Interactive version at full size and identifying the perps can be seen here. (may be paywalled)
Sunday, January 09, 2022
Friday, January 07, 2022
The Weekend Wrangle
It's been a very bad start to the new year for Texas Republicans. Update:
From the Republican Party of Texas. pic.twitter.com/GM2GlVCeEB
— Bud Kennedy / #ReadLocal (@BudKennedy) January 7, 2022
To say they stepped in their own understates it. Just follow the mockery. Before I get to the rest of that, there's a few things that are more important to the rest of us.
Cases of the highly contagious omicron COVID-19 variant are skyrocketing across Texas. While it’s disrupting everything from travel to education, the health care industry is facing staffing struggles of its own. https://t.co/B7twVr8V8S
— Texas Standard (@TexasStandard) January 6, 2022
This past weekend’s cold front sent temperatures tumbling across the state, testing Texas’ energy infrastructure for the first time since last February’s winter storm.
— Texas Standard (@TexasStandard) January 6, 2022
How did it fare? Not great, according to a report: https://t.co/r2YBWWjSwA
But it might not matter, at least for Greg Abbott's political future.
If you're worried about a repeat of the 2021 Valentine's winter storm in Houston, time is running out. The next 10-14 days are safe, and then we really only need worry about things into the second half of February. At present, there are zero signs of extreme cold ahead.
— Eric Berger (@SpaceCityWX) January 5, 2022
Hope all those statewide Dems running on keeping the power on have a backup campaign plan. Looks like they're gonna need it.
That's my segue.
.@GovAbbott's ice cold corruption https://t.co/TJF97Jj46z #TXLege
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) January 6, 2022
A Travis County court has upheld a previous decision finding Gov. Greg Abbott CAN'T forbid local governments from imposing mask mandates — for now.https://t.co/1N8eZrQW85
— KXAN News (@KXAN_News) January 6, 2022
"A Texas National Guard soldier assigned to the state’s mission at its border with Mexico... accidentally shot & killed himself in an alcohol-related incident Saturday & another survived a suicide attempt..." https://t.co/G2T682cBlk #txlege
— Jim Henson (@jamesrhenson) January 4, 2022
Operation Lone Star is a disgrace.
— Texas Civil Rights Project (@TXCivilRights) January 5, 2022
That's it, that's the tweet. #LoneStarMustGohttps://t.co/YMlhxaULKY
So Ted Cruz had a worse week than this. First, the Dallas Observer introduced us to his very online daughter, and then his treasonous actions from January 6, 2021 caught up with him, and his feeble explanations only dug his hole deeper.
TUCKER: You called this a terror attack…That’s a lie.
— Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) January 7, 2022
CRUZ: The way I phrased things yesterday, it was sloppy and frankly it was dumb..
TUCKER: I don’t buy that. Whoa, woah, woah! I don’t buy that!
pic.twitter.com/IoqXXbtelo
But he was by no means alone.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw says Marjorie Taylor Greene is either 'a Democrat - or just an idiot' amid COVID-19 testing spat https://t.co/790kI9qKDW
— Politics Insider (@PoliticsInsider) January 3, 2022
Both Cruz and Crenshaw have been branded RINOs by the QAnon Caucus as fallout for these transgressions, i.e. telling the truth. And I can't stop laughing.
U.S. Capitol Police intelligence thought Louie Gohmert appeared to encourage violence before insurrection https://t.co/X6zmQcKula
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) January 6, 2022
Just cannot wait for the next poll in the TXGOP AG race.
Apparently @chiproytx wants @TwitterSupport to suspend him too #TX21 https://t.co/zOgePgF0m8
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) January 2, 2022
Hi, Senator @TeamBettencourt! I understood you had some baseless concerns about County Attorney @CDMenefee introducing the “#BanTheBox” policy. I just wanted to remind you of the words your fearless leader echoed on this issue. Seems he agrees with us 🤷🏿♂️.https://t.co/uM6jBwojgW
— Odus Evbagharu (@iamodus_) January 5, 2022
So to summarize:
17 Texas Republicans voted in Congress to block certification of the 2020 election results.
— Sewell Chan (@sewellchan) January 6, 2022
One year later, we checked in to ask if they now see Biden’s victory as legitimate.
