Happy San Jacinto Day!

Don't know what that is? Then you have permission to skip on down to the Friday Reflection.

This is the Texas Minute for April 21, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

UPFRONT: I had the chance to visit with former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake yesterday afternoon. Check out part of our conversation on today's edition of The Headline.

Can Texas Build A Border Wall? One Senator Explains How

• Republican State Sen. Brandon Creighton of Conroe has filed a resolution declaring an invasion of Texas by transnational cartel terrorists, urging the governor to accelerate the construction of a wall along the southern border, and demanding that Congress deploy military forces to combat transnational cartels. As Sydnie Henry reports, Creighton has also filed legislation allowing the state to exercise its powers of eminent domain to build that border wall. 
    
• During a meeting of the Senate Committee on Border Security on Thursday, not everyone was excited about the state using eminent domain power. Creighton said doing so would allow the state "to acquire more land at a more expedient rate."
      
• Steven McCraw, who heads the Texas Department of Public Safety, said a combination of three things is needed to secure the border: infrastructure, technology, and "boots on the ground."
     
• April Salazar told lawmakers of being kidnapped by the cartels: "I was kidnapped by the Los Zetas. I was taken to Laredo, where I was tattooed–marked as their property, beaten, raped. ... When everybody says that this border wall is expensive, I have a question: What price do you pay them for a life?"

Lawmakers Consider Approaches To Addressing the China Threat

• Lawmakers heard testimony this week about security threats posed by China’s influence in Texas through social media and land purchases.
    
• Legislation filed by State Rep. Cody Harris (R–Palestine) would ban foreign governments and companies from owning agricultural land in Texas.
     
• Meanwhile, State Rep. Jacey Jetton (R–Richmond) has proposed a ban on foreign governments, companies, and officials in a foreign country’s government or military from purchasing real estate in Texas – based on a determination by the governor of the threat to the state or nation posed by those countries.
     
• Similarly, State Rep. David Spiller (R–Jacksboro) wants to prohibit from purchasing land in Texas those governments—and their government-owned companies—identified by the U.S. National Intelligence Community as hostile threats.

New York Democrat Cites Texas' Tony Gonzales As Border Authority... SERIOUSLY!

• As the border crisis continues to worsen, Congress is set to consider legislation that would strengthen the border and provide a solution to the soon-to-expire Title 42. As Soli Rice reports, leading the charge is U.S. Chip Roy (R-TX). 
    
• Meanwhile, liberal-leaning U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) voiced strong opposition toward the proposed legislation. Indeed, Gonzales' weakness on border issues earned him a censure from the Republican Party of Texas earlier this year.
     
• Gonzales' opposition was approvingly noted during the early debate on Roy's legislation by far-left Democrat Jerry Nadler of New York.
      
• Need a sign you've completely lost your way as a Republican? Being on the same side as left-wing Democrats on the border security issue.

San Antonio Seeks To Decriminalize Abortion And Other Crimes

• On the May 6 municipal election, San Antonio's voters will decide the fate of a controversial city charter amendment. Among other things, it will decriminalize abortion, marijuana possession, and the theft of property worth less than $750. Katy Marshall has the details.
    

• The leftist group Act 4 SA worked to put the proposition on the May ballot. They claim it would force the city of San Antonio “to adopt a justice policy that will reduce unnecessary arrests, mitigate racial bias, and save scarce public resources through a comprehensive set of popular reforms.”

      

• San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg has said the charter amendment would enable criminals.
       

• “There is a lot in there, but what troubles me is the lack of consequences for theft up to $750 and property damage up to $2,500. That’s not pocket change. Prop A unfortunately ignores the victims, from small business to nonprofits to really any working family who wakes up to a smashed window.” – Ron Nirenberg

School Lets Psychologist Push Radical Gender Theory... Without Parental Consent

• Without the parents' knowledge or consent, a high school in the Boerne Independent School District recently hosted a licensed psychologist who spoke to students about gender identity, gender transitional drugs, and Christians’ lack of acceptance toward LGBTQ lifestyles. Soli Rice has the story.
    
• According to the school's principal, Beto Hinojosa, the psychologist – LGBTQ activist Sarah Ansbro – was invited by a student group, but the group did not seek advance permission for her visit as required.
     
• That excuse doesn't fly with investigative journalist Sarah Fields, who first reported on the situation. “We all know this is a lie. If they did not know, why was a complete stranger allowed inside the school walls without permission?”
      
• Hinojosa could also be guilty of violating the Texas Administrators’ Code of Ethics. He allegedly shared with the activist club the name of a student whose mother raised concerns about the event – subjecting the student to bullying from classmates.
      
• Groomers are gonna groom... and use their power to bully those who stand in the way.

📺 WATCH: The Headline with Brandon Waltens

• On this week's show, Brandon Waltens meets with Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) to discuss how the Texas House can put an end to underage porn consumption.
     
• And catch my conversation with Kari Lake about border security and Arizona's election contest.
      
• You can watch The Headline on the following Texas Scorecard platforms: YouTube, Apple TV or Roku apps, on an iOS or Android phone.

Now Available: 'Reflections on Life & Liberty'

• The book comes in three formats: hardcover, paperback, and digital download. For now, "Reflections on Life & Liberty" is only available at Amazon.

Friday Reflection: Against The Odds

Defeat usually begins in one of two ways: believing success to be impossible, or assuming your victory is assured.

On April 21, 1836, the Texians achieved independence at San Jacinto because they were willing to fight a last-chance, impossible battle against an enemy force certain it would never taste defeat.

Let us be clear about the state of the Texian military: No one would have been impressed. They were ill-trained, under-prepared, and poorly outfitted. They had been running in tactical retreats for several weeks. Their leader, Sam Houston, was a heavy drinker.

And let us be equally clear about the Mexican forces: No one would have doubted their superiority. They were disciplined, well-trained, and better armed. Their leader, General Santa Anna, was a ruthless butcher.

The Mexicans were complacent and the Texians knew they had nothing to lose.

And so on the fields of San Jacinto, the Texas militia demonstrated a bold, courageous commitment to their cause by exhibiting a shrewd willingness to exploit Santa Anna’s arrogance. It was a high-stakes gambit, with only two possible outcomes. Either independence would be secured through victory, or the cause of Texas would be lost in a disastrous defeat. There would be no draw.

In broad daylight, the Texians began shouting “Remember the Alamo!” and “Remember Goliad!” With Sam Houston himself leading the infantry, the Texians charged on the napping Mexican army.

To simply note that the battle lasted less than 20 minutes doesn’t do justice to the scale of the victory. Nearly 700 Mexican soldiers were killed, another 200 were wounded, and some 700 were taken prisoner – including the president of Mexico, Santa Anna. By contrast, the Texians lost just nine men and saw only 30 wounded.

What was true in 1836 is true today: Freedom doesn’t come in timid nibbles, but through bold actions. Never in history has liberty been expanded in a gradual series of small steps over time; that’s how tyrannies take hold.

Liberty is born from boldness. When people decide they are willing to lose everything rather than live as serfs, that is when tyrants quiver and fall.

Sam Houston and the Texians at San Jacinto knew the odds and took bold action anyway. For the Lone Star State to shine even brighter in the years ahead, we must daily recommit to doing likewise.

Quote-Unquote

"We view ourselves on the eve of battle. We are nerved for the contest, and must conquer or perish. It is vain to look for present aid: none is at hand. We must now act or abandon all hope! Rally to the standard, and be no longer the scoff of mercenary tongues! Be men, be free men, that your children may bless their father's name."

– Sam Houston​