Texas Voting Integrity Bill is so Jim Crow, it’s Silly ⋆ Politicrossing
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Texas Voting Integrity Bill is so Jim Crow, it’s Silly

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From watching Texas Senate Democrats’ reaction to Texas’ SB 1 (Senate Bill 1), you’d think it’s Jim Crow on steroids. As an election integrity measure, it’s gotta be pure evil. Election integrity bills like SB 1 are so racist that they pose “the greatest threat to the nation since the Civil War,” says our president.

It must be so Jim Crow that Texas Senate Democrats had no choice but to break quorum and flee maskless on private jets. Any means are necessary to prevent a vote and passage of this legislative monstrosity. Upon arrival in D.C., these racial justice warrior rushed to microphones and began singing, “We Shall Overcome.”

Our vice-president calls them “courageous.” Media members echo her and vilify the Texas governor and his party and their voting integrity bill.

What exactly will SB 1 do (other than re-institute Jim Crow and threaten every racial equality gain since the Civil War)? Let’s see.

SB 1 will:
  • Ban paid ballot harvesting.
  • Require ID for mail-in ballots and allow voters without driver’s licenses to verify ID with the last four digits of their social security numbers.
  • Set uniform voting times for early voting while expanding weekend hours.
  • Help increase accountability by allowing watchers to observe election workers.
  • Strengthen the ban on unmonitored mail-in drop boxes and prohibit unsolicited distribution of mail-in ballot applications by public officials. 
  • Set uniform procedures for verifying the authenticity of mail-in ballots while allowing voters to correct mistakes.
  • Require those assisting voters to verify their identity and take an oath that they will not try to influence voters.
  • End the temporary, emergency measures that were put in place solely because of the pandemic, such as drive-thru voting and 24-hour early voting.
Radically racist

Clearly, SB 1 is one radically racist election integrity bill. Even though it will apply equally to all Texas voters, regardless of color or creed, it’s deeply racist. Requiring IDs and last fours is an assault on voters of color, particularly African Americans. It’s Jim Crow, man.

What does this silly battle say about Texas Senate Democrats’ assessment of their black constituents? Do they think a significant portion don’t have driver’s licenses? Do they imagine that, left to their own devices, they can’t procure a ballot or fill it out correctly or make it to a polling place? Who are the racists here?

Two possibilities, both bad

To thoughtful, fair-minded American voters, there are only two possibilities for why Texas Democrats—and Democrats nationwide—push the voter-integrity-laws-are-Jim-Crow-racist myth.

Either:

1. They hope that by hammering home this profoundly absurd notion through sheer repetition and sing-along theatrics they can fool voters, which makes them seem deeply dishonest.

Or,

2. They actually believe the nonsensical myth (one that most voters don’t believe) that voter integrity bills like SB 1 are profoundly racist, which makes them seem deeply delusional.

Democrat lawmakers in Texas aren’t stupid. Nor are they crazy. In fact, they seem strategic and unified. They want to secure power, and the most effective way to do so is by winning elections. Freely and fairly?

For a party that seems guided by a movable moral compass, this is a fair question.

Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatens to arrest the runaway Democrats the moment they return to Texas and escort them back to the Senate building. If they refuse to do their jobs or run away again, he says he’ll just keep calling special elections—even if he has to do so all the way to the 2022 midterms.

Believers or schemers

Apparently, it’s unconstitutional and against Texas state law for lawmakers to run away from legislative fights. If their cries of racism are motivated by political strategy, their tactics are unethical and may be criminal. If this is the case, feigning a fight against “Jim Crow” voter suppression by pushing a threadbare false equivalency is Machiavellian propaganda.

On the other hand, if Texas Senate Democrats genuinely believe they’re doing something courageous and needful, they’re flirting with delusion. In any case, comparing Texas SB 1 to Jim Crow-era laws is about as silly as comparing the January 6 riot to Pearl Harbor and 9/11.

Both comparisons are cynical and/or delusional. They’re also slaps in the faces of WWII veterans, firefighters, police officers, early responders, and genuine victims.

Texas Democrats: Do better.

