Sunday "Is It War Yet?" Funnies

I don't care for Gen. Tso's chicken either.

Welcome back, after his gap year, to Two Party Opera.

And congratulations to Desi Doyen for thirteen years of the Green News Report.

The Weekend Environmental, Social Justice, and Calm-Me-Down Wrangle from Far Left Texas

'Texas Republicans behaving badly' is again trending on my timeline, but as referenced previously, that is a) annoying and tiresome; and b) seemingly not moving the needle away from them electorally.  So without posting more of their BS, I'll hold a few of the most egregious for another day.  This Wrangle is for the other things that bother me, and a few things at the end that soothe.

From Feb. 13-18, 2021, Houston and the entire state of Texas reeled from cold temperatures that led to catastrophic, deadly conditions for residents. Take a look back through photos at the storm, one year later. https://t.co/MT0vG8jzVC #KPRC #HTX #hounews #Texas pic.twitter.com/IDEnaH1aMo

— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) February 15, 2022

On the anniversary of what became the worst blackout in Texas history, some say many of those who died have yet to be officially recognized. | via @KUT https://t.co/4u6UGtOSz5

— Houston Public Media (@HoustonPubMedia) February 15, 2022

When the lights went out in Texas a year ago today, an Austin family tried to protect their mother from an excruciating death. The rich & powerful were trying to protect the greed. Guess who won? Please watch and share this trailer of #protectingthegreed #txlege #energy pic.twitter.com/f0ZqalkIHl

— Jay Root (@byjayroot) February 15, 2022

The freeze from last year has been an over-reported item this week.  Beto isn't getting any traction from it, either.  Maybe time to move on.

Let me use one more as my segue.

Shifting to cleaner fuels is a key way to fight climate change — which brings severe weather that taxes the state's power grid. But Texas leaders still aren't decarbonizing. #TexasGrid #TexasPower #ClimateChange #TexasFreeze #GregAbbott #carbonfootprinthttps://t.co/uc9Ze9131Y

— San Antonio Current (@SAcurrent) February 15, 2022

Gusty winds across the state Tuesday and Wednesday will generate enough wind power to run every Texas home and then some, according to @ClimateCentral. pic.twitter.com/LeM7AKg00e

— KXAN Weather (@KXAN_Weather) February 14, 2022

A couple of young capitalists found a way to make money on flaring, which is good, but isn't really going to solve the crisis.

These 23-year-old Texans made $4 million last year mining bitcoin off flare gas from oil drilling. https://t.co/TjrDXg6z5C

— CNBC (@CNBC) February 16, 2022

Between now and 2060, scientists predict almost 25 inches of sea level rise in Galveston — a dramatic scenario for a coastal city already vulnerable to hurricane storm surges and tidal flooding. https://t.co/EaNcXv3zrl

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) February 16, 2022

There's just no point in building the Ike Dike now.  It's too late in the game.  Seriously.  Don't bother. This kind of too-expensive, unfeasible mitigation would be a boondoggle akin to the F-35.  (Speaking of Lockheed Martin ...)

tl:dr; when the weather gets bad, polluters get to pollute A LOT more, and Texans living downwind bear the brunt. That needs to change. @POTUS #txlege https://t.co/OlSzSP9nmN

— Texas Sierra Club (@TexasSierraClub) February 14, 2022

That's a good segue to the social justice tweets.  There's also some criminal justice and labor news following.

“I’m tired of hearing about, ‘Hold on and wait.' The ‘hold on and wait’ is over. Somebody has to show results.” https://t.co/NCg1SyKPF4

— One Breath (@OneBreathHOU) February 15, 2022

Houston, if you’re not outraged by Texas' distribution of flood control $$ you’re not paying attention.
Of $4.3B Congress allocated for projects after Harvey, the city is to get ⚠$9M⚠
(@dylmcguinness has the latest https://t.co/7ESynp9me6)
It's even worse than it looks:🧵1/6

— Mike Morris (@mmorris011) February 16, 2022

UT Arlington issues statement acknowledging university was built on American Indian-owned land https://t.co/AXPz44loZo

— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) February 17, 2022

Just entirely too many instances of the cops behaving poorly as well.

