Texas Blinks

It went largely unnoticed by the so-called mainstream media, but a Constitutional showdown of epic proportions almost occurred in Texas this week. HB 1937, which passed the Texas House 138-0 before being stopped in the Senate, and would have given state law enforcement officers the ability to arrest TSA agents for touching the genitals of would-be flyers without reasonable suspicion that an individual might be hiding something in their crotch. The idea that a state would interpose itself between its citizens and an overreaching Federal government is nothing new. However, in an era where an apathetic American public, and equally apathetic state governments, have looked the other way time and time again while power is centralized in Washington DC, United States Attorney John E. Murphy showed just how easy it is for the Federal Government to intimidate any state wishing to exercise its sovereignty. Just before the bill was to be brought to the floor in the Senate, Mr. Murphy sent a letter to Texas lawmakers threatening to shutdown all flights to and from Texas should the bill pass. That was all it took. Support immediately evaporated and the bill was pulled from the floor. Having just visited Texas, I was impressed with the level of pride Texans, at least superficially, have in their state. It is not uncommon to see state flags flying where one would normally see the stars and stripes. However, the Federal Government last week showed just how little bite is left to back up the "don't mess with Texas" bark.

In case you missed it, here is a replay of the showdown between Austin and Washington: