Good morning, Here is today's Texas Minute.
- After only one week on the job as chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, Allen West is already making waves against the political establishment, sounding off against Gov. Greg Abbott’s string of executive orders in response to the Chinese coronavirus, and criticizing moves by some Republican lawmakers to bow to Democrats’ “cancel culture” in removing historical monuments of Confederate soldiers.
- For example... In an interview with Fox and Friends last Friday, West was asked about a similar bill in the U.S. Senate which would rename military bases originally named after Confederate soldiers. West used the opportunity to take aim at “cancel culture” over statues and monuments.
- “We are just responding to this mob, this cancel culture, and as long as we continue to believe we can acquiesce, appease, and compromise with them, it just emboldens them. And so, I would say, ‘Sit in the corner, shut up, and get out of the business of worrying about the names of military installations.’”
- In an interview on Lone Star Politics on Sunday, West took aim at Gov. Greg Abbott’s long string of executive orders in response to the Chinese coronavirus, which have shuttered businesses and threatened individual liberty.
- “One of the things that I believe in is the rule of law and that we are supposed to be governed by our elected officials and not ruled by our elected officials. I’m not too much a fan of executive orders, edicts, mandates, and directives."
- West also voiced his disapproval with Abbott’s statewide mask mandate and called some of the restrictions levied by government officials “draconian.”
- If you missed it this weekend, the fight for a baby’s life is taking a new turn as the 2nd Court of Appeals takes aim at the unjust law that put her life at risk.
- Robert Montoya reports that last November, North Texas’ Cook Children’s Hospital invoked the state’s controversial 10-day rule to kill baby Tinslee Lewis against the wishes of her mother. The baby’s life was saved only after lawyers with Texas Right to Life obtained a temporary restraining order to prevent Cook Children’s from removing life-sustaining care.
Texas Right to Life describes the 10-day rule as “the number of calendar days a vulnerable patient or her surrogate is given once a hospital committee declines to continue providing life-sustaining treatment to a patient, contrary to the patient’s expressed will and medical decisions.” In short, Texas Right to Life says the law allows a hospital committee to end “life-sustaining care” even if the patient—or his or her parent or guardian—objects. In Fort Worth on Friday, the 2nd Court of Appeals granted a temporary injunction sparing Lewis’ life until a full trial. The court added the 10-day rule is “likely unconstitutional,” and its days could very well be numbered. The court concluded that the 10-day rule provides inadequate due process protections and that Tinslee Lewis’ and her family’s civil rights were violated by the decision to end her life.
- As of Monday, recoveries from the Chinese coronavirus continue rising and deaths are low in Texas’ urban counties.
Bexar County reported 21,505 estimated recoveries and 323 deaths among its population of over 2 million. Collin County reported 4,597 recoveries and 74 deaths among its population of over 1 million. Denton County reported 3,309 recoveries and 49 deaths among its population of nearly 860,000. Harris County reported 21,485 recoveries and 644 deaths among its population of over 4.6 million. Tarrant County reported 12,549 recoveries and 348 deaths among its population of over 2 million. Travis
County reported 16,658 estimated recoveries and 241 deaths among its population of over 1.2 million.
- In the latest of his series of Coronavirus Mandate Stories, Robert Montoya shares the story of a mother who has been banned from being with her son with special needs for months, due to a statewide mandate barring visitation. With his condition deteriorating, his mom is begging Gov. Greg Abbott daily to act, and a coalition of Texas state senators and state representatives have joined her cause.
A happy (belated) 16th birthday from all of us at Empower Texans to Michael Sullivan's son, Quinn!
On July 28, 2017, a U.S. Senate vote for a so-called "skinny" repeal of Obamacare failed 51-49 when John McCain cast the deciding vote against.
"Circumstances do change. So do the problems that are shaped by circumstances. But the principles that govern the solution of the problems do not."
Your Federal & State Lawmakers
U.S. Senator
John Cornyn - R
(202) 224-2934
U.S. Senator
Ted Cruz - R
(202) 224-5922
Governor of Texas
Greg Abbott - R
(512) 463-2000
Lt. Governor
Dan Patrick - R
(512) 463-0001
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