If Dallas salon owner doesn’t have to follow Gov. Abbott’s order, why should anyone?
The most dangerous place to stand in America this week was anywhere on the path between Republican politicians and the bandwagon forming on behalf of Shelley Luther.
Luther is the Dallas salon owner who stood up for her business and the stylists who have been without income for weeks. She opened the doors of her Salon à la Mode last month, in direct violation of the statewide emergency order that prevents salons from opening until Friday. She defied a cease-and-desist letter and a temporary restraining order, so she was sentenced to seven days in jail.
From Gov. Greg Abbott on down, Republican politicians rushed to defend her. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick donated $7,000 to cover her fine. Members of Congress piled on praise for her principled stand against the tyrannical, arbitrary, business-crushing whims of ... Greg Abbott.
Whose orders, remember, were crafted based on suggestions from President Donald Trump’s administration.
Now, there’s no question that the Dallas County state district judge who sentenced Luther, Eric Moyé, overreached. The sentence is too long — a couple of days would surely send the message — and his request that she apologize to the elected officials she offended was, frankly, un-American. We do not bow to our leaders; they work for us.
As a Democratic judge in a blue county whose leader has constantly poked at the governor, he made an easy target. But as with so many of our political actors’ moves these days, there’s little logic involved.
Abbott said Wednesday in a written statement that “jailing Texans for non-compliance with executive orders should always be the last available option. Compliance with executive orders during this pandemic is important to ensure public safety; however, surely there are less restrictive means to achieving that goal than jailing a Texas mother.”
Can you tell from that how, or whether, the governor wants his orders enforced? Not me.
Luther’s plea was that she and her stylists needed to make money and could work safely. If that’s enough to justify her continued refusal to follow the law, doesn’t it extend to any business whose owner and workers are struggling? Why shouldn’t other salons jump the gun?
Why shouldn’t bars go ahead and open right now? Why should restaurants and stores limit capacity to 25%, if that’s not enough to “feed your children and make income,” as Luther told a rally of supporters she had a right to do?
And most importantly: If, God forbid, we need another strict stay-at-home order in a second wave of the pandemic, why should anyone listen to Abbott, Patrick and their cohort? Their orders are toothless.
Let’s recall, as veteran capital reporter Scott Braddock has noted, the governor chose to own this reopening phase. He decided not to allow for local exceptions on anything, even down to face-mask requirements. Abbott offered plenty of detail, except for the apparently narrow types of enforcement he finds acceptable.
But then, logic often takes a backseat in politics these days, especially when there is a point to score or a personality to support. Look at the whiplash-inducing turn of many Democrats who shouted “Believe all women!” when Brett Kavanaugh faced sexual assault accusations during his Supreme Court nomination. Less than two years later, with a specific charge lodged against Joe Biden, they’ve amended the slogan to: “Believe all women, except when our presidential nominee is involved.”
It’s just astounding that here, Republicans are dunking on their own governor and, by extension, president.
Abbott and his staff apparently realized, belatedly, the mess they made. He declared Thursday morning that he was barring jail time as an enforcement tool. And in a written statement, he went out of his way to mention two Laredo women arrested on charges that they offered nail and eyelash services out of their homes. Somehow, they didn’t become cause celebres for economic freedom.
Conservatives are painting all this as a blow for liberty, and to some extent, they’re right. But I’m wistful for the days of a conservative movement that could logically explain why its policies, including the rule of law, were best.
You know, the kind that once produced politicians like Greg Abbott.
This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 10:52 AM.
