Charlie Strong's post-UTEP/pre-Cal Monday Press Conference

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
Galatians 6:9

Good stuff here:



Highlights:

• "Buchele did an outstanding job again."
• "Week by week, game by game...he continues to improve."

• "It's going to be a challenge for us being on the road for the first time."

• "Sterling and the offensive staff are doing an unbelievable job."

• "When you have competition it forces guys to execute."

• "The whole attitude has changed."

• "The defense knows that the offense is going to take the ball and go score...and our offense feels good that the defense can go out there and stop 'em."

• Jerrod Heard: "Brings energy to the whole team."

• "All of our starters will be back for this week."

• Penalties: "VERY concerned."
• "The penalties are really costing us."
• "We've got to...be a more disciplined football team."
• If guys get a penalty during games "they're gonna run for it."
• Author's Note: They got much better on the penalty front over the course of last season, so there's a precedent here.

• Buchele: "Is just so calm."
• "The teammates, they respect him so much."
• He treats every one of his teammates like equals.
• "He never makes it about himself."

• Defense: "It's always about stopping the run."
• Cal game: "It's about yards after the catch."
• Can't allow penalties to extend drives.

• Cal game: "You're taking a young team into a hostile environment."
• "We're going to have to play unbelievable defense...you can take the crowd out of the game with unbelievable defense."
• "This is a business trip and you need to treat it like a business trip."

• Watch "how the receivers take over now."

• This is going to be Cal's first home game.

• Cal threw the ball 68 times last week.
• Author's Note: All the more reason for Texas to establish the run game.

• Running back: "You're going to see all three of them."
• Foreman, Warren, and Kyle Porter.

• "We need to get turnovers."

Christian runs for Community College trustee seat; Austin Chronicle LOSES ITS EVERLOVING MIND!!!

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
1 Peter 5:8

This is great; from the Austin Chronicle two weeks ago:

Place 9 was a different matter. That seat wasn't scheduled for an election until 2018, but 22-year incumbent Allen Kaplan decided to step down with two years left on his term. Due to the timing of when the board formally accepted his departure, while there was still time to add the race to the Nov. 8 ballot, the filing deadline had to be extended to Aug. 25. 

.... 

Then the race got even more politically convoluted when a fourth name entered the race: Jeremy Story, president of evangelical advocacy group Campus Renewal, and a board member on the Executive Committee of America's National Prayer Committee. 

So Place 9 went from not being on the ballot this year, to a loaded ballot containing a seat-switching incumbent, a progressive activist, an established Williamson County official, and a crusader for religion on campus.

It gets better; Austin Chronicle last week:

After the normal introductions from the four candidates – businessman Jeremy Story, ACC student and staffer Julie Ann Nitsch, former Cedar Park Mayor Pro Tem Mitch Fuller, and current Place 6 holder Guadalupe "Lupe" Sosa – the audience questions began, and an icy chill descended. Former ACC AFT president Marshall Bennett told Story that he admired him for having the bravery to turn up, but that was where the compliments ended. Bennett rounded on Story for his leadership role at Campus Renewal, an evangelical group pledged to getting religion into higher education, and hammered him on issues such as his commitment to abstinence-only sex education.

We've never met or talked to Jeremy Story (though his name does sound vaguely familiar), but demonstrating a clear ability to get under the Austin Chronicle's skin is a good way to start any campaign.

This being higher ed, we'd need to hear a lot more about his positions on issues related to bureaucracy, property taxes, and tuition before we could support him...but we like what we've seen so far!

Bottom Line: The Austin Community College district includes all of Bastrop, Blanco, Caldwell, Hays and Travis counties and most of Williamson.  This race WILL go to a mid-December runoff.  Draw the logical conclusion after reading those two sentences.

TPPF releases Legislator's guide to 85th #TXLEGE....

"He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life."
Ezekiel 33:5

Whatever happens next session, they can't say they weren't warned:

A comprehensive guide to the most important issues facing Texas during the 85th Session of the Legislature. Among the issues covered in this Guide are education, taxes and spending, health care, effective justice, private property rights, insurance, telecommunications, transportation, tort reform, energy, and natural resources.

Read the whole thing here.

Leslie Pool's Tech Duplicity....

"Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase."
Proverbs 13:11

We noticed an interesting Facebook post from Natalie Gauldin over the weekend; following the links led us to this post on the Council message board about the current budget process:

[Author's Note: Emphasis added.]

Followed by this, on Pool's office letterhead:

Leslie Pool Tech Slush Fund

In other words, the same Leslie Pool who voted to unconstitutionally ban Short Term Rentals and regulate ride-sharing out of commercial viability now wants to funnel taxpayer money into some vaguely defined 'tech'-related "Public Private Partnership"...what could possibly go wrong?!?

We know this is a radical thought in certain circles, but here's a suggestion: perhaps if we left the tech industry alone when they develop helpful products that make life better, then perhaps they wouldn't need to seek handouts from the city.

Bottom Line: It would boggle the mind if it weren't business as usual.

