Posts Tagged ‘Austin’

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Travis County Gun Show Ban Shot Down, Stuffed, and Mounted on the Wall

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

Today law-abiding gun owners declared total victory over the gun-grabbing plans of the Travis County Commissioner’s Court:

Travis County Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to reverse course on a proposal that would have banned gun shows from county facilities.

Commissioners also agreed to honor an existing contract for nine more gun shows at the Exposition Center.

“I take very seriously the idea of abiding by the law. State law prevents this court from doing much of anything on this issue,” Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt said.

I think it’s great that Travis County Commissioners are actually concerned about obeying the law. Maybe the could spread that attitude to certain other officeholders.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and the NRA-ILA a large share of credit for derailing this very bad idea, as do Dwight and all the other gun owners who stood up and made their voices heard,

Hopefully the gun-grabbers on the Austin City Council will take the hint.

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Posted in Austin, Guns, Regulation, Texas | No Comments »

Murderer in a Coma. I Know It’s Serious.

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

Hey, remember Convicted murderer, Democratic fundraiser, and accused heroin dealer Amado Pardo?

He’s been released to hospice care, According to his attorney, he’s “not been mentally responsive since December. ” Hmmmm. Maybe. I’m remembering all those sick gangsters suddenly coming down with an amazing array of ailments in Casino.

Also: “On Thursday, Pardo’s wife Amanda Pardo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. She has not yet been sentenced.

Interestingly, a “Tish Pardo” commented on the previous post:

Have you ever heard the saying “don’t judge a person unless you’ve walked a mile in their shoes”? You are very quick to judge Mayo apparently you have all of the “facts”. Yes he’s a convicted murderer, do you know the circumstances? Do you care to hear them? He may not have made the best choices, but he was a good man. He did his time for the murder convictions, you know what the problem is with society? They don’t let people change their lives for the better. If you’ve been convicted of a crime you might as well be a leper. Mayo employed people no one else would, he expected them to work to earn their pay, he helped people. Im not saying he’s a saint, but he used his abilities to help others and give back to the community. A convicted felon turned pillar of the community and here you are degrading him and his accomplishments because of his past.Well, his future is on the rocks because of what people think they know, law enforcement has the word of one man/woman and a lot of circumstantial evidence. But go ahead

It’s a very special type of pleading indeed that includes the phrase “Yes, he’s a convicted murderer.” Perhaps Ms. Pardo could comment below on how Amado Pardo is innocent of the heroin distribution charges, despite his wife having plead guilty to the same crime…

(Subject line hattip.)

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Posted in Austin, Crime, Democrats, Texas | 1 Comment »

LinkSwarm for 1/11/13

Friday, January 11th, 2013

Between work and the TPPF Policy Orientation, it’s going to be a busy day, so here’s a quick Friday LinkSwarm:

  • How bad did you think 2012’s economy was? Guess what? It was even worse than you thought.
  • Profile of Jim DeMint’s replacement, new South Carolina Senator Tim Scott: “One of the most threatening places to be in politics is a black conservative…there are so many liberals who want to continue to reinforce a stereotype that doesn’t exist about America. That somehow, some way, if you’re a Republican you’re a racist and if you’re black, there’s no chance for you in society.”
  • Phil Gramm on how wind subsidies screw up the economy.
  • Obama played Ed Koch for a schmuck.
  • George Will on why Republicans should push for a balanced budget amendment. “No politically conceivable or economically feasible middle-class tax rate can fund the entitlement state.”
  • Obama doesn’t think he has a spending problem, just like Lindsay Lohan doesn’t think she has a drinking problem.
  • A story of fake job shenanigans from a government employment center. “We were used by a bogus company to rake in funding by the state. It’s like a full blown industry here to pass around jobless people and keep them from getting real jobs.”
  • 35 years ago, the Chicago Sun-Times exposed the city’s corruption in the Mirage tavern series. Does anyone think Chicago is any less corrupt today? Why don’t they have the balls to do something like that now? (Hat tip: Dwight.)
  • I think Bloomberg just hates people.
  • Washington is booming on your money.
  • The homeless are responsible for 35% of downtown Austin’s violent crime.

