Hate Speech
During the last legislative session, freshman Rep. Diego Bernal, a former San Antonio City Council member, fought hard against Texas' new open carry law for handguns.
He lost.
However, business owners are allowed to prohibit open carry in their establishments. To do so, they must post what's called a Penal Code Section 30.07 sign. These signs follow strict regulations for wording, size of text and appearance.
Well, to the ire of Second Amendment advocates, Bernal created a bunch and is handing them out for free to businesses that want to prohibit the open carrying of handguns on their premises.
Cue the nut jobs who are angry that Bernal is helping people comply with the law.
Bernal took to social media last week to post a couple of the racist messages he received as a result of his efforts.
One guy, named Bruce, asked whether Bernal's name was "Pedro" or "Heime" and told him to go back to Mexico, explaining that he hopes all the "wetbacks" are deported from this country. You know who he's voting for.
Then there's William Sullivan, who, not surprisingly, uses a Confederate flag for his Facebook profile picture.
"I've got a great idea! Why don't you take your sorry gun banning ass and go back to mexico [sic]?," Sullivan wrote on Bernal's profile.
To his credit, Bernal is taking this stupidity in stride.
"It's hilarious. I've dealt with bullies before. All they're good for is providing material for my next career as a stand-up," he said.
Disappearing Indigenous
Update (Nov. 11, 10 a.m.): A resolution declaring October 12 as Indigenous Peoples Day is on the City Council's November 19 agenda
The Texas Indigenous Council's Antonio Diaz thought Bexar County's decision to recognize October 12 as Indigenous Peoples Day would propel the San Antonio City Council in the same direction.
And it appeared that city leadership was going to take up the issue — and they still may — but it didn't happen on October 29, the day City Councilman Rey Saldaña said he would bring a resolution recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day to a vote.
Diaz said he went to City Hall and questioned the mayor and city manager's receptionist, who called other staff.
"Now I wait until the Mayor [Ivy Taylor] okays a date for the first Thursday of November," Diaz said via email, indicating he thinks they just forgot about it.
As of deadline, a draft City Council agenda for November 12 — the first Thursday council meets this month — didn't include the resolution.
Taylor indicated in a press release last month that she joins the Christopher Columbus Italian Society in support of Indigenous Peoples Day and would vote for the measure on October 29.
No Sanctuary
Texas Gov. Greg "Slash and Burn" Abbott continued cherry-picking issues that play to his right wing, Tea Party base of support by threatening to withhold grant funding from Sanctuary cities — places where law enforcement doesn't ask people about immigration status.
Early last week, Abbott targeted Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez by threatening to take action against her after she implemented a policy to not hold people accused of minor offenses an extra 48 hours for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Ironically, 16 people filed a lawsuit against Valdez that same day for honoring those ICE detainers.
A few days later, he sent letters to all Texas sheriffs, announcing he would withhold grant funding from departments that didn't honor ICE detainers.
Again, it looks like Abbott really has a soft spot for the federal government, contrary to his mission to sue President Barack "Not my President" Obama. After all, Obama's deported more people than any other president in history. That's a policy Abbott can get behind.
