"News Texas just turned into the UK: GOP House passes dystopian bill criminalizing memes…"

rick · 6/30/2025, 8:37:09 PM · permalink

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rick · 6/4/2025, 10:22:46 PM · permalink

Link below.
![image](https://us-lax-1.linodeobjects.com/sojooo/comments/1278/1749075765954-7938b3d6a629e62a.png)
Texas Is Going About Its Hollywood Ambitions All Wrong

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- There’s nothing particularly new or unusual about states offering incentives to lure entertainment companies to produce films, television shows and video games within their borders. For decades, state and local governments in New York, Georgia, New Mexico and elsewhere have offered rebates and/or incentives in exchange for the boosts to local commerce and employment that large-scale productions can offer. So, on its face, Texas Senate Bill 22 — legislation providing at least $1.5 billion over 10 years to increase production in the Lone Star State — seems not only wise but uncontroversial. But, the measure, which was approved by the state Senate in April and passed by the House last month, is loaded with the kind of poison pills that could conceivably push major productions away.

“Those who opposed the bill raised concerns about how the governor’s office will determine which productions to fund,” The Texas Tribune’s Pooja Salhotra noted earlier this year. “The bill gives the governor’s office complete discretion over which projects receive grant funding.” In fact, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who has made the proposal a priority, has explicitly decreed that these state-subsidized productions should “export Texas faith and family values,” and each project will be judged on whether it “portrays Texas and Texans in a positive fashion.”

It should be noted that Texas isn’t exactly a barren wasteland for film and television production as it is. The annual SXSW conference is a splashy showcase for new movies and television shows from both independent and studio filmmakers, and one that frequently spotlights local talent. Austin-based writer-director Richard Linklater helped put his state on the map via locally set and shot films such as Slacker, Dazed and Confused and Bernie. Fellow Austinite Robert Rodriguez built an entire studio and postproduction facility in the city, where he’s produced and directed multiple films and series.

Rodriguez, Linklater and other Texas filmmakers have taken advantage of existing state incentive funds to work there — though not always smoothly. After the release of his 2010 action-comedy Machete, the Texas Film Commission denied Rodriguez and his producers the money they’d been promised, objecting to the film’s negative portrayal of Texas. (Its sequel, Machete Kills, was denied funds outright, prompting its production company to sue the Commission.)

Perhaps because of that spotty history, coupled with the larger incentives offered by nearby states and their film commissions, many recent Texas-set productions have been shot outside of the state. Some native power players, however, have pushed back, often at their own expense. Matthew McConaughey has said that he and fellow Texan Woody Harrelson gave back 15% of their pay to offset the cost of shooting their new Apple TV show Brothers in the Austin area, rather than its planned production base in Georgia. Both actors have thrown their enthusiastic public support behind SB22.

https://www.livemint.com/entertainment/texas-is-going-about-its-hollywood-ambitions-all-wrong-11749042420760.html

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rick · 6/4/2025, 11:25:09 PM · permalink

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rick · 5/29/2025, 1:19:13 AM · permalink

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rick · 6/7/2025, 2:37:43 PM · permalink

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rick · 6/25/2025, 8:26:48 PM · permalink

**"Texas to buy Bitcoin for state reserves long before Trump’s Bitcoin reserve delivers**

Governor Abbott's new bill positions Texas as a frontrunner in crypto adoption while federal efforts are poor.

Texas is now legally empowered to build its own Bitcoin reserve funded with taxpayer dollars before the federal government takes any comparable action.

Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday signed Senate Bill 21, a law that explicitly allows the state to buy and hold Bitcoin and other top-tier cryptocurrencies.

The measure passed the Texas House and Senate by wide margins, empowering the state comptroller to begin building the reserve immediately.

While the Trump administration recently announced the formation of a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve,” the two policies differ starkly in substance and intent.

%%Strategic autonomy or symbolic move?%%

Backers of the Texas bill, including Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and State Senator Charles Schwertner, frame it as a hedge against inflation and a way to cement Texas’s identity as a national leader in crypto.

“Bitcoin’s decentralized nature and fixed supply make it an ideal store of value for the long term,” Schwertner said during debate on the floor. Proponents also point to Bitcoin’s ten-year performance record and growing institutional adoption as reasons to allocate a small but symbolic slice of the state’s rainy day funds.

