Texas, Our Texas Gun Nuts

Inside any random MAGA household:

And through the generations, Texas Republicans understood ...

... and so did Texas Democrats (not Henry Cuellar, though).

Tipping Point Funnies

Nothing.

Not feeling like blogging election results today.  Later perhaps, after the blood gets mopped up and the kids who can only be identified by comparing DNA with their parents' -- because their bodies were so ripped apart by bullets that they are unrecognizable -- are mourned, buried, and mourned again.

In the meanwhile I need to do some ripping myself.  Or at least post the rips of others.

The next time @SpeakerPelosi, @LeaderHoyer, @JimClyburnSC1 or anyone else in the @DNC ask for your vote to stop gun slaughter (or to protect Roe), just say 'Henry Cuellar (NRA A rating).'
And maybe add 'Uvalde, TX'. pic.twitter.com/UIcnXR995a

— James (Jim) Cavallaro (@JimCavallaro) May 25, 2022

Looking forward to @GregAbbott_TX's speech at the @NRA convention in Houston Friday pic.twitter.com/aoVmtFHWoR

— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) May 24, 2022

Liberals will focus on guns, because they have no intention of really changing this society of alienation and extraction and exploitation. The conservatives will focus on the culture war or some other distraction because they are slavering demons who feed on the suffering.

— Daniel Baryon (@AnarkYouTube) May 25, 2022

18 children dead in Texas and ICE is on scene which means many parents will have to risk detention in US concentration camps while checking if their kid is alive

— ℮oin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) May 25, 2022

Y'all might not know: Uvalde, TX is something like 80% Latino community. https://t.co/jl80kC1Bnn

— Hillcrest Card Company (@HillcrestCardCo) May 25, 2022

Texas law, in its own way, requires public schools districts to play a part in helping financially prop up gun manufacturers.

To be eligible for underwriting Texas school bonds, banks have to certify that they don’t refuse to do business with gunmakers. https://t.co/L5UHS3kWvh

— Matt Pearce 🦅 (@mattdpearce) May 25, 2022

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. I’ll just leave this here. pic.twitter.com/iPL4SGVqCa

— John Smith (@EE7085) May 24, 2022

“Vote” is just “thoughts and prayers” for liberals. Every year, millions of people vote to make a negligible difference in their lives. Are those urging us to vOtE implying that 14 children would not have perished today if people voted harder?

— 🅹🅾🅴🆈աrecκ ☭ (@joeywreck) May 24, 2022

This is one of the cartoons in my winning entry for the @RFKHumanRights award. How American that it was announced on the same day as another school shooting. #RFKBJA #SchoolShooting #Texaselementary #TexasMassacre pic.twitter.com/veJUy48u4S

— Clay Jones (@claytoonz) May 24, 2022

On the other hand, maybe I should just let the assholes speak for themselves.

This is Tony Gonzales, who represents the district that contains the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas that just got shot up. pic.twitter.com/imRGq3Y8Nn

— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) May 24, 2022

.@KenPaxtonTX, wearing campaign T-shirt during @Newsmax appearance after Uvalde school shooting, says people should be armed "because it's not gonna be the last time" https://t.co/lFwgwJlz9v #TXLege #TX2022

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 24, 2022

Cruz on new gun laws: “Inevitably when there's a murderer of this kind, you see politicians try to politicize it, you see Democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens,” per @jessicadean

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 24, 2022

Nothing but thoughts & prayers from Republicans as far as the eye can see pic.twitter.com/IScpzFrqtK

— David Nir (@DavidNir) May 25, 2022

It never fails to amaze me how a supreme deity with -- allegedly -- the power to have prevented these tragedies should be the one summoned to comfort the grieving.  The Gawd these people worship is not supposed to be an idle bystander, nor for that matter an observer with some unquantifiable and apparently variable degree of empathy.

Here in reality, They is those things.  In Jesusland, Dey 'pose to be something bigger and stronger than that.  This inability to live in Factghanistan is a massive piece of our collective problem, as a species and a culture.  What should we do about that?

I know what we should do; what we will be doing is precisely the same thing our elected officials have done, are doing, and will do about the gun carnage in this nation.

Absofuckinglutely nothing.

Texas Election Season's End of the Beginning Wrangle

It's almost over.

This week, the FBI refused to clear Henry Cuellar of wrongdoing in an ongoing federal corruption investigation.

However, voters in his district received a fake newspaper in the mail falsely claiming he’d been cleared by the Department of Justice. https://t.co/B1k7DQcspR

— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) May 22, 2022

Keeping fingers crossed, but not holding my breath, that TX-28 Democrats are smart enough to take out the trash tomorrow.

