A Really Lousy Week Wrangle

It's too late for me to catch up on all the atrocities that went down since the last non-toon post, but like our pathetic Democrats in Washington and Austin trying to pass some gun safety legislation -- or anything approaching that -- I'll give it a go anyway.

8/ The idea of a “God-given right” to bear arms has been increasingly embraced in the Texas Legislature, where the conversation around issues such as gun rights and abortion has centered more around morality and theology than facts and science. https://t.co/pU0ozZHJh2

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 29, 2022

It’s like screaming into a well at this point. “Give me a vest, give me a vest” this woman basically telling the cops standing there doing nothing to give her their gear. They did not, she still ran in. Twice https://t.co/m5cI2DMgyl

— Jasmina Kelemen (@JasminaKelemen) June 4, 2022

Well this is escalating fast. Uvalde ISD police claiming their taxpayer funded building is private property and threatening to arrest reporters? https://t.co/3ptf3iM16R

— Jeremy Wallace (@JeremySWallace) June 1, 2022

Texas Department of Public Safety now referring all questions about Uvalde shooting investigation to District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee. She declined comment when reached by the @AP

— Jim Vertuno (@JimVertuno) June 1, 2022

Texas Gov. Abbott says the Uvalde school shooter had a "mental health challenge" and the state needed to "do a better job with mental health" — yet in April he slashed $211M from the department that oversees mental health programs. https://t.co/sUoDT3GQ6o

— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 28, 2022

Imagine patting a father who just lost his child to a school shooting on the back and being like "well, could've been worse." https://t.co/mekT8jYQwm

— Moecco (@creezee) May 28, 2022

NEW from @PatrickSvitek: Hours after the #Uvalde school shooting, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott attended a fundraiser 300 miles away https://t.co/7ZmrHQSM7O @TexasTribune #txlege

— Joshua Fechter 📝 (@JoshuaFechter) May 25, 2022

Truth is truth #txlege pic.twitter.com/i1orFoSasY

— Jay Leeson (@jayleeson) May 27, 2022

As you know, Beto did his best to capitalize on all of these blunders.  The blue partisans and the media got honked up about it, but some of us saw it for what it was.

Too bad it was a completely performative stunt. Beto is a loyal party soldier, whether it's unceremoniously dropping out to endorse Biden in an effort to stop Bernie or refusing to criticize Dem leadership for doing nothing. https://t.co/ZE4jUZxxCa

— 2022 Jump Street (@IrateMaxwell) May 26, 2022

Then there was the NRA convention here in H-Town, which was filled with its own theatrics.  Inside and out.

"Unlike some, I didn't disappoint you by not showing up." - Trump, at the #NRAconvention in #HTX today. #HouNews #TXLege (not just @GregAbbott_TX. @DanPatrick and @JohnCornyn and @DanCrenshawTX IIRC) https://t.co/tp03DC1coe

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 28, 2022

Yeah this time is gonna be different. This is in front of the NRA convention in Houston. pic.twitter.com/3BLhKK1St9

— David Hogg 🌻 (@davidhogg111) May 27, 2022

The man with two Ivy League degrees, a wife who is a partner at Goldman Sachs, sends his kids to expensive private schools, and vacationed in Mexico while his constituents froze to death has some thoughts to share about the "elites" in this country. 🙄 https://t.co/ZbHYn07aZP

— scary lawyerguy (@scarylawyerguy) May 29, 2022

Here at the anti-NRA protest in Houston, I just witnessed North Texas based right wing provocateur who goes by the name Chet Goldstein get ejected by the crowd for trying to disrupt the event pic.twitter.com/PkW7tLQs7p

— steven monacelli (@stevanzetti) May 27, 2022

We spoke directly to Wayne LaPierre at the NRA Convention and thanked him for all his thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/EfdDrgD4Af

