Fascism For Kids, Weed For No One

Inside the most unhinged week of the Texas Legislature.

There are only 11 days left in this legislative session, and from what I’m hearing, y’all can breathe a sigh of relief because it doesn’t appear that there will be any subsequent special sessions. But if the next 11 days are anything like yesterday, it will feel like 11 years. Let’s get into it.

First, the House passed SB31, which is a bill that allows doctors to save the life of a woman in medical emergencies related to pregnancy. Many women have died in Texas since 2021, when Republicans passed the “heartbeat bill,” from various things, such as ectopic pregnancies, ruptured uteruses, sepsis, and so on. This was supposed to be the GOP’s fix on all the lives lost.

Most Republicans voted for it. However, a handful of Republicans either voted against it or voted “present, not voting.” Here were those 15 members:

Now, you may have a different opinion, but the way I see it, the members who voted “present, not voting” did that out of cowardice. While they didn’t vote to explicitly kill women, like Harrison, Hopper, Lowe, Olcott, Pierson, and Shatzline did…. they didn’t vote to save them either. So, they’re perfectly okay with women dying from pregnancy.

You can see the whole debate here (YouTube), but I want to bring your attention to one specific moment with David Lowe (R-HD91), when he talked about voting against this bill:

Lowe didn’t understand the legal terminology in the bill, questioned whether doctors should be allowed to terminate a pregnancy even if the patient has cancer, and made it clear that he’s opposed to any abortion, even if a woman might die.

None of this is surprising to Tarrant County residents, as Lowe has been known to stand outside of polling locations during elections, holding up giant pictures of aborted fetuses.

It should also be noted that when ex-Representative Jonathan Stickland got mad at me for contacting his gay sister to ask her how she felt about her brother using genocidal language toward the LGBTQ+ community, David Lowe made veiled threats about shooting me.

For the record, I’ve never murdered anyone or cut off any penises.

I suspect Lowe has some sociopathic tendencies, obviously the boy ain’t right.

While we’re on the topic….

Profiling a sociopath.

Remember last week, when I made a list and cross-referenced every Republican who voted:

• Against allowing teenagers to learn about their bodies and consent,

• And also voted in favor of child marriages?

Let’s cross-reference that list with who also voted in favor of letting women die in emergency, life-threatening situations in pregnancy (I’m including the “present, not voting” cowards, too.)

These are the absolute WORST Republicans in Texas ⬆️. They don’t want teenagers to know about consent, but also want them to get married while still in high school, and die from pregnancy complications.

If Democrats have a strong year in 2026, most of them are vulnerable.

And if that’s not unhinged enough for you…

Candy Noble (R-HD89) defends incest.

The bill was SB33, which prohibits cities and counties from funding women to go out of state to obtain abortions. You can see the entire debate here (YouTube).

While this debate was happening, Donna Howard (D-HD48) took to the back mic to question Noble about the bill. She asked (paraphrasing), “What about cities providing funding for victims of incest to leave the state for abortion care?”

Noble responded that a good friend of hers was a product of incest, implying that incest victims should be forced to carry their relative’s pregnancy to term… You know, cause she once had a friend.

It should be noted that every Republican, plus Sergio Muñoz (D-HD36) and Richard Raymond (D-HD42), voted to block victims of rape and incest from leaving the state to obtain abortion care.

The day only got more fun from there.

“Thou shalt not commit adultery” is now mandated to every kindergarten classroom in Texas.

That’s right. We’re talking about the Ten Commandments Bill, which will mandate that every classroom in Texas post the Ten Commandments. It’s ironic because Republicans are liars, and most of them cheat on their wives.

But James Talarico (D-HD52) gave a stellar debate performance against this bill, and ultimately killed it for now. The bill will probably come back later next week.

I’m starting to hear campaign buzz for various races across the state, which I’m really excited to talk to you about in 11 more days. However, no word is yet on whether Talarico will run for governor in 2026.

Someone mentioned that he might wait until 2030 because he’s only 36 years old and wants to get a few more years under his belt, but I would support him running next year. Rep, are you listening? Just do it.

Wes Virdell thinks it should be legal to shoot at someone, as long as you don’t hit them.

Texas has a big problem with road rage. It seems like every other week, I turn on the news, and someone is shot in their car during a road rage incident.

SB3031 makes shooting at someone during a road rage incident a first-degree felony.

Virdell (R-HD53), who is on the list above of WORST Republicans in Texas, attempted to add an amendment stating that it would only basically count if the victim or their property were hit. So, Virdell wanted the law to be “it’s okay to shoot at someone, as long as you don’t hit them.”

Actually.

His amendment failed, just like his moral compass.

Then, the House floor became a McCarthy-era callback to the Red Scare.

