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May 30, 2013 ¡ Gator ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: Print Editions

At Streetcar Named Deceit…

Some time during the next 30 years, there will probably be some type of local mass-transit that runs on electricity, much like trolley cars and streetcars did sixty years ago.  It will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build.  When this system is finally in place, we will be exactly where we once were, with little to show for over 100 years of “progress” in transportation.
The blame rightfully belongs to those bankrupt geniuses at General Motors.
In the 1950s, there were electric trolley operations in Galveston, Houston, Baytown, Pasadena, South Houston, and many smaller towns in the vicinity.  The same was true in all of the populated areas of the United States.  All cities and even most small towns had electric streetcars.
You could hop on a trolley car for a nickel and ride nearly anywhere in town. The cars of that era were wonderful even by today’s standards. They didn’t pollute the air. They were comfortable, attractive, roomy, reliable, and safe.
There were between 1,200 on 1,500 such systems operating in the United States.
So, where did they go?  Did people just stop riding them because cars and gas were so cheap?
Did they become not economically viable for some reason? Were they costing more than they were worth?  Did they fall to the budget axes?
No. Streetcar systems were popular and economical in every city where they existed, right up to their last day of service.  The people who relied on them never wanted to see them go. But there were those who wanted to see the end of the trolley, and who were willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to see it happen.
Starting in the 1920s, General Motors and others hatched a scheme to replace rail transportation with road transportation.  The key players included Firestone, Shell, Mack Trucks, and other large corporations who had a vested interest in seeing rail traffic moved to highways.
City by city, they used straw corporations to buy up local trolley systems. The largest of these was a newly-formed company called National City Lines, which bought the streetcar lines in over 80 cities.  National City was directly funded and financed by GM and their partners.
National City Lines would buy a streetcar line, then start dismantling it, replacing the trolleys with buses, Of course those buses were General Motors buses, with Firestone tires on them.  They filled up with Shell gasoline.  In some cities, where the lines could not be bought, GM simply bought off local politicians by giving them new Cadillacs in exchange for supporting a switch to bus service.  In other instances, the company paid analysts and “experts” to publicly encourage the switch to gas power as a more efficient way to move people and freight. It never was.
The scheme was hatched in the early 1920s in Detroit. In 1921, General Motors lost a whopping $65 million – about $1 billion in today‘s money.  The company was on the brink of complete ruin.  The financial gurus at GM advised that the automobile market was saturated.  Everyone who wanted or needed a car already had one. In those days, only one person in ten owned a car, and most people – over 90% – traveled by rail,  In fact, local rail service was the primary competition for General Motors and the auto industry as a whole.  If rail transportation could somehow be made to disappear, people would be forced to either buy a car or ride a bus.
The following year, GM mastermind Alfred P Sloane Jr. formed a special group at General Motors for the express purpose of  replacing railways with cars, trucks, and buses.
General Motors used a variety of measures, including freight leverage. GM, for decades, was the nation’s largest shipper of freight over railroads. By wielding freight traffic as a club, GM was able to persuade railroads to abandon their electric rail subsidiaries. Among these was the Southern Pacific Railroad, owner of Los Angeles’ Pacific Electric, the world’s largest trolley operator, with 1,500 miles of track in southern California. Back then, you could live well in Los Angeles without a car. The streetcars went everywhere. Another victim was the New York Central Railroad, owner of the New York State Railways, 600 miles of street railways and interurban lines in upstate New York. Another was the New Haven Railroad, owner of 1,500 miles of trolley lines in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.  All were coerced into converting their passenger lines over to buses.  This was before air conditioning, and those buses were cramped, hot, and smelly contraptions that often broke down.  The trolleys were open-air vehicles, and quite roomy. For the passengers, it was a giant step backwards.
As the largest depositor in the nation’s leading banks, GM also used financial leverage over the electric railways, which relied heavily on those banks to supply their capital needs. According to U.S. Department of Justice documents, officials of GM visited the banks used by railways in Houston, Galveston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Kansas City and other locations, and, by offering them millions in additional deposits, persuaded their rail clients to convert to motor vehicles.
Where these measures failed, GM formed holding companies to buy up and motorize the railways directly. Thus, it helped create, organize, and finance United Cities Motor Transit as a wholly owned GM subsidiary, as well as Greyhound, Rex Finance, Omnibus Corporation, National City Lines, Pacific City Lines, American City Lines, City Coach Lines, Manning Transportation and numerous other concerns, which acquired rail systems across the country, including those in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, San Diego and Oakland.
With officials of Greyhound and National City, it helped acquire and dismantle the $50 million North Shore Line, the fastest electric service in the world, providing Wisconsin’s lakeshore cities and Chicago’s northern suburbs with high-speed access to the downtown loop. Working with a pack of notorious gangsters, General Motors helped purchase and scrap the excellent system of street railways serving Minneapolis-St. Paul.
And where rail systems were publicly owned and could not be bought, like the municipal railway of St. Petersburg, Florida, GM bribed their officials instead, according to FBI files.
GM admitted, in court documents, that by the mid-1950s, its agents had canvassed more than 1,000 electric railways and that, of these, they had motorized 90 percent, more than 900 systems.
Since this conspiracy destroyed a very efficient and beneficial industry, there was antitrust action taken – but all that came of the proceedings were fines of $5,000 for each company involved and a fine of $1 for the treasurer of GM, who oversaw much of National City Lines’ operations.
So now you know why you have to sit in gridlocked traffic on the freeway, Now you know why an efficient and economical public service was done away with and replaced with a less-efficient form of transportation.  Now you know why those poor bastards in New York City have to chase down taxicabs to go anywhere. And now you know why we have to go back to square one and start over at the same place we were 65 years ago to fix our public transportation.
All because some greedy motherfuckers decided that what was good for America was NOT good for General Motors.  It ranks as one of the most Machiavellian plots in the long and sordid history of corporate America.  And it’s going to cost billions just to get back to where we were.
Now that you know the truth, that’s one more person they’ll someday have to kill…           GATOR

May 27, 2013 ¡ Gator ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: All posts, Articles

Upcoming Concert Events

Thurs., May 30 – Billy Joe Shaver & Brennen Leigh @ Discovery Green 7PM free

Fri., May 31 – .38 Special/Kansas/Blue Oyster Cult @ Arena Theater

Sat., June 1 – Come See My Dead Person @ Yaga’s Cafe (Galveston)

