In the richness of multiple metaphors, the train carrying congressional Republicans to their retreat in West Virginia hit a garbage truck this morning.  This is a breaking story; apparently injuries on the train are minor, but unknown so far is if anyone in the truck or surrounding area were injured.

I just find it ironic that the train wreck that is the congressional Republicans was in an actual train wreck today – with a garbage truck.  The symbolism is overwhelming.

Remember when South Texas Congressslob Blake Farenthold promised to repay the $84,000 of taxpayer money he used to payoff a woman he had sexually harassed?

That was on December 3rd and he promised to repay it within a week.

I hope you haven’t been holding your breath or tapping your fingers on the breakfast table waiting for Blake to write a check.

U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold has backed off his pledge to pay back a taxpayer-funded sexual harassment settlement.

A member of his communications staff says, on the advice of counsel, Farenthold is “waiting to see what changes the House makes to the Congressional Accountability Act before repaying the funds.”

No, no, uh uh, no.  Whatever changes they do make, Blake still owes you and me $84,000.  Nothing is gonna change that except for a check for $84,000 with Blake’s signature on it.

Now here’s the fun part. It ain’t like he can’t afford it.  He’s worth $6.6 million smackeronis.

Write a damn check, Blake.

However, Blake is trying to kiss-up to the ladies in another way.

Too little, too late, Bozo.

That’s all you gave the ladies, when you had plenty of money for lawyers?

Now, those of you with time to tap your fingers on the table, go look at Blake’s expenses with his campaign money.  He shames Louie Gohmert in the Holy Cow! department.

Thanks to everybody for the heads up.

Brenda Fitzgerald, Trump appointee to head the Center for Disease Control has abruptly resigned.  In the announcement, the administration cited her reason as “complex financial interests”.  OK, let’s translate that into English…Fitzgerald owns tobacco company stocks and other investments that conflict her with the mission of the CDC.  As we all know, fighting tobacco use and its associated diseases is one of the CDC’s flagship missions.  And, it gets better…Because of her investments, she has conflicted herself out of testifying before Congress.  Interesting strategy – “I’m so conflicted in my job that I can’t testify as to what I’m doing in my job.”  Anyhoo, she finally caved and has resigned rather than divest as required.  What better person to fight tobacco use than someone invested in tobacco, right?

Here’s the good part.  She bought the tobacco company stock…wait for it…AFTER she was appointed head of CDC and had toured the agency’s tobacco research lab.  That’s rich.

Texas Agriculture Commission and all-around jackass, Sid Miller, tweeted yesterday about the Nunes Memo.

If somebody would please point me to a starting place, I’ll try to ‘splain it to him.

Thanks to everybody for the heads up.

Last week, the Trump administration allowed Russian spy chief Sergey Naryshkin, who has been banned from entering the US since 2014 sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine, to enter our country.  To make matters worse, Naryshkin reportedly met with Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats.  So, let’s be clear…Trump refuses publicly to implement the sanctions ordered by Congress in 2017 for meddling in our 2016 elections; THEN, he allowed the head of Russian intelligence to illegally enter the US to meet with government intelligence officials.

You just can’t make this up.

FEMA is pulling out of Puerto Rico today.

Some on the island believe it’s too soon to end these deliveries given that a third of residents still lack electricity and, in some places, running water, but FEMA says its internal analytics suggest only about 1 percent of islanders still need emergency food and water.

Hey, they have paper towels so what the hell else do they want?  Only half a million of them are still without electricity, but those people have 2 rolls of paper towels.  They are the jumbo kind, too.

Is FEMA still on the ground in Texas?  Uh huh.

Harvey ended in Texas on September 3rd.  Maria ended October 3rd.  FEMA is still in Texas.  Could you imagine if Texas had half a million people without electricity?

Thanks to everybody for the heads up.