Saturday, January 12, 2019

The Signs They Are A'Changin'


Devoted readers of these scribblings will perhaps remember this plaque has been mentioned here before.  It's been attached to a column in the bottom floor (read:  basement) of the Texas Capitol almost as long as your humble scribe has been alive.  It should never have been there, and should have been removed years ago.  Following Charlottesville in 2017 State Representative Eric Johnson started the effort to get the plaque removed.  Today, in a 3 minute meeting, the Texas State Board of Preservation, a board that includes the Governor and the Lt. Governor as members, voted to do so.

That it has finally been done is a good thing; that it took two years to finally happen after a protest was raised against it, is not to be overlooked.  Neither is what changed between 2017 and 2019.  The election in November had reverberations in Texas.  The Augean stables of GOP dominance were not swept clean by the river of votes that were cast (I heard this morning that polls show the majority of the Cruz vote was by newcomers to Texas; that those of us born here or who've been here long enough, voted for Beto.  Sounds right to me; Texas is not as red as you think it is; not really.).  Still, it was enough to shake Republicans out of their self assurance and general torpor.  This may be a sign of changes to come.

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