Wed., June 5 – Fleetwood Mac @ Toyota Center

Thurs., June 6 – 10,000 Maniacs @ Dosey Doe (The Woodlands)

Fri., June 7 – Fall Out Boy/American Fangs @ Bayou Music Center

Fri., June 7 – John Michael Montgomery @ Dosey Doe Coffee Company (Spring)

Sat., June 8 – Houston Beer Fest, featuring Reverend Horton Heat, The Spazmatics, Jonathan Tyler, Black Queen Speaks, Black Pistol Fire & more@ Hermann Square Park (Downtown; 1-10 PM)

Sun., June 9 – Peter Frampton/Robert Cray @ Arena Theater

Sun., June 9 – Fundraiser for Charlie Broyles, featuring CC Rider, Big Richard, Out Of Control, David McGill, & Misbehavin’ @ Da Pub (Pasadena; $15/$20)

Tues., June 11 – The Turtles @ Stafford Civic Centre (Stafford)

Wed., June 12 – Tesla @ House of Blues

Sat., June 15 – The John Evans Band @ Da Pub (Pasadena)

Sun., June 16 – Los Lonely Boys @ Dosey Doe Coffee Company (Spring)

Sat., June 22 – Cheap Trick @ Arena Theater

Tues., June 25 – Todd Rundgren @ House of Blues

Wed., June 26 – Leon Russell @ House of Blues

Fri., June 28 – Cyndi Lauper/Hunter Valentine @ House of Blues

Sat., June 29 – The Minx Delilah/Slight Chance/Small Dog Syndrome @ Da Pub Pasadena

Sat., June 29 – The Association @ Dosey Doe (The Woodlands)

Sun., June 30 – Barry Manilow @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Wed., July 3 – LL Cool J/Ice Cube/Public Enemy/De La Soul @ Bayou Music Center

Thurs., July 4 – Sheryl Crow & Martina McBride @ Tinsley Park

Fri., July 5 – Ray Wylie Hubbard @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck

Thurs., July 11 – Bad Company/Lynyrd Skynyrd @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Thurs., July 11 – Steve Miller Band @ Nutty Jerry’s (Winnie)

Mon., July 15 – Beyonce @ Toyota Center

Fri., July 19 – Kid Rock/Uncle Kracker @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Thurs., July 25 – Black Sabbath @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Tues., July 30 – Goo Goo Dolls/Matchbox Twenty @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Thurs., August 1 – The Monkees @ Arena Theater

Fri., August 2 – Joe Ely @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck

Fri., August 2 – Courtney Love/Starred @ House of Blues

Fri., August 2 – Train/The Script/Gavin DeGraw @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Sat., August 3 – Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon, Amon Amarth, Children of Bodom, Machine Head, Behemoth, Job For A Cowboy, Emmure, Born of Osiris, Motionless in White, Butcher Babies, Battlecross, Huntress, Thrown Into Exile, & City In The Sea @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Wed., August 7 – Jonas Brothers @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Thurs., August 22 – Ted Nugent/Laura Wilde @ House of Blues

Thurs., August 29 – Alice in Chains, Jane’s Addiction & more @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Fri., August 30 – Steely Dan/The Deep Blue Organ Trio @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Fri., August 30 – John Mayall @ Dosey Doe (The Woodlands)

Fri., September 6 – Don McLean @ Nutty Jerry’s (Winnie)

Sat., September 7 – Joe Satriani/Steve Morse @ House of Blues

Wed., September 18 – Depeche Mode/Crystal Castles @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Thurs., November 7 – Doobie Brothers @ Nutty Jerry’s (Winnie)

May 25, 2013 ¡ Gator ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: All posts, Events List, Texas Music

Make Me Laugh & I Will Buy You A Beer

An older man had met a younger woman, but unfortunately he was unable to last very long before he would orgasm during sex. A caring man, he was worried that he was disappointing his new lover, so he called his doctor for advice. The doc told him that masturbating before sex often helped men last longer during the act. The man decided, “What the hell, I’ll try it.”
He spent the rest of the day thinking about where to do it. He couldn’t do it in his office. He thought about the restroom, but that was too open. He considered an alley, but figured that was too unsafe. Finally, he realized his solution. On his way home, he pulled his truck over on the side of the highway. He got out and crawled underneath as if he was examining the truck. Satisfied with the privacy, he undid his pants and started to masturbate. He closed his eyes and thought of his lover. As he grew closer to orgasm, he felt a quick tug at the bottom of his pants. Not wanting to lose his mental fantasy or the orgasm, he kept his eyes shut and replied, “What?” He heard, “This is the police. What the hell are you doing?” The man replied, “I’m checking out the rear axle, it’s busted.” The cop says, “Well, you better check your brakes too, because your truck rolled down the hill 5 minutes ago.”

A guy goes to a supermarket and notices a beautiful blonde who waves at him and says hello. He’s rather taken back, because he can’t place where he knows her from, so he asks, “Do you know me?” To which she replies, “I think you’re the father of one of my kids.”
Now he thinks back to the only time he has ever been unfaithful to his wife and says, “Oh my God, are you the stripper from my bachelor party that I laid on the pool table with all my buddies watching, while your partner whipped me with wet celery and then stuck a carrot in my butt?” She replies, “No, I’m your son’s math teacher.”

A monkey is sitting in a tree, smoking a joint, when a lizard walks past. The lizard looks up and says to the monkey “Hey! what are you doing?” The monkey says “Smoking a joint, come up and join me, my cold-blooded friend.”
So the lizard climbs up and sits next to the monkey and they have another joint. After a while the lizard says his mouth is ‘dry’, and that he’s going to get a drink from the river.
At the riverbank, the lizard is so stoned that he leans too far over and falls in. A Crocodile sees this and swims over to the stoned lizard, helping him to the side.
He then asks the lizard, “What’s the matter with you?!” The lizard explains to the crocodile that he was sitting in the tree, smoking a joint with his new monkey friend. He then explained how his mouth got dry, and that he was so wasted that, when he went to get a drink from the river, he fell in!
The inquisitive crocodile says he has to check this out. He walks into the jungle and finds the tree where the monkey is sitting, finishing a joint. He looks up and says “Hey, MONKEY!” The Monkey looks down and says “FUUUUUCK, DUDE……. how much water did you drink?”

