La Porte Mosque

A MAGA hate talking point made the front page of the Chron hard copy today. Brought to you by MAGA Gov. Greg Abbott. See this from the Chron:

The only mosque for miles around in Deer Park sits in a small strip mall, nestled between a smoke shop and a Vietnamese restaurant, its entrance marked by a prayer in Arabic.

A handful of men, cordoned off from female worshippers by a curtain, kneel silently on green carpet inside. More worshippers arrive as Friday midday worship begins. By the time the imam finishes his talk, at least 50 men have gathered. Stragglers crowd around the entrance and sit cross-legged along the walls.

Since 2017, this strip mall has been home to what organizers say is the only mosque in Deer Park or nearby La Porte. The group is growing and ready to build its own space, according to leaders — but its plans have recently been met with a wave of pushback.

The volunteer-run community, called the La Porte Islamic Center, bought land in La Porte about four years ago and is still fundraising to pay off the $600,000 purchase. They have not yet applied for permits with the city or begun any construction on a new building, according to community leaders and La Porte’s mayor.

In early July, Vince Vandergraff, who says he grew up in La Porte, started a Change.org petition seeking to stop any construction of a La Porte mosque. As of Monday, the petition had garnered over 1,600 signatures. The new mosque has also been a talked-about topic on local Facebook groups.

Vandergraff’s petition cited a range of concerns about the potential mosque and highlighted mosque leaders’ plans for the building to seat 1,000 people. Vandergraff worried that a mosque that big would increase traffic, strain local resources, and impact “social harmony.” 

“The cultural fabric of La Porte has been woven over years of shared history and community-building,” the petition read. It urged city leaders to “re-evaluate the necessity and implications” of building a mosque in a city of about 38,000. 

In a Tuesday statement to the Houston Chronicle, La Porte mayor Rick Helton didn’t say whether the city would try to block the construction of the mosque.

“I’ve been pleased to have the opportunity to visit with a number of residents who have seen the online discussions and share their perspectives with us,” he wrote. “These conversations are welcome and are a part of a healthy local government.”

The petition, written by Vandergraff with the assistance of artificial intelligence, said it was “not a plea against any religion” and supported “freedom of religion.” But in a Monday email to the Chronicle, Vandergraff said he “would not call Islam a religion at all.” 

“Islam poses a threat to every community it enters,” he wrote. “They want to replace our laws with their own,” he said of Muslim people. 

And this:

Pastor Richard Vega, who’s running for Precinct 2 Harris County Commissioner, referenced plans for a La Porte mosque in a campaign ad video earlier this month. “LA PORTE IS DEMANDING ANSWERS!” he began his video caption, which mentioned plans for what he called a “massive Islamic center.” Vega did not respond to multiple phone requests and an emailed request for comment. 

In the ad, Vega bashed his Democratic opponent, incumbent Commissioner Adrian Garcia, for telling the Muslim community: “I’ve got your back.” He also blasted Garcia for attending a Ramadan event with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights advocacy group in the United States. 

Gov. Greg Abbott declared in a news release last year that CAIR was a terrorist organization, and later asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to shutter its branch in Texas.

CAIR leaders have maintained that they regularly fight terrorism, including by alerting the FBI to a potential threat against President Donald Trump during his first term. 

In a statement to the Chronicle, Garcia said he respected religious freedom and remembered when Catholics in his community faced religious discrimination.

“Muslims across Texas, including those who live in Precinct 2, have faced horrible attacks from statewide leaders and political hacks this campaign season,” he wrote. “So when I say I have their backs, it’s not only my job, it’s the right thing to do.”

Here is the entire Chron read: Proposed Houston-area mosque draws backlash in La Porte.

I think most of us know that part of Harris County. I am sure the MAGA heads will continue to spew their hate on this proposed La Porte mosque. I have news for the haters. We have mosques all over the H-Town area and Harris County. Last I checked sharia law and terrorism isn’t running rampant in these parts. I guess haters gotta hate.

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I really am getting tired of this sh_t. This better not cost us the election in November. See this from Chron Opinion columnist Regina Lankenau:

“Talarico’s got a Black people problem.” 

That was the frank analysis of Christian Alexander, a 36-year-old political podcaster and strategist for Houston Black American Democrats. I met him on Tuesday inside the Third Ward Multi-Service Center right past an abandoned convenience store and down the street from Texas Southern University. 

Alexander wasn’t the only one with a lot to say about the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate. 

Already, James Talarico, the former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, had gotten a tough scolding over the weekend. During a town hall in southwest Houston, he’d said all the right things: about protecting voter rights, supporting Black candidates and fighting for public education funding. He’d touted his efforts, showing up at a handful of Baptist churches and historically Black universities and stopping for a plate of smothered chicken at Mikki’s Soul Food. He’d even pledged to spend $25 million on Black voter outreach – a level of investment he said was a first in Texas’ modern political history. But when Talarico’s campaign staff tried to wrap up questions after about an hour, Kandice Webber, a Houston nurse and political content creator, wasn’t impressed.

“Our people don’t trust you for this reason,” said Webber, who is Black. “And you cannot win without us. So you stay here, you answer our questions, or you suffer the consequences.”

Here is the entire Regina column: What Black voters say about James Talarico when he’s not there.

I will go on and say that this is silly and childish. Sometimes I feel like some folks want Talarico to lose so they can say I told you so. Enough of this crap. Everybody is a grown-up. Everybody must come together. Folks are starting to sound stupid and selfish in my book. The featured photo says we have a good shot this November. Don’t blow it over this BS. Don’t be losers.

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We have 58 games remaining on the schedule. 28 at Daikin Park and 30 on the road. We start a roadie today in Chicago against the White Sox.