We Need a Break from Spring Break

"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others." -Groucho

When the Party's Over

Representative Dr. Glenn Rogers of TX HD 60, (between Ft. Worth and Abiline,) has evidently had enough. Or rather, his party has had enough of him. He got "primaried" in the recent election. And friends, it was a bloody affair.

Texas Monthly reports that flyers went out in his district accusing him of being soft on... well every red-meat issue there is. Probably one of the most effective mailouts to his constituents accused Rogers of coming for your guns. "On the leaflets, Rogers’s head is clumsily pasted, via a photo editing tool, onto the body of a man in a suit carrying a leather bag full of assault rifles. The man is shaking President Biden’s hand, and a text bubble reads, “Their guns are yours.”" Rogers had been endorsed by the NRA. He was also endorsed by the Texas Rifle Assoc., Texas Assoc. of Business, the Texas Alliance for Life, the Texans for Lawsuit Reform, and all the usual Republican clubs.

"He coauthored the “constitutional carry” bill to allow Texans to bear firearms without a license, signed on as a sponsor of the abortion “bounty” bill in 2021, and helped pass legislation to regulate which books school libraries can shelve." - TM

But Rep. Rogers wasn't quite loyal enough, was he? Not only had he voted to impeach Paxton, but he was against Abbott's school voucher bills in every session.

Bless his heart. He never knew what hit him. It was nuclear. Billionaire Jeff Yaas handed 6 million dollars to Abbott to lay waste to the heretics that stood in the way of handing out private school money to millionaires. Abbott even recorded commercials blaming Rogers for getting in his way of protecting the border. (Abbott did this for all of the "RINOs" that didn't kiss his ring. You probably saw some of these TV spots in your area.) Abbott knew he couldn't advertise openly about his real motive, electing school voucher allies, because rural Texans can't afford to have their public school district budgets cut. But whip the locals up into a frenzy over the fer'in terrorists streaming over the border while their elected representatives won't stop them...

Except that Rogers voted in support of all of Abbott's border plans, including the $1.5 billion appropriation for more border walls! And he voted for more border security!

Rogers got spanked, HARD in the primary. Hundreds of thousands of dollars got an unknown Abbott sycophant elected in his place. His opponent received 63 percent of the votes to Rogers’s 37. Rogers fumed that even his friends who should have known better voted against him. Because the ads and flyers were relentless. And you know, propaganda works.

Rogers wrote a scathing open letter to his district:

"The corruption that exists at the highest level of Texas state government would have made Governor “Pa” Ferguson blush... Governor Greg Abbott has defiled the Office of Governor by creating and repeating blatant lies about me and my House colleagues, those who took a stand for our public schools. I stood by the Governor on all his legislative priorities but just one, school vouchers. For just one disagreement, and for a $6 million check from Jeff Yass, a Pennsylvanian TikTok investor, and voucher vendor, Abbott went scorched earth against rural Texas and the Representatives who did their jobs-representing their districts... History will prove Ken Paxton is a corrupt, sophisticated criminal. History will prove vouchers are simply an expensive entitlement program for the wealthy and a get rich scheme for voucher vendors. History will prove Governor Greg Abbott is a liar. History will prove that our current state government is the most corrupt ever and is “bought” by a few radical dominionist billionaires seeking to destroy public education, privatize our public schools and create a Theocracy that is both un-American and un-Texan...

This last week, former Vice President Pence (in consultation with mother) stated (publicly!) that he would not endorse Trump in the November election. He said “Donald Trump is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years. That’s why I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign.” He added that he "will “never vote” for President Joe Biden. Pence also suggested that he would not back a third-party candidate."

Perhaps he remembers the gallows that were erected outside the Capitol as the crowd chanted for his head. Perhaps he finally realized that he had no place at all in the modern MAGA party. In Jack Smith's indictment, Trump is quoted as telling Pence, “You’re too honest” after he refused to block certification of Joe Biden’s win. Online cries of "traitor!" are still rampant, as are calls for his public execution.

To his credit, Pence refused to play the "overturn the election" game that the Big Orange Goon wanted to play. He stood as one of the last guardrails of democracy for that moment, and it was enough, for that moment. Funny how we have to pat politicians on the head for doing the "right thing," or their job, or simply upholding their oaths to follow the Constitution. It's that low of a jump bar. "Oh, you certified a free and fair election?! Who's a good boy? YOU'RE a good boy! Yes, you are! You're a very good boy!"

Pence never gained traction during primary season, and was the first to drop out of the race. A huge shrug echoed around the country.

Notice anything similar in the above stories? (And there are plenty more like it.) A couple of dyed-in-the-wool Republicans, who have up until recently ridden First Class on the MAGA Crazy Train are suddenly thrown on the tracks by the Engineer, the Cheetoh-in-Charge. And the crowd and old allies cheer as the body is left mangled on the tracks.

