Lisbon 2019
As we left Sagres, Jackie decided she need to feed the local donkeys. Leaving was much less stressful than arriving. I was ready for the tiny roads. Our apartment was on a step incline. Thankfully, we had garage parking. The area to navigate in and out, however, was not the most spacious. We rarely spent time indoors. Rick Steves had planned several walking tours. They were a great way to see the architecture and minimize the walks uphill. Everywhere at the top had a view. Avenida da Liberdade is a grande way that is a luxurious stroll. It was not far from the apartment and provided a lovely stroll at night as well as from and to the apartment. On day two, we rode a cable car to the other overlook of Lisbon. The city itself is nestled in a steep valley. Riding up make the walk down better than the reverse.
A Few Good Men
As a kid I didn’t “go to the movies” with adults. On special occasions my Aunt Barbara would round up her nieces and nephews and take us to see classics like Herby the Love Bug. In Bamberg Germany, my friends and I would walk together to the theater on the military base.
One trip to the theater as an adult with my parents, however, does stand out. In 1992 A Few Good Men debuted, and my parents wanted to see it. I remember the movie both for its famous court room scenes and my conversation with my parents after it.
Hopefully, you’ve seen the movie, and I won’t spoil the ending for you. The plot centers on two Marines accused of murdering a fellow Marine, Private William “Willy” Santiago. The two defended themselves claiming the death was the accidental result of a brutal hazing incident ordered by Base Commander Colonel Nathan Jessup.
At first nobody believes the two privates because Colonel Jessup denied ordering the illegal “Code Red,” or beating. Eventually, their attorney, Naval Lieutenant Daniel Kaffe, believed them and called Col. Jessup to testify under oath. Kaffe’s questions goaded Jessup into saying more than he should.
In the movie’s most famous scene, Kaffe demanded the truth, and Jessup shouted back, “You can’t handle the truth.” Jessup admitted under oath that he ordered the illegal Code Red because the Marines needed to be tough to protect America.
With this explosive testimony, a military jury convicted Colonel Jessup and the two privates. One of the privates couldn’t understand the verdict because he was just following orders. The other private explained the verdict: “We were supposed to fight for the people who couldn’t fight for themselves. We were supposed to fight for Willie.”
My dad instantly understood rationale. He understood that the military serves the society, not that society serves the military. My mom, however, couldn’t understand the guilty verdict. My dad, a Vietnam veteran patiently explained that soldiers and marines shouldn’t follow illegal orders. A Few Good Men say “no.”
Like Jessup, Donald Trump continues to mislead conservatives in beating down our democracy. On January 6, 2021, he incited a mob to attack the United States Capital. Like Jessup, Donald ordered a “Code Red.” A few well-placed punches from the mob would “Stop the Steal.”
Unlike Jessup, Donald is not in jail yet. Donald continues to promote illegal activities. On December 3, 2022 he wrote “A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”
Simply put, Donald called for treason. Anyone following this mad man’s ranting will find themselves in jail with January 6 insurrectionists. Where do you stand? With Donald? With the United States of America? I know my choice.
Punish Illegal Employers
Now that the election is over, conservative smoke and mirror politics is evaporating right before our eyes. Gas prices have dropped to $2.60 in North Texas. Fox News has stopped spamming crime stories. Retailers are slashing holiday prices and seeing record sales.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, however, has returned to inflammatory talk about the border. Abbott is parroting Donald Trump’s words about undocumented crossings. Abbott falsely claims Texas is facing an “invasion.”
When Donald used this phrase, he inspired a Plano teenager to buy a semi-automatic rifle and travel to El Paso. In El Paso the teen murdered 23 Americans and injured 23 others. He wanted to defend Texas against the fake “invasion.”
Abbot is playing with fire. We know this language inspires domestic terrorists. A Federal jury just convicted two of Donald’s supporters. Prosecutors presented evidence in court that Donald inspired them to join a seditious conspiracy against the United States of America on January 6, 2021.
Abbott is diverting our attention away from illegal employment. Gregg Abbot needs to tell his big corporate donors to kick their addiction to illegal labor. Unscrupulous employers entice Mexicans and Latin Americans to the U.S.
