Sticks and stones

Greg Abbott apologizes - sort of — after thanking supporter who labels Wendy Davis "Retard Barbie"

Voting for the next governor of Texas doesn't take place until November 2014, but already the race is heating up — and it promises to be dirty.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, the potential Republican nominee, drew fire over the weekend when he tweeted thanks to a supporter who called his possible opponent, Democratic State Sen. Wendy Davis, "Retard Barbie." (Davis says she has not decided if she will run for the state's highest elected office. Abbott announced he would run a few days after Gov. Rick Perry announced he would not seek reelection.)

@jefflegal @tcot -- Jeff, thanks for your support. #TGDN

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX)

August 17, 2013

The exchange quickly got picked up by Politico and a host of national news outlets, along with condemnation from the Democratic Governors Association and Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa.

While it may first appear that Abbott's reply is a standard blurb from a staffer, his spokesman told the Dallas Morning News that the attorney general writes all of his own Twitter messages.

Late Sunday night, Abbott apologized — sort of — in a subsequent tweet.

FYI: I thank supporters on Twitter, but I don't endorse anyone's offensive language. Stay positive.

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 18, 2013

Greg Abbott

Gage Skidmore Wikipedia

Greg Abbott

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”