Y’all smell that?  That stench of partisanship that Sotomayor pointed out about the now GOP-packed SCOTUS?  Yeah, there’s that stench, but the stench I’m talking about is that of insurrection.  We already know about the federal judge who ruled today that TFG likely committed multiple felonies trying to steal the election and stay in power and that’s no surprise, but what’s emerging now is the stench emanating from the office of our own junior senator from Texas, Fled Cruz.  Apparently, he is asshole buddies with insurrectionist lawyer John Eastman, who’s now been ordered to turn over records to the January 6th Committee since his “work” for TFG was not privileged because the judge said he was likely concealing or assisting him to commit fraud against the American people.  BTW, that’s a crime.  Cruz has known Eastman since they clerked together in 1995, and they teamed up (and succeeded) in 2000 to make sure that Al Gore didn’t get a fair count in Florida in that disputed election.

Cruz has continued that tradition ever since, but now it’s coming to light that not only is he a sniveling brown noser who can’t tolerate cold weather or stand up to an ignorant blowhard like TFG, he decided that helping his effort to overthrow the US government was more important than being not a slimy-skinned reptile.  Cruz agreed to lead the insurrection charge in the Senate for TFG, using Eastman’s battle plan to steal the election from Biden by coercing Pence to defraud the American people and his involvement ain’t pretty.  I encourage everyone to read Heather Scott Richardson’s summary of Judge Carter’s order to Eastman to disgorge the damning documents he’s been concealing for over a year, hiding behind attorney privilege that doesn’t exist. It is chilling.  Since it’s “more likely than not” that TFG and associates criminally obstructed Congress, that evidence could not only incriminate Eastman, but all those doing his and TFG’s bidding, like our Junior Senator who dishonors Texas on a daily basis.

I’m popping popcorn.

File under: He Didn’t Really Say That, did He?

Yesterday, Flyin’ Ted decided it was time to demonstrate his total lack of self-awareness by holding a press conference in front of the Supreme Court alongside Lindsey Graham to complain about…wait for it…court packing.  During his diatribe, Cruz even said, “You didn’t see Republicans when we had control of the Senate try to rig the game.  You didn’t see us try to pack the Court,” which is precisely what we saw in 2016 and again in 2020 when Moscow Mitch brazenly blocked Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, replacing him with Trump’s nominee, Neil Gorsuch, then Frat Boy Brett Kavanaugh, and then ramming through Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to take RBG’s seat only days before Trump’s defeat at the polls.  As a measure of the backlash of Cruz’s declaration, Merrick Garland immediately began trending on Twitter as Cruz was mocked for his idiotic declaration.

The Republicans have been packing federal courts for years, especially after McConnell triggered the nuclear option on Trump’s nominees for federal courts.  The GOP voters are so focused on court packing that they tolerate deplorables like Trump, Jordan, Gaetz, Gohmert and a plethora of other politicians simply because of their efforts to maintain an iron grip on the courts to cement in their power through gerrymandering and voter suppression.  The only way to stop it is to increase the seats on the Supreme Court and implement term limits.  Until then, partisans on the federal bench will be disrespected by half of Americans.  When a legal layman like me can predict with virtual certainty how the Supreme Court will rule on controversial cases you know that the court has been most certainly politicized, and that’s not healthy for any society, especially ours.  It’s time for that to stop, if for no other reason than to shut Flyin’ Ted’s mouth.

In our effort to make sure no one forgets the violence incited by Donald Trump and encouraged by traitorous shitbags like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert, Mo Brooks, and Andy Biggs (along with others) we will continue to talk about the Qanon Caucus and dangerous rightwing extremists who continue to threaten our democracy.  The NYTimes posted videos today that were presented in court yesterday where more charges were leveled at violent insurrectionists on January 6.  The article and videos can be seen here.  These videos are disturbing where a woman, Rosanne Boyland, was trampled to death in the crush at the West Entrance to the Capitol where major violence occurred.  Now, let’s be frank, here.  She was a protestor, who illegally charged the Capitol with other insurrectionists on that day.  Ironically, she was carrying a “Don’t Tread On Me” flag when she was trampled by the mob she was supporting.  Even though she was breaking the law and threatening Capitol Police, her friend’s cries for help for her are tragic.

We can never forget that day, and we must continue to remind the public that many in Congress, including those from our own state, are complicit in this tragedy that forever will be a stain on our country.

Cruz announced today that he has gathered up 11 GOP Senate nutbags to join together to object to the electoral vote on Wednesday insisting on a ten day “audit” of the states electoral votes by a Congressional committee.  This has no chance of passing, of course, so it’s just another idiotic partisan sideshow setting up for the 2024 election.  Hawley of Missouri announced this week that he’s going to object, so Cruz had to out do is dickishness, so he thought that a ten day delay would be a really good idea, leaving FOUR DAYS before the inauguration to finally certify the election that’s actually been final for weeks.

