News

from San Antonio Current — December 15, 2021

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HNortheast ISD has pulled more than 400 books from its shelves for review after Texas Rep. Ma Krause demanded that school districts reveal whether they own copies of books that discuss race, gender, and sexuality. A petition signed by more than 1,000 people said Black and LGBTQ+ students are “appalled and hurt” by NEISD’s decision to comply with the Republican lawmaker.

HU.S. Rep Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, caused a stir last week when he told a gathering that the conservatives have “grifters in our mix.” Specifically, he called out members of the far-right Freedom Caucus as “performance artists” who accomplished li le during Donald Trump’s presidency.

HHouston’s Pappas Restaurants empire sent a cease-and-desist le er to the owner of Papa’s Burgers, demanding that the owner of two renowned San Antonio burger spots “immediately transition away” from its longtime name. Papa’s Burgers doesn’t have any Houston locations.

The U.S. Justice Department has sued Texas again, arguing that the state’s redistricting process violated the Voting Rights Act by discriminating against Latinos and other communities of color to maximize the voting power of white Texans. Despite the fact that 95 percent of growth in Texas in the past 10 years came from BIPOC communities, the state legislature reduced the number of Latino-majority state legislative districts from 33 to 30 and drew two new majority-white U.S. congressional districts.

— Abe Asher

YOU SAID IT!

“Today is day 101 of Texans being denied their basic right to essential abortion care. Texans deserve better than this.”

— A tweet from Amy Hagstrom Miller,

president and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that it will allow Texas’ near-total abortion ban to stay in place while it considers the case.

Self-Help with Capitol Insurrectionist Jenna Ryan

Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark.

Remember Jenna Ryan, the charming North Texas real estate agent who bragged that her blonde hair and white skin would keep her out of jail for participating in the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection?

You may recall that prediction didn’t exactly hold water. Last month, a Washington D.C. federal judge sentenced Ryan, 50, to two months behind bars for taking part in “an assault on our democracy.”

Now, as fi rst reported by the Dallas Observer, Ryan is doing what any high-profi le prisoner does: she’s announcing that she has a book deal in the works.

Those waiting for Ryan to acknowledge the error of her ways or off er philosophical refl ections on her choices are likely to be disappointed. From the sounds she’s making on social media, her forthcoming tome isn’t exactly Soul on Ice.

Ryan’s TikTok clip touting the potential deal was scant on details, other than that she’d signed a contract with a literary agent in Venice, California. However, the Observer unearthed an earlier tweet in which Ryan bragged about writing a self-help book.

We’re certainly left scratching our heads over what kind of life-improving advice this assclown is qualifi ed to dispense. But, as the Jan. 6 a ack itself illustrates, that may not really matter given a large swath of the U.S. population’s unquenchable appetite for fantasy, conspiracy theories and apocalyptic fi ction. — Sanford

Nowlin

Twitter / dotjenna

The U.S. Supreme Court last Friday refused to hear an appeal from the Biden administration challenging Texas’ near-total ban on abortions. However, in a partial victory for abortion advocates, it allowed women’s health clinics to pursue their separate suit to shut down the law. Reproductive rights groups voiced outrage that the law, which has forced women to travel out of state for abortion care, wasn’t halted while the legal challenge proceeds.

Bexar County offi cials want to spend some $6.3 million to handle an explosion in domestic violence cases by hiring 40 new staff ers to prosecute abusers and increasing resources to help victims navigate the legal system. The push for greater investment comes after an Express-News investigation showed that Bexar has the highest dismissal rate for family violence cases of any of Texas’ urban counties.

Ma hew Dowd’s run for lieutenant governor is over. The former George W. Bush strategist turned Democratic candidate dropped out six days before the candidate fi ling deadline as state Rep. Michelle Beckley and state Democratic Party vice chair Carla Brailey decide whether to enter the race, saying that he “not want to be the one who stands in the way of the greater diversity we need in politics.” Dowd was also being outraised by 2018 nominee Mike Collier.