Why would businesses hire illegal workers? Falsely documented workers don’t complain about working conditions or pay. They know they are one complaint away from being turned over to immigration officials. Corporate America illegally “imports” this docile workforce.
If undocumented immigrants couldn’t get jobs, they wouldn’t come. Greg Abbott and the Republican dominated legislature could solve the problem by simply enforcing existing employment laws and punishing illegal employers.
Abbott and the Legislature could strengthen these laws by requiring E-Verify. It is a Federal Website that Congress created in 1996: https://www.e-verify.gov. Here is what the website has to offer employers.
“In the E-Verify process, employers create cases based on information taken from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. E-Verify then electronically compares that information to records available to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). The employer usually receives a response within a few seconds either confirming the employee’s employment eligibility or indicating that the employee needs to take further action to complete the case.”
The election is over. If undocumented border crossing is a problem, let’s find a solution that works for us, not the politicians. Mandating E-Verify would be a more cost effective way to shutting down illegal employment in Texas.
Cajun Dirty Rice
This dirty rice is a staple for Thanksgiving. Maddie passed it down to Jackie. I acquired it through marriage. I also add a cup of puréed liver and gizzards.
Deceitful Donald
At the beginning of the Second Gulf War, Vice President Dick Cheney confidently told us that American troops would be greeted as liberators. We know that was a lie. Like the Weapons of Mass Destruction lie, the Bush Administration told it to avoid facing reality.
These lies were deadly and costly. When the last American troops left Iraq in 2011, the total cost was staggering.
The Council on Foreign Relations estimated that tax payers spent $800 billion and that 4,500 Americans paid with their lives. 31,994 American troops were wounded in action. We can’t even estimate the financial destruction in Iraq, and can guess that Iraqi deaths range from 100,000 to 1,000,000.
In 2003, however, it all looked like it was going according to plan. During the initial bombing campaign, the US media mocked “Baghdad Bob.” He appeared on Iraqi state media warning Americans of the tough fight ahead.
In many respects “Bob” deserved the ridicule. He was lying about the fighting strength of the Iraqi Army. In reality American troops overwhelmed it on the battlefield.
On the other hand, Baghdad Bob’s ridiculous predictions bore more resemblance to reality than Cheney’s. The Iraqi insurgency made sure our troops slept with one eye open. The insurgents made the fight much more deadly and costly than a war of liberation.
I’m thinking of Baghdad Bob again because Donald Trump is on my TV and in the news. Donald and Bob have much in common. They lie. They exaggerate. They threaten America.
The danger we face now is real. Too many pundits downplay the Trump insurgency. They only present it as a danger to the Republican Party. Trump is a danger to our democracy.
Yes, Donald’s candidates lost across the country last week. There is no sign, however, that his fans will sit down and stay quiet. They continue to lie about our election security and our Constitution.
Deceitful Donald already inspired an insurrection. Conservatives must put him aside. Conservatives must tell the truth about Donald. Some are.
Former Vice President Mike Pence couldn’t have been any clearer about January 6. Trump “endangered me and my family and everyone at the Capitol building….The president’s words were reckless and his actions were reckless. It’s clear he decided to be part of the problem.” Pence’s honesty is a welcome breath of fresh air.
We have all heard the proverb, “Honesty is the best policy.” Why then does it surprise so many of us when dishonesty produces failure? Shouldn’t the failure make more conservatives question Deceitful Donald? Shouldn’t they treat him with the same scorn as Baghdad Bob and Dick Cheney?
La même chose
It is a truism that elections have consequences. No doubt this Tuesday election will also, but it will not change much. All across the country voters dug into familiar patterns rather than alter course.
Nationally, President Joe Biden can lock in his legislative victories. Here to stay are the insulin price cap for seniors, lower prescription drug costs for Medicare and a cap on out of pocket expenses for Medicare patients. Republicans opposed these policies even though they cut the cost of living for millions of Americans.
Overseas, our Allies feel more secure. Republicans had threatened to cut aid for Ukraine. Ukrainian freedom fighters had been using NATO supplies to successfully drive Valdmir Putin and his thugs back to Russia.
