Good morning –

As soon as I hit “send,” I’m hitting the road to Dallas.

I explain why in today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Wednesday, May 6, 2020
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• Dallas businesswoman Shelley Luther skyrocketed to political fame by defying state and local orders prohibiting her from safely reopening her business. Thanks to her actions, and the actions of citizens inspired by her, Gov. Greg Abbott was forced yesterday to announce all barbershops and hair salons will be allowed to reopen later this week. Shelley Luther’s actions are a testament to what standing up and doing what is right can accomplish.
        
• It’s not all good news, though. Yesterday, a Dallas judge sentenced Shelley Luther to seven days in jail and issued a $7,000 fine because she stood up for her rights as a Texan. Robert Montoya has the details. There is a cost for fighting. Will we all stand with her?
      
• Gov. Greg Abbott should immediately pardon Shelley Luther. Sign the petition demanding he do so.
       
• Personally? I’m heading to Dallas to stand outside the Courthouse at 10 a.m. (May 6). Want to join me in standing for Shelley Luther? The courthouse address is 600 Commerce, Dallas, Texas.
      
• Speaking of Dallas... Dallas County is ignoring Attorney General Ken Paxton on his guidance regarding mail-in balloting. Erin Anderson reports county commissioners signaled support for allowing voters to disregard state law. Late last week, Paxton warned county officials to avoid misleading the public on vote-by-mail laws, but Dallas County commissioners voted to do just that. 
      
• Meanwhile, Ector County’s Sheriff’s Department SWAT team was deployed yesterday morning, weapons drawn, driving an armored personnel carrier … to stop a protest supporting the reopening of an Odessa bar. Matt Stringer reports the protest occurred not at the bar itself, but in an adjacent parking lot. The bar’s owner, Gabrielle Ellison, said she reopened her establishment because of the financial hardship the government-mandated closure has placed on her and her employees. Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis defended the arrests, saying the gathering wasn’t actually a protest but instead people “standing around with guns.” 
       
• I bet the protesters were surprised to hear they weren’t protesting... Guess that pesky First Amendment doesn’t apply in Odessa if you are also exercising your Second Amendment rights?
     
• Stringer reports the protesters were cited for carrying firearms on the “premises” of the bar. But legal experts and gun rights groups point out that the penal code defines “premises” to only include buildings, and does not include parking areas.
      
• “These are grossly illegal arrests.” – Empower Texans General Counsel Tony McDonald

• Please join me in wishing a very happy birthday to my daughter Ruth! Yes, your senior year in high school is ending in the most unexpected way, but your positive and graceful spirit inspires me – and that joyful attitude will serve you well in college and beyond.

• Updated data from the Texas Workforce Commission shows there have been at least 2.1 million Texans unemployed as a result of the government-ordered economic shutdown.
       
• For perspective, that’s 2.1 million out of approximately 17.8 million working-age Texans who have been thrown out of work.

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