If it Walks Like a Terrorist, and Talks…
What to know: The New York Times claims Texas is targeting Muslims due to “Islamophobia.”
The TPPF take: Islamic extremists have hijacked many of the organizations and institutes in question.
“Hostile foreign actors are using soft power to gain influence over American education,” says TPPF’s Kate Bierly. “They provide money, curriculum, teacher training, and cultural programs. When the organizations behind those efforts maintain extremist ties or advance narratives hostile to American principles, it is indoctrination.”
Flock Cameras
What to know: Automated license plate readers, such as Flock cameras, are making Texans nervous — and more and more communities are cracking down on them.
The TPPF take: License plate readers can aid police — but Texas needs guardrails.
“As agencies continue to confront staffing shortages and increasingly sophisticated criminal activity, technology has become an important force multiplier,” says TPPF’s Ross Jackson. “Texans should want law enforcement to have effective tools that improve public safety, but their use must also be subject to meaningful oversight. Texas should establish uniform statewide standards governing the circumstances under which officers may access ALPR data.”
Trees
What to know: A California couple who removed dead and dying trees from their own property now face a nearly $1 million fine from the city of Oakland.
The TPPF take: That couple is now being represented by TPPF attorneys.
“When cities can use preset, arbitrary formulas to issue ruinous fines without proving a single ounce of public harm, private property ceases to exist,” says TPPF’s Laura Beth Latimer. “It becomes a mere lease from the state, subject to the whims of bureaucrats who view citizens not as constituents, but as ATMs.”