TURNCOATS among us?  

 Part II in a series leading up to the most important vote Texas House members will cast this Legislative Session

 

As we move closer towards the opening of the 83rd Texas legislative session on January 8, 2013 it is time for the gloves to come off!

Amazingly, some of the “Texas 15” who stood on PRINCIPLE in 2011 and voted against the MODERATE Joe Straus for House Speaker seem to have lost their way and have made all sorts of excuses as to why  in 2013  Joe Straus is now the champion of true CONSERVATIVE values.

My most favorite of the absurd excuses is the one about Straus dangling committee chairmanships in front of their noses and the reasoning that with such power they will be able to get their conservative legislation passed.  Really people?   It seems some  have forgotten about a little thing called the “Calendars Committee” which Joe Straus will NEVER give up control of via his favorite moderate leaning liberal lieutenants.   So no matter what legislation any of the “Turncoats” may get through their committees – the Calendars Committee Chair really controls the ball and in their heart of hearts they know that truth.   The Reps who use that excuse are either delusional, void of common sense, or flat out lying to themselves and their constituents.

For those who are apparently suffering from amnesia, it is time they are reminded how a REAL conservative (like Rep. David Simpson) speaks and acts when it comes to issues that are important to us.

In case they’ve forgotten, those issues include things such as LIFE, ending TSA groping, illegal immigration, the Budget Compact,  and now we can add law enforcement molestation of travelers on Texas highways!   You know –  the issues many of the wavering CONSERVATIVE Reps led their constituents to believe they would fight tooth and nail for if they were re-elected.

For instance,  now some say Straus is REALLY pro-life since he didn’t kill the sonogram legislation in 2011.  Of course he really had no choice after Sen. Dan Patrick put him on the spot at the 2011 Texas Rally for Life when he made the comment about the great Texas pro-life leadership (Perry and Dewhurst) then almost choked on his tongue when he realized he had to mention  Straus too!

Now, in less than two short years Straus made the following comments in the recent 12/12/12 Texas Tribune Article:

“Asked about a so-called fetal pain measure to ban abortions after 20 weeks, legislation touted on Tuesday by Gov. Rick Perry, Straus declined to say whether he would support it, but strongly implied that he doesn’t view the proposal as a priority.”

NOT A PRIORITY – really Joe?

Then we have the big CONSERVATIVE (??) Joe Straus speaking out on the extremely important TSA anti-groping bill that Rep. Simpson introduced and championed throughout the 82nd session.  Read the stark differences between how these two men view the groping of our children, our elderly (and often very ill) parents, our citizens in general and then tell me who has moral clarity when it comes to protecting the INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS of Texans:

Excerpts from Houston Chronicle article quoting remarks from Speaker Straus on Rep. Simpson’s TSA anti-groping bill:  “House Speaker Joe Straus on Friday called an “anti-groping” bill favored by Gov. Rick Perry a “publicity stunt” and said he would not allow it to come up for a vote as written.

The legislation, which would criminalize invasive airport security pat-downs, would turn Texas “into a laughingstock,” said Straus, R-San Antonio, after abruptly adjourning the House for lack of a quorum for the second time this week.”

PUBLICITY STUNT?  Turn Texas into a laughingstock? 

For any intelligent human who is not on the take for the goodies Speaker Straus is handing out, those remarks (to say the least) are insulting.  Maybe Joe doesn’t mind his fellow Texans (young, elderly and sick) being humiliated and groped but several of his fellow elected officials understand the severity of this growing assault on the rights of Texans and they are willing speak out.

Then we have the remarks of Rep. David Simpson featured in this KCENTV.com article:

“The author of House Bill 41, Rep. David Simpson (R-Longview), says it was never his intent to create a publicity stunt.

‘This is about freedom. It’s about dignity. It’s about the people being able to travel freely without being humiliated. This bill being struck down makes a mockery of those people,’ Simpson said.”

So, who do you trust to protect our individual freedoms, the prosperity of future generations of Texans, the unborn who are murdered daily because people like Joe Straus don’t consider them “worthy” in HIS list of priorities for protection?

One can only imagine how unconcerned he will be about the newest threat to the dignity and constitutional rights of women traveling Texas highways now that the Texas DPS has decided that body cavity searches on the side of the road are their latest tool of intimidation for travelers guilty of the “crime” of throwing cigarettes out their car windows.

For those who ran as CONSERVATIVES during the last election,  if they cast their vote for Straus as House Speaker in 2013 they are really going to have a hard time putting lipstick on that pig come GOP primary time. 

You know what they say, “In November We Will Remember.”  Of course,  they are hearing that from the Straus’  big money circles as well so I’d say they have some serious soul searching to do.

When they cast that vote on January 8th, they can either go down as a person who stood on principle with honor for what is right OR they can go down in flames as a Turncoat who helped destroy the once Great State of Texas.

Looks like the ball is in their court BUT we will be there with boots on the ground to shine a bright light on the outcome of the most important vote in the 83rd session of the Texas legislature!