#atxcouncil: Leaving Homeless Encampments in Place (while Shutting Down the Rest of Us)

"If a ruler pays attention to lies,
All his servants become wicked."
Proverbs 29:12

Because of course:

[Note: For those who are (blissfully) unaware, Austin Sanders is the city hall correspondent for the Austin Chronicle.]

Is this a joke?!?

At a time when 90% of the city is shut down due to a mayoral edict...they're going to allow homeless encampments to remain in place?!?

No, really...is this a joke?!?

We said our piece on this topic when they shut down #Sx, but it bears repeating:  Under normal circumstances, we think the so-called 'public health' claims about homeless encampments are exaggerated.  The real issue with the encampments is the petty crime and general unsightliness.  In the current situation, however, homeless encampments ought to be the first place you look to shut down transmission of infectious diseases.

Instead, those are the one place that will be left completely alone.

Lunacy.

Bottom Line: Par for the course with this city council, but still....

Gohmert is Completely Correct

"He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer."
Proverbs 18:9

Good for him:

A U.S. House-passed package intended to deal with the coronavirus faced serious jeopardy, including a potential delay caused by a Texan, as the Senate anticipated addressing the legislation Monday.

The bill faced trouble in several directions, but U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, is putting up an initial roadblock. House leaders are sorting out what they describe as "technical corrections" on the bill. Gohmert is demanding the revised legislation be read on the floor, per multiple reports.

Most House members returned to their districts over the weekend. The changes could glide through that chamber without their return if no present members object to a motion to unanimously consent to passing the bill. But if there is an objection, all House members must return to Washington to pass the bill — a process that could take days.

"We still do not have a final draft of the negotiated changes being called 'technical corrections' and some of us believe that the newly worded laws should be finished before we pass them. #CoronaVirus," Gohmert tweeted Monday afternoon.

Honesty, this isn't difficult.

Bottom Line: Having a final draft of legislation ready, so that members actually know what they're voting on...what a novel concept!

#TXLEGE: No, seriously, good deal Matt Rinaldi

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

By now everyone's heard: Attempted mass shooting yesterday.  Stopped by a good guy with a gun.  Only reason why it was legal for the church in question to defend itself was because Matt Rinaldi got the church security amendment past the finish line.

We don't have a lot to add.

Matt was a champion in that effort.

Obviously, it's still the case that Matt's effort was only necessary because of deeper problems in how this state is governed.  Equally obvious, it's still the case that places besides churches should also be able to organize volunteer security forces.  Finally, it ought to be obvious that the scope of the amendment that passed in 2017 needs to be dramatically expanded.

There will be time for all that.

For now, however, let's just be glad that Matt Rinaldi's efforts two years ago averted a much worse tragedy.

Bottom Line: Yesterday could have been so, so, much worse.

#TXLEGE: Effective, Sustainable, Solutions for Gun Violence

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

From TPPF:

TPPF: Come and Take It

What Will – and What Will Not – Improve Public Safety in Firearm Violence Prevention

AUSTIN— Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published the research paper Come and Take It: What Will—and What Will Not—Improve Public Safety in Firearm Violence Prevention. “In the wake of recent shootings, many gun control proponents have demanded that state leadership ‘do something’ in the hopes of preventing future tragedies,” said Derek Cohen, Ph.D., director of Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Right on Crime initiative. “However, these demands often contribute to a clear violation of an explicit right enumerated both in the United States and Texas constitutions—the individual right to keep and bear arms for lawful self-defense—while failing to empirically demonstrate the positive change the proposed policy seeks to achieve.” Key Points: Texas is the safest it has been in a generation, yet some are calling for stricter gun control. Common gun control proposals often penalize law-abiding gun owners while failing to improve public safety. To read the paper in full, please visit:  www.texaspolicy.com/come-and-take-it-what-will-and-what-will-not-improve-public-safety-in-firearm-violence-prevention/

Bottom Line: It's nothing you didn't already know, but it's good to have all the data in one place.

#TXLEGE: Insufferable Senate Solipsists Waste Everybody's Time

"Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join forces, none will go unpunished."
Proverbs 16:5

[Note: If you care about the details, Lauren McGaughy of the DMN live tweeted the early part of the hearing here.  Her thread contains links to coverage of later parts.  Masochists can watch the full hearing here.]

