not one but two candidates who are ex-CIA. Also worth noting: The candidate who has the raised the most money so far is a Democrat.
Republican
Ivan A. Andarza: Austin lawyer and a former or current member of several state boards. That suggests and ability to self-fund that might get him into the runoff…in another race. But I don’t see him making headway in this packed race.
Eric Burkhart: Has an interesting history as an ex-CIA agent. But I can’t tell his current job, and thus don’t see an ability to self-fund.
Former U.S. Congressman Francisco “Quico” Canseco: Unseated Ciro Rodriguez for the U.S. 23rd congressional district in the Republican wave year of 2010, and who was unseated in turn in 2012 by Pete Gallego in 2012. (Disclaimer: I donated money to Canseco in 2010, because I perceived (correctly) that he had a good chance to knock off a Democratic incumbent.) However, Canseco’s fundraising doesn’t even show up in the latest report, suggesting he’ll struggle mightily to make the runoff, name recognition or not.
Mauro Garza: Former Director of Grants and Contracts at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. Nothing about his profile or website suggests he’ll be a serious contender.
Foster Hagen: Has a barely-used Facebook page, and his website is missing. So I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest he’s not going to be a factor…
Texas State Rep. Jason Isaac: Normally being a State Rep at least gives you a good shot to get into the runoff, but probably not here. He’s got some good endorsements (including Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian), but nothing the level of Chip Roy’s endorsements. Has raised $203,050, third among Republicans. A chance to make the runoffs, but it appears to be an uphill struggle right now.
Ryan Krause: Not seeing any indication he’ll be a competitive candidate.
Matt McCall: Already run twice for this seat and got clobbered by Lamar Smith both times. Has raised $168,606, which is not trivial, but I don’t think the third time is the charm for him.
Susan Narvaiz: Formerly lost to Lloyd Doggett in the U.S. District 35 race. Lagging in fundraising, I don’t see her making any headway in this race.
William Negley: Another former CIA member, a former member of Kay Baily Hurtchison’s staff, and backed by deep-pocketed businessman Red McCombs, which explains how Negley raked in $307,127, second only to Chip Roy. A serious contender to make the runoff with Chip Roy.
Al Poteet: A veteran and former CEO of Humana Veterans Healthcare Service. Nice hat, but he’s at the very bottom of fundraising for the race.
Autry Pruitt is a black media commentator. Maybe he’s flown below my radar, but seeing that his fundraising doesn’t even register, probably not.
Chip Roy: Ted Cruz’s former chief of staff, who has been endorsed by both Cruz and Rick Perry, has raised $372,574 (the most of any Republican candidate), and the odds-on favorite in the race. It’s possibly that he wins without a runoff, but with so many candidates in the race that seems unlikely.
Jenifer Sarver: Former Kay Bailey Hutchison staffer who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Enough said…
Robert Stovall: Chairman of the Republican Party for Bexar County. Not enough money raised to compete with the heavyweights here.
Samuel Temple. Pro-illegal alien Republican who promises to be “data driven.” Someone needs to tell him that Technocracy peaked in the 1930s…
Peggy Wardlaw: Want to do YouTube videos of your positions in addition to stating them on your website? Fine. Want to do YouTube videos of your positions instead of stating positions on your website? Not fine.
Anthony White: Former Marine Colonel. I couldn’t find a webpage, but his Twitter feed has 24 followers…
Democrats
Derrick Crowe: Former Nancy Pelosi staffer. Has a bunch of endorsements. Has raised $119,392, or less than one-sixth what Joseph Kopser has. A solid chance to make the runoff, but it may be hard for him to overcome Kopser’s fundraising muscle.
