Rural Texas: Let’s raise some hell—and raise our voices.

Rural Texas Summit

🔥 2025 Rural Texas Summit — June 13–14 | Bastrop, TX
Where Rural Texans Get Loud, Get Smart, and Get Organized

Rural Texas isn’t a political afterthought—it’s a battleground. Join us at the Bastrop Convention Center for two days of straight talk, sharp strategy, and rural power-building.

On the agenda:

• Exposing the voucher scam draining rural schools

• Fixing broken urban-rural relationships

• Women running—and winning—in rural Texas

Real talk from rural voters who’ve had enough

This isn’t just another panel parade. It’s a strategy session for people who are done waiting and ready to fight smarter.

Details & Tickets: Sponsors/Vendors Friday-Panels and Party Tickets Saturday Tickets Both Days

Carla Schoonover — 940-329-0514 | Carla@the134pac.org Ruth Todd - 512-581-8869 coalitionofdemocraticallies@gmail.com

Hosted by: The 134 PAC & Coalition of Democratic Allies

---

Erosion of Military Integrity: A Call for Accountability

by Mo Tanner

Let’s examine what our Secretary of Defense has accomplished so far. He fired the Judge Advocate Generals of the Army, Air Force, and Navy. He apparently was concerned that they might provide legal advice that he would not like. This followed President Trump's firing of 11 Inspector Generals, including those in the Army, Air Force, and Navy. These officers have some responsibility for ensuring that actions taken are consistent with the law, preventing fraud, waste, and abuse, and preventing conflicts of interest. He fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who had been appointed Air Force Chief of Staff by President Trump in 2020. Apparently, his sin was to support programs favored by President Biden, precisely what a non-political military is supposed to do. He then fired the Chief of Naval Operations (apparently because, as a woman, she did not fit his “war fighter” image), the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, the Admiral representing the U.S. at NATO, and the Head of the U.S. Cyber Command.

No previous Secretary of Defense has conducted a wide-ranging purge of senior military leaders. This clearly is not a question of replacing those who are not performing their jobs well. These senior officers did not get where they are by being unable to perform well. This is a concerted attempt to undermine the non-political nature of the military.

He released the times and dates of a pending military operation by the Signal App, which is far less secure than military communications. He cut and pasted this from a secure military communication and forwarded it to two separate groups. The first included national security officials and a reporter. The second included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer. All on the first chain were high-ranking administration officials, except for a reporter for the Atlantic. All should have known that the use of the Signal App to discuss this information was improper. Why did they do this? Apparently, they could not be bothered to walk down the hall to use secure military channels. Those channels would not have allowed the message to be sent to a reporter. None of those on the second chain had any apparent need to know this information, so they should not have received it even if it had been sent by secure military communication channels.

The Administration has not claimed that the Signal App is as secure as military channels. First, it claimed the information was not classified. Second, it claimed the information did not put anyone at risk. Both are ridiculous. Should the timing of a military operation be classified? Would Russia or Iran be interested in knowing exactly when this attack would be launched? Would it be useful to the Houthis to know when to have any air defense capabilities they possessed ready? Surely, Secretary Hegseth, who served in the Army, should understand that revealing his platoon’s planned operations in advance would put his soldiers at risk. The conclusion is inescapable—he doesn’t care.

There was also a planned briefing for Elon Musk about our contingency plans for a war with China. The only need for such a briefing would be to allow him to protect his business interests. Of course, by doing so, he would likely provide valuable intelligence information to the Chinese. Once information about this planned briefing became public, it was canceled.

After these events became public, several high-ranking figures were summarily removed from their positions for reasons which have never been specified, involving unauthorized disclosures of national security information—the precise thing which Secretary Hegseth did. Is their real offense answering questions truthfully or preventing the briefing from Elon Musk? The Inspector General is investigating at least some of these actions. One might legitimately wonder how impartial that will be, given the purges discussed earlier.

More recently, the Secretary cancelled weapons shipments to Ukraine, which had been approved by the President without bothering to inform anyone in the White House he had done so. After the White House learned this, the shipments were made.

It is no wonder there are reports of collapsing morale and a lack of leadership at the Pentagon. The Secretary, who is responsible for these actions, should resign or be fired.

Sleep tight—after all, the Administration is tirelessly safeguarding you from those pesky foreign enemies. Isn’t that reassuring?

---

Texas' Early Delivery Ban: A Threat to Women and Babies

When the Law Overrides Medicine: How Texas’ Early Delivery Ban Harms Women and Babies

In an effort to reduce elective early births, Texas lawmakers enacted Health and Safety Code § 241.008, a statute that prohibits hospitals from performing induced deliveries or cesarean sections before the 39th week of pregnancy unless there is a documented medical necessity. While the goal may be to protect infants from the risks of early-term delivery, this law—updated as of January 1, 2024—is producing devastating unintended consequences for pregnant women and their babies.