None responded. @rebekahallen: https://t.co/zSIlVFAM7K
By the metric of which state most aided and abetted Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, Texas far surpasses the field.https://t.co/wcLdIrFseJ
— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) January 6, 2022
Texas torched in new Netflix mockumentary 'Death to 2021': 'Another failed state ruled by fundamentalists' https://t.co/N6AdjwqcSg
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) January 4, 2022
Unfortunately, Texas Democrats' top two prospects took serious hits themselves from what might usually be considered friendly sources.
Is #Beto just another doomed Texas Democrat? https://t.co/HYzdLtoVxr by @GusBova via @TexasObserver #TX2022
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) January 6, 2022
Beto O'Rourke going rote was no surprise. Lina Hidalgo discovered as a puppet of the oligarchy -- for this observer -- was.
Despite her image as a progressive & political outsider, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is the ultimate insider & works with billionaires to crush the working class & poor, & usher in a new technocratic biosecurity state
— MintPress News (@MintPressNews) January 6, 2022
Investigation by @dancohen3000 https://t.co/K0JxUTE0ME
This probably won't register on the shitlibs' meters.
Here are the criminal and social justice updates; the first intersects with the environment. (More climate news next week.)
Arlington, TX City Council again reverses itself and this time REJECTED @TotalEnergies' bid to drill behind a daycare that serves mostly Black children. Council Member Rebecca Boxall switched her vote from yes to no. @reveal 's coverage w/@TexasObserver : https://t.co/dRKvBJfzm9 pic.twitter.com/6TEZA8JIbP
— Elizabeth Shogren (@ShogrenE) January 5, 2022
Asylum seekers pleading their immigration cases in Houston are among the least likely to win their cases to remain in the United States, according to a new report. Houston immigration judges denied between 89 and 100 percent of cases from 2016 to 2021. https://t.co/z9jpOpeg9Z
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) January 5, 2022
a TX county returned $7 million in unspent rent relief, though some residents like ebanisha wiley are on the brink of eviction@dianeyentel says @USTreasury could reallocate up to about $1 billion in unspent rent relief to other areas
— Jen Rice (@jen_rice_) December 30, 2021
for @Marketplace >https://t.co/fPG9sIfkf9
Houston to pay $3.5 million to expand gunshot detection system despite questions about its effectiveness https://t.co/6CVI5xnPlA via @houstonchron #hounews
— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) January 5, 2022
Background on ShotSpotter.
George Floyd's niece was struck in the torso after someone unloaded a hail of bullets into their second story apartment. It took 4 hours for police to respond, despite being called immediately. The family had to drive her to the hospital themselves. https://t.co/ihGlUEgDjg
— Frank Hopper (He/Him/His) (@ProgressiveSAHD) January 6, 2022
"I don’t understand you people."
— Equality Texas (@EqualityTexas) January 3, 2022
Signed... "your unequal neighbor"
An LGBTQ family received an anonymous hateful Christmas card, prompting support from neighbors and donations to @TrevorProject. ❤️ 🏳️🌈https://t.co/L2ZlOJu8eu
Great choice for Texan of the Year! Opal Lee is an American treasure. #txlege
— Chris Turner (@ChrisGTurner) January 2, 2022
Opal Lee: The Dallas Morning News 2021 Texan of the Year https://t.co/NYLmicNQwA pic.twitter.com/ww2FnV70D7
Going long on soothers today.
