Although after following many of the Republican Party of Texas State Executive Committee members over the past couple of weeks on social media and knowing what the outcome of last night’s vote regarding the upcoming convention would be, I still watched much of the “emergency meeting” to listen to the debate. It was as predictable as it was sad to watch a once great political body descend into the dark abyss of conspiracy, chest thumping about patriotism, and making a mockery of public health and freedom.
As reported by SREC member Mark Ramsey:
This comes at a time when Harris County is the epicenter of the second wave of Covid-19 infections and on the same day that Republican Governor of Texas Greg Abbott issued an executive order requiring face masks to be worn in public. Notice that Mark says masks are not going to be required by the party.
Want to know why Republicans will soon be extinct in Texas? This is example 1,503 with many more to come I’m certain. My favorite comment from the viewers was this one:
Heh. Diluted acid showers to kill the virus. Now that was funny.
What isn’t funny is the destruction of the Republican Party of Texas as it continues to be taken over by libertarians and populists. Gone are the Ed Emmett’s and Joe Straus’ of the world, replaced by AR15 wearing “patriots”. Gone are the days of small government or fiscal responsibility. Gone are the days of “the best government is the smallest government closest to the people”. Three decades of solid gains wiped out.
Jonathan Tilove has more over at the Statesman, pointing out this statement by SREC member Leslie Thomas:
It’s interesting how people use the Bible to justify whatever it is they want to do. I would submit that “putting on the armor of God” wasn’t written so that people could ignore science, common sense or a virus. But that might just be me.
It even happens here on BJP. As you know, I don’t censor writers, I let them write what they wish. And I’m not going to change that. Their words, their responsibility. I’m hopeful that sanity prevails among the readers when one of our writers says that the governor and county judge need to grow up and act like adults while said writer goes around in public wearing a cow head mask to mock health care professionals and elected officials that are doing their best to protect both the health of the public and the economy. But who knows?
The more disconcerting thing to me about Greg’s post with the cow head was his use of rhetorical terms to inflame racism, in my opinion. He continually used the phrase “Floyd riots” to claim causation for the increase in COVID-19 cases in Harris County. Fact is there were no “riots”. There were a few very isolated issues with property destruction but to say those were “riots” does’t pass the “smell test”. But it certainly inflames the passions of those that are afraid of black folk having an equal opportunity to take to the streets and protest. Also, correlation does not equal causation. There are any number of correlations for the increased hospitalizations – Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, full moon, high tide, pollen count, etc. So please use common sense when reading anything, including this post.
FWIW, I think that County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia have done a very good job in this very difficult situation. Judge Hidalgo issued mask orders only to have them shot down by the governor. Now that the virus is out of control in Texas, Republican Gov. Abbott has finally issued his own order, although in typical Abbott fashion, it is more of a riddle than an executive order.
Every person in Texas shall wear a face covering over the nose and mouth when inside a commercial entity or other building or space open to the public, or when in an outdoor public space, wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household;
Care to explain what that means, exactly?
I’ll leave you with this. Many of the commenters on last night’s meeting encouraged having the in-person convention in Houston so that attendees could gather at the largest Planned Parenthood crematorium in the world and protest or pray in front of the building.
Think about the irony of that. The “pro-life” Republican Party of Texas is literally supporting bringing death to the residents of Harris County so that they can protest the death of unborn children.
There’s nothing racist about my calling what happened the Floyd riots. Asthon Woods was videoed starting a street fight. Several hundred people were arrested totaling over 10% of the estimated participation (though Woods was not.)
There was the video that occurred, mislabeled in front of Texas Children’s Hospital, where vehicles were damaged, items thrown at sky bridges, and someone videoing was attacked.
What occurred was not peaceable assembly. Just because it was not the same intensity of chaos as Minnesota or Atlanta doesn’t mean it was peaceful.
Regarding causation the data aligns closest with the two separate mass gatherings related to Floyd’s murder. Did other activities possibly contribute? Maybe. But Memorial Day was May 25, a week before. You don’t see the uptick in ICU utilization like you do after the Floyd events.
Nothing racist invioved with the assessment.
I need to correct my math. It was just over 1% not 10% arrested.
There’s nothing like self-destruction. Trump has also been very good at that.
Pro-life is no longer an issue. The vast majority of Americans have come to accept the pro-choice position, but the Texas Republicans keep swimming against the tide.
As for the masks, all the jerks that are defying recommendations or orders to wear face masks for whatever reason are spreading the infection to those most at risk for dying from COVID-19.
Thanks David. Spot on.
Hmmmm. . . . .