Joseph Kopser: At $772,335, he’s raised twice as much as anyone in the race, Republican or Democrat. (Notable donors include game designer Richard Garriott, plus lots of lawyers and CEOs in New York, San Antonio, New York City and Washington, D.C. “Kopser is a U.S. Army veteran and has worked in private industry. Leading up to the 2018 primary election, he was serving as president of the advisory and analytics firm Grayline as well as a member of the Defense Council of the Truman National Security Project. His other professional experience includes serving as the director of Texas Lyceum, a member of the board of directors of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, and the chairman and co-founder of Bunker Labs Austin. Kopser’s military experience includes serving as the department chair and professor of leadership and strategy at Texas Army ROTC and as the special assistant to the Army chief of staff. Kopser spent several years deployed in Iraq. He graduated from Harvard University with his M.P.A. and from the United States Military Academy at West Point with his bachelor’s in aerospace engineering.”
Elliott McFadden: He may have only raised 1/7th what Kopser has, but he’s been endorsed by The Daily Texan and The Austin Chronicle! Yeah, he’s toast.
Mary Wilson: Her about page talks about her love of math. Thanks for playing!
Kopser probably has better chance than Roy of avoiding a runoff, just based on the sheer size of the Republican field. Otherwise, expect a Roy/Negley runoff among Republicans, and Kopser/Crowe runoff for Democrats.
Tags:2018 Election, Al Poteet, Anthony White, Austin, Autry Pruitt, Bexar County, Chip Roy, Democrats, Derrick Crowe, Elliott McFadden, Eric Burkhart, Foster Hagen, Francisco "Quico" Canseco, Ivan A. Andarza, Jason Isaac, Jenifer Sarver, Joseph Kopser, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Mary Wilson, Matt McCall, Mauro Garza, Nancy Pelosi, Peggy Wardlaw, Red McCombs, Republicans, Robert Stovall, Ryan Krause, Samuel Temple, San Antonio, Susan Narvaiz, Ted Cruz, Texas, William Negley
Posted in Austin, Democrats, Elections, Republicans, Texas | No Comments »
Friday, February 23rd, 2018
Another week in which I had zero free time! Enjoy a LinkSwarm, and hopefully I’ll have something a little more substantial next week.
“Officials Identify More Rotherham Victims, Number Up to 1,510.”
Nancy Pelosi wants you to know that keeping more of your own paycheck is “unpatriotic.” (Hat tip: Stephen Green at Instapundit.)
Speaking of Pelosi, just how did she triple her net worth during the financial crisis?
“President Donald Trump’s immigration hard-liners proved [last] Thursday it is possible to win even when the outcome of a battle is, on paper, a draw.”
On a per-capita basis, the United States doesn’t even rank in the top 10 of mass shooting fatalities.
“Florida Shooting Survivor Claims CNN Denied His Questions on School Safety, Provided Scripted Questions.” CNN: Potemkin Village media.
The experience of Israel proves that the NRA is right on school shootings.
“Republicans now sympathize with Israel (as opposed to the Palestinians) by a whopping 52-point margin over Democrats—79 percent to 27 percent—the greatest spread between the two parties in the last 40 years. Republicans have never been more favorably disposed toward Israel, while for Democrats, the opposite holds true.” (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
Remember: When a powerful female liberal Democratic politician sleeps with a married subordinate, it’s different. Because feminism. (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
Also:
Within months of taking office, Mayor Megan Barry recommended the adult daughter of the head of her security detail — the man with whom she later admitted to having an affair — be hired for a job in the city’s legal department.
The daughter got the job.
The position as an entry-level city attorney was the first newly created job in Nashville’s legal department in two years. It was not part of the existing budget. Barry approved the new job opening. No other candidate was considered.
“Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said too many young people do not qualify for military service due in part to obesity and criminal records,” and being too stupid to pass the ASVAB. (Hat tip: Stephen Green at Instapundit.)
Another way in which President Donald Trump is like other recent Republican Presidents: ignoring deficits.
Austin experiences a significant uptick in violent crime since 2013.
Vox lays off 50 people. I didn’t know they even had 50 people to lay off…
Payoffs to college basketball players are widespread.
School enrollment at Evergreen State College drops 18.5%. How’s that “All Social Justice Warrior, all the time” format working out for you?
Billy Graham, RIP.
Boston Dynamics teaches robot to fight back against humans. Joke that follows should be: A.)”, find Sarah Conner,” B.) “What could possibly go wrong?”, or C.) “I for one welcome our new robot overlords!”
