Category Archives: Second Amendment

The claim that the Justices opinions are politically neutral is becoming increasingly hard to accept, especially from Thomas, whose wife, Virginia (Ginni) Thomas, is a vocal right-wing activist. The New Yorker

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Please join me this Friday for a festive celebration and fundraiser. Its going to be a fun, low-key time. Also, my husband is on the Supreme Court.

In keeping with my ongoing philanthropic efforts, Ive pledged to make my birthday event all about giving back, and your generous donations are highly encouraged. Obviously, I cant promise you anything in return for participating other than the pure feeling of contributing to a worthy cause. Also, my husband does sit on the highest court in the United States.

It is my birthday, but no need to bring a giftjust yourself and your checkbook. (A $5,000 minimum donation is required to attend the party.) Contributions are tax deductible and, to keep things simple, checks can be made payable directly to me. My last name is spelled the same way as one of the justices on the Supreme Court.

The fundraiser benefits the BWF Foundation (Babies With Firearms), an incredible organization that makes sure that babies can easily register for guns at the hospitals theyre born at. We all know that life begins at conception, and gun ownership should begin at birth. (Side note: Christian babies only.)

If over $500,000 is raised, your name will also be etched on a commemorative plaque that will be installed on a bollard near the Supreme Court building as a reminder of your vital First and Second Amendment rights. And so that my husband can see it as he goes to work and can remember what a good time he had at this party.

The evening will include some light music, no dancing, and spirited conversation about what used to, and will again soon, make America so great. Have you thought about fireworks recently? How great are they? If you pledge at least $10,000 right now, Ill let you onto the lawn to watch a red, white, and blue firework displaywhich my husband will also be watching. Hell be the one in the robe.

Im already looking forward to your attendance so we can support a great cause and talk about important topics facing this country, like how January 6th was just a fun lawn party/indoor parade that the media blew totally out of proportion. What, we cant have indoor parades now? Also, did you know there are only nine Supreme Court justices, and my husband is one of them?

Well round out the evening with a patriotic toast from yours truly, reminding you how much freedom your money is helping to buyand that Im available for very private paid speaking engagements. If youre ready to commit $25,000 right now, Ill make sure you, or a think tank of your choosing, are mentioned by name (depending on your tax situation). My husband loves to hear me give toasts, and also, the Supreme Court is a lifetime appointment, and hell be there for the foreseeable future.

Hoping you (or your corporations chief philanthropy officer) will be able to attend. There will be a lot of governors there (but only from the good states). Looking forward to seeing you and your money soon!

Link:
You're Invited to My Birthday FundraiserAlso, My Husband Is on the Supreme Court - McSweeney's Internet Tendency

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Texas lawmakers passed legislation last year that allowed the permitless carry of handguns, imposed a near-total ban on abortion and cracked down on the alleged teaching of critical race theory in public schools twice.

Now as Republican members of the Texas House return to the voters in the first primary election since what many of them deemed the most conservative legislative session ever, some are facing challenges from candidates who say they didnt push far enough to the right and ended the year with unfinished business.

If elected, those challengers, as well as some open-seat candidates, could push the state even further to the right seeking even more restrictive abortion laws, for example and end the Houses tradition of bipartisan committee chairs.

The primaries pose the first major electoral test for House Speaker Dade Phelan, who took over the gavel more than a year ago and steered House Republicans through four contentious sessions.

Combined with new district boundaries brought about through redistricting which made some districts even redder it has all made for a fluid, uncertain environment for incumbents and open-seat candidates.

The reelection bid of Rep. Kyle Kacal of College Station exemplifies the dynamic. His district has been significantly redrawn; it now encompasses part of Bryan and the outskirts of College Station and then stretches into rural areas to the north, east and south.

This is a new territory, Kacal said at a recent forum, acknowledging his districts significantly different boundaries. Its an incredible territory, and one thing you will get tired of is seeing me in town all the time.

Faced with challengers suggesting he is too moderate, Kacal has stuck to a common theme among incumbents in the hot seat this primary season.

We just came out of the most conservative session in the Texas Legislature, he said at the forum. I voted with it 99% of the time.

Speaking after Kacal, one of his challengers, Joshua Hamm, ripped the incumbents assessment of the session You gotta give me a break, Hamm said angrily while a second challenger, Ben Bius, piled on. Bius said Kacal is rated as the No. 1 most liberal state legislator in Texas and bashed Kacal for not fighting hard enough when House Democrats broke quorum last year over Republicans priority elections bill.

Folks, you dont negotiate with anarchists, Bius said.

