I have never gotten a traffic ticket. Never. So, you can image what I was thinking when I saw him in the rear view mirror.

I was sitting at a traffic light minding my own business, and thinking about where I might go for dinner that night. On Sirius radio Sean Hannity rebuked an uninformed caller who wanted to make a non-point. He was such an easy target for the Master to take down in a rapid barrage of facts and sound bites.

The light turned green and I turned left . . . so did the Houston PD cruiser at my tailgate. Several hundred feet down the street we caught another traffic signal. As I sat there I glanced into the mirror and noticed the officer motioning to me, pointing at the rear of my red Ranger and making a rectangular shape with his hands.

Was my license plate missing? Was a tail light broken?

I made an exaggerated shoulder shrug to let him know that I didn't understand. Then I heard something. A loud, indistinguishable...

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To the chagrin of liberals living within the confines of the 610 loop, Monday night more than 10,000 conservative Houstonians chose a Constitutional pep rally over Monday Night Football and the fifth game of the 2009 World Series. There was a Tea Party at Sam Houston Race Park.

Some carried posters denouncing Congressional leadership and pending legislation, some carried American flags that had been removed from sticks and poles, while others carried campaign placards for candidates in yesterday’s election.

Blue collar Texans stood shoulder-to-shoulder with those wearing suits that cost as much as a house note. The full moon shown down on patriots of all colors, nationalities and religions as they joined together to protest a dysfunctional Federal government.

As the crowd continued to swell there were prayers of hope asking for direction, flag waving and an incredibly good jazz rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by event emcee, Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo – conserv...

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John Carpenter’s “They Live” is an interesting Sci-Fi film.

Released in 1988, “They Live” chronicles a time where the American middle class is being reduced to poverty and the gap between the Haves and Have-nots is greater than ever before.

In Carpenter’s tale, the downturn of America’s working class is the result of a well planned strategy created by an invading skull-faced civilization from another planet, and a coalition of the elite, most powerful businessmen and politicians on Earth.

Not surprisingly the general public is kept in the dark through a constant stream of subliminal signals, stealthy messages and propaganda broadcast through state-controlled television. Only our hero, former professional wrestler Roddy Piper, and a small band of freedom fighters know the truth.

The public-at-large fully realizes that life is not what it used to be; jobs are scarce, there are soup lines and shantytowns for the growing number of homeless, America is becomi...

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It's Father's Day. The time to celebrate the man with the swimmers and remember both the good and bad times that made you who you are today.

I seriously have nothing but good memories of my Dad. I'm sure that there must have been some things on the dark side, but I can't remember any. Not one.

I remember watching him spit-shine his black lace-up National Guard boots until you could see your reflection in the toe. Then there was the day that he came in from work and said, "hey, catch this!" He tossed a realistic looking cork red "brick" at me from across the room. I was a kid, but looking back . . . what a great learning experience that was. It taught me to think fast, run for cover, and scream all at the same time. A sort of pre-school lesson in multi-tasking.

He made professional quality "mail boxes" for my Valentine parties at Midway Elementary School, a poster board weather station for science class, and covered my books with an acrylic materia...

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June is National Accordion Awareness Month. Who knew? It's also National Turkey Lover's Month, National Bathroom Reading Month and National Safety Month. I guess you can never be too safe when loving your turkey while reading the current issue of "Playpoultry" magazine in the bathroom. Of course you only read it for the articles.

I was intrigued that a single month could hold so many observances, so I did a Google search and guess what?

June is National Dairy Month and Dairy Alternative Month. It's also National Seafood Month and has a Fish Are Our Friends, Not Food! week. Are these sending mixed messages or is it just me?

It's Celibacy Awareness Month and World Infertility Month, has a Meet A Mate Week, and a National HIV Testing Day. There may be a theme here.

It's easy to make the connection between National Old-time Fiddler's Week and Watermelon Seed Spitting Week. Toss in a jar of moonshine, some pork rinds and a hound dog named Blue,...

