The GENIUS Party Continues Doing Genius Stuff

"Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."
Matthew 7:5

Wait...what?!?



The comment thread linked above contains the full blow-by-blow.  You can also watch the video archive here.  BTL,DR version is that the Texas GOP just denied "affiliate" status to the Log Cabin R's.

On one hand, we don't particularly care.  This is the insidest of inside baseball.  It means nothing in the real world.

But come on:

Republicans’ legislative efforts to ban cities from mandating benefits for employers’ workers took another twist late Wednesday night after a Texas House committee added protections for LGBTQ workers that the state Senate had removed from previous legislation.

Senate Bill 2486, which the House State Affairs Committee advanced Wednesday in a 10-2 vote, is part of a larger package of legislation state Sen. Brandon Creighton filed to limit the ability of cities to regulate private companies’ employment policies.

After hearing roughly eight hours of testimony Wednesday, state Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, advanced a reworked version of the bill — adding the language explicitly protecting local nondiscrimination ordinances to the measure, which would bar cities from enacting rules on how businesses schedule their employees’ shifts.

The move comes after several legal experts and LGBTQ advocates raised alarm bells that without the language in place, the potential new state law could undermine the enforceability of local anti-discrimination ordinances. They fear it would allow businesses to selectively pick and choose which of its employees are eligible to receive benefits that go beyond monetary compensation.

Phelan later told The Texas Tribune he chose to reintroduce the nondiscrimination protection language into the bill to help ensure local ordinances — already in place in six major Texas cities — aren’t gutted should the measure become law. And he told Tribune CEO Evan Smith in a podcast interview that he’s “done talking about bashing on the gay community” and didn't want to push legislation that could be used as a vehicle for discrimination.

“It's completely unacceptable... This is 2019,” he said.

Followed by:

For conservative Texas lawmakers and their allies in the business community, the fight over paid sick leave seemed like a slam dunk at the start of this year.

Left-leaning cities Austin and San Antonio were in Republicans’ crosshairs after adopting ordinances that required private businesses to offer their employees a certain number of paid sick days. While the city council members spearheading those proposals touted them as beneficial to workers, lawmakers on the other side of the ideological spectrum took issue with cities taking a new role in private companies’ employment policies — and creating patchwork regulations that only applied in certain parts of the state and might differ within a matter of miles.

Legislation blocking those ordinances was hailed as a priority in the Texas Senate, blessed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and lobbied for by wealthy business groups.

But as the session winds down, the bills that would achieve those goals missed the deadline to be considered on the House floor — meaning they’re effectively dead.

Barely six months ago, on the most important employment law bill of the past generation, the Texas GOP cowered and caved to a bunch of bullshit-ass, disingenuous, "objections" from the LGBT crowd.

Yet today we're supposed to believe they're taking some sort of principled stand?!?

Please.

Bottom Line: Hypocrite!  First Pass the sick leave preemption bill.  Then you will see clearly to make "party affiliate" decisions.

#TXLEGE, #atxcouncil: Casar calls Abbott's bluff (again)

"Understand, you senseless among the people;
And you fools, when will you be wise?"
Psalm 94:8

Greg Casar is the guest on the Nation magazine's latest podcast:

There’s a smarter way of doing politics emerging in this country, one that recognizes that every elected position has the potential to serve as a platform for transformational change. This is especially true at the city council level. City councilors govern at the intersection of grassroots engagement and public policy. If they get it right, they can can have ripple effects on local, state, and even national policies.

Few of the thousands of city council members in communities across this country know this better than Austin City Council member Greg Casar. Casar came to Austin as an activist and quickly realized the potential of the city council to address economic, social, and racial justice issues. Casar ran for—and won—a seat on the Austin council at age 25—becoming the youngest council member in the city’s history.

....

As a local elected official, Cesar has led groundbreaking struggles on behalf of worker rights, immigrant rights, and economic justice. Austin has taken the lead on issues like paid sick leave and fair hiring practices. And Casar and his activist allies have succeeded in defending much of the progress they have achieved from threats of preemption by a Republican-controlled state government.

[Note: Emphasis added.]

If you've been following Casar, then the full podcast doesn't contain a ton of new information.  Casar's strategies and tactics are obvious to anyone paying attention.  If you're new to the topic, however, the full podcast is worth your half hour.

That being said, the section on the legislature is priceless.  Casar ridicules the legislature for being completely dickless backing down in the face of the left's "organizing."  While Casar doesn't say so explicitly, special derision on this topic must go to a governor more interested in running his mouth on twitter than actually doing anything.

Bottom Line: Maybe Abbott will buy him a chicken sandwich....

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Full podcast:

#TXLEGE: Will Abbott do anything after ANOTHER Higher Ed incident?!?

"Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
James 2:17

By now, you've heard:



Obviously, this isn't good.  There's a lot that can be said.  We've said a lot of it before.

But it comes down to this: Abbott has jurisdiction.  He's not using it.  Nothing else matters.

Last year, we predicted the situation would eventually get so bad that Fox News would notice.  Well, Fox News picked this one up.  And we all know how Greg Abbott feels about Fox News....

In fairness to Abbott, he's been telegraphing for awhile that he's getting sick of UT's nonsense.  He forced out the Chairman of the Board last fall.  But none of that has changed anything.

