Tag: Governor Abbott

24 GOP Governors Message Solidarity With Abbott in Texas

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24 GOP Governors Message Solidarity with Abbott in Texas

So, I was watching the Big Lebowski tonight.  That movie has an odd effect on me.  It’s a comic tour de force.  It piles absurdity on absurdity with nothing but bizarre characters as far as the eye can see.  And I find most of the humor highly entertaining.  But it always sort of depresses me too.  I guess it’s because even in their comedies the Coen Brothers are always laughing at us.  And it’s not a friendly laugh.  They’re dramatizing the meaninglessness of human existence.  Well, at least that’s how it affects me.

Then I read this.

The full list is:

Governor Kay Ivey (AL), Governor Mike Dunleavy (AK), Governor Sarah Sanders (AR), Governor Ron DeSantis (FL), Governor Brian Kemp (GA), Gov. Kim Reynolds (IA), Governor Brad Little (ID), Governor Eric Holcomb (IN), Governor Jeff Landry (LA), Governor Tate Reeves (MS), Governor Mike Parson (MO), Governor Greg Gianforte (MT), Governor Jim Pillen (NE), Governor Joe Lombardo (NV), Governor Chris Sununu (NH), Governor Doug Burgum (ND), Governor Mike DeWine (OH), Governor Kevin Stitt (OK), Governor Henry McMaster (SC), Governor Kristi Noem (SD), Governor Bill Lee (TN), Governor Spencer Cox (UT), Governor Glenn Youngkin (VA), Governor Jim Justice (WV), and Governor Mark Gordon (WY).  The only abstainers were Republican governors in Vermont and Nevada.  But those aren’t conservative states so there’s no surprise here.

So, this is a mildly encouraging sign.  Maybe the Republicans are starting to realize they have an enormous amount of leverage because of the panic about getting money for Ukraine.  They should demand that Biden deport ten million illegal aliens before he gets a penny.  But what are the odds of the House holding out for that?  Probably pretty slim.

But I do see some good coming of the Republican governors finding common ground.  And of course, I fantasize that they’ll go beyond a letter of support.  What they should do is coordinate a plan to not only close the border but to eject the illegals whenever they show up in the red states.  This is another case of federal law that is being ignored by the federal government.  They could announce to the country that they are going to arrest all illegals and give them a chance to hand themselves over and instead get free airfare back to their homes.

This is the basis of what I was calling the Red State Council.  The red states coordinating to circumvent the sabotage of the federal government and protect each other by enforcing the Constitution within their own borders.  So there’s the tie-in to the Big Lebowski.  It’s filled with nihilism, both explicit and implied.  And that is what the federal government stands for and enforces.  But luckily for us we don’t have to have a Coen Brothers moral to our story.  It is possible to end up with a happily ever afterward story line.  All we need is a bunch of red state governors who decide that twenty five states is enough to stand their ground and refuse to be stampeded on by Biden and his minions.  Well, I guess I should get around to doing a review of the movie.  After all, the dude abides.

Guest Contributor – Chemist – 25JAN2024 – Another Texan’s View

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As a Texan, the same question came to my mind: “What took you so long?” This has been going on for 3 years!
But I think one or more of your suggested reasons is the answer. Abbott needed to make the northern blue cities feel the pain before he could act. (Full credit to DeSantis who bussed illegals first.) Now that the invasion is recognized as the number 1 problem facing the US, Abbott’s actions are winning in the public arena.
Does PINO Joe want to go toe to toe with Texas in an election year?
Maybe. Maybe that’s the plan. And maybe after a bloody encounter his puppet masters will pull Joe out at the last minute and put Big Mike on the ballot in his place.
Then Michelle can distance herself from the “Recent Unpleasantness” during the election (No clue what they will do with Kamala) and the regime has another object lesson for the rest of the country.

One thing is for sure. We are living in interesting times. (See ancient Chinese curse.)

Abbott’s Declaration Revisited

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One of the fellows on the site who lives in Texas asked a very interesting question about Governor Abbott’s declaration of an invasion and his authority under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 of the US Constitution to defend his state from this invasion.  He asked, “I wonder–why did Gov Abbott have to wait so long?”  It’s a good question.

Now, I’m not an expert on Texas or on Greg Abbott.  In fact, I’d love to get opinions from as many people from Texas as I can.  But in lieu of that I’ll speculate.

  • Abbott waited this long because this is an inherently risky action that he didn’t want to have to undertake.  But the crisis has gotten so much worse that it has become an existential threat to the whole state.
  • Maybe it has only recently become clear that such a rationale for taking over jurisdiction from the border patrol was justified under the Constitution. In fact, maybe someone outside of the Texas state government provided the justification.
  • Possibly the Supreme Court’s decision forced Abbott’s hand.
  • Maybe Abbott believes that illegal immigration has become such an unpopular issue that he doesn’t think that Biden will resist his efforts to put a halt to the problem.