A few observations:
1. Howie, you could not be more wrong. Pro-life is still a huge issue for millions of Americans, like me, who believe that abortion is murder of the most heinous kind, i.e. killing a baby. Moreover, being pro-life is a moral position, which doesn’t change simply because it’s not popular at the moment.
2. The Republican party in general has often found itself with all of the backbone of a jellyfish. It’s interesting that they have chosen this particular hill on which to take a stand, but I suppose I should be heartened that they are actually taking a stand at all.
3. The Republican governor of Texas has issued an order (which appears to be legal) requiring every person in a public space to wear a mask. Is the party now suggesting that it is supporting widespread lawbreaking?
4. You can call them Riots, peaceful assemblies, protests, or whatever name makes you happy. The fact is that there were several events in Houston where tens of thousands of people were in very close proximity, and the vast majority were unmasked. We are now being told that those assemblies had no effect on the spread of Covid-19. So, if Covid-19 is somehow excluded from large public political gatherings, why would the Republican convention not be safe? Alternatively, would you then be willing to state that the Protesters of a month ago were “literally supporting bringing death to the residents of Harris County so that they can protest the death of George Floyd”?
5. Howie: What a fine thing to see that you continue to be so consistent. Literally the first sentence that you post in response to a piece that doesn’t mention Donald Trump one single time, is a negative comment about Trump. Tell me, is he paying you rent for all that space he’s taking up in your head?
6. David – Lorensmith is agreeing with you. That means you’re probably wrong and should re-assess you position. Not that I expect you to.
7. There are a lot of people that are ignoring science, especially in regards to Covid-19. Many of them are politicians (on both sides of the aisle), some are actual scientists who perceive that they might benefit from supporting one position or another. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that Science is hard, and often quite nuanced. It’s also enhanced by the fact that in this situation much of what we think we know is in fact based on statistical data, much of which is suspect. And as we all know, there are liars, damned liars, and Statisticians. Regardless of your position in this situation, give me a few minutes and I can find (or manipulate) some statistics to disprove it.
8. Although it pains me to say it, Art Acevedo has done pretty well through all of this. Ditto for Mayor Turner. Although Adrian Garcia hasn’t been in the public eye very much, I understand that he has done solid work. Lina Hidalgo continues to make me wish that Ed Emmett were still around. I know she tries, but she couldn’t lead a pack of Cub Scouts to an Ice Cream Truck. She consistently looks lost, and out of her element.
Howie’s definition of “vast majority of Americans” and mine are vastly different. Gallup does a poll every May to gauge where Americans stand on whether they consider themselves pro-choice or pro-life. The country as a whole has been evenly divided (give or take a few % points) on this issue over the past decade.
2020: 48% Pro-Choice, 46% Pro-Life
2019: 46% Pro-Choice, 49% Pro-Life
2018: 48% Pro-Choice, 48% Pro-Life
2017: 49% Pro-Choice, 46% Pro-Life
2016: 47% Pro-Choice, 46% Pro-Life
2015: 50% Pro-Choice, 44% Pro-Life
2014: 47% Pro-Choice, 46% Pro-Life
2013: 45% Pro-Choice, 48% Pro-Life
2012: 48% Pro-Choice, 44% Pro-Life (Dec)
2012: 41% Pro-Choice, 50% Pro-Life (May)
2011: 47% Pro-Choice, 47% Pro-Life (Jul)
2011: 46% Pro-Choice, 48% Pro-Life (June)
2011: 49% Pro-Choice, 45% Pro-Life (May)
2010: 45% Pro-Choice, 47% Pro-Life
https://news.gallup.com/poll/1576/abortion.aspx
I think it’s amusing/pathetic/not surprising that the people who are outraged at the government having the audacity to infringe on their personal right NOT to wear a facial covering are those who are most committed to telling women what they can and cannot do with their bodies. Spreading death and grief among your fellow Muricans is just an unfortunate by-product of your patriotism and liberty, apparently.
Jslamen,
I oppose the mandatory masks by government diktat (I’m OK with private businesses mandating it for their own property, however) AND I support abortion, because most of the murdered kids would otherwise have been born to liberal parents. It’s better they were never born and don’t have to suffer the neglect, abuse, and brainwashing leftist parent(s) are known for. They also don’t grow up to vote for leftists, so there’s that, too. Look at the crime and rioting in leftist controlled areas; Without easy access to abortions, the crime rate in those areas would be even higher as the unwanted, un-cared for kids grow up and turn into ‘super predators.’
It’s really ironic. You would think that leftists would be the ones opposing abortion because it mainly kills their own voters.
You think only “liberals” and “leftists” have abortions? Hahahahahaha!!! Good one!
