Texas conservatives have long trusted the Republican Party to stand firm on core values: secure borders, parental rights, the Second Amendment, and limited government. We’ve delivered them power in Austin. But too many GOP lawmakers now serve corporate donors and media elites — not the grassroots conservatives who put them in office.
Texas may be a red state, but the last legislative session told a different story. Thirty-six Republican state lawmakers joined Democrats on critical votes that gutted conservative priorities. They campaign as fighters and govern as cowards — folding at the first whiff of media pressure or lobbyist resistance. That’s not leadership. That’s betrayal.
When Texas Republicans falter, they don’t just fail their state — they fail the country.
Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star generates headlines, but the border remains wide open. Despite the efforts of the Trump administration, cartels continue to move drugs and people freely across Texas soil. Ranchers continue to live in fear. Families bury loved ones lost to fentanyl. Texans demand action, but Austin delivers press releases.
Yes, regardless of the federal government’s efforts — and the Trump administration is certainly a refreshing change from Joe Biden —Texas has the constitutional authority to act. Where’s the declaration of invasion? Where’s the full mobilization? Leadership doesn’t mean deploying troops for photo ops. It means taking responsibility and enforcing the law.
Parents across Texas want transparency. They want to know what their kids are learning, reading, and hearing in school — especially on issues of sex and gender. Some lawmakers have stepped up. Too many haven’t. They call it “culture war nonsense” while siding with school boards and bureaucrats who treat parents as threats.
Legislators who can’t stop minors from receiving irreversible medical procedures without parental consent don’t belong in conservative office. That’s not compromise. That’s surrender.
After every shooting, moderate Republicans float “reasonable restrictions.” But the Constitution doesn’t hedge. It says “shall not be infringed.”
Texans don’t want red-flag laws. They want their rights respected. When figures like Rep. Dan Crenshaw entertain policies that chip away at due process, they don’t look pragmatic. They look weak. If you won’t defend gun rights without apology, step aside.
Texas Republicans now flirt with speech regulation. One bill would have required registration for anonymous political memes — all in the name of fighting “disinformation.” That’s not governance. That’s control.
Conservatives believe in protecting anonymous speech because we remember what it’s for: dissent. Critique. Satire. These aren’t bugs in the system — they’re essential features. If Austin lawmakers wants to mirror D.C.'s, voters will start treating them the same way.
The real issue isn’t just policy. It’s culture. The GOP establishment in Austin feels more at home with lobbyists than with the voters who knock doors and fund their campaigns. Primary challengers get dismissed as “fringe,” even as the grassroots base grows louder — and angrier.
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Calls for term limits are rising. The appetite for bold reform is real. If Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) can deliver conservative wins in Florida, why can’t Texas? Why are we still making excuses?
Texas shapes the national Republican Party. It drives presidential races and defines what the GOP stands for. When Texas Republicans falter, they don’t just fail their state — they fail the country.
As state Rep. Brian Harrison has shown, the last legislative session exposed serious cracks in the GOP foundation. Conservatives must respond: organize locally, show up at the Capitol, primary the cowards. An “R” isn’t a free pass. If you govern like a Democrat, expect to be treated like one.
Secure the border. Empower parents. Protect the Second Amendment. Defend free speech. Or get out of the way.
Texas doesn’t need more Republicans. It needs better ones.
Vice President JD Vance’s inaugural overseas trip on Feb. 11 conveyed a clear message to our European allies. A new sheriff is in town, and the days of the federal government allowing European bureaucrats to abuse Americans’ free speech rights are over.
The European Union’s relentless drive to control speech, dissent, and technology is well documented. The EU’s Digital Services Act, enacted in 2022, empowers EU officials to pressure American social media companies into removing content deemed “illegal” or “harmful.”
Vance deserves plaudits for assuring the nation that the Trump administration is committed to ensuring that the digital square continues to be a force for prosperity and freedom.
From urging social media companies to censor “disinformation” to working to make the answers provided by artificial intelligence politically charged, the European Union shows little regard for freedom of speech, both for its own citizens and those of the United States.
It's easier for companies to establish a single set of standards around issues — like content moderation — than to have specific rules for each operating country. This phenomenon, now called the “Brussels effect,” is causing platforms to frequently remove posts pre-emptively, shadow-ban dissenting voices, and algorithmically suppress content to comply with EU regulations, even when such speech is lawful in the United States. In other words, the EU is effectively exporting its speech restrictions worldwide, compelling U.S. platforms to enforce European censorship standards and threatening free expression in America.
The Biden administration regularly censored American voices, so it’s no surprise that it remained silent when the EU implemented policies restricting free expression. These policies aligned with its own agenda, so why would it object?
Like the EU, the Biden White House sought to limit and control the growing AI industry. The administration specifically targeted AI-driven management software in the housing and hospitality industries. The infamously partisan Biden Justice Department claimed these AI programs allowed companies to collude and raise prices. But evidence shows the technology automatically adjusts prices based on market conditions, often lowering costs when inflationary pressures ease.
Fortunately, during his Feb. 11 speech at the Paris Artificial Intelligence Summit, Vance took a hard line.
Vance declared that social media platforms and AI systems developed in the U.S. would remain free from ideological constraints. “We will never restrict our citizens’ right to free speech,” he pledged. He also affirmed the U.S. commitment to AI as a driver of competition and economic growth, vowing to stop overzealous bureaucrats from stifling innovation.
The Trump administration’s strong stance against free speech violations is encouraging. The challenge now is ensuring that these ideals become political reality.
First, the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission should investigate any anticompetitive behavior driven by international regulatory pressure. If social media giants are colluding with foreign governments to suppress certain viewpoints, federal authorities must intervene to protect users’ rights.
To prevent covert compliance with EU regulations, the Trump-Vance Federal Communications Commission should strengthen transparency requirements for content moderation. Platforms must disclose when and why content is removed, preventing hidden censorship influenced by foreign bureaucrats.
Finally, Trump’s Department of Commerce should use trade agreements to block the EU from using regulatory pressure to dictate how American companies operate. By incorporating digital free speech protections into trade negotiations, the Trump administration can ensure that U.S. businesses are not forced to choose between European market access and their commitment to the First Amendment.
Vance deserves plaudits for assuring the nation that the Trump administration is committed to ensuring that the digital square continues to be a force for prosperity and freedom — not a scapegoat for regulators eager to impose control. Now, he just needs to make sure that the Trump-Vance executive agencies get to work — and soon.
They have their work cut out for them.
For failure to appropriately monitor content under the Digital Services Act, a company could face fines up to 6 percent of its global revenue, ADF lawyer Jeremy Tedesco said.
The argument continues over whether the president has authority to reorganize the federal workplace or if only unelected local judges do.
Rioters came too prepared — some with preprinted signs, some with safety masks — to believe they arrived without organization.
Media gave air cover to censors by constructing artificial boundaries around acceptable thought and calling everything else 'misinformation.'
The Trump administration has launched a review of every Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) role related to election security and so-called mis- and disinformation after CISA began censoring speech. CISA, originally established in 2018 to address cybersecurity threats, quickly transformed into a government-run censorship operation, particularly during the 2020 election. In response, the propaganda press […]
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