The Comptroller’s office will hold and manage the Texas reserve, with input from a five-member advisory board. Funding for the reserve can come from legislative appropriations, investment earnings, and private donations.

Critically, the law gives the state authority to actively buy and manage Bitcoin, including holding it as an asset and potentially disposing it strategically.

Some proponents argue that future returns could be generated through yield-bearing mechanisms such as staking or lending, though the bill itself does not explicitly authorize those functions.

%%Federal effort is more constrained.%%

The Trump administration’s executive order creating a federal “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” sparks comparisons, but the two initiatives have little in common beyond the name.

The Federal Bitcoin Reserve is built entirely from Bitcoin seized in criminal investigations. Under the terms of the March 6 executive order, these assets are now off-limits for liquidation but cannot be expanded unless the purchases are “budget-neutral.” That means the federal government will not be buying new Bitcoin anytime soon; it is simply freezing what it has already seized.

Unlike Texas, the Federal Bitcoin Reserve does not have an independent advisory board or a mandate to generate returns on its holdings. Custody remains with the Treasury Department and U.S. Marshals Service, and oversight remains largely internal.

%%How much Bitcoin could Texas buy?%%

With its Economic Stabilization Fund, commonly known as the “Rainy Day Fund,” projected to hold between $24 billion and $28.5 billion in 2025, Texas could feasibly allocate hundreds of millions to Bitcoin purchases without putting its fiscal position at risk.

At current market prices, a 1% allocation (roughly $240-$285 million) could net the state around 2,400 to 2,800 BTC. A more aggressive 5% allocation would bring in up to 14,000 coins, making Texas one of the largest sovereign holders of Bitcoin globally.

For comparison, the federal government currently holds approximately 218,000 BTC, based on recent blockchain analytics, though all of it came from seizures rather than purchases.

%%What happens next%%

With SB 21 now law, the Texas Comptroller’s office is expected to outline implementation procedures by the end of the fiscal year. Meanwhile, companion legislation (HB 4488) will protect the reserve from being swept into the state treasury for unrelated uses.

As Washington and Austin pursue divergent paths on handling Bitcoin, Texas may now become the first U.S. state to hold the cryptocurrency not because it had to, but because it chose to.

https://cryptoslate.com/texas-to-buy-bitcoin-for-state-reserves-long-before-federal-bitcoin-reserve-delivers/

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rick · 6/20/2025, 8:03:11 PM · permalink

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rick · 5/23/2025, 9:54:22 AM · permalink

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hyokkim · 5/16/2025, 4:05:35 PM · permalink

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hyokkim · 5/16/2025, 6:31:58 PM · permalink

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rick · 5/16/2025, 8:21:20 PM · permalink

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hyokkim · 5/17/2025, 5:31:11 AM · permalink

Mr. Clark D. Lauritzen

Chairman and President

First National Bank of Omaha

1620 Dodge St.

Omaha, NE 68197

Dear Mr. Lauritzen:

We are investigating the domestic and international business dealings of President

Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and other Biden associates and family members to determine

whether these activities compromise U.S. national security and President Biden’s ability to lead

with impartiality. According to recent media reports, more than 150 of the Bidens’ international

business transactions have been flagged by U.S. banks for suspicious activities.1 Additionally,

documents reviewed by Committee Republicans show corporate entities affiliated with, founded

by, and/or controlled by Hunter Biden funded family and associates’ business travel to China.

To understand the full extent of Hunter Biden’s involvement with Chinese companies and the

government, we must review the Biden family’s financial records as they relate to improper

business dealings and relationships with foreign adversaries. Therefore, we request financial

records related to Biden family members and associates.

Committee Republicans are reviewing transactions spanning much of 2017—a period

when Hunter and James Biden, the President’s brother, were orchestrating international

transactions with CEFC, “a company that’s effectively an arm of the Chinese Government.”2

According to media reports, U.S. banks flagged “more than 150 financial transactions involving

either Hunter or James Biden’s global business affairs\[.\]”3 Some of those concerns included

“large wire transfers.”4 Under the Bank Secrecy Act, banks have an obligation to assist the

government in “detecting and preventing money laundering.”5 Part of this obligation requires

the reporting of high dollar transactions. In the normal course, a bank is required to generate

1Catherine Herridge, Graham Kates, Michael Kaplan, Andrew Bast, GOP probe of Hunter Biden’s business

dealings turns to president’s brother James, CBS NEWS (Apr. 6, 2022).