UK Kentucky Fried Chickens running out of chicken. Verily the endtimes are upon us…
Tags:Austin, Billy Graham, Budget, CNN, Colin Powell, Crime, deficits, Democrats, Evergreen State College, feminism, Israel, Jihad, Media Watch, Megan Barry, Nancy Pelosi, rape, robots, Rotherham
Posted in Austin, Budget, Crime, Democrats, Guns, Jihad | No Comments »
Friday, February 16th, 2018
This has probably been my busiest February on record. Enjoy a complimentary Friday LinkSwarm, try the waitress and tip the veal:
“It’s doubtful you can find a more succinct example of TDS than a seemingly inebriated Democrat Senator asking the aggregate intelligence apparatus, during a public session of congress, to give specific details of U.S. covert intelligence efforts to thwart Russian, Chinese and North Korean cyber-warfare.” Democratic Senator Jack Reed continues to long, proud tradition of questionable Rhode Island political figures…
In January, the first month under the Trump tax cuts, the federal government pulls in record tax revenues and runs a surplus. (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
“The Genius Of Trump’s Food Stamp Proposal: You’re Not Supposed To Like Being On Welfare.”
Michael Leeden thinks the Islamic Republic of Iran is doomed. (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
Reminder: Everytown’s “school shooting statistics” are pure fabrication.
“Democrats Fleeing Blue States, Infecting Red States With Failed Liberal Disease.” (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
Not only are a new German frigate’s computer systems FUBARed, but the ship can’t even float right.
Wired writer doesn’t understand the difference between “Islamist” and “Muslim.”
“In Wake Of Corruption Trials, Maryland Ponders Disbanding Baltimore Police Department.”
For Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, illegal aliens are more important than bullet-proof vests for officers.
Asian student at Harvard discovers that identity politics is a dead end.
“Stop Trying To Shove Women Into STEM.” “There’s this big push to get girls into STEM — while there’s no commensurate push to get women into oil rig work, no complaints that there aren’t enough women hanging off the back of garbage trucks.” Also:
We’ve recently found that countries renowned for gender equality show some of the largest sex differences in interest in and pursuit of STEM degrees, which is not only inconsistent with an oppression narrative, it is positive evidence against it. Consider that Finland excels in gender equality, its adolescent girls outperform boys in science, and it ranks near the top in European educational performance. With these high levels of educational performance and overall gender equality, Finland is poised to close the sex differences gap in STEM. Yet, Finland has one of the world’s largest sex differences in college degrees in STEM fields. Norway and Sweden, also leading in gender equality rankings, are not far behind. This is only the tip of the iceberg, as this general pattern of increasing sex differences with national increases in gender equality is found throughout the world.
Moron thinks poor people are too stupid to cook food.
Do you need carbs for Thyroid health? Science says no.
Cool. (Hat tip: Borepatch.)
Texas Democratic state Rep. Dawnna Dukes’ campaign is more than $700,000 in debt due to legal fees from the (now dropped) felony charges against her. And she’s running for reelection.
Bill Crider, RIP.
Setting ablaze a giant matchsphere.
Every book I bought in the last half of last year.
Tags:Atkins, Austin, Baltimore, Border Controls, Crime, Dawnna Dukes, Democrats, Everytown for Gun Safety, feminism, Foreign Policy, Germany, Guns, Harvard, Iran, Jack Reed, Jihad, Maryland, Michael Leeden, Military, Obituary, Sally Hernandez, Social Justice Warriors, Tax Reform, technology, Texas, Travis County, welfare, Welfare State
Posted in Austin, Border Control, Crime, Democrats, Foreign Policy, Guns, Jihad, Military, Social Justice Warriors, Texas, Welfare State | No Comments »
Friday, January 19th, 2018
This morning starts with Republican house members calling for the release of a deeply disturbing secret memo that evidently relates to the whole FISA/Clinton/Obama misuse of America’s national security assets to spy on Domestic political opponents, including Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign. House members who have read the memo say the scandal unveiled is “worse than Watergate.” Those reading this blog should already be broadly familiar with the outlines of the scandal.
