Know what the most "liberal" thing about Texas is? Their definition of "disaster."

Wonder if Ted Cruz has bought some tickets to a resort?

From KXAN in Austin -

Travis County issues disaster declaration ahead of total solar eclipse

Travis County said it would take emergency measures ahead of the total solar eclipse set to take place in exactly one month.

The declaration was in anticipation of large crowds, increased traffic and strains on first responders, hospitals and roads related to the eclipse. Travis County Judge Andy Brown issued the declaration.

The total eclipse will miss AZ, but not everywhere else.  

From NASA -

According to TimeandDate.com, AZ will see a partial eclipse starting at 10:08 a.m., peaking at 11:20 a.m.., and ending at 12:35 p.m. 

Three immigrants drown in Rio Grande River; will Greg Abbott celebrate his selection as Cheeto's VP choice by dancing or laughing?

I thought that Nicki Haley had the inside track for that, but (to the best of my knowledge) she hasn't racked up a body count...nor does she not look enough like Vanky to suit Cheeto.

On the other hand, while Greg Abbott doesn't look like Vanky (though it wouldn't be a surprise if he dyed his hair blond and underwent some cosmetic surgery), he HAS racked up a body count.

From Texas Public Radio (emphasis added by me) -

Three migrants drown in Rio Grande after Texas blocks Border Patrol from rescue

A woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass on Friday night as they were attempting to cross the U.S. southern border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection told TPR that Border Patrol was prevented from deploying lifesaving efforts by agents with Operation Lone Star, the controversial Texas border security initiative.

Under the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott, Operation Lone Star this week seized control of Eagle Pass' Shelby Park, which faces the Rio Grande and has denied access to the Border Patrol.

If the people involved with Operation Lone Star and the drownings ever face charges, they may propose the Nuremberg defense and point fingers at Abbott.

TX is looking to unseat AZ as the "it's a dry hate" champion

Personally, I've always thought they had a ways to go, but the difference isn't as much as it used to be (FL is in the race, too, but I believe, though it will usually be bad, the worst of the worst there will go by the wayside when Ron DeSantis is no longer governor there).

From AP -

Texas A&M University president resigns after Black journalist’s hiring at campus unravels

Texas A&M University on Friday announced the resignation of its president in the fallout over a Black journalist who said her celebrated hiring at one of the nation’s largest campuses quickly unraveled due to pushback over her past work promoting diversity.

President Katherine Banks said in a resignation letter that she was retiring immediately because “negative press has become a distraction” at the nearly 70,000-student campus in College Station.

[snip]

But McElroy said soon after her hiring — which included a June ceremony with balloons — she learned of emerging pushback because of her past work to improve diversity and inclusion in newsrooms.

[snip]

American Association of University Professors President Irene Mulvey criticized Texas A&M’s handling of McElroy’s hiring, and called efforts against diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education a “misguided culture war.”

“This will surely result in chilled conditions for academic freedom in teaching and research,” said Mulvey, a mathematics professor at Fairfield University.

Will May 27th be Texas' version of January 6th?

Guessing not, but the similarities between Texas AG Ken Paxton and Cheeto  are striking.

Both have called for followers to rally/riot (my term, not theirs) in support, both have cheated on their wives, and both have been impeached.

First up:  Paxton's call for his supporters to "rally" to prevent his impeachment.  From The Guardian (UK) -

Texas attorney general urges supporters to protest at capitol ahead of impeachment vote

The Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, has urged his supporters to protest at the state capitol when Republicans in the House of Representatives take up historic impeachment proceedings against him.

The state House has set a Saturday vote to consider impeaching Paxton and suspending him from office over allegations of bribery, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust – just some of the accusations that have trailed him for most of his three terms.

Then: Paxton cheating on his wife.  From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram - 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s mistress at heart of allegations in impeachment papers

At the heart of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s recent troubles is that he used his office to help a political donor — Austin real estate investor Nate Paul — in exchange for allegedly helping the attorney general remodel his home and giving Paxton’s mistress a job in his company. 

According to thedailybeast.com, “Paxton reportedly acknowledged the affair with the woman, who worked as an aide to a Texas state senator, to his staff in 2018 and said he had ended it.”