Instead, there's this:

Bottom Line: Abbott has jurisdiction.  He's not using it.  Nothing will change until he does....

-------

Governor Greg Abbott:

Phone - (512) 378-0285

Twitter - @GregAbbott_TX

#TXLEGE: Villalba auditions for Far Left cash by playing "Rational Republican" martyr

"The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness."
Proverbs 15:2

It started with Samantha Bee last month:



It continued with yesterday's barely literate Trib op-ed calling for Trump's impeachment:

But verily I say unto you today, if we do not stop this man now, today, over 500 days into his presidency, we will be equally culpable in what he has planned for our great nation. President Trump thinks you are a fool. He believes you will never abandon him. And he believes that that there is almost nothing that he can do that would cause you to abandon supporting him.

But what he doesn’t know is that you are not a fool. You, like me, are an American. And no man will own your heart and mind like this president thinks he owns you.

Today is the day we take back our America. Today is the day we say “NO” to anyone who revels in abusing those weaker than them for political points.

At first, it seems like this is just Jason Villalba being Jason Villalba.

Then the Texas Observer ties everything together:

At the historic Sunset Station building just east of downtown San Antonio Wednesday night, a couple hundred people gathered to see Tom Steyer in a town hall setting.

Some had gotten texts; others invites on Facebook. Some had no clue who this Tom Steyer guy was; others a faint idea. Most of them had signed on to his Need to Impeach campaign, which he launched in October to build public support for President Trump’s impeachment. He says it has since garnered about 5.5 million signatures and is adding 10,000 more each day.

....

A hedge-fund billionaire and Democratic mega-donor from California, Steyer is the benefactor of the youth voter mobilization project NextGen America, a super PAC that operates in 11 states. He’s developed a reputation for his willingness to spend tens of millions on liberal politics.

So far, Steyer has pumped more than $40 million into Need to Impeach, running ads on TV (including Fox News) and building up a staff of 40 people.

Soo...Jason Villalba just "happens" to publish an op-ed calling for Trump's impeachment on the same day that the far-left billionaire who's funding the Trump impeachment drive just "happens" to be in Texas.

Hmm....

Couldn't be.

Oh wait:

I look forward to seeing more honest Republican leaders like @JasonVillalba step up and call for impeachment. https://t.co/fIHQtMCAGC

— Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) July 18, 2018

Get a room.

Bottom Line: We'll just warn our friends on the left that if they buy Jason Villalba, they own Jason Villalba.

#TXLEGE, #atxcouncil: The Costs and Consequences of Municipal "sick leave" Entitlements

"Is it not lawful for me to do as I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?!?"
Matthew 20:15

We attended this afternoon's TPPF event: The Cost and Consequences of Mandating Paid Sick Leave.  The event discussed the municipal entitlement the Austin City Council invented out of thin air last February.  Since Austin passed its ordinance, the tentacles are spreading to San Antonio and Dallas.

Tina Greider-Cannon of the Austin Chamber discussed how there were only 19 days between posting the language of the ordinance and final passage.  That schedule made it impossible to do a real economic impact study.  Cannon furthermore illustrated how, even using the advocates bogus numbers, there was still going to be a net economic impact of at least $140 million.  She also mentioned that unionized businesses are carved out of the ordinance.

Don "Skeeter" Miller of the County Line restaurant called the Austin entitlement an "administrative nightmare."   To simply consolidate the hours of employees who work at stores both inside and outside the city limits is a daunting task.  He also said it would kill their ability to do flexible scheduling for employees.  Miller said the minimum cost of the Austin ordinance would be $200,000 per year.

Annie Spilman of the National Federation of Independent Businesses made an interesting point about the vagueness of the ordinance.  She suggested it could set employers up for "stings" by various outside groups.  Rather than fight a city working in cahoots with the outside groups, employers natural tendency will be to settle.  Obviously, this is another form of shakedown.

The most interesting speaker was Paul Workman.  Workman talked about how the Austin ordinance was part of a national effort to push socialist economic policies at the local level.  Workman pointed out that this was part of a trend along with several other bad city of Austin policies.  This was the most perceptive we've seen Workman speak about the groups pushing this nonsense, and we were glad to see it.

Of course, the problem is that this is not our first rodeo with Paul Workman.  Paul Workman has been filing bills to reign in the city of Austin for years.  Those bills never seem to go anywhere.  We asked Workman about that during Q&A.  Workman said that because of the new speaker, those bills will start moving.  Of course, this brings up certain obvious questions about Workman's previous speaker decisions.  But, at this point, dwelling on the past won't accomplish anything moving forward.

Bottom Line: Municipal entitlements are a nightmare for any number of reasons.

Texas State Appeases Mob; ABBOTT REMAINS SILENT (Likewise Texas Senate)

"Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
Matthew 7:20

On Friday we discussed the farce at Texas State University.  Well, it's over.  The crazies won.

And they got everything they wanted.

If you can stand to stomach it, you can read the University President's letter of surrender here.

Texans have every right to be livid.  Following the lawless actions of a university bureaucrat making over $169k, a group of students took over a building.  Then the university gave them everything they wanted.  All this in an allegedly "conservative" state.

We've said it before, but it bears repeating: The Board of Regents can stop this nonsense.  And if the Board of Regents fails to act, the Governor who appoints them can step up.  But Texas' allegedly "conservative" Governor hasn't said a peep.