Well Wally gets home late one night and Linda, his wife, says “Where the hell have you been?” Wally replies “I was out getting a tattoo!”
“A tattoo”? She frowned. “What kind of tattoo did you get?”
“I got a hundred dollar bill on my pecker!” he said proudly.
“What the hell were you thinking”? She said, shaking her head in disgust. “Why on earth would you get a hundred dollar bill tattooed on your hootie?”
“Well, one, I like to watch my money grow. Two, once in a while I like to play with my money. Three, I like how money feels in my hand. And, lastly, instead of you going out shopping, you can stay right here at home and blow a hundred bucks anytime you want.”

A five year old boy and his grandfather are sitting on the front porch
together, when grandpa pulls a beer out of a cooler. the little boy asked,
“Grandpa, can I have a beer?” Grandpa replied, “Can your dick touch your ass?”
The little boy answered no. Grandpa said “Then you’re not man enough to have a beer.”
A little later Grandpa lights up a cigar. The little boy asked, “Grandpa, can I have a cigar?” Once again, Grandpa asked, “Can your dick touch your ass?”
The little boy answered no, again. Grandpa said, “Then your not man enough to have a cigar.” A little later, the little boy came out of the house with a cookie.
Grandpa asked, “Can I have a cookie?”
The boy asked “Can your dick touch your ass?”
Grandpa replied, “Hell yeah my dick can touch my ass!”
The boy replied, “Then go fuck yourself, Grandma made these cookies for me!”

May 21, 2013 ¡ Gator ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: All posts, Articles, Humor

Events & Club Listings thru July 8, 2013

WEDNESDAY MAY 29
BLONDIES: karaoke
CRUISERS: dart tournament 7:30
DA PUB: t-b-a
HOPPIES: open stage
KATIES BAR: Katies Jam 8-12
LINDA LU’S:  open mike jam 8pm
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool & bike night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Ladies night
RENDEZVOUS: ladies night
RJS SPORTS BAR: ladies night
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Bert Wills
WAYNOS: ladies night

THURSDAY MAY 30
BLONDIES: Gypsy Moon
CRUISERS: Ladies Night
DA PUB: Open Mic acoustic jam session
HOPPIES: live band jam session
KATIES BAR: Groove Kings
LOADING DOCK TOO: steak night + Isis karaoke 7pm
MURPHYS ON MAIN: pool tournament
MURPHYS ON SIX: Ladies Night
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Karaoke with Roger
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Moustache Karaoke 8pm

FRIDAY MAY 31
BLONDIES: Wiseguy
CRUISERS: Acoustic jam with Benny Brasket
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
DIAMOND JIMS: Gary Helms
HOPPIES: big screen karaoke
KATIES BAR: Luther & the Healers
LOADING DOCK TOO: Whiplash
MURPHYS ON SIX: karaoke
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Road Trip Band
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
SAMS ON SPENCER: karaoke
WAYNOS: Live band 9pm

SATURDAY JUNE 1
BLONDIES: The Chevys
CRUISERS: Trip To Cascity
DA PUB: Joe Valentino
DIAMOND JIMS: Zydeco Band & crawfish boil, Posse Band 9pm
HOPPIES: tba
KATIES BAR: Annika Chambers
LOADING DOCK TOO: Abrahams Tree
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: tba
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Cloud Nine
SAMS #3 THE COVE: karaoke
WAYNOS: tba

SUNDAY JUNE 2
CRUISERS: jam session with Ben Herrington
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
LOADING DOCK TOO: Guppies From Outer Space
MURPHYS ON SIX: sports on the big screen
RADIO CITY: free pool
RONNIES: Jam with Tony Hill & Benny Brasket, Classic Car day
SAMS #1,2,&3: Free pool
T&C SUDS: wine tasting
WAYNOS: Bloody Mary specials on the deck
MONDAY JUNE 3
CRUISERS: free pool + dart tournament
DA PUB: manic monday 80s party night
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool, Industry night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Murphys T Shirt night specials
MURPHYS ON SIX: Murphys T Shirt night specials
RADIO CITY: free pool
SAMS ON SPENCER: pool league & womens dart league

TUESDAY JUNE 4
ALVIN SKATE: Roller Derby tryouts 8-10 pm
BLONDIES: ladies night
CRUISERS: free pool
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
HOPPIES: acoustic jam night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Pool tournament 6pm
MURPHYS ON SIX: Pool tournament 6pm
RADIO CITY: free pool
T&C SUDS: Ladies Night
WAYNOS: free pool

WEDNESDAY JUNE 5
BLONDIES: karaoke
CRUISERS: dart tournament 7:30
DA PUB: t-b-a
HOPPIES: open stage
KATIES BAR: Katies Jam 8-12
LINDA LU’S:  open mike jam 8pm
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool & bike night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Ladies night
RENDEZVOUS: ladies night
RJS SPORTS BAR: ladies night
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Bert Wills
WAYNOS: ladies night

THURSDAY JUNE 6
BLONDIES: Gypsy Moon
CRUISERS: Ladies Night
DA PUB: Open Mic acoustic jam session
HOPPIES: live band jam session
KATIES BAR: Ricky Jackson
LOADING DOCK TOO: steak night + Isis karaoke 7pm
MURPHYS ON MAIN: pool tournament
MURPHYS ON SIX: Ladies Night
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Karaoke with Roger
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Moustache Karaoke 8pm

FRIDAY JUNE 7
BLONDIES: Ron Jeremy Band
CRUISERS: Acoustic jam with Benny Brasket
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
DIAMOND JIMS: Randy Meadows
HOPPIES: big screen karaoke
KATIES BAR: Pink Floyd Revisited
LOADING DOCK TOO: Threadbelly
MURPHYS ON SIX: karaoke
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Guru Crew
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
SAMS ON SPENCER: karaoke
WAYNOS: Live band 9pm