Finally: Paxton has been impeached, too.  From the Texas Tribune -

Texas AG Ken Paxton impeached, suspended from duties; will face Senate trial

Defying a last-minute appeal by former President Donald Trump, the Texas House voted overwhelmingly Saturday to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, temporarily removing him from office over allegations of misconduct that included bribery and abuse of office.

The vote to adopt the 20 articles of impeachment was 121-23.

The vote itself, from the Texas Legislature -

The Paxton matter now moves to the Texas State Senate for a trial, where, interestingly, Angela Paxton, Ken's cheated-on wife, is a member.

Not sure how she will vote, or even if she will conflict herself out and simply not vote on the matter.

It's rather unusual for Republicans to hold one of their own accountable, for, well, *anything,* but like the Liz Harris mess here in AZ (where she was expelled from the legislature for inviting a guest to testify at a committee hearing who accused other Republicans of being corrupt), but Paxton made it personal when he called for the Texas house speaker to resign over allegations that he was drunk while presiding over the Texas House.

Apparently, threatening to close things down is the MAGAt version of taking their ball and going away...when they don't get their way.

Note: Llano County Texas is a small county northwest of Austin.

From NBC -

Texas county will keep library system open and comply with judge's order to put banned books back in circulation

A small-town Texas library system threatened with extinction was spared Thursday after the Llano County commissioners said they would abide by a federal judge's order to restore the books they banned rather than shut the system down.

Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham, who is the head of the county commission, made the announcement after county leaders heard from more than a dozen residents at an emergency meeting.

"The library will remain open while we try this in the courts, rather than through the news media," said Cunningham, who said the county has already spent more than $100,000 on legal costs and vowed to appeal the federal judge's decision.

Residents turned out in droves to protect their library system

Also from the NBC story -

"That's a victory," the Rev. Kevin Henderson of Sunrise Beach Federated Church declared. "That's a victory for free speech!"

[snip]

"These books are not pornographic," librarian Suzette Baker, who works at the Kingsland branch of the system, told the commissioners.

Jeff Scoggins paused from livestreaming the meeting to warn the commissioners that they will hear it from the voters if they bow to a "minority" that is pushing to close the libraries.

[snip]

"We're really concerned they might just shut the libraries down," Leila Green Little, one of seven people who successfully sued the county in federal court for banning the books, said ahead of the meeting.

"Our library system was started over a 100 years ago by a group of Llano County women who used to meet by our river to read books," Little added. "That was the humble start of our library system. And if they were to shut it down, it would absolutely be the end of a key piece of our county's history."

Two things:

1. My guess is this isn't over.

2. How long before MAGAts, say, the R caucus in the Arizona legislature, come for public education?  They already hate public ed; threatening it won't be a stretch for them.

See: the reaction of Rs to Red for Ed.

From the "You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up" department: Texan has anti-tank gun at airport

From KXAN -

TSA confiscates an anti-tank weapon from a passenger’s luggage at a Texas airport

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at the San Antonio International 

Airport confiscated a portable anti-tank rifle from a male passenger’s luggage

Monday, according to a Twitter post.

The passenger was on an outbound flight from San Antonio to Las Vegas, 

where he would attend the Shooting and Hunting Outdoor Trade Show. The passenger 

was planning to exhibit the weapon — a de-militarized 84MM Carl-Gustaf M4 

recoilless rifle — at the trade show, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Paxton, the AG in Texas, flees from a subpoena

Pretty sure that's not setting a good example for AGs...well...*anywhere*

From The Texas Tribune -

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fled his home to avoid being served with subpoena, court record says

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fled his home in a truck driven by his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, to avoid being served a subpoena Monday, according to an affidavit filed in federal court.

Ernesto Martin Herrera, a process server, was attempting to serve the state’s top attorney with a subpoena for a federal court hearing Tuesday in a lawsuit from nonprofits that want to help Texans pay for abortions out of state. Later on Monday, Paxton filed two requests: a motion to quash the subpoena and another to seal the certificates of service, which included the affidavit from process server. His lawyers argued that the server “loitered at the Attorney General’s home for over an hour, repeatedly shouted at him, and accosted” Paxton and his wife. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman granted both requests early Tuesday, hours after the affidavit had been published.