Also: Wouldn't it be nice if the Texas Senate would stop rubber stamping Regent nominees?!?

Bottom Line: Texas' public universities are a state agency.  If he were to choose to use it, the Governor has jurisdiction.  But why actually do the job to which you were elected when you can sell paranoid fantasies about George Soros on Fox News?!?

UT's Communist Problem Starts Making National News

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
Psalm 23:4

American Spectator this morning:

An Antifa group at the University of Texas at Austin is calling for “revolutionary violence” against assistant professor Robert L. Reece after he wrote a column running afoul of feminist dogma.

Reece isn’t the kind of academic that radical leftists typically attack.

Reece checks so many politically correct boxes that he’d normally be immune from criticism. He’s a young black sociologist from a poor community in Mississippi cotton country, deeply involved in issues of intense interest to the Left. He writes for a publication of the race-obsessed, far-left Southern Poverty Law Center. His academic research“revolves around the question ‘What is race?’ as well as inquiries into the historical origins of racial inequality, colorism/skin tone stratification, and racial fluidity.”

Reece’s problems began when he wrote a March 20 article for Vox, “How men are adjusting to the #MeToo era: ‘This is going to take a really long time.’” The piece is subtitled, “Men discuss the gray areas of intimate encounters.”

....

In a March 26 Facebook post, the RSF, whose logo contains the hammer and sickle communist symbol, states that “Reece’s only solution” after “a male student who, through this course, realized he had not been obtaining consent in all of his sexual encounters,” was “to briefly counsel him over email and suggest — not enforce — campus counseling.”

Reminiscent of The Trial, by Franz Kafka, the RSF argues Reece’s failure to report his newly guilt-ridden student makes the professor a rape facilitator:

We find this to be direct proof that Reece is an active threat to students on campus. Through his course, he is uniquely able to identify potential rapists, yet he does nothing to stop them — and worse, he shows them his sympathy as a fellow misogynist and abuser.

.... 

The RSF isn’t interested in allowing the wheels of justice to turn. The group put up posters featuring inflammatory prose and a large close-up photo of Reece encouraging students to stalk and harass him.

“Let Reece know the student body is watching him” by emailing, calling, or visiting him in his office, the poster exhorts.

The RSF urges a “burning bed” approach towards Reece and others. “Change is not elusive to us,” says their Facebook feed. “Reactionary violence, like rape and domestic violence and torture, can only be responded to with revolutionary violence.…We must reclaim violence so that every abuser may never again know peace inside their own homes and their jobs.”

On the one hand, we hope readers will understand if we keep our cards close to our chest as it relates to this group, but we know certain things we can't publish at this time.

On the other hand, wouldn't it be nice if Texas' allegedly conservative Governor would actually do something?!?  Say what you will about the University of Texas, but at the end of the day it's a state agency.  And the Governor controls the Board of Regents.

Then again, this sort of national media coverage will ultimately force Abbott's hand.  As RSF becomes increasingly violent, they're going to become too hot to ignore.  This is happening exactly as we predicted.  But the scary thing is what's going to happen in the interim.

Bottom Line: This is about to get really, really, ugly; don't think for a second that last month's bombing are going to be the only high profile violent act in this town this year....

Violent UT Communists Vandalize Conservative Students' Property

"As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent."
Jeremiah 28:9

Remember, back in June, when we observed that violent communists were recruiting at the University of Texas' flagship campus and that it would lead to some very bad incidents this fall?!?

Yeah, about that:

A campus source sent the following pictures:

The original sign

How the sign was discovered.

We also received video of one of the RSF vandals fleeing after being caught:

And all this, literally, on the day after Abbott's hand picked candidate is elected to chair the Board of Regents.

Obviously, President Fenves and (to a lesser degree) Chancellor McRaven are the ones who should take the lead rooting out this nonsense.  If history is any guide, they won't.  Assuming Fenves and McRaven refuse to do their jobs, the Board of Regents (which Abbott controls) should fire BOTH.

Bottom Line: Greg Abbott owns this.  It's his Board of Regents and his hand picked board chair.  If Fenves, McRaven, and the Board refuse to act that's where the blame lies.

-----

President Greg Fenves:
(512) 471-1232
president@utexas.edu

Board of Regents:
(512) 499-4402
bor@utsystem.edu

Governor Greg Abbott:
(512) 463-2000

Abbott quietly asserts further ownership over the University of Texas

Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
1 Corinthians 15:33

[Note: The most interesting aspect of Sarah Martinez Tucker's background can be found here.]

Another very interesting tidbit from yesterday's special UT board meeting:

AUSTIN—Regent Sara Martinez Tucker, appointed in 2015 by Governor Greg Abbott to a six-year term on The University of Texas System Board of Regents, was unanimously elected chairman of the board at a special called meeting Monday.

Tucker was nominated by Chairman Paul Foster, and the motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Steve Hicks.

Chairman Sara Martinez Tucker

“It has been an immense honor to serve as chairman of the board these last four years, but it was time to pass the gavel to a new leader,” Foster said. “It was a pleasure to nominate Regent Tucker, who has brought great insight and guidance to the Board over the last two years. The UT System and all of its institutions are going to benefit greatly under her very capable leadership.”

