Abbott Policy Is Killing People
There is a Texas National Guard soldier missing in the Rio Grande after attempting to save a migrant who was crossing the treacherous river to the US. This is the latest tragedy caused by Greg Abbott’s border militarization, which has included migrant deaths, soldier suicides, government corruption, and failed administration of this policy.
There is no logic to Greg Abbott’s border folly. The National Guard (and DPS and local sheriff’s offices enlisted by Abbott) block the border, force migrants to cross in more dangerous crossings only to have to try and save the migrants from drowning. It’s all theater by Greg Abbott and Republicans while endangering even more migrants and guardsmen.
On top of all of this, it is also costly as Greg Abbott has wasted billions of dollars on this failed operation which hunts brown people escaping violence and poverty.
Meanwhile, Ken Paxton is now suing to stop the Biden administration from ending Title 42, which is a health-related policy and not a migration policy. Funny how they like this COVID policy but whine over masks and vaccines. If only we had a Democratic President and a Democratic majority in Washington DC to pass immigration reform and stop the theatrics. Oh wait!
State-Sponsored Killing Is Not The Answer to Crime
I’m not here to defend any killers. But I am here to say how wrong the death penalty is.
As we await Greg Abbott’s decision on whether or not he will commute the death sentence of an innocent woman (Melissa Lucio) railroaded by bad police and DA investigations, yesterday we witnessed the state’s first vengeful killing of the year (Carl Buntion). To say the least, I am sickened by the political theater of the death penalty, whether it is by blood-thirsty DAs and cops or politicians that feel the need to be begged to do the right thing as in the case of Melissa Lucio. What should be about justice turns into revenge porn for right-wingers.
As a reminder, here are ACLU’s objections to the death penalty, chief among them is that this cruel and unusual punishment is NOT a deterrent to crime and a waste of resources. But it is a great opportunity for law enforcement and political theater, while victims of crimes are used as props. And the media gladly promotes it. That people think the local “crime stopping” group is anything but partisan is laughable.
The death penalty is not a solution to crime and it certainly isn’t a road to closure for crime victims. And because of the political theater that comes with this punishment, overzealous DAs have been known to push for the execution of innocent people. Almost 200 humans have been killed by the government wrongfully. This isn’t justice and it is treated by politicians as collateral damage.
This thirst for revenge needs to stop.
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