SATURDAY JUNE 8
BLONDIES: Lyndrix
CRUISERS: Starr Jernigan
DA PUB: tba
DIAMOND JIMS: Austin
HOPPIES: tba
KATIES BAR: Snits Dog & Pony Show
LOADING DOCK TOO: Trip To Cascity
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Karaoke with Roger
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: 98 In The Shade
SAMS #3 THE COVE: karaoke
WAYNOS: tba

SUNDAY JUNE 9
CRUISERS: jam session with Ben Herrington
DA PUB: Fundraiser for Charlie Broyles with CC Rider Band
LOADING DOCK TOO: Marty Monte
MURPHYS ON SIX: sports on the big screen
RADIO CITY: free pool
RONNIES: Jam with Tony Hill & Benny Brasket, Classic Car day
SAMS #1,2,&3: Free pool
T&C SUDS: wine tasting

MONDAY JUNE 10
CRUISERS: free pool + dart tournament
DA PUB: manic monday 80s party night
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool, Industry night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Murphys T Shirt night specials
MURPHYS ON SIX: Murphys T Shirt night specials
RADIO CITY: free pool
SAMS ON SPENCER: pool league & womens dart league

TUESDAY JUNE 11
ALVIN SKATE: Roller Derby tryouts 8-10 pm
BLONDIES: ladies night
CRUISERS: free pool
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
HOPPIES: acoustic jam night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Pool tournament 6pm
MURPHYS ON SIX: Pool tournament 6pm
RADIO CITY: free pool
T&C SUDS: Ladies Night
WAYNOS: free pool

WEDNESDAY JUNE 12
BLONDIES: karaoke
CRUISERS: dart tournament 7:30
DA PUB: t-b-a
HOPPIES: open stage
KATIES BAR: Katies Jam 8-12
LINDA LU’S:  open mike jam 8pm
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool & bike night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Ladies night
RENDEZVOUS: ladies night
RJS SPORTS BAR: ladies night
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Bert Wills
WAYNOS: ladies night

THURSDAY JUNE 13
BLONDIES: Clinton Ashley Band
CRUISERS: Ladies Night
DA PUB: Open Mic acoustic jam session
HOPPIES: live band jam session
KATIES BAR: band tba
LOADING DOCK TOO: steak night + Isis karaoke 7pm
MURPHYS ON MAIN: pool tournament
MURPHYS ON SIX: Ladies Night
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Karaoke with Roger
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Moustache Karaoke 8pm

FRIDAY JUNE 14
BLONDIES: Gypsy Moon
CRUISERS: Acoustic jam with Benny Brasket
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
DIAMOND JIMS: Dale Watson
HOPPIES: big screen karaoke
KATIES BAR: Pee Wee Bowen
LOADING DOCK TOO: Clinton Ashley Band
MURPHYS ON SIX: karaoke
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Old Men In Black
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
SAMS ON SPENCER: karaoke
WAYNOS: Live band 9pm

SATURDAY JUNE 15
BLONDIES: Satisfied Drive
CRUISERS: Slide Effect
DA PUB: John Evans Band – no cover
DIAMOND JIMS: Scott Kerr Band
HOPPIES: tba
KATIES BAR: Paul Ramirez Band
LOADING DOCK TOO: tba
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Alvin & Slick Punks
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Carrie/Jesse Memorial Run
SAMS #3 THE COVE: karaoke
WAYNOS: tba

SUNDAY JUNE 16
CRUISERS: jam session with Ben Herrington
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
LOADING DOCK TOO: Ron Jeremy
MURPHYS ON SIX: sports on the big screen
RADIO CITY: free pool
RONNIES: Jam with Tony Hill & Benny Brasket, Classic Car day
SAMS #1,2,&3: Free pool
T&C SUDS: wine tasting

MONDAY JUNE 17
CRUISERS: free pool + dart tournament
DA PUB: manic monday 80s party night
DIAMOND JIM’S: Sam Navarro hosts country jam
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool, Industry night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Murphys T Shirt night specials
MURPHYS ON SIX: Murphys T Shirt night specials
RADIO CITY: free pool
SAMS ON SPENCER: pool league & womens dart league

TUESDAY JUNE 18
ALVIN SKATE: Roller Derby tryouts 8-10 pm
BLONDIES: ladies night
CRUISERS: free pool
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
HOPPIES: acoustic jam night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Pool tournament 6pm
MURPHYS ON SIX: Pool tournament 6pm
RADIO CITY: free pool
T&C SUDS: Ladies Night
WAYNOS: free pool

WEDNESDAY JUNE 19
BLONDIES: karaoke
CRUISERS: dart tournament 7:30
DA PUB: t-b-a
HOPPIES: open stage
KATIES BAR: Katies Jam 8-12
LINDA LU’S:  open mike jam 8pm
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool & bike night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Ladies night
RENDEZVOUS: ladies night
RJS SPORTS BAR: ladies night
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Bert Wills
WAYNOS: ladies night

THURSDAY JUNE 20
BLONDIES: Gypsy Moon
CRUISERS: Ladies Night
DA PUB: Open Mic acoustic jam session
HOPPIES: live band jam session
KATIES BAR: The Classix
LOADING DOCK TOO: steak night + Isis karaoke 7pm
MURPHYS ON MAIN: pool tournament
MURPHYS ON SIX: Ladies Night
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Karaoke with Roger
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Moustache Karaoke 8pm

FRIDAY JUNE 21
BLONDIES: Gypsy Moon
CRUISERS: Acoustic jam with Benny Brasket
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
DIAMOND JIMS: Sam Navarro & Lone Star Devils
HOPPIES: big screen karaoke
KATIES BAR: Grateful Geezers
LOADING DOCK TOO: Storybook Road
MURPHYS ON SIX: karaoke
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: karaoke with Roger
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
SAMS ON SPENCER: karaoke
WAYNOS: Live band 9pm

SATURDAY JUNE 22
BLONDIES: Wiseguy
CRUISERS: Cloud Nine
DA PUB: Come See My Dead Person, Grizzly Band, Jason Van Croft, Invincible Czars rock show
DIAMOND JIMS: Eric Meyers Band
HOPPIES: tba
KATIES BAR: No Refund Band
LOADING DOCK TOO: Counsel
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: tba
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Rush Creek
SAMS #3 THE COVE: karaoke
WAYNOS: tba

