On April 27, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett called Gov. Greg Abbott “part of the DEI class” and “a DEI hire” simply because he moves in a wheelchair.
When he was younger, Abbott went on a walk and became injured when a heavy tree landed on his back with intense force. He had taken a break from his bar exam study session and was merely planning to enjoy the fresh air. Since this incident, he has used a wheelchair.
Yes, Abbott uses a wheelchair. It just is.
Abbott responded to Crockett with a good sense of humor; he jokingly created a meme of himself dressed up as a “uniquely abled” superhero.
Many people with disabilities do consider them meaningful to their personality, but also think of them as a “it just is” thing. Their whole identity is not their disability. They do not think about their disability all of the time, because it is merely something they live with. A wheelchair may be considered as belonging to someone’s body, but Abbott identifies more with being Texas’ governor than a wheelchair user. Cutesy, babyish phrases such as “differently abled” and “uniquely abled” sound as corny to them as pediatric dentists calling anesthetic masks “space masks” or insisting the anesthesia, nitrous oxide, is “giggly air.” Even eight-year-olds cringe at this cloying vocabulary.
She was purposefully mocking him, but also unknowingly insulting many with disabilities. One wonders if Crockett ever interacted with disabled populations during her days at her prestigious private school.
Operation Lone Star, bastion of common sense
It was constitutionally protected for Texas to install concertina wire and fencing to keep out people crossing the border illegally by the power of Operation Lone Star, based on the state government’s obligations through federalism.
The Constitution gives state governments the power to ensure American citizens remain protected from these threats, and constitutional authority would surely reinforce Texas’ mission, which falls under that description. According to Smith and Greenblatt’s book, Governing States and Localities, the Constitution grants states the tools needed to “protect public health, safety, and morals.”
Illegal immigrants have been known to smuggle drugs and coyotes into the United States, and are also suspected of taking advantage of taxpayer funding by draining the welfare and insurance systems. They may try to confuse border patrol officers and avoid capture by moving around in a frenzied, haphazard fashion.
As Abbott said, the Lone Star operation was performed “in the absence of the federal government.”
The Biden administration appeared not to be protecting American families against drug cartels. In an emergency, it may be appropriate under the Constitution to give state governments sovereignty and let them take care of the problems the federal government does not.
One can see through 2023’s Operation Lone Star, for just one example, that Abbott’s disability is completely irrelevant to protecting American citizens and sticking to a campaign promise.
Recall that Abbott had newly won the 2022 gubernatorial election then, and gave the governance of Texas his absolute best. He is the farthest thing from a “DEI hire.”
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