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Abbott didn’t make the smartest decision this week, but many others followed his lead.

There are a lot of words to describe what Gov. Greg Abbott did when he dropped COVID restrictions starting next week, including the statewide mask mandate. A lot of adjectives one could apply to his so-called thinking on this issue. Still, we’ve got to hand it to President Joe Biden, who didn’t go for the obvious choice. “The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking,” he said. Abbott was shocked — shocked — telling CNBC that’s “not the type of word that a president should be using.” You don’t have to remember the Stone Age to recall much less presidential language coming from the White House, but we digress. Abbott had no problem using the word himself, though, when he claimed, with no evidence, that the Biden administration is releasing immigrants with COVID in Texas. “That is Neanderthal-type approach to dealing with the COVID situation,” he harrumphed. Boys, boys, boys, let’s be clearer in our speech, shall we? Biden should stop saying Neanderthal when he means “dumb” and Abbott should stop saying immigrant, when he means “scapegoat.”

Bush-era liberal darlings Keith Olbermann and Michael Moore should have evolved beyond their ranting against red states and left that shtick back in the early aughts. They only embarrassed themselves when they reacted to Abbott’s announcement. “Why are we wasting vaccinations on Texas if Texas has decided to join the side of the virus?” Olbermann tweeted. “We hear you! COVID is a hoax! So you don’t need our precious vaccine. We’ll send it to people who are saving lives by wearing masks,” Moore echoed. Two things: Texas is diverse and not some monolith made up of 29 million Abbott-loving, mask-shirking yahoos; even if it were, regardless of political affiliation, access to life-saving vaccines is a human right. Pinheads, the both of them.

Having said that, some folks really like to push the envelope on this whole “every life is precious” thing. The reason that H-E-B will not require customers to wear a mask after the statewide mandate is lifted next week is because thousands of people decided to make a scene. “Over the course of the last year, in the 100 stores in Houston, we’ve had over 2,000 incidents where it has escalated and store managers have had to get involved,” H-E-B President Scott McClelland told Chron.com. “What’s important to me is, I’ve got to ensure for the physical safety of both my employees and customers in the store.” OK, but it’s still disappointing to see what some consider a Texas institution throw its hands in the air (where they join the still very much present COVID-19 virus). Especially when other chains, including Target, Costco and Walmart, are keeping the requirement.

While H-E-B’s McClelland surely wrestled with the decision, Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White didn’t even wait for a threecount. ESPN reports that White wants to hold a UFC event in Texas — with a full crowd — immediately. “I want to go to Texas ASAP,” he said. “I’ll go in the next two, three weeks. I’m ready to roll. We’ll be first. We’ll open this thing up, we’ll sell it out and be on our way.” We don’t want to disparage the fine folks at UFC, but pulling no punches, it probably helps to have taken a few blows to the head to think this is a good idea. Anyway, if they’re dead set on holding a good oldfashioned, no-holds-barred Texas-style cage match, we’ve got the title match lined up.

In the blue corner, leading a department of 5,400 sworn law enforcement officers, Art “The Chief ” Acevedo. In the red corner, wearing a 2015 felony indictment and trailing an FBI investigation, Ken “The AG” Paxton. The bad blood between these two contenders boiled over after Acevedo condemned Paxton’s decision to sue the San Antonio police chief over his release of several immigrants in 2017. “Suing a police chief for difficult operational decisions? I hope the court quickly leaves Paxton in the cold like he did his fellow Texans last week during a historic freeze,” Acevedo tweeted, referencing the AG’s trip to Utah. Paxton, no stranger to low blows, responded by telling the chief to “worry about Houston’s rising crime rates before spouting bogus political opinions.” The two continue to duke it out on social media, and while we know that Acevedo can hold his own, it’s hard to get the upper hand. After all, a guy who’s managed to keep from going to trial for almost six years is difficult to pin down.

After a few weeks that have left us ready to throw in the towel, there is at least some good news to report. The IRS is extending the April 15 tax-filing and payment deadline to June 15 for all Texans, citing the winter storm that paralyzed the state after years of official neglect left the power grid unable to meet demand. We’re not talking bailouts here, but we’re hoping this sets a precedent on the feds helping Texans out when our state leaders make bad choices. In that spirit, can FEMA get more vaccination sites set up before Abbott’s about-face on restrictions takes effect Wednesday? Asking for 29 million friends.