“It took me having to go to Washington to actually figure out what type of representation we were actually receiving in this district,” @JCisnerosTX said of @RepCuellar and Democrats' walkout last year. https://t.co/kDtMgy79z3 #District28 #runoff

— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) May 21, 2022

Senator @BernieSanders in TX28 with @JCisnerosTX ahead of Tuesday runoff against @CuellarCampaign @GarrettHaake will be in LAREDO next week to bring you the very latest on this HOT race (it’s 108 degrees in Laredo today… send us buckets of sunscreen pls)

—> https://t.co/806dyqXBZo

— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) May 20, 2022

Heat hot (caliente) and spicy hot (picante) too.  Yeah.  More on the rising outdoor temperatures in the environmental round-up, below.

Is @JaneHamilton running a "dirty campaign" against @JasmineForUS? @RepEBJ told @TexasObserver yes. https://t.co/Ki1NUfVotv #Dallas #RunOffElection From @by_jmiller

— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) May 21, 2022

Yes she is, and the orchestra's conductor is Matt Angle of the Lone Star Project, still holding the ignominious title of the state's most flea-bitten Blue Dog.  Thanks for calling him out, Texas Signal staff, but next time put somebody's name on it and his name in it.  Be bold, be brave. This shit isn't going to stop on its own, and none of us have time to wait for these centrist shitlibs to die off.

We're all enjoying a nice respite from the heat at the moment, but nobody should overlook the fact that this might be one of the hottest summers on record.  And maybe the coolest for years to come.

ERCOT expects "at least 40 days of 100 or greater in DFW"... "20-30 days is a reasonable expectation" for Houston ..."at least 50 days" in Austin and 40-60 days for San Antonio. Govt's should be seeting up lots of cooling centers. This is dangerous heat. #txlege #txenergy 6/

— Doug Lewin (@douglewinenergy) May 19, 2022

Quadfecta today for record highs at our climate sites:

College Station: 98 breaking the old record of 96 set in 1925
Houston: 95 tying the record set in 1890
Houston-Hobby: 94 breaking the old record of 93 last set in 2003
Galveston: 90 breaking the old record of 89 set in 1875

— NWS Houston (@NWSHouston) May 18, 2022

Six of the state’s power plants went offline last week due to maintenance problems. This is just the beginning. https://t.co/wfXcRmvsER #ClimateEmergency #ClimateChange From @_e_delger

— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) May 20, 2022

A week ago, Texans were asked to literally sweat it out through another potential grid failure.

Unreliable fossil fuels are not the answer. Wind and solar are keeping the lights on and the AC running in Texas. #txenergy #txlegehttps://t.co/ypy4IU4RSb

— Public Citizen Texas (@PublicCitizenTX) May 20, 2022

RT @tx_poster: "Texas expands the fight against agencies that are fighting climate change created by humans.

"Texas remains anti-human and pro-fossil. #txlege

"Boy howdy." https://t.co/26PwNzIru4

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 20, 2022

Why Shale Drillers Are Pumping Out Dividends Instead of More Oil and Gas
Compensation plans that once paid executives to boost output without regard to energy prices now foster cost cuts and shareholder returns https://t.co/npYMOHW8oQ #txlege

— Dick Lavine (@dlavine) May 23, 2022

Many members of OPEC can produce oil for less than $20 a barrel but paying brutal security forces and operating luxury yachts gets expensive. Just one reason gasoline prices will remain high for a while. There's another way: https://t.co/cOFVBiIPyo @HoustonChron #txlege

— ChrisTomlinson (@cltomlinson) May 20, 2022

More than half of car buyers say their next car will be an #EV, representing a jump of 22 percentage points in two years. #txlege #txenergy https://t.co/kl9iTnJt9o

— Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance (@TxETRA_TX) May 23, 2022

At the same time Samsung Electronics was receiving an environmental award from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the same agency was actively investigating the company because of a toxic wastewater discharge last year. https://t.co/59FoDgU1pL

— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) May 20, 2022

The Army Corps' proposed 'Coastal Spine' will be one of the most expensive infrastructure projects in U.S. history.

What could it mean for the Houston region?

Register below to learn more next Wed (5/25):https://t.co/0MsNlyQGDm#ikedike #Houston pic.twitter.com/sdAQrkMoMg

— Texas Living Waters (@txwater) May 18, 2022

Expert: A monster hurricane season is coming https://t.co/xHs2KKyGKQ

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 18, 2022

Hi, I'm the environment reporter @TexasTribune & we're asking for your help documenting climate change in Texas.

Climate change doesn't hit countries, communities, and people equally. It is fundamentally a local problem, even as it requires global solutions.

THREAD:

— Erin Douglas (@erinmdouglas23) May 20, 2022

The TexTrib's crew is doing much of the heavy lifting in today's Wrangle.  Also providing the segue between the climate tweets and the social injustice ones.