Pence was Trump's biggest enabler, and his prim piety gave Trump entry and cover to the evangelical community. With the look of some kind of smirking, elderly altar boy, Pence carried Trump's Unholy Water, never criticizing even his most indefensible behavior. Indefensible and grotesque. Texas Rep. Glenn Rogers was similarly happy to fly the MAGA flag in all its gory. Build the walls, put a bounty on women seeking abortions, let any man woman or child carry a gun, and above all, cut taxes. Secure in their power, position, and prestige, the exclusive MAGA world is insulated from us common folk.

A simple pledge of fealty to Trump, or Abbott, or Patrick is all it takes. A slight realignment of principles. Until maybe one day there's a line you can't cross. Maybe it's something personal, maybe there's some shred of dignity left inside somewhere. And you find yourself under the bus with the rest of us. Wondering what happened. Wondering, like we do, if there is a bottom. Wondering how much hatred can be generated by this ideology.

This Week in Texas Porn

Women who have had to leave the state to seek abortions and related health care will soon be joined by Texas evangelicals and other Republicans that are seeking their porn fix. We're hoping that they won't be on the same bus.

The website "Pornhub" shut down access to its artful films in Texas, objecting to a state law that requires age verification which would prevent access to minors.

Texans who visited the popular and educational website were greeted by this message: (abridged here...)

The (R) dominated lege passed the law, HB 1181, last year. It requires companies that distribute “sexual material harmful to minors” to confirm that visitors are over 18 with an online system that verifies users’ government-issued identification or another commercially available system that uses public or private data. To ensure compliance, moral midget Ken Paxton sued Pornhub and threatened the company with some serious fines, (up to $10,000 a day, an additional $10,000 per day if the company illegally retains identifying information, and $250,000 if one or more children are exposed to explicit content.)

Paxton walked over the graves of 19 schoolchildren in Uvalde and thousands of impoverished children across the state who are unable to access healthcare in Texas to say, "Texas has a right to protect its children from the detrimental effects of pornographic content.” Because, you know, Ken is all about protecting children.

On the other hand, in the tradition of old-fashioned Republicanism, maybe it's good for the economy. Perhaps cutting off the online smut will encourage libidinous men across the state to follow Ken's example and take up with mistresses, renting them apartments, and inventing make-work jobs for them.

The Attorney General's Stepford wife, Senator Angela Patrick, carried the original bill to the Senate. “I am glad to see our hard work in passing #HB1181 is paying off. It’s time to protect our children from the harmful content on these sites.” Oh Angela, obviously Ken's droopy eyelid isn't the only thing limp at home. I fear you are driving your lecherous husband into the arms of another fallen woman.

Don't Rush to Judgement

Texas GOP chairman Matt Rinaldi will step down. He was a MAGA warrior that did Patrick's and Paxton's bidding, including incessant attacks on moderate Republicans like House Speaker Dade Phelan. For "RINOs" like Phelan and others who voted for Paxton's impeachment, Rinaldi helped finance primary campaigns to oust them.

He didn't give much of a reason for his resignation. But here's the fun part: in his resignation announcement, he wrote, "...it is time for me to focus on my obligations as a husband to my wife, Corley, and as a father to my six-year-old son, Rush..." Not a real common name for 6-year-olds, "Rush." I wonder who he might have been named after?

Meanwhile, In North Carolina...

I was going to write at length over the ongoing campaign of right-wing NC Governor candidate Mark Robinson. Currently the Lt. Gov., Robinson is virtually tied in the polls with his Democratic opponent.

You'll notice that Robinson is a black man. A black man who has called MLK a communist, quotes Hitler, referred to LGBT people as "filth," wants to outlaw abortion entirely, mocked victims of school shootings who have called for gun reform, and he'd like to return to a time “where women couldn’t vote.” And when he is criticized for any of these opinions, he pulls the "racism" card.

Yeah, I was gonna have some fun with this guy. But irony is long gone. Hypocrisy is so passe.

And besides, as I was writing this, I just read that Heir Trump, in a speech this evening, declared "Now, If I don't get elected, it's gonna be a bloodbath. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country."

Sorry, Lt. Governor Robinson, no one out-Trumps the Trump.

In other dumb news

Trying to find something else to think about... in two different stores this week, I found those Big Dumb Cups for sale. For only $45! You can keep a beverage chilled. Or warmed! AMAZING!

Not sure how we ever consumed liquids before this. And every day I'm reminded that there are children that walk the streets of our country daily that do not have access to a Big Dumb Cup. There are no BDC safety nets, and I don't know of any charity groups that provide these necessary resources to deserving families in need.

Won't you join me and spreading Big Dumb Cup love? I hear the pink ones are in, though with St. Patrick's day coming up, green ones should be a hit.

Let's end on a high note. Have you seen "The Last Repair Shop"? Won the Oscar for best short film. It's sweet, thoughtful, and importantly, has not political references. You can find it on Disney+, but looks like YouTube has it up for now. Seriously, it will put you in a much better mood.