Prior to her appointment as regent, Tucker, a native of Laredo and resident of Dallas, served as the nation’s top higher education official as under secretary of the U.S. Department of Education under President George W. Bush. There, she oversaw all policies, programs, and activities related to postsecondary education, vocational and adult education, and federal student aid.

Tucker also served as the CEO and president of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, where she pursued an aggressive goal to double the rate of Hispanics earning college degrees. Prior to her work in the nonprofit sector, she was a long-time executive at AT&T.

Tucker currently serves as chairman of the Regents’ academic affairs committee, in addition to serving on the health affairs, finance and planning, and audit, compliance and risk management committees.

“Sara Martinez Tucker is going to be an incredibly effective chairman, and I know that I and everyone at the UT System is looking forward to working with her in her new capacity,” Chancellor William McRaven said. “She gives tremendous time and energy to the UT System, and she is extremely knowledgeable and cares very deeply about higher education. We could not ask for a better leader to guide us forward.”

Tucker earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in business administration from UT Austin. Tucker has been named as an Outstanding Young Texas Ex and a Distinguished Alumna at UT Austin and among many honors has received honorary doctorates from the University of Notre Dame, Boston College, and the University of Maryland University College.

“I am honored and humbled by this great privilege, and I am grateful to my colleagues for entrusting me with this responsibility. Having the opportunity to work with extraordinary board members, system administration leaders and visionary university presidents to ensure that UT students and patients have access to the best possible outcomes is and will always be my top priority,” said Chairman Tucker, following her appointment.

LOL, as the Statesman's Ralph Haurwitz explains:

Although by outward appearances the regents select their own leader, in actual practice the governor’s office signals the choice and the regents follow suit.

In other words, the UT Board now not only contains a majority of Abbott appointees, but it's now led by Abbott's hand picked chairwoman.

Given that the Board of Regents is now led by Abbott's hand picked chair, let's consider several incidents that have occurred since May 1st of this year (the Board has jurisdiction over all of these):

• Second on campus murder in 13 months.

• Following the afore mentioned second murder in 13 months, the Board of Regents has declined to have a public discussion of on-campus security in not one, not two, but three separate Board meetings.

• UTIMCO's refusal to deposit their gold at the state bullion depository.

• Violent communists recruiting on campus.

• Creation of an arbitrary "sexual assault" policy to please a big donor, which predictably leads to them getting sued.

• The early seeds of another tuition hike.

• Defying Abbott over statue removal.

• An absurd proposal to supervise the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal.

• The Maryland debacle.

• The University chancellor grandstanding over immigration in response to a sensible change in federal policy.

• A separate Abbott-appointed regent expanding so-called "social work."

• A left wing student assaulting a student reporter for the Daily Texan.

[Note: Even we didn't realize that there had been 12 separate terrible incidents in the past 4.5 months and we follow this stuff closely.]

Bottom Line: Anytime you wonder how the University of Texas consistently gets away with terrible behavior, and what can be done about it, remember that the Governor's office controls the Board of Regents.

Left Wing UT Student assaults Student Reporter

Do horses run on rocks?
Does one plow there with oxen?
Yet you have turned justice into gall,
And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
Amos 6:12

Remember, back in June, when we pointed out that violent communists were recruiting on campus and that it would bear poisionous fruit this fall?!?

Well, apparently we missed this incident from two weeks ago, but about that:

University of Texas Police arrested a protester on charges of assault and bodily injury at 11:45 Friday morning after a Daily Texan reporter was hit, drawing blood and requiring stitches for the injury.

The protester was Latin American studies graduate student Eric Nava-Perez, who joined fellow students Friday morning to protest anti-sanctuary city legislation and support immigrant rights. Journalism sophomore Chase Karacostas was covering the protest when he was struck at around 11:30 a.m., just as the protesters began marching to the Texas Capitol.

Police arrested Nava-Perez on Speedway in front of the Blanton Museum. University spokeswoman Cindy Posey said Nava-Perez was booked into the Travis County Jail shortly after.

Roughly 25 protesters gathered that morning in opposition of Senate Bill 4, a piece of Texas legislation requiring cities to comply with federal immigration authorities and authorizing local law enforcement to question a person’s immigration status during routine stops. A federal judge temporarily blocked the legislation last week.

Fifteen minutes after the incident occurred, Nava-Perez was arrested while marching to the Texas Capitol building with roughly 25 other student protesters.

Many of the protesters did not know any violence had taken place. After Nava-Perez was escorted from the scene, protesters chanted, “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?” and “No justice, no peace, no racist police.”

....

Students from social justice campus organizations such as Sanctuary UT and Solidarity 6.04 attended the event, as well as unaffiliated students who joined for personal reasons.

(h/t Student Press Law Center)

You'll notice that Presidet Fenves, Chancellor McRaven, and the Board of Regents haven't said a word.

Bottom Line: Following two on-campus murders in 13 months, the University of Texas began the current school year with a politically motivated assault.  Unfortunately, we expect more of this until someone cracks down.  Have we mentioned that a majority of the Board of Regents have been appointed by Governor Abbott?!?