It’s a simply awful idea that’s coming from an awful person who once again is embarrassing our entire state.  This time, though, he’s actually trying to help Trump steal a free, fair, and final election that he lost fair and square.  How do we know this is simply a partisan sideshow?  If Cruz was serious, he would have proposed this “audit” back in November.

The Crazy Train to 2024 is already boarded and pulling out of the station.

Ted Cruz has announced that he “briefly interacted” with someone at CPAC who has now tested positive for Coronavirus, so he is self quarantining here in Texas.  Unfortunately, he was not in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta when he was informed of his exposure to the virus.  Let’s hope he doesn’t expose any Americans to the virus while he’s here.

Dear John and Ted,

I know you won’t actually read this entire letter (if at all) so I’ll put the demand to each of you up front:

GET OFF YOU ASS AND DO YOUR GODDAM JOB.

Let’s be perfectly clear: Donald Trump promised the American people that he would build a “big beautiful wall” along the entire US/Mexico border and that Mexico would pay for it. First, the notion of a 5th century solution to a 21st century problem is idiotic on the face, and everyone, except for mindless sycophants, knew that.  Second, the promise that Mexico would pay for this farce was bullshit, and everyone, except for the same mindless sycophants, knew that, too.  If each you had just a moment of frank honesty, each of you would concede that even the concept of Trump’s wall is stupid.

Now that we’ve established the idiocy of this notion, let’s talk about the greater idiocy of shutting down the federal government for politics.  ALLOWING the president to do it is worse, and each of you are complicit.  Let’s be more specific – the fact that 800,000 federal employees are not being paid is outrageous.  Requiring almost HALF of those employees to continue working without pay is unimaginable by normal people.  The fact that each of you have defended this negligence and criminality is also unimaginable.

The risk to the US economy is clear to anyone who understands basic arithmetic; every day this catastrophe is allowed to continue, billions of dollars get flushed down the toilet.  Unseen, though, is the risk to millions of Americans caused by this shutdown.  The federal air traffic system is at great threat;  air traffic controllers, who are working unpaid in a high stress job also now have unpaid overtime forced on them due to high absence rate, presumably because many controllers are having to work other jobs to put food on the table. It’s only a matter of time when one of these overworked and overstressed controllers makes a mistake; the results of that mistake can be catastrophic.  Like controllers, TSA agents are working without pay.  The front line of our security system is weakened by overwork and the stress of not getting paid.  The Coast Guard, who has responsibility for protecting our ocean fronts and maritime shipping, is unpaid.  The FBI is now seriously hamstrung in protecting us from terrorists to other criminals because of this shutdown. It goes on and on, and the fact that you are allowing this kind of flagrant risk taking is unconscionable.

Ignoring fact that Trump is singularly unqualified from holding any public office, much less the presidency, YOUR  job is to protect the Constitution, our country, and our state from him.  Let me remind each of you about the oath that you took when you assumed your positions:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

“…I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”  Sorry, guys, you are failing miserably at keeping this part of the oath.  You are both neglecting your jobs for politics.  I can only assume that keeping power for yourselves and your party is more important than protecting Texans, and indeed all Americans.  Ted, Michael Bennet certainly put you in your place after you stood in the Senate yesterday and lied (again) about who’s at fault here.  Just like during your shutdown in 2013, you are again lying to the American people about this shutdown.  John, you regularly peddle absolute bullshit with the weight of a college professor as you neglect your job.  One of your most despicable lies fed the Benghazi “investigation” which ultimately found nothing.  To prostitute yourselves to this president is shameful, and I think, deep down, both of you know that.

The train wreck simply has to stop. NOW.  Trump lost the battle over his wall before he ever started it because it was based on a lie.  Rudy Giuliani has destroyed his reputation because of his lying for the president.  Each of you are destroying what’s left of your integrity by lying for this president, and by neglecting your responsibility to act as a check on the executive branch.  You can fix that, though, and you can do it today.  All you have to do is stand up on your hind feet and do your goddam job.

Open the government.  Period.  A single page resolution would do that.  But that is not enough; it’s time to outlaw the use of debt ceiling brinksmanship and government shutdowns as political bludgeons to extract concessions from the other side.  There’s no reason for it, and it must be stopped. NOW.

Enough of this nonsense is enough.  Stop helping Trump take hostages.  Stop demagoguing immigrants and Democrats.  Stop letting your own cynical politics dominate your presence in Washington.  It’s your job.  Do it.