I think the vast majority of the abortions are done by liberal women, yes. It’s a numbers game……you lose more through attrition than conservatives do, especially if we remove life of the mother, severe abnormalities, and products of rape.
EDITORS NOTE: Portion deleted. We do not attack people like that. Thank you.
One of the things that has always interested/amused me is the silent message that women who support abortion send. Ever since the early 70’s Men have been told that women are just as strong, just as competent, just as intelligent as men, and they deserve to be treated as such.
But, when it comes to abortions all we hear is that women must have the right to kill another human. So, jslamen, here’s the question: Why is it that you contend that, here in the 21st century, with the myriad of different conception preventative drugs and devices that are available, women are so damned stupid and personally incompetent that they have to resort to abortions?
Frankly, the last thing I want to do is to tell you what you can or can’t do with your body. Your body, your choice. But honestly, if you can’t figure out how to do what you want without getting pregnant, and then wanting to kill another human because they’ve become inconvenient, I suspect that you actually DO need some adult supervision.
Or to put things another way, I think it’s amusing/pathetic/not surprising that the people who are outraged at the government having the audacity to tell them NOT to kill a baby are those who are most committed to telling people that it’s perfectly acceptable to infringe on their personal right NOT to wear a facial covering
Mr. Albert, there you go again with your apples and oranges. 92% of all abortions are within the first 6 weeks of conception, by means of a pill. Neither you nor I know the circumstances of those conceptions but those abortions are the swift, responsible decisions of women based on calculations only they are capable of making. Abortions are most assuredly a personal choice based on the consequences a pregnancy would have on one woman’s life.
Wearing a mask, on the other hand, is an acknowledgement of the public health threat that has killed over 120,000 of our fellow citizens thus far. It is a minor personal inconvenience that acknowledges to our fellow citizens our commitment to ensuring that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness remain available to all of our fellow Americans. Withholding that small personal sacrifice to endanger our country is the action of selfish, cruel ideologues.
The virus can’t hear your political arguments, watch your preferred media or be affected by anti-science nonsense: it just relentlessly pursues more opportunities to infect more bodies. Without a vaccine to safely give us antibodies, our best strategy is to mask up and practice social distancing. Try to be a patriot. God bless America on this Independence Day.
Interesting statistic! Would you like to supply a source? Because, frankly it sounds somewhat made up. According to the CDC there were 216,000 abortion procedures performed in the US in 2016. Thus, using you numbers that means that 2.7 million women used an abortion pill. Really?
If so, it’s a stunning admission of the health threat that will kill over how and a half MILLION of our fellow citizens this year. It is a convenience that acknowledges your total disregard for another humans life, much less their liberty. Those babies can’t hear your political arguments, watch your preferred media or be affected by your anti-science justifications. They simply wait and hope that they are not victims of Planned Parenthood and the Left’s endless aversion to personal responsibility.
Don’t deflect, Mr. Albert…When you vocally advocate for the state’s mask order and acknowledge it’s even less a restriction of your bodily autonomy than Texas’ relentless efforts to deny reproductive choice to 51% of the population — then and only then will I do your statistical research for you.
I used to try to construct equivalent examples of government overreach on women’s bodies to those arrogant males who thought they had a right to an opinion, much less legislative authority. Forced vasectomies? Mandated kidney donation? Restricted access to Viagra? Little did I realize all it would take for them to become whining snowflakes, obnoxious science-deniers and faux patriots is to require them to wear a small piece of fabric on their face during a global pandemic. Who knew?
Albert: Just a thought on your statement about availability of contraceptives. “Conservatives” are the leaders in trying to defund that portion of Planned Parenthood which provides non-abortion services for women, including contraceptives. And, it’s “Conservatives” who pressed the courts to allow huge loopholes in the requirement that employer sponsored contraceptives. Lots of women can’t afford $100 per month or more for contraceptive pills or other contraceptives. That doesn’t make them “damn stupid and personally incompetent.” Other women become pregnant when they have an unexpected, unprotected sexual encounter.
You will note I place “Conservative” in quotes. That’s because I am an unreconstructed Goldwater conservative and he favored womens’ right to control their own bodies.
Tom,
Contraceptives of all kinds (not just “the pill”) are available from a huge number of different sources at a variety of different price points. As the nations leading provider of abortions Planned Parenthood should be able to stand on it’s own without resorting to begging for money from the Federal Government – as a tax payer, I protest most vigorously at having my tax dollars used to fund the murder of innocent babies.
As a person who has at times been an employers, I can tell you that my attitude is “the healthcare I offer is part of your compensation. If you don’t like the compensation I’m offering, you are free to take a different job.” If you believe that the Government should have the right to dictate individual terms of employment for businesses across the US, then you are no conservative – Goldwater or otherwise.