By turning a clinical guideline into a legal mandate, Texas has created a climate where medical professionals may hesitate to act—even when earlier delivery is clearly in the best interest of the mother or fetus. This legal restriction is not just a bureaucratic hurdle; it is a direct threat to maternal and fetal health.

Maternal Mortality Is Rising

Texas already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. When doctors are constrained by fear of violating § 241.008, women experiencing serious complications such as preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, or placenta previa may not receive the timely interventions they need. In some cases, waiting until the 39th week can be a death sentence. Rather than supporting medical judgment, this law substitutes legal risk management for patient care.

Stillbirths That Could Have Been Prevented

A growing body of clinical evidence shows that in certain pregnancies, early delivery is not just safe—it is necessary. Conditions like fetal growth restriction, decreased amniotic fluid, or reduced fetal movement may not meet the narrow documentation criteria under the law, yet still present grave risks. Tragically, this legal inflexibility has already led to stillbirths that doctors later said were preventable—if only they had been allowed to act sooner.

Denial of Care, Especially in Underserved Areas

The law disproportionately affects patients in rural and underserved areas, where access to maternal-fetal specialists is limited. In such regions, hospitals may refuse to admit or induce patients before 39 weeks, even when urgent medical signs are present. As a result, some women are left traveling hours for care—or worse, being told to wait at home while their health deteriorates.

Medicine Must Guide Medical Decisions

Health policy should support—not override—the expert judgment of clinicians who are trained to assess complex, individualized pregnancy risks. By criminalizing early delivery in all but narrowly defined circumstances, Texas Health & Safety Code § 241.008 strips physicians of their ability to practice evidence-based medicine and forces them to navigate legal landmines in the delivery room.

In short, this law is not protecting patients—it is putting them in danger. If the goal is healthy outcomes for mothers and infants, then we must trust the providers who care for them. That means allowing for flexibility, supporting clinical judgment, and centering policy on science—not fear of liability.

It is time for Texas to reexamine this law and ensure that no woman or child is harmed by a rule that puts legality before life.

Citation:

FindLaw. Texas Health and Safety Code § 241.008 - Induced Deliveries or Cesarean Sections Before 39th Week. Last updated Jan 1, 2024. https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/health-and-safety-code/health-safety-sect-241-008/

---

Trump Assures Americans Emoluments Clause Doesn’t Apply to Private Jets “If You’re Really Good at Business”

By Tongue in Cheek

BEDMINSTER, NJ — Addressing growing concerns that his private business dealings during his presidency may have violated the Constitution, former President Donald Trump clarified Friday that the Emoluments Clause does not apply to private jets, “if you own them, and they’re very luxurious.”

“Look, the Emoluments Clause was written by guys in powdered wigs who had never even seen a jet, okay?” Trump said while standing beside a Trump-branded 757 with gold-plated armrests and a minibar larger than most New York apartments. “Back then, emoluments were like a goat and a sack of rice from the King of Spain. Totally different economy.”

The clause in question, found in Article I of the U.S. Constitution, prohibits federal officials from accepting gifts or payments from foreign states. When asked whether allowing foreign dignitaries and state officials to charter services from Trump properties and aircraft might constitute a violation, Trump shook his head.

“No, because the money went to my company, which went to my kids, who went golfing. That’s called a business loop, totally legal,” he explained, drawing a diagram of a dollar sign next to a stick figure labeled “Eric.”

Legal experts were split on the claim. One constitutional scholar told reporters, “No, that’s not how any of this works,” before quietly weeping into a pocket-sized copy of the Federalist Papers.

Meanwhile, Trump supporters gathered around the aircraft for photos, with some paying $250 for a selfie labeled “Air Grift One.” One attendee, wearing a hat reading “Make Emoluments Great Again,” praised the former president’s innovation: “Every president should run a side hustle from the Oval Office. Biden’s just jealous he didn’t think of it first.”

When asked directly if he used the presidency to enrich himself, Trump responded confidently.
“Of course not. I was already rich. I just got richer while doing it. That’s patriotism, folks.”

The press conference ended abruptly when Trump boarded the jet, waving from the steps as a chorus of legal ambiguity played in the background. Sources later confirmed the flight’s destination was a Trump-owned golf course in Scotland, where a delegation from an unnamed Gulf nation had reportedly booked 17 suites, a “premium golf package,” and six questionable pardons.

At press time, Trump was reportedly considering naming his next jet “The Constitution,” so that “technically, I was always flying above it.”

---

A couple of quick reminders:

• Bastrop Protests every Thursday on the corner of Main and Chestnut 12-1:00

• Every Sunday, Americans for Democracy, 3-4 pm Town Square in La Grange

• CODA Mobilization Meeting - May 15th @ 6:30 PM Bastrop Public Library

• June 6 - 50501 Movement, Veterans to Defend and Support the Constitution

• June 6 - Bastrop Pride Festival

• June 13-14 Rural Texas Summit, Bastrop Convention Center

• June 14 - No Kings Protests

Actions

• Write Postcards, CODA has some for you to write.

• Make phone calls - Download 5 Calls App

• Attend meetings/townhalls/events