SUNDAY JUNE 23
CRUISERS: jam session with Ben Herrington
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
LOADING DOCK TOO: Hillbilly
MURPHYS ON SIX: sports on the big screen
RADIO CITY: free pool
RONNIES: Jam with Tony Hill & Benny Brasket, Classic Car day
SAMS #1,2,&3: Free pool
T&C SUDS: wine tasting

MONDAY JUNE 24
CRUISERS: free pool + dart tournament
DA PUB: manic monday 80s party night
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool, Industry night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Murphys T Shirt night specials
MURPHYS ON SIX: Murphys T Shirt night specials
RADIO CITY: free pool
SAMS ON SPENCER: pool league & womens dart league

TUESDAY JUNE 25
ALVIN SKATE: Roller Derby tryouts 8-10 pm
BLONDIES: ladies night
CRUISERS: free pool
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
HOPPIES: acoustic jam night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Pool tournament 6pm
MURPHYS ON SIX: Pool tournament 6pm
RADIO CITY: free pool
T&C SUDS: Ladies Night
WAYNOS: free pool

WEDNESDAY JUNE 26
BLONDIES: karaoke
CRUISERS: dart tournament 7:30
DA PUB: t-b-a
HOPPIES: open stage
KATIES BAR: Katies Jam 8-12
LINDA LU’S:  open mike jam 8pm
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool & bike night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Ladies night
RENDEZVOUS: ladies night
RJS SPORTS BAR: ladies night
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Bert Wills
WAYNOS: ladies night

THURSDAY JUNE 27
BLONDIES: Clinton Ashley Band
CRUISERS: Ladies Night
DA PUB: Open Mic acoustic jam session
HOPPIES: live band jam session
KATIES BAR: Groove Kings
LOADING DOCK TOO: steak night + Isis karaoke 7pm
MURPHYS ON MAIN: pool tournament
MURPHYS ON SIX: Ladies Night
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Karaoke with Roger
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Moustache Karaoke 8pm

FRIDAY JUNE 28
BLONDIES: Blacklight Mannequins
CRUISERS: Acoustic jam with Benny Brasket
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
DIAMOND JIMS: Pee Wee Bowen
HOPPIES: big screen karaoke
KATIES BAR: Mitch Jacobs
LOADING DOCK TOO: Inside Out
MURPHYS ON SIX: karaoke
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Cloud Nine Band + Jen’s birthday
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
SAMS ON SPENCER: karaoke
WAYNOS: Live band 9pm

SATURDAY JUNE 29
BLONDIES: Edison Freeman
CRUISERS: Electric Soul
DA PUB: tba
DIAMOND JIMS: Cimarron
HOPPIES: tba
KATIES BAR: Scott McGill & Old Dog Mac
LOADING DOCK TOO: tba
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Booth & Company
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Star Jernigan
SAMS #3 THE COVE: karaoke
WAYNOS: tba

SUNDAY JUNE 30
CRUISERS: jam session with Ben Herrington
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
LOADING DOCK TOO: Marty Monte
MURPHYS ON SIX: sports on the big screen
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: karaoke + roller derby afterparty 10 til
RONNIES: Jam with Tony Hill & Benny Brasket, Classic Car day
SAMS #1,2,&3: Free pool
T&C SUDS: wine tasting

MONDAY JULY 1
CRUISERS: free pool + dart tournament
DA PUB: manic monday 80s party night
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool, Industry night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Murphys T Shirt night specials
MURPHYS ON SIX: Murphys T Shirt night specials
RADIO CITY: free pool
SAMS ON SPENCER: pool league & womens dart league

TUESDAY JULY 2
ALVIN SKATE: Roller Derby tryouts 8-10 pm
BLONDIES: ladies night
CRUISERS: free pool
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
HOPPIES: acoustic jam night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Pool tournament 6pm
MURPHYS ON SIX: Pool tournament 6pm
RADIO CITY: free pool
T&C SUDS: Ladies Night
WAYNOS: free pool

WEDNESDAY JULY 3
BLONDIES: karaoke
CRUISERS: dart tournament 7:30
DA PUB: t-b-a
HOPPIES: open stage
KATIES BAR: Katies Jam 8-12
LINDA LU’S:  open mike jam 8pm
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool & bike night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Ladies night
RENDEZVOUS: ladies night
RJS SPORTS BAR: ladies night
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Bert Wills
WAYNOS: ladies night

THURSDAY JULY 4
BLONDIES: tba
CRUISERS: Ladies Night
DA PUB: Open Mic acoustic jam session
HOPPIES: live band jam session
KATIES BAR: band tba
LOADING DOCK TOO: steak night + Isis karaoke 7pm
MURPHYS ON MAIN: pool tournament
MURPHYS ON SIX: Ladies Night
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: Karaoke with Roger
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: Moustache Karaoke 8pm

FRIDAY JULY 5
BLONDIES: tba
CRUISERS: Acoustic jam with Benny Brasket
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
DIAMOND JIMS: tba
HOPPIES: big screen karaoke
KATIES BAR: tba
LOADING DOCK TOO: tba
MURPHYS ON SIX: karaoke
RADIO CITY: free pool
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: tba
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
SAMS ON SPENCER: karaoke
WAYNOS: Live band 9pm

SATURDAY JULY 6
BLONDIES: tba
CRUISERS: Paul Ramirez Band
DA PUB: tba
DIAMOND JIMS: tba
HOPPIES: tba
KATIES BAR: band tba
LOADING DOCK TOO: tba
RENDEZVOUS CLUB: tba
RJS SPORTS BAR: karaoke
RONNIES HOG HEAVEN: tba
SAMS #3 THE COVE: karaoke
WAYNOS: tba

SUNDAY JULY 7
CRUISERS: jam session with Ben Herrington
DA PUB: karaoke by GTO
LOADING DOCK TOO: tba
MURPHYS ON SIX: sports on the big screen
RADIO CITY: free pool
RONNIES: Jam with Tony Hill & Benny Brasket, Classic Car day
SAMS #1,2,&3: Free pool
T&C SUDS: wine tasting

MONDAY JULY 8
CRUISERS: free pool + dart tournament
DA PUB: manic monday 80s party night
LOADING DOCK TOO: free pool, Industry night
MURPHYS ON MAIN: Murphys T Shirt night specials
MURPHYS ON SIX: Murphys T Shirt night specials
RADIO CITY: free pool
SAMS ON SPENCER: pool league & womens dart league