Of the more than 300,000 homes in Texas damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, none were in Coryell County.

Nevertheless, Coryell is slated to receive $3.4 million in Hurricane Harvey aid. https://t.co/pzkugEwvUd

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 21, 2022

In November, under pressure from politicians, the hospitals who ran this doctor’s program for trans youth dismantled it.

This week began a brief resumption of care.

She said, after waiting months, many patients she is seeing are now suicidal. https://t.co/YjunZhugZx #txlege

— 🌟 Lauren McGaughy (@lmcgaughy) May 20, 2022

The Texas child welfare agency has resumed at least some of its investigations into parents who provide gender-affirming care for their transgender children, family lawyers have confirmed to The Texas Tribune. #TXlege https://t.co/QE858gF8kM

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 20, 2022

New: 14 Texas Republican lawmakers (so far) plan to support legislation that would ban any corporation from the state if that business helps employees or customers or anyone else access abortion care in other states. https://t.co/O6uNkGEE1C

— Zach Despart (@zachdespart) May 23, 2022

In one email, a longtime Southern Baptist lawyer, August "Augie" Boto, called the work of outspoken survivor advocates @ChristaBrown777 and @R_Denhollander a "satanic scheme."

Factcheck: These women are not scheming with the devil.https://t.co/5VIPIpo3BG #sbctoo #hounews pic.twitter.com/loPKZyJK4F

— John Tedesco (@John_Tedesco) May 22, 2022

This patchwork of care exists in part because the state of Texas’ primary way of supporting children with diabetes in classrooms is not enforced or tracked by any state body. https://t.co/ABmzdiasm9 pic.twitter.com/aaDGAi9jJI

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram (@startelegram) May 22, 2022

It wasn't all social injustice last week, though it may have seemed so.

A Texas restaurant owner and father of three has come to the rescue of hundreds of parents struggling to find infant formula amid a national shortage of the product. https://t.co/lvo6Hz3Fd3

— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) May 20, 2022

The program is in partnership with a coalition of more than 60 mayors engaged in the advancement of a federal guaranteed income, with direct recurring cash payments to the poor and middle class. https://t.co/Mh97OktWvw

— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) May 22, 2022

Seven years after the momentous traffic stop that sparked Sandra Bland’s arrest, and ultimately her death, Prairie View officials this week unveiled a historical marker honoring her life. https://t.co/mQ4ZnLQihG

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 18, 2022

Here's the rest of the calm-me-downs (and two crack-me-ups).

There are few things that get a wealthy, powerful man more incensed than to hear someone question his integrity. Witness Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban bickering over who cheats the most after the latter accused the former of buying all of his players. https://t.co/A7iieVcvb4

— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) May 19, 2022

links in cases, tried successfully. https://t.co/FT53CiDmFh pic.twitter.com/9osKeOj9DA

— RiverOaksProblems (@RiverOaksPrblms) May 21, 2022

I won't lie: I very much appreciated the kindly words @outandabout wrote about me in his Austin American Statesman article re: the best digital tools for Texas history buffs: https://t.co/9prz5KwAf3

The article got picked up by Yahoo News. Little 'ol me. Yep. Thanks, Michael!

— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) May 20, 2022

"The Replacements" Funnies

Mudslinging and Shitstirring Wrangle

Hard to delineate, but we'll classify K-Pax and Pee Bush in the first.  If you've had your teevee on this week, you've probably noticed.

Screen cap from the ad, in which "curriculum" is misspelled. https://t.co/rt9iRFjVp2 pic.twitter.com/BUamJKtYI6

— Texas Election Source (@TXElects) May 19, 2022

I just can't get enough of this Texas Republican civil war, you know.

It's the gift that keeps on giving ...

Abbott, Cruz, Midland's Tim Dunn, rent-a-cop PACs, vicious attacks. Sublime.#txlege
https://t.co/QTjHb9xA7o

— Bob Garrett (@RobertTGarrett) May 19, 2022

In response to a man who thought @DonHuffines would perform better against @GregAbbott_TX, @CarrieIsaac said “You have too much faith in the voters”; she also said “just know that we’re working behind the scenes to get rid of a speaker that’s not conservative.” #TxLege https://t.co/vl0LgS1RDE

— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) May 19, 2022

TexDems didn't want to be left out.

The Democratic primary runoff for the 30th Congressional District grew even more contentious Thursday amid accusations of lies and distortions between the candidates and their supporters. https://t.co/18pmZg2og7

— CBS DFW (@CBSDFW) May 19, 2022

"This harms everyone, including the accused, and must stop," Ogg said in a statement in the latest back-and-forth amid indictments against three Hidalgo staffers. https://t.co/dDcsk6Ymuq

— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) May 19, 2022

Some people would rather focus on the policy failures.