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    Posted in Austin, Budget, Crime, Democrats, Foreign Policy, Texas, Waste and Fraud, Welfare State | No Comments »

    The Elephant Joins the Party

    Thursday, January 10th, 2013

    Dwight and I were out front on opposing the Travis County/Austin gun show ban, but now the 800 pound gorilla has climbed on the bandwagon, with the NRA-ILA sending out a notice to members to oppose the gun show ban. I think they may have a wee bit more reach than we do…

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    Posted in Austin, Regulation, Texas | No Comments »

    Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming

    Wednesday, January 9th, 2013

    Dwight has now put up even more extensive contact information for Austin City Council and Travis County bigwigs, complete with linkable, clickable goodness, providing a more efficient way to express your displeasure over the proposed gun show ban.

    Also, here’s Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson debating a gun grabber on the subject:

    And here’s a KXAN piece on the issue, including the Abbott news I put up yesterday. Notice how the writer ends with “Both Biscoe and Eckhardt are Democrats. Abbott is a Republican.” Funny that no news outlet felt the need to mention the political affiliation of these seeking gun control (including Ed Scruggs, the Travis County resident initially reported as seeking such a ban, who also happens to be the founder of Circle C Democrats) until a Republican got involved in opposing them.

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    Posted in Austin, Guns, Regulation, Texas, video | No Comments »

    Attorney General Abbott: Austin & Travis County Better Expect “Double-Barreled Lawsuit” Over Gun Show Ban

    Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

    Over on my Twitter account, I asked Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott about Austin and Travis County’s proposed gun show ban in light of LG.229.

    This is what he put up:

    If Austin or Travis Co. try to ban gun shows they better be ready for a double-barreled lawsuit.

    Now, a Twitter post hardly comes to the level of an official press release from the Attorney General’s office, but it does represent a shot across the bow of Austin and Travis County gun grabbers who think they can flout state law without consequences.

    Finally, I must admit that I really dig Abbott’s Twitter background:

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    Posted in Austin, Guns, Regulation, Texas | 2 Comments »

    Austin Gun Show Ban Update: What Dwight Said

    Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

    I was going to do an update on the proposed Austin/Travis County gun show ban, but Dwight has already hit the highlights.

    Quick tl:dr summary:

  • Travis County Commissioners discussed the ban, but didn’t vote on it.
  • They’re going to have an “executive” (i.e. closed) session with their attorney.
  • Houston tried to pull a similar stunt and ended up paying $50,000+ in legal fees.
  • Dwight has added fax numbers so people from 1987 can voice their displeasure as well.

    • If you live in Travis County, I’d advise you to call, email, and writer your County Commissioner/City Councilman, if you haven’t already.

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    Posted in Austin, Democrats, Guns, Texas | 1 Comment »

    (Austin City Council is) Breaking the Law, Breaking the Law

    Monday, January 7th, 2013

    I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but the SuperGeniuses on the Austin City Council (along with allies among the Travis County apparatchiks) have gotten it into their heads that it’s just a swell idea to ban gun shows within the city and county limits. Because I’m sure so many criminals are buying their guns legally at a gun show. (Hint: NICS is not, in fact, a misspelling of that TV show with the hot Goth chick.)

    Over at Whipped Cream Difficulties, Dwight has taken the bull by the horns, and provided not only a list of reasons why that’s a really bad idea, but a list of contract addresses for City Council critters, allowing those of you who live within the limits of the City of Austin (I don’t) a chance to express your extremely displeasure with this noxious and ill-advised gun-grabbing regulatory gambit.

    Oh wait, did I say noxious and ill-advised? Add to that one more adjective: illegal.

    As Dwight notes, a gun show ban “will expose the city to legal action under section 229 of the Texas local government code.” Let’s take a look at 229, shall we? The relevant portion states:

    (a) Notwithstanding any other law, including Section 43.002 of this code and Chapter 251, Agriculture Code, a municipality may not adopt regulations relating to:

    (1) the transfer, private ownership, keeping, transportation, licensing, or registration of firearms, ammunition, or firearm supplies

    Now, I’m not a simple country lawyer (or a simple hyperchicken from a backwoods asteroid, either), but banning gun shows sounds precisely like adopting regulations pertaining to the transfer of guns to me.

    Much smarter than your average Austin City Counci Critter

    They’d have done better listening to this, er, guy.

    It’s like the entire Austin City Council parading through the center of the state capitol wearing KICK ME signs. And the state legislature just might take them up on it.

