New Texas Laws

 Tomorrow, the following laws start in the state of Texas

-Lemonade stands
It seems strange that a child's lemonade stand would be shut down for breaking the law, but it's happened. That will soon be a thing of the past. Children under the age of 18 will be able to sell non-alcoholic beverages on private property without fear of prosecution.

- Minimum age for tobacco sales
This one is pretty cut and dry -- you'll have to be at least 21 years old to purchase or consume or possess tobacco products. This includes cigarettes, e-cigarettes and all other tobacco products.

- Increased fines/fees for drivers
This repeals the Driver Responsibility Program, which will allow hundreds of thousands of Texans who've had their licenses suspended to reinstate them, and increases state fines for traffic and intoxicated drivers violations. State traffic fines will increase from $30 to $50 and intoxicated driver fines will increase as well:

• $3,000 for the first conviction within 36 months;
• $4,500 for a subsequent conviction within 36 months; or
• $6,000 for a conviction if it was shown that the person's alcohol concentration level was 0.16 or more

  - Alcohol delivery
 The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission will give permits to qualifying beer and wine retailers so that the retailers can make alcohol deliveries. "The bill would not authorize the holder of a brewpub license to deliver alcoholic beverages directly to ultimate consumers for off-premise consumption at a location other than the licensed premise.

  - School marshals
This increases the number of school marshals a campus can appoint. School's can "appoint to one marshal per 100 students in average daily attendance, or for a private school, one marshal per 100 students enrolled.

 - Hazing
This redefines hazing to be more inclusive of certain actions. Namely, the consumption of alcohol. The law also gives immunity from civil and criminal liability to anyone who voluntarily reports a hazing incident in certain situations.

 - Hunting/fishing license
If you forget your paper license at home you no longer have to worry. You can show proof of license on your phone via the Parks and Wildlife Department website or a photo of the license. Texas requires anyone 17 years of age or older to have licenses and permits in order to go freshwater or saltwater fishing in public waters.

-Brass Knuckles
 Starting Sept. 1, it will be legal to carry brass knuckles, clubs and self-defense wild kat keychains, sometimes referred to as kitty keychains.( Wish I had a set a knuckles years ago, got Mattison's attention....Never mind would have ruined a set of knuckles. And he would have said, " Did the bell ring?")

-Breast milk
Mothers, who already have the right to breastfeed in public, now have the protected right to express breast milk, or pump, in public as well.

-Public Comment
Local government entities can no longer limit public comment to the end of public meetings. A new law ensures that every member of the public who wants to speak to a public meeting agenda item can address it at the beginning or during the discussion of the item, and members of the public cannot be blocked from criticizing a governmental body. The new law does not apply to the state Legislature.

-Nekkid Photos
It will also be a misdemeanor to text or email unwanted lewd and sexual photographs.

These are just some of the 820 new laws passed by the Texas Legislature. They become law, Sept. 1, 2019.

This Guy Hit It

Sabbatical

I need a sabbatical. I know university professors get them in an attempt to recharge their batteries. And we are going to take one here away from the blog.

Part of it is, we are traveling to the UK here in a week-plus. ( Make Kerry Thomas happy? Take him to the UK or Ireland...Or put half a cow on a plate with some sort of potato)

I may or may not post while there. I know I need to recharge my batteries.

I already have asked a couple of you who live nearby to keep an eye on the house, including one who will shoot first, and not even ask a question afterwards.

Part of it, I am tired of blogging.

I started to write on the following this morning...

The suspension of the British Parliament.

What the hell makes a US Citizen now?

Why I probably won't go to a football game, high school, college, or pro this year.

But as you see, I've written on none of them.

I am sure I will blog here and there during the sabbatical, but probably not every day unless the wheels come off the truck.( and they might)

We will try and post pictures of Scotland.

As always, I ask those of you who are seriously "Hooked up" to remember us in your prayers.

So, Cato Got Me Into Trouble

Shocking I know. And I hope now she doesn't come looking for me with a tire iron after I write this blog....Again to the old saying..." I'm too old to take an ass-whippin', it's why I carry a pistol."

Yesterday she had post a photo of her and her significant other kissing.

It looked like a different girl than the one she had been seeing.

To which I posted halfway serious and halfway comical, about me "wishing I knew her secret when I was a single person."( I know, I know.....)

( Hell, I know what my trouble was when I was single.....Nerd, not cool, not rich, not handsome, and worst of all, a history major....Hell, it's a wonder I found someone who would have me.....I still think Christian charity might be involved.)

And people came out of the woodwork in my private messages.

And most of the messages, I did not really understand....

But, the gist of the PM's and I might be wrong here, is....

1. That I am okay with LGBT folks.... ( I wonder what they'll say when they find out I have agreed to perform a lesbian wedding in '20. I might be more nervous out this ceremony than any other. No, not because it is a LBGT wedding, I just found out it is a huge dollar event at a country club in Houston with perhaps 800 guests....Most of the other wedding, while many were fancy, were well, " just folks." )

2. I think I upset people when I talk about sex.....Apparently, some people think I should have never engaged is such an activity. ( You think I am teasing here, there are still people who think teachers should be single, or if they have been hired as single people, shouldn't date, or let people know they are dating...)