However, since that memo hasn’t been released as of this writing, on with a regular Friday LinkSwarm.
Oh, and Democrats are still threatening a government shutdown over illegal alien amnesty for Obama’s “Dreamers.” So you’ve got that to look forward to as well.
Speaking of “Dreamers” (which, by the way, is also the name of a porn store in north Austin), illegal aliens of “Dreamer” age have a crime rate double that of American citizens.
Including the accused cop killer who says he “wish he killed more of the motherfuckers.”
“Analysis: Leftism is a status machine. A very, very successful status machine. Conservatives have lost status battle after status battle, often because they fought it as a policy battle. It rarely is.”
The media offers people clues about what things are high status within the areas they cover. People notice, and act accordingly. Yet most conservatives still don’t understand Trump’s response:
If I lower the media’s status, I will wreck their power.
So The Donald says that the media has “some of the most dishonest people” he has ever seen. Not an arm’s length complaint. A direct and personal status attack, rooted in truth.
Trump also acts in ways that cause journalists to fulfill his pre-suasion labeling. He makes “outrageous” statements, which many people outside the Beltway Bubble agree with. Those statements receive over-the-top media attacks, which make his enemies look ridiculous. Then events swiftly show that Trump had a point. Trump rubs it in, using the media’s own “Fake News” term against them and pouncing on every sloppy and dishonest mistake. As a final topper, Trump makes the dishonest media a focus during every massive rally. Which strengthens his out-grouping effect among participants and viewers.
He uses ridicule and lèse majesté, not bended knee and appeals — note that subordinating word — to logical argument.
Jim Goad offers a brief essay on comparative shitholes:
In terms of life expectancy, Norway leads the pack at 81.8 years. Then comes the USA (79.3), with a sudden drop to 63.5 years for Haitians and a mere 55.0 years for Somalians.
Norway also wins the blue ribbon when it comes to per-capita income, which is a staggering 38 times that of Haitians and 173 times that of Somalians.
The noble Norsemen also win when it comes to their nation’s mean IQ, which is 100 compared to the USA’s 98. Somalia (68) and Haiti (67) both suffer a mean IQ that is below the commonly accepted cutoff line for “retarded.”
The only category where the USA comes out on top is the percentage of the population with access to improved sanitation facilities—one index claims that 100% of Americans can find a functional toilet if they try. Next comes Norway at 98.1%. Haiti (27.6%) and Somalia (23.5%) are far, far worse. According to Wikipedia, “Sewer systems and wastewater treatment are nonexistent” in Haiti, which would mean the country is a literal shithole.
Andrew McCarthy goes into great detail about what a nothingburger the entire Trump-Russia conspiracy fantasy is. Though larded up with the requisite National Review distaste for Trump, it does include a few valuable nuggets I hadn’t chanced across heretofore, including that the law firm of BakerHostetler was who was funneling payments from Natalia Veselnitskaya and Prevezon Holdings to Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson. (Hat tip: Ann Althouse.)
Is Sweden contemplating sending the army to regain control over no-go zones?
Democratic Senator Patty Murray’s office: “We don’t care about anti-Semitism in this office,” Murray’s senior adviser said. “We care about transgenders, we care about blacks, we care about Hispanics, we care about gays, we care about lesbians, we care about the disabled.”
“Switzerland Rejects Citizenship Bids of Residents Who Have Been on Welfare.” (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
Speaking of which: “Swiss town denies passport to Dutch vegan because she is ‘too annoying.'”
Why hasn’t power been restored to Puerto Rico? Maybe because Puerto Rican authorities were hoarding bital electrical equipment?
Austin on finalist list for Amazon’s second headquarters.
Baltmore’s mayor fires the police commissioner.
Dear Millennials: It has been scientifically proven that your music sucks.
East Coast Comicon bans Kevin “Hercules” Sorbo because he’s friends with Sean Hannity.
Dolores O’Riordan, the lead singer for The Cranberries, dead at the untimely age of 46.
