Doug J. Swanson

Wow. What a rollicking ride the Rangers have had. I had to take periodic breaks when reading this book because of all the bloodletting. One thing really stands out: We've always had problems along the border and many times it's of our own making. Sometimes it seemed as if the Rangers appeared only when peace was about to break out. The string of injustices either ignored or in the worst cases actually committed by a Ranger is long. Yet the legend of the Rangers is tended to and guarded to show more this day. Books like Swanson's do break through the veneer, but legends are hard to tarnish, particularly when there's plenty of politicians seeking their own ennoblement through association with the "vaunted" Rangers. show less

Subtitled “The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers”. Author Doug Swanson notes that the Rangers fought bravely against Native Americans – and sometimes brutally slaughtered them (for more about that, see Empire of the Summer Moon); and fought bravely during the Mexican-American War – and sometimes brutally; and fought bravely against Mexican bandits – and sometimes brutally murdered Mexican civilians; and bravely stood off lynch mobs – and sometimes stood aside and let show more the brutal mob do its work; and bravely captured vicious criminals – and sometimes shot first and didn’t ask, or answer, questions. The Rangers had a particularly unpleasant reputation among Mexican-Americans, who reacted to them about the same way black people in Alabama reacted to the Klu Klux Klan, for much the same reasons.

The most notorious case was the Porvenir massacre, in which Rangers and US Army troops surrounded the village of Porvenir, about a mile on the Texas side of the Rio Grande. The Rangers and troops were looking for bandits who had raided the Brite ranch in Texas, looted a store, robbed a stagecoach, and cut the stage driver’s throat. Searching Porvenir didn’t find anything, but the Rangers asked to question the townsfolk away from the Army. Sometime later there were volleys of shots and the Army found that all the villagers had been killed trying to escape* For more on that, see War on the Border.

Eventually things changed. A Hispanic Ranger was hired. Then a black Ranger. And finally female Rangers (a number of old-time Rangers resigned over that). Current Rangers must have eight years of law enforcement experience – and must be a Texas highway patrol trooper (it’s questioned by some if highway patrol experience is really useful for the other duties the Rangers perform). Rangers have no uniform, but must wear “Western” boots and a “Western” hat and a Ranger badge. They mostly act as resources for smaller jurisdictions in Texas – usually effectively, Swanson concedes – and some still “range”.

Swanson has done pretty thorough research – without a lot of cooperation from the Texas Rangers (although he does get a “ride-along” with one). He often comes across as “damning with faint praise”, balancing accounts of Ranger heroism with less flattering stories. There are extensive endnotes and an extensive bibliography.

*Later archeological research, not published in time for this book, found that there were just as many empty military cartridges found at the site as cartridges attributable to Rangers, leading to the possibility that the US Army had been complicit but foisted the blame on the Rangers: The Secrets of Porvenir. show less

A pretty good biography of Bennie Binion and his trials and tribulations in the rough and tumble days of the shady side of the origins of gambling from Texas to Las Vegas. Most people have heard of Binion's Horseshoe casino in Glitter Gulch Fremont Street in Vegas. I was not aware of who the man really was and where he came from and got to where is ended up. It is an entertaining story well presented by the author. The feuds and legal wranglings primarily in the Texas lay of the land got a show more bit sluggish but that was a big and significant part of what Binion went through and how it led to his emergence in the Vegas scene. Through it all we are presented with a simple yet complex fellow who worked it his way and by his laws. Though the real law does manage to step on his toes it plays ultimately to more of a draw, not to be confused with quick draw, but Benny probably would have prevailed in that scenario. Legendary and seemingly beloved he became in that legend by the masses the gravitate to Las Vegas it is doubtful many would have wanted to be on the wrong side of this man in a dim alley after having read this book. show less

Picked up the audio book in a thrift store. It is about the 2nd gunman theory , the grassy knoll shooter if you will, in the JFK assassination. Although I have heard many conspiracy theories and watched several movies and documentaries about the about the JFK assassination, I still enjoyed the story. Although not a new plot, the audio version brought the whole story to life and made it exciting. The narrator earns much of my praise since his rendition of the characters was very imaginative show more and distinctive with each voice so individualized. I would listen to the dictionary if it was read by Ron McLarty. show less