Why do Texas officials keep misleading us about the ERCOT electric grid's problems and the best way to fix them? Here's why the data they push serves politicians' climate agenda, not the public good. https://t.co/GqXb4L7PQg @HoustonChron #txlege #energytwitter

— ChrisTomlinson (@cltomlinson) May 18, 2022

Where are @DanPatrick, @GovAbbott & @DadePhelan on this latest boondoggle idea to pilfer from our raggedy ass power grid in Texas?? Jeopardize power in my dad's senior living facility for crypto? Hard pass. #VotethemOut #txlege https://t.co/3tLPyZwFPx

— jane the hand washer (@moderatemama) May 17, 2022

Hey Texas - privatizing #FosterCare hasn't resulted in better care. The private providers can't provide quality care for what R's are willing to pay. So - vulnerable kids continue to get not nearly enough by the "pro-life" crowd. Quelle Surprise! #txlege https://t.co/g3u0WSu0Jx

— genevieve (@genvc) May 17, 2022

The 5th Circuit just dismantled the SEC's power to enforce securities law. This decision is beyond radical. It is nihilistic. https://t.co/6X46t2f4vY

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) May 18, 2022

Census undercount likely robbed Texas of third additional US House seat @uscensusbureau #reapportionment #2020census #txlege ... @ByJosephMorton https://t.co/QuMcytqlpb

— Todd J. Gillman (@toddgillman) May 19, 2022

From @bgrumet: Texas Republican leaders are getting mileage out of the same anti-immigrant tropes that have animated several mass shooters. It's time we call it out. https://t.co/8NImTDefC4

— Austin Statesman (@statesman) May 18, 2022

Well and good for them, but if you read this piece from Svitek regarding Paxton's acolytes, the one thing you should take away is that reasoning, logic, and facts are impermeable.

Why Ken Paxton’s supporters in the Texas attorney general race are unbothered by his mounting scandals https://t.co/vrWbiIkcDv via @TexasTribune

— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) May 18, 2022

And if you're still under the impression that the Democrats are different, or better ...

There was a time that this plus an FBI raid would have ended a campaign. But it’s impossible to overstate the party establishment’s hostility to its progressive wing. There’s basically nothing Cuellar could do to lose their support https://t.co/rLcQbri0mH

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) May 17, 2022

AIPAC is pouring millions into defeating progressive Democrats https://t.co/092ObOApCz #Elections2022

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 17, 2022

Voting harder, red or blue, isn't going to change any of this.  But hey, if that's still your jam, go on with your bad self.  I'll even grant that there are some Dems worth giving a chance, inside and outside the Great State.  Here's a few.

Chip, I know you were birthed from the pits of the netherworld, but babies need food to live.

I am pro-choice and more “pro-life” than you are. In Congress I will fight to codify Roe v. Wade AND expand social services to address maternal/infant mortality rates. https://t.co/ySL6z24xsq

— Claudia Zapata for Congress, TX-21 (@PoderConClaudia) May 19, 2022

.@JCisnerosTX is offering a bold agenda that speaks to the needs of Texas’ 28th district. Her opponent, one of the very few anti-choice Democrats in Congress, is funded by over a million dollars in corporate contributions from Big Oil companies. She can win if we stand with her. pic.twitter.com/wdrzUcn1jg

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) May 18, 2022

If you're still into voting, live in @ClyburnSC06 district in South Carolina and want to get rid of the man who said "You know Joe" to get the architect of black mass incarceration elected, he has an opponent named @Marcel4Congress that actually has a pro Black platform

— Black in the Empire (@blackintheempir) May 17, 2022

Thank you Houston Chronicle Editorial Board for your robust endorsement. I will not let you down. Onward! pic.twitter.com/MImWS7xS6e

— Joe Jaworski (@JaworskiForTX) May 15, 2022

I am not running just to be a JP, I am running to transform this Court into a model progressive court that serves the needs of our community. Early vote today! pic.twitter.com/gGW5qTPjjO

— Steve Duble for Justice of the Peace (@SteveDuble) May 18, 2022

But there's many reasons why the list is short, and why Beto O'Rourke is not on it.

Vote for @DelilahforTexas for Governor! She doesn't take any donations from corporations, lobbyists, or dark money PACs. She also not a millionaire like Abbott and O'Rourke. She's a working class Latina who will represent the working class and not the elites. https://t.co/RGt5VaYOLW

— Bexar County Greens 🌻💚 (@BexarGreensTX) May 17, 2022

And you can meet her this Saturday in H-Town and see for yourself why she's the best choice for governor in November.

