May 27, 2021Texas Anti Racists Bill Allows Racism to Flourish in the ClassroomSection H6 of HB3979 The argument proponents of HB3979, the anti-Critical Race Theory bill as its commonly labeled, is that it strives to eliminate racists education from the school system that is targeted toward white students. Sen. …Texas3 min readTexas3 min read
Jan 3, 2021Member-onlySenator Ted Cruz and his fellow senators and representatives are planning to violate the Constitution.By objecting to the electoral vote outcomes through the Counting Electoral Votes In Congress statue, Cruz and the others clearly are violating the 12th Amendment. The 12th Amendment only gives…Politics1 min readPolitics1 min read
Dec 21, 2020Member-onlyLatinx Voters described as the “Sleeping Giant” is a racist trope that dates to the 1960s because…Latinx Voters described as the “Sleeping Giant” is a racist trope that dates to the 1960s because it connotes the sleepy Mexican yawning “manana.” Michael Powell, Cecilia Ballí, and Betsabeth…Elections1 min readElections1 min read
Jun 21, 2020Member-onlySystemic Racism Roots in Law EnforcementSystemic Racism Roots in Law Enforcement The “Bad Apples” Explanation for Rejecting Law Enforcement Reform Began in Texas Over a 100 Years Ago Texas Senators John Cornyn’s and Ted Cruz’s rejection of systemic racism existing within law enforcement aligns with President Donald Trump’s “Bad Apples” explanation. The explanation of a few bad officers to deny systemic reform within law enforcement finds its roots within Texas history.Racism4 min readRacism4 min read
Apr 23, 2020Member-onlyAmericans Are Not XenophobicAmericans Are Not Xenophobic COVID-19 and Trump’s Temporary Immigration Ban Identity Politics and Understanding Polls Modern politics is not about gaining votes from independents, it is about getting partisans to out vote their political opponents. It is about motivation. President Trump’s proposed immigration ban represents xenophobic identity politics. While not all of President Trump’s supporters are xenophobic, xenophobia is an important…Politics3 min readPolitics3 min read
Jul 22, 2019Member-onlyDispatches from 956: The Siege-The Military Foresaw the Refugee CrisisThe United States Southern Command provides a yearly posture statement to the Senate Armed Service Committee. A posture statement is an assessment of threats to the nation’s security from Central America, South American and the Caribbean. …Immigration5 min readImmigration5 min read
Jun 12, 2019Member-onlyDispatches from 956: The Siege-Bureaucracy of Family SeparationThe soul of a community can be measured by how it treats children and families. History has never been kind to communities that disregarded children and families as disposable means towards some economic or political end. …Refugees5 min readRefugees5 min read
Dec 18, 2018Member-onlyDispatches from 956: The Siege-PropagandaFor a physical siege to occur, you need propaganda. President Trump’s opening statement of hate for his presidential campaign was not a beginning but a culmination of anti-immigrant forces work to find a viable candidate. That he won the election and implemented mass deportation policies was a goal achieved. …Immigration5 min readImmigration5 min read
Nov 15, 2018Member-onlyDispatches from 956: The Siege-StatisticsWe are a community under siege. The Lower Rio Grande Valley, the four Texas counties of Willacy, Cameron, Hidalgo, and Star along the Rio Grande represent a flash point for demagogues. President Trump opened his presidential run by vilifying Mexican immigrants, code for all Latinx people, and depicting the border…Immigration3 min readImmigration3 min read
Jan 11, 2016A Border Antigone: When Texas Rangers Killed MexicansThirty years later I can still remember Betty Harwell, my high school English teacher, imitating Antigone sprinkling dust over Polyneices’s body in defiance of King Creon’s edict against his burial. Harwell explained the main conflict within Sophocles’s “Antigone” centered on the sacredness of burial versus obedience to the state. “Antigone”…History5 min readHistory5 min read