TO ADVERTISE YOUR EVENT CALL: 281 475-8131

May 21, 2013 ¡ Gator ¡ Comments Closed
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It Really Happened…

Kemah Collector Obtains Historic Pair Of Pants
A pair of pants once owned by a nephew of Howard Hughes has been purchased on eBay by a Kemah collector.
Fred Elliman has one of the largest trouser collections in the greater Houston area, including a pair of Bermuda shorts worn by Rodney Dangerfield, and a pair of yellow spandex bicycle shorts that once belonged to John Travolta.
The Hughes pants reportedly had been owned by Rodney Hughes, a distant relative of the legendary recluse who died in 1977.
They are size 38 x 31 gray flannel, made by Wolf Brothers of Miami, Florida.
The winning bid was $67.00 including shipping. “It’s a bargain” Elliman said, noting that similar items can go as high as $2,500 and more. “I’m looking forward to displaying them, once they‘ve been cleaned.”
The pants may have sold for a lower price because they are somewhat soiled, with what appears to be rather large “skid marks.”

Son Sues His Own Momma Over Lotto Winnings
A League City woman who won $3 million in the lottery last year is being sued in Superior Court by her son, who claims he is entitled to some of her winnings.
Jeannie Rabble, 53, was working as a part-time pet nanny last September when she found out that she had picked the winning numbers in the state lotto.
Mrs. Rabble did not move out of her trailer or buy a new car with the winnings.  According to court papers filed by the plaintiff in the lawsuit, she bought a diamond encrusted gold crack pipe and started smoking the drug all day and night.  She even neglected buying groceries and stopped doing laundry.
Luther Rabble, Jeannie’s 22 year-old son, says that he tried to help his mother manage her money, but quit after she hit him with an aluminum baseball bat and threatened him with a shotgun.
In the lawsuit, Luther seeks to be compensated for the work he did in trying to get her affairs in order.  He is also asking the court to declare Jeannie Rabble incompetent, and make him the trustee of her money.
In a telephone interview, Jeannie denies most of what her son says in the lawsuit.  She claims the device referred to as a crack pipe is actually an incense burner, and that her son is simply trying to steal her money. “I did nail that little bastard with a ball-bat, that part is true” she said.
The case will be heard in the fall.

Helium-Filled Bounce House Shot Down By Air Force Drone
Kirby Burby thought he had a great idea for his daughter’s 11th birthday party in Alvin last month: Rent a bounce house, then fill it with helium instead of plain old air.
“I figured it might try to float off, so I tied it down to some yard furniture and filled it up.” he said afterwards, “Then it took off, chairs and all, straight up into the sky.”
Luckily, no one was inside when the liftoff occurred.  The floating collection of objects was detected about 30 minutes later by the radars located at Ellington Field, and a drone was scrambled to identify the object.
Lieutenant Ken Fogelman operated the MQ-1B Predator drone which was launched to intercept and identify.
“As soon ad I got a good look at it on the screen, I knew exactly what it was,” Fogelman said, “and since it presented a navigation hazard, I blasted the shit out of it.”
The rental agency has charged Burby $4,000 in replacement costs, and he may also receive a fine up to $25,000 from the FAA.

May 18, 2013 ¡ Gator ¡ Comments Closed
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Phil Ochs – The Singing Journalist

West Texas was a place of suffering during the Great Depression.  A Jewish doctor of Polish descent arrived there with his wife in 1938, after being sent from New  Jersey  by his employer, the United States Army.  Jacob and Gertrude Ochs settled in El Paso, where their son Phil was born into a world about to go to war in December of 1940.

Phil Ochs at Newport

 

Phil would become a tremendous influence, a tragic figure, and later, a forgotten man,
Raised in the 1940s and 1950s, he was an admirer of John Wayne and World War II hero-turned-actor Audie Murphy (as well as James Dean), and as a boy seemed to accept a lot of the notions that Wayne and Murphy stood for.  At 16, Ochs chose to attend Staunton Military Academy in Virginia. He lived the life of a cadet successfully for two years before entering Ohio State University in 1958. Music had already begun to attract him, and he’d developed an interest in country music, which later helped provide his introduction to folk music. It was while at Ohio State that he was introduced to the songs of Woody Guthrie, Lee Hays, and Pete Seeger, and the protest tradition they represented.  He bought a guitar for $6 and taught himself to play it in his spare time.
By the end of the 1950s, Phil was leading protests on campus against mandatory ROTC training. Ochs moved from Ohio to New York in the early ’60s and was soon a prolific writer of the protest songs then in vogue. His initial recording efforts were heard on compilations for Broadside, Folkways, and Vanguard (which recorded him at the Newport Folk Festival).
A songwriter and singer who was cast in the Woody Guthrie and Pete Seegar mold, Phil spent his career in the shadow of Bob Dylan.  Unlike Dylan, who remained aloof regarding the social issues of the time, Phil was a true believer, dedicated to making the world a better place through the power of music.  He believed in the causes he sang about, and this may have been his downfall. Phil considered himself to be a journalist whose medium was that of song.  He used his gift to tell stories that were relevant and important.
In contrast to Dylan, who was an enigmatic media star after 1964 – Ochs assumed the role of outlaw, writing and performing songs that told the unvarnished truth.  His sincere voice made every word count, and he made his meaning quite clear.
In “Here’s To The State Of Mississippi” he tackles racism and violence:
And here’s to the cops of Mississippi
They’re chewing their tobacco as they lock the prison door
Their bellies bounce inside them when they knock you to the floor
No they don’t like taking prisoners in their private little war
Behind their broken badges there are murderers and more.”
In “The Cannons Of Christianity” Phil took on religious hypocrisy.
His anti-war songs were the best ever written, including “I Ain’t Marching Anymore”, “Chaplain Of The War”, and many others.
His songs about the justice system showed a deep insight into the social problems lurking there, including ideas that only became a subject for serious discussion many years later, like false confessions, the subject of “The Confession” – the first verse of which says:
There’s nothing as cold as the freeze in your soul at the moment when you are arrested.
There’s nothing as real as the iron and steel on the handcuffs when you protested.
You race through the night in a prison of fright as you head for a quicksand of questions.
And children unborn will see you in scorn if ever you make a confession.
Ochs moved many to a fresh round of tears about President Kennedy with “Crucifixion.”
Because his lyrics were controversial, and contained open references to such taboos as smoking marijuana, his recordings were relegated to “undergound” radio stations and counterculture record shops. But for all of his outlaw reputation – which began coalescing around him as early as 1965 in some establishment circles – his work ended up infiltrating high school classrooms through the songs “The Highwayman” and “The Bells” the latter an extraordinarily early intersection between folk song and art song.  Eventually he too would follow Dylan into electric music and more personal and romantic compositions.
But Ochs had something extra, even in those years: Street credibility among the people who cared – where Dylan, due to his own various personal situations, spent much of the late ’60s as an enigmatic recluse, respected for his songs but rather unknowable and remote.
Ochs was in Chicago for the 1968 Democratic National Convention, when thousands of young citizens (supported by a few brave politicians) took to the streets to scream “Enough!” about the Vietnam War, and were brutally suppressed by the police under orders from the city’s mayor. He even ended up as a witness at the subsequent conspiracy trial of the seven alleged conspirators behind the demonstration. And no matter how far his style advanced, and how complex his songwriting became, he never abandoned his involvement with the issues he believed in.
Apart from American involvement in the Vietnam War, which dragged on into the mid-’70s, he saw many of the causes that he cared about move toward some measure of fulfillment as the 1970s dawned; but personal problems, including clinical depression and alcoholism, left him drained, psychologically and musically.
By the middle of the decade he found there was nothing left inside, and he finally died by his own hand in 1976. It was only after his tragic tailspin and eventual death that he was properly appreciated as one of the most sincere and humane songwriters of his day, whether detailing political atrocities or more poetic concerns.  As the decades have passed, he has been largely forgotten, but in his era, Phil Ochs was one of the most influential of American songwriters.

