"School Choice Derangement Syndrome is real."

Author of SB2 Brandon Creighton of Conroe took to Twitter today to post not just an AI illustration, but an AI illustration that was then Photoshopped to refer to opposition to school vouchers as "School Choice Derangement Syndrome." Come on, interns, at least do your own AI if you can’t manage to create something yourself.

Creighton’s speech at the end of the night last night was full of outrage after spending the afternoon being mostly pleasant toward his opposition in the Senate (with the exception of how he treated Senator Molly Cook, IMO.)

Even longtime lege reporter Scott Braddock was taken aback by Creighton’s behavior.

He also suspects that Dan Patrick might be retiring, so they’re all hamming it up to replace him.

How dumb are Texans? Pretty dumb.

A majority of Texans support a ban on consumable THC products in Texas, according to a poll released this week, bolstering one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s top legislative efforts this year.

But the same poll, conducted by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs, also found even stronger support for decriminalizing and legalizing recreational marijuana, suggesting some public confusion about the state’s fast-growing cannabis market. THC is the primary ingredient in marijuana that gives users a high.

As someone who occasionally uses low-grade THC gummies to get a good night’s sleep, I’m rather interested in how all of this will go. Regardless, people will keep getting their weed in whatever way they want it, legal or not, it’ll just turn some people into criminals, whose blood we use to power the Texas government.

I loathe linking to The Texan, but I saw this resolution introduced last week (proposing a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right of every person to keep and bear arms) and didn’t know what to make of it. Their article does nothing to clear it up. It changes a single word in the Texas Constitution with regard to gun ownership from “citizen” to “person.”

Cain told The Texan that the purpose behind this change is to make it “an absolute right.” He noted that the first three Texas state constitutions of 1845, 1861, and 1866 declared that “Every citizen shall have the right to keep and bear arms in the lawful defence of himself of the State.”

Cain explained, “This all changed in 1869 with the Reconstruction Constitution which gave the legislature carte blanche authority to regulate it. It read, ‘Every person shall have the right to keep and bear arms, in the lawful defence of himself or the State, under such regulations as the Legislature may prescribe.’”

“The current constitution, the post-reconstruction constitution of 1876, was a reactionary document, much of which sought to undue the heavy-handed government powers contained in the 1869 constitution.”

Doesn’t this give non-citizens the right to bear arms? And doesn’t this rub up against the far-right’s “violent immigrant” narrative? If someone would like to explain this to me, please do because I’m confused.

Meanwhile, Texans overwhelmingly support MORE gun control measures, from a recent study conducted by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston:

The poll reveals striking levels of support for various gun control measures across the Texas population. Some of the most notable findings include:91% of Texans support requiring criminal background checks on all gun buyers at gun shows.90% support banning gun possession for individuals with restraining orders filed against them for stalking or domestic violence.89% support requiring criminal background checks on all gun buyers, including those making private sales.88% support allowing judges to confiscate guns from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others.

The study also shows strong support for age restrictions on firearm purchases:85% of Texans support raising the age to purchase AR-15-style assault rifles from 18 to 21.83% support raising the age to purchase any firearm from 18 to 21.

Other measures with significant support include:82% support a three-day mandatory waiting period between purchasing a firearm and taking possession of it.70% support banning the sale of high-capacity magazines.70% support banning the sale of AR-15-style assault rifles.

And on the same day that it was reported that Shen Yun is under criminal investigation for visa fraud, forced labor and human trafficking, Shen Yun’s Twitter account posted that the Houston-area’s most useful idiots — Cain, Steve Toth and Tom Oliverson — are big fans!

This is all because Oliverson introduced HR72 last month: the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas Legislature hereby recognize January 29, 2025, as Shen Yun Day at the State Capitol.

ICYMI, our hapless mayor had to take down a tweet in December about attending Shen Yun because of the backlash he received for attending and praising the show:

The New York Times in August reported that Shen Yun "has treated many of its performers as an expendable commodity" by subjecting them to "grueling rehearsal and tour schedules through relentless emotional abuse and manipulation." The Times investigation included interviews with several former dancers who said they had to perform while suffering from multiple injuries and were discouraged from seeking medical care. In response, the Falun Gong said the allegations "distorted reality 'in bizarre and dramatic ways.'"

Sunday's Times report about the Falun Gong's finances includes allegations of a money-laundering conspiracy regarding the Falun-Gong-affiliated newspaper The Epoch Times, and a strategy to skirt "rules to tap tens of millions of dollars in pandemic-era relief money." Plus, the Times says former Shen Yun performers had to transport cash into the U.S. in "a possible attempt to circumvent laws about reporting U.S. currency transactions."

These guys can get REAL worked up about human trafficking when they’re imagining brown people doing it, but when you dress tiny women in flowy, winged outfits, it’s FREEDOM, BABY.

Three Good Things

1. I re-found this amazing chart to making perfect stir fry, which my husband is currently making for dinner.
2. After Hurricane Harvey, The Suffers’ Kam Franklin offered to bring over a bunch of clothes she was about to donate to see if I wanted anything to replace anything I’d lost. I’m currently wearing a stretchy velour jumpsuit of hers that I wear a lot on warm evenings. I wear it so often that the hems are starting to unravel, but I’ll just fix it and keep wearing it.
3. Doesn’t it feel great to crack the weird places in your body that want to be cracked?