Texas Progressives talk library books, Democrats, VD Hooks

The Fifth Circuit says Llano County Library must reshelve 8 of the 17 books it hauled down and a federal district court said it had to reshelve; the other 9, per a split ruling, will stay down while the appeal of that district court ruling plays out. And, doesn't this sound like a Trump-appointed judge would sound?

Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan, a nominee of former President Donald Trump, dissented fully. "The commission hanging in my office says 'Judge,' not 'Librarian.' " Duncan wrote. "Imagine my surprise, then, to learn that my two esteemed colleagues have appointed themselves co-chairs of every public library board across the Fifth Circuit."

SMH. Oh, and Duncan sucks in general. 

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Texas Democrats are divided over Israel and Hamas, and over border issues, the Trib claims in its reporting from their state convention, and then Jasper Scherer, who's been mentioned in these pages before for craptacular writing, offers basically zero evidence in support of that claim. (We're getting close to putting a Peter Principle tag on this guy.)

In reality, at least for public consumption, among elected Texas Dems with any level of authority, there's near-unanimity on both issues. 

Related in an inverse and perverse way? At the Monthly, CD Hooks can call out Texas GOP hypocrisy over Orange Jumpsuit for going on eight years now; will he say anything about Texas Dems caving to #GenocideJoe? He hates Greens, that's established. Per that link, I forgot he was at the Observer before jumping to the Monthly; in turn, that shows how semi-craptacular at times the Observer was years ago already, as that's from back in 2016. And, because of that background, Hooks will never, ever write such an article.

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SocraticGadfly offers up a trifecta of campaigns and elections-related pieces, starting with a Biden-Trump "duopoly" update, followed bythird-party and indy candidate news, and capped with a roundup of three big international elections.

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State Health and Human Services is proceeding with its plan to reform deform Texas Medicaid.

Donald Trump might wish he were so lucky: Henry Cuellar has gotten his corruption trial delayed until March 2025.

Joe Biden is a semi-Trumpian level liar, and at least one of his lies was actually plagiarism from British Labour Party PM candidate Neal Kinnock. So, the NYT treats him with semi-kid gloves on its fact check. And, the powers that be ignore that.

Biden also hates immigrants. Latest proof.

Off the Kuff looks at recent trends in early and mail voting in Harris County.

The AfD was CRUSHING IT in Germany in EU-wide elections for the European Parliament, with Chancellor Sgt. Scholz and his Social Democrats being the chief crushees. 

David French got French-fried by the Presbyterian Church in America and lives to talk about it (linked via a schadenfreude post by Lawyers, Guns  and Money). I wonder if that's happening much in the conservative Lutheranism of my childhood. Scratch that; I wonder HOW much that happens. (NOTE: The PCA has a history of racism which it alleges it is now past, by 2016 doctrinal statement. I'm sure that has NOT trickled into the pews that much.)

Neil at the Houston Democracy Project said Houstonian Brent Sullivan spoke to City Council about clear & present threats to democracy in Houston, but received no reply.  (Neil's too dum a fuq to know that by Texas law, councils, school boards, etc. can NOT respond to public forum comments or questions, I guess. If he ever submits something like this for a Roundup again, it will be unpublished, rather than getting a Dum Fuq note.)

Your Local Epidemiologist discusses sunscreen and skin cancer.  

The Bloggess makes more progress in solving her art mystery. 

The Current imagines the classic movie Blazing Saddles in a modern context. 

 The Dallas Observer reports on a mass closing of Alamo Drafthouses in North Texas. 

 Reform Austin notes a decade of tough times for teachers in Texas.