CENSORSHIP ALERT: Is Texas about to BAN political memes?



In an Orwellian move by former Speaker of the Texas House Rep. Dade Phelan (R), a bill has been filed that would criminalize political expression in Texas.

House Bill 366 would make it a crime to distribute altered media, including political memes, without a government-approved disclaimer. Violators of the proposed bill could face up to a year in jail for a political meme.

“Wait, I thought we wanted less government here in the state of Texas?” Sara Gonzales asks on “Come and Take It.” “I feel personally attacked. I’m not going to lie, I feel like this was written because Dade Phelan wants me in jail.”


The bill specifically targets political advertising that features an image, audio recording, or video recording of an office holder's or candidate's appearance, speech, or conduct that did not occur in reality.

This includes media altered using generative artificial intelligence technology.

“So like you can use AI to make any sort of memes, any sort of pictures, as ridiculous as they may be,” Gonzales says. “It doesn’t say, ‘Hey, if this is satire, you get a pass.’ This doesn’t say, ‘Hey, if this is so ridiculously absurd that any reasonable person would know that it’s clearly satire, that it is clearly made up, that it is clearly photoshopped’ — it doesn’t give a pass for any of that.”

Representative Phelan said in response to criticism, “I’m not coming for your memes. If you like your memes, you can keep your memes. This has nothing to do with X or Facebook or anything on social media.”

But Gonzales isn’t buying it.

“It’s just that the TEC general counsel James Tinley blatantly said that social media posts would be covered under this communist China-style law,” she says, noting that Phelan’s response was a play on something Barack Obama once said.

“‘If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, if you like your health care, you can keep your health care,’” Gonzales says. “So obviously, a throwback to that line. It’s just cute because in the same way that Obama was lying when he said that, Dade Phelan is also lying when he says, ‘If you like your memes, you can keep your memes.’”

“So the irony is not lost on me,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Texas Republican who tried to impeach Ken Paxton now trying to criminalize political memes



Texas state Rep. Dade Phelan (R), the at-times incomprehensible former state House speaker who led the unsuccessful impeachment effort against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, is pushing a bill that would criminalize the publication, distribution, or broadcast of certain political memes or altered media.

Critics have suggested that Phelan's House Bill 366 is unconstitutional, stressing that it would run afoul of the First Amendment.

Phelan's bill would require "political advertising that includes an image, audio recording, or video recording of an officeholder's or candidate's appearance, speech or conduct that did not occur in reality," including media manipulated with generative artificial intelligence, to include a disclosure accounting for the meme's creative deviations from reality.

Under the proposed law, the Texas Ethics Commission would determine what form that disclosure takes, including "the font, size, and color of the disclosure."

Failure to include a disclosure could land Texans in jail with a Class A misdemeanor charge.

Fort Worth attorney Tony McDonald, a specialist in First Amendment litigation, told Texas Scorecard, "It's amazing that this ridiculous bill is the top priority of the Texas House's most powerful committee. This bill is obviously unconstitutional. It would criminalize protected speech on the basis of its content."

'Tryin to bolster my outlaw cred.'

When presiding over a 14-hour state House session in 2023, Phelan appeared to slur his words and have difficulty identifying a colleague. This prompted Paxton and others to allege that he was "in an obviously intoxicated state," and to call for his resignation. Phelan dodged questions about the allegations. In the years since, criticism of Phelan has in some cases incorporated mockery of the incident.

Texas Scorecard suggested that the "Drunk Dade" call-ins to Michael Berry's talk radio show — consisting of an impression of a supposedly inebriated Phelan — might, for instance, qualify as verboten speech under House Bill 366.

Berry noted on Monday, "DrunkDade tryin to bolster my outlaw cred," suggesting that the parodies make Phelan "so mad he's tryin to make it illegal."

Phelan's inspiration to push the bill might instead be the so-called deepfake political advertisement that targeted him ahead of the Republican primary runoff election last year.

The Texas Tribune reported that the offending political mailer, which was paid for by the Club for Growth Action PAC, featured two photoshops: one that swapped House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) out of a photograph and instead depicted Phelan hugging Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.); and another falsely depicting Phelan giving a speech at a Texas House Democratic Caucus news conference.

