Tag: Texas

Posted on

Supreme Court Sidesteps LGBTQ Case Between TX & CA

The U.S. Supreme Court (2021)

The U.S. Supreme Court (2021)
The U.S. Supreme Court (2021)
I guess you could call this a “win by default…” The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up a legal argument between California and Texas centered on ‘religious beliefs’ trumping LGBTQ rights. From USA Today:

The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up a heated dispute between one of the nation’s most liberal states and one of its most conservative in a case that had pit freedom of religion against gay rights.

California passed a law in 2016 prohibiting taxpayer-funded travel – such as for state employees to attend conferences – to any state that doesn’t ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Texas law allows foster-care and adoption agencies to deny same-sex couples on religious grounds.

Texas took California directly to the Supreme Court last year, asserting the travel ban was “born of religious animus” and that it violates the Constitution.

Conservatives Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas issued a dissent over the court not taking the case because of course.

Posted on

News Round-Up: April 16, 2021

Some news items you might have missed: • Instagram: Not everyone is celebrating ‘Bachelor’ star Colton Underwood getting a Netflix series that will follow his new life as an openly gay man after coming out this week. When Attitude Magazine posted the news (above), pop star Adam Lambert chimed in, “No one is feeling this Netflix.” And out former rugby star Keegan Hirst wrote, “Monetising coming out. Oh dear. Not a good look.” • Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications like this week’s GRAB Magazine featuring singer/songwriter Dodie.

(image via GRAB Magazine)
• PBS: A new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll found two-thirds of Americans (66%) oppose laws that would limit transgender rights. That opposition includes majorities of every political ideology from liberal to conservative and every age group. • CBC: A gym in Quebec City has become one of the largest recorded COVID-19 super-spreading events in Canada as 224 cases have been traced directly to the gym as well as another 356 related cases. The gym owner, a pandemic denier, shared social media posts that questioned the effectiveness of masks and minimized the dangers of COVID-19.

• Instinct Magazine: A straight man began sharing pics of his enormous penis on Twitter during the pandemic, and now says he identifies as bisexual following all the attention he garnered from gay followers. “I think if I met the right one, and got to know and like and trust him, I might find the courage to… explore.” • NBC News: A new bill in the Texas Senate aims to redefine child abuse to include parents who consent to hormone therapy and puberty blockers for their transgender children. The legislation would make such acts a felony. • Pink News: A student was caught on video tearing down a Pride flag that hung along a stairwell at Ridgeline High School in Cache County, Utah, on Tuesday. It had been placed by officials to celebrate the school’s Gay Straight Alliance during diversity week, alongside flags from various countries.

Posted on

Texas Senate Attempts To Stop Social Media From Blocking Users Based On Politics

Texas

A high school senior was expelled right before the school year for coming out as gay and proud In the early morning hours on Thursday, the Texas Senate approved legislation that would “prohibit social media companies with at least 100 million monthly users from blocking, banning, demonetizing or discriminating against a user based on their viewpoint or their location within Texas.” More from the Texas Tribune:

The measure, which would apply to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, among others, would also require the companies to disclose their content moderation policies, publish regular reports about the content they remove and create an appeals process for user content that has been taken down.

The Texas attorney general would be allowed to file suit against any company that violates a provision of the bill. If upheld in court, the attorney general could recoup “reasonable” attorney’s fees and investigative costs.

Hughes repeatedly referred to social media companies as “common carriers” (like cable or phone companies) even though they’ve never been classified as such. The issue moves to the state House where two identical bills have yet to move out of committees. It goes without saying that legal experts have raised doubts about the legality of the measure. What’s interesting to me is: the same people who say a baker doesn’t have to bake a cake for a same-sex couple now say Twitter or Facebook can’t boot someone for violating their terms of service by spreading misinformation on their platforms.

Posted on

After Losing 2020 House Race In NV, GOP Candidate Morphs Into New Persona For TX

Dan Rodimer is trying to win a House election in Texas after losing just a few months ago in Nevada

Dan Rodimer is trying to win a House election in Texas after losing just a few months ago in Nevada
‘Big Dan’ Rodimer? (screen captures)
Things that make you go ‘hmm…’ After losing a House race for Nevada’s 3rd District in November, Dan Rodimer is now running in a special election for a U.S. House seat in Texas. Now, not only is this basic carpet-bagging, but Rodimer (a former professional wrestler) has done a complete 180 on his image hoping the folks in Texas don’t notice. During the race in Nevada, Rodimer ran campaign ads sitting on his couch with his wife and 5 children in a prim, proper environment wearing a nice polo shirt. But in his new ads for Texas’s 6th District, he’s morphed into a rough and tough rodeo character  – ‘Big Dan’ Rodimer – complete with some kind of accent. I’m a Texas native myself and I don’t know what he thinks he sounds like. The House seat located in the Dallas area was left vacant after Rep. Ron Wright passed away due to COVID-19. It’s a competitive race as Donald Trump barely won the district in 2020 by 3 points, down from winning it in 2016 by 20 points. There are nearly a dozen candidates running in the May 1 special election including Wright’s wife. Take a look at the side-by-side Rodimers.

