Good morning –

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Tuesday, June 16, 2020
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• According to Texas’ lieutenant governor, “nobody has put the Alamo more at risk” than Land Commissioner George P. Bush.
   
• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick skewered his fellow Republican on social media yesterday over Bush's management of the Alamo and the surrounding controversies. Cary Cheshire has the story.
     
• In a 6-3 decision released on Monday morning, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, a ruling that could have far-sweeping implications for religious liberty.
      
• Almost immediately the CEO of MTX Group – which just last month received a $295 million, 27-month agreement from Gov. Greg Abbott to implement coronavirus contact tracing in Texas – took to social media and applauded the decision. Brandon Waltens has the details.
      
• “We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin, and we oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.” – Plank #256 of the current Texas GOP platform
       
• Texas Democrats have abandoned one of their two lawsuits aimed at forcing the Lone Star State to allow everyone to vote by mail, a process ripe for fraud and abuse. Erin Anderson reports the Democrats dropped the state-level lawsuit after the Texas Supreme Court dealt a crippling blow to their key argument. Meanwhile, they are still pushing a similar lawsuit in the federal courts.
   
• In a new blog post, Robert Montoya reflects on the exploitation of tragedies for political gain. He suggests that increased government power, coupled with escalating societal divisions, are hurting life for everyone.  He writes we should instead be expanding freedom and embracing forgiveness.

• Without input from parents and concerned citizens, a teacher and conservative activist worries about the plans being proposed for the 2020-21 academic year.  In a new commentary, Trasa Robertson Cobern calls on parents and taxpayers to support “going back to school with as much normalcy as possible.”
      
• “What is truly dangerous to our children is the enforced isolation, the lack of social interaction, and the culture of fear in which we are entombing them.” – Trasa Robertson Cobern
     
• “While Democrats are aggressively pushing the moral decline of our culture, most Republicans are empowering the same revolutionaries through their capitulation on policy or their silence on the values that have held our nation together.” – Luke Macias, political consultant

• The biennial Texas GOP convention will be in Houston next month, with delegates building their party platform and electing party leadership. While Texans for Fiscal Responsibility does not endorse in party organizational contests (precinct chairs, county chairs, etc), it does provide delegates with as much information as possible to help them an informed decision about the candidates for the chairmanship and the State Republican Executive Committee.
     
• All those candidates are invited to complete a short questionnaire. Their unedited answers will be published by Texas Scorecard before the convention. Get the details.