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Patrick is a journalist and writer with degrees in English and journalism. He served six years in the Navy where his life was changed forever by the Lord Jesus Christ. He lives in the Sierra Nevada of Northern California with his wife, dog and two cats. He enjoys hiking and cycling, taking pictures and blogging at https://luscri.com/



 
 
 

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Military

Teaching Terrorists Everywhere that Taking Hostages Works

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Are you a conservative business person? Then check out the Red Referral Network and partner with Dinesh D’Souza by clicking the banner below: There was a time that they didn’t negotiate with kidnappers or terrorists. But obviously, things have changed, and, as one might expect, hostage taking has increased. Why? Because it works. It results in the release of convicted terrorists in custody and gets hours of media coverage for their cause.

Terrorists understand the West. Founded on Judeo-Christian values, the West puts a premium on each human life. Our respect for the individual is one of our strengths, but it clearly can cost us in facing terrorists. One cannot fault the families of anyone held hostage for fighting for their release and pleading and praying for their safe return. In the same situation, would not most of us do the same? Terrorists know that.

With the slow and steady drip of more hostages being released every day, the ceasefire continues to be extended and Israel remains constrained from their goal of eliminating Hamas from Gaza. With each passing day Israel is forced to face more restrictions in an effort to protect the innocent civilians. They are forced to deal with Hamas, give them supplies, and release dangerous captives back into Gaza.

As Hamas releases captives and the media covers the hostages’ heartwarming return home, Hamas is given the opportunity to present themselves as the “good guys,” releasing women and children to the appreciative eyes of the world. They inflate the numbers of Palestinian women and children already killed in Israel’s response. Hamas is finding that the repeated release will begin to soften the world’s view of their October 7th savagery,

While Israel is being forced to wait and watch the daily trickle of hostages being returned, they know full well that the supplies they’re bringing to Hamas will make their job to eliminate them more difficult. Weapons are being moved, fortifications are strengthened, forces are repositioned, and traps are being put in place to kill Israeli soldiers. Every day they delay their assault, their job is becoming more difficult.

The IDF and Israeli leaders are saying the right things. Getting the hostages returned is a welcome result. They know that having to release them by force would have put far more hostages and soldiers in danger. No doubt, many of the Israeli hostages now free might very well have died in the efforts to free them by force. Good has come, but at what cost to their ultimate aim?

What is rewarded gets replicated. In 2011, the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas, also known in Arabic as Wafa al-Ahrar, “Faithful to the Free,” resulted in the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Hamas prisoners held by Israel. It took the release of a thousand terrorists to get one captured soldier. That was a deal Hamas loved. As Israel negotiates now, how many convicted terrorists will be returned to Gaza to release the remaining hostages held captive? Once again, taking hostages is paying off in the number of Hamas terrorists freed.

As the ceasefire is extended and only a few hostages are released per day, the exchange could easily take weeks. Hamas is counting on the international press and wavering Western allies to keep up the pressure on Israel. What they want is a permanent ceasefire, and if Israel caves in and agrees to this, the entire war will have been for nothing. Hamas will remain in power in Gaza, and Israel will be left with a military failure and the assurance that more attacks will continue.

Israel has promised to resume their goal of eliminating Hamas from Gaza once the hostage negotiations have been completed. But the anti-Israel media will be ready to savage Israel for even considering to resume the assault.

But resume they must! Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of a founding member of Hamas who went undercover as a spy for Israel, provides a warning the West should take to heart: “The danger is if Israel fails in their war in Gaza, which is a brutal war … it will inspire … savages [who will] blackmail superpowers and bring democracies to their knees. If Israel fails in Gaza, all will be next.”

Thankfully, Israel is used to being hated. They know what it is to go it alone if necessary. Netanyahu has promised to resume the assault and to take out Hamas leaders living in presumed safety abroad. Many of the Hamas fighters released in the hostage exchange will no doubt join the fight against Israel. Hopefully, many of them will die in their futile defense.