Posted on

Nutjob Holds National Guardsmen At Gunpoint After Attempting To Run Them Off The Road

Larry Harris of Willcox, Arizona

Harris
Larry Harris (mug shot)
Larry Harris, of Willcox, Arizona, terrorized 11 National Guardsmen transporting COVID-19 vaccine to Matador, Texas, on Monday morning. According to WAFB, Harris followed 3 vans in Lubbock, Texas, attempting several times to run them off the road. Eventually, he swerved into their path and stopped the vans. Identifying himself as a “detective,” he ordered the unarmed Guardsmen out of the vans demanding to search the vehicles. He later told authorities he believed the vans were carrying a kidnapped woman and child. All of the guardsmen were in full uniform. Police say Harris was in possession of a loaded Colt 1911 pistol .45 Caliber along with an additional loaded magazines. Harris was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful restraint of 11 National Guard Soldiers, unlawful carrying of a weapon, impersonating a Public Servant, and interference with Texas Military Forces. Eric Williams, Idalou Police Chief, said in a statement that Harris “appeared to be mentally disturbed.”  

Posted on

Diner Posts ‘Surcharge’ For Having To Explain Face Mask Rule

Legends Diner in Denton, Texas, says it will charge customers $50 if they don't wear a face mask

Legends Diner in Denton, Texas, says it will charge customers $50 if they don't wear a face mask From the Dallas Morning News:

Customers at Legends Diner in Denton are met with a new pink sign on the door when they visit the breakfast spot: “Our new surcharge,” the sign says: “$50 if I have to explain why masks are mandatory” and “$75 if I have to hear why you disagree…”

Co-owners Wayne and Kat LaCombe are asking their customers and employees to continue to wear masks even though the mask mandate lifted in Texas on March 10.

“I just can’t afford to get the virus. We’d have to shut our business down,” said Wayne LaCombe, a 41-year resident of Denton. His wife, Kat, is a retired nurse. She is now the chef and co-owner of Legends, and she makes what her husband says is “the best patty melt in town.”

Lacombe says the sign is meant to be humorous, but adds the bulk of his customers are over 60-years-old and the restaurant wants “to stay safe for them.”

Posted on

Police Called On Covidiot ‘Karen’ 2nd Time In One Week

Covidiot 'Karen' - Terry Lynn Wright (screen captures)
Covidiot ‘Karen’ – Terry Lynn Wright (screen captures)
OMG, the police were called to deal with this woman a second time in just under a week. Terry Lynn Wright, 65, was taken into custody on Wednesday by police officers at a Texas City Office Depot when she refused to wear a face mask per the company’s policy. A mere six days prior, she was arrested on criminal trespass and resisting charges in a viral video moment at a bank in Galveston, Texas. In body cam footage, Wright was seen resisting arrest and screaming she didn’t have to wear a “face diaper.” She later told local news reporters that the pandemic is a hoax. In the video clip, she calls her treatment ‘police brutality,’ as others in the bank lobby say, “No, it’s not.”

Police were called to the Office Depot in Texas City just after 9 a.m. on Wednesday after Wright was asked to leave the store by employees for refusing to wear a face mask. No new charges were filed, but Wright was taken into custody on warrants related to the Galveston incident. She was then transferred to the Galveston County Jail. Lord, what do these people think they are going to achieve with these silly antics? Is all this really worth being detained/arrested?

Posted on

Texas: Governor Lifts Face Mask Mandate, Businesses Allowed To Operate At 100%

'Welcome to Texas' sign

The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has lifted his state’s face mask requirement and given the green light for businesses to operate at 100% capacity. From the New York Times:

The wide-reaching announcement in Texas came as similar rules were being lifted elsewhere: Restaurants, schools, movie theaters and bars are reopening and shedding restrictions in some of the nation’s biggest cities and most populous states, prompting more Americans to emerge after months of isolation and bringing the country closer to a semblance of life before the coronavirus pandemic.

In Chicago, tens of thousands of children returned to public school this week, while snow-covered parks and playgrounds around the city that have been shuttered since last March were opened. Mississippi ended its mask mandate, too. Restaurants in Massachusetts were allowed to operate without capacity limits, and South Carolina erased its limits on large gatherings.

Posted on

Eric Trump Blames Texas Freezing On Biden?

Eric Trump

Eric Trump blames Biden for Texas freezing
Eric Trump (screen capture)
Eric Trump, son of “the former guy,” told viewers of Fox News this morning that President Biden’s policies are what’s “causing Texas to freeze.” Of course, that’s not true in the least. President Biden hasn’t made any policy changes at this point that would affect energy policies in the Lone Star state, let alone Texas freezing. Texas went through its horrific week of water and electricity outages because of frozen natural gas lines that weren’t properly winterized. “Texas largely relies on natural gas – especially during times of high demand–to power the state,” reports the Texas Tribune. “Experts say natural gas infrastructure, from pumping it out of the ground to the plants in city centers, was unprepared for the plunging temperatures brought by the winter storm.” That’s what was behind Texas freezing. But all of that might be a little over Eric’s head. Heck, he still believes there are “75, 80 million people who would follow my father to the end of the earth.” To the end of the earth…?

Posted on

President Issues Major Disaster Declaration For Texas

President Joe Biden

President Joe Biden
President Joe Biden (image via Twitter/POTUS)
President Biden has issued a major disaster declaration for Texas unlocking more federal resources to assist the state. Biden also announced plans to visit the state next week. The president signaled he didn’t want a presidential arrival to interfere or burden the current rescue/repair efforts. From CNBC:

President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for Texas as the state grapples with widespread power outages and water shortages amid freezing winter conditions, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced on Saturday.

The action unlocks federal funding for individuals in Texas, grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.

The declaration also provides funding for cost-sharing with state and local governments and some private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures and hazard mitigation measures. Dozens of counties will be able to access the aid.