Migrant Deaths Beyond The Trailer in SA
I came upon a report on FB regarding the bodies of migrants being found in Eagle Pass/Maverick County during this last fiscal year. In fact, the number of deaths this year alone number around seventy. Deaths are caused by dehydration because of the South Texas heat as they trek through farm and ranch land, or from drowning in the Rio Grande. Back in May, a dozen migrants were found in this same sector. Migrant deaths in this sector account for almost a third of all deaths.
So, as Greg Abbott sics his National Guard on helpless migrants escaping violence and poverty in their home countries, migrants will seek more dangerous routes to get here. They certainly aren’t stopping or returning on their own. Along with Abbott’s bigoted policies, The Biden Administration and Congress’s lack of action on immigration reform are the cause of these deaths. US – Latin America policy which supports right-wing governments like the one in El Salvador is at fault for migrants attempting to come to the US in the first place.
We are told to “vote in the next election.” But we voted in 2020. We got a Democratic majority and a Democratic President who promised action. Give us something for which to vote in 2022!
COVID-19 Denial
It seems so many are still in denial that the spread of COVID-19 continues to rise. Houston Health reported we are at 28% positivity. Hospitalizations continue to rise. I see more people I know getting infected, and some, re-infected. I’ll venture to say that these numbers rise because people are out in crowds unmasked. While the vaccination rate in Houston remains steady at around 68%, the re-opening of Texas has sent people into a state of irresponsibility. If you’re skinny and well-insured (and well-informed), the vaccinations and boosters will be a help. But as long as local government isn’t sounding alarms to help inform people of the current reality, then the infection rate will rise. At this point, I’m disappointed in local officials, and not just because some of them got (re-)infected.
The rest of you all, MASK UP. It may be the one thing that keeps you from getting infected, as the vaccination only helps with the symptoms at this point.
But, here’s the thing: So many Republicans and wealthy people whined that working from home would affect productivity. But everyone was working and the work got done. Now, workplaces are seeing increases in COVID-19 positivity, and people are staying home sick and not working. THIS is what affects productivity; not working from home! Anyway, mask up!
Greg Abbott and The People’s Money
Abbott sure knows how to throw other people’s money around, whether it is tax dollars or the money of his donors. In the case of our money, he has thrown $4 billion at the Texas border in what has been one big photo opportunity for himself. He recently announced he was sending another $30 million for his bigoted Operation Lone Pendejo, in which he purports to fight migrants. The money usually goes to overtime for local cops and toys with big tires. And since it comes from federal and state money in the form of law enforcement grants, there usually is no accountability. One would figure that legislators and the feds would ask for a full accounting of it. Hopefully, the Justice Department investigation will tell us what we already know–it’s all a boondoggle and a waste of money. But I’m not even hopeful of that.
doscentavos.net 