Meet @DelilahforTexas in #Houston this Saturday! Details: https://t.co/4VZgR9bap0 #TXLege #TX2022 #TXGov #HouNews #HTX #GreenTwitter https://t.co/KA60VurURB

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 19, 2022

Lots more later, maybe tomorrow but more likely Monday.  Here's a few soothers.

Welcome to this year's Best of Austin issue: https://t.co/AGB82EOG0A

You voted, and now it's time to see who received the city superlatives. Browse around, and find something new (and best) about Austin. pic.twitter.com/b9DTIIqgwe

— Austin Chronicle (@AustinChronicle) May 19, 2022

When, in the 1930s, HEB, run by the Butt family, bought out Piggly Wiggly in Austin, the locals called it "Wiggly Butt." https://t.co/bF3y6YDpv0

— Michael Barnes (@outandabout) May 20, 2022

Longtime Houston Oilers mascot Art Horridge has passed away at the age of 86. I think all of us who went to games and covered the Oilers remember Art and his passion for the #Oilers @BudsOilers . Thanks to his family for sending these pics to us @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/78bgxcNZxm

— Randy McIlvoy (@KPRC2RandyMc) May 19, 2022

I worked with Big Daddy Horridge at Lexus of Clear Lake from '99 to '02 ( I was the F&I guy; he was the top salesman).  He was just as animated and hilarious in real life as we was on the sidelines in the Dome.  Condolences to his loved ones.

Egg-citing news. A routine survey at Galveston Island State Park today by the Sea Aggie Sea Turtle Patrol turned up a Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle nest containing 107 eggs in the dunes. This was the first nest found at the park since 2012. #khou11 Credit: Texas Parks and Wildlife pic.twitter.com/pkswoOyQsx

— The Bishop (@BillBishopKHOU) May 19, 2022

Please help us welcome yet another Pulitzer winner to the Observer staff, the fabulous Gayle Reaves, who is our new editor-at-large! 🎉🎉🎉 #investigative #journalism #longform #ladyjournos pic.twitter.com/2YtcwHluyO

— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) May 17, 2022

Another Election Wrangle

Tuesday is the busiest election day of the year so far, as five states hold their 2022 primaries. And for the GOP, it will be another test of whether to move on from former Pres. Trump.

Read more from @FiveThirtyEight: https://t.co/hjCnO7z3aX

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 16, 2022

Tuesday is the busiest election day of the year so far, as five states -- Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and Pennsylvania -- hold their 2022 primaries. And for the GOP, it will be another test of whether to move on from former President Donald Trump. Coming off Nebraska last week -- his first loss of the year -- Trump has endorsed candidates in seven major primaries on Tuesday, which should give us a clearer answer as to his power in the party. And even in races where Trump has no skin in the game, Republicans are considering nominating someone in his incendiary, illiberal mold -- which could make it harder for the GOP to pick up seats in November.

Then there's us.

Early voting for the May 24 runoff election (began yesterday) and runs through Friday.

State candidates’ runoff campaign finance reports are due tomorrow and likely will become available online Tuesday. These reports disclose contributions received and expenditures made between February 10 and May 14.

Gov. Greg Abbott leads Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke 46%-39% according to a new Dallas Morning News/UT-Tyler poll.

Abbott leads among White voters 58%-30%, and among men 52%-34% (not printed but calculated from other population results). O’Rourke leads among Black voters 59%-16%; Hispanic/Latino voters 46%-36%; and women 44%-40%. Abbott leads O’Rourke among independents, 38%-31% (calculated from other population results, although the crosstabs indicate his lead among independents is 16%-6%, almost certainly a misprint).

Turning to the May 24 runoffs, Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton leads Land Comm. George P. Bush 41%-35% with a quarter of primary voters undecided. Paxton’s lead is larger among “certain” voters, 46%-31%.

More on the poll from Bob Garrett of the DMN...

TX AG GOP:
Paxton*: 41
Bush: 35
TX AG Dem:
Garza: 35
Jaworski: 20
Lite Guv Dem:
Beckley: 31
Collier: 19

* For 1st time, plurality of all voters agrees Paxton doesn't have the integrity to serve as AG, 37-30. But Rs (by 49-16) say he does ...#txlege 3/5https://t.co/fXvYBV3aVu pic.twitter.com/YPDwajmk9Q

— Bob Garrett (@RobertTGarrett) May 15, 2022

... and HK at QR.

Abbott approval under 50%, majority thinks Texas "wrong direction", Beto losing independents and whites and the grid is back in the news. What a simmering political stew #txlege https://t.co/IcLUN1QDfa

— harvey kronberg (@HKronberg) May 15, 2022

And more on the intraparty infighting.