#TXLEGE: Observations from #SpecialSession Day 1

And it will be said in that day:
“Behold, this is our God;
We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
This is the Lord;
We have waited for Him;
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
Isaiah 25:9

Obviously, today was day 1 of the legislature's special session.  The TL,DR version is that there are currently a lot of moving parts and we should know a lot more Thursday.  Nevertheless, some observations:

• Senate moves promptly on Sunset -- Shortly after they gavelled in, the Senate went into recess and held a committee hearing on the sunset bill  They're widely expected to vote the sunset bill out of the chamber tomorrow.  Expect Governor Abbott to formally amend the call to include the 19 other items tomorrow afternoon or early Thursday.
  
  

  

  Bud Kennedy outside the Senate chamber.

• Senate committee hearings on non-sunset items likely to start Thursday, get into full swing Friday...but that schedule is not set in stone.

• Straus refers sunset bill to Byron Cook's committee (Committee hearing tomorrow) -- LOL, don't ever change Joe....
  
  

• We chatted with a Texas Observer reporter about the pro-life bills -- We'll see what (or even if) they publish.  We explained that it's abhorrent to ask people to subsidize tearing up babies in their mama's womb either through local taxes or their health insurance.  We also explained how the Charlie Gard case in the UK creates a new sense of urgency on the DNR bill.

• The left holds a pathetically small rally -- The intersectional left of various persuasions came together for what they'd previously hyped as the biggest rally ever.  About 200 people showed up.  We didn't pay particular attention to what they were talking about but apparently "compassionate care" is a new euphemism for abortion.  Also, something or other about "transgender equality."
  
   Compare our photos from today with the left wing protests during the 2013 special session:

• But at least the commies showed up!!!
  
  

• And remember, at the end of the regular session, when Matt Rinaldi pointed out that left wing protesters we're openly advertising that they were in the country illegally?!?  Yeah, about that....
  
  
  
  
  
  [Note: The Central Texas office of Immigration and Customs enforcement can be reached at (210) 283-4750 or  SanAntonio.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov.]

Awful short-term clouds with fantastic medium-term silver linings....

"Do horses run on rocks?
Does one plow there with oxen?
Yet you have turned justice into gall,
And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,"
Amos 6:12

From time to time (typically about once a quarter), this author will take a Sunday afternoon walk around the UT-Austin campus; yesterday was one of those times.

Here's the bad news: We saw the flyer pictured above posted way too many times for comfort, especially around West Mall and Gregory Gym.  So, apparently, violent communist revolutionaries are now recruiting at our state's flagship public university and are planning to have a very active presence in the Fall 2017 semester.  That's every bit as awful and dangerous as you think.

It gets worse: This development comes on the heels of two on campus murders in 13 months.  Late last semester, we also saw the emergence of politically motivated left wing vandalism against fraternities.  The path of present trends is obvious.

We'll make another morbid prediction: It would not surprise this website to see the body count (currently at two) rise.

But, for as awful as this fall portends to be, it also makes us weirdly optimistic over the longer term.  The reason why is that, as these events unfold, we suspect Fox News will cover them.  And we all understand the degree to which a certain Governor cares what Fox News thinks.

And, as Fox News covers the worsening climate of left wing violence, Greg Abbott's previous wink-and-nod attitude toward the status quo crowd at UT will become no longer politically tenable.  Furthermore, we suspect that if the University publicly embarrasses Greg Abbott, Abbott's will crack down on them with the same focused diligence with which he's pursuing the cities during the special session.  If there's one thing we've learned about this Governor in the last month, it's that he doesn't take kindly to being publicly embarrassed by left wing bureaucrats with a sense of entitlement.

Bottom Line: It's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better, but we absolutely see light at the end of this tunnel...

Texas Senate's Abdication, Abbott's Mendacity, enables UT-RGV's unprecedented expansion of Bilingual "Education"....

"Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Matthew 7:20

With their accreditation hanging by a thread, the University of Texas' Rio Grande Valley campus demonstrates some...odd priorities:

The bilingual course I visited is a pilot for an initiative known around campus as B3 — “bilingual, bicultural, biliterate” — that aims to transform the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) into the United States’ first comprehensively bilingual public university. The project’s goals, proponents say, are far-reaching: to not only produce the bilingual professionals in high demand along the Texas-Mexico border, but also to begin to redress a historical legacy of what queer Chicana theorist Gloria Anzaldúa, a Valley native, calls “linguistic terrorism” against border Spanish speakers denied the legitimacy of their native tongue. As the initiative moves from rhetoric to reality, though, UTRGV finds itself grappling with questions of identity: What does it mean to be a bilingual and bicultural university?

“It’s about being much more aware of the language that is being spoken, and making sure that the space is safe for my students,” Saldívar told me after class in his office, which is decorated with an oversized pennant from Stanford, his alma mater. Saldívar, who in the fall of 2016 taught the first of what is expected to be dozens of bilingual or Spanish courses, has plenty of common ground with his students. Now in his late 30s, he grew up in the rural South Texas community of Edcouch-Elsa; his parents were punished in school for speaking Spanish and encouraged him to speak only English at home. Language could play a role in helping students feel a sense of comfort and belonging at the university, Saldívar said, but he wanted to impress on me that what the students were talking about was as noteworthy as how they chose to say it. “I think the American ethos is you pull yourself up by your bootstraps in order to be successful,” he said. “And that’s great. But I want my students to recognize the challenges and the disparities. And when faced with those challenges, ask: ‘What do we do?’ Because I want them to be able to handle that.”