The primaries are the first to happen since Phelan took over as speaker, and his campaign has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars assisting Republican members with primary opposition. While Phelan has ambitions to grow the GOP majority in November, particularly in South Texas, he first has to show he can shepherd incumbents through the political gauntlet that is the states action-packed primary season.

My team and I are carrying out one of the most robust strategies by a Texas House speaker for the 2022 primary election thats focused on supporting Republican incumbents and growing our majority in the chamber, Phelan said in a statement, calling his team's efforts this election cycle "unprecedented."

Leadership, which for years became accustomed to battling the anti-establishment Empower Texans in the primary, is confronting its modern iteration, the Defend Texas Liberty PAC. Led by former state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, the political action committee has raised $5.4 million since the start of the year, mostly from a handful of hard-right donors, and had doled out nearly as much as of Saturday. Most of the money has gone to Don Huffines, a primary challenger to Gov. Greg Abbott, but the group has also cut checks to a host of other anti-establishment causes, including House primary challengers and groups that have targeted incumbents.

Defend Texas Liberty PAC exists to further the conservative movement in Texas, Stickland said in a statement. We aid the champions who fight for our values, and expose those who work against them.

Phelans No. 1 priority is Rep. Ryan Guillen, the former South Texas Democrat who switched to the GOP in November after the GOP-led redistricting process turned Guillens district, already Republican-leaning, into a solidly red one. He faces two primary challengers.

Phelan and his allies are out to set an example that new converts to their party will be welcomed with open arms and vigorously defended.

Supporting candidates and voters when they switch parties is critical for the long-term goals of the Republican Party, and we should encourage others to follow their lead, said Aaron De Leon, vice president of the Associated Republicans of Texas. Its simple math: More voters equal more wins and greater success.

Guillen has been airing a TV ad in which a narrator says Guillen was already one of us, citing an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association and support for the near-total abortion ban that Abbott signed into law last year. Guillen has the backing of not only Phelan, but also Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and former President Donald Trump.

Guillens primary challengers are unswayed, attacking him as a phony Republican. One of them, Mike Monreal, calls himself a Republican by conviction, not by convenience and notes that Guillen opposed legislation last year to restrict the teaching of so-called critical race theory, among other GOP priorities over the years.

Phelan is also deeply invested in the primary for House District 62, where Rep. Reggie Smith of Sherman is being challenged by Shelley Luther, the salon owner who became famous for refusing to shut down her business under COVID-19 restrictions. Luther, who unsuccessfully ran for state Senate in 2020, has become one of the loudest detractors of state Republican leadership both Phelan and Abbott and her defeat would be especially satisfying to them.

Luther has become even more of a lightning rod in her current race, saying Chinese students should be banned from Texas universities and lamenting that, when she was a teacher, her students could not laugh at transgender classmates.

With Phelans financial aid, Smith has been on TV in the race since December, and he has used airtime to tell voters Luther is all talk, saying in one ad that she has never voted Republican ever. However, election records show Luther has voted Republican at least once before, in the 2020 primary runoff for the party. A more recent Smith ad is more precise, saying she has never voted in a March Republican primary.

Luther and her allies are hitting back by invoking two sensitive issues for House leadership: the chambers tradition of appointing committee leaders from both parties and its decision last year to lower the penalty for illegal voting in a far-reaching bill that otherwise imposed new voting restrictions on Texans. Defend Texas Liberty PAC is airing a TV ad against Smith that attacks him over both issues, saying Smith talks conservative, votes liberal.

The PAC has flooded primaries with mailers bashing incumbents for allowing Democrats to chair committees, especially in light of their quorum break last summer over the GOPs priority elections bill. The attack is rooted in an amendment to the House rules last year from Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, that proposed banning the minority party from having any chair positions. Only four other Republicans supported the amendment.

Incumbents have dealt with the attacks over committee chairs in various ways. During a forum earlier this month, Rep. Brooks Landgraf of Odessa responded to a question about the issue by telling voters to look at the results last year.

We shoved so many Republican Party principles down those Democratic chairs throats that they fled the state, Landgraf said, referencing the House Democrats move to break quorum and travel to Washington in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to block the voting bill. They choked on it. We got constitutional carry passed, the heartbeat bill passed, election integrity passed, all with those chairs. So when theyre on small committees like that, it doesnt really make a difference.

As for the decrease in the illegal voting penalty, it originated in the House and lowered the offense from a felony to a misdemeanor. Most Republicans supported the measure, and it flew under the radar until after Abbott signed the bill. Abbott ordered lawmakers to reinstate the penalty in another special session, but Phelan resisted, saying it was not the time to re-litigate the hard-fought elections bill.

As the primary nears, it is hard to find incumbents defending the penalty decrease. Landgraf, for example, wrote on Facebook last month he takes full responsibility for my vote, and I am going to fix that error when the legislature convenes next.