NOW: Austin to pay a combined $10 million to settle lawsuits with Justin Howell and Anthony Evans.

Both men suffered head injuries from bean bag munitions fired by Austin police officers in 2020 George Floyd protests.

Howell gets $8M - a record high in Austin.

Evans gets $2M. https://t.co/7VK6QNdjpC

— Ryan Autullo (@AutulloAAS) February 17, 2022

BREAKING: 19 Austin police officers have now been indicted on criminal charges stemming from the 2020 protests in Austin, according to union president Ken Casaday, who has been briefed on the charges by attorneys representing officers. https://t.co/HPtKxGAeJ4

— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) February 17, 2022

"Section 39.02(a)(2) of the Texas Penal Code prohibits a public officer from using government resources, of which the officer has custody or possession, to create a photograph, video, or other communication for political advertising." https://t.co/pOi885rruy #txlege https://t.co/TWF5uqPott

— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) February 15, 2022

Update: TX appeals court will not overturn Kinney County Judge Tully Shahan's decision to axe 3 judges assigned to help with @GovAbbott's mass migrant arrests. The judges were letting men out on no-cost bonds after months in prison.

Background: https://t.co/LoJCBijlTB #txlege

— Jolie McCullough (@jsmccullou) February 16, 2022

@FIELHouston “Day Without Immigrants” rally today @Cesar_Espinosa pic.twitter.com/rMeKpEiTeS

— M.H (@HoustonMH1757) February 14, 2022

After Biden halted federal construction of the border wall, his administration donated 1,700 panels for Texas to use on its border wall. By @ujohnnyg https://t.co/Gju0YkqVUW

— Matthew Watkins (@MWatkinsTrib) February 15, 2022

Members of Texas’ National Guard have begun organizing under an existing public-sector union and are set to meet for the first time next week, according to the Army Times.https://t.co/kXqHrPnfNG

— KXAN News (@KXAN_News) February 17, 2022

USW pushes ExxonMobil deal to end Texas lockout: A warning to all oil workers https://t.co/FRZjSCcSl3

— Nathan Hetrick 🌹 (@big_chief82) February 18, 2022

Per ⁦@asherprice⁩ for ⁦@axios⁩ Austin: “Btw the lines: …it's still a winner with [GOP] primary voters.
Among those who self-identify as "extremely conservative," 50% support (35% strongly), & 37% oppose (27% strongly) these efforts.” #txlege https://t.co/LL1G6iFTlZ

— Jim Henson (@jamesrhenson) February 16, 2022

Texas Governor Abbott’s proposals to sue teachers and imprison them after stripping away their retirement accounts and teacher pay for mentioning the history of blacks in Texas or mention alternative lifestyles of gays isn’t going to help the Texas Teacher Shortage.

— Raymond lee veazey (@RayvzBlanca1) February 17, 2022

Midland Police arrest coaches, administrators at Midland Christian School for failure to report sexual assault | https://t.co/U2yKMXksGq https://t.co/2gVeh33FrF

— Flux Nomad (@flux_nomad) February 18, 2022

Mine today starts with this anecdote about a Texas charter school started in a furniture store that requires students to work one day a week in the store—for no pay. This is called "career and technical education." https://t.co/iYHf2AFd0x #CharterSchoolFail @Network4pubEd pic.twitter.com/lidZp8SXoN

— Jeff Bryant (@jeffbcdm) February 16, 2022

Mattress Mack has had a bad week (for him).

Had he bet on the Bengals to cover instead of win outright, he would have had the perfect scenario: Win his $4.5 million bet and not have to give customers refunds because the Bengals didn't win the game.

— Matt Young (@Chron_MattYoung) February 14, 2022

That news could have just as easily gone into 'Repubs acting badly'.

More guns = more gun deaths.  Our children are paying the price, and hiring more cops isn't going to solve this.

Ashanti Grant and Arlene Alvarez. Two Houston-area 9-year-olds who were shot in cars in the last week. #txlege pic.twitter.com/QNYOzBkNnq

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) February 16, 2022

Their stories in the thread.

A man ambushed a woman at a Texas coffee shop and shot her to death. He then shot himself, but is still alive.