[Note II: The definition for 'solipsism' is available here (see definition #2); the definition for 'pompous' is available here.]

It's mercifully over.

Today's initial hearing of the Texas Senate's interim committee on so-called "Mass Violence Prevention & Community Safety" accomplished nothing.  Unless you consider an unintentional case study in ego and political grandstanding an accomplishment.  It delivered on that count.

DPS chief Steve McCraw was the hearing's primary witness.  This would be the same Steve McCraw who, earlier this year, bungled the state's voter roll eligibility review.  Honestly, that tells you everything you need to know.  Only in government could someone with Steve McCraw's recent record of grotesque incompetence not get fired.

A vignette: During his testimony, McCraw prattled on for several minutes about the alleged threat posed by incels.  Seriously, frickin' incels.  Obviously, incels are a demented sex cult.  But they're completely irrelevant.  Yet one of the top law enforcement officials in the state of Texas actually jabbered at the Texas Senate about this topic.  Even worse, the Senate took it seriously.  It was embarrassing (or should have been).

Also, this happened:

. @SenJaneNelson just said there are privacy concerns with checking social media, says she doesn't want law enforcement to be reading all her tweets. 🤔#txlege

— Lauren McGaughy (@lmcgaughy) September 26, 2019

Apparently, Senator Nelson is unaware that Twitter is already a public forum.

Bottom Line: Obviously, recent events in El Paso and Odessa sucked.  That goes without saying.  Nevertheless, today's Texas Senate hearing was a reminder that showboating politicians rarely make things better after a tragedy.

#TXLEGE: More Denial, Rationalization, from Lt. Dan

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

Hoo boy:

'The left does this all the time,' @DanPatrick says of the criticism by @EmpowerTexans. 'I'm not anti-#2A to just say we need to look at this issue,' he says of stranger-to-stranger sales needing background checks. 'This is crazy talk, crazy talk.' #txlege https://t.co/g0k6IE5Lu0

— Bob Garrett (@RobertTGarrett) September 23, 2019

[Note: Lt. Dan's full interview is available here, although the tweet quoted above is all you need for this blog post.]

That's not good.

One example: How does one define the phrase "family member" for legal purposes?!?

Will "family member" be defined only as blood relatives?!?  If so, how many "drops of blood" will be required to qualify?!?  If not, will 'family members' via marriage be included?!?  If so, how does Obergefell factor into the definition of marriage (*) for purposes of this statute?!?   How about divorce?!?  We could go on, but you understand.  If defining the relatively simple phrase "family member" has this many unintended complexities, how will Lt. Dan ever define subjective phrases like "friend" and "stranger"?!?

Bottom Line: This will not end well....

-------

* -- Imagine the mental gymnastics....

#TXLEGE: Abbott's "safety action report" means Patrick's gun registry doesn't poll well

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

From Texas Scorecard:

On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott released a list of suggestions for the state legislature on gun violence, following roundtable meetings in the wake of the El Paso and Odessa shootings.

Dubbed the “Texas Safety Action Report,” many of Abbott’s suggestions are either broad, such as his request to consider expediting the reporting of criminal convictions to the Texas Department of Public Safety” or duplicative, like prohibiting the straw purchases of firearms under state law—something already illegal under Federal law.

Most immediately notable in his list of recommendations, however, concerns expanding background checks of person-to-person sales.

While Lt. Gov Dan Patrick has been waging war against gun owners and advocacy groups such as the National Rifle Association over the past week over his support for expanding mandatory government background checks on private firearm sales, the governor took a markedly different tact.

Instead, Abbott recommends that “The Legislature should consider ways to make it easy, affordable, and beneficial for a private seller of firearms to voluntarily use background checks when selling firearms to strangers.”

Lots to unpack.

The biggest takeaway is that, for the second time in as many days, a major statewide elected official has distanced themselves from Patrick's gun registry.

That being said, for the statewide official to be Abbott rather than Cruz is very noteworthy.

Whatever, else you want to say about Abbott...he polls EVERYTHING.

