Asset forfeiture is a damn mess in Texas.  Law enforcement can seize the property of those arrested for a crime and have not been found guilty.  That means that they can take your stuff without due process.

Law enforcement says it really, really helps them with convicting drug dealers and terrorists.

Yeah, but … it would also help them convict me if I was arrested with trumped up (see what I did there?) charges. If they took all my assets, I couldn’t hire a lawyer or an investigator, eat actual food before trial, or pay the electricity bill.

The sheriff of Rockwall County, Texas (think suburb of Dallas) went to the White House and met with Trump.  Trump loves asset forfeiture and, coincidently, so does the sheriff.

Trump announced to the public at this meeting that he would like to know the name of the state senator supporting reforming asset forfeiture …

 “President Donald Trump invited the sheriff of a small Texas County to ‘destroy’ the career of a state senator who sought to ban a controversial law enforcement practice by naming the lawmaker during a White House meeting.”

The issue is being debated in the Texas State Senate. Republican State Senator Konni Burton and Democratic State Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa are the two people leading this fight in the Texas Senate.

Being that Konni represents a district near the sheriff’s county, and she is the Republican fighting for due process, it’s most likely that Konni is the one who Trump wants to destroy. Of course, Konni is a woman so destroying her puts another notch in Trump’s belt.

Sumbitch.

Look, I am no Konni Burton cheerleader. She’s anti-choice and kisses up to Greg Abbott, but for Trump to use the White House to “destroy” a damn state senator he doesn’t even know, is … yeah, crazy. It’s crazy.

I don’t think Trump meant Democratic State Senator Chuy Hinojosa.  Chu is a damn American hero and Trump couldn’t touch him with a fifty foot pole. In fact, Chuy might use “Trump wants to destroy me” on his campaign literature.

Thanks to Kyle for the heads up.

Today is the previously scheduled “Muslim Day” at the state capitol.  They’ve been having it for several years, including the time one Republican state representative made any Muslims visiting her office pledge allegiance to America before they could talk to her staff.

My friend Vickie, who is Jewish, is there today and sent me this fabulous picture.

“Today and every day I stand with my Muslim brothers and sisters.”

— Vickie Vogel

And my friends Pam and Hazel sent these ….

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I wish I could be with them today.  They are what makes America great.

You all know about the major rally in Austin on Saturday.  There is another event/rally on Friday night.  Click right here.

I just checked and you can get a Best Western hotel room in central Austin for under $100 on Friday night.

Hey, it’ll keep you from throwing things at your teevee at home.

If you now of other events around the country, please post here.

Ya’ll, I am at the SDEC meeting in Austin today.  This afternoon all five candidates for DNC chair will speak.  I’m headed to it because I want to hear what they plan to do about party building.

For the past 8 years the DNC has been a miserable disgusting failure at party building.  We have lost all the gains we made with Democratic governors and state houses.  What good does it do us to have the presidency when we lose both houses of congress for a stalemate and then face states with Republican governors and state house who won’t impliment programs we somehow manage to get passed?

The DNC doesn’t need tweaking.  It needs a bonfire. As we should have learned by now, dammit, money alone won’t win anything if you are spending that money with consultants who haven’t learned any new tricks since Elvis died.

I will take good notes but you probably won’t hear from me tonight because Ole Bubba and I are going to Marble Falls to see the Christmas lights.