For the class I visited at UTRGV’s Edinburg campus, students had read an article by Juan Carrillo called “I Always Knew I Was Gifted: Latino Males and the Mestiz@ Theory of Intelligences.” It led with an epigraph from Anzaldúa: “Theorists-of-color are in the process of trying to formulate ‘marginal’ theories that are partially outside and partially inside the Western frame of reference (if that’s possible), theories that overlap many ‘worlds.’”

The critical theory made for challenging reading for first-year students in what has often been taught as a remedial course.

[Author's Note: Emphasis added.]

Read the whole thing here, though we caution that slogging through this predictable litany of academic identity politics doesn't add much.

But why is this happening in Texas in the first place?!?

That's because the University of Texas system has a well documented history of doing whatever it wants and daring their Board of Regents, and the elected officials to whom they report, to stop them.

We know how that's worked out in recent years.

Prior to his first round of Regent appointments, Governor FoxNews stated:

"I will give them marching orders about what I want them to achieve, and I expect them to achieve it without micromanaging."

One would think an allegedly conservative Governor would give 'marching orders' to Regent appointees that would put a stop to hard left gobbledygook, but Abbott's first round of regents did nothing of the sort and his second round are well documented defenders of the status quo.

And the Texas Senate just rubber stamped that second round so, absent a new set of "marching orders" from the Governor (which, now that the Regents are confirmed, they are under no obligation to follow) or direct intervention from the Chancellor, you can't even begin to address this nonsense for another two years.

We put in a request for comment from the Chancellor and the Abbott appointees on the Board of Regents but had not heard back by the time of publication; if they reply, we will include it in a separate post.

As we told Senator Birdwell at the confirmation hearing: if that second round of regents were confirmed, political correctness on campus would get a lot worse.

The Senate chose to disregard our warning, they confirmed the regents, and look what's already happening.

And the Texas Senate, along with Governor FoxNews, OWNS this nonsense.

Bottom Line: Buckle up, because it's going to get a lot worse over the next two years.

-----

Governor Greg Abbott: (512) 463-2000
Chancellor Bill McRaven: (512) 499-4201
UT System Board of Regents: (512) 499-4402

Child Rape and Fraud in the Early Sexual Revolution

"Why do You show me iniquity,
And cause me to see trouble?
For plundering and violence are before me;
There is strife, and contention arises."
Habakkuk 1:3

We haven't discussed Alfred Kinsey in awhile, but this interview is fantastic:



Highlights:

• Abused infants and children in his "research."

• Falsified Data.

• Used statistically invalid population samples.

• Academia has covered it up.

• Kinsey institute is now advising the U.N.

• Recorded children crying as 'orgasms.'

• Got data from Nazi Pedophiles.

• Hugh Hefner was Kinsey's pamphleteer.
• And that didn't work out particularly well for Hefner, either.

• Consequences of sexual revolution include impotent young men.

• Sex education, especially under Common Core, is all based on Kinsey.

Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick foil obscure Common Core Backdoor

"Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees,
Who write misfortune,
Which they have prescribed."
Isaiah 10:1

An extraordinary story out of Houston, for which Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick deserve ample kudos:

The citizens of Texas owe a huge thanks to two Texas conservatives – Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick.

Because on March 24, 2014, Attorney General Greg Abbott released his 0pinion #GA-1047 answering Senator Dan Patrick‘s request #RQ-1152-GA filed last November:

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if the liberals are going to be successful by-passing the Texas Legislature to spread federal “common core for babies” across Texas, they need an obscure taxing authority that no one will notice, led by persons willing to exceed their authority. Lucky for them, Texas has just that - The Harris County School Trustees – aka - Harris County Department of Education (HCDE.)

In 1889, the Texas Legislature assigned the operation of public schools to county school boards. Over the years, Texas moved away from county run schools to smaller independent school districts with thir own elected school boards. When Texas no longer zoned students to county schools, the Legislature repealed the laws governing county school systems.

It may sound far-fetched, but it is true. Even though all Harris County students moved to ISDs over 50 years ago, HCDE uses a loophole to continue to elect County School Trustees and collect a countywide school property tax passed way back in 1937. They disregard TEC 18.14 which dictates the distribution of county school tax funds directly to Harris County ISDs, and spend the funds as they see fit. To top it off, most people in Harris County don’t even know HCDE still exists, thus making it the perfect “obscure” taxing authority, led by persons willing to exceed their authority.

In the 1960s, with the daily operation of public schools no longer their focus, HCDE began working with LBJ to increase federal participation in our education system. Today, HCDE is so entrenched with the Feds and the liberal agenda, they are like a “Who’s-Who” of the democrat party and ideology.

President Obama’s Education Czar, Arne Duncan, visited HCDE in person. The HCDE press release called the visit "historic" with particular emphasis on "more investments in early childhood education."

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But even worse…they stated that their long term plan was to use HCDE as their hub to spread this ACROSS TEXAS.

The liberals thought they could slip the tax increase through by simply saying “it is for the children.” But it didn’t work. County Judge Ed Emmett questioned the legality of their November 2013 petition, and was backed up by the 14th Court of Appeals. It did not make it onto the ballot.