2Grassley, Johnson Release Bank Records Tying Biden Family To CCP-Linked Individuals &amp; Companies, Sen.

Chuck Grassley News Room, Mar. 29, 2022.

3Supra, n. 1.

4Id.

5Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR), U.S. Dept. of Treasury, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, available at

https://www.occ.treas.gov/topics/supervision-and-examination/bank-operations/financial-crime/suspicious-activity

reports/index-suspicious-activity-reports.html.

Mr. Clark D. Lauritzen

May 25, 2022

Page 2

what is referred to as a suspicious activity report (SAR) when the institution encounters a

transaction of concern. 6

After taking office, the Biden Administration imposed restrictions on Congress’ access to

SARs. For the past 20 years, any committee of Congress could request and receive these reports.

However, the Biden Administration has taken the novel position of preventing Congress from

receiving the reports. To view a SAR, congressional staff are required to “review all material in

a reading room at Treasury, prohibiting the copying of materials for purposes of highlighting,

ongoing reference, or margin notation, and restricting information collection to note taking.”7

The reversal in policy even raised concerns among Democrats, leading Chairwoman Maxine

Waters to sponsor a bill requiring Treasury to provide the reports to Congress.8 The Biden

Administration’s policy change raises troubling questions about the Administration’s efforts to

shield Hunter Biden from congressional oversight.

Committee Republicans are investigating potential influence peddling and threats to

national security. Specifically, we are investigating whether the Biden family sold access to the

highest levels of government to America’s adversaries. Since there is also evidence of

comingling of funds between President Biden and Hunter Biden during the former’s vice

presidency, Republicans must ask whether the current President is compromised from a national

security perspective.9

The convergence of the Biden family’s political and business lives began during the

Obama-Biden Administration. Obama Administration White House visitor logs show Hunter

Biden’s business partner visited the White House at least 27 times during President Biden’s vice

presidency.10 Hunter Biden’s business partner—Eric Schwerin—was later nominated for a

position in the Obama-Biden Administration and handled then-Vice President Biden’s tax

returns while he was in office and Schwerin was president of Rosemont Seneca Partners—

another Hunter Biden-affiliated company.11 Republicans must track the dollars to uncover

whether the current President himself benefitted from these transactions and whether the

payments were from nations opposed to U.S. interests.

We are committed to following Hunter Biden’s money trail—consisting of many

complex, international transactions worth millions of dollars—and providing answers to the

American people. The American people deserve to know the President’s connections to his

son’s business deals, which have occurred at the expense of American interests and may

6Id.

7H. Comm. on Financial Services, Memorandum, Full Comm. Markup, May 12, 2022, available at

https://democrats-financialservices.house.gov/UploadedFiles/HMKP-117-BA00-20220517-SD002.pdf.

8See H.R. 7734, 117th Cong., Timely Production of Bank Secrecy Act, available at

https://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bills-1177734ih_-_0517.pdf.

9Letter from James Comer, et. al., Ranking Member, H. Comm. on Oversight and reform, to Eric D, Schwerin,

Institute for Ethical Awareness (Apr. 27, 2022).

10 Cameron Cawthorne &amp; Joe Schoffstall, Hunter Biden business partner made 8 additional White House visits in

2016, visitor logs show, FOX NEWS (Apr. 26, 2022).

11 Supra, n. 3.

Mr. Clark D. Lauritzen

May 25, 2022

Page 3

represent a national security threat. To assist with this investigation, please produce the

following documents and information no later than June 8, 2022:

1\. All financial records in First National Bank of Omaha’s custody relating to Hunter

Biden, James Biden, Sara Biden, John R. Walker, Eric Schwerin, Devon Archer and

corporate entities linked to them, including but not limited to Rosemont Seneca

Advisors LLC, Rosemont Seneca Partners, Rosemont Seneca Technology, RSTP II

Alpha Partners, RSTP II Bravo and Equity Distribution Trust, Hudson West III,

Owasco LLC, and Skaneateles LLC.

