Rise of the Fourth Reich Wrangle

Texas signed a fetal heartbeat bill and executed a man on the same day?!?

— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) May 20, 2021

Godwin is dead. George Orwell is alive, well, and walking the halls of the Lone Star State Capitol.

They called it a "warped view" because it “supports the idea that America is a fundamentally racist country and that our institutions are inherently systemically racist.”

If by warped they meant correct...https://t.co/QFWYrt5MtN

— theGrio.com (@theGrio) May 24, 2021

"The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of history." "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past". "In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Thanks to Michael Tolbert for those, and thanks also to Joe Moody, Vikki Goodwin, and Chris Turner in the statehouse last night and in the wee hours today, and Borris Miles and Royce West in the Senate early on Saturday morning, for their eloquence.

Video: Before the Texas House's final vote on permitless carry, Speaker Pro Tem @moodyforelpaso talked about how promises were made in private to address gun violence in this state. Promises that have not been honored or repeated since https://t.co/vRCMNo537T #TxLege

— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) May 24, 2021

On the #txlege Senate floor at nearly 2 am, @SenRoyceWest delivers a powerful rebuke of #HB3979, a #txed social studies curriculum bill that most of the education community did not even get to see or weigh in on before it was passed. pic.twitter.com/qtHX6p0ew0

— Jennifer J. Mitchell, CAE (@ATPE_JenniferM) May 22, 2021

In an incredibly sad and moving moment, @BorrisLMiles reads excerpts from the book that Hughes slammed earlier. The book just teaches that children should teach each other well, with kindness. #txed #txlege pic.twitter.com/HA1aYHaktQ

— Laura Atlas Kravitz (@AtlasLaura) May 22, 2021

Stirring words are all that Lege Dems have, however, and the Republican representatives and senators answer only to the voters in their primary.

pic.twitter.com/SZUXoZ3Uzy

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 21, 2021

There's a reason why they're doing these things in the middle of the night, bending their own rules like a pretzel, and banning media from covering them.

Some (though certainly not all, there have been many) of the most damaging bills this session have been ones passed in the dead of night while Texans sleep.
This shouldn’t be the process. Full stop. #txlege

— Texas Progressive Action Network (@TX_PAN) May 22, 2021

1: Tonight, Texas executed Quintin Jones. But you won’t read any firsthand accounts from reporters who bore witness to his execution. Why? Because TX barred media witnesses, violating the 1st Amendment & TDCJ policy. Texas, hauntingly, killed Mr. Jones in complete secrecy tonight

— Savannah (@SavannahKumar) May 20, 2021

Going through the roll call, prayer, and pledge again as if it’s a new day. As if all of this wasn’t crazy enough... it’s ‘another day’ here in the Senate at 1:07am. #txlege

— The Back Mic (@TheBackMic) May 22, 2021

Some important things in Texas that journalists (and therefore the public) weren't given in-person access to today:

- the first execution in 10 months
- the signing of a law that restricts abortion access
- the full text of SB 7, which restricts voting in the state

— Sarah Self-Walbrick (@SarahFromTTUPM) May 20, 2021

I’m already seeing some comments on social media about people planning to police teachers this upcoming school year as they teach civics and history. #txlege #HB3979 https://t.co/XvMEMG29bZ

— Txnewsprincess (@txnewsprincess) May 23, 2021

This is NOT what democracy looks like.

I have a shitpile left on all of these topics, plus everything I promised in Friday's Atrocities Documentation Collation, on the way.

Last Night with John Oliver got in on the Texas beatdown.

#Texas @GregAbbott_TX @DrSchwertner @KenPaxtonTX @SenPaxton on Last Week Tonight John Oliver calls u "fucking lunatics" #GunSenseMajority agrees.
✔#TexasDeservesBetter ✔#AbbottFailedTexas #TXlege @MomsDemand
🖕 Invading women’s rights 🖕
🖕 Permitless carry #HB1927🖕 pic.twitter.com/QDQe5JyVb5

— patti-B-TxMomsDemand (@BrockingtoPatti) May 24, 2021

LOL. John Oliver got my local news channel @KVUE to fall for and promote the very fake sexual healing blanket #VenusVeil Wow. #LastWeekTonight pic.twitter.com/pup5AOXdSX

— Fox Force 5 (@namssas) May 24, 2021

Much more coming (sooner than later).