When word surfaced that liberals were going to try another petition in November of 2014, Senator Dan Patrick requested a legal opinion from the Attorney General . Because Greg Abbott is a true conservative who follows the letter of the law, his opinion released March 24, stopped it in its tracks.

But this does not mean the kids of Texas are safe. It simply means that the HCDE tax rate won’t be doubled to pay for it.

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Why does HCDE even want to get involved?

Besides just supporting the liberal concept of bigger government, HCDE knows it is in trouble. People are starting to question the need for county school trustees in Harris County when 252 other counties in Texas abolished their county school boards decades ago –--- especially when HCDE is using our tax dollars to help turn Texas “blue.” HCDE is banking on their liberal friends in Washington putting pressure on the Texas Legislature to keep them open. The HCDE superintendent was heard saying that the Pre-K initiative would make HCDE so big that even the Texas Legislature would not be able to touch them.

Conservative Texas Representative Debbie Riddle tried to halt HCDE’s liberal agenda last session with HB945. HCDE spent hundreds of thousands of your tax dollars on lobbyists to fight against Rep Riddle’s bill. The lobbyists lined up Alma Allen and other liberals on the House Education Committee with "Republican" Rep Dan Huberty to keep HCDE operational. And it worked. HB945 bill did not get out of committee.

But, Rep Riddle was successful in getting the House Education Committee to take a closer look at HCDE in the interim so HCDE is spending hundreds of thousands of of our county education dollars again to hire lobbyists. Rob Eissler, the ex-chair of the Texas House Education Committee and one of Straus' ex-lieutenants, who was kicked out of office by his constituants and replaced with true conservative, Steve Toth, is one of them - a "Republican" who will rake in taxpayer money helping the liberals forward their agenda.

So now, like Paul Harvey listeners, you know “the rest of the story.”

Greg Abbott’s legal opinion answering Sen Dan Patrick’s question concerning HCDE’s tax increase was much more than a simple tax question. It stopped the liberals from abusing the law and holding an illegal tax election to fund the expansion of Obama’s Pre-K Initiative in Texas.

Read the whole thing, complete with financial ties to national progressive groups, here.

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It's worth noting that both Abbott's and Patrick's efforts came from the offices they currently hold, NOT their campaigns.  That they were able to score this critical victory while simultaneously running statewide campaigns reveals the diligence and multitasking abilities of both men.  Kudos to both!!!

Travis County Republicans exploit Team Wendy's latest train wreck

On Tuesday night, Wendy spoke at a Travis County Democrat Party fundraiser.  One would think a stump speech in front of the county party in the friendliest county in the state would be a slam dunk.  One would also think that you wouldn't alienate a press corps' predisposed to be friendly.  Apparently, that's too much to ask for the comedy of errors that is Team Wendy.  Fortunately, the Travis County Republican Party is filling the void:

The Austin American-Statesman has more here.

Obama helps to expand Julian Castro's machine

"So taxpayer revenue is used to hire sate workers, who are always unionized. Those state workers (who are unionized) must pay union dues. In many states, the deduction of dues is automatic. The employee does not write a check. It's simply deducted from his state payroll check or deposit. So when a public sector employee pays union dues, where does that money end up? A portion of it ends up somewhere in the giant Democrat Party nationwide, statewide campaign apparatus. So private citizens, in Wisconsin and elsewhere, end up donating to the Democrat Party via state and public workers. It's a money laundering operation, and that's what the Porkulus bill was. It was to make sure that during the recession, state workers did not lose their jobs so that Democrats did not lose their campaign money. Pure and simple, that's it."
Rush Limbaugh

Last week, President Obama five new federal 'promise zones.'  San Antonio made the cut.  According to the White House:

San Antonio, TX (Eastside Neighborhood) 

The City of San Antonio’s key strategies include: 

• Focusing on job creation and training, including through a partnership with St. Philip’s College, in key growth areas including energy, health care, business support, aerospace/advanced manufacturing, and construction. 

• Empowering every child with the skills they need by increasing enrollment in high quality pre-K programs; installing a STEM focus in the local school district; expanding enrollment in Early College Programs; and improving adult education opportunities. 

• Expanding public safety activities to facilitate neighborhood revitalization; improved street lighting and demolishing abandoned buildings; and integrated public safety activities with social resources.

San Antonio's mayor reacted predictably:

San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro said “this is a promising investment in creating more job opportunities and revitalizing neighborhoods on the East Side.” 

Castro said the federal application process can be “labyrinthine” and difficult to complete correctly. 

“So to have the technical assistance and have the red tape cut will make a difference in the likelihood of having success at getting funding in the future,” Castro said.

Obama's 'promise zones,' are an ass-backwards economic development strategy.  But Obama's 'promise zones' aren't about economic development.  Obama's 'promise zone' is a smokescreen for Battleground Texas.

In 1966, Lyndon Johnson launched the 'model cities' initiative.  Detroit was one of Johnson's targets.  While model cities was economically cataclysmic, it was a political windfall for Lyndon Johnson's coalition.  Inserting a progressive machine into America's industrial heartland fundamentally transformed its culture.  Productive citizens fled, while the dependent underclass that remained reliably voted for more government.  Detroit hasn't voted for a Republican mayor since.  George Bush 41 was the last Republican presidential candidate to win the state.

