SocraticGadfly: Texas Progressives look for an opposing viewpoint to stupidity

October 21, 2021

Texas Progressives look for an opposing viewpoint to stupidity

As many in Texas have heard, Southlake Carroll was hoist on a petard created by a mix of itself and the Lege's HB 3979, the anti-critical race theory law, when a school administrator said the Holocaust needed an alternative point of view. Wingnuts in the Lege like Kelly Hancock are of course blaming schools and school districts, not themselves, for a law that's hugely vague as well as, of course, being hugely craptacular. The Monthly goes in more depth. Chris Hooks note that it's a part of coarsening attacks on school boards by parents. And now, this stupidity has made it all the way to the LA Times op-ed pages.

StartleGram columnist Bud Kennedy notes Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley is, even more forcefully than before, calling out Danny Goeb and Christofascist Tim Dunn for wrecking his Texas Republican Party. Abbott's "no vax mandate" appears to have been his latest trigger. He also claims that it's not just that Abbott is responding to Don Huffines; rather, Whitley says, he's got his eye on the White House and is trying to out-DeSatan Ron DeSantis. That said, if The Donald runs in 2024, Abbott will put his tail meekly between his legs again. DeSatan may not.

Well, the Supremes officially can't dodge the anti-abortion SB8 now. The Biden Administration appealed the Fifth Circuit's reinstating the law for now, overruling a federal district judge's injunction. Team Biden is asking for the Fifth Circuit's ruling to be paused while the appeals court hears the substance of the state's appeal from the district court. This boils down to the same issue that we faced this summer: Can John Roberts convert Brett Kavanaugh?

Steve Vladeck explains why the Fifth Circuit was wrong in its order allowing SB8 to remain in effect.

In stupidity, judicial version, Smilin Sam Alito proves critics' point, and in part over SB8, and does so in part by trying to block full, free and frank discussion of this. A side note: Notre Dame forfeited academic respect by signing off on his press-muzzling in advance.

Battleground Texas live-tweeted the House hearing on the proposed Congressional map. (And, you may be a Twitter addict if you wade through that entire thing.)

Off the Kuff was on top of the Greg Abbott max ant-vaxx fiasco. 

The Observer reports that, despite Supreme Court rulings, the Border Patrol thinks "tonks" don't deserve medical care.

It's always Banned Books Week in Texas prisons.

In stupidity, sports division, SocraticGadfly talks baseball, specifically, why the Cards suddenly fired Mike Shildt.

Former La Habra, California police chief Alan Hostetter, arrested as part of the Jan. 6 insurrection, is being allowed to defend himself. Hostetter, a Three Percenter wingnut even before this time, asked to defend himself, so he can expose the "FBI corruption." Getcha popcorn, and Judge Royce Lambeth will probably be ruling about 90 percent of his requests and blatherings as out of order.

Iowa's first Black state Democratic chair has received lynching threats over an anti-Trump op-ed in the DeMoines Register.

The Nobel in economics went to a team that conclusively showed higher wages are not inflationary.

Progress Texas offers recommendations on the eight Constitutional amendments on your ballot. 

Texas Monthly brings news of a nude Texas cavers calendar. The Bloggess heard a very different version of Talking Heads' "Wild Wild Life" song than you or I did.

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