Terrorism must not win the day. Israel would be wise to put a time limit on when all hostages must be released. Provide a safe page for innocents until that deadline is reached. Some remaining hostages may die, but what assurance does Israel have that some hostages are not already dead. Israel must finish the job or an emboldened Hamas will be free to repeat their savage attacks. Evil must be defeated. God willing, it will be.
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Lessons to Learn from Taylor Swift

She is too busy creating and focusing on her craft to sustain self-doubt

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Are you a conservative business person? Then check out the Red Referral Network and partner with Dinesh D’Souza by clicking the banner below:

It’s official, Taylor Swift is now a billionaire. Not bad for age 33. At age 14 and 15, she and her parents made the rounds to many TV and recording studios in Hollywood and in Nashville asking if she could offer a live demo. Most producers said ‘no’ and summarily dismissed her.

The take home point is that at an early age she had already intended to be a star performer. She was quoted as saying: “I’ve wanted one thing for my whole life and I’m not going to be that girl who wants one thing her whole life, then gets it, and complains.” She’s simply living out her dream. If that includes Travis Kelce, so be it.

I’m not a fan per se, but I do like several of her songs, among them Forever and Always, Sweeter Than Fiction, Red, Shake it Off, Cardigan, Style, Safe and Sound, Blank Space, and Welcome to New York. What captivates nearly everyone is her unflagging determination to offer a superior performance every time. The clever lyrical twists and catchiness transcends pop.

Not Great, But Mesmerizing

I saw her for the first time on Saturday Night Live, around 17 years ago. I only caught her performance midway, but was mesmerized. Here was a tall, slender, teenage girl, not with the world’s greatest vocals, with her guitar wailing away on a song called Forever and Always. She had such conviction in her singing that I, and apparently millions of others, was enthralled. We have all since learned that she can play numerous musical instruments and is a virtuoso pianist.

Among dozens of things that Taylor Swift does to maintain high confidence and be ultra-successful, here are a few to contemplate:

1. Stagecraft. Taylor Swift’s stage presence is extraordinary. She most definitely owns the stage, has musical talent on guitar and piano. The rest is her confidence. She is a student of effective presentation and seems not just study but mastered her show whatever the album or theme.

2. High Positive Energy. Her energy level is extraordinarily high and focused. You could say this about many singers, but if you watch any Taylor Swift performance you’ll quickly notice that she uses all 5’11” of her height and all 128 pounds of her weight in her performance. She is confident and not self conscious.

3. Connecting to You. Her connection to the audience is amazing. Through gestures, eye contact, and a variety of other stagecraft techniques, you get the sense that she is totally there, in every performance. Some singers and performers allow you to watch. Some induce you to watch. Taylor Swift performs in a way that all you want to do is watch without questioning her choices.

4. Insight and Coaching. She is a student of performance. Years back, asked to be an at-large coach on the hit television show The Voice, she astounded the four regulars coaches – Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, and Blake Shelton. She could instantly assess their team members’ practice sessions and, within seconds, offer insightful suggestions that immediately improved their performances. She has stated that she makes mental notes of every performance she’s seen and her unparalleled performance wisdom belies her tender age.

5. Fearless About Change. Just when you want to put her in a category she changes and rather effectively. She is constantly evolving. Whether or not you like her music, if you take the word of top critics and music aficionados, it’s undeniable that each album has gotten better.

6. Despite the Fame. As far as one can tell, she is down-to-earth. During an interview on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, she stated that album reviews do matter, and any artist who says they don’t is not being honest. How she maintains an air of humility, and that common person touch, probably can be attributed to her parents. At some point, however, you have to concede, that she has what it takes to make herself a star.

7. Open Communication Helps and Hurts. Because she is self-disclosing, many fans gave her an immediate pass. Today, it is understood that Taylor Swift writes songs from her personal experiences that have meaning for her and, happily, also have meaning for her listeners. She has fun with it and doesn’t hide it. It works for her and evidently relates to a great portion of her audience.

8. Change is Embraced. Taylor Swift lives in the now and has a focus on the future. Her decision to abandon country for pop was done with the realization that she’ll be in the business for the long haul, and that the popular music route will enable her to grow and expand in novel ways.

Lessons For Us All

Being confident and an open communicator works for Taylor Swift. Fame aside she’s a true pro who is too busy creating and focusing on her craft to sustain self-doubt. These are lessons for all of us.

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