Islamic city ... Immigration freeze ... Futile war ... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

... The Texas Minute ...

Good morning,

We have long been engaged in a futile war, but I end the week reflecting on the path to true peace that has been marked out for us.

This is the Texas Minute for Friday, Nov. 14, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

UPFRONT

I always note errors upfront, and yesterday's was a big one ... numerically speaking, anyway. The Number of the Day was wildly off. As a matter of trivium, it was (supposed to be) noting the number of days since Benjamin Franklin wrote his famous line about the inevitability of death and taxes. Somehow I bungled the calendar math—as several readers pointed out! The actual number of days from 11/13/1789 to 11/13/2025 was 86,197 (acounting for leap days).
With apologies for the error, know that I appreciate the correction and the knowledge that folks read that section.

Islamic-focused EPIC City Rebrands as The Meadow

A proposed Islamic-focused development in North Texas may be moving forward soon under a new name, according to local officials—despite past claims from the governor that the project has been “halted.” Erin Anderson has the details.
The controversial Muslim community known as EPIC City is planned for property located in unincorporated areas of Collin and Hunt counties. It now appears that the developers are preparing to very soon submit their plans for review but with a new name: The Meadow.
After the Islamic project was first revealed, state and federal agencies opened investigations. So far, most have failed to find legal reasons to block the planned Islamic community, though Attorney General Ken Paxton has said his office had found evidence the developers “violated federal and state securities laws.” No further information on that has been publicly released.
For now, the site of the proposed Islamic community remains a literal meadow, not a city.

Texas Congressman Proposes Immigration ‘Freeze’

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R–TX) is introducing legislation that would “freeze” all immigration into the United States until certain criteria are met, including reforms to chain migration and birthright citizenship, and ending H-1B visas.
In announcing his proposal, Roy said the nation’s record-high foreign-born population is creating “a cultural problem about who we are as Americans.” His measure would require vetting people for their adherence to Sharia law.
The congressman is also calling for action that would force the courts to revisit Plyler v. Doe, a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring states to fund the education of illegal aliens.

Secretary of State Commits Over $1 Million To Fight Texas GOP

As Brandon Waltens reports, the secretary of state’s office has agreed to spend up to $1.25 million to defend the state’s open-primary system against a lawsuit filed by the Republican Party of Texas. The GOP wants to close the party's nominating process to stop Democrats from influencing the selection of Republican candidates.
Secretary of State Jane Nelson, an appointee of Gov. Greg Abbott, has retained two outside law firms to handle the case. Significantly, the Office of the Attorney General has sided with the Texas GOP in the litigation.
In closed-primary states, voters must declare their party affiliation in advance of the election, and only those so registered can participate in that party’s nomination contests.
The Republican Party of Texas sued the state in September, arguing that open primaries violate the GOP's First Amendment right to free association by allowing Democrats and independents to influence Republican nominations.

Defendants in Lottery Rigging Lawsuit Continue Fighting Calls for Transparency

Defendants in a high-profile lawsuit involving the alleged rigging of the Texas Lottery are continuing to fight attempts to expose their corporate interests. Travis Morgan has the story.
The controversy surrounding the jackpot in question led Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to describe the Texas Lottery as “probably the biggest money laundering scheme in the country.”
In July, Judge Melissa Andrews of Texas’ newly established Business Court refused to expose hidden corporate interests behind the alleged lottery rigging scheme. Following Texas Scorecard’s reporting on the matter, Judge Andrews reversed her decision in August, ordering the members and partners to be disclosed to the Court but protected from public view.
In the months since, the defendants have continued to fight disclosure and discovery orders in various venues.

A&M Regents Restrict Ideological Advocacy in Classroom

Going forward, courses that “advocate” gender or race ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity will require campus presidential approval in the Texas A&M University System. And, as Robert Montoya reports, that approval authority cannot be delegated by the campus president to subordinates.
The new rule also restricts faculty from teaching “material that is inconsistent with the approved syllabus for the course” or introducing “a controversial matter” not connected with the class subject.
The Pennsylvania-based Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a libertarian legal advocacy group, has vowed to defend any faculty member disciplined under the new rule.
As required by a new state law, all universities must conduct a review of all curricula every five years. Regent Sam Torn and Chancellor Glenn Hegar announced yesterday that the institutions in the A&M system would do so every semester.

Crypto Giant Coinbase Reincorporates in Texas

Coinbase, the nation’s largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency platform, is officially abandoning Delaware and reincorporating in Texas. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal blasted Delaware’s increasingly erratic legal climate, saying the state has “left us with little choice.”
According to Grewal, recent decisions from the Delaware Chancery Court have been “rife with unpredictable outcomes,” forcing that state's lawmakers to repeatedly step in with patchwork fixes. That instability, Grewal says, has driven companies to seek jurisdictions that “provide more efficient and sustainable solutions than relying on the legislature to fix judicial surprises after the fact.”
Texas, he argues, is now one of those states.

Friday Reflection
Of Swords and Plowshares

by Michael Quinn Sullivan

During World War II, the United States and its allies began doing something unheard of in the annals of war. They dropped leaflets ahead of bombing runs and other attacks—warning civilians that local infrastructure was going to be destroyed. The purpose was two-fold: reduce civilian casualties and demoralize the enemy. Through Scripture, God does likewise.

Make no mistake, humanity has been at war with God. We have ignored His precepts, debased His created order, and even sought to pretend He does not exist. The casualties in this war have been entirely one-sided. Everything we do to reject God comes only at our own expense.

Through the Prophet Isaiah, God told us that the war does not have to continue. Isaiah was shown a vision of a future where swords would be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. The implements of war would be turned into tools for tending the garden from which humanity had been expelled.

Later, Joel was shown a different vision. In it, those who wish to battle God are futilely found turning their plows and hooks into swords and spears.

We mock such notions at our peril. How much more foolish is it to think a sword will take down God than it is to believe cosmetic surgery can turn a man into a woman? Sin makes us delusional.

God, speaking through His word, though, provides us with clarity and a choice.

In all ages, a message of liberation will resonate with people who are held captive. Satan doesn’t want us reading God’s word any more than the Axis powers wanted civilians reading those WWII leaflets distributed by the Allies.

But far better than an escape route to temporary safety, God provides us with a path to salvation.

We can remain in sin and be eternally separated from Him. Or, we can let God do for us through Christ what we cannot do for ourselves.

We can enter the cold night of eternity alone, or we can bask in the warmth of His boundless love.

For those wallowing in their sin, the message from God can be either utterly demoralizing or completely liberating. Stay in sin and face eternal death … or joyfully accept the salvation of Christ.

Through His word, God has shown us that our swords and plowshares are of equally little value. Only by putting our faith in Him will we find victory in the battles of this life and sustenance in His eternal provision.