Across primaries, incumbent after incumbent is touting their role in the most conservative session ever while challengers seek to poke holes in the billing.

Rep. Stephanie Klicks primary has drawn considerable attention, if only because she has the most challengers: four. The Fort Worth representative chairs the House Public Health Committee, and her opponents are seizing on her failure to advance legislation to restrict what they call gender modification, or gender-affirming care for transgender kids.

One of her challengers, David Lowe, raises the issues in a radio ad that calls Klick an establishment moderate who cares more about what The Dallas Morning News wants than what Texans believe.

From historic advances in protecting the unborn, expanding Second Amendment freedoms, protecting religious liberty, working to protect girls sports, and increasing taxpayer rights Im extremely proud of my conservative record in the Texas House, Klick said in a statement for this story.

The debates regarding transgender kids also loom large in an open seat in North Texas where the four GOP candidates include Jeff Younger, who has waged a court battle over his childs transition. He has sharply blamed GOP leadership for failing to protect the child.

While some of the far-right primary challengers are long shots, they show how Republicans are not unanimous in their assessment of last years sessions.

You cant sit there with a straight face and tell me we had the most conservative legislative session ever when we got watered-down constitutional carry, Kacal challenger Joshua Hamm said at the forum. He did not say what was watered down about the permitless carry bill. You took voter fraud and took it from a felony to a misdemeanor and you got the heartbeat bill, which still isnt abolishing abortion, its just pushing it off for a couple weeks and then making it a civil [penalty] instead of criminal.

The push to totally end abortion in Texas has creeped into some other primaries. Klick and Rep. Lacey Hull have been hit with mailers from a group called Abolish Abortion Texas that bash them for failing to support a bill that would have made abortion punishable by the death penalty. The bill never got a committee hearing but became a litmus test for the far right.

Redistricting is fueling a lot of the activity, too. The decennial process gave way to dozens of open seats and added new geography to seats that lured in fresh faces.

Kacal, for example, is reckoning with the addition of Walker County, which is now the biggest slice of the district population by county. That attracted Huntsville businessperson Ben Bius, who is challenging Kacal with the support of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and one of Kacals colleagues, retiring Rep. Ben Leman of Anderson.

Redistricting also fielded a crop of primary challengers to Rep. Ernest Bailes of Shepherd. His three opponents include Janis Holt, a former member of the State Republican Executive Committee who had been running for an open seat in East Texas before redistricting. But then redistricting added her native Hardin County to Bailes district, and she reoriented her campaign.

Holt said she was excited when she saw the new district, knowing she had already worked with activists in the area on the SREC. She is running as more conservative than Bailes and said that she finds the most engaged voters are livid about the Democratic committee chairs, especially considering some were part of the quorum break.

New geography is also fueling conflict. In North Texas, the addition of Parker County to Rep. Glenn Rogers district gave rise to his lineup of three primary challengers. One of them is Mike Olcott, the co-founder of Parker Conservatives who has loaned himself $300,000.

Redistricting also led to a new, open seat that favors Republicans in Collin County, now known as District 61. Abbott, in his only open-seat endorsement so far, has backed Frederick Frazier, a veteran Dallas police officer who could be the first active cop to serve in the House. Trump, who had appointed Frazier to a law enforcement commission, endorsed him Tuesday.

This is an essential race for Texas because youre about to make history and put somebody on that House floor that has an unlimited resource on keeping our public safe, Frazier said in an interview.

Redistricting also forced some tough decisions by rising stars in the party. The new House District 19 in Central Texas ended up pitting two onetime allies, Justin Berry and Ellen Troxclair, against one another. Berry is an Austin police officer who unsuccessfully ran against Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, in 2020. He was recently indicted in Austin for allegedly using excessive force during the May 2020 racial justice protests, though he denies wrongdoing and calls the charges politically motivated. Troxclair is a former Austin City Council member who was running for state Senate earlier in 2021 before redistricting made that race untenable.

Carrie Isaac is another valued GOP recruit from 2020 who had to find her place on the new map. She settled on the new House District 73 in the Hill Country but could not avert a matchup against former New Braunfels Mayor Barron Casteel. The two are locked in a brawl over their support for veterans, centered on Isaacs management of a nonprofit that provides assistance for them.

There are more unusual circumstances in other GOP primaries for state House.

In House District 14, Rep. John Raney of College Station has drawn a challenger with a high profile locally: John Harvey Slocum, son of the former Texas A&M University football coach RC Slocum. The two are not necessarily arguing over whos the most conservative but who is best positioned to deliver for a region that is famously loyal to A&M.

