Texas' dwindling pro-Abortion "movement"

"The wicked will see it and be grieved;
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked shall perish."
Psalm 112:10

[Author's Note: The full event can be viewed here and here.]

Planned Parenthood held their legislative lobby day this afternoon; it was revealing to see what getting your ass whupped a landslide defeat can do for a "cause."

At noon, a pro-Abortion (aka. "Women's Health") rally was held on the south steps of the Capitol; compared to  2013, today's event had no more than 10% of the attendance level.

The event lasted an hour and featured several speakers who bemoaned Texas' recent pro-life successes.  While a few speakers mentioned abortion specifically, they tended to hide behind euphemisms.  There was also a lot of talk about non-abortion related services that will allegedly be endangered if Planned Parenthood stops receiving money from the state.

While the primary takeaway was the degree to which this "movement" has collapsed over the past two years, there were still revealing moments:

Apparently, Planned Parenthood is a Texas Value:



Because, besides tearing up babies in their mama's womb, signing people up for Obamacare is totally Texas Values:



At least there's one Republican they like:



The most derptastic moment of the day, however, came from Rep. Jessica Farrar (D - Houston):



[Author's note: Murdering your offspring isn't the best way to 'regenerate' your 'movement'.]

Turns our Democrat Jessica Farrar is also a fan of REPUBLICAN Sarah Davis:



Finally, it's good to know how much they fear conservative scorecards:



Turns out #HailSatanTX isn't a winning platform.

Charlie Geren belligerently 'confronts' Jonathan Stickland's staff

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
1 Peter 5:8

In preparation for Planned Parenthood's lobby day Texas Right to Life distributed signs saying "FORMER FETUS" for Representatives to display on the doors to their offices.  Within 15 minutes of Rep. Jonathan Stickland posting the sign pictured above, Charlie Geren tore it down and was hostile towards Stickland's staff while allegedly defending some vague interpretation of "House rules."  We spoke with Rep. Stickland about the incident this afternoon:



Highlights:

• Texas Right to Life brought the signs.

• "I always look for opportunities to show folks back home it wan't just campaign rhetoric."

• "10-12 minutes later, Rep. Geren himself came down from his office, I'm not sure how he knew about it, and ripped our sign down from the front of our office, opened the door, came in, and began to get very, very aggressive with my staff."

• Geren yelled at 18 year old female staffer.

• Geren's office is on the other side of the building.

• Stickland hasn't found a relevant section of the rules.

• Geren: "I don't care, get over it."

First Amendment Tuesday: Week 8

"and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,"
Ephesians 6:19

Life, Liberty, and Property held the most interesting First Amendment Tuesday of the session so far this morning:

Tony McDonald (Empower Texans):



Highlights:

• Texas is a one party consent state when it comes to recording conversations.

• Michael -- On recording, you should use discretion; don't burn someone unless the juice is worth the squeeze.

• House and Senate have different rules.

• Campaign restrictions on using legislatively produced video are unconstitutional.

David Walls (Texas Values):

Highlights:

• #TXLEGE guide out.

• Best to show up in person.

• "Government goes to those who show up."

• Simple, one-page, handout.

• Just a few minutes of focused activism can make a huge difference.

• It's an easy excuse for legislators if our side fails to show up.

• SJR 10 -- Religious Liberty Amendment.
• Texas Association of Business joining the usual suspects of far-left organizations to oppose religious liberty amendment.
• TAB backs Planet Fitness policy.

Mary-Lynn Gerstenschlager (Texas Eagle Forum):



Highlights:

• HB 2054 (Tinderholt) -- Fighting human trafficking.

• SB 344 (Hall) -- Restricts Eminent Domain abuse by toll road authorities; hearing at 8AM tomorrow.

• Opposition to Sarah Martinez Tucker
• U.T. can set up Common Core compliant charter school in any county they hold a campus.

Ann Hettinger (Concerned Women for America):

Highlights:

• Against all the bad pre-K bills.

• Pre-K adds (at least) $1.4 BILLION to budget every year.

• Kids don't need to be in a government school setting at 4 years old.

• Possibility of children as young as TWO being taught sex ed.

• Why are we giving failing schools more children?!?

Texas Homeschool Coalition:

Highlights:

• Not much has changed since last week.

• Parental rights bill -- Family law Foundation has filed bills to expand loopholes.

Jim Graham (Texas Right to Life):

Highlights:

• Zerwas and Schwertner attempting to bring in Obamacare via backdoor.

• Four corner strategy -- Slow walk everything and create manufactured crises at the end of the session.

• "I'm proud to have two RINO Senators heads on my wall."

• Texas has "to show the rest of the nation we can defeat the RINO establishment."

Austin Code Compliance's illegal 2011 "search warrant."

"And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”"
Acts 22:25

[Author's Note: The video below is a sped up version of the longform video found here.  Unfortunately, it's been set to the theme from Benny Hill.  That being said, it speaks for itself.]

Doing some follow up research on Don's proposal to make code compliance put skin in the game, we discovered this video from four years ago:



To quote the description in the video:

On April 13th, Austin Code Compliance executed a search warrant at a residential property in East Austin. The warrant was issued based on two suspected violations: that a tool shed was 6 inches too close to the neighbor's fence, and that a detached structure might be too tall. Both violations were in the backyard. Both were in compliance based on communication with city zone reviewers.

Code Compliance was convinced these violations still existed, and to investigate for themselves sent two code compliance investigators wearing bullet proof vests, five police officers and a health inspector. The eight officials entered the house and began to search every inch of the property, including bedrooms, closets, refrigerators, trash cans, cabinets, water heater closet, and the entire backyard.

The warrant turned out to be expired, however police returned several hours after the search to drop off an updated warrant.

Nothing was seized, and the investigators refused to comment on their findings. The original violations were likely cleared by this inspection, however a City Attorney representing Code Compliance indicates that the investigators will be having a meeting with representatives from other administrative departments in an attempt to think up any new violations that could possibly exist on the property.

To review, Austin Code Compliance arrived at a residential property wearing defensive armor, escorted by a police backup, executed an expired warrant that covered areas not under investigation, and is now having brainstorming sessions with other departments in an attempt to invent new violations.

 Umm...they can do that?!?

Ted Cruz rebukes Corporate Welfare for Agriculture

"and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,"
Ephesians 6:19

Last Saturday, Ted Cruz spoke at a big Agribusiness event in Iowa.  He restated his opposition to ethanol mandates and other forms of central planning.  Cruz's remarks below:



Highlights:

• "I don't think Washington should be picking winners and losers when it comes to energy."

• Energy policy: "Should be driven by the market."

• "People are pretty fed up, I think, with politicians who run around and tell one group one thing, tell another group another thing and then they go to Washingon and they don't do anything they said they would do."

• Re wind energy: "Once again, I don't think it should be the Federal government dictating that."

• "When it comes, in the energy business, to anyone engaging in picking winners and losers; and listen, I've put this more broadly for corporate welfare, I have been an outspoken opponent of corporate welfare."

• "I've been outspoken on allowing the Export-Import bank expire."

• "I have every bit of faith that businesses can continue to compete, can continue to do well, without having to go on bended knee to Washington asking for subsidies, asking for special favors; I think that's how we got into this problem to begin with."

• Strong BiPartisan agreement "outside of Washington" on immigration and border security.
• Gang of 8: "Was a bad bill."

• "The radical left loves attacking people as anti-Science whenever anyone dares question their computer models on global warming....The hardcore left loves ridiculing Christians who believe scripture that says 'God created the Heaven and the Earth.'....But when it comes to biotech, these same voices become the most anti-Science zealots we've ever seen."

What U.T. Law thinks of David Beck

"For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,"
2 Timothy 3:2

We passed through the U.T. Law building yesterday; the plaque below caught our attention:

David J. Beck founded Beck, Redden & Seacrest, L.L.P in January, 1992.  He was formerly a senior partner of Fulbright & Jaworski in Houston, Texas.

Mr. Beck served as President of the State Bar of Texas....and has been a very active trial lawyer throughout his professional career.  He was....as one of the top 10 trial lawyers int he United States for 199?.  He was named be the National Law Journal in 1999 as one of the top trial lawyers in the Southwest.  In a poll of Texas lawyers, he was listed by Texas Lawyer in August, 2002 as one of the "Go To Lawyers For Lawyers In Trouble." He has been selected as a Regent and Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and an Advocate in the American Board of Trial Advocates.  He has been names an "Honorary Overseas Member" of the Commercial Bar Association ("COMBAR"), a preeminent association of English barristers.  He also is a Fellow in the American Bar Foundation, a Past Chairman (1986) of the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees, and a Sustaining Life Fellow in the Texas Bar Foundation.  He is a Life Member of the University of Texas Law School Foundation Board of Trustees.

He received the University of Texas Law School Faculty Award in 1985 and the prestigious State Bar of Texas Presidents' Award in 1986.  He also received the prestigious 1995 "Honorary Barrister" Award from the University of Texas Law School Board of Advocates.  He has been named on of "The Best Lawyers in America" by Woodward & White since the inception of the publication in 1990, ans is currently one of the few attorneys listed in four area of practice.  In 200?, Mr Beck received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from The University of Texas Law Alumni Association.

[Author's Note: Emphasis added.]

Need we say anything else?!?

Bohener becomes Straus

"He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck,
Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
Proverbs 29:1

Prior to election 2014, the Texas Legislature and the U.S. Congress weren't particularly similar.  Since then, however, legacy Republicans at both levels have deployed an identical playbook.  On that note, where have we heard this before?!?

A new bombshell report from Politico found that House Speaker John Boehner had several days of secret negotiations with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the recently emboldened former Speaker, leading up to his decision to flip-flop and fund President Obama’s executive amnesty—including a pre-hashed out deal to use the hoopla around Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Tuesday address to Congress over Iran’s nuclear ambitions as political cover to sneak in the extraordinarily controversial vote. Even with the bombshell report, however, Boehner’s office continues to deny any deal took place.

“It was Monday at 5:30 p.m. when Pelosi and Boehner agreed that it was ‘best to take up the matter on Tuesday immediately after Netanyahu’s address in order to deal with the matter as quickly as possible upon return of the Senate papers,’ according to an aide familiar with the conversations,” Politico’s Lauren French wrote on Thursday evening.

That part of a supposed deal between Pelosi and Boehner came after what French reported were several days of negotiating and dealmaking between the current and former Speaker.

....

“The vote Tuesday is just the latest chapter in a long-running saga between Democrats and Boehner,” French wrote. “The Ohio Republican is often forced to turn to Pelosi to deliver votes when legislation, like government spending bills and increases to the debt limit, fail to garner enough support from Republicans. That gives Pelosi, who has watched her caucus sink into the deepest minority Democrats have experienced in decades, an unusually powerful hand in times of crisis.”

....

Mooney’s not alone in raising the question of just how much rope Boehner has left before he hangs himself with these Democrat deals. Technically, on Tuesday, to pass the bill to fund executive amnesty after spending months saying he wouldn’t, Boehner violated the so-called Hastert Rule yet again. As such, it’s worth revisiting what Denny Hastert—the Boehner predecessor for which the rule is named—said when Boehner first began flirting with using Democrats to achieve his big government agenda.

“Here is the problem. Maybe you can do it once, maybe you can do it twice, but when you start making deals when you have to get Democrats to pass the legislation, you are not in power anymore,” Hastert, who served as House Speaker from Jan. 6, 1999, through Jan. 3, 2007, said in a Fox News interview when Boehner used Democrat votes to pass the fiscal cliff deal through the House in late 2012.

....

Boehner, as of late, has become addicted to using Democratic votes to pass significant pieces of legislation. In his first term as Speaker, he did it once in March 2011 and one more time on the first day of 2013 to pass the fiscal cliff vote. In his second term as Speaker, though, he did it six times, spread out over two years. And now, on the first major consequential vote of his third term as Speaker, he did it again—and notably, this time, there is a Senate Republican Majority. If Boehner keeps doing this, he’s likely to eventually infuriate enough Republican members for an eventual internal conference coup against his speakership.

It gets better:

A number of right-wing Republicans, long wary of Boehner's commitment to GOP efforts attacking President Obama's policy priorities, have openly considered a coup in an attempt to transfer the gavel into more conservative hands.

But Democrats from across an ideological spectrum say they'd rather see Boehner remain atop the House than replace him with a more conservative Speaker who would almost certainly be less willing to reach across the aisle in search of compromise. Replacing him with a Tea Party Speaker, they say, would only bring the legislative process — already limping along — to a screeching halt.

“I'd probably vote for Boehner [because] who the hell is going to replace him? [Ted] Yoho?” Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) said Wednesday, referencing the Florida Tea Party Republican who’s fought Boehner on a host of bipartisan compromise bills.

Bottom Line: The only reason Democrats are part of the discussion in either the Texas or the U.S. House is because 79 and 75 Republicans, respectively, were too callow and feckless (or too corrupt?!?) (or too stupid?!?) to stand with their own voters instead of Marxist Democrats; that's not sustainable.

And don't get us started on how watching McConnell cower before filibusters reminds us of Dewhurst and the old 2/3rds rule.

As we wrote last December:

Election 2014 gave the American people a New Hope; if the Empire chooses to Strike Back in 2015, the Jedi WILL return in 2016.

The 2016 Republican primaries are going to be a bloodbath.