— The Good Liars (@TheGoodLiars) May 29, 2022

Because the NRA convention in Houston ran behind schedule, @GregAbbott_TX's pre-taped speech went on at the exact same time he was speaking live in #Uvalde.
He sent 2 messages re: new laws
In Uvalde: "All options are on the table"
At NRA: Gun laws don't stop mass shooters pic.twitter.com/HJRF5R1WjQ

— Zach Despart (@zachdespart) May 29, 2022

Annnddddd @therecount has the visual:pic.twitter.com/0Er2GsNaU5

— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) May 31, 2022

So, #BLMHOU & ALL the other organizers who turned out thousands don't exist? Its sad that your tweet I'd a great example of Black led organizing being erased through white gaze + respectability politics. Turner could have led by canceling the NRA conference. I guess money talks. https://t.co/1Tari9MrSi

— Ashton P. Woods (@AshtonPWoods) May 31, 2022

Houston mayor @SylvesterTurner refusing to cancel the #NRAconvention: "But we'll be sued!" https://t.co/jFtjB4hg9R

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 27, 2022

NEW: @tedcruz was confronted about the Uvalde school shooting while he ate at a sushi restaurant in Houston. https://t.co/Lf9PjjlqdT

— Ariana Garcia 🇵🇷 (@Ariana_noGrande) May 28, 2022

If I blog any more about this topic at this length it'll be about the cops and their failures, coverups, lies, and whatever other corruption gets uncovered in the days to come.

The Texas DPS official who fielded a barrage of criticism about his department's response to the mass shooting in Uvalde is the same man who interrogated death row inmate Melissa Lucio into giving what her lawyers said was a false confession. https://t.co/Cdaiaqk007

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 28, 2022

Coming from a guy who covered Astroworld, where the Houston police chief (briefly) floated the idea a security guard had been injected with drugs and collapsed (not true) ⬇️ https://t.co/1mqXZmzWeG

— Zach Despart (@zachdespart) May 31, 2022

Be reminded that absofuckinglutely nothing will be done to stop the next tragedy.

Mitch McConnell: ‘Get Your Crying Done Now Because We’re Not Passing Shit’ https://t.co/rzw3qTQOtx pic.twitter.com/AUFYCGrBf6

— The Onion (@TheOnion) May 26, 2022

Since 2013, there have been 78 school shootings on Texas school grounds - the most of all states, according to data. https://t.co/R6BsBy6kro

— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) May 25, 2022

There were some other bad things that happened while I was away.  You probably noticed.

Southern Baptist leaders released a confidential list of hundreds of accused sexual abusers Thursday evening that tracked names, dates and details about a burgeoning abuse crisis — but was kept secret for more than a decade.https://t.co/o8MYVsXtTC

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 30, 2022

Rep Louie Gohmert on Navarro indictment: "If you're a Republican, you can't even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent or they're coming after you" pic.twitter.com/8eIkkycukd

— Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) June 3, 2022

I would like to think that after he leaves Congress early next year, we will have heard the last of Louie.  But I doubt it.

Garcia: If Cuellar survives Democratic runoff, it’ll be because Republicans saved him https://t.co/dhHrvsN9Fd

— San Antonio Express-News (@ExpressNews) May 25, 2022

Cuellar has survived because of the assistance provided by Republicans Nancy Pelosi, James Cyburn, Steny Hoyer, and Joe Biden.

Pro-NRA, anti-choice Henry Cuellar narrowly won his primary thanks to Nancy Pelosi going to Texas to campaign for him. 19 little children in Texas shot to death on the same day.

Call Nancy Pelosi's office and let them know you are no longer a Democrat: 202-225-4965 pic.twitter.com/jA2eYOp9wI

— Prof Zenkus (@anthonyzenkus) May 25, 2022

Oil and gas giants are raking in billions of increased profits while families across the country are struggling to afford the gas they need to simply get themselves to work, school or even the grocery store.#GeneralStrikeRevolution https://t.co/ry9C0H8aau

— 🌹 🔥 Dark Warlord 🔥 🌹 (@drkwarlord) May 26, 2022

‘There’s going to be some real sticker shock here.'

