New battle cry for Texas

In case you’ve been in a hole for the past month or so, the Texas House of Representatives did everything it could live up to the image of a bunch of nincompoops sitting in a pool of gasoline and playing with matches.

The House voted 138-0 to pass HB 1937 to make it a “criminal act for security personnel to touch a person’s private areas without probably cause as a condition of travel or as a condition of entry into a public place.” The bill was headed to the Senate where it was expected to breeze through without much comment or nay votes.

Without much hesitation, the federal government stepped in and said that it would cancel all flights in order to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.

The government basically did what it had to do to: 1) Keep airports open, and 2) ensure safety of travelers and airline employees.

Of course, the blustering from legislators was at nuclear-force levels. Rep. David Simpson’s staff said the Department of Justice had “thrown down the gauntlet” in using start language to oppose the bill.

Are passengers supposed to be thrilled at airport pat-downs and scans? Absolutely not. So far, have they proven effective in maintaining security and safety of travelers? Yes, definitely.

Simpson, who is either planning a run for a higher state office, or is a goofy as an addled barn rat, actually compared the battle against the feds to the Texas revolutionary war against Mexico.

Somehow “Save our genitals from pat downs!” just does not have the short-term and long-term visceral impact as does “Remember the Alamo!”