Greg Abbott: Texas has a Shitweasel in the Governor's Mansion

[Howl]

Yeah, we (central Texas) are having some "unseasonably warm" weather, meaning a stretch of 100 + degree days in the forecast -- August weather in mid May.  We're already had a few 100 degree days. 

Edited May 14, 2022 by Howl

[47of74]

Most of Texas is on its own power grid that's largely separate from the two big national power grids - the Eastern Interconnection and the Western Interconnection.  All to avoid that pesky Federal oversight that Abbot and his shit weasel friends want to avoid.  It was the regions serviced by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).  I read that the parts of Texas that are served by other power grids had a very different experience last year than those serviced by ERCOT and that service was largely unaffected.

[Cartmann99]

 

7 hours ago, Howl said:

Yeah, we (central Texas) are having some "unseasonably warm" weather, meaning a stretch of 100 + degree days in the forecast -- August weather in mid May.  We're already had a few 100 degree days. 

The humidity in your area makes those temps feel even worse.

[AlmostSavedAtTacoBell]

On 5/12/2022 at 6:20 PM, Cartmann99 said:

 

How very pro-life. I am going to go out on a dangerous limb here because I realize I am treading on the whole breastfeeding vs. formula issue, but there is likely a greater need among undocumented immigrants for those pallets of formula. First, those immigrants likely have less ability to pay the increased prices. Secondly, due to increased prices for pretty much everything including food, those immigrant mothers may not be able to produce enough or any breast milk because they themselves are not getting enough nourishment. I do not want to get into the whole debate but producing breast milk can be hindered by factors outside the mother’s control no matter how much she tries and substandard nutrition is one big factor. The decision to ship these pallets is the humane and yes, the Christian thing (as in the definition of “What Would Jesus Do”) to do. Anyone who has actually read Christ’s teachings should understand this choice is EXACTLY what He wants. I know not everyone is Christian but if Abbott is going to beat the Christian drum then I am going to challenge his words. Jesus would certainly not be cool with choosing which babies get to survive based on economic status or circumstances of birth- ya know, kinda born in a manger to a woman who was an undocumented immigrant and all. 
 

Fucking asshole. 

[Howl]

2 hours ago, AlmostSavedAtTacoBell said:

I do not want to get into the whole debate but producing breast milk can be hindered by factors outside the mother’s control no matter how much she tries and substandard nutrition is one big factor.

Multiple threads on twitter by women who either were unable to breastfeed or whose babies needed additional nourishment and whose little lives were saved by formula. Other women had babies that couldn't latch properly and bottle feeding was the only option. 

There are many women for whom breast feeding doesn't work in the very best of circumstances.  Women experiencing poverty, displacement, uncertainty...

[Howl]

7 hours ago, 47of74 said:

I read that the parts of Texas that are served by other power grids had a very different experience last year than those serviced by ERCOT and that service was largely unaffected.

El Paso Times, Feb. 17, 2021 Electricity primer: Not being connected to rest of Texas helped El Paso in cold wave 

"El Paso Electric is part of the Western power grid overseen by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council. It covers 14 Western states; Northern Baja, Mexico; and two Canadian provinces.

El Paso escaped the massive power outages seen in much of Texas this week mostly because El Paso Electric is not in the Texas power grid, which is one of three major power grids in the United States. The Texas grid had massive power outages due to power plant problems caused by extreme cold temperatures."

[AlmostSavedAtTacoBell]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

Multiple threads on twitter by women who either were unable to breastfeed or whose babies needed additional nourishment and whose little lives were saved by formula. Other women had babies that couldn't latch properly and bottle feeding was the only option. 

There are many women for whom breast feeding doesn't work in the very best of circumstances.  Women experiencing poverty, displacement, uncertainty...

Exactly. If women who have the best circumstances need to supplement or even fully use formula, imagine what women who are under the serious stress of being discovered as undocumented, being arrested, having their children taken from them- on top of likely struggling to get any health care or decent nourishment must face! I just CANNOT understand the anger and outrage toward babies- innocent babies too young to understand any political positions- being fed. If Abbot is so outraged American (white) babies may go without the answer isn’t to insist other babies starve. We are really getting into some surreal “Hunger Games” sickening rhetoric in the interests of political bolstering. I would send him an updated version of “A Modest Proposal” but I fear he and his ilk would fail to realize it is meant to be a satirical writing pointing out their hypocrisy. 

[47of74]

10 hours ago, Howl said:

El Paso Times, Feb. 17, 2021 Electricity primer: Not being connected to rest of Texas helped El Paso in cold wave 

"El Paso Electric is part of the Western power grid overseen by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council. It covers 14 Western states; Northern Baja, Mexico; and two Canadian provinces.

