Tag Archives: Texas

Top Texas Republicans Call For More Guns, Fortified Schools, Armed Teachers After Attack

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On May 24, 2022, a gunman opened fire inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing at least 19 children and two teachers.

[Afterwards,] GOP lawmakers refused to support the possibility of any gun control measures as the nation reels in the wake of the worst school shooting since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012. Instead, the elected officials called for more armed teachers and even fortified schools meant to keep bad actors away from children, saying laws to limit access to firearms don’t work.

. . .

Police said the 18-year-old who attacked the school, identified as Salvador Ramos, was wearing body armor that made him more difficult to stop after he crashed his car through a barricade near Robb Elementary School. At least two law enforcement officers tried to engage him and were injured in the shooting, The New York Times reported.

As usual, Texas Republicans are just not up to the task. They always propose these halfway solutions, when the most effective way to stop these school shootings is to arm the students — preferably with armor-piercing bullets. A couple instances of 8-year olds turning an attempted shooter into swiss cheese and this will stop for good!

Source: Top Texas Republicans Call For More Guns, Fortified Schools, Armed Teachers After Attack | HuffPost Latest News

Least bad Texas candidate drops out, admits affair

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Incumbent Representative Van Taylor (R-Plano, 3rd CD) was in a three-way primary race until news of an affair got out.

Taylor, a former Marine and Iraq war combat veteran, was considered one of the Texas delegation’s most conservative members when he was elected in 2018. But he has been sharply criticized by the party’s right-wing for voting to certify the 2020 election results and supporting a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

One of Taylor’s opponents was Keith Self.

Self is an Army veteran and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy. He has claimed Taylor drifted from his conservative roots in the GOP-dominant district. He was among those who heavily criticized Taylor’s votes on the election result and insurrection investigation and Taylor’s vote to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol.

The third candidate was Suzanne Harp. She is the Vice President of Strategic Accounts in a middle-market M&A firm in Richardson, Texas. She is the sole female among the thirty-one executives in her department.

When Suzanne Harp learned of Taylor’s affair, she informed two right-wing websites, which publicized the affair. Harp said that the revelations, which she engineered, were “deeply concerning, and I’m praying for all involved. . . . Politics should build up our families, our communities, and our political parties. This story breaks my heart, both as a wife and as an American. Politics should never tear these sacred institutions apart.”

Update:  In the March, 2022, five-way Republican primary, Taylor got only 48.7% of the vote and Self got 26.5%. When Taylor withdrew, the runoff was cancelled. Self will face the Democratic candidate in the heavily-Republican district in November.

Source: Republican Congressman From Texas Drops Reelection Bid After Admitting He Had Affair | HuffPost Latest News

Texas Republicans Want Other People to Pay for Hurricane Harvey Damage

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What ever happened to “personal responsibility”? Do the leaders and representatives from Texas expect their voters to pay for their own disaster relief? Naaah. They want the federal government (i.e., you) to pony up.

Source: Hurricane Harvey And The Potential Hypocrisy Of Texas Republicans | HuffPost

God sends Tropical Storm Harvey to Texas as punishment for Governor Greg Abbott’s many evil actions

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Catastrophic flooding triggered by Tropical Storm Harvey inundated Houston on Sunday, forcing residents of the fourth most populous U.S. city to flee their homes in boats or hunker down in anticipation of more days of “unprecedented” rainfall.

Abbott’s evil actions include union busting, racial gerrymandering, anti-choice activism, opposition to gay marriage, and support for an anti-transgender bathroom bill. Clearly, the Almighty is Not Amused.

Source: Houston devastated by flooding from Harvey as residents gird for days of rain

Texas GOP Platform Opposes Critical Thinking

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Here’s a direct quote:

“Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.”

GOP Opposes Critical Thinking: Party platform paints original ideas as a liberal conspiracy – News Blog – The Austin Chronicle.

and see the platform.

Texas judge tries to get defense lawyer arrested on fake charges; receives slap on wrist

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Texas justice of the peace J. Kent Adams made racist comments — like asking a black mother if she was on welfare and expected the government to pay her fine. And Adams called defense attorney Henry Nguyen “boy” and told him that the school records Nguyen subpoenaed to defend his client were “none of his (expletive) business.”

That’s just Adams being a dick.

But after Nguyen complained to the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, judge Adams tried to persuade a prosecutor to sign an affidavit saying Nguyen’s claims were false and tried to pressure another prosecutor to file perjury charges against Nguyen.

Abuse of his office earns Adams a “Bite Me.” But when the State Commission on Judicial Conduct merely issues a public admonishment — the lowest form of public punishment the Commission can levy — they can Bite Me, too.

Houston Chronicle article

Back to the smoke filled rooms of yesteryear, say Texas city officials

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In a case is before the Texas Court of Appeals, officials from Alpine, Texas, claim that criminal penalties stemming from their violation of the state open meetings law have had a “chilling effect” on their free speech.

Sean Jordan, representing the state Attorney General, countered that the purpose of the law is not to curtail free speech by elected officials, but to require the disclosure of that speech to the public. “These laws are designed to ensure government officials don’t get into a practice of deliberating in private,” Jordan said.

Lawyers for state, cities clash over open meetings penalties – Houston Chronicle.