The mailer stated, "Texas Republicans deserve better than Democrat puppet Dade Phelan!"

Under the proposed legislation, such doctored images would require disclosures "indicating that the image, audio recording, or video recording did not occur in reality."

Texas Scorecard indicated that Phelan did not respond to a request for comment.

The Texas Legislature's state affairs committee will hold a public hearing on the bill on Wednesday. In the meantime, critics are sharing memes and photoshops to social media of Phelan without disclosures, demonstrating what might qualify as criminal should he get his way.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Dem-friendly Republican's Texas speakership begins with homosexual engagement, Islamic rejection of Bible



Leftism was on full display in the Texas Capitol earlier this week during the first legislative session since 2023.

Perhaps the most notable moment came when a Democrat-friendly Republican became the Texas speaker, even though Republicans in the state House enjoy a sizeable majority.

'I had the honor of taking my oath of office to represent House District 92 for the second time on a historic Qur’an.'

After just two rounds of voting, state Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) soundly defeated Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield), 85-55. Most of Burrows' votes came from Democrats, 46 to 39, even though the Texas House is made up of 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats.

"Every member. Every member will have a voice," Burrows said after his victory. "Every district. Every district will have a seat at the table."

Burrows replaces Rep. Dade Phelan, a controversial Republican who not only was seen as favoring Democrats and Democrat causes but who was even censured by his own party after doggedly seeking the impeachment of Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton, who lobbied on behalf of Cook in the 2025 speaker race, issued a statement after Burrows was declared the winner.

The removal of the disgraced and corrupt Dade Phelan as Speaker of the House is a positive step for Texas. His close ally, Dustin Burrows, was elected with the support of most Democrats after he refused to honor the rules of the Republican Caucus.

Texas Republican voters made it clear they want conservative legislation to pass this session. It is now important that Speaker Burrows and his leadership team pass every conservative legislative priority in a timely manner to make [our] state more secure and more prosperous. That is what Texas Republicans expect.

The election of Burrows was not the only demonstration of leftism on Tuesday. Shortly after he was sworn in to office, Rep. Venton Jones (D-Dallas) proposed to his same-sex partner, Gregory Scott Jr., on the floor of the chamber. According to NBC News, Jones got down on one knee, and Scott shed tears as he accepted the engagement ring.

Jones, the first openly gay black member of the state House, also shared the news in a public statement. "Today, I took a renewed oath to serve my community with courage, conviction, and love. I made a promise to the person who has stood beside me through every step of this journey," Jones said.

"In a time when our love and our very existence are challenged, often in the halls of this very building, this moment is a reminder that love conquers all."

One of Jones' Democrat colleagues, Salman Bhojani — a Muslim native of Pakistan — celebrated the new legislative session for a different reason: Once again, he took the oath of office on the Quran rather than the Bible.

"I had the honor of taking my oath of office to represent House District 92 for the second time on a historic Qur’an. This sacred text inspires me to work across the aisle to make Texas better. As the 89th Legislative Session starts, I am committed to advocating for all," Bhojani posted to X, adding a picture captured of the moment.

Tuesday marked the second time that Bhojani has sworn in on a Quran, having first done so two years ago. "It is 217 years old. I am the first person that swore on the Quran. This was the first English-printed copy of the Quran in the Americas in ... history," he previously boasted during an online interview with Progress Texas.

H/T: Jason Whitely

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Unlike Biden And California Democrats, Texas’ Approach To AI Works

Texas is stepping into the breach to lead the nation with a responsible, pro-innovation legislative framework for artificial intelligence.

House Republicans Should Heed Texas’ Warning On The Dangers Of Democrat-Driven ‘Bipartisanship’

Bipartisan cooperation under Speaker Johnson will drown Congress in the same problems that have plagued the GOP-led Texas Legislature.

Ken Paxton Acquitted On All Charges While Austin Swamp Creatures Shriek

Those behind the half-baked, secretive, and sham impeachment process are digging in and blaming others for their own failures.