Last night a woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande that marks the border between the U.S. and Mexico near Eagle Pass, Texas. U.S. Border Patrol agents knew that a group of six migrants were in distress in the river but could not try to save them, as they normally would, because troops from the Texas National Guard and the Texas Military Department prevented the Border Patrol agents from entering the area where they were struggling: Shelby Park, a 47-acre public park that offers access to a frequently traveled part of the river and is a place where Border Patrol agents often encounter migrants crossing the border illegally.
It is shocking to me that the Feds don't charge Abbott and his corrupt AG Paxton with the federal crime of Depraved-heart murder. This is a type of murder where the defendant acts with a conscious disregard for the risk of causing death or serious bodily harm to another person. This is a more serious form of murder than voluntary manslaughter, which means that the defendant killed someone in the heat of passion.
Governor Abbott should be prosecuted for their deaths. PERIOD.
Democrats, Republicans, the news media & every single Democracy lover needs to stand up, speak out & vote.
Trump should not have, nor should he any longer receive any deferential treatment. He should NOT be given "campaign" media coverage before, during or after court hearings.
He should be treated as he is, a Citizen. Just as ANY of us would be treated.
My dear colleagues, we must work to get out the vote - and repair our country. We can't afford to be apathetic, overwhelmed or disheartened. We must all do as much as we can to stop the cruelty. Talk about these murders. Talk about taking away the rights of women and girls. Tell your friends that not voting is electing trump and his ilk. Talk about whatever will motivate people to vote blue no matter what. Don't let them split hairs or complain about Biden's age or use any excuse. We know how serious this is. It will take decades to recover if these creatures increase their control. Or at least I hope we will recover. I'm 84. I thought we marched and voted and applied pressure and won. To watch all our efforts crumble after all our hard work is heartbreaking. These are old wars, old injustices. Old money that is still trying to reverse FDR's New Deal. How ridiculous is that? Believe me, I'd rather read a book or binge on British police dramas on TV than write postcards, send texts, demonstrate, show up - whatever we have to do to send these folks back under their slimy rocks. I'm willing to bet a lot of you would, too. But we can't. Good luck to us.
Let us take note meanwhile of the fact that democracy has just elected in Taiwan the president that the People's Republic of China did not want. There, at least, the people have not been scared into submission.
OMG...if I ruled the world....I would lock Abbott up and throw away the key. The man has no conscience! Surely President Biden should be able to do something to stop this maniac? People aren't coming here on a whim....they are hungry and in need of help. No one wakes up in the morning and says let's walk 2000 miles and see if the US will give us a job. There is plenty of work for those that can do manual labor! We should be ashamed of ourselves to let this continue.....
"while they are insisting the issue is so important they will not agree to fund Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s 2022 invasion until it is solved, they are also unwilling to participate in discussions to fund more border officers or immigration courts." Let's see an advertising campaign that pressures Republicans to fund more border officers and immigration courts. While we are waiting for that to have its effect, maybe we can draw on retired attorneys to volunteer in and even staff the immigration courts.
Saddest of all, desperate people will not be deterred from risking their lives to enter the US. Cruel is the heart and soul of the gop, which is also true of its adherents.
By enacting and enforcing its own laws that over-rule federal sovereignty, Texas is seceding from the United States of America. Abbott is daring the Biden administration to resort to force to uphold federal law. That would cause an armed conflict and would precipitate a civil war. This is very serious.
President Biden is wisely not going for the bait by allowing the DOJ to do its job and seek relief through the courts. And even there, when secessionist Republicans disobey court orders to redraw gerrymandered maps, they are again trying to force the issue. At what point do enough state governors and legislatures assert such actions often enough that federal law becomes unenforceable? What then?
Heartless. The first word of many to describe people like Abbott who treat human beings with such cruelty, they could starve or freeze to death on his watch and he could feel no shame or guilt or sadness. If he cannot work with the USA government to manage his border state, he needs to get out of the way. In 1909 my grandparents, Jewish peasants, escaped the czar in Kiev, Ukraine, called Russia, on the Ellis Island immigration certificate, to be free. They struggled to learn English, raise a family and all the grandchildren and great grandchildren are now college graduates and self supporting. From violence and poverty, and even here in America, antisemitism, those were the conditions and my roots. Every official should examine their history. Practice humility and be a mensch. A human being.