El Paso escaped the massive power outages seen in much of Texas this week mostly because El Paso Electric is not in the Texas power grid, which is one of three major power grids in the United States. The Texas grid had massive power outages due to power plant problems caused by extreme cold temperatures."

Article also said El Paso wasn't hit as hard by the cold weather last year as other parts of Texas because after a cold weather event in 2011 where they had rolling blackouts they winterized their existing facilities and the newer plants were designed to operate in cold weather from the start.

Plus my understanding of how the power grids work is that El Paso could have pulled power from other sources if needed and not just their own plants.  The way I understand the system to work they could have received power from a plant all the way up in Canada or anywhere else in the grid (Oregon, Idaho, Baja California, etc).  One of my previous jobs was at a company that provided software and hardware to electric companies so I know a little bit about the grids.  

Edited May 15, 2022 by 47of74

[Cartmann99]

Spoiler

 

 

[47of74]

A former employer asked me to come back and work on their Texas project. I politely said fuck no.  For one thing it wouldn’t be a pay increase, and I’d be out health insurance for several months. What I didn’t say is I’ve had my fill of working for a government that does less than fucking nothing about guns while taking peoples freedom away.  Not unless it was $5000 an hour with full benefits. 

[Ozlsn]

Good, and hope they are successful.

[47of74]

I just came across someone online calling ol' Greg Governor Abattoir.  Certainly fits since that's what that fuckstick is turning Texas into.

[Howl]

4 hours ago, 47of74 said:

I just came across someone online calling ol' Greg Governor Abattoir.  Certainly fits since that's what that fuckstick is turning Texas into.

Damn, that's a serious burn. 

@Ozlsn, I ride my bike past a yard that has a Mothers Against Greg Abbott sign in the front yard.  It's been up for about a month.

[GreyhoundFan]

[47of74]

22 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Governor Abattoir is the one with mental health challenges if he thinks flooding the country with assault weapons is OK.  And if he wants the state to do a better job then he and his GQP buddies should all step aside.

[WiseGirl]

At this point, I'd suggest offering Texas to Mexico but I'm pretty sure Mexico doesn't want them either.

I want ine of those mothers for Beto signs and I don't even live in Texas.

[WiseGirl]

Bullshit. The kids were calling the police per Washington Post.

From the article, "McCraw said that the commander on the scene believed that the gunman had barricaded himself into an empty classroom, and that no children were at risk."

https://people.com/politics/texas-gov-greg-abbott-booed-outside-uvalde-school-where-gunman-killed-21-shame-on-you/

It does warm my heart that shit weasel was booed.

[Howl]

Yes, Gov. Abbattoir was booed when he visited Uvalde. 

Potus and Flotus were warmly welcomed. 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Howl

[Smash!]

 

5 hours ago, Howl said:

Yes, Gov. Abbattoir was booed when he visited Uvalde. 

Popping in to say I love the Gov‘s new name 😁 Very fitting.

[Cartmann99]

Spoiler

 

[Howl]

Nothing has really been said about the wounded and what they are facing in survival,  recovery, medical bills, physical therapy and long-term, maybe life-time challenges.  At least one little girl, whose little cousin was killed, was life flighted to San Antonio. Her surgical and medical bills will be astronomical. They are part of an extended family that lives in one household. 

In other news, Central Texas is headed into a cycle of record breaking heat early next week with literally no end in sight. Send thoughts and prayers for our power grid.  Central Texas has been keeping weather records for 124 years. Nothing comes close to this for the first days of June.  I don't recall temps like this even in the very hottest weeks of August and early Sept. 

Edited June 3, 2022 by Howl

[Cartmann99]

23 minutes ago, Howl said:

Nothing has really been said about the wounded and what they are facing in survival,  recovery, medical bills, physical therapy and long-term, maybe life-time challenges.  At least one little girl, whose little cousin was killed, was life flighted to San Antonio. Her surgical and medical bills will be astronomical. They are part of an extended family that lives in one household. 

In other news, Central Texas is headed into a cycle of record breaking heat early next week with literally no end in sight. Send thoughts and prayers for our power grid.  Central Texas has been keeping weather records for 124 years. Nothing comes close to this for the first days of June.  I don't recall temps like this even in the very hottest weeks of August and early Sept. 

Yikes! Austin is going to be hotter than my town for most of the week.

[Howl]

6 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

Yikes! Austin is going to be hotter than my town for most of the week.

...and as you pointed out upthread,  it's NOT a dry heat.  😓  We're headed out of town for a bit, so we'll miss at least part of it.

[Ozlsn]

14 hours ago, Howl said:

Nothing has really been said about the wounded and what they are facing in survival,  recovery, medical bills, physical therapy and long-term, maybe life-time challenges.  At least one little girl, whose little cousin was killed, was life flighted to San Antonio. Her surgical and medical bills will be astronomical. They are part of an extended family that lives in one household. 