Residential electric rates in deregulated portions of Texas have surged by > 70% since last June, @mitchschnurman reports.

For family using 1,000 kWh/mo, that's a monthly bump of $80. Ouch.https://t.co/WkhwpHeWH6 pic.twitter.com/7yPrkMSw6p

— Bob Garrett (@RobertTGarrett) June 3, 2022

But there were also some good things.  And some of those involved Texas Democrats.

It's over in Texas CD-30. @JasmineForUS cruises to victory over @JaneHopeTX in race to replace @RepEBJ: https://t.co/ZHHRXAh5yD

— Gromer M. Jeffers (@gromerjeffers) May 25, 2022

This is an embarrassing defeat for Matt Angle, who had taken to calling Jasmine "Crypto Crockett" in his slimeball attempts to wedge his chosen Blue Dog into this seat.  Crockett isn't even all that progressive; nobody's talking about welcoming her to The Squad's cast of pretenders.  She may not be as shitlibby as Colin Allred or Lizzie Fletcher; we'll have to wait and see.

We did it.

To every supporter, volunteer, and voter—thank you.

This race doesn’t have to be easy; it just has to be possible.

Donate to elect new leadership in TX-21 and defeat Chip Roy in November: https://t.co/mCnxOpgXUZ pic.twitter.com/6FqUH9yqsL

— Claudia Zapata for Congress, TX-21 (@PoderConClaudia) May 25, 2022

A tough road still ahead for Zapata against Chip Roy.  She's made all the right moves and the winds seem to be prevailing.  She's one of the very few I would say: help if you can.

Austin council member Chito Vela "hopes that any cities who wish to protect their citizens from red state abortion bans will take inspiration from the GRACE Act." #TXLege #ATX https://t.co/7zowE8OA39 via @commondreams

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 31, 2022

Congratulations to @SEIUTX Janitors in Houston! 🧹✊🏽 Our strength is what bonds us together. At @32BJSEIU, we have your backs! This is the power of our union! #UnionStrong 💪 https://t.co/1eUSnXzJXx

— 32BJ SEIU /// #UnionStrong 💪💪🏻💪🏽💪🏿 (@32BJSEIU) June 2, 2022

45th & Lamar in Austin just became the first Starbucks store to win their union in the state of Texas!

— SBWorkersUnited (@SBWorkersUnited) June 3, 2022

San Marcos voters may have to chance to pass an ordinance decriminalizing marijuana after grassroots organizations gathered thousands of signatures to get an initiative on the ballot. https://t.co/FsNbOCddSs

— FOX 7 Austin (@fox7austin) June 2, 2022

That's enough for now.  More on Monday.  A couple of soothers:

A nest of endangered sea turtle eggs was found on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park last week — the first nest found at the park in over a decade. | via @HoustonPubMedia https://t.co/7a55OwkPiS

— KUT Austin (@KUT) May 24, 2022

The story of Japanese immigrants coming to Texas is one of resourcefulness and resilience, starting with the cultivation of rice on the Gulf Coast. https://t.co/j2ptnXFO2h

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 23, 2022

Texas, Our Texas Gun Nuts

Inside any random MAGA household:

And through the generations, Texas Republicans understood ...

... and so did Texas Democrats (not Henry Cuellar, though).

Tipping Point Funnies

Nothing.

Not feeling like blogging election results today.  Later perhaps, after the blood gets mopped up and the kids who can only be identified by comparing DNA with their parents' -- because their bodies were so ripped apart by bullets that they are unrecognizable -- are mourned, buried, and mourned again.

In the meanwhile I need to do some ripping myself.  Or at least post the rips of others.

