Good morning!

Those who make excuses for politicians are subjects, not citizens; apologists, not activists. I offer some thoughts on that at the conclusion of today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan
Friday, March 10, 2023 

More Legislation Filed to Ban Drag Shows Targeting Children

• Erotic performances in the presence of minors would be banned under legislation filed this week by State Rep. Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City). As Emily Wilkerson reports, the ban would include drag shows targeting children.
      
• Sexually oriented businesses would be prohibited from allowing a child to enter its premises or allowing an erotic performance to take place in front of a minor. Both the attorney general of Texas and local district attorneys would be authorized to bring action or injunction against a person who violates or threatens to violate the law. Businesses found in violation would be subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation. A second offense would subject the business to the revocation of applicable licenses.
      
• “In the wake of these erotic drag performances sweeping our state, I committed last year to filing legislation that would stop this disgusting practice in the presence of children,” said Slaton. “Sexualized performances where grown adults are dancing provocatively and stuffing money in their exposed underwear are no place for minors.”
     
• His proposal is not the only legislative attempt to address the issue. Similar pieces of legislation have been filed by State Reps. Nate Schatzline (R–Fort Worth), Jared Patterson (R–Frisco), and Matt Shaheen (R–Plano). Legislation has also been filed in the Senate by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R–Mineola).
     
• All of the measures would classify drag shows as sexually oriented businesses.

📺 WATCH: The Headline with Brandon Waltens

• On this week's edition of The Headline with Brandon Waltens, State Rep. Bryan Slaton gives an update from the Texas Capitol. Plus, Chris Hopper talks about the state’s latest investigation into a sexually explicit drag show for kids. 
      

• Watch it on Texas Scorecard's website or streaming video apps available on Roku and Apple TV devices. The show can also be found on YouTube and Rumble, as well as the iOS and Android mobile apps.

House Committee Considers Protections For Businesses From Vax Mandates

• After years of pandemic orders and costly preventative measures for many businesses, the Texas House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee heard testimony on potential legislation that would protect businesses from having to enforce vaccine mandates. Read Sydnie Henry's full report for more details.
       

• State Rep. Cody Vasut (R–Angleton) told the committee this week that his legislation – House Bill 609 – would protect businesses that don’t want to mandate vaccines for employees and contractors from potential lawsuits regarding disease exposure claims.
   
• “Without this bill, you would have a business owner potentially in a position of having to decide between respecting medical freedom or facing litigation for exposure claims, and I don’t believe we should have to put them in that situation,” said Vasut.
     
• “These businesses deserve to be able to thrive and grow and be free to allow their employees to make private medical decisions without government interference or for fear of frivolous lawsuits,” said Michelle Evans, legislative director at Texans for Vaccine Choice.

Coach Arrested for ‘Inappropriate Contact’ With a Student

• A 41-year-old special ed teacher was arrested this week. He had been “observed having inappropriate contact with a female student while on campus” at New Braunfels High School. Erin Anderson has the details.
      
• Bryant Shephard had worked at the school since 2017 as a special education math teacher, an “inclusion” teacher, and an assistant girls’ soccer coach.
     
• The New Braunfels Independent School District reported the incident to police on March 1 and Shephard was removed from his position the next day. A warrant was issued for Shephard's arrest, which was made by the U.S. Marshal’s Lone Star Fugitive Task Force earlier this week in San Antonio.
     
• Just another isolated incident...

Parents Advocate for Education Reforms

• With the clock ticking on Texas’ 140-day legislative session, a statewide alliance of public education advocates is working with parents and lawmakers to promote family-focused reforms to the state’s troubled school system. Erin Anderson explains what the organization, Texas Education 911, is seeking to achieve.
       

• Their priorities fall into four categories: (1) putting parents and families first, (2) protecting Texas children, (3) providing effective enforcement, and (4) getting back to the basics of academic education.
      

• “Our schools are absolutely falling apart,” said one of the coordinators, Melissa Beckett. “There’s no law and order. Our children are not safe physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally.”

     
• One hot-button issue that’s not on the group’s radar is school choice. Beckett said some allies support various school choice policies while others oppose them, but whatever happens with that issue, Texas public schools need help.

Frisco ISD Drops Investigation Into Conservative Trustee

• A conservative trustee in the Frisco Independent School District was accused of harassing a "trans" student. An investigation was dropped due to a lack of evidence, and now Trustee Marvin Lowe says the whole matter was concocted to silence him. Soli Rice has the story.
      
• It began last year, when a "trans" student from Brownsville ISD spoke at a panel of the Texas Association of School Boards on transgenderism. 
     
• The student was upset that Lowe expressed a differing opinion on transgender issues, and filed a complaint against him. After the Dallas Morning News ran a one-sided attack on Lowe, liberals on the Frisco ISD board tried to run with it by launching an investigation.
      
• Lowe maintained the student's complaint against him was completely false.
     
• At an open meeting of the FISD board this week, the matter was dropped as parents turned out in support of Lowe. He told his fellow ISD trustees, "The bottom line is that you all have developed a really, really low standard for investigations now. A really low standard."
   

• Lowe told Texas Scorecard that he tends to say things that are very controversial but that he stands behind what he says. However, when it comes to false allegations, Lowe said, “I can’t defend myself against stuff I didn’t say.”

Congratulations!

• Please join me in offering joyful prayers and best wishes to Texas Scorecard’s Katy Drollinger and Luke Marshall, who are getting married this evening.

Friday Reflection: Making Excuses

When starstruck teenagers pine over the latest Hollywood manufactured heartthrob, excusing their bad behaviors and looking for the barest of redemptive qualities, we laugh in the knowledge that such behavior will pass. Yet when it is an adult whose infatuation isn’t with a singer or actor, but a politician, the look is a little less winsome.

No matter what they say, politicians want us to make politics intensely personal. They want us to think that they think of us all the time; they want us to feel a special bond with their family; they want us to feel like we’re in a relationship with them.

Not unlike the talented crooner who convinces every pre-teen girl who buys his latest song that it was, secretly, written for her.

This is done so we will not only excuse their bad behavior, but will actively defend the indefensible.

Our relationship with politicians should be anything but personal. While we should feel personal disgust at the state of our republic, and sense a deeply personal urge to pursue good public policy, that is not the same as being sycophantic cheerleaders – or obedient serfs – for the politicians who temporarily hold positions of power.

All too often, I find people who – while professing deep concern for an issue or cause – will nonetheless bend over backwards to defend politicians who have done nothing more than pay them the barest lip service.

Here’s my rule of thumb: If someone is making excuses for politicians, they are a subject and not a citizen; an apologist, not an activist.

I understand the urge to “maintain a relationship” with a politician. There is something to be said for being friendly with the hired help. But there is a big difference between not wanting the sorry excuse for a waiter spitting in your food, and demanding that your fellow patrons all tip him extravagantly as you walk out the door.

As citizens, we must stop tolerating politicians who tickle our ears but refuse to fight for the values and principles we hold dear. Rather than make excuses for them, we should denounce them as frauds and find someone better.

In our constitutional republic, the citizens – not the politicians – rule supreme. We must not fawn over them like love-sick teenagers, but rather demand they perform to our expectations as our servants.