It’s been said before that we are currently living through Red Scare 3.0, which has risen alongside anti-intellectualism. That’s why Allen West got on the debate stage in 2022 and called the Democratic Party, “Communist Socialist Democrats.” Other Republicans do it, too. They don’t know the difference between democracy, socialism, and communism. All they know is “words bad.”

Which is why this exchange between Jeff Leach (R-HD67) and Gene Wu (D-HD137) was so interesting.

Wu, a Chinese-American, pressed Leach about adding language to the bill that not all people from Communist countries are bad. Leach refused. While Wu didn’t bring it up, the Texas Scorecard has written several racist pieces on Wu, accusing him of having “CCP-ties,” simply because of his nationality.

In the last decade, I’ve been making content about Texas politics and speaking about many Black, white, and Hispanic legislators. It has only been when I’ve ever discussed Wu that I’ve seen the most vile racist attacks on social media, and even in my email inbox after the article I wrote last week praising him.

And then Stan Kitzman (R-HD85) comes in like a dumbass, proud that he just learned to tie his shoes, and questions Leach, “Did you know…..”

• Communism is more responsible for death and misery in the 20th Century than any other form of government? (This is false.)

• China killed over 70 million due to communism? (Maybe true.)

• Stalin killed over 40 million due to communism? (This is false)

• We know have a problem today in Ukraine/Russia because of communism? (Also, false.)

Before I get into this, I want to make it perfectly clear. I am not a communist, nor do I intend on becoming a communist, but I believe in the truth and the First Amendment.

Here is the truth (from peer-reviewed sources):

• Capitalism killed an estimated 150 million people in the 20th Century.

• Only between 6 and 9 million died under Stalin.

• Putin’s imperial ambitions caused the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The only thing Kitzman may have gotten right was the death toll in China. Historians attribute most of those deaths to famine in the late 50s and 60s. The exact number of deaths in China isn’t known due to archival data and differing methodologies among researchers. Still, most scholars assert that the death toll was approximately 70 million people who died as a result of communist policies in China under Mao Zedong.

Vikki Goodwin (D-HD47) attempted to add an amendment to this bill that would mandate that if school children were to learn about communism, they should also know about fascism. Republicans voted it down.

Why? The modern-day Republican Party holds fascist ideology. Can’t tell the kids that their parents subscribe to the same ideology as Nazis.

While we’re on the topic, fascism has killed almost as many people as communism in the 20th Century. From Nazi Germany, to Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy under Mussolini, millions died under fascist regimes.

But Republicans only want you to know, “Communism bad.”

Anti-intellectualism, I tell you.

Gina Hinojosa (D-HD49) attempted to add a similar amendment, talking about the dangers of fascism. Republicans voted against it.

At the end of the debate, our least favorite Democrat, Richard Raymond, went on a tangent, telling Democrats that they would lose elections if they voted against this bill.

What planet does Richard Raymond live on that he thinks Democrats won’t vote for blue because blue didn’t vote for Red Scare propaganda?

Let’s find out:

I’ll email Raymond the results when the poll is over.

And yet, the legislative day still wasn’t over.

Now, a comedic intermission brought to you by Carrie Isaac (R-HD73).

Isaac made a motion to consider a bill that failed. The bill would have taken water out of Erin Zwiener’s (D-HD45) district and her home, which brought out the cat claws.

Isaac yelled, but she refused to answer Zwiener’s questions. Ultimately, the body voted against her motion.

While there may not be a lot of joy on the House floor in these final days, relish in the Republican temper tantrums, because they are Grade-A entertainment.

SB3 passes, the ban on THC.

Republicans mean to have everyone in our state poor, without healthcare, living under clouds of pollution, shooting at each other, and doing it all sober. Actually, you can still consume alcohol, but legal THC? Not as long as Republicans are in control.

The bill initially allowed for cannabis-type beverages, but Tom Oliverson (R-HD130) added an amendment to prohibit any intoxicating hemp from being sold. 🤦🏻‍♀️It passed 95-44, with several Democrats voting in favor.

Our pot-head friends have been living in the illegal shadows with marijuana for all this time already, and it’ll remain that way for now. So, if you smoke pot, you’re probably buying it illegally, and that won’t change. But no more buying legal gummies at the CBD store.

We’re almost there.

So, to recap: in the span of one legislative day, Republicans voted to let women die, defended incest, tried to legalize drive-by shootings (as long as you miss), mandated adultery lectures to kindergarteners, pushed Red Scare propaganda, blocked amendments about fascism, passed a weed ban, and pitched a fit over water rights. And we’ve still got 11 days to go.

If this is what governing looks like under Republican control, it’s no wonder they want kids too scared, too sick, or too indoctrinated to fight back. But here’s the good news. They’re terrified. Of facts. Of you. Of a public that’s starting to pay attention.

So stay loud, stay woke, and for the love of THC, vote.

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

• June 3: The beginning of the 2026 election season.

• Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.

LoneStarLeft is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Follow me on Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Instagram.