As I read this, I keep thinking about my MAGA sister who lately has "found" Jesus. What do I say to her as she praises the Lord while asking to "pass the ammunition"?
The Rio Grande holds many chilling tales of tragedy. A family drowning, trapped in a political tug-of-war. Texas' overreach, barring federal agents, painted the water with despair. This is not the American way. We are a nation woven from threads of diverse origins, not divided by barbed wire on a riverbank. Jackson's ghost stirs, reminding us of a past where nullification's siren song led to a nation fractured. The Department of Justice lawsuit is a necessary first step, upholding federal authority over immigration. But beyond legalese, we need bipartisanship, not political pawns. Each life lost is a monument to our inaction. Let us build bridges, not walls, at the border and in our hearts. The Rio Grande's current should carry hope, not heartbreak. Only then can the American tapestry remain whole.
In 1957 President Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce federal school integration requirements. Biden should do the same to establish federal authority in Texas. US military facilities in Texas should put under full readiness to mobilize and Governor Abbott informed that if Texas police/military units at Shelby Park are not ordered to immediately stand down, federal troops will engage and re-establish federal authority, and Governor Abbott will be arrested for treason and sedition.
Also, I want to know department;
What is the Texas Military Department? Is that in addition to the Texas Nat’l. Guard, the state police, and any other para-military state organization? Is Abbott the commander-in-chief of this state army? When was it established? What’s its stated purpose? What does it train for? Are these full-time soldiers? (The Nat’l. Guard are weekend warriors.) Do any other states have similar “military departments”?
I am shocked beyond belief. Abbott is responsible for these latest deaths of a woman and two children. I don't know if he feels any remorse. It appears not. He has now made the Texas National
Guard and the Texas Military Department accessories to murder. He has brought even more shame upon the State of Texas. I'm proud of my governor. I'm lucky to live in Illinois where we haven't lost our compassion or sanity.
Thank you Heather.
It is shocking to me that the Feds don't charge Abbott and his corrupt AG Paxton with the federal crime of Depraved-heart murder. This is a type of murder where the defendant acts with a conscious disregard for the risk of causing death or serious bodily harm to another person. This is a more serious form of murder than voluntary manslaughter, which means that the defendant killed someone in the heat of passion.
Governor Abbott should be prosecuted for their deaths. PERIOD.
Democrats, Republicans, the news media & every single Democracy lover needs to stand up, speak out & vote.
Trump should not have, nor should he any longer receive any deferential treatment. He should NOT be given "campaign" media coverage before, during or after court hearings.
He should be treated as he is, a Citizen. Just as ANY of us would be treated.
My dear colleagues, we must work to get out the vote - and repair our country. We can't afford to be apathetic, overwhelmed or disheartened. We must all do as much as we can to stop the cruelty. Talk about these murders. Talk about taking away the rights of women and girls. Tell your friends that not voting is electing trump and his ilk. Talk about whatever will motivate people to vote blue no matter what. Don't let them split hairs or complain about Biden's age or use any excuse. We know how serious this is. It will take decades to recover if these creatures increase their control. Or at least I hope we will recover. I'm 84. I thought we marched and voted and applied pressure and won. To watch all our efforts crumble after all our hard work is heartbreaking. These are old wars, old injustices. Old money that is still trying to reverse FDR's New Deal. How ridiculous is that? Believe me, I'd rather read a book or binge on British police dramas on TV than write postcards, send texts, demonstrate, show up - whatever we have to do to send these folks back under their slimy rocks. I'm willing to bet a lot of you would, too. But we can't. Good luck to us.
(Weeping.)
For the modern GOP, this saying becomes ever more true:
The Cruelty Is The Point.
Let us take note meanwhile of the fact that democracy has just elected in Taiwan the president that the People's Republic of China did not want. There, at least, the people have not been scared into submission.