Finally, the cost of birth control pills according to reputable sources is between $0.00 and $50.00 per month, with the average being $14.00.
Planned Parenthood’s abortion services always have been separately funded from their women’s health services. No government money has ever been used to pay for abortions. In fact, that would be a violation of the Hyde Amendment. Planned Parenthood has been providing non-abortion, non-contraception medical care for women for years. And they’ve saved lots of lives.
Whether you agree with abortion or oppose it, I don’t see how you can oppose things like programs allowing indigent women to be tested for cervical cancer with annual pap smears.
As for governments interference with employee-employer relationships, it’s been done in the US for decades. Fire someone for making a worker’s compensation claim or refuse someone time off to vote and see what happens next. Blow off OSHA worker’s safety regulations and if someone gets hurt, OSHA might come after you. And, if you don’t pay the minimum wage or refuse to pay overtime for more than 40 hours per week, what happens next will make your eyes water.
What you seem to favor is a return to the Lochner era, where the Supreme Court regularly struck down laws doing things like forbidding child labor because it interfered with employers’ right to contract. The Court abandoned that doctrine about 80 years ago and no one on the Supreme Court wants to go back to that.
Tom, Tom, Tom,
Please don’t try that old “we keep the money separate” line. It’s a ridiculous argument that only works on people who don’t actually think. Money is fungible. Giving the money to do one thing simply frees up other funds to do something else. I certainly don’t oppose health care programs for indigents (either male or female), but I oppose giving Planned Parenthood more than a half Billion dollars a year given that, by their own admission, the primary service they provide is abortions.
Equating child labor laws with requiring employers to provide specific health care services is a stretch, even for a liberal. But you might keep in mind that in the instance that you cited, the employer did not decline to provide insurance, they merely stated that they wouldn’t provide insurance that covered a very few specific contraceptives. Only in the small mind of a liberal is that a “huge loophole”.
Aww. . . . jslamen, did I step on your toes???
I have no problem with the Governor’s mask order. When I go out (rarely) I wear a mask. I think it’s a good idea to wear a mask right now. It is indeed not much of a restriction and, frankly I’m not sure why people are putting up such a stink.
As far as reproductive rights. . . . I have absolutely no desire to control your rights to reproduce or not as you so choose. I DO however take issue with killing a baby because you find it inconvenient. This isn’t a gender thing. I don’t have to be black to know that that they did to George Floyd was wrong. I don’t have to be a child to know that child abuse is wrong. Killing a baby is wrong. Period. I’m very sorry that you have a problem with the way that Nature plumbed you, but you’re just gonna have to live with it. What a shame that hundreds of thousands of small women won’t even see the light of day because they never make it out of their mother’s womb.
Please don’t bother doing my statistical research – If what you’ve quoted so far is an example, you’re not very good at it.
Emmett and Strauss? David what did you think of Paul Ryan’s run? With Republicans like these guys who needs democrats?
Also, the ‘news’ re wuflu is bs. Not my fault our media is a DNC operative not worthy of believing.
Just as the Dems have taken a hard left to Marxism, R’s have also been been co-opted by tea party, America loving, America First populists. When the Tea Party was first a thing, the establishment Republicans were able to quickly co-opt and pacify those folks….effectively neutering them. Then Trump came along and inspired them to not sit in the back of the bus again. The establishment R’s, the Chamber of Commerce, pro illegal alien folks, have had to either evolve and support Trump the populist and his rock solid base, or just expose themselves as the uniparty weasels they actually are. The ‘Lincoln Project,’ the Bushes, Romneys, McCains……this is why they support Biden against their supposed own party’s leader.
Trump is all the things they are not; he’s a fighter, he’s unashamedly pro-America, and they hate that. The current insurrection by the left perfectly exemplifies this. After 4 years of unrelenting attacks on Trump, we are now at the race war/open Marxist destroy America’s cultural institutions, it’s culture, and it’s way of life part of the program, and lookie who is meekly accepting all of that. Shameful.
Trump and a few allies in Congress are all that is standing against rioters destroying our culture and heritage. Trump’s speech, his program at Mt. Rushmore was inspirational. It is his…..no….it’s OUR line in the sand.
So, as the globalist Bush told us, “You’re either with us, or with the terrorists.” Today’s terrorists are the domestic terrorists who are tearing up our country. David and Howie need to have gut check time. Is that what they really want for America? Do they want to be forced to pledge fealty to the leftist mob, or will they stand firm, and stand with Trump, who, at the moment, is really all that is keeping the Marxists at bay?
This shouldn’t be a hard choice.