Good morning,

Okay, okay… I get it: Texas Minute readers want a lot more choices than just “turkey” or “ham” when it comes to their Christmas meal main course!

More on that at the conclusion of today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Wednesday, December 22, 2021
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EXPOSED: “Are You Okay with This?” 

• While the criminal accusations and public outcry stirred around the Round Rock school board and superintendent, the administrators were quietly allowing a potentially dangerous environment inside the schools. Today, Texas Scorecard releases the fourth installment in the first season of our EXPOSED series. 
       

• This sensitive episode covers the eyewitness stories of the “free-for-all” locker room rule at district schools—where boys are allowed in girls’ private rooms. 
      

• You can find EXPOSED on our website and everywhere you listen to podcasts including:

  Apple Podcasts 
  Spotify 
  Google Podcasts 
  Amazon/Audible 
  iHeartRadio

Williamson County Punts On Porn

• Last week, Williamson County commissioners voted to distribute extra federal taxpayer coronavirus relief money to school districts throughout the county—except Round Rock and Leander Independent School Districts. The commissioners explained they were withholding the funds because of sexually explicit books found in school libraries and racist ideologies plaguing their curriculum..
     
• Since then, reports Jacob Asmussen, commissioners say they have met with officials in both districts and voted this week to make the COVID funds available. 
   
• In order to receive $5 million of federal taxpayer money, Round Rock ISD officials must follow their policies regarding book reviews and parental complaints. For Leander ISD, with $3.7 million on the line, officials must conduct a review of 11 questionable books – including Lolita, a 1950s-era book about a 37-year-old man’s obsession and inappropriate relations with a 12-year-old girl.
     
• “I want to give this needed money to the schools who have legitimate COVID-related expense needs,” said Williamson County Commissioner Cynthia Long. “My very simple ask of LISD is to give clarity to the community and finish the book review process. I’m not dictating what the outcome of that process should be.”
   
• It remains to be seen if the commissioners’ “stipulations” will actually result in any changes inside the Round Rock or Leander schools.

Paper Ballots In Potter

• Despite pushback from county bureaucrats, Amarillo Republicans will cast their votes using hand-marked, hand-counted ballots in the 2022 primary.
     
• Potter County Republican Party chairman Dan Rogers said the decision was made by the local party’s executive committee after expressing concerns about election integrity involving the Hart InterCivic Verity machines currently used in the county.
      
• “There [are] a lot of concerns that voters have whether or not their votes [are] being properly counted with the electronic machines that are being used,” Rogers told KVII-TV in Amarillo.

Challenging King

• Pampa businessman Ted Hutto has filed to challenge State Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) in next year’s Republican primary for Texas House District 88.
   
• Thomas Warren reports Hutto will be King’s first primary challenger in four years after King narrowly avoided a runoff in a competitive primary race that featured two opponents in 2018.
   
• Hutto currently serves on the Pampa Economic Development Corporation board of directors. King has consistently been ranked among the least conservative Republicans in the Texas House in ratings released by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and other conservative organizations.

Joe Biden And The ‘Winter Of Illness And Death’

• From the desk of the President…

‘Twas the night of the ‘winter of illness and death’
My voters were too scared to take even a breath.
Wherever you went, all through the land,
Blue State creatures were masked, as was my command.

• Read more​…

Quote-Unquote

“Bad ideas don’t die of their own accord; they have to be killed by better ones.”

– H.L. Richardson

Y’All Answered

Yesterday’s One Click Survey asked if the main course for the Christmas meal should be turkey or ham. In our house, I’d stick with turkey while my lovely bride prefers we mix it up each year. From the flood of comments, it looks like y’all (correctly) side with her!

Of the choices, readers favored ham by a 55.4% to 45.6% margin…

• “We usually split the holiday season doing traditional at either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Then the other is steak, prime rib or fajitas. It’s all good when you get to share it with family and friends.” – Steve Abernathy
     
• “We are serving gumbo, one of our favorite meals!” – Beverly Uhlmer Roberts
       
• “Couldn't answer the One Click Survey. We're smokin' a pork butt.” – Greg Milner
     
• “Standing rib roast and yorkshire pudding. What kind of monsters are you people? 😉” – Katie Long
   
• “You should have had a Both option.” – Ronald Thompson
       
• “I answered ‘ham.’ But, in reality, since Thanksgiving has just passed, the Christmas meal should be enchiladas!” – O. Machelle Morris
      
• “I voted for ham, but I’ll be cooking a prime rib roast again this year for our Christmas meal.” – Richard Steenson
      
• “Voted for Turkey only because it starts with ‘T,’ like Texas and tamales, which is what we will be eating.” – John Bolgiano
     
• “Actually, I prefer roast beef for Christmas.  It could be a Standing Rib Roast or Beef Tenderloin.  We just enjoyed both Turkey and Ham for Thanksgiving.” – Helen Herd
      
• “Neither! Turkey is for sandwiches and ham is for Easter. We normally have prime rib roast but Bidenflation has pushed us to the budget-friendly but still special occasion-worthy homemade ravioli instead.” – Elissa Harrell
      
• “Although I clicked ham, we usually do tamales, a taco & nacho bar. We have both ham & turkey on Thanksgiving & like to do something different at Christmas.” – Mary Philio
       
• “I chose turkey on the survey. But this IS Texas. Our Christmas dinner this year is TexMex. Hand made tamales with all the Mexican food sides and trimmings.” – Jennifer Herr
   
• “I picked turkey, but with these rising food prices, whatever is the cheapest!  Or, if Whataburger is open, let's just go there.” – Sharon Loveall

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