The next time @SpeakerPelosi, @LeaderHoyer, @JimClyburnSC1 or anyone else in the @DNC ask for your vote to stop gun slaughter (or to protect Roe), just say 'Henry Cuellar (NRA A rating).'
And maybe add 'Uvalde, TX'. pic.twitter.com/UIcnXR995a

— James (Jim) Cavallaro (@JimCavallaro) May 25, 2022

Looking forward to @GregAbbott_TX's speech at the @NRA convention in Houston Friday pic.twitter.com/aoVmtFHWoR

— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) May 24, 2022

Liberals will focus on guns, because they have no intention of really changing this society of alienation and extraction and exploitation. The conservatives will focus on the culture war or some other distraction because they are slavering demons who feed on the suffering.

— Daniel Baryon (@AnarkYouTube) May 25, 2022

18 children dead in Texas and ICE is on scene which means many parents will have to risk detention in US concentration camps while checking if their kid is alive

— ℮oin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) May 25, 2022

Y'all might not know: Uvalde, TX is something like 80% Latino community. https://t.co/jl80kC1Bnn

— Hillcrest Card Company (@HillcrestCardCo) May 25, 2022

Texas law, in its own way, requires public schools districts to play a part in helping financially prop up gun manufacturers.

To be eligible for underwriting Texas school bonds, banks have to certify that they don’t refuse to do business with gunmakers. https://t.co/L5UHS3kWvh

— Matt Pearce 🦅 (@mattdpearce) May 25, 2022

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. I’ll just leave this here. pic.twitter.com/iPL4SGVqCa

— John Smith (@EE7085) May 24, 2022

“Vote” is just “thoughts and prayers” for liberals. Every year, millions of people vote to make a negligible difference in their lives. Are those urging us to vOtE implying that 14 children would not have perished today if people voted harder?

— 🅹🅾🅴🆈աrecκ ☭ (@joeywreck) May 24, 2022

This is one of the cartoons in my winning entry for the @RFKHumanRights award. How American that it was announced on the same day as another school shooting. #RFKBJA #SchoolShooting #Texaselementary #TexasMassacre pic.twitter.com/veJUy48u4S

— Clay Jones (@claytoonz) May 24, 2022

On the other hand, maybe I should just let the assholes speak for themselves.

This is Tony Gonzales, who represents the district that contains the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas that just got shot up. pic.twitter.com/imRGq3Y8Nn

— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) May 24, 2022

.@KenPaxtonTX, wearing campaign T-shirt during @Newsmax appearance after Uvalde school shooting, says people should be armed "because it's not gonna be the last time" https://t.co/lFwgwJlz9v #TXLege #TX2022

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 24, 2022

Cruz on new gun laws: “Inevitably when there's a murderer of this kind, you see politicians try to politicize it, you see Democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens,” per @jessicadean

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 24, 2022

Nothing but thoughts & prayers from Republicans as far as the eye can see pic.twitter.com/IScpzFrqtK

— David Nir (@DavidNir) May 25, 2022

It never fails to amaze me how a supreme deity with -- allegedly -- the power to have prevented these tragedies should be the one summoned to comfort the grieving.  The Gawd these people worship is not supposed to be an idle bystander, nor for that matter an observer with some unquantifiable and apparently variable degree of empathy.

Here in reality, They is those things.  In Jesusland, Dey 'pose to be something bigger and stronger than that.  This inability to live in Factghanistan is a massive piece of our collective problem, as a species and a culture.  What should we do about that?

I know what we should do; what we will be doing is precisely the same thing our elected officials have done, are doing, and will do about the gun carnage in this nation.

Absofuckinglutely nothing.

Texas Election Season's End of the Beginning Wrangle

It's almost over.

This week, the FBI refused to clear Henry Cuellar of wrongdoing in an ongoing federal corruption investigation.

However, voters in his district received a fake newspaper in the mail falsely claiming he’d been cleared by the Department of Justice. https://t.co/B1k7DQcspR

— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) May 22, 2022

Keeping fingers crossed, but not holding my breath, that TX-28 Democrats are smart enough to take out the trash tomorrow.

