Everything is always bigger and better in Texas. At least, that’s what Texans think. Well if you haven’t been paying attention, it’s becoming the most dangerous place in America. It’s run by stark raving Republicans who have been elected by the people, so the majority of people in Texas support what’s going on there. The danger is that Texas is leading a pack of other Republican run states that are trying to manipulate democracy to keep them in power and exclude or trample on the rights of people they feel are a threat to their conservative, and some would say, racist views.
The most restrictive abortion law in the country is about to take effect September first in Texas. It prohibits abortion after only six weeks of pregnancy when most women don’t even know if they are pregnant. But it’s more sinister than just that. Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe and Texas Law School professor Stephen Vladeck have written a guest opinion piece in the New York Times that everyone should read and you should be afraid, very afraid. They start by saying, “The law, known as S.B. 8, effectively enlists the citizenry to act as an anti-abortion Stasi.” The Stasi was the old East Germany’s state security service described as one of the most repressive in history. Tribe and Vladeck go on to describe how the law actually works. Only private citizens can enforce the law, not the state. So if you hear someone is having an abortion after six weeks, you can take the provider to court and sue them. If the provider is found guilty, the citizen who brought the charges would collect at least $10,000, as well as, attorney’s fees. It’s a legalized system to rat out your neighbor. The law professors explain this makes it difficult to sue the state in court, since the state isn’t enforcing the law, citizens are. Abortion providers and abortion rights groups are trying to get around this by suing state court judges, state court clerks and health officials since the law can’t be enforced without them.
Since Republicans want to make sure they stay in power, they’re trying make it more difficult for people they don’t like to vote. Democratic lawmakers are so desperate to a stop the new restrictive laws from being passed they fled to Washington so the legislature wouldn’t have a quorum to vote on the bill. They had to run away to stop the madness. The new laws would ban drive through and 24 hour voting, give party poll watchers more power to interfere with the voting process, would prohibit unsolicited applications for absentee ballots, and add new voter ID requirements for absentee voters. They’re doing this to stop voter fraud which every investigation has shown doesn’t exist.
Finally, the wall. Trump loving Governor Greg Abbott wants Trump’s blessing to run for president in 2024, if Trump decides not to run. So, Abbott invited Trump to Texas and now says he has set aside $250 million in state money to complete the wall that Trump failed to deliver and have Mexico pay for. Abbott is also asking for donations. As of this week, people have donated $829,000. He’s going to need a lot more. Joe Biden has stopped the federal wall building project and Abbott will have a lot of legal wangling to deal with to actually get anything built.
The University of Texas spirit song says:
The Eyes of Texas are upon you
All the live long day
The Eyes of Texas are upon you
You cannot get away
We should keep on eye on Texas and the other states that are attacking individual and voting rights and not let them get away with damaging our democracy.
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