Revelation 12:1-9 -- War in Heaven and Earth (Part 1)

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
"Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

Satan Thrown Out of Heaven
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
Revelation 12:1-9

Pastor Danny Forshee.  Great Hills Baptist Church.  March, 8 2015:

War in Heaven and Earth, Part 1 - Dr. Danny Forshee - March 8, 2015 from Great Hills Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Highlights:

• Chapters 12 to 14 tell the story from Satan's perspective.

• The woman
• The nation of Israel
• Garlands = 12 tribes
• Many Old Testament prophets use imagery of a woman in labor to refer to Israel.

• The dragon = satan.
• Wants to be worshipped as a god, but Jesus says "NO!"

• Israel bore the Messiah to rule the world with the Iron rod, and He was temporarily called up to heaven.

• Satan wants to accuse us to God and accuse God to us.

• vv. 7-8 describe a war that has yet to take place.
• Satan = "The master of deception with the uncanny ability to accuse people."

Longhorns DOMINATE UTEP!!!

"The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But deliverance is of the Lord."
Proverbs 21:31

Great game; we don't have the energy for a full write up, but some thoughts:

• The Longhorns did what they needed to do tonight.  After last week's upset over Notre Dame, they needed to run up the score against an unranked, non-conference, foe. They did it 41-7.

• Still too many stupid penalties; could have scored 60 with fewer.

•  It's insane how many options there are on offense; Warren, both Foreman twins, #21 running back, Burt, Heard, and it continues from there.

•  Jerrod Heard in the open field is a sight to behold.

•  Tyrone Swoopes is virtually unstoppable in short yardage; beyond that, what a class act for voluntarily accepting a niche position as a Senior.

•  Three starters on offensive line were out tonight.  41 points behind a patchwork offensive line. Think about that.

• That being said, three starters being out on o-line didn't phase Shane Buchele in the slightest. Best pocket presence we've seen since Colt McCoy.  He reminds us of Joe Montana.

•  The defense gets better over the course of the game.

• Speaking of defense, what superlatives don't apply to Malik Jefferson?!?  What a beast.  We don't know if television does it justice, but he's in the middle of every single play.

•  Next week against Cal on the road will tell us a lot.

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We didn't get good video tonight, but FWIW....

The Band Entrance:



Longhorns take the field:



Longhorns first touchdown:



Longhorns Third Touchdown:



Longhorns fifth touchdown:



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Adler's "Mobility" Bond: Opposition coalition meets informally

“For My people are foolish,
They have not known Me.
They are silly children,
And they have no understanding.
They are wise to do evil,
But to do good they have no knowledge.”
Jeremiah 4:22

Last night, several groups held an informal meeting to begin discussions about Mayor Adler's so-called "transportation" bond.  Gregory Harrison of Empower Texans, Roger Falk of the Travis County Taxpayers Union, and Rental Housing advocate John Goldstone made formal presentations while others chimed in.  We felt the following observations were notable:

[Author's Note: While we intend to follow up on a number of these subjects in the coming weeks, for now we suggest following up with the source cited at the end of the listing if you want to know specifics.]

• This bond just isn't going to do much to address congestion. (GH)

• Simple congestion solutions, such as improving the timing of traffic signals, don't require a massive bond package. (GH)

• The bond should have been broken into it's component parts. (GH)

• The real cost of the corridors alone is between $850 million and $1.5 billion.  (RF)
• In other words, completing just the corridors would require at least one, and possibly two, more bond packages in '18 and '20.
  
• The 'right of way' authority the city seizes as a result of this package is a threat to every single independent business along the corridors.  (RF)
• "Driveway elimination and consolidation" will destroy their traffic and put them out of business.
• In other words, there will be a lot of cheap land available for 'redevelopment' in five years.
• ie. "Gentrification on Steroids."

• City only wants to "do 30%" of the corridor plan on this round.  (RF)

• This is going to create more congestion along the corridors by increasing the number of U-turns.  (RF)

• "A perfect storm of gentrification" -- What happened on the east side is now going to happen north and west.  (RF)

• Adler is partner is a law firm that specializes in eminent domain. (RF)

• Bonds equal taxes; taxes equal higher rents.  (JG)

• Tenant's associations need to speak out.  (JG)

• If the process is bad, you must vote no, and the process on this one stinks.  (JG)

• Lots and lots of financial detail we couldn't follow.  (JG)

• The city is lying about the property tax impact of this bond; using realistic assumptions about interest rates, the property tax increase is going to be at least 45% higher than what's being advertised.  (JG)

• The Riverside corridor plan calls for replacing one of the lanes with parking; whatever your thoughts about the proper way to fix urban mobility, that doesn't make any sense under any of them.

• They haven't announced it publicly, but an open records request yielded a memo from Marc Ott outlining a plan to cut the speed limits along the corridors in half.  (RF)

• The city also wants to raise the "transportation user fee" on utility bills.  (RF)

• "A pandora's box of unintended consequences."  (RF)

• The pro-bike community is getting screwed; Alder's using them as political window dressing, but they actually get almost nothing (besides a little paint) from this package.

Bottom Line: The deeper you look, the more indefensible this thing becomes; more in the coming weeks....