Former Senator, Republican Majority leader, Presidential candidate and World War II veteran Bob Dole just received the Congressional Gold Medal. Best tweet from the event:
Gonna pass on the expedited shipping, thanks.
A little light today, but I want to hit publish on this before that memo drops…
Tags:Amazon, Andrew McCarthy, Austin, Bob Dole, Border Controls, Crime, Democrats, Donald Trump, Fusion GPS, Glenn Simpson, Jim Goad, LinkSwarm, Norway, Obama Scandals, Patty Murray, Puerto Rico, Social Justice Warriors, Somalia, Switzerland, Texas, vegans
Posted in Austin, Border Control, Crime, Democrats, Obama Scandals, Social Justice Warriors, Texas | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 17th, 2018
It’s been a few month since the administration of the University of Texas came up with a really bad idea, so naturally they were ready to latch on to a doozy (accepting propaganda money from Communist China) until Ted Cruz made them back off:
After months of internal uproar and a letter from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the University of Texas at Austin has declared its China center will not accept funding from a Hong Kong-based foundation that the Republican from Texas said helps spread Chinese government propaganda abroad.
The decision – first reported in an article in the “Opinions” section of The Washington Post – was disclosed in a letter sent Friday from UT-Austin President Greg Fenves to Cruz.
The school must “ensure that the receipt of outside funding does not create potential conflicts of interest or place limits on academic freedom and the robust exchange of ideas,” Fenves wrote. “I am concerned about this if we were to accept funding from [the foundation].”
The week before, Cruz had written to Fenves to “express concern” about UT-Austin’s new China center’s relationship with the China-United States Exchange Foundation – a “pseudo-philanthropic foundation,” Cruz wrote, that has ties to an arm of the Chinese government that manages “foreign influence operations.”
In his letter, dated Jan. 2, Cruz wrote he’d heard that the UT-Austin center was considering a partnership with the foundation. Launched around the start of the fall semester, the China Public Policy Center was charged with making “fresh and enduring contributions to the study of China-related policy topics while advancing U.S.-China relations and Texas-China relations,” according to a UT news release.
Its executive director, David Firestein, was formerly a U.S. diplomat and senior vice president at the EastWest Institute. He forwarded requests for comment to a university spokesman.
Cruz said in his letter that he was worried about the center’s collaboration with the foundation and that it would disseminate “propaganda within the center and compromise its credibility.” The same concerns were raised in emails circulated on an internal UT-Austin faculty e-mail list in December, just four months after the China center launched.
An ugly spat played out in one email exchange obtained by The Texas Tribune, with several faculty members voicing or agreeing with concerns about the center’s activities and funding from the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation. One lengthy email suggested an event held by the China center in November was infused with propaganda, and said it had upset students and led some to send concerned emails to the dean.
UT’s scheme would be far from the first time a western university accepted money from a brutal foreign dictator, but it would be an unnecessary and cringe-worthy example. Good for Ted Cruz getting them to slam on the brakes.
(Hat tip: Cahnman’s Musings.)
(And yes, I realize I just used an emoji in a headline. Come spring I’ll surely explain it away as cabin fever brought about by #Icepocalypse2018…)
Tags:Austin, China, China-United States Exchange Foundation, David Firestein, Foreign Policy, Greg Fenves, Ted Cruz, University of Texas
Posted in Austin, Communism, Foreign Policy | No Comments »
Saturday, October 28th, 2017
“Travis County prosecutors dropped all of the remaining charges against longtime state Rep. Dawnna Dukes on Monday, bringing an end to a legal soap opera that could have put the lawmaker behind bars.”
Snip.
“Moore pinned the case’s collapse on conflicting statements given by Steve Adrian, a top official in the Texas House, who had told prosecutors that travel to the Capitol was required to earn the per-diem payments but later recanted in a statement to Dukes’ lawyers.”
This is odd, as a most of the charges against Dukes had nothing to do with the per diem abuse issue.
(Hat tip: Dwight.)
Tags:Austin, corruption, Crime, Dawnna Dukes, Democrats, Travis County
Posted in Austin, Crime, Democrats | 3 Comments »