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Freshman East Texas (Yeah, yeah, put the back of your hand to your forward and sigh heavily) State Representative David Simpson pulled a little parliamentary trick yesterday in the Texas House that derailed, among other things, Senfronia Thompson’s puppy mill bill.

Let me tell you something about Senfronia Thompson.  She has been my friend for 30 years and she is one of the funniest women I know.  She is also one of the most respected people in the Texas House by Democrats and Republicans alike.  She’s one tough cookie, but she gets things done in the nicest possible manner.  She will tell you to go to hell, but she will help you pack for the trip.

She is the longest serving member of the Texas House, and this session she introduced a bill to regulate puppy mills.  The fact that we don’t already regulate them says something sad about Texas.

So along comes this feisty little freshman rep and he knocks Senfronia’s puppy mill bill, along with two other bills, off the fast-track House calendar.  Like the man he shot in Reno, just to watch them die.

It appears that even his own party is unhappy about his actions, saying he broke the rules of decorum.  Thirteen of them removed their names from his bill  to criminalize over-eager patdowns at airport security.  They apparently would rather have their junk touched than be seen within fifty miles of Mr. Simpson.

Even the mayor of the largest town in Simpson’s district is dismayed.

News of Simpson’s bill-bumping even made it back to his district. Longview Mayor Jay Dean said constituents, particularly those in favor of the puppy mill bill, aren’t happy either, and want Simpson to better choose “what battles to fight.”

And Senfronia?  Well, I think she’s helping him pack for the trip.

Then, in a way that only East Texas elected officials can do, he made it worse.

Comparing his struggle today to Sam Houston’s struggle against secessionists, Simpson said he may lose everything, but that “providence will dictate whether I did the right thing today.”

Dude, Sam Houston didn’t want Texas to withdraw from the union.  You wanted puppy mills unregulated.  Not exactly the same.

Providence, my patootie.