It's too late for me to catch up on all the atrocities that went down since the last non-toon post, but like our pathetic Democrats in Washington and Austin trying to pass some gun safety legislation -- or anything approaching that -- I'll give it a go anyway.
8/ The idea of a “God-given right” to bear arms has been increasingly embraced in the Texas Legislature, where the conversation around issues such as gun rights and abortion has centered more around morality and theology than facts and science. https://t.co/pU0ozZHJh2
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 29, 2022
It’s like screaming into a well at this point. “Give me a vest, give me a vest” this woman basically telling the cops standing there doing nothing to give her their gear. They did not, she still ran in. Twice https://t.co/m5cI2DMgyl
— Jasmina Kelemen (@JasminaKelemen) June 4, 2022
Well this is escalating fast. Uvalde ISD police claiming their taxpayer funded building is private property and threatening to arrest reporters? https://t.co/3ptf3iM16R
— Jeremy Wallace (@JeremySWallace) June 1, 2022
Texas Department of Public Safety now referring all questions about Uvalde shooting investigation to District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee. She declined comment when reached by the @AP
— Jim Vertuno (@JimVertuno) June 1, 2022
Texas Gov. Abbott says the Uvalde school shooter had a "mental health challenge" and the state needed to "do a better job with mental health" — yet in April he slashed $211M from the department that oversees mental health programs. https://t.co/sUoDT3GQ6o
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 28, 2022
Imagine patting a father who just lost his child to a school shooting on the back and being like "well, could've been worse." https://t.co/mekT8jYQwm
— Moecco (@creezee) May 28, 2022
NEW from @PatrickSvitek: Hours after the #Uvalde school shooting, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott attended a fundraiser 300 miles away https://t.co/7ZmrHQSM7O @TexasTribune #txlege
— Joshua Fechter ๐ (@JoshuaFechter) May 25, 2022
Truth is truth #txlege pic.twitter.com/i1orFoSasY
— Jay Leeson (@jayleeson) May 27, 2022
As you know, Beto did his best to capitalize on all of these blunders. The blue partisans and the media got honked up about it, but some of us saw it for what it was.
Too bad it was a completely performative stunt. Beto is a loyal party soldier, whether it's unceremoniously dropping out to endorse Biden in an effort to stop Bernie or refusing to criticize Dem leadership for doing nothing. https://t.co/ZE4jUZxxCa
— 2022 Jump Street (@IrateMaxwell) May 26, 2022
Then there was the NRA convention here in H-Town, which was filled with its own theatrics. Inside and out.
"Unlike some, I didn't disappoint you by not showing up." - Trump, at the #NRAconvention in #HTX today. #HouNews #TXLege (not just @GregAbbott_TX. @DanPatrick and @JohnCornyn and @DanCrenshawTX IIRC) https://t.co/tp03DC1coe
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 28, 2022
Yeah this time is gonna be different. This is in front of the NRA convention in Houston. pic.twitter.com/3BLhKK1St9
— David Hogg ๐ป (@davidhogg111) May 27, 2022
The man with two Ivy League degrees, a wife who is a partner at Goldman Sachs, sends his kids to expensive private schools, and vacationed in Mexico while his constituents froze to death has some thoughts to share about the "elites" in this country. ๐ https://t.co/ZbHYn07aZP
— scary lawyerguy (@scarylawyerguy) May 29, 2022
Here at the anti-NRA protest in Houston, I just witnessed North Texas based right wing provocateur who goes by the name Chet Goldstein get ejected by the crowd for trying to disrupt the event pic.twitter.com/PkW7tLQs7p
— steven monacelli (@stevanzetti) May 27, 2022
We spoke directly to Wayne LaPierre at the NRA Convention and thanked him for all his thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/EfdDrgD4Af
— The Good Liars (@TheGoodLiars) May 29, 2022
Because the NRA convention in Houston ran behind schedule, @GregAbbott_TX's pre-taped speech went on at the exact same time he was speaking live in #Uvalde.
— Zach Despart (@zachdespart) May 29, 2022
He sent 2 messages re: new laws
In Uvalde: "All options are on the table"
At NRA: Gun laws don't stop mass shooters pic.twitter.com/HJRF5R1WjQ
Annnddddd @therecount has the visual:pic.twitter.com/0Er2GsNaU5
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) May 31, 2022
So, #BLMHOU & ALL the other organizers who turned out thousands don't exist? Its sad that your tweet I'd a great example of Black led organizing being erased through white gaze + respectability politics. Turner could have led by canceling the NRA conference. I guess money talks. https://t.co/1Tari9MrSi
— Ashton P. Woods (@AshtonPWoods) May 31, 2022
Houston mayor @SylvesterTurner refusing to cancel the #NRAconvention: "But we'll be sued!" https://t.co/jFtjB4hg9R
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 27, 2022
NEW: @tedcruz was confronted about the Uvalde school shooting while he ate at a sushi restaurant in Houston. https://t.co/Lf9PjjlqdT
— Ariana Garcia ๐ต๐ท (@Ariana_noGrande) May 28, 2022
If I blog any more about this topic at this length it'll be about the cops and their failures, coverups, lies, and whatever other corruption gets uncovered in the days to come.
