Texas Progressives talk SXSW and more

Let's lead with that. The Monthly has a story about how a LOT of bands are ditching South by Southwest this year. Why? The U.S. Army being a sponsor and other issues related to the genocide in Gaza are No. 1. This is just mind-boggling, that SXSW would be SO FUCKING DUMB to have the Army be a sponsor. Related? SXSW also has "discussion panels" sponsored by likes of Raytheon. (Even though this brings the #GenocideInGaza issue officially into Texas, I expect Kuff will still manage to say nothing, and as of earlier this week, that was totally true.) The Observer pivots on this, on the issue of the military, AI and disinformation.

Juanita got VIP treatment at the SxSW premier of the Alex Jones documentary, which features her son as one of the attorneys that doggedly pursued justice for the Newtown parents that Jones has been tormenting. Here's an Austin Chronicle review of that movie.  The AC mentions nowhere onsite the quasi-boycott and Juanita doesn't have a search page so I don't know.

The Texas Medical Board, on March 22, will consider new rulemaking as to what constitutes a medical exception to Texas' abortion law after the Supreme Court tossed Roe v Wade. There is no guarantee they will adopt any new rule, nor any guarantee that, if they do, it will be a good rule.

Related? Texas law may ban Walgreens and CVS from selling mifepristone, but you CAN still order it by mail and there's not a damned thing Paxton, Abbott and Patrick can do. Know your options.

Also related? The Observer analyzes the federal court ruling that took away the right of Texas state employees to protect women's health, and enable them to keep their jobs, during pregnancy and while recovering from childbirt.

Semi-related? The Judicial Conference, which sets policy for the federal court system, said it will take action against judge-shopping. This sounds nice, but let's wait a bit to see just what that action is; there's also questions about whether it has the power to make these binding rules, or more just guidelines. That said, Mitch McConnell is already encouraging judges to defy this. He's not Moscow Mitch, but this further puts the lie to his claim at Trump's second impeachment that he's anything but MAGAts Mitch.

Matt Rinaldi will not seek re-election as the Texas GOP chair. Will Rethugs do even worse on a replacement? Possibly.

Justice Alito has just extended a stay on the enforcement of SB4.

From his second blog site,  SocraticGadfly says that the biggest differentiator on taking climate change seriously enough to talk about a "climate crisis" is NOT Democrats vs Republicans, nor is it "fundagelical" Christians vs others, nor is it liberal vs conservative peoples of any world religion. It is, rather, secularists vs religious believers in general.

Friends remember Aaron Bushnell. He's mentioned by nobody else among Texas Progressives, AFAIK.

Travis Clardy boo-hoos getting hung out to dry by Abbott — and by groups that had nothing to do with vouchers, but with whom Clardy had danced with them that brung him for years.

It's official: The Metromess is over 8 million.

Off the Kuff looked at the counties where Nikki Haley did well in the Republican primary in Texas.

Barring some late legal shenanigans, Nate Paul is going to jail for contempt.

Neil at the Houston Democracy Project said a majority of women on Houston City Council is great, but the Republican women on Council, and all Republicans on Council, should openly reject authoritarianism.

The Texas Living Waters Project reports on Austin's efforts towards becoming water sustainable.  

Your Local Epidemiologist updates us on measles and more.

The TSTA Blog says the fight over vouchers isn't over but warns that the bad guys still have all the money in that fight.  

Frank Strong would like to talk about the latest school district to fall victim to Christian nationalist influences.