OMG...if I ruled the world....I would lock Abbott up and throw away the key. The man has no conscience! Surely President Biden should be able to do something to stop this maniac? People aren't coming here on a whim....they are hungry and in need of help. No one wakes up in the morning and says let's walk 2000 miles and see if the US will give us a job. There is plenty of work for those that can do manual labor! We should be ashamed of ourselves to let this continue.....
"while they are insisting the issue is so important they will not agree to fund Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s 2022 invasion until it is solved, they are also unwilling to participate in discussions to fund more border officers or immigration courts." Let's see an advertising campaign that pressures Republicans to fund more border officers and immigration courts. While we are waiting for that to have its effect, maybe we can draw on retired attorneys to volunteer in and even staff the immigration courts.
Saddest of all, desperate people will not be deterred from risking their lives to enter the US. Cruel is the heart and soul of the gop, which is also true of its adherents.
By enacting and enforcing its own laws that over-rule federal sovereignty, Texas is seceding from the United States of America. Abbott is daring the Biden administration to resort to force to uphold federal law. That would cause an armed conflict and would precipitate a civil war. This is very serious.
President Biden is wisely not going for the bait by allowing the DOJ to do its job and seek relief through the courts. And even there, when secessionist Republicans disobey court orders to redraw gerrymandered maps, they are again trying to force the issue. At what point do enough state governors and legislatures assert such actions often enough that federal law becomes unenforceable? What then?
The Texas Military Department?! What in the world?
If Abbot's victims die, can he be charged with murder?
Heartless. The first word of many to describe people like Abbott who treat human beings with such cruelty, they could starve or freeze to death on his watch and he could feel no shame or guilt or sadness. If he cannot work with the USA government to manage his border state, he needs to get out of the way. In 1909 my grandparents, Jewish peasants, escaped the czar in Kiev, Ukraine, called Russia, on the Ellis Island immigration certificate, to be free. They struggled to learn English, raise a family and all the grandchildren and great grandchildren are now college graduates and self supporting. From violence and poverty, and even here in America, antisemitism, those were the conditions and my roots. Every official should examine their history. Practice humility and be a mensch. A human being.
As I read this, I keep thinking about my MAGA sister who lately has "found" Jesus. What do I say to her as she praises the Lord while asking to "pass the ammunition"?
Thank you, Heather, for chronicling this.
The Rio Grande holds many chilling tales of tragedy. A family drowning, trapped in a political tug-of-war. Texas' overreach, barring federal agents, painted the water with despair. This is not the American way. We are a nation woven from threads of diverse origins, not divided by barbed wire on a riverbank. Jackson's ghost stirs, reminding us of a past where nullification's siren song led to a nation fractured. The Department of Justice lawsuit is a necessary first step, upholding federal authority over immigration. But beyond legalese, we need bipartisanship, not political pawns. Each life lost is a monument to our inaction. Let us build bridges, not walls, at the border and in our hearts. The Rio Grande's current should carry hope, not heartbreak. Only then can the American tapestry remain whole.
In 1957 President Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce federal school integration requirements. Biden should do the same to establish federal authority in Texas. US military facilities in Texas should put under full readiness to mobilize and Governor Abbott informed that if Texas police/military units at Shelby Park are not ordered to immediately stand down, federal troops will engage and re-establish federal authority, and Governor Abbott will be arrested for treason and sedition.
Also, I want to know department;
What is the Texas Military Department? Is that in addition to the Texas Nat’l. Guard, the state police, and any other para-military state organization? Is Abbott the commander-in-chief of this state army? When was it established? What’s its stated purpose? What does it train for? Are these full-time soldiers? (The Nat’l. Guard are weekend warriors.) Do any other states have similar “military departments”?
I am shocked beyond belief. Abbott is responsible for these latest deaths of a woman and two children. I don't know if he feels any remorse. It appears not. He has now made the Texas National
Guard and the Texas Military Department accessories to murder. He has brought even more shame upon the State of Texas. I'm proud of my governor. I'm lucky to live in Illinois where we haven't lost our compassion or sanity.