With early voting underway in the runoffs, Commissioner @georgepbush's campaign is texting GOP voters this wanted poster of AG @KenPaxtonTX, calling him "a proven crook, a serial liar, and an adulterer" #txlege pic.twitter.com/7A9suf731R

— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) May 16, 2022

By all indications, casting a ballot for @BeckleyforTX in the @TexasDemocrats runoff would appear to be a great way to piss off the Blue Dogs and the establishment. #TXLege #TX2022 https://t.co/iMSLdyJFYH

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 16, 2022

The same crowd with their undies in a bunch at @JonesJolanda are mad about @BeckleyforTX leading Mike Collier in the latest poll, and are on the rampage again. These conservaDems have rolled over and showed their bellies too many times. Turn them out. #TXLege #TX2022 #TXrunoff

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 16, 2022

ICYMI:

congresswoman garcia, sen. alvarado, and harris county commissioner adrian garcia slam jolanda jones, endorse danielle keys bess to succeed former chair coleman in the texas house : https://t.co/Sxe6tjCpl6 #txlege

— quorumreport (@quorumreport) May 10, 2022

HD147 special: With all vote centers reporting, Jolanda Jones defeats Danielle Keys Bess by 202 votes to win former Rep. Garnet Coleman’s unexpired term. The two face off again May 24 in the race for a full term.

— Texas Election Source (@TXElects) May 8, 2022

And some grist for the mill.

rumor mill: texas democratic party chair hinojosa may step aside and endorse former sen. wendy davis for tdp chair : https://t.co/zNrALwBn6w #txlege

— quorumreport (@quorumreport) May 13, 2022

If it wasn't clear before, El Patron really doesn't like Col. Kim.  This isn't the party unity winning election cycles are made of.

Not talking about Texas Democrats any more today.  This weekend in Houston you have an opportunity to meet Delilah Barrios, the Green running for Texas governor (the one Kuffner can't name in the DMN poll with the fucked-up numbers... which "ain't bad" for Beto LOL).

@DelilahforTexas
in Houston
21 May
1 to 4 pm at Bohemeo's (708 Telephone)https://t.co/0lsIVJYmCk
5 to 8 at Exchange to Change (3801 N. MacGregor at Scott)https://t.co/NYtkTNmI16

— David B. Collins sez smash the Duopoly🌻☮ (@dbcgreentx) May 14, 2022

We made it through the weekend without any rolling blackouts due to electricity shortages, but it wasn't because we raised our indoor temps, if the comments here are to be believed.

ERCOT says Texans should set their thermostat to 78 degrees to help conserve power. Be honest...what are you setting your thermostat to?

Here are the latest grid conditions: https://t.co/4QLuvZhv5V pic.twitter.com/aeDuRzAQb8

— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) May 16, 2022

Governor Helen Wheels' luck is holding.  Or maybe it's his messaging.

Texas officials assure public that power grid, while not operational, is free of transsexuals or CRT https://t.co/ShfLHnScgr

— FreshMouthHat (@Popehat) May 14, 2022

It helps when your base is stuck on stupid.

ICYMI: New Poll Shows Texas Republicans Believe Christians, White People Most Discriminated Againsthttps://t.co/KN8Zwe2jtv

— Dallas Observer (@Dallas_Observer) May 11, 2022

And I think I'll dispense with blogging about Texas Republicans for the day after this last bit from our greater senatorial evil.

SCOTUS decided today that if you want to run for office, do this:
1) find a really rich person to back you
2) take out a giant loan to pay for campaign
3) get that rich person to pay you back later.
I wonder what kinds of candidates this might generatehttps://t.co/nru1k3krz3

— Faiz (@fshakir) May 16, 2022

Let me open the social justice news with a couple of environmental justice items.

Why Texas' enviro agency avoids the term "environmental justice" #txlege https://t.co/MHGxxE5xzU

— Doug Lewin (@douglewinenergy) May 17, 2022

“We don’t need jobs so bad to where we’re willing to give up the lives of our children and our grandchildren, our mothers and fathers, and our grandparents and ourselves.” https://t.co/0zSv9v4bYC

— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) May 11, 2022

Nueces and Jefferson counties, two of the top 10 most disaster-prone counties in Texas, were set to receive zero funds in the land office’s initial distribution plan of Hurricane Harvey aid. https://t.co/6mX4Ozp3Fh

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 16, 2022

An important point to remember is many poor people live in disaster-prone areas *precisely because they are the cheapest to live in*.
Have interviewed many in the floodplain who've said "If I could afford it, I'd be out of here in a heartbeat." https://t.co/Kwhxgd0RDl

— Zach Despart (@zachdespart) May 16, 2022

Dozens of families in a line wrapped around a high school in the Third Ward on Saturday, all in hopes of getting their hands on baby formula https://t.co/7FMw60yaBP

— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) May 15, 2022

Two Houston pediatricians are riding a wave of momentum behind gun violence research as firearms have overtaken car crashes as the leading cause of traumatic death among children and young adults for the first time in 60 years. Learn more here: https://t.co/x7aQrOBYCR

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 13, 2022

The shooting of three Korean women at a Dallas salon last week is now being investigated as a hate crime and may be connected to at least two other attacks. No arrests have been made.