Texas doesn't require domestic abusers to relinquish their firearms or prohibit convicted dating partners or stalkers from being armed. #txlege https://t.co/uQM4vRhC85

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) February 16, 2022

A psychologist explains how myths and biases can prompt false allegations—and irreversible mistakes, especially in cases involving trauma victims like Melissa Lucio. https://t.co/jRgisynsMZ

— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) February 16, 2022

Texas' medical marijuana program is one the most restrictive in the nation, but Oklahoma's generated $150 million in revenue last year, up 17% from 2020. #Texas #Oklahoma #MedicalCannabis #CannabisCommunity #cannabisindustry #cannabisreformhttps://t.co/PpVweTWSAe

— San Antonio Current (@SAcurrent) February 15, 2022

"North Carolina patients have access to all these records and can read the reports directly. Texas patients, meanwhile, are left in the dark." @KXAN_News @MattGrantKXAN @hueyjayd #patientsafety #txlegehttps://t.co/SgYU8Hej6o

— Texas Watch (@TexasWatch) February 16, 2022

This is the way the UT world worked in 1956. To avoid racial conflict, the University segregated “negro and white students” in everything from health, frats, athletics & dancing. They didn’t worry about public performances “by negroes”because they didn’t have experience #txlege pic.twitter.com/QsTVLOkLDl

— Retro Snacking (@Retrosnacking) February 16, 2022

Perhaps a lawsuit I can feel good about Ken Paxton winning.

Texas sues Facebook for collecting biometric data without user consent https://t.co/lv127SZxrg #TXLege

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) February 15, 2022

And the other feel-goods.  First: my friend Charles is writing "Leaving Texas"; here's the first part.

The writer farm team has been decimated by the decline of alt weeklies. Where do young writers learn their craft these days? Without incubators, many are hampered by the boring-ass cult of objectivity or social media-imposed ideological conformity. https://t.co/Gho6iRQoAj

— Forrest Wilder (@Forrest4Trees) February 15, 2022

Creepy or curious or maybe a little of both? This nature trail is worth the visit.
https://t.co/tuIPabNqSq

— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) February 16, 2022

Houston’s bridge bats took a hit during the 2021 Texas freeze. Here’s where they stand a year later: https://t.co/124sv5lak1 #houwx #hounews #houston #houstontx #htx #txwx #wxtwitter

— Aaron Barker (@weatherbarker) February 15, 2022

Art Car Parade to return after a two-year COVID hiatus https://t.co/nnpeleGnpP #hounews

— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) February 14, 2022

The comical San Antonio history of ‘gobbledygook,’ coined by a Maverick https://t.co/3mTJs0LraV

— Rick Casey (@rick_casey) February 15, 2022

Ozzy Osbourne publicly urinated in Alamo Plaza 40 years ago this week https://t.co/7yYeKQPpvG

— San Antonio Express-News (@ExpressNews) February 15, 2022

Still Not Voting Wrangle from Far Left Texas

Update:

Wtf are y’all doing? https://t.co/2L1gejdrnV

— Shell_Seas (@LivingBlueTX) February 18, 2022

Not voting, obviously.

Historically, voter participation in midterm primary elections is dismal in Texas, with less than a quarter of registered voters casting ballots most years.@MandiCai and @snehadey_ will track the turnout here:https://t.co/xUyc7Us2mK pic.twitter.com/sHpfoxeaR8

— darlacameron (@darlacameron) February 14, 2022

Harris County Greens and other progressives who have given up on the partisan duopoly:

Please clear your busy social calendars to make time for these important upcoming events:

• Tuesday, March 8, 7-9 pm: Harris County Consolidated Precinct Green Conventions, La Granja Disco y Cantina, 5505 Pinemont Dr. (just east of Antoine Dr.)
• Saturday, March 12, 3 pm: Harris County Green Convention, same location
• Saturday, April 9, all day: Green Party of Texas Convention, Kyle TX, venue TBD (delegates may also attend online)

Other counties in Texas with Green Party organizations will also hold their precinct and county conventions on those dates, which are specified in the Texas Election Code.  Those counties include Collin, Dallas, Denton, Travis, and Tarrant; Bexar may also have one.  Other Houston-metro counties (Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Montgomery)  may have a consolidated county convention in the near future.  Watch txgreens.org or Green social media for details.