While the Ukrainian liberation effort will likely take years rather than months, Putin’s impact on global prices is weakening. The original surge in oil and gas prices has returned to normal, relieving the pressure on commuters and businesses.
The long hangover from Covid 19 is also winding down for most of the world. Supply chains are being repaired, helping drive down the lumber prices at the hardware store. The global computer chip market is rebounding, helping slow the price increases for new and used cars.
In Texas, the Republican sweep of state-wide offices means our property taxes will continue to rise and our local schools will see more cuts. Criminals will continue to have easy access to guns, and we just have to sit and wait for the next school massacre.
While Seniors on Federal health insurance like Medicare and the Veteran’s Administration enjoy the benefits of socialized medicine, millions of workers remain uncovered. Texas has about twice as many uninsured citizens as the national average. Republicans are unlikely to help by expanding Medicaid.
Texas women will continue to face high maternal mortality rates. We don’t know how high, because Greg Abbott’s administration refuses to release a crucial report. Every pregnant women and her doctor are under the politicians’ microscope because of the no exceptions abortion bill.
The 2022 midterm election will probably do little to silence the conservatives who support armed rebellion against the United States of America. They have created for themselves an echo chamber of self-pity and paranoia.
We can expect more domestic terrorists’ attacks rather than less. While several high profile Republicans election deniers lost their races, dozens of others found local support and won.
So yes, elections have consequences. This week was a status quo election. We can expect liberals to continue building a middle class and conservatives fighting tooth and nail to tear it down.
Snake Oil Fraud
Leadership requires correctly identifying problems and developing solutions. Demagogues often recognize when others are in pain, but they then exploit the pain for personal gain. This technique helps the politician gain, and solidify, power.
Demagogues behave exactly like snake oil salesmen. Before the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906), capitalists crisscrossed the country offering a shimmering liquid to hopeful customers. The pain experienced by the buyer was often real enough; the “cure” wasn’t.
Snake oil left the underlining medical condition. If the consumer suffered from a degenerative disease, the person would get sick and die. The Food and Drug Administration deemed this behavior a fraud and outlawed the sale of snake oil as medicine.
The First Amendment prevents making similar laws for politicians. Demagogues are free to peddle their snake oil. Voters have to educate themselves about competing candidate claims. In a virtuous debate both sides would stick to reality.
But what happens when one side becomes untethered to reality? What happens when one side just makes stuff up? Are we really supposed to pretend that a snake oil politician and an educated politician are the same?
For example, the Biden Administration has arrested 1.7 million people trying to cross the US-Mexican border illegally. How does this fact compare to campaign claims? Greg Abbott falsely accuses President Joe Biden of having an open border. Beto O’Rouke says Abbott is duplicating federal efforts and draining the Texas National Guard resources and morale.
Compared to the Biden’s 1.7 million arrests, Abbott claims to have detained 21,000 people. The cost of this snake oil continues to climb. Abbott has wasted $4 billion of our tax dollars and recently diverted an additional $359.6 million from Texas prisons.
At one point during this sales pitch, Abbott duplicated the check points for commercial traffic along the border. State troopers disrupted the economy in a futile search for immigrants. The stunt tied up traffic and cost businesses $9 billion dollars in less than ten days.
We have known about these problems for decades. Congress has increased the Federal border patrol budget from $263 million in 1990 to $4 billion in 2020. This money hired an additional 16,000 agents.
Who was more fiscally responsible? The Federal Government spent $4 billion and stopped 1.7 illegal crossing. Abbott spent $4 billion and only stopped 21,000. On top of that Abbott cost US businesses $9 billion.
Can we please stop buying this snake oil? We need real immigration reform that defines legal crossing that would work for Texas families and businesses. Snake oil only works for politicians, not us.
Did You Get the Goldmine or the Shaft?
I used to love listening to country music in my dad’s pickup. He had an eight-track that played all of his favorites. Dad also knew where to find all his country stations on the radio. I had a steady diet of 60s, 70s and 80s country hits.