May 15, 2013 ¡ Gator ¡ Comments Closed
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Gator’s Rant: Adopting A Mutt From The Doggie Jail

Why is it so hard to adopt a dog from the dog pound?  I can buy a dog on Craigslist or at a pet store, and take him home right away. But when you try to adopt a pet at the pound, they are so careful about who is allowed to adopt that I am sure many people just give up and find their animals elsewhere.
I recently adopted a nice little doggle from the Humane Society in Galveston.  They were wonderful people and very helpful, but it was still a complicated procedure.  I even had to have a police officer visit my home to look around and make sure it would be a safe and proper environment for little Pookey to crap on.  The whole process took over a week.
Yeah, I know that there are some people who would adopt a pet, then mistreat it.  Nobody wants that to happen. But even with all of their caution, it will still happen sometimes.
The kind of people who make bad pet parents might not be able to get a stamp of approval from the Humane Society or the SPCA, but they will nevertheless get the pets they want, one way or another. They will buy them from dealers and private sellers. Heck, they will even steal them.
It’s normal to spend over $50 to adopt a cat from the pound. They are as careful about cats as they are about dogs.  If you can’t convince them that you are going to be a good Cat Daddy, they will not let you take one home.
Meanwhile, there are free kittens available everywhere, and nobody wants to know how many square feet of carpet that cat will have to sharpen his claws on.
You might remember Whiskerville Animal Sanctuary, the private shelter in Texas City where the animals were neglected, and a court case finally resulted in an Animal Cruelty conviction against Mrs. Wydell Dixon.
Although she was vilified in the press, Mrs. Dixon was (and is) an animal lover who spent her life savings creating a sanctuary for cats.
Unfortunately, she ran out of money and couldn’t maintain the population of animals which accumulated there. As things went from bad to worse, she couldn’t bring herself to close up and turn the cats over to another agency where some of the cats might be “put to sleep” so she tried to keep things going the best she could. Catastrophic failure was the end result.
But even when things were at their very worst, it was never easy to adopt at Whiskerville.
It ought to be very simple to adopt a cat.
If you can fog a mirror and show ID, they ought to shake your hand and congratulate you quickly, before you change your mind.
If you’re broke, they ought to let you take him free, just to get him off taxpayer support.
There is no demand for cats.  In many places they outnumber the human population.  In San Leon, there are eight cats for every person.  Cats who are homeless are referred to as “feral” cats. Most of them started off with a pink ribbon around their necks as a gift to some little brat who whined “Momma I wont a kitty!” As soon as they were big enough to piss on everything and claw up some priceless antiques, they were taken for a ride.
It ought to be easy to adopt a dog. ID and proof of address should be enough.
I realize that this would cause a few cases of animal abuse from time to time.  But isn’t that already the case?  Overall, more pets would find loving homes.
The thing that pissed me off at the pound was how many pit bulls and pit bull mixes are there.  This is because of all the morons who get a pit bull to authenticate their status as uneducated rednecks, then get evicted from the trailer park and “dump” their dog on the side of the road somewhere.
There are lots of jackasses out there who get pits bulls and intentionally train them from puppies to be mean and aggressive.
These dogs end up at the Humane Society or SPCA, where an occasional inbred fuckjob with a swastika tattoo will show up and ask if any pit bulls are available for adoption…
Hey, on second thought, maybe they should screen people who want to adopt.

May 12, 2013 ¡ Gator ¡ Comments Closed
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Where In The Hell Is San Leon?