But whatever the reason that he waited, the declaration is a very clear and strong stand to take against the federal government.  State military action is only warranted under this clause when war is actually underway at the border.  After what the Supreme Court recently ruled it’s entirely possible that they will side with Biden against what Abbott has declared.  This is a radical move.

I don’t mind saying that this action has captured my imagination.  This is the first time anyone has told the feds to pound sand that I can remember in my adult lifetime.  What if this is finally that revolt by the states that we’ve all been waiting for all these years?  If Abbott takes this moment to implement all the actions that are needed to purge Texas of illegal immigrants, he would galvanize the nation.  Other states might mimic what he is doing and I believe it would synergize with Donald Trump’s anti-immigration message.

I am aware that Biden has enormous resources to attack Abbott’s efforts.  He can declare authority over the Texas National Guard and order them to stand down.  Theoretically he can declare Texas to have committed an insurrection by blocking the Border Patrol from letting the illegal immigrants in.  Theoretically he can arrest Abbott and the whole Texas state administration.  Or he can back down.

This will play out over the next few days and weeks.  The question is who will blink.  I had always thought that Greg Abbott was a Bush Republican.  I assumed he would never revolt against the federal government.  But what I’ve seen here today “begs to differ.”

Well, I better go soak my head under some cold water.  I’m much too stirred up by all this unbridled enthusiasm.  It doesn’t contribute to my peace of mind.  But I do admit, it is fun.

H/T to ArthurinCali for Link on Texas Declaration of Emergency

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I saw Arthur’s retweet of this declaration of self-defense for Texas against the dereliction of the federal government’s duty to keep illegal aliens out.  It’s interesting.  Governor Abbott sounds like he’s found his backbone.  Here’s the conclusion:

“The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense. For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other Texas personnel are acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border.”

Greg Abbott

Governor of Texas

 

Sounds like he means business.  I hope he does.

 

Here’s the image of the document and below it is the text.

 

 

STATE OF TEXAS
GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT
January 24, 2024
The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States. The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including immigration laws on the books right now. President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them. The result is that he has smashed records for illegal immigration.
Despite having been put on notice in a series of letters one of which I delivered to him by hand-President Biden has ignored Texas’s demand that he perform his constitutional duties.
• President Biden has violated his oath to faithfully execute immigration laws enacted by Congress. Instead of prosecuting immigrants for the federal crime of illegal entry, President Biden has sent his lawyers into federal courts to sue Texas for taking action to secure the border.
•
President Biden has instructed his agencies to ignore federal statutes that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants. The effect is to illegally allow their en masse parole into the United States.
By wasting taxpayer dollars to tear open Texas’s border security infrastructure, President Biden has enticed illegal immigrants away from the 28 legal entry points along this State’s southern border- bridges where nobody drowns and into the dangerous waters of the Rio Grande.
Under President Biden’s lawless border policies, more than 6 million illegal immigrants have crossed our southern border in just 3 years. That is more than the population of 33 different States in this country. This illegal refusal to protect the States has inflicted unprecedented harm on the People all across the United States.
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the other visionaries who wrote the U.S. Constitution foresaw that States should not be left to the mercy of a lawless president who does nothing to stop external threats like cartels smuggling millions of illegal immigrants across the border. That is why the Framers included both Article IV, § 4, which promises that the federal government “shall protect each [State] against invasion,” and Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which acknowledges “the States’ sovereign interest in protecting their borders.” Arizona v. United States, 567 U.S. 387, 419 (2012) (Scalia, J., dissenting).
The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense. For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other Texas personnel are acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border.

Greg Abbott

Governor of Texas

Guest Contributor – Chemist – 13MAY2023 – Report from Texas

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There is a lot going on in Texas right now. We have an invasion across our southern border that is flooding the state. Abbot can only send so many busses to NY and Chicago.
We have some of the highest property taxes in the country in spite of a budget surplus.
We have a GOP majority in both houses (In name only) because a RINO representative convinced all of the democrats to support him for speaker of the house in exchange for putting democrats in charge of the most powerful committees. This, along with his RINO cronies, makes him unbeatable. As a result, almost no republican priorities get acted on.

I am concerned about Dan Perry and hope that Abbot gets him home as fast as possible. But I don’t think it is on the top of most Texan’s concerns.

 

 

(Editor’s Note:

Thanks for that report Chemist.  That RINO situation sounds awful.

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12MAY2023 – A Question to Readers from Texas

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Daniel Perry has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.  Gov. Abbott has said he will try to get the sentencing board to allow him to intercede by pardoning him.  My question is whether Abbott is doing all he can to make this happen.  It seems to me that this is a critical issue and if he screws this up he can expect a primary challenge.  What do you locals think?