Dad always liked the playful songs from Johnny Cash to Jerry Reid. It seemed like I could look for hours at the album cover of Cash’s Everybody Loves a Nut as the LP spun on the turn table. I also never tired of singing along with Reid’s “She Got the Goldmine”… “I got the shaft.”
Reid’s satirical take on divorce deals with the frustration of getting less than a fair share. It is clear by the end of the song that Reid had moved beyond his prior love of his wife. Who could blame him? She got the gold mine; he got the shaft.
I guess that is why as an adult I don’t get conservative voters. Their politicians always get the gold mine and give us the shaft. Every year our property taxes go up and up. Our taxes never go down. The best we can hope for is having them frozen at age 65.
I can’t help but wonder “Who does get the tax cuts?” The answer is not hard to find. Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton are just like Donald Trump. They take care of their mega donors first.
Millionaires and billionaires already own the gold mines. Conservative politicians believe they are suffering and give them a tax cut. This process started with Ronald Reagan. He cut income taxes and raised Social Security taxes.
As tax payers, we are not the only ones hurt by this scam. Conservatives then defund services from schools and police departments to VA hospitals and Post Offices. How many of us had to sit and wait for a Driver’s License?
The problems we face range from a nuisance to an emergency. For some of us taking off work to sit for an hour in DPS might be a welcome break, but for others, an hour takes money out of their pay check. Our veterans may have learned “hurry up and wait” while in uniform, but do they really need to suffer for a doctor’s visit?
These crises are here by design. Conservatives win elections by promising that government can’t work. Once they are elected, they break the system and demand more cuts to public services. Rinse and repeat.
After cutting income taxes, Reagan shed crocodile tears for a growing deficit. Conservatives have spent the last 40 years attacking public schools and “entitlements.” They want schools, Social Security and Medicare in private hands. They want to finish redistributing wealth from us to their buddies.
I am tired of this song. There is no reason for conservative donors to get the gold mine while we get the shaft. We dug the mine. We created the wealth. We deserve better.
Life and Death in Texas
Texas Republicans want you to prepare for the next schools shooting. Greg Abbott is sending school children home with fingerprint and DNA kits. Abbott wants to make it easier for you to identify your child’s dead body.
Republicans have controlled Texas Government for the past two decades. They have cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires. They have made it easier for criminals and children to get their hands on guns. Republicans have defunded public education.
Conservatives have the power to pass any legislation they want. They even passed a law outlawing abortion at all stages of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape, incest or health of the woman. These laws mean that women have to face a death sentence before they can access lifesaving care.
Pregnancy is the most dangerous time of woman’s life, and Texas Republicans tied the hands of OB-GYNs. Why haven’t Texas Republican used this power to save the lives of our children? Is spending tax dollars on home DNA tests the best they can do?
Republicans love to scapegoat mental illness for gun deaths in Texas. But what have they done to improve mental health? Not much. Mental Health America, a non-profit dedicated to mental health wellness, ranks Texas dead last in care access.
If mental health did increase gun violence, why aren’t Republicans doing more? Wouldn’t improving mental health services be a priority? Not only would it improve people’s lives, it would also reduce violence and self-harm.
If conservatives can’t be trusted to take these easy steps, how can we trust them to take stronger measures? Why can’t we have what the Constitution promises: a well-regulated militia?
Texans agree on meaningful gun safety regulations to save lives. Common sense tells us that eighteen year old shouldn’t be allowed to buy a weapon designed for war. Texas should raise the age to buy an assault weapon from 18 to 21.
These weapons are the reason for the DNA kits. Assault weapons often leave their victims unrecognizable. They ripe apart flesh and shatter bones. After the school shooting in Uvalde, one parent identified their child by their distinct green shoes.
If Texas conservatives valued human life, they would join the rest of us and demand better. We should have red flag laws which temporarily remove firearms from homes experiencing domestic violence. We should close the private sales loophole that allows buyers to avoid federal background checks.
Once the horse is out of the barn, it is too late to close the door. Once your child is killed at school, a DNA test will never bring them back to life. We need solutions that save lives.