“It took me having to go to Washington to actually figure out what type of representation we were actually receiving in this district,” @JCisnerosTX said of @RepCuellar and Democrats' walkout last year. https://t.co/kDtMgy79z3 #District28 #runoff

— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) May 21, 2022

Senator @BernieSanders in TX28 with @JCisnerosTX ahead of Tuesday runoff against @CuellarCampaign @GarrettHaake will be in LAREDO next week to bring you the very latest on this HOT race (it’s 108 degrees in Laredo today… send us buckets of sunscreen pls)

—> https://t.co/806dyqXBZo

— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) May 20, 2022

Heat hot (caliente) and spicy hot (picante) too.  Yeah.  More on the rising outdoor temperatures in the environmental round-up, below.

Is @JaneHamilton running a "dirty campaign" against @JasmineForUS? @RepEBJ told @TexasObserver yes. https://t.co/Ki1NUfVotv #Dallas #RunOffElection From @by_jmiller

— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) May 21, 2022

Yes she is, and the orchestra's conductor is Matt Angle of the Lone Star Project, still holding the ignominious title of the state's most flea-bitten Blue Dog.  Thanks for calling him out, Texas Signal staff, but next time put somebody's name on it and his name in it.  Be bold, be brave. This shit isn't going to stop on its own, and none of us have time to wait for these centrist shitlibs to die off.

We're all enjoying a nice respite from the heat at the moment, but nobody should overlook the fact that this might be one of the hottest summers on record.  And maybe the coolest for years to come.

ERCOT expects "at least 40 days of 100 or greater in DFW"... "20-30 days is a reasonable expectation" for Houston ..."at least 50 days" in Austin and 40-60 days for San Antonio. Govt's should be seeting up lots of cooling centers. This is dangerous heat. #txlege #txenergy 6/

— Doug Lewin (@douglewinenergy) May 19, 2022

Quadfecta today for record highs at our climate sites:

College Station: 98 breaking the old record of 96 set in 1925
Houston: 95 tying the record set in 1890
Houston-Hobby: 94 breaking the old record of 93 last set in 2003
Galveston: 90 breaking the old record of 89 set in 1875

— NWS Houston (@NWSHouston) May 18, 2022

Six of the state’s power plants went offline last week due to maintenance problems. This is just the beginning. https://t.co/wfXcRmvsER #ClimateEmergency #ClimateChange From @_e_delger

— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) May 20, 2022

A week ago, Texans were asked to literally sweat it out through another potential grid failure.

Unreliable fossil fuels are not the answer. Wind and solar are keeping the lights on and the AC running in Texas. #txenergy #txlegehttps://t.co/ypy4IU4RSb

— Public Citizen Texas (@PublicCitizenTX) May 20, 2022

RT @tx_poster: "Texas expands the fight against agencies that are fighting climate change created by humans.

"Texas remains anti-human and pro-fossil. #txlege

"Boy howdy." https://t.co/26PwNzIru4

— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 20, 2022

Why Shale Drillers Are Pumping Out Dividends Instead of More Oil and Gas
Compensation plans that once paid executives to boost output without regard to energy prices now foster cost cuts and shareholder returns https://t.co/npYMOHW8oQ #txlege

— Dick Lavine (@dlavine) May 23, 2022

Many members of OPEC can produce oil for less than $20 a barrel but paying brutal security forces and operating luxury yachts gets expensive. Just one reason gasoline prices will remain high for a while. There's another way: https://t.co/cOFVBiIPyo @HoustonChron #txlege

— ChrisTomlinson (@cltomlinson) May 20, 2022

More than half of car buyers say their next car will be an #EV, representing a jump of 22 percentage points in two years. #txlege #txenergy https://t.co/kl9iTnJt9o

— Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance (@TxETRA_TX) May 23, 2022

At the same time Samsung Electronics was receiving an environmental award from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the same agency was actively investigating the company because of a toxic wastewater discharge last year. https://t.co/59FoDgU1pL

— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) May 20, 2022

The Army Corps' proposed 'Coastal Spine' will be one of the most expensive infrastructure projects in U.S. history.

What could it mean for the Houston region?