2\. A list of all First National Bank of Omaha accounts opened by Hunter Biden, James

Biden, Sara Biden, John R. Walker, Eric Schwerin, Devon Archer and corporate

entities linked to them.

3\. All documents and communications between or among employees of First National

Bank of Omaha and Hunter Biden, James Biden, Sara Biden, John R. Walker, Eric

Schwerin, Devon Archer and corporate entities linked to them.

4\. All documents and communications regarding any First National Bank of Omaha

account linked to Hunter Biden, James Biden, Sara Biden, John R. Walker, Eric

Schwerin, Devon Archer and corporate entities linked to them with a related

suspicious activity report filed on the account.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the principal oversight

committee of the House of Representatives and may at “any time” investigate “any matter” as set

forth in House Rule X. If you have any questions about this request, please contact Oversight

Committee Republican Staff at 202-225-5074. Thank you for your cooperation with this inquiry.

Sincerely,

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

James Comer

Ranking Member

Committee on Oversight and Reform

cc:

The Honorable Carolyn Maloney, Chairwoman

Committee on Oversight and Reform

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rick · 5/17/2025, 8:13:27 AM · permalink

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rick · 5/17/2025, 8:19:55 AM · permalink

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hyokkim · 5/17/2025, 6:33:59 PM · permalink

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hyokkim · 5/17/2025, 12:57:00 PM · permalink

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hyokkim · 5/17/2025, 5:30:50 AM · permalink

''The stereotype of Texans I would say holds true more so for native Texans and those that are there for perceived freedoms.''  
  
I think I may have met only one true Texan in NE; I was living at YMCA in the 90s, and my next door neighbor told me he was from Texas.      He was very quiet, and kept to himself mostly especially with strangers.   He was tall, about 6 ft or 6ft 1in, in his 30s, blonde, blue eyes, wide at the shoulder, narrow at the hip type, not a professional bodybuilder, but he did work out religiously.   He was lean, but muscular, not just athletic, built like a professional firefighter, not bodybuilder, basically white version of 'Rock'.    He reminded me of that song, 'Big Bad John' whenever I saw him.  
  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnnHprUGKF0  
  
At the time, one of my 'friends' (he turned out to be no friend, but a two-faced scumbag, pretending to be a friend, so that he could waste my time/energy/money for his own entertainment; he also happened to be Jewish.   I heard that his daddy had sold his son's ass to get no bid contract from one of the pedophiles in Omaha.)    One night this scumbag just barged in to my room drunk, ready to have good time telling me what a hard life he had had.   The Texas dude couldn't get sleep because of the noise the scumbag was making, so at first gently knocked on the door to quiet down.   The scumbag kept going on; the next time, Texas dude banged on the door real loud, and I told the scumbag to leave.  
  
The next day, the Texas dude left me a letter politely asking me to be quiet when he's sleeping he had two jobs.  He really needed sleep.    Later on as I got to know him better; he turned out to be real down to earth, and even friendly.   A Guatemalan fella who had  had a negative experience with him at first (he had told me the Texan was a bit pushy/impatient when the Guatemalan fella was spending too much time working out the equipment the Texan wanted to use.   However, later on when he got to know the Texan better, he had the same conversion I had.   Btw.  Mexicans both in U.S. and Mexico do not like Guatemalans.  The Guatemalan fella got a lot better with Anglo than the Mexicans.)  When I moved back to Portland, OR in late 90s, I overheard two Chicanas from Texas, talking bad about how nasty people were in Texas.      
  
Btw.  The pedo scandal in Omaha is about this dude.  
  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_E._King_Jr.  
  
You can draw your own conclusion; I know something about Nebraskans.   Some of the most two-faced, manipulative, pathological hypocrites I have ever met are Nebraskans; some of the accused pedophiles were publisher of Omaha world herald, and the chief of Omaha Police Department at the time.     
  
https://www.wowt.com/content/news/First-National-Bank-ordered-to-pay-3225-million-for-illegal-credit-card-practices-391342572.html

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