He's got lots of issues.

Also from The Texas Tribune, dated 9/15/2022 -

Texas AG Ken Paxton could be deposed about securities fraud accusations after election

Attorney General Ken Paxton will face lawyers for the men who accused him of securities fraud seven years ago in a one-hour deposition after the November elections.

The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday that Collin County District Court Judge Cynthia Wheless ordered Paxton to sit for the deposition on Nov. 28, three weeks after the culmination of Paxton’s reelection race. He is running against Democrat Rochelle Garza.

Of course, at least he hasn't fled to Cancun, like another Texas Republican.

And so it begins... UPDATED

Pointed at this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

This one may have happened in Texas, but you just know that Cathi Herrod and her water carriers in the legislature (and Doug Ducey) are gleefully scheming about bringing it to Arizona.

Pretty sure some drool may be involved.

From the McAllen Monitor -

Woman arrested in Starr County on murder for ‘illegal abortion’

A woman was arrested Thursday and charged with murder for having a self-induced “illegal abortion.”

According to the Starr County Sheriff’s Office, Lizelle Herrera, 26, was arrested and served with an indictment “on the charge of Murder after Herrera did then and there intentionally and knowingly cause the death of an individual by self-induced abortion.”

[Updated on 4/10 to add]

Well, *that* didn't take long.

From The Daily Beast -

District Attorney DROPS Charges Against Texas Woman for ‘Illegal Abortion’

A Texas woman who was charged with murder on Friday for a self-induced abortion will have her charges dropped. “Yesterday afternoon, I reached out to counsel for Ms. Lizelle Herrera to advise him that my office will be filing a motion dismissing the indictment against Ms. Herrera,” Gocha Allen Ramirez, the district attorney for Starr, Jim Hogg, and Duval counties, said in a statement Sunday. “In reviewing applicable Texas law, it is clear that Ms. Herrera cannot and should not be prosecuted for the allegation against her.” Herrera was charged by the Starr County Sheriff’s Office on Friday for the “illegal” abortion, a procedure Texas has managed to ban after six weeks. “The issues surrounding this matter are clearly contentious, however based on Texas law and the facts presented, it is not a criminal matter,” Ramirez wrote Sunday.

Guessing that Herrod et. al. are still drooling.

[end update]

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott is a lot like Cheeto - he wants to pardon criminals for political purposes

From The Texas Tribune -

Gov. Greg Abbott floats pardons for Austin police officers charged with excessive force in 2020 protests

Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday blasted the indictment of 19 Austin police officers on assault charges stemming from the May 2020 racial justice protests — and dangled the possibility of potential pardons for them.

“Those officers should be praised for their efforts, not prosecuted,” Abbott said in a statement. “Time will tell whether the accusations against the courageous Austin police officers is a political sham. Time will also tell whether I, as Governor, must take action to exonerate any police officer unjustly prosecuted."

[snip]

The indictments accuse the 19 officers — including Texas House candidate Justin Berry — of using deadly weapons to injure nearly a dozen demonstrators and threatening them with serious bodily harm during the May 2020 protests against police brutality that followed the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Michael Ramos in Austin.

Normally, Arizona politicos are the most craven in the U.S. (Arizona legislature notwithstanding), but Texas looks to be taking that title away from us.

We have Paul Petersen, Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, and Mark Finchem (and more!) but they have Abbott, Dan Goeb Patrick, Ken Paxton, Ted Cruz, Rick Perry, and, of course, Louie Gohmert (and more!)

Still, Cheeto may be the best example of using pardons for political/criminal gain - Joe Arpaio, Scooter Libby, Dinesh D'Souza, Michael Milken, Bernie Kerik, Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, Duncan Hunter, Paul Manafort, Charles Kushner, Steve Bannon, Rick Renzi, Roger Stone, and more - all criminals and all pardoned by Cheeto.

And Cheeto's example is the one that Abbott is following.

Hey, Arizona may not be perfect, but at least it isn't Texas

Of course - we're a LONG way from perfect.  