I think we need leadership in Austin, Slocum said at a recent forum. Im running against an incumbent thats been there for 11 years. Theres been three speakers, and he hasnt chaired a committee.

In another primary that does not neatly split along ideological lines, Rep. Valoree Swanson of Spring is confronting three primary challengers, including the incumbent she beat in 2016, Debbie Riddle. In an interview, Riddle acknowledged they are both conservative, pro-life Republicans but said the big difference is she would provide better constituent services. She promised to open three offices across the district, which she said has a dearth of local elected officials, increasing the need for a responsive state representative.

One Riddle ad drives a more vivid contrast.

We have enough weak-kneed Republicans in Washington, a narrator says in a Riddle ad, showing Swanson wedged between two of Trumps biggest GOP critics in Congress, U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. Valoree Swanson just isnt fighting for us.

Texas A&M University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Redistricting, challenges from the right test Texas House GOP incumbents coming off most conservative session ever - The Texas Tribune

TheJustice Departmenthassued Missouriin an attempt to stop the enforcement of a measure in the state which deems some federal firearms laws invalid.

In a complaint filed Wednesday, the DOJ claimsMissouri House Bill 85is invalid under the Supremacy Clause, which prohibits state governments from passing laws that do not correspond with federal laws.

More commonly known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act, theMissouribill was signed into law last June by Republican Gov. Mike Parson and took effect last August. The bill, according toParsons officeprohibits state and local cooperation with federal officials that attempt to enforce any laws, rules, orders, or actions that violate the Second Amendment rights of Missourians.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland accused the measure of impeding law operations in the state.

This act impedes criminal law enforcement operations in Missouri, Garland said in a statement. The United States will work to ensure that our state and local law enforcement partners are not penalized for doing their jobs to keep our communities safe.

According to the DOJ complaint, the restrictions imposed by H.B. 85 have hindered cooperation and other activities that assist federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts. In addition, it claimed federal law enforcement agencies within the state report that enforcement of federal firearms laws in Missouri has grown more difficult since H.B. 85 became effective.

Bringing into question the constitutionality of the state law, the DOJ concluded that Missouri enacted H.B. 85 despite its conflict with the fundamental constitutional principles of supremacy of federal law, preemption, and intergovernmental immunity.

In response to the lawsuit, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt accused President Bidens administration of a partisan lawsuit which seeks to attack Missourians Second Amendment rights and bring an end to the states crime-fighting tactics, including the Safer Streets Initiative.

Unfortunately, the Biden DOJ has used this lawsuit as a pretext for them to pull the plug on our successful and innovative federal-state crime-fighting partnership, the Safer Streets Initiative, Schmitt said in a statement. Since I launched the Safer Streets Initiative in 2019, weve filed over 650 charges against nearly 390 defendants with a conviction rate of roughly 98%. My Office has fought to continue the initiative, but this initiative has been suspended solely because of the Biden Administrations actions.

Schmitt said the Biden administration continues to put partisan politics ahead of public safety.

Make no mistake, the law is on our side in this case, and I intend to beat the Biden Administration in court once again, he added.

The Safer Streets Initiative is a federal-state partnership aimed at prosecuting violent crime, according toSchmitts office.

Thelawsuitwas filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

Read more:
Justice Department sues Missouri over Second Amendment bill, state AG fires back - New York Post

1. Opinion: Lives and liberty hang on Second Amendment debate  The Detroit News
2. Protecting Second Amendment rights from Washington  Washington Examiner
3. Letter to the Editor: Second Amendment | Opinions | capjournal.com  The Capital Journal
4. Magazine Exclusive Second Amendment Rising? - AMAC - The Association of Mature American Citizens  AMAC
5. Roger Helle: Killing the Second Amendment  Patriot Post
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Opinion: Lives and liberty hang on Second Amendment debate - The Detroit News

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IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

Read the rest here:
Grocery tax credit, Second Amendment rights among Legislature topics - Ontario Argus Observer

TYLER, Texas Even in deep red East Texas, even on a Tuesday afternoon, even after a failed bid for the Senate followed by a failed bid for president, Beto ORourke still draws a crowd.

More than 100 supporters gathered last week in a park in the city of Tyler, southeast of Dallas in the Piney Woods region. Among the friendly crowd, however, there was concern and even skepticism as Mr. ORourke tries to become the first Democratic governor of Texas in nearly 30 years.

The Texas primary is fast approaching on March 1 early voting began on Monday but his real challenge is the general election in November, when he is expected to face the Republican incumbent, Gov. Greg Abbott. Some of Mr. ORourkes comments aimed at wooing national Democratic voters in the 2020 presidential primary such as Hell yes, were going to take your AR-15 may have already weakened if not doomed his chances in November.

