Good morning,

I end the week reflecting on the rich, righteous history of causing trouble for those who serve false gods. 

But first, here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Friday, November 19, 2021
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Will Texas School Board Association Stand Up For Parents?

• The National School Board Association made headlines last month by asking President Joe Biden and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for federal intervention in local school board meetings and referring to concerned parents as “domestic terrorists.” Now, reports Sydnie Henry, nine members of Texas’ congressional delegation want to know why the Texas Association of School Boards is still a member of that national group.
     
• Unlike the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), 12 states (Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin) have already revoked their membership, participation, or dues from the NSBA.
      
• “Organizations representing Texas’ education should unequivocally support parents and their involvement in the children’s education and not remain affiliated with national organizations that display otherwise,” stated the letter signed by Republican U.S. Reps. Chip Roy, Louie Gohmert, Van Taylor, Ronny Jackson, Beth Van Duyne, Randy Weber, Roger Williams, Lance Gooden, and Pete Sessions.
   

• The congressmen put three questions to TASB:
  1. To what extent did TASB know about the September 29 NSBA letter, and when?
  2. Does TASB agree with NSBA’s decision to call on federal law enforcement to target parents?
  3. If not, did any TASB member communicate their disagreement with this decision to NSBA?
   

• TASB has not yet offered a response.

Biden Targets School District Fighting CRT

• For the past two years, Carroll ISD has been a battleground between progressives and concerned parents over critical race theory in schools. Now, the U.S. Department of Education is launching an investigation into the school district – alleging possible civil rights violations.
   
• “Recently the Southlake community made their stance on the pressure to enforce CRT policies in schools clear with an over 70% vote in favor of an anti-CRT candidate. Voting against Democrats and liberal policies is not illegal and does not warrant a federal investigation, and I stand with parents, students, and local leaders to shine a light on this overreach.” – U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne

• Biden’s Education Secretary, Miguel Cardona, recently told Congress that parents should not be considered “the primary stakeholders” in their children’s education.
     
• REMINDER: Democrats don’t want parents involved in the education of their children. Democrats believe all children are the property of the Government.

European Company Flaunts Violation Of Texas Law

• As a nationwide conflict continues over Texas’ new pro-life laws, one European company claims a new ban won’t stop them from shipping abortion-inducing drugs. Jacob Asmussen has the story.
       
• At issue are “pill-induced” abortions, where businesses mail women chemicals to kill their pre-born children at home. Though it’s already illegal in Texas to mail abortion-inducing drugs within the state, earlier this year, the Texas Legislature approved a new state law (Senate Bill 4) to protect children more than 49 days old from the chemical murder and stop out-of-state manufacturers from shipping the lethal drugs to Texans.
    
• Yet the abortion business AidAccess—whose founder, Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, is based in Europe—says they will continue shipping the drugs into Texas.

Campaign Roundup

Running For Senate… And Mayor

• At a campaign event for his re-election to the Texas Senate, State Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) announced he’ll be running for mayor in 2023. Whitmire told supporters he intends to serve through one more legislative session, through 2023, before officially running for the mayoral position. Jeramy Kitchen has the details.
   
• Whitmire is the longest-serving member of the Texas Senate. He was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1973 and then the Texas Senate in 1983.
   

• Whitmire boasts $11 million in his campaign account, which would almost assuredly make him an intimidating opponent to any would-be challengers for the position. The current Houston mayor is Democrat Sylvester Turner, who was first elected as mayor in 2016 and will reach his term limit in January of 2024.

Another Democrat Exits The House

• Democrat State Rep. Garnet Coleman (Houston) won’t be seeking re-election to the House seat he has held since 1991. The announcement makes him the 23rd House lawmaker who has decided against returning to the Texas House, though some of those lawmakers are seeking other elected offices.

Friday Reflection: Be A Troubler 

False prophets tend to be popular; they tell us what we want to hear. Those who would expose false prophets find themselves served up as objects of derision, and as such must have the faith to persevere through withering criticism. 

Each of us must be a thorn in the side of those who serve up a false god that happens to serve their interests. We must bring them trouble.

One of my favorite examples of causing trouble for the ruling elite plays out in the Old Testament Book of 1 Kings. The people had turned from God and began worshipping Baal. This is the “god” to whom worshippers sacrificed their small children in a horrifically vain attempt to appease that which was not there.

In the 1 Kings 18, we find Elijah – the lone prophet of God at the time – derided as a “troubler” of Israel by the Baal worshippers. It was an apt title: the false prophets – the RINOs of the Old Testament – didn’t like the trouble he was making for them by preaching about the true God.

As an aside, those false prophets didn’t care about the people of Israel, they were serving themselves. By promoting the false teachings of Baal, they were promoting themselves – drawing power and wealth into their hands.

So at Mount Carmel a deal was struck. On one side would be 450 prophets of Baal, on the other was Elijah. Each would be calling on their respective god to light a fire. As one might imagine, the false prophets had no success, while the God of Elijah answered with a consuming blaze.

The false prophets were seized by a suddenly repentant people and slaughtered in the Kishon Valley. This fiery display of God’s power brought the people of Israel back to Him, at least for a while. 

And here’s the rub: false prophets only have sway with a people willing to be led astray. The same is true today.

Think of the false prophets in our culture today, and the narratives they push. Entire institutions exist to prop up the false prophets, and cancel those who would speak truth to their power.

Every crisis invented or promoted by the left - from “global warming” to the “pandemic” - has the exact same set of solutions: restrict travel, nationalize the economy, expand government, increase taxes. Whatever crisis they create, their “solutions” are always the same. And always come at the expense of liberty.

It is up to us to remain steady. We must keep our eyes fixed on God, on what is true even if unpopular. 

When others fall under the self-induced spell of a false prophet, we must speak the truth ever more loudly and boldly. Even if we must do so alone, we must be “troublers” to the unrighteous.