Texas is in trial over our redistricting maps and things aren’t exactly going our way.  The Feds are saying that we deliberately discriminated against minorities in our Republican-controlled redistricting maps.  And we have emails to prove it.

Republicans answer?  “We can’t help it.”

No, really.  That was their answer.

The U.S. Justice Department told judges Monday that Texas lawmakers carefully crafted electoral maps marginalizing minority voters despite the state’s exploding Hispanic population in a deliberate effort to racially discriminate and protect conservative incumbents.

Attorneys for Texas countered that the Legislature did the best it could, given that it had to devise maps partisan enough to pass the Republican majority, while dismissing suggestions of intentional discrimination.

That was their answer.  The HAD to draw partisan maps.  Texas Republicans are too partisan to expect them to be fair.  See?

And Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott thought he had a snappy legal argument:

Yeah, well, that seems fair.  One party takes power and then uses that power to keep power.   So they can rule forever!

Good Lord, this man wants to be Governor.  Well, it’s hard for Texas to do downhill in that department.

Since the Supremes have validated religion over reality in the workplace, it appears to me that religious people are testing the waters.

And of course, what’s religion without Pat Robertson?  He has become a medical expert, too.

Televangelist Pat Robertson advised a mother on Monday that she could cure her son’s stomach pains by finding someone to cast out demons that were possibly caused by an ancestor who practiced witchcraft.

Oh yeah, tummy aches are caused by Great Aunt Bessy Mae’s tarot cards.  Because God is like that.  Just damn mean.

Robertson prescribes “spiritual warfare.”  Which is a helluva lot cheaper than health care.  He does warn the woman not to be taken in by “charlatans” in the area of spiritual warfare, which seems rather self-defeating for Robertson.

I am sure that is Robertson’s “sincerely held religious belief,” so look out health coverage at The 700 Club.

Graffiti on a building meant to house refuges in Maryland.

Me?  I’m pretty much a documented Democrat.

Welcome to that place where you discover what you never suspected would happen.

Rick Perry —

Dick Cheney —

Okay, so you’ve got Rick Perry running for President on the Dick Cheney Was Right! platform.

Did not see that coming.

Okay, this afternoon it’s Mike McCaul, a pretty boy from CD10, a district running from Houston to Austin.

He’s chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. He’s also the richest member of congress because he married the daughter of the guy who owns Clear Channel Communications. However, he ain’t the smartest. Not even close. I actually heard someone joke about him:  Do you know what McCaul got on his IQ test?  (Wait for it.) Drool.

McCaul wanted us to know that he visited the border.

So he held a press conference.  He said the situation was bad and that broke his heart but, he continued, “I saw some 17-year-olds that I thought looked more like a threat coming into the United States.”

Holy crap, McCaul.  You’re more of a threat to homeland security than any teenager.

Do you know what is a threat to America?  Grown men who make their daughters dress alike.  That’s a damn threat to America.

Yeah, and kids were just damn thrilled about it, too.

Thanks to Monty and Barbara for the heads up.

West Texas Congressman Randy Neugebauer is a nincompoop.

You might remember Neugebauer for his rant against a park ranger at the World War II Memorial during the government shutdown so he could look good in front of a crowd.  He claimed his statements were “misunderstood.”  They were on tape.  It should be noted that Neugebauer never served in the military himself.

He’s one of those prissy Republicans who think they did, in fact, get rich because that’s what God wanted. He got his 15 minutes of fame by yelling “Baby Killer!” at Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak on the House floor during debate.  He claims that he was misunderstood then, too.

Neugebauer is a man of great passion and of great luxury.  He bought a yacht with campaign funds.  The guy represents people in the desert who are suffering a drought and he bought a yacht with his campaign donations.  Did I mention that he lives in a desert?  He thought a yacht would help, I guess.

The guy got his stupid at a two for one sale.

You’ve heard about the deplorable conditions at the border, where children are being housed in third world conditions.  Well, that just too damn fancy for Randy.

Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) on Wednesday downplayed the horrible conditions in U.S. Border Patrol detention centers by describing all of the supposed benefits undocumented immigrants are receiving there.

“They belong back with their families. When you look at the lovely way they’re getting treated — they’re getting free health care, free housing, you know, they’re watching the World Cup on big screen TVs,” he said on Sean Hannity’s radio show, as recorded by the Huffington Post.

So there you have it.

The lap of lovely:

The lap of congressional lovely:

Randy’s Yacht

Thanks to Andrew for the heads up.