The comment about guns is going to be his biggest problem, said Holly Gage, 40, who arrived at the Tyler park early with her family. My husband is on the fence. Its due to the gun thing.

Texas, added her mother, Sheila Thrash, 63, believes in its guns.

Mr. ORourkes presidential campaign shadows his run for governor, complicating his effort to present himself as a pragmatic, there-for-you Texan who embraces responsible gun ownership and wants to win over moderate voters. His 2020 campaign remarks have figured prominently in attacks by Mr. Abbott and are familiar to many voters in a state where Democrats also proudly own guns. Mr. ORourke counts himself among their number he and his wife own firearms, his campaign said and he appears well aware of the liability.

Im not interested in taking anything from anyone, Mr. ORourke said during a news conference in Tyler, in response to questions from The New York Times. What I want to make sure we do is defend the Second Amendment.

Later in a telephone interview, he said he did not regret any policy positions he took while running for president and denied that he was walking back his comments about assault weapons. He said that as governor, he would push for universal background checks and requirements for the safe storage of firearms.

I dont think that we should have AR-15s and AK-47s on the streets of this state I have seen what they do to my fellow Texans in El Paso in 2019, he said, referring to a gunman who killed 23 people at a Walmart in the deadliest anti-Latino attack in modern American history. I havent changed a thing about that. Im just telling you Im going to focus on what I can actually do as governor and where the common ground is.

Mr. ORourkes predicament illustrates how hard it can be for a red-state Democrat to return to local politics after running for federal office in the national spotlight. What appeals to voters in a crowded Democratic primary for president may turn off those in a statewide race back home in a Republican-dominated state.

At the same time, Mr. ORourke has attracted legions of supporters and inspired Texas Democrats with his willingness to take on the states most powerful officeholders, and his charismatic insistence that Texas is not destined to remain in Republican hands.

No one is going to ride to our rescue, so we shouldnt expect that, Mr. ORourke said in the interview, citing new restrictive laws on abortion and voting passed by the State Legislature and signed by Mr. Abbott last year. Its on us, and thats OK, he added. Traveling the state, it renews my confidence that we can do this.

A former three-term congressman from El Paso, Mr. ORourke, 49, entered the race for governor late last fall, delivering a jolt to a contest that many Democrats saw as unwinnable: an off-year election favoring Republicans; an incumbent governor with a roughly $60 million campaign war chest; and that decades-long losing streak. No Democrat has won a statewide race in Texas since 1994.

We dont get to pick and choose what the political environment is like, said State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, a Democrat from San Antonio who has offered advice to Mr. ORourke during his campaign.

Mr. Martinez Fischer said he did not believe, as some Texas political analysts do, that Mr. ORourkes run was aimed at bolstering Democratic candidates in local races rather than actually winning. I dont think that Beto is looking to do any sort of suicide mission, he said.

Mr. ORourke remains the only Democrat in Texas with a strong statewide campaign organization, including thousands of devoted volunteers and an ability to raise money that rivals Mr. Abbott, the two-term Republican incumbent who has overseen a hard right turn in state government. During the most recent three-week filing period last month, Mr. ORourke raised $1.3 million, spent $600,000 and had $6 million in his campaign account. Mr. Abbott pulled in $1.4 million, spent $4.5 million and still had $62 million available in his account.

Much about the ORourke campaign echoes his 2018 race to try to unseat Senator Ted Cruz, which energized Democrats across Texas and brought donations pouring in from around the country. There are the same black-and-white Beto posters, the speeches he delivers from the center of fawning crowds and the sense that an upset is possible.

But much has changed. Mr. ORourke is no longer a fresh-faced newcomer. A poll last year found that he was better known among Texans than the actor Matthew McConaughey, who briefly flirted with a run for governor himself. Most Texans have an opinion of Mr. ORourke, and for many it is not favorable. So far, he has trailed Mr. Abbott in every poll, often by double digits.

Mr. ORourke has been running a more traditional campaign than he did in 2018, taking large contributions, conducting polls on issues and going on the attack early against Mr. Abbott, including in a new ad. He has also been more closely coordinating with the state party.

Weve already had discussions with him to get the Democratic Party and him in perfect sync, said Gilberto Hinojosa, the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party. Thats something that did not happen in 2018.

And Mr. ORourke does not benefit from the long runway he had in 2018, as he traveled the state and built his events from dozens of people to thousands. Now, as he drives around Texas highlighting the impacts of last years electrical grid failure, he is trailed by the opposition members of Mr. Abbotts campaign who have been coordinating with protesters at many of the stops.

In Tyler, Mr. Abbotts campaign spokesman, Mark Miner, arrived earlier than Mr. ORourke and helped to arrange a protest in favor of the oil and gas industry that included a big rig truck emblazoned with a heroic image of former President Donald J. Trump.

Its about the Green New Deal versus the energy industry, said State Representative Jay Dean, an East Texas Republican and general manager at Thomas Oilfield Services, as he stood near the big rig that he had helped bring to the protest. Im not that concerned about him, he added of Mr. ORourke. First of all, hes not going to win.

At events in three cities last week, it was clear that Mr. ORourke, still an energetic campaigner who drives himself around Texas, has become more careful in his remarks and packaged in his presentation, as he is tugged along on a tight schedule kept by his campaign handlers. And his crowds are full of people who have supported Mr. ORourke for years, raising the question of how much he can grow his current base.

During the more than 2,300-mile tour, which ended Tuesday on the anniversary of the day when the lights went out in most of Texas, Mr. ORourke delivered variations on a short speech focused on his proposals to address the wobbly Texas grid, such as connecting it with other states and prosecuting those who reaped huge profits from last years failure. He elicits cheers with promises to legalize marijuana and protect voting rights.

First time voters! Mr. ORourke yelled before posing with a group of young women he met in Waco, after a nighttime speech in a park that drew what looked to be more than 200 people.

In Austin the next day, Mr. ORourke visited a nonprofit that helped feed stranded residents during last years power grid failure, and he went along as their workers handed out meals to homeless men and women in a park between the Colorado River and a busy roadway.

You stay here? Mr. ORourke asked during a conversation with Josue Garcia, 35.

Yes, in the green tent, said Mr. Garcia, adding that he lived in the park with his wife and an adult stepdaughter, who works at Whataburger.

Im Beto and its an honor to meet you.

Ill vote for him for sure, Mr. Garcia said after Mr. ORourke went to talk to another man.

Later, as the sun set over the State Capitol, a young and enthusiastic crowd gathered to see Mr. ORourke in the parking lot of the Texas AFL-CIO, across from the governors mansion.

Mr. Abbott was out of town at the time but his campaign spokesman, Mr. Miner, a longtime senior communications aide to top Republicans, moved through the crowd of ORourke supporters, handing out fliers to reporters until he was escorted away by a union representative.

On the sidewalk, protesters waved a Trump flag and an American flag and shouted Free crack pipes! Communism doesnt work, Francis! in an attempt to interrupt Mr. ORourkes nighttime speech, calling him by his middle name. An advertising truck showed a black-and-white video of Mr. ORourke morphing into President Biden, which was paid for by Mr. Abbotts campaign.

Many of Mr. ORourkes supporters recalled losing power last year. But their anger at the handling of the freeze wasnt the only issue that drew them to the rally.

Nick Tripoli, 43, wore a mask with the words Abort Greg Abbott across it. He said he had heard Mr. ORourke speak in 2018 and had seen the enthusiasm he brought to Democrats.

I wanted to be a part of it, Mr. Tripoli said. Again.

Original post:
In Texas Governors Race, Beto ORourke Haunted by 2020 Campaign - The New York Times

The House Judiciary has passed along a bill that disallows state cooperation with federal enforcement of gun laws stricter than those on South Dakotas books.

The committee heard from gun advocates who say the federal government shouldnt dictate Second Amendment rights to the states.

Opponents include law enforcement agencies and domestic violence networks who might lose federal cooperation and grant dollars if this bill becomes law.

One proponent of House Bill 1052C was Aaron Dorr, director of state operations for the American Firearms Association, testifying from the field office in New York State .

He said the bill is modeled after Missouri s Second Amendment Preservation Act, or SAPA.

Dorr told legislators, SAPA legislation asserts state sovereignty, the 10th Amendment, and the anti-commandeering doctrine and tells Joe Biden we will not allow state resources, state police officers, state taxpayer dollars [and] equipment, to be used to enforce his gun control agenda.

In the South Dakota bill, officers can face $50,000 in civil penalties if they violate the law. But Dorr said that money is collected from law enforcement agencies, not the officers themselves.

Dorr objected to wording in the South Dakota bill that hands the $50,000 to the state. He said gun owners should get the money.

One of the opponents is the South Dakota Sheriffs Association, represented at the hearing by lobbyist Dick Tieszen. He pointed out that the $50,000 civil penalty would be paid by taxpayers.

Another opponent is Krista Heeren-Graber, executive director of the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence. She said domestic violence programs rely heavily on federal grants, and the application process requires cooperation with federal law.

We actually need to sign off on a certification that certain things are covered in our state law, she said, and one would be to ensure that were following the federal guidelines set out, for example, in the Violence Against Women Act.