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I was online recently searching for bands to fill out my summer concert schedule when I found a directory. Not just any directory, but an alphabetical listing of musical groups of all genres, varying degrees of personal hygiene, and not-of-this-world beliefs. From pure country and classic rock, to talentless garage bands and several apparently direct from the flaming pits of Satan's own backyard barbecue . . . there they were. A band buffet waiting for me to place my order.

I had heard that the perfect name for a band could be as simple as taking your high school mascot and combining it with your first automobile; Blue Devil Rambler or Rebel Pacer, for example. Maybe Bear Kat Gremlin or Bulldog Caddie?

However the name was chosen, some of the bands in this directory were genius, or at the least catchy. Others were . . . well let's say . . . I'd never book them based a name.

There was a collection of handles involving animals. Kitty Spankworthy wa...

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It was a week ago today that I lost Ruby. We were traveling down Highway 87 near Wall in West Texas.

A beautiful blue-sky day, the outside temp was in the mid '80s and I was listening to Mark Levin's new book, Liberty and Tyranny, on CD. That's when I heard the bang.

I had never been in a serious accident before. Maybe a fender bender or two, but nothing like this. The rear tire on the driver's side of my little red pickup truck had blown out, tread separating from the tire and tearing out a huge gash in the fiberglass flareside.

Fish-tailing is no fun at 55 mph, but the slide to the side across two lanes of fast moving pavement was the real eye-opener. You don't realize just how fast 55 is until you are doing it sideways. I'm sure the noise around me was horrendous, but I heard nothing except for a small voice in my head saying, "we're going to roll." And roll we did.

Off the highway then down a slight drop, Ruby and I flew right into ...

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I went to a funeral on Saturday. Joe Pace had died.

As I stood in the entryway of the stately old church in downtown Fort Worth I watched family members, and several hundred friends and business associates arrive. Most were dressed in black though there were a few from the ranch in their neatly pressed jeans and plaid shirts, polished boots and western hat in-hand. From the Mayor and his wife to the flea market receptionist they had come to say goodbye to Joe.

Mourners took a seat as the bell in the tower began to toll marking the start of the service. The main room with its beautiful stained glass windows quickly filled and it was obvious that the balcony would be needed. Spiritually soothing tunes poured from the pipe organ, and soon thereafter the family was escorted into the sanctuary and seated in the first three rows.

To the rear on either side of the organ sat a impressive backdrop of brightly colored floral arrangements and standing spra...

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Forgive me, but I just don't get all the hoopla surrounding the teen vampire saga, "Twilight". Vampires are not meant to be cool, pickup truck-driving, "vegetarians" from Washington state. They should be anything but that. At their best they should be like the vampire brood in "Lost Boys" or "John Carpenter's Vampyres". At their worst they should be all camped up in the style of George Hamilton in "Love at First Bite" or Lauren Hutton's "Once Bitten".

Anyone with even the slightest knowledge of vampire mythology knows that sunlight will toast a vampire into a charcoal briquette. But, "Twilight" wants us to believe that the real reason vampires avoid sol de caliente is that it makes their skin shimmer and glow as if covered in diamonds. Give me a blood-sucking break... Caskets filled with dirt from the motherland are out. Never sleeping is in. Superman is no longer the only character who is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a lo...

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I had to take a short business trip today; short by Texas standards that is. I drove to Bay City, Texas, a small town about 100 miles southwest of Houston and not too far from the Gulf coast. I really enjoy driving these back roads and taking in the sights and sounds of communities far from Houston with its traffic and noise. Bay City was nice enough with its refurbished downtown area surrounding the '50s style block granite county courthouse.  The people were friendly and the pace was so laid back. But it was on my return trip home that the real taste of Texas began.

Thirtysomething miles from Bay City is the town of Wharton. Like so many other communities outside of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, Wharton is a grassroots piece of Texan culture with strong moral values and a simpler, homespun lifestyle. I stopped at McDonald's to treat myself to the first Quarter Pounder with cheese that I've had in years. The burger was good, the fr...

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