What makes this even more interesting is that Patrick has been citing alleged polling data to justify his gun registry.

While the following is nothing but informed speculation, here's what we suspect happened:

• Patrick polled, or cited polls, framing the question in the friendliest way possible for Patrick's position.

• Abbott polled the issue neutrally.

• Abbott didn't like what he saw.

Thus, Abbott put out what he put out.

Bottom Line: Sometimes the actions of elected officials who govern by polls reveal interesting nuggets about public opinion.

#TXLEGE: Dan Patrick is the new Dubya

"Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
But such as keep the law contend with them."
Proverbs 28:4

Dan Patrick sent...quite the e-mail yesterday:

I am sorry that some of my allies in the battle to protect our Second Amendment rights are angry about this — but as I say in this Fox clip, the National Rifle Association is just wrong on this. Their refusal to compromise on this issue will only hurt our long-term defense of the Second Amendment.

....

If those of us who support the Second Amendment won’t begin a discussion on this common sense change in our current laws, we risk losing everything. The crazed gun control crowd— from Biden to Beto — will sweep in and destroy our rights. They want to take away our guns — and even remove the Second Amendment from the Constitution.

In other words: Dan Patrick wants to suspend the Second Amendment to save the Second Amendment.

[Note: Does Patrick feel the same way about the fourth, fifth and sixth amendments?!?]

Where have we heard that logic before?!?

BUSH: Well, I have obviously made a decision to make sure the economy doesn’t collapse. I’ve abandoned free market principles to save the free market system.

[Note: It's absolutely insane, but all video clips of that Dubya quote have been scrubbed from the internet.]

Eleven years after that Dubya remark, the free market has never recovered.  It might be in modestly better shape than it was 3 or 4 years ago.  But the U.S. economy remains less free to this day.

With all due respect to Dan Patrick, we don't want to see that happen to the Second Amendment (or the fourth, fifth and sixth).

Bottom Line: They're not even coming up with new talking points anymore.

#TXLEGE: Will Lt. Dan accept Loesch's offer?!?

"As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."
Proverbs 27:17

Things just got a little more interesting:

I feel @DanPatrick is misguided on already federally regulated legal private sales which studies have shown are not the driver for illegally acquired firearms https://t.co/3zdtxDx8h9

Happy to have him on air with me to discuss. https://t.co/19G3KIlBnl

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) September 6, 2019

Thank you Dana.  This author understands how, as a national radio host, you're pulled in 25 different directions every day.  Fortunately, you recognize this moment's dire stakes.  We're gonna need you.

For now, however, the ball is in Dan Patrick's court.

He's likely to accept.  When it comes to firearms related public policy, however, Dana Loesch knows her stuff.  Lt. Dan, putting it mildly, doesn't always do well in these scenarios.

Bottom Line: We have no idea what will happen, but the Bill of Rights could hang in the balance.

#TXLEGE: Greg Abbott Don't Need No Stinkin' Bill of Rights

"You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor."
Leviticus 19:15

That's not good:

• Order No. 1 Within thirty days of this order, the Texas Department of Public Safety shall develop standardized intake questions that can be used by all Texas law enforcement agencies to better identify whether a person calling the agency has information that should be reported to the Texas Suspicious Activity Reporting Network.
• Order No. 2 Within thirty days of this order, the Department of Public Safety shall develop clear guidance, based on the appropriate legal standard, for when and how Texas law-enforcement agencies should submit Suspicious Activity Reports.
• Order No. 3 Within sixty days of this order, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement shall make training available to educate all law-enforcement officers regarding the standards that will be developed pursuant to Order No. 1 and Order No. 2.
• Order No. 4 The Department of Public Safety shall create and conduct an initiative to raise public awareness and understanding of how Suspicious Activity Reports are used by law-enforcement agencies to identify potential mass shooters or terroristic threats, so that the general public and friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, and classmates will be more likely to report information about potential gunmen.
• Order No. 5 The Department of Public Safety shall work with the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on ways to better inform schools, students, staff, and families about the importance of Suspicious Activity Reports and how to initiate that process.
• Order No. 6 The Department of Public Safety shall work with local law enforcement, mental-health professionals, school districts, and others to create multidisciplinary threat assessment teams for each of its regions, and when appropriate shall coordinate with federal partners.
• Order No. 7 The Department of Public Safety, as well as the Office of the Governor, shall use all available resources to increase staff at all fusion centers in Texas for the purpose of better collecting and responding to Suspicious Activity Reports, and better monitoring and analyzing social media and other online forums, for potential threats.
• Order No. 8 Beginning January 1, 2020, all future grant awards from the Office of the Governor to counties shall require a commitment that the county will report at least 90 percent of convictions within seven business days to the Criminal Justice Information System at the Department of Public Safety. By January 1, 2021, such reporting must take place within five business days.

