Despotic behavior

Texan Republicans cannot convincingly argue that those Texan State House Democrats who left the state are abandoning their offices as state representatives, when, by their actions, they are defending the interests of their constituents from an unfair and unrepresentative new districting map. Texan Republicans cannot provide evidence that these representatives and their staffs ceased all functions of their offices, or any intent by these representatives to no longer act as representatives.

They cannot prove that these offices are abandoned.

Texan Republicans cannot argue that the constituencies these representatives continue to represent are abandoned, without first asking those constituents. Do you think a constituency which elected a Democrat in Texas would feel that their representative, taking drastic action to preserve their right to continue electing the representative of their choice, was acting against them?

It’s hard to imagine they would think so, but that hasn’t stopped the Republican-controlled Texan government from issuing warrants for the arrest of their political opposition. This is despotic behavior, and Illinois is under no obligation to return political refugees to a regime that would punish them for adequately representing the will of those who elected them.

Edwart Moritz

Warrenville