The Texas DPS official who fielded a barrage of criticism about his department's response to the mass shooting in Uvalde is the same man who interrogated death row inmate Melissa Lucio into giving what her lawyers said was a false confession. https://t.co/Cdaiaqk007
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 28, 2022
Coming from a guy who covered Astroworld, where the Houston police chief (briefly) floated the idea a security guard had been injected with drugs and collapsed (not true) ⬇️ https://t.co/1mqXZmzWeG
— Zach Despart (@zachdespart) May 31, 2022
Be reminded that absofuckinglutely nothing will be done to stop the next tragedy.
Mitch McConnell: ‘Get Your Crying Done Now Because We’re Not Passing Shit’ https://t.co/rzw3qTQOtx pic.twitter.com/AUFYCGrBf6
— The Onion (@TheOnion) May 26, 2022
Since 2013, there have been 78 school shootings on Texas school grounds - the most of all states, according to data. https://t.co/R6BsBy6kro
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) May 25, 2022
There were some other bad things that happened while I was away. You probably noticed.
Southern Baptist leaders released a confidential list of hundreds of accused sexual abusers Thursday evening that tracked names, dates and details about a burgeoning abuse crisis — but was kept secret for more than a decade.https://t.co/o8MYVsXtTC
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 30, 2022
Rep Louie Gohmert on Navarro indictment: "If you're a Republican, you can't even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent or they're coming after you" pic.twitter.com/8eIkkycukd
— Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) June 3, 2022
I would like to think that after he leaves Congress early next year, we will have heard the last of Louie. But I doubt it.
Garcia: If Cuellar survives Democratic runoff, it’ll be because Republicans saved him https://t.co/dhHrvsN9Fd
— San Antonio Express-News (@ExpressNews) May 25, 2022
Cuellar has survived because of the assistance provided by Republicans Nancy Pelosi, James Cyburn, Steny Hoyer, and Joe Biden.
Pro-NRA, anti-choice Henry Cuellar narrowly won his primary thanks to Nancy Pelosi going to Texas to campaign for him. 19 little children in Texas shot to death on the same day.
— Prof Zenkus (@anthonyzenkus) May 25, 2022
Call Nancy Pelosi's office and let them know you are no longer a Democrat: 202-225-4965 pic.twitter.com/jA2eYOp9wI
Oil and gas giants are raking in billions of increased profits while families across the country are struggling to afford the gas they need to simply get themselves to work, school or even the grocery store.#GeneralStrikeRevolution https://t.co/ry9C0H8aau
— ๐น ๐ฅ Dark Warlord ๐ฅ ๐น (@drkwarlord) May 26, 2022
‘There’s going to be some real sticker shock here.'
— Bob Garrett (@RobertTGarrett) June 3, 2022
Residential electric rates in deregulated portions of Texas have surged by > 70% since last June, @mitchschnurman reports.
For family using 1,000 kWh/mo, that's a monthly bump of $80. Ouch.https://t.co/WkhwpHeWH6 pic.twitter.com/7yPrkMSw6p
But there were also some good things. And some of those involved Texas Democrats.
It's over in Texas CD-30. @JasmineForUS cruises to victory over @JaneHopeTX in race to replace @RepEBJ: https://t.co/ZHHRXAh5yD
— Gromer M. Jeffers (@gromerjeffers) May 25, 2022
This is an embarrassing defeat for Matt Angle, who had taken to calling Jasmine "Crypto Crockett" in his slimeball attempts to wedge his chosen Blue Dog into this seat. Crockett isn't even all that progressive; nobody's talking about welcoming her to The Squad's cast of pretenders. She may not be as shitlibby as Colin Allred or Lizzie Fletcher; we'll have to wait and see.
We did it.
— Claudia Zapata for Congress, TX-21 (@PoderConClaudia) May 25, 2022
To every supporter, volunteer, and voter—thank you.
This race doesn’t have to be easy; it just has to be possible.
Donate to elect new leadership in TX-21 and defeat Chip Roy in November: https://t.co/mCnxOpgXUZ pic.twitter.com/6FqUH9yqsL
A tough road still ahead for Zapata against Chip Roy. She's made all the right moves and the winds seem to be prevailing. She's one of the very few I would say: help if you can.
Austin council member Chito Vela "hopes that any cities who wish to protect their citizens from red state abortion bans will take inspiration from the GRACE Act." #TXLege #ATX https://t.co/7zowE8OA39 via @commondreams
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 31, 2022
Congratulations to @SEIUTX Janitors in Houston! ๐งน✊๐ฝ Our strength is what bonds us together. At @32BJSEIU, we have your backs! This is the power of our union! #UnionStrong ๐ช https://t.co/1eUSnXzJXx
— 32BJ SEIU /// #UnionStrong ๐ช๐ช๐ป๐ช๐ฝ๐ช๐ฟ (@32BJSEIU) June 2, 2022
45th & Lamar in Austin just became the first Starbucks store to win their union in the state of Texas!
— SBWorkersUnited (@SBWorkersUnited) June 3, 2022
San Marcos voters may have to chance to pass an ordinance decriminalizing marijuana after grassroots organizations gathered thousands of signatures to get an initiative on the ballot. https://t.co/FsNbOCddSs
— FOX 7 Austin (@fox7austin) June 2, 2022
That's enough for now. More on Monday. A couple of soothers:
A nest of endangered sea turtle eggs was found on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park last week — the first nest found at the park in over a decade. | via @HoustonPubMedia https://t.co/7a55OwkPiS
— KUT Austin (@KUT) May 24, 2022
The story of Japanese immigrants coming to Texas is one of resourcefulness and resilience, starting with the cultivation of rice on the Gulf Coast. https://t.co/j2ptnXFO2h
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 23, 2022