I feel like the manufacturer should be held responsible for the medical bills. You make the weapons, you market them as almost video game toys, you wear the costs at the other end. Someone is badly injured by your product being used as designed then you cover all costs needed for their care, as long as they live.

It might make some manufacturers think twice about what they sell to the non-military market and how they advertise.

14 hours ago, Howl said:

In other news, Central Texas is headed into a cycle of record breaking heat early next week with literally no end in sight.

Lord that looks horrendous. I hope the grid survives, and there are no deaths.

[Cartmann99]

Greg Abbott: Bad Governor, Bad Lawyer

Quote

All law schools train aspiring trial lawyers and judges to gather evidence, evaluate witnesses, and test claims and theories. We also learn not to interfere in criminal investigations. But Texas Governor Greg Abbott seems to have forgotten his legal training—and his ethics given his recent ham-handed response to the horrific school shooting in Uvalde. Instead, his words and actions highlighted what appears to be a serious mental decline.

Among his first public remarks, Abbott claimed “it could have been worse” and praised “valiant public officials” for their “quick response.” He apparently relied on partial and misleading information he personally collected from officials in interviews—without bothering to review data such as 911 calls and apparently ignored parents at the scene. The governor has publicly described his process: “I wrote hand notes in sequential order. When I came out on that stage and told the public what happened, it was a recitation of what everyone told me.”

Abbott later told the world he was “livid” and “misled” and walked back his praise. “As everybody has learned, the information I was given turned out, in part, to be inaccurate.”

When the governor acknowledged that his early praise for public officials was based on unreliable information, he was referring to his own interviews. He conceded that he used no judgment at all before praising law enforcement.

At one time, Abbott understood the basic legal duties. As a judge, he saw great trial and appellate lawyers in action; he understood the traits of competent lawyers.

Back in 2010, as the Democratic nominee for Texas Attorney General, I observed and personally engaged with Abbott, then the incumbent attorney general and my opponent. Back then, Abbott had already worked for a powerful law firm, became a district court judge, then a Supreme Court Justice. He seemed competent and could speak without notes. He seemed to have retained normal critical thinking and presentation skills as we sat answering pointed editorial board questions.

Yet, in May 2022, this supposedly competent professional thoughtlessly conducted key witness interviews in a mass murder case of international importance, then openly discussed his notes and the contents of the interviews and drew conclusions based on misleading and inaccurate information.

That’s the opposite of what mentally capable judges, executives, or trial lawyers do. To the extent that interviews with witnesses were appropriate at this stage by the rusty civil lawyer-governor (and they certainly seem inappropriate), he failed.

Under pressure and deadlines, a governor—and any trained lawyer—must use good judgment, stay calm, and think before deciding whether to insert themselves in any investigation involving potential crimes. It’s a monumental decision to interview witnesses or engage in other activities in any such matter,

Without an invitation from the investigators, the default should be: Let experts handle the work.

If a lawyer chooses to question potential witnesses in a potential criminal matter, they know their notes may be requested, and they may be asked for an accounting of what was said. Of course, no lawyer or law student is taught to accept as truth everything witnesses say the way Abbott apparently did, drawing conclusions about what happened during the shooting and publicly praising law enforcement.

Clearly, Abbott spoke to multiple sources, which means he inserted himself in the most important investigation he’s ever touched or tainted for a press opportunity. At the earliest stages of a massive investigation, the Texas Governor appears to have provided an opportunity for witnesses—whose conduct may be in issue—to collaborate, to create common defenses and themes.

The FBI is now investigating the response to the shooting.

When will we see the notes he took? The governor and the state of Texas must maintain the records of these interviews.

The governor now accuses the personnel he praised of providing inaccurate information—lies that, if they had been made to federal agents who are now investigating, could have been considered perjury. His notes and possible testimony about statements made by officials may be important to current investigations and prosecutions. They’re relevant both to ongoing criminal investigations and related legislative, executive, and judicial branch efforts throughout all levels of local, state, and federal governments and agencies who will continue to address issues related to this deadly school shooting for many years to come.

The Texas Governor, staff, lawyers, and law enforcement personnel know that they must preserve these Abbott-generated witness statements, handwritten notes, and materials from his interviews. Destruction of these documents would be misconduct far beyond incompetency.

Unfortunately, Abbott appears unfit for the hard job ahead, which will require him to deal with reality, including the effects of public policies he turned into laws allowing an 18-year-old to buy the gun used for the massacre.

Abbott’s notes may provide insight into terrible matters under investigation. And those notes can also demonstrate the level of the governor’s own mental impairment.