Amateur historians strike back, and time to turn up the thermostat

Happy Juneteenth!  ͏  ͏  ͏ [expressnews.com]( [View in Browser]( [Tomlinson's Take]( A Big Sale. A Great Deal. Get 4 Months for Only 25¢! For a limited time, save on unlimited digital access. [Subscribe Today.](   --------------------------------------------------------------- [Texas has a problem with history]( Americans will celebrate Juneteenth on Monday, which marks the end of chattel slavery, a topic Texans tried to ignore for generations. Deciding what parts of history to teach has never been easy, but lately, the debate is getting blisteringly hot. In Texas, amateur historians and state politicians have dominated curricular decisions. Professional historian Dr. Paul D. Lack bemoaned the phenomenon in an influential 1991 essay, [“In the Long Shadow of Eugene C. Barker.”]( Barker, one of Texas’s preeminent historians, allowed myths created by amateurs to overwhelm the state with “the suffocating power of its heroes,” Lack argued. “Barker’s work rested essentially on an ideological foundation similar to that of the Texas chauvinists and romanticists who came before him,” Lack added. Barker’s mentor was George P. Garrison, a founder of the Texas State Historical Association, a nonprofit with a checkered past. The TSHA is best known for its online encyclopedia of Texas. But the independent organization promoted racism and white supremacy for decades through the Southwestern Historical Quarterly journal. Today, TSHA is in [a legal fight over what role amateur historians and myths should play in teaching Texas history](. I have a dog in this fight. The amateur historians trying to take over the TSHA have compared the book I co-authored, Forget The Alamo, to The 1619 Project. While I am flattered and our book is unworthy of the comparison, these folks did not intend it as a compliment. They accuse people like me of undermining traditional Texas values. Since this is Texas, of course, there is a billionaire involved. Oil man and banker J.P. Bryan from Galveston is [a self-appointed guardian of Texas tradition with an ancestral claim](. His uncle was a TSHA founder in 1897, and his father was a past president. When TSHA got into financial straits, [Bryan kicked in some cash in 2022 and took over as executive director](. Professional historians soon noticed Bryan preferred “the suffocating power” of Texas heroes to the latest professional scholarship. Bryan, who [also serves on the Alamo Trust’s board](, does not disagree. “There’s an ongoing effort to diminish the teaching of Texas history,” Bryan claimed, explaining why he obtained a restraining order to stop the TSHA board from firing him. “This has the opportunity to shape the way the history of Texas is told.” Indeed, it does. Professional historians are expanding our understanding of Texas history to include the voices of people long oppressed and ignored. If Bryan and his allies succeed, schoolchildren will learn the old twisted stories that belong in the dustbin of history.   [Photo of Chris Tomlinson] Chris Tomlinson, Business Columnist   --------------------------------------------------------------- What Else I'm Writing [HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 11: A transmission tower is seen on July 11, 2022 in Houston, Texas. ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) urged Texans to voluntarily conserve power,]( Photo by: Brandon Bell, Staff / Getty Images [Summer is here, testing the grid like never before]( Summer of 2023 could be the hottest on record and test the Texas electric grid and give clues to what improvements are needed.   [Melissa Myer holds onto a sign reading “Y’all means all” and a transgender pride flag at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, on May 12, 2023. SB14, if passed, would ban gender affirming care for minors— including those already receiving such care.]( Photo by: Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News [My Great Aunt Luke couldn’t celebrate Pride, so I do]( Americans cannot allow bigots to put LGBTQ people back in the closet, columnist Chris Tomlinson writes.   --------------------------------------------------------------- What I'm Reading Must Read: [Dan Patrick’s $125,000 loan to Ken Paxton adds to conflicts in Senate impeachment trial]( So many senators, so many conflicts of interest. (Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News) Should Read: [24 Hours in the Champagne Room]( You open your eyes in the bedroom you had painted the color of a Veuve Clicquot champagne label. It’s one of the few things that bring you joy. (Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News) Interesting Read: [Why the U.S. Electric Grid Isn’t Ready for the Energy Transition]( (The New York Times) Technical Read: [Don't Say Gay: The Government's Silence and the Equal Protection Clause]( Don’t Say Gay Laws are unconstitutional for the same reasons as the anti-LGBT curriculum laws passed in earlier eras. (University of Illinois Law Review) Fun Read: [In Appreciation of Echo Bridge, the Coolest Music Venue in Texas]( Musicians perform on a concrete platform at the base of a bridge arch on one bank of the river. (Texas Highways)   --------------------------------------------------------------- Question of the Week What’s your favorite story from Texas history? Reply directly to this email and tell me your thoughts.   --------------------------------------------------------------- Mailbag Last Week’s Question: What do you think was the worst law to come out of the Texas Legislature this year? “There were so many bad laws that came out of this legislature this session that I don't know where to start. … I'm increasingly embarrassed to say I'm from Texas, and I'm a fourth-generation Texan whose family members have served in the statehouse for that many generations. They were all excellent public servants.” – Ramona Adams, Houston “The worst law was the one denying medical care to transgender kids. To me, it demonstrates pure hate to a tiny fraction of children in our population and no regard for our medical professionals.” – Elayne Wolbert, Rosenberg “I believe the worst law was [HB2127, aka the Death Star bill](. Local control is a strength of our municipalities and allows local elected officials to address local problems more effectively and efficiently. … This will backfire on them eventually as municipalities gain so much population that the smaller counties won't be able to protect their jobs anymore.” – Lisa Fontenot, Willis   --------------------------------------------------------------- The Takeaway You can save the electric grid this summer. Well, actually, it will take a bunch of us. But we can do it if we work together. Last July, the nonprofit grid operator ERCOT asked consumers to reduce demand to prevent rolling blackouts. We responded, [shaving 2,000 megawatts of demand within an hour](, saving enough power for more than 1 million homes. Texans made a difference by turning up the thermostat a few degrees, not running appliances, turning off pool pumps and dimming lights. Experts call it demand response, which can work wonders and obviate the need for new fossil fuel power plants. In Wednesday’s column, I noted that 2023 could be the hottest summer on record. But global warming guarantees we will keep breaking the record in the near future. Let’s start boosting energy efficiency and demand response this summer. It will reduce our electricity bills and prevent the construction of new power plants that will only accelerate climate change.   --------------------------------------------------------------- Share With Your Friends Do you know someone who would like Tomlinson's Take? For the Houston edition, [send them here to sign up](; for the San Antonio edition, [send them here](.   --------------------------------------------------------------- More Newsletters Required Reading News and analysis on San Antonio area schools, colleges and universities. [Sign Up](               [San Antonio Express-News]   A Big Sale. A Great Deal. 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