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A note about that letter - It has been sitting on Joe Straus’ desk for a while.

I’ve read quite a few comments about Gov. Perry’s supposed lack of action from people who don’t know much about Texas government and politics. (Not y’all.) Yes, he can call up the militia, but there is more involved than simply calling them up. Coordination and agreement among Texas leaders is necessary for an effective operation.

So the critics need to know two things. First, the Texas governorship is different from other states. Second, Rick Perry is leaving that office and Greg Abbott is likely entering that office, which creates a whole host of issues for a lot of Texas leaders.

Perry has been in office a long time and appointed many, many leaders during that time. He effectively has more power by virtue of his influence than the direct powers granted to the office. He has done a lot of negotiation behind the scenes to effect a coordinated operation.