Anyway,

I Blame Mitch Keeler

I was minding my own damn business, was actually looking at a website that makes men's suits that look like the suits from the 1930-1940s, and can get them in a tweed like look, and not planning to blog today, when I glanced over on Facebook and saw Mitch Keller had posted today's blog.

Let me remind you, if you are not reading it, you need to read Mitch's blog. 

While I am not always interested in the topic( I'm talking Disney) I always read it because it is so well written.

Today's topic was sort of like my blog from yesterday concerning the booing of Andrew Luck ( football player if you didn't know) for retiring by the Colt's fans.

This whole feeling that " people own you" because you are in the public realm. ( And sports media personalities Stephen A. Smith and Colin Cowherd agreed with the booing)

And it reminded me of this.

When I had people upset with me because I had retired.

Not teasing.

I mean seriously mad.

They wanted me to teach their 2nd, 3rd, whatever kid.

I had siblings that got mad because their brother/ sister was going to miss the " Thomas experience."

It is some of that, because you are a 'public figure" or I paid for you to teach. Well, " You can't retire yet."

( I've had people write me that I can't write blogs critical of Buna ISD because I had worked there....Past tense....)

As I have said before, it was time for me to retire. I felt myself losing a step. I was not the same " Mr. Thomas" in 2011 as I was back in 1994.

Is This Society Today?

Is this society today? Or has it always been here? Or is it getting worse?

I often wonder just how Christian people are who profess their religion to people. And it seems to be worse as time goes on. Then again, I wonder how many people are actually of the faith?

But this is not what the blog is about....

The Indianapolis Colt's quarterback retired from football on Saturday.  Andrew Luck was one of the star quarterbacks in the NFL.

Luck is 29 years old. Pretty young for a quarterback.

 Luck has been battling injuries for the last 4 years including lower leg problems, shoulder injury, a lacerated kidney. He had been "sacked" 170 times in his 7 year career.  The most recent injury happened in April and he has not been able to practiced more than 2 times since April.

Luck a graduate of Standford, basically said he had enough of the injuries and pain.

Luck was married within the last year and he and his wife are expecting their first child.

I am sure the combination of his concern for his long term health. I am sure Mrs. Luck was thrilled he retired.

When it was announced, at the Colt's Stadium that he was retiring, he was booed by the Colt's crowd.

Vigorously booed. 

Which brings us to this question....

Why do we lose our minds concerning sports in this nation?

It is like sports are "life or death" and many of these players, coaches are somehow "owned" by the fans....( I guess I shouldn't be shocked there, I've had many parents tell me, " You work for me." And while you may a portion of my paycheck, I am not going to let that influence me passing your knothead kid who hasn't turned in any work this semester.)

And is from the pros down to high school down to Little League.

You have seen parents fight other parents, umpires and referees on YouTube.

I don't know a single one of these games paying your mortgage. Your light bill. There are more people in this country who get academic and arts scholarships than sports scholarships. And more kids graduate using the academic scholarships, than the sports ones.

Now, I enjoy watch a ballgame from time to time, but you know, if my team loses, it just isn't that important.

I am wondering, how bad will this incivility get? Will it get better?

Sunday Morning Philosophy

 " Philosophy is a walk on slippery rocks" - Edie Brickell

Nothing better than a little philosophy on a Sunday morning.....After all for many of you I was PPE instructor like the British want to call it. ( PPE Politics, Philosophy, Economics...or as they call it the "Modern Greats."  The " Greats " of course are the "Classics" Greek, Latin and the history that surround those civilizations)

But, I didn't get to teach as much philosophy as I wanted. I didn't have the time and to be honest, when I discovered I had to teach many of you simple math, hardcore economics was out. ( Seniors in high school and you didn't know your times tables. Damn calculators)

And if I taught you philosophy like was once taught at theological seminaries in this nation, well, some of you evangelicals couldn't handle it.

I was watching a 24 hour news channel this past week when the discussion of the earth "is just an experiment for an advanced civilization."

It seems a computer scientist has published a book that poses the question......

" We are just an advanced "sims" game being run by an advanced civilization. "

I’m neither real nor alive and neither are you. Nor is anyone we know. Nor is our planet or for that matter our entire universe. We’re all merely computer simulations created by an advanced civilization in some sort of weird experiment that they’re conducting for reasons best known to themselves.

Scientists are wanting to run experiments to see if this might be true.

Which leads to the question, what happens if we find out we are just a giant sims run by another civilization as an experiment? What if we all find out that is so? Does the advanced civilization just "shut us down?"

Descartes had a similar idea centuries ago. He asked if we would know if an “evil demon” was creating all of our sensations and perceptions and that the world in which we inhabit was just his “dream.” Descartes’ answer was No. Isn’t this just an example of “waking the demon?"

Just something to think about while you're on your way to church....

Oh, by the way, the " experts" when asked on the 24 hour news station " What are the chances this is just a computer simulation?"

Both replied 5 in 10.....50%.....

I don't think I really want to know....Or maybe I do?