The bill specifies that gun protections exist for law-abiding citizens, not people convicted of crimes.

But Heeren-Graber said federal law requires that guns are removed from respondents in protection orders for domestic violence and stalking, which are civil orders.

They could still be considered a law-abiding citizen, because that is not technically a crime, Heeren-Graber told the committee.

The House Judiciary Committee voted to pass the bill along to the full House for floor debate.

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Bill banning state cooperation with federal gun enforcement moves forward - SDPB Radio

Incumbent Ron Copeland will be seeking a second term in the Missouri House of Representatives in the Republican primary on August 2, 2022. Due to redistricting, Copeland will run in the new 120th house district, which includes all of Dent and Crawford counties. As of now, Copeland stands unchallenged in the Republican field for his seat.

I am proud of all the progress weve made on issues like the Second Amendment and fiscal responsibility this past session, stated Copeland, but there is still so much more to do. Now that Ive served in the Missouri House, I realize just how big government has become. My goal remains the same: to reel in regulations and let people take back control of their lives.

Copeland is a proud pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-law enforcement member of the Missouri Republican supermajority. He was first elected in 2020 to replace the termed-out Republican before him. Since taking office, the state representative has filed legislation to support the logging industry of his area, as well as co-sponsored bills to ensure law enforcement remains fully funded throughout the state.

Im surprised by some of the legislation Ive had to push for in my short time here. It just serves as another example of how out-of-touch radical liberals have become. Ive co-sponsored a bill to protect employees from being discriminated against for their vaccination status and fought hard to ensure veterans are honored for their service. I have worked on multiple bills about public safety, because extremists want to defund our police right here in Missouri. And Im proud of each of these efforts to keep socialism out of our lives.

For Copeland, love of God, family, and country comes first and foremost. With a background in the Missouri National Guard and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, he understands that freedom is never free. Therefore, he has made it a priority to focus his time in office to defending the constitutional rights of all Missourians.

Without our core freedoms, what do we have? Nothingno, worse than nothing: tyranny. My job as a representative is to be your voice and ensure your rights are never infringed upon. Any good policy we accomplish must be built on top of that solid foundation. I am adamant about reminding my peers of what our job here in the capitol is first and foremost. Im determined to hold politicians accountable to their word to ensure conservative principles are maintained here in Missouri.

Ron and his wife, Denise, are longtime residents of Dent County and attend Grace Community Church. When not in the office, Ron can be found at his home in Salem spending time with his wife, children, and granddaughter.

Ron Copeland has retained Axiom Strategies as consultants on his re-election campaign.

Originally posted here:
Ron Copeland to run for re-election - The Missouri Times

I believe that all of us are entitled to occasionally get our mords wixed, or utter some other grammatical gaffe which becomes fodder for social media. For example, former President Obama, during his first campaign for the Presidency, told a reporter that he had been to all 57 states. Im guessing that he knew there were only 50, but after an extensive campaign, it just felt like 57. Nonetheless, he did receive (deservedly) a fair amount of ribbing for that slip of the tongue.

What I have a hard time understanding is when someone writes or tweets something that shouldnt have been said or tweeted. After all, we do have a chance to proofread our tweets, or at the very least have someone look them over for accuracy prior to posting them. Additionally, I am troubled by lawmakers who propose outlandish bills that have no chance of ever passing (or if they have a chance of passing, God help us all!)

Recently I was musing about Representative Lauren Boeberts tweet concerning the American Constitution. She wrote, and I quote, The Constitution is not evolving. To say that spits in the face of every single one of our founders. (Feb 2, 2022). Considering the day that she posted this, at first, I thought it might be a Groundhog Day joke, but then I realized that there arent any Groundhog Day jokes, so I was left to ponder her lack of understanding of the Constitution.

Boebert has become a lightening rod for left-wing mirth and ridicule due to her apparent lack of understanding about any number of historical events, Constitutional law, you name it. This proud woman carries a gun on her hip and derides anyone who doesnt follow her version of this great experiment we call America.

I truly wonder if she has even read the Constitution. If she had, she would realize that this is a living document to the extent that it has been amended 27 times. Were it not for the Second Amendment, her gun toting days might be over, and if not for the 19th Amendment (womens suffrage) she wouldnt have been allowed to run for public office; in fact, she couldnt even vote. (Not quite accurate, as Colorado did allow women to vote prior to the ratification of the 19th Amendment, but her buddy, Marjorie Taylor Greene couldnt have participated.)

Even those that wrote and approved the Constitution quickly realized that it needed to be amended. The Bill of Rights (the first 10 Amendments) are essential to our way of life. These were proposed in 1789 and ratified in 1791. (Thankfully!)

