Texas lawmakers sent notices to schools on Monday informing them that new legislation allows students and teachers to dress in festive garb and say “Merry Christmas” all they want without fear of punishment. The so-called “Merry Christmas Law” is backed by social conservatives who feel that seasonal religious festivities have come under attack because of…
Social conservatives on the Texas State Board of Education have delayed approval of a high school biology textbook, pending a review by experts, citing concerns about the book’s lessons on evolution. In the latest episode of a lengthy battle by evangelicals in Texas to insert Christian and Biblical teachings into public school textbooks, the board…
Right now in Texas, women are getting turned away from abortion clinics thanks the set of targeted regulations aimed at abortion providers once filibustered by Wendy Davis (pictured below), eventually upheld by a conservative appeals court. The scene on the ground is not a pleasant, or a fair one. The Austin Chronicle reported “tears” and…
Texas A&M is set to announce the creation of a branch campus in Israel. Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp are in Israel, where they will announce plans for Texas A&M Peace University in Nazareth on Wednesday, The New York Times reported. The newspaper said Texas A&M would become…
Govs. Rick Perry of Texas and Brian Sandoval of Nevada, Republicans tapped for 2016 presidential runs, are visiting Israel. Perry, who has visited Israel multiple times, was in the country this week to open the Nazareth campus of Texas A&M University. But he also had meetings with Israeli leaders, including on Monday with Prime Minister…
Joseph Shamash believes that film creates space in real life for conversations to happen. That is his intention with his “One Wish for Iran, Love Israel,” video, which has gone viral since it was uploaded to YouTube in early August. The video shows Israelis and Palestinians from different walks of life and religious backgrounds sharing…
In Texas, turning progressive ideals into action can be an uphill battle, especially with a legislature that just last weekend voted to impose severe restrictions on women’s healthcare. Laws on the books here in our state include a 24-hour waiting period before terminating a pregnancy, requiring a sonogram or a trans-vaginal ultrasound to be performed….
Let’s focus now on two bits of news that made headlines as July opened. The first came from the Texas Capitol in Austin, where the newly famous Wendy Davis joined fellow lawmakers in a rally against legislation that would effectively restrict most abortions in the state. Davis, you remember, spent more than 10 hours on…
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