Monthly Archives: August 2026

Gov. Abbott’s “12 commandments,” stuffed down our kids’ throats. Weren’t 10 enough?

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There’s a hilarious scene depicting Moses on Mt. Sinai in Mel Brooks’ 1981 comedy film “History of the World, Part I.”

As Moses, played by Brooks, descends from the mountain, he’s holding three large tablets.

Moses bellows: “Hear me! Oh, hear me! All pay heed! The Lord, the Lord Jehovah, has given unto you these fifteen…”

He then stumbles and drops one of the tablets. It shatters when it hits the ground.

“Oy!,” he says to the Hebrews below, using a well-known Yiddish interjection. “Ten!,” he tells his people. “Ten commandments for all to obey!”

How the world might be different today if Moses had given us all 15!

Joking aside, many Gentiles will be surprised to learn that the “Ten Commandments” are just the opening decalogue of the five books of Moses (the Jews’ Torah). They are followed by 603 more commandments (mitzvot in Hebrew; the singular is mitzvah; a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah is the son or daughter of the commandments, hence the rite of passage for 13-year-old Jewish kids).

Last year, Governor Abbott signed SB 10, detailing the mandatory display of the “Ten Commandments” in Texas public schools (uncanny that the bill was number 10!). Not only are teachers now compelled to display them (although legal challenges are still pending), but they are also required to use the officially Texas-sanctioned “Ten Commandments.” And yes, they must use Texas-sanctioned “Ten Commandments” posters that are provided by the state.

I was surprised — floored, actually — to discover that the agreed text of the “Ten Commandments” adopted by my state actually includes 12, yes, 12 commandments. And the strangest part of the arrangement is that those 12 commandments are introduced by the title “The 10 Commandments”…

Please click here to continue reading my post this week for Southeast Texas Impact Initiative. Please consider subscribing or donating to the group. It will play a key role in the run-up to the mid-term elections with local block walking and voter registration. Thank you for your support and solidarity.

Micheaux’s Southern Cuisine in Missouri City should be declared a national treasure.

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This is only the second installment of my Worth the Drive West (De tabernis que valent illam carratam ad occidente) lunch series featuring my favorite finds between Westbury (Meyerland) where we live, and Sugarland to our southwest (thus avoiding the media-saturated although always exciting food scene within Houston’s I-610 Loop).

But I feel like I’ve already reached a zenith with this one and it’s going to be hard to beat.

Micheaux’s Southern Cuisine would already be at the top of my southwest Houston restaurant lists for the superb cookery, with a loving focus on classic southern dishes. But it was the overall vibe of the place, on two separate visits, where the super pro and warmly polite staff gave you the sense that they love working there — and they love the soulful food the kitchen puts out.

I’m a little bummed that they discontinued the shrimp po’ boy but that won’t stop us from going back.

Tracie swooned when I brought her home some of their black-eyed peas a few weeks ago. And she inhaled the red beans I ferried back last week.

Roast chicken, braised ox tails, smothered pork chops, meatloaf were just some of the entrées on offer with the spectrum of classic sides (don’t miss the mac and cheese).

I believe the Micheaux family’s catering business is their focus. We’re definitely eyeing the spot for our next big activism event at the house.

I’ve seen the restaurant packed at lunch with a local crowd. Haven’t visited yet for dinner but they stay open until 8 p.m.

My Southwest Houston, I’m discovering, is a land of churches, immigrants, and wonderful restaurants that devotedly nourish the community. I’ve got my eye on a Vietnamese sandwich shop for my next post in the series.

Stay tuned and please make the trip out to Micheaux’s (it’s pretty fast on the Fort Bend Parkway). It’s worth the drive west!

Dear California, I know it seems like we are all out of our minds here in Texas. But don’t give up on us yet!

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Dear California, I know it seems like we are all out of our minds here in Texas. But don’t give up on us yet!

A good friend from your state recently commented on a photo of our Texas-born children that my wife (born and raised in Orange, Texas) posted on her Facebook.

“Great!” she wrote, clearly sharing her joy in seeing our kids grow up healthy, strong, and determined. But the line that followed left us crestfallen.

“Now we just got to get you out of Texas!” she added.

Remarks like that are hurtful and make us feel like all that matters to you is that we live in a place you don’t like.

But given our truly laughable and often frightening political class, I can also understand how you have such a warped perception of who we are and how we live our lives.

Please continue reading my post today for the Southeast Texas Impact Initiative Substack.

Impact — as we shorthand it — is a tireless progressive activism organizer headquartered in the Golden Triangle, where Tracie grew up, one of the most ruby red of the ruby red zones of our state. These folks never stop registering voters, block walking, connecting people with resources they need, protesting the MAGA hegemon… They are great people and I’m proud to be one of them, representing our corner of SETX (as we acronymize it).

Please consider reading, subscribing and maybe even giving. They will be a key local player in the run-up to the midterms. Thanks for the support and solidarity.

Parzen family letter: first day of high school!

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We still can’t believe it’s finally here: Georgia’s first day of school at the Kinder High School for the Performing & Visual Arts in downtown Houston.

That’s Georgia on the right (OBVIOUSLY! as she would say), wearing her favorite Gorillaz shirt and sporting her super cool new accessorized purse.

Tracie and I dropped her off early this morning. Wow! We are so excited for her year ahead, the new friends she’ll make, the music she’ll play, the concerts… How can I deny that this is one of my dreams come true?

Lila Jane, à gauche, started her last year at Meyerland Middle School a week ago Monday.

Always impeccably put together, with myriad bedazzled accessories and a speckled red beagle named Tillie by her side, she is playing once again in the school’s varsity orchestra and will be traveling to Chicago this winter for a performance at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference. Wow! Just wow! That’s a big one.

She’s gearing up for her Region Orchestra tryout and her Kinder HSPVA audition early next year. Her playing is so gorgeous these days and we are all geeked for her year ahead as a “senior” and the concerts and recitals she’ll perform in.

Tracie has been working as hard as ever and — poo, poo, poo — her career continues to move at a brisk clip. We made sure to take some serious time off this summer to recharge. That was wonderful and we had a blast exploring fun hotels and restaurants in New Orleans.

Me? I’ve been working on the writing project I’m launching later this year (stay tuned!), putting finishing touches on my 14th-century wine book translation to be published by U. of Toronto, and contributing to the Southeast Texas Impact Initiative newsletter.

It’s been a really tough year for me. Both of my parents have died. My dog died. I had emergency surgery to remove a tumor from my neck. But even in my darkest moments, I was surrounded by Tracie, the girls, the dogs, and my Texas families… always reminding me of the countless blessings in my life.

Happy back to school, everyone! Stay safe.