Chilling.

"Suspicious activity reporting," "multidisciplinary threat assessment teams," and "fusion centers."  It doesn't take a genius to see how this goes horribly, horribly, wrong.  Greg Abbott should party with George Orwell.

[Note: You can learn why so-called 'fusion centers' are bad, bad, bad, bad, bad news here; likewise 'multidisciplinary threat assessment teams' here.]

There's been a lot of commentary about how Greg Abbott's actions will impact the Second Amendment.  That's certainly appropriate.  However, the truth is that the long term impact remains to be seen.

That being said, we don't have to speculate how Greg Abbott's actions will impact other parts of the Bill of Rights.

Consider the Fourth Amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The Fifth:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

The Sixth:

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

[Note: Emphasis added.]

Go back an re-read Greg Abbott's executive orders.

Do you see the phrase "probable cause"?!?

Neither do we.

How about "indictment" or "due process of law"?!?

NOPE.

"[I]nformed of the nature and cause of the accusation," "confronted with the witnesses against him," or "assistance of counsel?!?

LOL.

Furthermore, remember that these new powers the office of the Governor just assumed for itself will remain on the books long after Greg Abbott departs.

Bottom Line: While the long-term impact on the Second Amendment remains to be seen, the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments are already toast.

#TXLEGE: Bonnen's "Select Committee on Mass Violence prevention" is a Rogue's Gallery

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

YIKES:

New: @RepDennisBonnen appoints 13 members to new House Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety. Notably, @drewdarby4Tx is chair. #txlege pic.twitter.com/qHdc3QIEGL

— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) September 4, 2019

That list...pretty much speaks for itself.

A couple of these can be justified due to geography.  Specifically, Joe Moody and Cesar Blanco are from El Paso.  So those are understandable.  Likewise, Brooks Landgraf from Odessa.

Still...Poncho?!?  Julie Johnson?!?  Disproportionate Democrat representation?!?

[sarc]We're sure Chairman Drew Darby, Charlie Geren, and Giovanni Capriglione won't sell out our rights. [/sarc]

Bottom Line: That this committee has an equal number of D's and R's despite a solid R majority tells you everything you need to know.

#TXLEGE: Will Bonnen's scandals FORESTALL GUN CONTROL?!?

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:9

For as much as we LOATHE Scott Braddock, this isn't a bad point:

If there was a special session on gun violence, the first thing Texas House members might be tempted to do is entertain a motion to vacate the chair. When the presiding officer doesn't protect the institution, it can't do anything else effectively #TxLege #OdessaShooting https://t.co/v1gQaZh3cx

— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) September 1, 2019

Good.

The last thing we need right now is for the legislature to attempt to "be effective."

For as much as we should have a special session on things like so-called "sick leave" ordinances, election integrity, ending public subsidies for labor unions, and the new Austin homelessness debacle...none of those seem to be in the cards.  Thus, special sessions are dangerous right now.  Stay home lege.

If Bonnen's scandals are a catalyst for keeping the lege at home, so much the better.

Bottom Line: Unintended consequences can do strange, strange, things sometimes....

#TXLEGE: Schaefer makes OBVIOUS point; Demonic Hordes throw a tantrum

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you."
John 15:18

Following Saturday's shooting in Odessa, Matt Schaefer made a couple of comments on Twitter that should not be controversial.