Texas May be Taking Border Protection into Its Own Hands

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Gov. Abbott and the Texas Legislature look ready to do something about the wide open border that Biden has created.

“The state legislature is reportedly finalizing some new laws that would empower state law enforcement to take a much more active and aggressive role in securing the border and ensuring the safety of the Texans living in the affected areas. The plan will potentially include an entirely new police force dedicated to blocking illegal migrants’ access to the Lone Star State.”

And apparently they want to utilize the Texans whose property is being trespassed to help solve the problem.

“Allowing the new law enforcement agency to deputize people living near the border is another interesting twist. More than 45% of Texas households have at least one firearm in them. (Compare that to 19.95% in New York.) That puts the old expression about not messing with Texas in perspective. And many of those gun-owning Texans who have been watching bands of migrants traipsing across their property and menacing their families would likely be eager to sign up for a deputy’s badge. Also, being deputized would likely shield them from some repercussions if they are forced to respond to violent migrants.”

About damn time.

Give the Left What It Says It Wants

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The recent bus service from Texas to New York City and Washington DC that Governor Abbott initiated got me thinking.  It sort of aligns with the idea of acceleration that is popular with some on the Dissident Right.  The idea is to accelerate the crazy ideas that the Left favors in order to let reality crash the system sooner.  The thought is that hitting bottom is the only way to convince the stupid that their beliefs are irrational.

I have mixed feelings about the accelerationist theory.  Hitting bottom seems like a particularly dangerous place to be.  I’m not sure some of these “bottom” conditions can be reversed.  For instance, if Biden allows another fifty million illegal aliens to invade the country, I’m not sure it will be possible to repair that kind of damage short of some horrific violence that might finish the country off altogether.

But the example of the bus rides points to a different kind of acceleration.  If the damage can be restricted to blue states, then maybe the actions will serve a purpose.  Suppose the bus rides were extended to other groups that aren’t wanted in the Red States.  For instance, imagine if the homeless could be persuaded to move to California.  And the same could extend to prison inmates.  Their sentences could be commuted if they agreed to leave the red states permanently.  After all New York and California have been pioneering the concept of emptying the prisons and eliminating criminal convictions.  It only makes sense to send career criminals where their talents can be put to their best effect.

I haven’t gone through all the accelerationist scenarios that could be handled this way but I’m sure it could be quite interesting to play this thought experiment.  Maybe there could even be some kind of negotiations to get certain corporations to move out of state.  Or more realistically, provide a carrot and stick approach for companies (and universities) based on whether they engage in anti-social behavior like white guilt struggle sessions and EDI propaganda.  Hefty fines for each infraction would quickly make these companies weigh whether their policies were more important than relocating.  As a practical example, Ron DeSantis has recently tweaked Disney by eliminating their self-governing status in Florida.  It will be interesting to see if further “lessons” influence Disney’s propensity for condemning conservative laws and programs in Florida.  Changing their behavior would be a major victory.

Obviously, my poor efforts are woefully insufficient to evaluate just how many similar ideas could be identified.  Governors and legislatures are the right ones to do it.  Imagine if Washington DC could be inundated with a million illegal aliens and a hundred thousand freed felons.  Joe Biden would probably have to roll out the razor wire and call back the National Guard to keep his friends from defecating on his lawn, stealing the catalytic converter on his bomb proof limousine and spray painting, “Let’s Go Brandon” on the side of the West Wing.

Well anyway, that’s what I thought about this evening.  You see, I can be constructive if I try.  It doesn’t always have to be doom and gloom.  We can have fun once in a while too.

Another Update on the Hilarious NYC Migrant Bus Service

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As Texas Governor Abbott continues to bus illegal aliens to NYC and DC the squealing from NYC government officials gets louder.

My favorite quotes:

“He’s weaponizing asylum seekers,” Manuel Castro, commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs said. “It is shameful, and it is our moral obligation to condemn the use of human beings for political purposes.”

New York officials said this week that the city is using 14 hotels to provide housing to the new arrivals.

Castro was not the only official in Mayor Eric Adams’s administration to blast Abbott. City Comptroller Brad Lander said Abbott’s action are “inhumane” and “disgusting.”

As the saying goes, “You know you’re over the target when you start taking flack.  I only wish he’d start sending some to Portland, Oregon and San Francisco.

This is the gift that keeps on giving.  It’s not only useful and smart, it’s hilarious.  Hopefully a goodly percentage of the refugees are violent offenders and weirdos of various descriptions.  New York needs the most exciting new residents to keep things interesting.

Bravo, governor Abbott, bravo.