Good morning –

Where is all that global warming they’ve been promising us!? I’m ready for summer; how about you?

Here is the Texas Minute for Thursday, February 24, 2022. This is the 186th anniversary of William Travis’ letter from the Alamo – which you’ll find copied below.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

GOP Gov Candidates on ‘Tenure’

• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made headlines last week by saying the promotion of “critical race theory” should be cause for terminating professors at Texas’ state-funded colleges and universities – and went further by calling for the end of “tenure,” the system that protects faculty from accountability.
      
• Sydnie Henry reports on the responses to the proposal from Gov. Greg Abbott and his main GOP rivals, Don Huffines, Chad Prather, and Allen West.
      
• “That’s something that will have to be looked at. I’ve heard about the concept being raised. It’s something that I haven’t seen any details about, and so we all need to take a look at it.” – Greg Abbott
       
• “Critical race theory is a poisonous, Marxist ideology intended to divide Texans. It has no place in Texas, but under Greg Abbott’s watch, it is being taught and celebrated at our state universities. This must be stopped immediately. When I am governor of Texas, I will never allow taxpayer dollars to be used to advance leftist indoctrination at any school, agency, or university. Any public employee promoting this evil ideology will be fired.” – Don Huffines
      
• “We must discontinue the practice of tolerating ideologies that are turned into policies on all levels, but especially those that will affect the next generation. CRT has no place in free society, much less Texas. Professors that push these ideologies must be penalized. The classroom is supposed to teach facts and skills; it’s not supposed to be used as an ideological pulpit. We must hold these professors accountable. Well, Dan, it’s not like we haven’t been saying this for a long time. Welcome to the party. Interesting that you want to get involved NOW.” – Chad Prather
      
• “As governor of Texas, I will ensure that Texas taxpayer dollars do not go to any educational institution that promotes the advancement of cultural Marxism. If there are professors who want the academic freedom to teach Marxist principles and theories, they can do so on their own dime. But the citizens of TX will not fund the ideological undermining of the state of Texas and the USA. Taxpayer-funded tenure will be reserved for those who wish to educate our children, not indoctrinate them. Our universities will no longer be propaganda mills for progressive socialism.” – Allen West

Election Fraud Decision Leads Court Race

• A decision by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals taking the power to prosecute election fraud out of the state attorney general’s hands has now become a major issue in the Republican primary election for one of the court’s seats.
     
• As Brandon Waltens reports, the Court of Criminal Appeals – Texas’ highest court on criminal matters – ruled in an 8-1 decision that a state law granting the attorney general the power to unilaterally prosecute election cases is unconstitutional. Attorney General Ken Paxton vocally disagreed with the ruling, and since then a majority of the Texas Senate’s GOP caucus – under the leadership of Houston Republican Sen. Paul Bettencourt – has called on the court to reconsider their decision.
      
• Of the nine justices (all Republicans), three are up for election but only one – Scott Walker – has a contested primary. Walker voted with the majority to leave election fraud prosecution up to local district attorneys. His opponent, Clint Morgan, says the issue has brought momentum to his campaign. (Scott Walker did not respond to a request for comment on the issue.)
        
• “A lot of Republicans tell me they’re upset about the opinion, and with Judge Walker for joining it,” Morgan told Texas Scorecard. “The result makes it harder to prosecute election fraud.”
   
• “Most people don’t know anything about the Court of Criminal Appeals and their tremendously impactful decision taking away prosecutorial ability from the from the Attorney General’s Office statewide,” said Sen. Bettencourt in an interview with Texas Scorecard. “Therefore, I felt like it’s important—not only to lead on an amicus brief and to try to get him to reconsider their decision—but in Clint Morgan’s case, also lead on trying to get a good conservative judge elected to that body.”

Government-Funded Conservative Think Tank?

• In the latest episode of Liberty Cafe, Bill Peacock explores just how effective a “conservative” think tank housed in a leftist, tax-funded university could actually be. 
   
• By way of background, Lt. Gov. Patrick has been trying to get a conservative, “free-market” think tank established at the CRT-promoting University of Texas in Austin. 

Abbott Refuses To Sign Pro-Family Pledge

• As Gov. Greg Abbott refuses to act on several GOP priority child protection laws, Texas’ pro-family organization continues to pressure him and other top state lawmakers to sign the “Big Family Pledge.” Jacob Asmussen has the story.
      
• So far, 37 candidates in races across Texas have signed the pledge created by the American Principles Project – including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, various state representatives and members of Congress, and three of Gov. Abbott’s Republican challengers (Allen West, Don Huffines, and Chad Prather).
        
• “For too long, political leaders have been allowed to campaign on being ‘pro-family’ without making any specific promises to parents,” said APP President Terry Schilling. “That time is over.”

The Southern Border Invasion

• Texas’ southern border has become a key issue in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Katy Drollinger recounts what the Republicans candidates have said about the issue in conversations with Texas Scorecard.

Elections Have Consequences…

• Two years ago, during the administration of the Bad Orange Man Who Tweeted Mean Things, eastern Europe wasn’t being threatened by Russia and the world wasn’t risking Cold War II or World War III. 
      

• Thanks, Joe Biden.

… At All Levels

• Amarillo voters will decide this May on the fate of a $286 million bond debt package put forward by Amarillo Independent School District. Thomas Warren reports this is the largest debt proposal is Amarillo ISD history.

Austin ‘Postpones’ Sex-Ed Camp

• Austin city officials have put off their plan to lure local teenagers to their “sex-ed camp” at taxpayer-funded libraries. Jacob Asmussen follows up on the story Texas Scorecard reported earlier this week.
        
• The Austin Public Library originally posted an announcement offering “teens 13-18 only” $100 to attend their sex course during spring break. But after public backlash this week, officials eventually deleted all of the social media posts and removed the “LGBTQIA+ friendly course”  from the library’s website calendar.

Today in History 

On February 24, 1836, William Travis penned his famous letter from the Alamo:

To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World-

Fellow Citizens & compatriots-

I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna - I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man - The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken - I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls - I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch - The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country - Victory or Death.

Your Federal & State Lawmakers

The districts displayed here should reflect those recently redrawn by the Legislature. Though the new lines do not take representational effect until 2023, they will appear on the 2022 ballot. Please note that your incumbent legislator and/or district numbers may have changed.