I am not voting in the D primary so that I can participate in the Greens' conventions.  You'll note in the right-hand column that -- for those of you who are -- there are some Democrats I recommend you choose for statewide offices.  Here are the Texas Green Party's nominees:

• Delilah Barrios for Governor (Twitter: @DelilahForTexas)
• Hunter Crow for Railroad Commission (Twitter: @CrowRailroad)
• Alfred Molison for Commissioner of the General Land Office (Twitter: @copyhinge1)

Molison's filing is in protest of the state law restricting political participation by financial access.  That lawsuit by the Texas Libertarian Party is currently under consideration at the Supreme Court of Texas (scroll down to Dr. Mark Jones' tweet and read from there) and in federal district court.

So we'll see if Molison can make the November ballot.

Our Tex-Pukes actin' like fools since Monday:

A tweet from @DanPatrick has raised concerns & questions among UT Austin faculty about their academic freedom and the political intent of the newly proposed Liberty Institute on campus.

Profs say Patrick contradicted UT admin's message on the new center.https://t.co/sjgZzjPew3

— Kate McGee (@McGeeReports) February 16, 2022

Textbook racist gaslighting going on with the Texas Lt Gov, y’all. The Liberty Institute at UT is essentially a taxpayer-funded propaganda learning center. The #txlege gave it $6 million in the same session it ignored the grid and gutted abortion, voting and trans youth rights. pic.twitter.com/AHuF38CRhW

— Cari Marshall (@CariMarshallTX) February 16, 2022

An Austin lawyer argues that Texas AG Ken Paxton should be disbarred for inciting members of the public to pressure a group of judges into issuing a ruling in Paxton's favor https://t.co/r5G02D2Zs0

— Austin Statesman (@statesman) February 15, 2022

Candidate appears to be semi-nude in campaign ad, says "I want to talk about flaring, I want to talk about interstate pipelines but that's boring...I want to put my clothes back on and have a serious conversation."#txlege #texashttps://t.co/ajTiy0sCWN

— Texas Energy Report (@TxEnergyReport) February 16, 2022

Please put your clothes back on anyway.  I will acknowledge that sex work is still work, but IMO we have too many whores on the RRC as it is.

An East Texas company wanted to dump oilfield sludge near the Ogalala aquifer. Experts at the state regulator said no. But the CEO knew @txrrc chair Wayne Christian and had $100K to give his campaign. It ain't right: https://t.co/pJWlSkoAS1 @HoustonChron #txlege

— ChrisTomlinson (@cltomlinson) February 13, 2022

No, Texas teachers are not "teaching explicit pornography" to students. https://t.co/547kq09MNF @TexasObserver

— Gabriel Arana (he/him/his) (@gabrielarana) February 15, 2022

"Section 39.02(a)(2) of the Texas Penal Code prohibits a public officer from using government resources, of which the officer has custody or possession, to create a photograph, video, or other communication for political advertising." https://t.co/pOi885rruy #txlege https://t.co/TWF5uqPott

— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) February 15, 2022

New: Rejecting the 2020 election results has become a litmus test to measure GOP candidates' fealty to Trump. @BenjaminEW & I surveyed all 143 Republicans running for Congress in Texas; we confirmed 13 who say the results were legit. https://t.co/yKI3iNDonK

— Jasper Scherer (@jaspscherer) February 16, 2022

Regardless of whom you supported, do you think Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election? Texas responses rom February 2022 @UTAustin/@TxPolProject Poll, sorted by urban/suburban/rural More: https://t.co/drJ6VHR7iz #Tx2020 #Txlege pic.twitter.com/1BCxpgk2f2

— Jim Henson (@jamesrhenson) February 17, 2022

Bianca Garcia vows to become a "mini Marjorie Taylor Greene" if elected to the state Senate (District 11; Galveston, Pearland).  Praise the Lawd and pass the gazpacho.  Garcia also serves as the president of the national org Latinos for Trump.  And I decided to leave Ted Cruz and his latest antics out of this one, because I'm really getting worn out by that asshole.

Honestly starting to hate this part of the collation.  I'll have environmental, criminal and legal and social justice updates, and the soothers in the next Wrangle.