What Debate? — The Houston Chroniclesaid it best in its headline: “Lt. Gov. candidates try to out-conservative each other.” To be fair, it was the first debate between the conservative candidates, but still. “All four agreed on a host of far-right issues: that creationism should be taught in school, that border enforcement needs to be strengthened and that each is unwavering in their support of pro-life policy.” Current land commissioner Jerry Patterson appears to be the only candidate to detour off the beaten path, saying he was in support of medical marijuana if it was doctor-approved. Dull as the “debate” was, it sure beats the Democrats’s primary contest pitting Leticia Van de Putte against … Leticia Van de Putte.
Grande Fight — Water wars among us very dry states continues with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling yesterday that Texas can proceed with its lawsuit against New Mexico, which is has moved from being the Land of Enchantment to the droughty land of greedy slurpers. Or, perhaps put in a less biased manner, “Texas contends that groundwater pumping near the Texas-New Mexico border has resulted in Texas farmers and residents being deprived of Rio Grande water,” according to the AP. New Mexico, meanwhile, claims its dealings are as transparent and clear as water itself: “[We] look forward to being able to tell New Mexico’s side of the story and to have our day in court,” said the state’s attorney general. But don’t expect any decision on the matter to come gushing forth. The case has been trickling through the courts since last year, and this new course correction could “set the stage for a protracted legal battle.”
Human Trafficking Jam — Texas maintained another terrible ranking when the National Human Trafficking Resource Center named the state the second in “number of calls placed to the hotline,” according to Dallas Morning News. As writer Sarah Mervosh notes, while it’s “difficult to capture the specific data because of the hidden nature of the crime,” the number of received calls does offer a depressing glimpse into the problem and its locations. California, for instance, received 3,083 calls compared to Texas’s 2,236. Most of the activity here is generally known to occur in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, a “relative hotbed for human trafficking.”
Representative Stockman, I Presume? — After having gone “missing” for a fortnight, Representative Steve Stockman is back on the grid. Like Dr. Livingstone, Stockman apparently went to Africa (and Israel and Russia) on official business, but questions remain. The Dallas Morning News is humorously curt in its recap of Stockman’s walkabout. While half a dozen representatives did indeed go on a diplomatic trip, Stockman—who missed seventeen floor votes without explanation—”had been absent longer than his colleagues from the House.” Despite numerous inquiries regarding his whereabouts, the Rep’s staff was (and remains) mum, and media outlets like the DMN are all like, pics or it didn’t happen. “So far, no photos or news coverage of Stockman’s overseas trip have surface, other than from the 2-day visit in Egypt. He has yet to produce such evidence.” Despite getting a worldly perspective, Stockman was still his old self when he returned, saying media outlets knew exactly where he was and “refused to admit the truth because it would have spoiled their bizarre stories.” Boy, it sure is great to have ya back!
No Fan Of Can Ban — Just in time for whatever ridiculously warm winter weather occurs next week, a San Antonio district judge has overturned a New Braunfels ban on disposable containers. The controversial ban was approved by the New Braunfels City Council in 2012, and affected both the Guadalupe and Comal river. The judge ruled that city didn’t have jurisdiction to regulate such prohibited items (also: who’s gonna enforce it, cops in inner tubes?). Briefly noted in news reports are the groups the filed the original complaint. There’s the local river outfitters, obviously. And then there’s the real puppet-master behind the effort—an unnamed “beer distributor.”