    On the other hand, if The People’s Republic of Austin is foolish enough to push this through, I’m sure there are venues in Williamson County that would love to have that business…

    (Subject line hat-tip)

    Email and Phone Numbers: Let Them Know What You Think of Their Illegal Gun-Show Banning Ploy

    Thanks to Dwight, here’s some contact information for Travis County officials, who are evidently voting Tuesday:

  • Judge Samuel T. Biscoe (512) 854-9555 Sam.Biscoe@co.travis.tx.us
  • Ron Davis (512) 854-9111 ron.davis@co.travis.tx.us
  • Sarah Eckhardt (512) 854-9222 sarah.eckhardt@co.travis.tx.us
  • Gerald Daugherty (512) 854-9333 Gerald.Daugherty@co.travis.tx.us
  • Margaret Gomez (512) 854-9444 Margaret.Gomez@co.travis.tx.us

    • And Austin City Council Critters:

  • Lee Leffingwell 512-974-2250 lee.leffingwell@ci.austin.tx.us
  • Sheryl Cole 512-974-2266 sheryl.cole@ci.austin.tx.us
  • Chris Riley 512-974-2260 chris.riley@ci.austin.tx.us
  • Mike Martinez 512-974-2264 mike.martinez@ci.austin.tx.us
  • Kathie Tovo 512-974-2255 kathie.tovo@ci.austin.tx.us
  • Laura Morrison 512-974-2258 laura.morrison@ci.austin.tx.us
  • Bill Spelman 512-974-2256 bill.spelman@ci.austin.tx.us

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    Posted in Austin, Crime, Democrats, Guns, Texas | 6 Comments »

    UT Evacuated Due to Bomb Threat

    Friday, September 14th, 2012

    The University of Texas has evacuated campus due to a possibly Jihad-related bomb threat.

    At 8:35 a.m. the university received a call from a male with a middle eastern accent claiming to have placed bombs all over campus. He said he was with Al Qaeda and these bombs would go off in 90 minutes.

    Well, it’s two hours later and no boom. There’s a 99% chance this is an empty threat, since it’s always easier to pick up a phone than to actually make a bomb, as severald dead members of the weather underground can attest.

    A similar threat was made at North Dakota State at Fargo.

    Updated to add: bomb threat also made at Valparaiso University. UT still still under evacuation warning.

    Updated to add 2: UT classes cancelled today and all events cancelled until 5 PM. Buildings can be re-entered as of noon.

    Updated to add 3: Add Hiram College in Ohio to list of schools receiving bomb threats. Pretty obscure for Jihadests. Maybe just copycats.

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    Posted in Austin, Jihad, Texas | 2 Comments »

    Amado Pardo: Murderer, Restaurateur, Heroin Dealer, Democratic Fundraiser

    Monday, July 9th, 2012

    Dwight has been all over the story of Amado “Mayo” Pardo, owner of South Austin Mexican restaurant Joviata’s, who just happens to be a two-time convicted murderer (a third murder charge was dropped as part of a plea bargain for the first) and the accused leader of a heroin-dealing ring.

    He’s also a noted fundraiser for the Democratic Party.

    I have not been able to find any direct political donations at the state or national level for Pardo (and the Travis County website doesn’t seem to have a way to search for individual donations, only rank upon rank of PDFs), but Jovita’s seems to have been the site for numerous liberal and Democratic fundraising events:

  • Democratic Candidate for Travis County Tax Assessor Collector Candidate Bruce Elfant had a fundraiser there May 15, 2012
  • An event benefiting PODER (People Organized in Defense of Earth) was held there April 26, 2012.
  • Democratic Candidate for Sheriff John Sisson had a fundraiser there March 27, 2012.
  • The “Million Musicians March for Peace” had a pre-march event there March 4, 2012.
  • The Travis County Democratic Party had a fundraiser there October 19, 2008.
  • The Texans for Peace group had a fundraiser there June 7, 2008.
  • Far-left anti-war group Code Pink had a fundraiser there June 1, 2008.
  • The Statesman article mentions fundraisers for Democratic State Representative candidate David Rodriguez.

    • There are more, but you get the idea. If these people were just renting Jovita’s as a venue, fine and dandy. But if they were specifically approaching Pardo to hold fundraisers for them, perhaps a bit more due diligence was in order on the part of the Austin Democratic establishment? The Austin Chronicle named him “Mayor of South Austin” in 2009. Here’s their profile of him, also from 2009, in which discusses his reading Marx and his love for Cesar Chavez, but omits his two murder convictions. How could he spend two decades hob-nobbing with Austin’s liberal community and no one bothered to find out that not only did he have two murder raps, but the FBI believes he had been dealing heroin for 25 years?

    Of course, Pardo hasn’t been convicted. Instead of a heroin-dealing convicted murderer and liberal activist, he may only be a convicted murderer and liberal activist…

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    Posted in Austin, Crime, Democrats, Texas | 3 Comments »

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