The 18th and 21st Amendments cancelled each other out. Carrie Nation, aka Hatchet Granny, and her temperance movement were instrumental in outlawing the manufacturing and sale of alcohol in the United States. (It is rumored that she had to get the Senators drunk before they would forward such a matter to the states, but thats just rumor!) The 21st Amendment undid the 18th, and Ill drink (moderately) to that!

I could go on and detail the remaining amendments, but you get my point; the Constitution is an evolving document which can and has been amended as necessary to promote the common good.

Margorie Taylor Greene, a freshman representative from Georgia, who once theorized on Facebook that former California Gov. Jerry Brown started a wildfire with space lasers, said recently in an interview on One America News, Not only do we have the D.C. jail, which is the D.C. gulag, but now we have Nancy Pelosis GAZPACHO (emphasis added) police spying on member of Congress

I pray that she knows the difference between the Gestapo and Gazpacho but considering some of the other seemingly loony things shes said and written, I wouldnt bet the farm on it. (And if wasnt for the repeal of the 18th Amendment Hard to say. Right?) Whatever your take on it is, it wasnt soup-er smart!

Although the aforementioned examples are fodder for derision, they dont even come close to the stupidity of a recently introduced Bill in the Oklahoma Senate. Senator Rob Standridge introduced legislation that would allow parents to sue any public-school educator who teaches anything in opposition to closely held religious beliefs of students. That would allow creationist parents who eschew the study of evolution to sue the teacher who was teaching what is accepted science. And to flip to script a bit, it would allow a Muslim parent to sue a teacher for teaching anything other than a belief in Allah.

An aggrieved parent could be awarded up to $10,000 per incident, teachers could not receive remuneration from outside sources, and if they failed to pay, they would be fired immediately.

Standridges bill didnt stop there though. It also would have allowed individual parents the power to demand the removal of any book from the school that the parent believed contained LGBTQ content. (And no, Standridge is not a member of the Taliban in Afghanistan, even if his behavior is reflective of those cultural values!)

Im sure that throughout history, there have been any number of off the wall statements, legislative notions, and misinformed utterances. Social media highlights these on a daily basis providing metaphoric provender for late night talk show hosts and columnists. That said, there are many things that I wish had never been written or said, but when I hear them, still make me go, Huh??

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WESTFALL: Things that make me go, Huh? - Journal Advocate

The Volusia County Council unanimously approved on Tuesday, Feb. 15, an amendment to the county'sInterlocal Service Boundary Agreement with the city of Ormond Beach, which will facilitate the possible development of a new residential project.

The city and county entered into the original agreement in 2014, according to the council agenda item summary, with the goal to ensure utilitiesare delivered to an area that will eventually be annexed by the city. The new amendment involves 103 acres located north of U.S. 1 and east of Plantation Oaks Boulevard in unincorporated Volusia County, a development known as Ridge Haven. A maximum of 298 units could be built, if a development order is ultimately approved by the Ormond Beach City Commission. A site plan has not yet been submitted to the city.

The ISBA would prevent the developer from having to go beforeboth the county and the city forseparate development orders, as a portion of the development lies within the existing ISBA, and would result in the annexation of Ridge Haven into the city. This is the second amendment approved for the ISBA; the first involved the development of Plantation Oaks. The City Commission approved the amendment on second reading at its Dec. 7, 2021 meeting.

"The Interlocal Service Boundary Agreement has been a very useful tool in the U.S. 1 corridor, starting back in 2014," Ormond Beach Planning Director Steven Spraker said. "It's led to code enforcement, it's led to infrastructure new water and sewer lines going through the U.S. 1 corridor and it's led to partnerships with private property owners for landscaping. So there's been a lot of activity, a lot of positive activity I think, in the U.S. 1 corridor."

While the approval was unanimous, there was discourse on the council regarding concern about the development and whether this project could be altered to follow Low Impact Development principles. But in order to do that, the council would have had to turn down the ISBA amendment and renegotiate a new sub-agreement.

Volusia County Councilwoman Heather Post said she understood that, but pointed out that low impact development is achievable. She questioned at what point should the council stand firm on their view of what Volusia should be doing and what the future should look like.

"We do keep talking about low impact development, but you know, not a whole lot of movement," she said.

Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower said he had gone backand forth on how he would vote, but said that ultimately, he believed the county had gotten every concession they could for the Ridge Haven project.

"The public doesn't think we say no enough to how we develop," Brower said. "Not to 'If we're going to develop, if we're going to grow' We are going to grow. We have to do it responsibly."

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County Council OKs agreement with Ormond, new housing development in the works - Ormond Beach Observer