Censorship Resolutions
 Updated on Sunday, Jun 15, 2025

Censoring is a tool that when used indiscriminately is like using a hammer to adjust a screw in a plate glass frame.  But there is a time and place when a hammer is the appropriate tool. While many of us are used to news organizations and both leftist and conservative groups that amplify an elected officials misdeeds and omit the information that would provide context and promote better understanding, I think we should consider other sides of the issue of censorship before letting these censorship documents incite our emotions away from effective and reasoned actions.

Every one of the candidates that are being considered in a meeting of the Tarrant County Republican Party for censorship have taken part in legislation that has helped build the conservative voting base that currently exists in the Texas Legislature and with Tarrant County’s voters.

For instance, Rep. Capriglione authored the Texas Bullion Depository Bill, HB 483 in a previous Legislative session, with 28 co-authors, including Rep. Tinderholt, on December 10, 2014. The bill, which was signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on June 19, 2015, authorized the establishment of a state-administered bullion depository in Texas. If you do not understand the positive significance of this bill for our livelihoods in Texas and how it will and has affected the economic climate for Republican ideals here for decades to come, you are perhaps uninformed. His experience and positions in the current session are an asset to this party that some factions do not embrace to the detriment of our party’s efficacy with the voting public at large.

Representative Geren has a bill that is now been referred to Calendars that cancels certain solid waste disposal permits issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, one of which is located in Tarrant County. One of our own Republican area leaders has been working with Representative Geren on this bill which enhances our ability to preserve usable land in Tarrant County, something that most reasonable voters agree on. I hear people vent about issues they disagree with Rep. Geren on, but how much are they aware of good bills that were passed because of his influence in the Texas Legislature? Getting rid of Republican Seniority in the House Legislature seems to me like shooting oneself in the foot. It might be better to learn how to wash those feet and make a better case for our ideals to Charlie and his voting constituents.

Representative McQueeney has authored 19 bills and sponsored 3 bills. One of the bills, HB 3528 cleans up discrepancies in mandatory vehicle safety inspections for noncommercial vehicles, which has been sent to Calendars. For a first term Legislator, that indicates a person who is a relationship builder, someone that understands a need and does the work to make it happen. HB 129, filed early in the Legislative session and now placed on the General State Calendar prohibits certain governmental contracts with foreign adversary companies and federally banned companies and authorizes a civil penalty. Who wants to censor that?

To have good laws in place inevitably requires a majority of the public vote. When actions by any faction in the Republican party divide and ostracize voters at the voting booth and more importantly between Legislators, which are wrestling with their conscience on various votes, are we so sure that those actions will have a net gain to our party’s candidate votes? I submit that with censorship resolutions at this time of the Legislative cycle we are playing into the game plan to divide our party by what Marxism calls “purifying”, or throwing the baby out with the bathwater that results in potentially losing voters who become disillusioned with the rancor that is created in the party by these actions. It is difficult to encourage people to vote for party candidates when actions toward those who have had a significant part of making good policies indicate something entirely different. For those of us who have gone door to door and talked with voters, you know what I’m talking about. It takes 50% plus one vote to win, not all will be just like us.

Actions such as a censorship that is done while the Legislature is in session is analogous to the proverb “don’t muzzle the ox while he is treading out the grain”. I don’t believe these resolutions serve the intended purpose of shaming a Legislator in doing what is ostensibly called “doing the will of the people” – a phrase out of the Marxist playbook by the way. I believe the most effective use of a censor is during the campaign season, when voters are more likely to be interested in a Representatives votes and actions versus now when Legislative results are more in focus with the average voter. And there have been good results with this Legislature so far that we should be capitalizing on as a party in contrast to the agenda of our Democrat opponents.

It may feel good to one's psyche to accuse a Legislator of their votes, omitting relevant information out of willful ignorance … or worse. However, it does have the opposite effect in the bigger picture of winning elections and promoting the ideals of the Republican party once those indiscretions are brought to light by those who seek truth. It seems to me that few of our party’s conservative organizations are presenting a balanced view of the reasons for a Legislator’s vote, which would help us all in understanding the differing views that contribute to making Republican candidates majority vote wins at election time.

Our Legislators are elected by more than the members here. A minority of people will often move the majority towards a minority opinion through great and noble effort. But consider whether that minority will actually do more harm to the overall goals of a majority of the party members with untimely censorship resolutions. I am grateful that there is a diversity of para-groups addressing issues within our party. Their insights and opinions should be heard, but should be balanced by the Constitutional ideals that power must be balanced due to the tendency of our human nature to seize and misuse power at the expense of truth.

“A little leaven leavens the dough”, which can be good depending on your goal for the dough. In the sense of how leaven works well, chemical relationships are formed throughout the dough which cause the intended effect. In the bad sense, the Scriptural sense, the dough is contaminated by something which spreads and is harmful to the intended purpose of the dough. The dough becomes rancid and unusable in time, which is what happens to relationships that are fractured by the poison of the undesired leaven, which is exactly the hopefully unintended effect that these resolutions may accomplish if passed.

One final point I need to make on this issue. In my opinion, an elected official should not betray their conscience on any given vote. To do so is to corrupt their soul from what they believe to be true and escalate the process of helping them devolve into a “politician” in the inflammatory sense of the word. I would rather a Legislator vote their conscience so that their constituents know whether this is who they want representing them, rather than a Legislator who has been trained by factions to hold up their finger to see which way the loudest wind is blowing and the money is flowing. This is the unfortunate, but Constitutional reality of the “clay” that is built into the foundation of our governmental system here in America, with reference to the biblical Daniel’s interpretation regarding King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the golden statue. Yet … on the other side of this significant encumbrance is the concept that the majority defines truth. That is only believed by those ignorant of the massive human historical record and authored books, like The Lord of the Flies objecting to that theory. 

A person’s conscience, redeemed by God’s Truth should be the guide post of a Legislators voting if we are to maintain a nation that is consistent with freedom coupled with responsibility and accountability. When a party or an organization exploits other’s ignorance by emotional appeals unencumbered by details that reveal a different picture, are we really building a good community within our party that voters respect and trust?

To disagree with a Legislator’s vote is why we have a First Amendment in our U.S. Constitution. That does not grant the right to try and force a person to violate their conscience on any given issue. We do, however, have the right and duty to persuade by reason and appeal to our elected Representatives, our fellow voting citizens and ultimately our voting choices at the voting booth. 

I agree that there are actions specified in the censor resolutions which are not in accordance with our desire for the way I, and I believe most probably think our Representatives should have voted on some or perhaps all of the specified votes and actions. 

However, we elevate a greater risk from these censorship resolutions for causing unnecessary division and rancor within our party that will not accomplish the overall intent. For these reasons I will (and have) voted against these censorship resolutions. I encourage all of us who are frustrated with the voting decisions of these Representatives to consider better methods and timing that build our ability to encourage Legislation that most all of us who vote for conservative ideals in Texas desire for Texas.