Expat Texan

Professional victim wants to kick John Wheelers ass for being so racially insensitive.

I guess even politically correct idiocy comes in a Texas size, as well.

I’m hunting wabbits gophers pocket gophers.  More correctly, Richardson’s ground squirrels.  I’ve tried non-lethal ways to get rid of them - to no avail.  So, it’s trapping time.

First, you gotta have something to probe with.  You move back and forth between the mounds, poking the ground, until you feel a sudden “drop” when you poke the tunnel.  Then you use a spade/trowel to excavate down to the tunnel and clear the debris as best as possible.

You have to clear enough to place 2 traps - 1 facing each direction, into the tunnel system.   You want to wear gloves to keep from leaving too much human scent around.

These are called black hole traps.  The are spring loaded with a wire that snaps up with a lot of force when triggered.  These traps are shown in place in the tunnel system, ready to be covered up.

The final step is to cover up the excavation - you can’t have any extraneous light entering into the burrow, or the mole gopher won’t enter.  One of these little buggers can destroy up to 10 square meters of lawn/flowebed/garden.  They eat grubs and earthworms - but do an incredible amount of damage in the process.  I’m not a fan of poisons - they enter the foodchain and can kill birds, coyotes, even pet dogs if they find the dead squirrel.  There are other methods that can have some less than desireable side effects as well.

This time back at my “academic” job - in beautiful Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Not my cup of tea, but a part of Texas History none the less.

Gompers had suffered from diabetes, heart failure and renal failure for nearly a year. He collapsed in Mexico City on Saturday, December 6, 1924 while attending a meeting of the Pan-American Federation of Labor.[5] His condition was recognized as critical and that he might not survive for long. Gompers expressed the desire to die on American soil, and he was placed aboard a special train and sped toward the border. His condition improved slightly as the train reached lower altitudes, but a doctor reported Gompers was still likely to die. The train reached San Antonio, Texas, on the evening of December 12.

At least to us Texans.  In San Antonio for a meeting - where you know what took place.

As children, this was the game we played.  Not cops and robbers, not cowboys and indians, but the Alamo.  No one ever wanted to be the Mexican army - the game wasn’t about winning, but about dying like we thought a Texan should.  Sure, we improvised a bit - dirt clod hand grenades and the like - but the point wasn’t historical accuracy - the point was that we were Texans - and that’s all that mattered.

Another seminal event in the formation of the Republic and Texas and the psyche of Texans was the battle (and massacre) of Goliad.

These events lead to the battle cries of “Remember the Alamo” and “Remember Goliad” when the outnumbered Texas army crushed the Mexican forces at San Jacinto - earning Texas its independence. General (and President of Mexico) Santa Anna was found hiding among his men - trying to pass himself off as a common soldier. Rather than execute him for the murder of the surrendering Texans at Goliad, a wounded Sam Houston spared his life - and used Santa Anna as leverage to end the war.  Santa Anna signed the Treaties of Velasco - which the Mexican government refused to honor when they declared that Santa Anna was no longer the President of Mexico.  The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American war of 1846, made into law the land rights originally outlined in the treaties of Velasco.

A plaque on the San Jacinto Monument reads:

“Measured by its results, San Jacinto was one of the decisive battles of the world. The freedom of Texas from Mexico won here led to annexation and to the Mexican War, resulting in the acquisition by the United States of the States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. Almost one-third of the present area of the American nation, nearly a million square miles of territory, changed sovereignty.”

This is, of course, the land that La Raza feels was “stolen” from Mexico, and that Absolut vodka decided to use in a  “Reconquista” ad campaign.

I don’t know how the citizens of those other states feel about just handing it back - but I’m pretty sure how Texans feel.  Remember the Alamo.  Remember Goliad.

