In Symbolic Move, Abbott Calls Special Session On Indigenous Peoples' Day

In 1492, Christopher Columbus inflicted violence, exploitation, and destruction on the Indigenous people of the Caribbean. This is why Governor Abbott's special session agenda is so shocking.

Did Greg Abbott intentionally tweet a picture of himself doing a Nazi salute?

During the 2022 election, Greg Abbott raked in over $111 million. Even though his next term won’t be up until 2026, he’s already pulled in over $15 million. That equates to a lot of political favors. Despite the massive pushback and unpopularity of school vouchers, Abbott’s latest special session will focus on just that. He’ll likely also put “border security” on the agenda.

All year, Abbott has been touring the state and meeting with every private school and Christian organization to talk about what he deems “school choice.” But it’s a crusade to destroy public education. Even the majority of rural Republicans aren’t going along with his privatization scheme. This is why the legislature failed to pass all school privatization bills in the regular session.

Currently, the Governor does not have the support he needs to enact his radical school voucher program, but that could easily change. Remember, Republicans operate by how much money they get, not by doing what’s best for their constituents. With Abbott’s war chest continuous growth, he’ll have plenty of money this coming election to either make or break Republicans in the legislature.

Getting school privatization passed in the Senate should be easy since most Republicans in that chamber are profoundly corrupt and will do anything the billionaire class wants. The GOP members in the House are going to be much more difficult to sway.

Urban Democrats and rural Republicans teamed up to kill vouchers earlier this year.

A few weeks ago, Abbott said, “If we do not win in that first special session, we will have another special special session, and we’ll come back again. And then, if we don’t win that time, I think it’s time to send this to the voters themselves. We will have everything teed up so that we will give voters in a primary a choice.”

It was a threat to House Republicans. Either pass this school privatization bullshit, or I’ll use my big fat war chest to fund your primary opponent. Like I said, in Texas, Republicans act by the dollars they will or won’t get.

Public dollars for private education. Of course, as we all know, this is the “genius” way the GOP has figured out how to reimplement school segregation. The end goal is for wealthy parents who have never intended to enroll their kids in public schools to cash in on the defunding of Texas’s public education system. Voucher programs, especially ESAs, have a track record of being proven full of waste and fraud. More corruption? By now, you should know it’s the Republican way.

And what about “border security?”

Since the end of the regular session, the GOP has been fuming about how their “Show Me Your Papers” bill was killed in the House. Even if it weren’t killed, it would have been unconstitutional. But their end goal is to get Ken Paxton to try it to the Supreme Court and overturn Arizona vs. the United States.

They want to be able to deputize any white person to have the legal ability to stop brown people and ask them for their papers or proof of their immigration status. And if you weren’t already aware, the Hispanic population in Texas outnumbers the Anglo population, which opens the doors for all types of potential conflicts and discrimination based on racial or ethnic profiling.

We can expect several racist attempts at “border security,” which target Hispanic Americans who call Texas home. Democrats were able to kill this awful legislation last go around. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they’ll be able to kill more of these appalling bills.

The symbolism of Abbott calling a special session on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The irony lies in the fact that Abbott’s special session agenda appears to disregard the lessons of history. By pushing for school vouchers, he is championing a policy that will harm public education, particularly affecting marginalized communities the most. This move mirrors the historical injustices perpetrated against Indigenous populations when their lands and resources were forcibly removed.

Abbott’s focus on “border security” is reminiscent of the divisive policies that have targeted Hispanic and immigrant communities in Texas. It echoes the historical prejudice and discrimination faced by Indigenous and minority populations and the enduring struggle for justice and equality.

In calling this special session on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Abbott’s actions underscore the ongoing tension between preserving the rights and dignity of marginalized communities and perpetuating policies that run counter to the principles of justice and equity.

Don’t forget, this special session also comes during a bloody Civil War within the GOP ranks.

It’s going to get ugly. You can count on it. Like a train wreck, I won’t be able to look away. So, I promise to bring you all the best updates as I have them. Stay tuned.