We elect people like Doug Ducey, Wendy Rogers, Kelly Townsend, Paul Gosar, and many others, but Texas elects people like Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz, Sid Miller, Louie Gohmert (and others).

And then there's this.

From Business Insider -

A Texas parent demanded a Michelle Obama biography be pulled from schools because they said it would make white girls feel 'ashamed'

A parent in Texas called for a children's biography about former first lady Michelle Obama to be pulled from school libraries because they viewed it as unfair to former President Donald Trump.

The Katy, Texas, parent took issue with a book titled "Michelle Obama: Political Icon" by Heather E. Schwartz, saying it "unfairly" depicted Trump "as a bully," according to NBC News, which on Wednesday published a list of 50 books that parents in Texas have asked schools to remove.

The request came as books depicting race, sexuality, and gender have faced heightened scrutiny from conservatives in the US, with many demanding certain titles be pulled from school libraries.

Nope, AZ isn't perfect, and maybe we shouldn't be talking smack about anyone, but TX could give us lessons in nuttiness, and that's saying something.

Holocaust Denial becomes official in Texas (sort of)

From NPR -

In one Texas district, teachers were told to give 'opposing' views of the Holocaust

A Texas school district has once again become the center of controversy after an administrator reportedly instructed teachers to provide students with "opposing" views of the Holocaust.

Gina Peddy, the executive director of curriculum and instruction for the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, Texas, is alleged to have made the comments during a meeting last Friday, according to NBC News, which obtained audio of the meeting from an unnamed employee. Peddy was reportedly meeting with teachers to instruct them on how to stock their classroom libraries when the subject of recent statewide legislation, as well as the Holocaust, came up.

The flak over that was so intense that the superintendent of that district was forced to apologize over it.

From Slate -

Texas Superintendent Apologizes After Official Calls for “Opposing” Views to Holocaust

A superintendent in Texas apologized to his district earlier this week after there was a massive uproar when it was revealed that a top official told teachers to “make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust, that you have one that has an opposing, that has other perspectives.” The comment, first reported by NBC News, led to lots of outrage that any school official would even suggest there was any kind of “opposing” side to the Holocaust. In a statement, Lane Ledbetter, the superintendent of the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, issued a statement saying that the comments were “in no way to convey that the Holocaust was anything less than a terrible event in history.” Ledbetter added: “We recognize there are not two sides of the Holocaust.”

It’s unclear whether the official, Gina Peddy, will face any kind of disciplinary action. Peddy, who is the executive director of curriculum and instruction for the school district, made the comment while talking to teachers about how to comply with a new Texas law, House Bill 3979, which requires multiple perspectives when teachers discuss “widely debated and currently controversial issues.” Lawmakers have said the measure was passed as a way to prevent schools from teaching “critical race theory.” The training session that Peddy was leading with the teachers came mere days after the school district’s board voted to reprimand a teacher who had an anti-racism book in her classroom.

Maybe, if Ms. Peddy faces *any* disciplinary action (it is TEXAS, after all - Abbott et. al. may consider 6 million dead victims to be a good start), she should be compelled to read about, and write a report about, the Nuremburg War Trials.

Apparently, Abbott and Paxton don't believe that the dead, dying, their families, and their friends are Texans

Of course, both Abbott and Paxton are both ethically challenged.

From KPRC - 

‘Protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans’: Gov. Abbott, AG Paxton to block Dallas County Judge’s mask mandate

Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday the filing of a mandamus petition the 5th Court of Appeals to strike down the actions by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, according to a release.

On Tuesday, Judge Tonya Parker granted local authorities in Dallas counties, such as Judge Jenkins, temporary power to issue mask mandates, defying the governor’s executive order GA-38, which bans local mask orders across Texas. In San Antonio, Judge Antonia Arteaga granted the local officials a temporary restraining order blocking Abbott’s action.

[snip]

“Under Executive Order GA-38, no governmental entity can require or mandate the wearing of masks,” Abbott said. “The path forward relies on personal responsibility—not government mandates. The State of Texas will continue to vigorously fight the temporary restraining order to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans.”