Register below to learn more next Wed (5/25):https://t.co/0MsNlyQGDm#ikedike #Houston pic.twitter.com/sdAQrkMoMg

— Texas Living Waters (@txwater) May 18, 2022

Expert: A monster hurricane season is coming https://t.co/xHs2KKyGKQ

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 18, 2022

Hi, I'm the environment reporter @TexasTribune & we're asking for your help documenting climate change in Texas.

Climate change doesn't hit countries, communities, and people equally. It is fundamentally a local problem, even as it requires global solutions.

THREAD:

— Erin Douglas (@erinmdouglas23) May 20, 2022

The TexTrib's crew is doing much of the heavy lifting in today's Wrangle.  Also providing the segue between the climate tweets and the social injustice ones.

Of the more than 300,000 homes in Texas damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, none were in Coryell County.

Nevertheless, Coryell is slated to receive $3.4 million in Hurricane Harvey aid. https://t.co/pzkugEwvUd

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 21, 2022

In November, under pressure from politicians, the hospitals who ran this doctor’s program for trans youth dismantled it.

This week began a brief resumption of care.

She said, after waiting months, many patients she is seeing are now suicidal. https://t.co/YjunZhugZx #txlege

— 🌟 Lauren McGaughy (@lmcgaughy) May 20, 2022

The Texas child welfare agency has resumed at least some of its investigations into parents who provide gender-affirming care for their transgender children, family lawyers have confirmed to The Texas Tribune. #TXlege https://t.co/QE858gF8kM

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 20, 2022

New: 14 Texas Republican lawmakers (so far) plan to support legislation that would ban any corporation from the state if that business helps employees or customers or anyone else access abortion care in other states. https://t.co/O6uNkGEE1C

— Zach Despart (@zachdespart) May 23, 2022

In one email, a longtime Southern Baptist lawyer, August "Augie" Boto, called the work of outspoken survivor advocates @ChristaBrown777 and @R_Denhollander a "satanic scheme."

Factcheck: These women are not scheming with the devil.https://t.co/5VIPIpo3BG #sbctoo #hounews pic.twitter.com/loPKZyJK4F

— John Tedesco (@John_Tedesco) May 22, 2022

This patchwork of care exists in part because the state of Texas’ primary way of supporting children with diabetes in classrooms is not enforced or tracked by any state body. https://t.co/ABmzdiasm9 pic.twitter.com/aaDGAi9jJI

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram (@startelegram) May 22, 2022

It wasn't all social injustice last week, though it may have seemed so.

A Texas restaurant owner and father of three has come to the rescue of hundreds of parents struggling to find infant formula amid a national shortage of the product. https://t.co/lvo6Hz3Fd3

— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) May 20, 2022

The program is in partnership with a coalition of more than 60 mayors engaged in the advancement of a federal guaranteed income, with direct recurring cash payments to the poor and middle class. https://t.co/Mh97OktWvw

— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) May 22, 2022

Seven years after the momentous traffic stop that sparked Sandra Bland’s arrest, and ultimately her death, Prairie View officials this week unveiled a historical marker honoring her life. https://t.co/mQ4ZnLQihG

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 18, 2022

Here's the rest of the calm-me-downs (and two crack-me-ups).

There are few things that get a wealthy, powerful man more incensed than to hear someone question his integrity. Witness Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban bickering over who cheats the most after the latter accused the former of buying all of his players. https://t.co/A7iieVcvb4

— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) May 19, 2022

links in cases, tried successfully. https://t.co/FT53CiDmFh pic.twitter.com/9osKeOj9DA

— RiverOaksProblems (@RiverOaksPrblms) May 21, 2022

I won't lie: I very much appreciated the kindly words @outandabout wrote about me in his Austin American Statesman article re: the best digital tools for Texas history buffs: https://t.co/9prz5KwAf3

The article got picked up by Yahoo News. Little 'ol me. Yep. Thanks, Michael!

— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) May 20, 2022

"The Replacements" Funnies