Lone Star State

rapidly evolves back

to the Middle Ages

If you have the misfortune to live in Texas, the rest of us are increasingly happy not to.
As the Lone Star state becomes ever-more divorced from the 20th century, its

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot: He aint a saint!

residents are living through a cultural/political reversion of Biblical proportions.
Not satisfied to have recently sabotaged the right to vote, lawmakers and the Governor Greg Abbott have just sent thousands of women back to alleyways and quacks if they need an abortion. That, in the state where anyone can carry a handgun almost anywhere at any time without a permit.
And, we haven’t even touched on looney anti-vaxers, Ted Cruz or mask mandates!
Earlier this year, Texans got a taste of the dark ages (literally!) when a hundred-year winter storm knocked out the electrical grid for weeks.
The rest of the damage has all been self-inflicted. A new Dark Age is dawning!

The latest self-inflicted wound came Sept. 1 when Gov. Abbott signed into law the most retrograde abortion law in the United States.
The Texas Tribune summarized it succinctly in the headline to it Sept. 3 article
Abortion ban, permitless carry, elections bill: The week that solidified Texas’ hard right turn after the 2020 election

“Texas’ new near-total abortion ban, one of the most restrictive in the nation, punctuated a week that brought into stunning relief just how far the state’s political pendulum has swung to the right since the 2020 election,” the article says.
Talk about Trumpism on steroids – this is it!
On the very same day, another law – passed earlier by the Legislature – allowing Texans to carry handguns without a license or training went into effect.
“You could say that I signed into law today some laws that protect gun rights,” Gov. Abbott said at the bill signing in June. “But today, I signed documents that instilled freedom in the Lone Star State.”
Self-parody – or is he being serious? You decide!
Still to come: the Legislature is considering a massive increase in funding for a border wall. You might think the money would be better spent fixing the electrical grid, but you would be mistaken.

Sassy, classy and classic.

Having taken over the mantle of the late Molly Ivins (also a Texan), the inimitable Maureen Down was customarily acerbic in her commentary in The New York Times on Sept. 4.
“Texas now becomes the capital of American unreason,” she wrote in Drowning Our Future in the Past  “There were medieval fiefs more enlightened than the Lone Star GOP,” she added.
You can certainly tell where I stand on this point.
It is said that in California we have three seasons: summer, fires, and earthquakes. For my money, I would humbly submit that if we had all three of these on the same day (which is a distinct possibility given climate change), California would still be better than Texas.
Cast your vote in the comments below.

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