Spiritual point:

Godless, depraved hearts. That IS the root of the problem. Every person needs a heart transformed by faith in God through Jesus. May God be near to those suffering in Odessa and Midland, and everywhere that evil has struck a blow. #txlege

— Matt Schaefer (@RepMattSchaefer) September 1, 2019

Public policy point:

I am NOT going to use the evil acts of a handful of people to diminish the God-given rights of my fellow Texans. Period. None of these so-called gun-control solutions will work to stop a person with evil intent. 2/6

— Matt Schaefer (@RepMattSchaefer) September 1, 2019

I say NO to “red flag” pre-crime laws. NO to universal background checks. NO to bans on AR-15s, or high capacity magazines. NO to mandatory gun buybacks. 3/6

— Matt Schaefer (@RepMattSchaefer) September 1, 2019

In other words: Evil acts are the result of sin.   Jesus' resurrection is the antidote to sin.  And gun control doesn't work and wouldn't have prevented a single one of the so-called "mass shootings."

And?!?

Honestly, however, believers should expect that reaction.

You cannot expect the world to understand the things of God.  You just can't.  While that's not the central point of the new testament, it's one of the 3 or 4 most important subpoints.

Bottom Line: Good on Matt Schaefer for earning himself some treasure in heaven.

Abbott's so-called "Domestic Terrorism" Power Grab

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
2 Timothy 1:7

Yesterday, we discussed the sleazier political aspects of Governor Abbott's new "Domestic Terrorism Task Force."  We still think that's the primary takeaway.  Having had a chance to sleep on it, however, there's another insanely bothersome aspect.

Politicians ALWAYS exploit tragedy for power grabs.

We have no idea what this so-called "task force" will propose, except on thing: This process will expand the power of the Governor's office.

Furthermore, that expansion of power will be around a lot longer than Greg Abbott.

Obviously, by any sane, rational, or data-driven standard, so-called "mass shootings" are statistically meaningless.  They're INSANELY rare.  That the media cynically gives them sensationalistic wall-to-wall coverage doesn't change the fact that they're extreme outlier events.

Sensationalistic, wall-to-wall, media coverage, however, is exactly the backdrop power hungry politicians always exploit.

Bottom Line: Have we not learned our lesson from the so-called "Patriot Act?!?"

#TXLEGE: Abbott appoints Bonnen to Task Force

"He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."
Proverbs 28:13

Umm, ok:

Governor Greg Abbott today, under Article 4, Sections 1, 7, and 10 of the Texas Constitution, formed a Domestic Terrorism Task Force in the wake of the El Paso shooting to combat these hateful acts and extremism in Texas. The group of experts will analyze and provide advice on strategies to maximize law enforcement’s ability to protect against acts of domestic terrorism. The task force will hold its first roundtable meeting with Governor Abbott on Friday, August 30th.

For the most part, this seems to the type of grandstanding that all politicians do following tragedies.  Obviously, it should be monitored.  That being said, this task-force likely won't amount to much.

That being said, one participant seems noteworthy:

• Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen 

It doesn't take a genius to see why that's a bad idea.

Bottom Line: See no evil....

Patrick channels Marge Simpson

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

Oh good grief:

Appearing on "Fox & Friends" on Sunday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that while authorities have yet to classify it as such, he saw Saturday's shooting as a "hate crime against immigrants."

Patrick cited a list of possible contributing factors, starting with video games.

"We've always had guns, always had evil, but I see a video game industry that teaches young people to kill," he said.

SMDH.

The Simpsons addressed this 30 years ago:

After Bart and Lisa watching an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, Maggie strikes Homer with a mallet. Marge is horrified and vows to put a stop to violence on children's television. But when the ball of censorship starts to roll, where will it all end?

Roger Myers' response to Marge, updated for new technology, is also the correct response to Patrick:

“In preparing for this debate I did a little research, and I discovered a startling thing. There was violence in the past, long before [video games] were invented....And there was something called The Crusades, for instance, tremendous violence, many people killed, the darn thing went on for thirty years!”

Bottom Line: Marge Simpson belatedly figured out that her position was asinine...will Dan Patrick?!?

