Starting this November, Dallas and eight other counties are introducing major changes to their voting system. First, voters won’t be tied to an assigned precinct anymore. They’ll be able to go to any polling location in the county to cast their ballots. Hopefully, this will make it easier for working people to vote before school or during their lunch breaks. Second, new touch-screen voting machines will be introduced. Fortunately, the county commissioners listened to their constituents and the machines will not be connected to the internet (less vulnerable to hacking) and will have a paper trail. Although these changes can make voting easier, some political scientists and community activists are worried about disruptions to long-established voting patterns, closing polling locations in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, and increased difficulty for voters with limited mobility. (Dallas Morning News)
In a deeply disturbing coda to the Amber Guyger trial, key witness Joshua Brown was himself murdered outside his apartment on October 4th. Although initial reports that he had been shot in the mouth proved to be false, other so-called “facts” about this case aren’t ringing true for many Dallasites (including me). Dallas police claim Mr. Brown was killed over a botched drug deal, yet the killers supposedly left 12 pounds of marijuana and about $4,000 in cash in untouched in Brown’s apartment. Considering the Dallas police tried another “drug” story to cover up Botham Jean’s murder, the numbers don’t seem to add up—especially since Joshua Brown was preparing to testify again in the civil trial Jean’s family filed against the Dallas Police. (WFAA)
One of the truly bright spots of the 2018 midterm election was turning the 32nd district blue when Colin Allred defeated long-time, thorn-in-our-side congressman Pete Sessions. While many Texas Reps (6 and counting) have created a “Texodus” by deciding not to run for re-election, Sessions is trying to claw his way back into power by pledging his undying loyalty for the Mango Mussolini. However, it looks like Sessions could be implicated in the Ukrainian scandal along with many other members of the Trump crime family. Turns out, Sneaky Pete worked with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman—the Soviet-born men who did Guiliani’s dirty work—when they tried to get rid of U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, claiming she was disloyal to Trump. (Texas Observer)
There’s an ongoing myth that Austin is a tiny blue dot in a mostly red state when, in reality, most of Texas’ major cities vote blue in national elections. However, it’s not a myth that Texas Republicans love to hate the weird and wonderful conglomeration of state capital politics and liberal sensibilities that makes up the city of Austin. However, Gov. Greg “Hey” Abbott went too far this week when he threatened Austin with receivership if it doesn’t “demonstrate improvement” with its “homelessness crisis.” Austin’s city council recently changed several ordinances and, as a result, police are no longer ticketing people for sitting on sidewalks, lying on park benches, or camping in public places. Because the homeless population isn’t being harassed on a daily basis, they’ve become more visible—but the homeless population hasn’t actually increased. But truth, as we all know, has a distinct liberal bias that Abbott and other members of the GOP cult are choosing to ignore in favor of their artificial “crisis” story. (Texas Monthly)
It looks like Gov. Goodhair Rick Perry is going to resign his post as Energy Secretary by the end of November. Ben Lefebvre of Politico expects Perry to be the subject of a subpoena soon, as House committees try to find out more about connections between Perry’s work in Eastern Europe and the mess involving Ukraine. Although he hasn’t (yet) been directly implicated in the Ukrainian scandal, Perry may be getting the strange feeling that he’s being set up to take a fall, so he’s decided to “git while the gittin’s good.” (Texas Standard)
Mini-Rant – Pastor Robert Jeffress: Trump’s Stooge
Before I start this rant, let me assure everyone that I’m a strong supporter of religious freedom. I think it’s important for everyone to have the option to believe (or not believe) whatever they choose, from traditional forms of Christianity to the Flying Spaghetti Monster [blessed be his noodley appendage]. That being said, I’m an even stronger supporter of the separation of church and state. I firmly believe a democracy can’t survive if it’s mixed up with religious beliefs of any kind. Basically, I agree with this anonymous quote:
“Religion is like a penis. It's fine to have one. It's fine to be proud of it. But please don't whip it out in public and start waving it around. And PLEASE don't try to shove it down my children's throats.”
Now, on with the show…
First Baptist Church of Dallas has always been a stumbling block whenever Dallas tries to take its place among the modern cities of the world. They’re the reason we still have Draconian liquor laws that completely ban the sale of “hard liquor” and limit the sale of beer and wine to after 12 p.m. on Sunday. They’re the reason Dakota’s restaurant had to built underneath the street. They’re the reason millions of dollars in downtown real estate ($138 million to be exact) is under a choke hold. But nothing projects the image of Dallas as a backwater, second-class city than the ravings of Trump stooge Robert Jeffress.
Just in the last couple of weeks, Jeffress has declared Trump a Christian warrior, claimed Democrats worship pagan god Moloch “who allowed for child sacrifice,” and promised civil war if the Orange Occupant is impeached. As the leader of the oldest megachurch in the country, Robert Jeffress has declared himself G_d’s messenger for Trump and the self-ordained spiritual leader of America—whether we like it or not. In return, his Cheetoh Christ has rewarded him with primo gigs, like the main spotlight at the National Prayer Breakfast and leading prayers at the Jerusalem Embassy.
Robert Jeffress isn’t the only evangelical preacher who supports Trump, he’s just one of the most visible. For those who think this hypocritical line of thinking is new, remember that the Southern Baptist offshoot was created in 1845 by Baptists in southern states who supported slavery and strongly opposed abolition and Black civil rights. Jeffress (and W.A. Criswell before him) has continued this holier-than-most attitude by declaring that Catholicism represents the "genius of Satan" and labeling Mormonism as a cult.
If the United States is ever going to free itself from religious fanatics who think that abortion caused 9/11 (another Jeffress classic) we must change the laws that these charlatans take advantage of to harm the country. While still fully respecting the First Amendment, there must be a way to legislate the idea that Christians ARE NOT being persecuted when we insist on protecting the LGBTQ community from their gay bashing. Megachurches can be made to pay taxes on the millions they rake in from their many commercial ventures without making government institutions beholden to the churches. The lines between church and state, that became so blurred during the Evangelical political movement of the 1980s, must be redrawn with a bolder stroke to protect both religious freedom and the sanctity of our democracy.
To do this, we need leaders who aren’t afraid to stand up to men like Robert Jeffress and call him on his B.S. when he says gay sex might make you explode without fear of a “religious persecution” label. We need state and federal lawmakers who are willing to refuse to legislate morality. Because, at the end of the day, there has never been a successful, modern-day theocracy—and there never will be.