Hate crimes against Asian Americans increased 339% in 2021. #txlege https://t.co/P12CrF2gX4

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) May 16, 2022

And close with the calm-me-downs.

Welcome to @TexasObserver, @JaneDeMarines1! Jane assures me we'll have vegetarian pâté soon. https://t.co/zTkiAOF9aN #vegetarian #ClimateEmergency

— Gabriel Arana (he/him/his) (@gabrielarana) May 12, 2022

The birds are in the care of the Houston SPCA veterinarians and expert wildlife staff where they are being closely monitored and receiving medical care. The birds will remain in their care until they can be released back to the wild. #hounews
FULL STORY: https://t.co/IjQVgTEHHi

— Houston SPCA (@HoustonSPCA) May 15, 2022

.@TACC's Frontera, the most powerful supercomputer in academia, helped researchers find a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. Read more about it here: https://t.co/RKT7Ioio34

— UT Austin (@UTAustin) May 13, 2022

The Mavs' all-time-great game seven performance was so stress-free that Shaq sang “Deep in the Heart of Texas” during half-time just to kill time.

The game offers a hint of how high Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks can fly in the 2022 NBA playoffs. https://t.co/ZB1hR9jcr0

— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) May 16, 2022

A woman and child at a house on Corpus Christi's North Beach, 1939.

Photo by Russell Lee. pic.twitter.com/qVRs171H1f

— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) May 13, 2022

'Learning to Live with Undesirable Outcomes' Funnies

Wrong Track Wrangle from Far Left Texas

For only the 2nd time in @UTAustin polling going back to 2009 (but the second time in less than a year), a majority of TX voters say that the state is on the wrong track: https://t.co/VfnQVlOnSY #txlege #tx2022 for more results from the just released poll: https://t.co/uHZughKtMy pic.twitter.com/eNm1jVd4Ku

— Joshua M. Blank (@JoshuaMBlank) May 4, 2022

Gosh, I wonder if some truth is finally sinking in.

The pandemic slammed Texas working families.

Instead of using $1 billion meant to lift up COVID-19 victims, @govabbott repurposed (and wasted) the money to prop up his political career.

Shameful. #TxLege #1u https://t.co/4MkKO09N0b

— Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) May 10, 2022

Texas Soldiers Are Unionizing After Facing Attacks by a Right-Wing Governor https://t.co/PEJ2QBhDDj

— IDKWhatsNext (@JeanGenevie1) May 12, 2022

So, under Greg Abbott's approach to governing, giving migrant families taxpayer-financed bus trips to DC is good, but giving migrant families baby formula is bad? https://t.co/8uVh5jilHO

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen) May 12, 2022

Why does Texas have some of the worst maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the country? (They're even worse for Black women)

Lack of insurance. 1 in 5 Texans has no healthcare. #txlege must expand Medicaid and fund more social support programs.https://t.co/nctItqxH9W

— Brave New Francis (@socialworkwill) May 10, 2022

Texas Supreme Court clears state to launch more investigations into families of trans kids https://t.co/4BI7WrZVHz via @houstonchron #hounews

— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) May 13, 2022

It's a good thing that Texas Democrats are poised to take advantage.

Exactly 💯.
The perfect illustration is how Pelosi & Clyburn this second endorsed & are campaigning for a anti-abortion Democrat in Texas over his progressive FEMALE pro-choice challenger while Roe v. Wade is about to be overturned. pic.twitter.com/QryiFlpuS0

— ♿🕊️ 🙌 💉 Love Beats Hate 👨‍❤️‍👨 (@LeftwardSwing) May 7, 2022

A key dynamic in the Texas governor's race isn't that hard to understand: Beto is in a box because the liberal base is demoralized and when he spends time trying to excite them about things like transgender rights, he loses independents he cannot win without #txlege

— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) May 11, 2022

Uh oh.  Well, they've got a bit less than six months to figure it out and get back on track (the right track, or the left track, or even the centrist track, whichever you prefer to call it).  Maybe I should emphasize some of the worst-behaving Texas Republicans over the past week or so.