Cornyn starts playing anti-Second Amendment footsie

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

Trib this afternoon:

Cornyn said in a call with reporters that the devices' role in the Las Vegas attack bears looking into, but he stopped short of calling for a full ban. Cornyn said he had spoken with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, about holding a hearing on bump stocks and "any other aspect of this terrible crime that we need to look at from a federal perspective" once the initial investigation is complete.

Still, Cornyn reaffirmed his support for gun ownership by "law abiding citizens who have no criminal record and no mental impairment." He added that he would support passing a law that would "somehow" prevent a similar attack, but "given the fact that this man had no criminal record and was unknown to law enforcement previously and was willing to commit suicide rather than be apprehended, it's hard to figure out what kind of law we could pass."

Obviously, Cornyn backpedals in the next paragraph with a bunch of mealy-mouthed assurances about "law abiding citizens" with a bunch of qualifying statements attached...but we trust that statement about as much as we trust any other statement from John Cornyn.

Then, of course, there's the fact that what Cornyn proposes is dumb and impossible:

Regardless your opinion on bump fire, I’m just curious how lawmakers plan to regulate a technique. Accessories are not needed.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) October 4, 2017

Bottom Line: He said it, not us....

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Senator John Cornyn:
(512) 469-6034

Cornyn abets Federal Law Enforcement Power Grab....

Therefore the Lord said:

“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
Isaiah 29:13

No, no, no, no, no, no, no:

Days after five police officers were killed by a sniper in downtown Dallas, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced legislation Wednesday that would make killing a police officer a federal crime.

Someone who killed or conspired or attempted to kill a public safety officer, a federally funded law enforcement officer or a federal judge would be eligible for the death penalty as well as a mandatory minimum 30-year-sentence for murder and 10 years for attempted murder, according to Cornyn's office. The bill also would create additional federal crimes for fleeing a state to avoid prosecution for such offenses or for assaulting an officer.

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, are cosponsors of the bill.

So John Cornyn wants to further entangle the Feds and local law enforcement?!? [Sidenote: WTF, Ted Cruz?!?]

Come on...what could possibly go wrong?!?



At a minimum, Cornyn's proposal would seem to violate that Tenth Amendment over which Texas Republicans love to prattle....

We cannot fathom what Cornyn (Sidenote: And Cruz) is thinking.  At best, he's naive about the potential for unintended consequences in granting this sort of new authority to the Feds.  Or perhaps he supports expanding federal authority....

To grant this sort of power to Barack Obama would be, to put it mildly, unwise; giving it to either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump is dangerous.

Bottom Line: Could our elected officials please think through the consequences of their proposals before they grandstand in the face of national tragedy?!?

Becoming Belle Knox (Part 5): Knowing when to Quit Porn (WARNING: GRAPHIC)

"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
2 Peter 2:19

[Author's Note: Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here]

The final installment of the documentary series, this entry deals with some of the dangers Miriam deals with working in the industry.  She doesn't show any of the false bravado and "no regrets" attitude we've seen in previous episode.  Before watching, this website warns readers that this video is, BY FAR, the most graphic in the series (and the others weren't exactly subtle):



Highlights:

• "A lot of shit in my life has been ruined because of sex."

• "A lot of my family doesn't fucking talk to me anymore."

• "I lost my best freinds because I joined the sex industry and decided to become a Porn Star."

• "Being in the sex industry has a way of making you very cynical and very bitter....and I feel like I've become a bit cynical and a bit bitter."

• "I'm always on the lookout for scammers and people trying to pimp me out or traffic me."
• Author's Note: Think about that.

•  "If you work too much or have sex with guys with big dicks all the time, you get tears in your vagina."
• Author's Note: Again, just think about that.

• It's not 20 minutes, one and done; you're having sex for HOURS on end.

• One time, had to "work with" a 50 year old dude and "I felt like crying the whole time."

• "I miss my Mom and Dad so much right now."

West, TX: (Just Under) One Year Later

"Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."
1 Peter 5:9

West, TX -- Last month, during a trip to Dallas, we made a pit-stop in West.  While in town, we drove by the site of last year's explosion.  These are our pictures:

The still pictures are a bit out of order, but this YouTube video surveys everything:



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WFAA Dallas has a new video of the explosion: