Religious Campaign Launched to Oust Texas House Speaker

The efforts to replace moderate Texas House Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio with a teabagger have started out ugly. Emails from GOP activists that are circulating among House members have mentioned Staus' rabbi and stress the true Christian faith of his rivals.  For example, Kaufman County Tea Party Chair Ray Myers circulated an email stating that Rep. Bryan Hughes of Mineola is "a Christian Conservative who decided not to be pushed around by the Joe Straus thugs."  Myers said it never crossed his mind that Straus is Jewish.  Another email, written by conservative activist Peter Morrison said that Straus "clearly lacks the moral compass to be speaker...Both Rep. Warren Chisum and Rep. Ken Paxton, who are Christians and true conservatives, have risen to the occasion to challenge Joe Straus for leadership."  Morrison said he was simply making factual statements about Chisum and Paxton.  Yet another email, with vague origins, said "Straus is going down in Jesus' name." 

Do these people have any idea what Jesus actually said and taught?

Time to Duck and Cover: The TX Lege is Back

 I stole my headline from the late, great Molly Ivins who called the Texas Legislature the Lege and said it only comes into session every two years so that Texans are protected from it half the time.  I dearly wish she were here today to comment on the session about to begin.  In the last session, Dems were resurgent and almost captured the House.  In 2010, many good men and women were wiped out by Teabaggers and Republicans are now close to a super majority.  Guess what they're up to?  First day bill filings include:

A bill to require voters to present photo ID, despite the fact that the Attorney General spent millions in taxpayer funds investigating voter fraud in Texas and found a handful of cases.  Facts are irrelevant.

An Arizona-style immigration bill, because that has worked out so well for Arizona.  Wait a minute, Jan Brewer got re-elected by a wide margin.  I guess it has worked out well for Arizona.

A bill to make English the official state language (because Texans speak it so well) and mandate that all state documents be printed in English only.

A bill to allow concealed handguns on public university campuses because what we really need are hormonal 18 year olds packing heat.

An Oklahoma-style abortion bill that would require doctors to offer a sonogram prior to the procedure and would prohibit public hospitals, without exception, from performing  abortions.  That 14 year-old raped by her daddy better have the bucks to go to a private hospital.

A bill to eliminate straight-ticket voting.  These folks love anything that makes voting more difficult.

Meanwhile, Texas has a budget gap that is, percentage-wise, bigger than California's and leads the nation in uninsured children.  What is Rep. Warren Chisum's answer to the budget gap?  Secede from Medicaid, of course!  Don't Tread on Me!  Unless I'm poor, then walk all over me.