The Flags of  the Republic of Texas

One of the great tragedies of living in Calgary is the fact that there is no good Tex-Mex food to be had.  There are a few Mexican restaurants, but no Tex-Mex.  Similarly, the grocery stores have an appalling lack of ingredients for making your own.  Now, I realize I can’t expect the same level of choices that I had in Texas, but give me SOMETHING.  One of the things I miss the most is a good Picante.  All of the Picantes and Salsas I can buy here are too mild and too chunky.  If I want huge chunks of tomato and bell pepper - I would eat a salad.  Plus, who the hell puts bell pepper in a salsa?  To add insult to injury - Canadians are apparently not allowed to eat any commercially made salsa over “medium” hotness - perhaps by governmental decree out of concern for their sensitive palates.  So, I will share with you my recipe for a real Texas Picante sauce.  It is not chunky - it is meant to be a true SAUCE - eat in with chips, pour on a burrito, whatever.  It is spicy - hot enough to make your nose run, but still deliciously edible.  However - if you’re a native Canadian and have only eaten the crap available to you in stores, you should start slow.  This stuff may kill you otherwise.

Texas Picante Recipe:

20 Jalapeno peppers

4 Habanero peppers (optional - will ramp up the heat quickly)

4-6 White Onions (Sweet onions like Vidalia are the best, but not always available in Canada).

2-3 Large cans of crushed tomatoes (depends on how thick/hot you want your picante).  You can blanch, peel, and crush your own if so inclined.

2 cans tomato paste

2T ground Cumin

1C Sugar

2C White Vinegar

4-5 Cloves minced Garlic

4T Chili Powder (Chili - NOT Cayenne, unless you want insane hotness - which is better achieved with the fresh habaneros)

1T Salt

Preparation:

Chop the peppers and onions to desired consistency.  I like mine fairly fine, so chop in a food processor.  Only use the Habaneros if you really want hot salsa - otherwise stick to jalapenos.  You can decrease the number of peppers to fit your taste.  Wimp.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-1.5 hours.  Place in sterilized canning jars, and process in boiling water for 15 minutes (or in pressure cooker for 5 mins at 10psi).  Makes ~10 pints, depending on number of jalapenos and cans of crushed tomatoes you used.  Should be thick but not chunky to be a true picante sauce (in my humble opinion).

One of my favorite lurking places on the web is Homesick Texan. Her recipe for an interesting sounding salsa here, the only way nachos should ever be made is here.  Great recipes, good old Texas cooking, and photos that make me want to either charter a flight home or cry.  I spent 14 years in New York City - and what passes for Mexican and Barbeque there is pretty limited.  But not as limited as Calgary - don’t even get me started about Calgarian barbeque.

We don’t need no stinking evidence.

There is no evidence that Relators have allowed or are going to allow any of their minor female children to be subjected to any sexual or physical abuse. There is simply no evidence specific to Relators’ children at all except that they exist, they were taken into custody at the Yearning For Zion ranch, and they are living with people who share a “pervasive belief system” that condones underage marriage and underage pregnancy.

Everything should be done to protect children from harm and predation.  But law enforcement shouldn’t get to make frivoulous claims about non-existent abuse to break the law - especially when they are unable to find the “anonymous” caller - a caller who may have a history of making false claims. I suspect the Great State of Texas may have some serious explaining, and paying, to do before this is all over.

At least inCalgary.  My folks are here visiting, so not too much time for posting my erudite musings.  Those of you who wonder why I’m allowed access to the interwebs, rejoice in my hiatus!

Because of a prank call by a disturbed woman?

The document released today shows Swinton had an extensive record in Colorado Springs of posing as a troubled teen and making false claims. The affidavit connects Swinton to several reports that alerted Colorado Springs officials.

The document links Swinton to calls made throughout October from a “Dana Anderson.” The caller claimed to be a young woman being abused by her pastor at Colorado Springs’ New Life Church, and later as a 13-year-old student at Liberty High School who said she was being drugged and sexually abused by her father.

Now, not trying to be an advocate for a polygamist sect in the Great State of Texas (yes, it’s all capitalized) - but to yank those kids away raid style without any due process is a bit disturbing.  I suppose we should just be happy that Janet Reno wasn’t involved in this Texas compound raid.

On April 19, 1993, Attorney General Janet Reno gave the FBI permission to flush the Davidians out of their residence. FBI agents used tanks to smash holes in the walls of the building and then sprayed tear gas into the residence. Agents also used hand-held grenade launchers to fire more than 350 “ferret” rounds into the windows of the building, but none of the Davidians obeyed the FBI’s command to exit the residence. A fire then broke out, and 76 Davidians, including 27 children, perished.