Julian Castro, to be fair, knows a thing or two about building a political machine.  He uses the people's money to reward friends.  He attempts to destroy opponents.  But Julian Castro has well documented statewide ambitions.  An army of progressive organizers, masquerading as federal 'promise zone' facilitators, allows Castro to expand the coalitions of power he'll need for a statewide run.

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Update: It gets better; turns out the 'promise zone' is in JOAQUIN Castro's Congressional district.

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Update II: Welcome Director Blue readers!!!

Thomas Ratliff compares Founders to Al Qaeda

Tonight's CSCOPE debate was dominated by inside baseball.  Our eyes glazed over on multiple occasions.  The most striking part of the 'debate' was when Thomas Ratliff got sloppy.

Ratliff's obvious strategy was to bore people with details.  It worked for 45 minutes.  Then Thomas Ratliff decided to speak about Pearl Harbor and 9/11.

Thomas Ratliff on Pearl Harbor:

Not everyone sees the world the same way we do.

Thomas Ratliff on 9/11:

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

 [Author's Note:  These two comments came between 7:20 and 7:35 pm CST; unfortunately, we didn't time stamp our notes.]

Ratliff, once he realized how badly he stepped in it, backtracked by claiming he didn't want Texas schoolchildren to insult potential foreign employers.  [Insert National Debt Joke Here]

Cahnman's Musings suspects no one will change their mind about CSCOPE based on tonight's debate.  Cahnman's Musings is friends with CSCOPE activists, but still found the debate painfully boring.  The most interesting moment came around the 45 minute mark, when Thomas Ratliff got sloppy.

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Author's Note: Cahnman's Musings will post video of the debate as soon as it becomes available

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Author's Note II: From StaceInTexas:

Thomas Ratliff just said it's ok to call the founders terrorists because "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." #CSCOPE

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Author's Note III:

This badass devotional says it best:

Thou Hast Rejected Knowledge

by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

 

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." (Hosea 4:6)

This lament over the ancient apostasy of Israel embodies an age-long principle which surely applies to those nations today which once professed Christianity but are now dominated by humanism. Our own nation is experiencing an awful scourge of moral anarchy among our children and young people, and the reason why is because their parents and grandparents have largely "forgotten the law of thy God."

America—particularly its intellectual leadership—has "rejected knowledge," so its people are being "destroyed for lack of knowledge." This ignorance exists despite an abundance of supposed actual knowledge (i.e., "science") in our educational institutions, for such facts are almost universally taught in a secular context. Our teachers have forgotten that "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7).

Even in evangelical and fundamentalist churches and schools today, there is often too little emphasis on knowledge and too much on experience. Christian faith is not "feeling"; it is volitional commitment to a true intellectual understanding of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish," said Christ (Luke 13:5). The Greek word for "repent" means "change your mind!" One can only believe right if he first thinks right, and this requires true knowledge.

Listen again to Hosea's warning: "The LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy |i.e., 'kindness'|, nor knowledge of God in the land" (Hosea 4:1). "They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7).

HMM

Pro-Abortion Thugs Terrorize Austin Coffee Shop

Recently, NARAL Texas attempted to solicit a contribution from Summermoon Coffee, a South Austin establishment; Summermoon declined in the following e-mail:

To Whom It May Concern,
Please take us off your list of contacts. We are Pro Life and do not believe in the killing of precious innocent babies. I would recommend watching this video to put it in perspective. www.180movie.com
Thanks,
Amanda Terry

As you can see, Summermoon included a link to the short pro-life film 180.

In response, NARAL posted to their Facebook page:

Did you know that Summermoon Coffee Bar is an anti-choice coffee shop in south Austin? When asked to make a donation to our silent auction, they sent us a disturbing video comparing abortion to the Holocaust claiming to be "pro-life." We all might want to think twice before walking into this place.

Then the Burnt Orange Report chimed in:

Long story short: if you're looking for a caffeine fix in the South Austin area and you aren't interested in supporting a business that is fervently anti-choice and actively involved in spreading offensive propaganda, find another coffee shop.

So far, so good; NARAL and Burnt Orange Report have a right to let politics intrude on their purchases.  Cahnman's Musings supports Chick-fil-a and attempts to avoid Starbucks for the same reason.  What happened next, however, was yet another revealing moment from the pro-abortion left.

The totalitarians came out in force.  They attacked Summermoon's website to the point that it had to shut down.  The comments on Summermoon's Facebook page were equally threatening:

Tressa Barron:

It's one thing that they're anti-choice, but a whole extra layer of disgust that they'd compare abortion with the holocaust and send a video instead of simply declining to donate to NARAL. Shame shame shame. That's no way for an Austin establishment to behave...

 Nowanna Tellya:

 why get coffee from misogynists when there are so many other options?

Derek Amarpreet Whitman:

Anti-choice suckers.

This is a longstanding technique of the left.  It's reputational terrorism.  It's designed to pummel you in the court of public opinion until you decide 'I don't want any trouble,' and shut up.

It's the same thing they've done to advertisers for Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh in the past; then again, what would you expect from people who chant 'Hail Satan' and 'Tampons are a woman's right'?!?

On September 6th, pro-lifers will express their appreciation for Summermoon Coffee.  Cahnman's Musings will be there.  This act of reputational terrorism will not stand....

(h/t Bryan Preston)

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Update: On a related note, it looks like the White House is also engaged in pro-abortion trolling.