The ghost wolves of Galveston—how curious locals & attentive scientists proved that the weird coyotes prowling the Texas edgelands are genetic descendants of the extinct red wolf. Amazing eco-journalism by @EmilyAnthes & photography by @TristanSpinski:
— Christopher Brown (@NB_Chris) January 5, 2022
https://t.co/ocmRAt8v20
After years of planning, I'm off on my epic journey of exploration. Here's my planned route for the first 60 days. Along my cross-country trip, I'll be working on research related to #Mars, a project on climate change, astrophotography, and exploring. I hope to see you out there. pic.twitter.com/VLAyrRkJyh
— Antonio Paris (@AntonioParis) January 1, 2022
A 546-acre film studio and entertainment district is set to open in Bastrop, Texas, in August 2023, according to a report from the Austin Business Journal. https://t.co/hHGTeFw9WL #Boomtown
— KVUE News (@KVUE) January 4, 2022
Four Cardinals attempt to bring down Cowboys RB Dan Reeves in this iconic photo from a 1966 game at the Cotton Bowl. #RIP https://t.co/UMFr12zuNx pic.twitter.com/1Tk30tLC9d
— St. Louis Football Cardinals (@BigRed_STL) January 1, 2022
In the 1970s, infamous Austin music venue Armadillo Beer Garden sold Shiner for $1.50 a pitcher. To pay for a night out, music fans just had to lift up their couch cushion
— Shiner Beer (@ShinerBeer) January 2, 2022
__
We're raising a glass to Shiner history with limited-edition commemorative Heritage Bock! #ShinerBeer pic.twitter.com/Q38syh45m1
Wednesday, January 05, 2022
A Sedition Eve Wrangle
Perhaps I should begin with another threat.
The new variant is spreading at lightning speed, infecting people at a rate seven times higher than the delta mutation before it. https://t.co/goHSXEwUSd
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) January 5, 2022
San Antonio's largest district says 1,000 staff members did not return from winter break https://t.co/aJC7d2Yx7E
— MySA (@mySA) January 3, 2022
Or maybe this one.
From the most recent hard freeze "..yet again, instruments froze, output plunged and companies spewed a miasma of pollutants into the atmosphere in a bid to keep operations stable. #txlege #quorumreport https://t.co/B9R6MW4glh via @business
— harvey kronberg (@HKronberg) January 5, 2022
“The repeated inaction by Texas lawmakers on legislation that would have required CO detectors in homes contributed, in February, to what experts called the worst carbon monoxide poisoning disaster in recent U.S. history” #txlege https://t.co/lx1YGLqFOG
— TexPIRG (@TexPIRG) January 2, 2022
Given the possibilities of dying or becoming disabled from COVID, or freezing to death because we can't keep the power on, it might be permissible to excuse people from worrying too much about the climate. Or whether their votes are going to count.
Trump demanded an audit of election results in Texas—a state he won decisively.
— Sewell Chan (@sewellchan) January 1, 2022
Now, a state-financed audit in four major counties has turned up…pretty much nothing.
The secretary of state chose New Year's Eve to disclose this news. https://t.co/gWe2Ulfcrk
Or whether an insurrection might take place again.
Members of militia groups can start off merely telling stories around a campfire but over time turn to conspiratorial thinking, open hostility or even violent action. Sociologists who study militias have observed an increase in extremism in recent years. https://t.co/iKs6xpxPcl
— Scientific American (@sciam) December 30, 2021
Texas is full of these right-wing extremist militias. They're not just the national security threat we've been warned about but a danger to all Texans. And they are emboldened by the tacit approval, the wink-and-nod from police.
Texas police admit to some 'Trump Train' text messages https://t.co/hoAaAWaGef
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) January 4, 2022
Greg Abbott and company aren't too worried about them, either.
Oh, the replies https://t.co/2KVrNamrWq
— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) January 2, 2022
“We have demonstrated that we can corral the coronavirus”—Abbott, in April 2020 https://t.co/y2qlK7AjSU
— EricaGrieder (@EricaGrieder) December 31, 2021
So while we mark an anniversary tomorrow, no one feels like celebrating. Not even those responsible, from what I can tell.
New polling shows rising acceptance of political violence 1 year after January 6 riot | Analysis https://t.co/DHg5FSIksb
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 4, 2022
How the crisis of American democracy might end — and what the United States would look like afterward https://t.co/cm17H9Xtko
— Vox (@voxdotcom) January 3, 2022
I'll try to be a little more cheery in the next Wrangle, the one I promised yesterday for today but will appear tomorrow or Friday.
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