Ken Paxton was "shocked" by Roe leak, calling it a "designed play" by the left to get SCOTUS to back down. This just a few months after he waged pressure campaign on GOP judges in TX to undo decision that weakened his voter fraud prosecution powers #txlege https://t.co/7Q7kub9wsY

— Justin Miller (@by_jmiller) May 6, 2022

To be clear, Ted Cruz isn't just rewriting history. He's rewriting his *own* history. Up until just a few months ago, he himself was referring to Jan 6 as a "violent terrorist attack." https://t.co/nECrkKlNbA

— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) May 10, 2022

Plot twist: Greg Abbott is defunding the police. #txlege https://t.co/KXZjFJkqSU

— Progress Texas (@ProgressTX) April 30, 2022

The #climatecrisis is upon us, and the chair of @txrrc which regulates oil and gas DENIES it's happening. He's campaigning with talking points on the science that would gall a fourth-grader. Early voting begins Monday: https://t.co/tQT2khv0d7 @HoustonChron #txlege

— ChrisTomlinson (@cltomlinson) May 13, 2022

I guess that's my segue to the latest climate updates.

📣GOOD NEWS!

Enbridge has HALTED construction of Line 5 in Corpus Christi Texas on the Karankawa Kadla settlement, where thousands of sacred Karankawa artifacts have been found.#EndEnbridge#LandBack pic.twitter.com/SngW8gLlib

— Mo 💜✊🏽#StopLine3 (@MozFrame) May 10, 2022

Community and environmental advocates in Texas say a new report shows how neighborhoods located near the fenceline of refineries, which are most often communities of color, bear the brunt of cancer-causing emissions from the oil and gas industry. https://t.co/dNCZvM3MVN

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 12, 2022

Coterra Energy, a Texas-based firm, had the largest relative windfall of the 28 companies, with a 449% increase in profits on last year, to $818m.https://t.co/apgIy036l1

— Chester's dad (@littledoggy4u) May 13, 2022

And here's my hodgepodge of social justice news.

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — state’s court of last resort for criminal matters — has ruled Crystal Mason’s controversial illegal voting conviction must be reconsidered: https://t.co/vjxZqkXphU #txlege

— Alexa Ura (@alexazura) May 11, 2022

It’s not government healthcare. People won’t be asked anything about insurance or income. It’s the first municipality in Texas, and maybe the nation, to figure out a way to help get every resident medical attention at no cost to them. https://t.co/XHsZeOjptE

— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) May 11, 2022

For profit businesses tied to the largest church in Galveston County, which uses its non profit radio station to promote the companies, has to pay property taxes after the @HoustonChron made inquiries #txlege https://t.co/dnLGvYh8Ub 1/

— Jay Root (@byjayroot) May 6, 2022

This year, I got a tip that a man burned to death in his prison cell. The alarms were broken, and the COs did not respond.

So I tracked down witnesses - the prisoners who watched him die.

This is what they told me: https://t.co/W0TBTgzFEY

— Keri Blakinger (@keribla) May 9, 2022

A North Texas teen who went missing from a Dallas Mavericks game was later advertised online and sold for sex in Oklahoma City. An attorney for her family says multiple organizations could've stopped this trafficking from ever taking place -- none did. https://t.co/PPabuTAups

— WFAA (@wfaa) May 11, 2022

In a ‘sundown town’ in Texas, white vigilantes forced Black residents to leave home #Txpol #txsen #txlege #TX #politics https://t.co/SbSv4BPQlC

— RIP Trayvon Martin (@dierdrelewis) May 4, 2022

SpaceX plans to launch rockets near Brownsville, Texas, and send the first person to Mars from there. Seven years after breaking ground, residents say the only thing skyrocketing is housing prices.https://t.co/EmY0whHIIL

— NPR (@NPR) May 13, 2022

The Texas Observer has a new editor-in-chief.

I’m very honored and proud to announce I’m queer and the new editor of @TexasObserver Please pitch me! pic.twitter.com/kku0qHPzfO

— Gabriel Arana (he/him/his) (@gabrielarana) May 10, 2022

The #Librotraficante Movement is a collective. The caravan in 2012 organized by @thepoetmendez, @LianaLisa, @HighTechAztec, Laura Razo, and @Librotraficante, was a collective. The 2022 Austin caravan came from work from the same five, and that of a myriad brilliant others. https://t.co/x2yp4WLTt7

— Dr Claire M Massey (@clairemmassey) May 10, 2022

And the rest of my soothers for your weekend perusal.

This Sunday night brings a total lunar eclipse over Houston... you ready? #khou11 #LunarEclipse pic.twitter.com/NeQCGR9XgV

— david paul (@DavidPaulKHOU) May 10, 2022

Will Rhodes shared this April, 1896 photo of the famed Judge Roy Bean in Langtry. Taken when the judge organized a world championship boxing title bout between Bob Fitzsimmons & Peter Maher on an island in the Rio Grande because boxing matches were illegal in Texas and Mexico. pic.twitter.com/e05SMY5T4a

— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) May 6, 2022