Click image to enlarge

May 12, 2013 ¡ Gator ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: All posts, Articles, Bands - Entertainers, Texas Music

The Truth About Waco – An Eyewitness Account

Hello, my name is David Thibodeaux. I was one of only nine survivors of Waco – 74 men, women and children died – and I’ve devoted the last few years to understanding what happened. Here is how I ended up in Waco, and the truth about what really happened there:
Back in 1990 I had been drumming in a local rock band. I needed some new sticks, and on the way to a gig stopped in at the music store. Seeing the sticks in my hand, two strangers introduced themselves and asked if I was in a band. The two were Koresh and Steve Schneider. Schneider gave me his card and I handed it back. The backside was full of Bible verses. “You guys are a Christian band,” I said, uninterested. But after some small talk, I took the card back, and a few days later gave him a call. Over the next few weeks I hung out with Koresh and some other musicians in his band. I got to know David and was somewhat impressed. Having never paid much attention to the Bible, I was astonished to find that it actually did have some relevance to my life.
That fall I went to Waco to play music and meet the larger community. The people at Mount Carmel were extremely involved in knowing and learning the Bible. People have made it seem as if Mount Carmel came out of nowhere. In fact, Koresh was the third leader of a community that spun off from the Seventh Day Adventists in the 1930s. They had been living outside of Waco since 1933. The people around Koresh came from many backgrounds. One irony of Waco is that right-wing extremists and racists look to Mount Carmel as a beacon. If they realized that so many of us were black, Asian and Latino, and that we despised their hateful politics and anger, they would probably feel betrayed. We weren’t political at all – just Bible students.
We had a “live and let live” attitude that had allowed us to get along well with our neighbors for over 60 years. We certainly weren’t as isolated as people seem to think. We shopped in town, worked in the community, and our band played weekend gigs in Waco nightclubs. I worked as a bartender in Waco and I doubt a single customer would tell you that I stood out in any way.
Many have suggested that Koresh was a Jim Jones-like madman. He wasn’t. He had no plans for mass suicide. In contrast to Jones, Koresh allowed members to leave at any time, and many of them did, even during the siege. But many stayed, too, not because we had to, but because we wanted to. We felt the FBI and ATF had been dishonest from the start.
Few Americans realize that on February 28, 1993 when ATF agents in National Guard helicopters zoomed in on Mount Carmel Center, they did so with guns blazing. The initial raid, in which four ATF agents and six Davidians were killed, was a publicity stunt for the 20/20 television show, who were there to document it. ATF employees would later admit the underlying charges were “a complete fabrication.” Everyone knew David Koresh hated drugs. Charges that we were assembling an arsenal of weapons to be used against the government were equally off-base. We had nothing to hide. In fact, weeks before the raid, Koresh offered the ATF the opportunity to come out to Mount Carmel and inspect the building and every single weapon we had. They refused.
The most disturbing allegation was that we were engaging in child abuse there. The children of Mount Carmel were treasured, and they were a vital part of our small society. Occasionally kids were paddled for misbehaving, but the strict rule was they could never be paddled in anger. The parents did the paddling themselves. Our kids were happy, healthy, and well cared for. The biggest lie, though, is the government’s claim that we set the building fire ourselves, to commit suicide.
On the April morning when the FBI finally made its move, we had been under siege for 51 days.
It was the coldest spring in Texas history that year. The FBI had cut off our power, so we had to heat the building with kerosene lamps. It was kerosene from these lamps and the storage canisters, spilled as a result of collapsing walls and FBI munitions fire, that is cited as evidence that we doused Mount Carmel with an intent of burning it. The 400 rounds of CS gas that the FBI shot into Mount Carmel was mixed with methylene chloride, which is flammable and can explode. The United States and 130 other countries signed the Chemical Weapons Convention banning the use of CS gas in war. Apparently there is no prohibition against its use against American citizens. The amount of gas the FBI shot into Mount Carmel was twice the density considered life threatening to an adult and even more dangerous for little children.
I never heard any discussion of suicide or starting fires. If we wanted to kill ourselves, we would not have waited 51 cold, hungry, scary days to do it.  It remains hard for me to clearly remember what happened after the tanks made their move. Walls collapsed, the building shook, gas billowed in and the air was full of terrible sounds: the hiss of gas, the shattering of windows, the bang of exploding rockets, the raw squeal of tank tracks. There were screams of children and the gasps and sobs of those who could not protect themselves from the noxious CS. This continued for hours. Inside, the notion of leaving seemed insane; with tanks smashing through your walls and rockets smashing through the windows, our very human reaction was not to walk out into a hail of death, but to find a safe corner and pray. As the tanks rolled in and began smashing holes in the building and spraying gas into the building, the FBI loudspeakers blared, “This is not an assault! This is not an assault!” It was a very surreal and personal apocalypse.
Around noon I heard someone yell, “Fire!” I thought first of the women and children, whom I had been separated from. I tried desperately to make my way to them, but it was impossible: rubble blocked off passageways, and the fire was spreading quickly. I dropped to my knees to pray, and the wall next to me erupted in flame. I smelled my singed hair and screamed. Community member Derek Lovelock, who had ended up in the same place as me, ran through a hole in the wall and I followed. Moments later, the building exploded.
In the years since the fire, I’ve tried desperately to find out what really happened. What I’ve discovered is disturbing. There is convincing evidence that the FBI did more than just create the conditions for a deadly inferno. The disclosures about the use of pyrotechnic weapons and incendiary flares show that they might have actually sparked the blaze. A Defense Department document says that members of a US Army Delta Force unit were present at the siege. The military is barred by law from domestic police work.  Infrared images taken from surveillance planes indicate that the FBI was – despite its denials – firing shots into the building and shooting at Branch Davidians who tried to flee. There are photographs that show one of the metal double-doors at the entrance riddled with bullet indentations that could only have come from shooters outside Mount Carmel.
Tapes of the negotiations between the FBI and Koresh catch government agents lying about details big and small, as if they wanted the discussions to fail, and wanted only an excuse to attack.
There are other questions: Why did the FBI call the local hospital hours before the fire and ask how many beds were available in its burn unit? Why did it not allow firefighters in? What did the FBI negotiator mean when he threateningly said we “should buy some fire insurance”? Why did the FBI not allow anyone access to the crime scene, despite their promise to the Texas Rangers that they would be allowed to inspect first? Why did they ever raid the compound to begin with, since no charges from the original warrant were ever filed or substantiated?
I often wonder why I survived the blaze. Perhaps it was to be some sort of a witness.
Federal agents conducted a police raid that wasn’t necessary based on charges that would never stand up in any US court. They refused to negotiate in good faith, played horrible sounds of animals being slaughtered for weeks, and finally set our home on fire.
These actions caused 74 innocent Texans to die horrific deaths. They also inspired a number of extremists – people like Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.
Every April I remember what happened at Waco and pray to God that it will never happen again. This is why our military should never be involved in police work, and why our police should not be further militarized by drones and combat training.  (DAVID THIBODEAUX)

May 9, 2013 ¡ Gator ¡ Comments Closed
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