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In Texas, It’s a Felony to Harbor an Illegal Alien – But What Does that Mean?

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The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated a Texas law that makes it a felony punishable by up to 10 years to harbor illegal aliens.  The ruling lifted an injunction that had blocked the 2015 law from taking full effect, in a ruling praised by both the state and immigrant advocates.

The law makes it a felony to encourage unauthorized immigrants to enter or remain in the country by concealing, harboring or shielding that person from detection.  Two landlords had sued to prevent enforcement arguing that the law was overly broad and could apply to people who rent apartments and homes to undocumented immigrants.  Texas argued that the law was intended to apply only to alien smuggling and human trafficking operations.  But that wasn’t the way the law was written and  – given the near total control of the State by the Red Meat Wing of the Republican Party – it was an open question as to who could be prosecuted.

The Fifth Circuit, in an opinion by Judge Jerry Smith, cleared the air by holding that the law as written does not apply to persons who provide shelter to or conduct business with illegal aliens.

“There is no reasonable interpretation by which merely renting housing or providing social services to an illegal alien constitutes ‘harboring … that person from detection.'”

Thus, landlords and homeless shelters cannot be prosecuted.  Here, the Fifth Circuit saved the bacon of the pathetic excuse for an Attorney General that is Ken Paxton by issuing a ruling that saves the statute but likely does not accomplish what the Tea Party dominated State House really wanted.

Today in Texas History – February 28

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From the Annals of the Cults –  In 1993, federal and state agents attempted to execute on an arrest warrant for David Koresh (fka Vernon Howell) and followers at the Mount Carmel Center compound of the Branch Davidians near Elk.  Based on an FBI and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms investigation, authorities sought to arrest Koresh for possession of illegal firearms. The ATF’s plan to arrest the leader of the Branch Davidians went severely awry.  The BD’s were not surprised because a Waco reporter asked for directions from a mailman who happened to be Koresh’s brother-in-law.  When the authorities arrived they were met with gunfire and an intense firefight broke out.  Four agents and six Davidians were killed.  The violence and stories about the bizarre and possible illegal practices of the BDs (including child marriage, polygamy and child abuse) captured the attention of the nation during the 51-day standoff which followed.  Ultimately, the compound was attacked with tear gas and other weapons resulting in a fire which destroyed the comp0und.  Only eight BD’s survived the fire.  Koresh was likely killed by one of his lieutenants Steve Schneider who then killed himself.

Trump Drops Texas Voters in the Grease

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Coming down on the side of making it harder to vote in the face of absolutely no evidence of in-person voter fraud, the Trump Administration decided that Texas’ Voter ID law is A-Okay.  The Texas Tribune reports:

The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Monday it plans to ditch its longstanding position that Texas lawmakers purposefully discriminated against minority voters by passing the nation’s strictest voter identification law in 2011.

The move comes one day before a federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments on that high-stakes voting rights question, and it highlights yet another instance in which President Donald Trump has dramatically departed from the path of his predecessor.

Former President Obama’s Justice Department originally teamed up with civil rights groups against Texas throughout the long-winding legal battle over the ID law, known as Senate Bill 14. But on Monday, lawyers for U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions told parties that they were dropping a claim that Texas lawmakers intentionally discriminated against Latino and African-American voters.

Today in Texas History – February 27

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From the Annals of the Secessionists –  In 1850, Carlos Esparza and others first attempted to establish a territorial government and separate the Territory of the Rio Grande from the rest of Texas.  The secession movement was intended to protect the interests of Hispanics who were widely discriminated against despite their role in securing Texas independence.  The movement never went anywhere and was eventually dropped. Esparza was a Mexican-born follower of Juan Cortina and wealthy rancher.  He seemed an unlikely proponent of the Hispanic cause, but Esparza worked mostly behind the scenes in advance of Cortina’s goals.

During the Civil War he worked with both Union and Confederate forces  while promoting the Cortinista cause. In 1873 Esparza was appointed as an inspector of hides and animals for Cameron County and apparently used that position to aid Cortina in avoiding capture.  After Cortina was arrested in 1875, however, Esparza retreated to his ranch, avoided further political causes and was seldom seen thereafter.

Today in Texas History – February 24

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From the Annals of the Revolution –  In 1836, Col. William Barret Travis  wrote his famous letter addressed “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World.” Travis, a failed lawyer and largely considered to be an inept military commander, achieved his moment of greatness with the stroke of his pen.  Writing from the besieged garrison at the Alamo in San Antonio, Travis relayed the dire circumstances he and the unfortunate forces under his command were facing.  He called out for help. “I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch.” Travis either knew that his situation was hopeless or was hoping against hope for a miracle that did not exist.  Inspired by his letter, some 32 men from Gonzales and the DeWitt Colony reached the Alamo in the early morning hours of March 1.  They were killed along with the other defenders when the Mexican Army assaulted the crumbling fort days later.  Col. James Fannin, another hopeless military incompetent, began a march towards the Alamo but deterred by the presence of Gen. Urrea’s forces  moved into an indefensible position, surrendered and was later killed in the mass execution of his troops.  The most famous lines of Travis’ letter pledged that he would “never surrender or retreat” and swore “Victory or Death” most likely knowing that the latter was the only possible outcome.  His prediction was correct as Travis was among the first to die in the final battle.

Today in Texas History – February 23

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From the Annals of Bad Decisions –  In 1861, Texas citizens (meaning white, property-owning men) voted on the Texas Ordinance of Secession. The vote was overwhelmingly for secession from the Union with 46,153 voting for secession and only 14,747 against. Of the 122 counties casting votes, only eighteen cast majorities against secession. Only eleven other counties had votes of as much as 40 percent against.  For those who claim the Civil War was not about slavery, please take a look at the vile racist screed that is the Texas Ordinance of Secession.

KBME – Are You Missing Charlie Pallilo Yet?

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The Houston Chronicle Reports that since Charlie Pallilo was fired, his replacement radio gasbag, Josh  Innes, has stunk it up ratings-wise.  Since Innes’ debut on October 10, KBME AM-790  has lost almost two-thirds of Pallilo’s audience from late September, falling to a 0.9 percent share of men 25-54 from 3-7 p.m.  For the few of you actually listening to Innes’ show, the station has moved him to 2-6 p.m.   Out of purely prurient interest, Red has tuned in on occasion – only to quickly change channels when JI introduces something like his “That Bitch is Crazy” segment.  Red will tune into Fox & Friends if he wants to get his daily does of utterly infantile nonsense.

Meanwhile, despite continuing to look, there have been no confirmed Charlie Pallilo sightings.  Let Red know if you hear otherwise.

The Russians are Cunning, the Russians are Cunning

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The resignation of National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, after less than a month in office may just be the tip of the giant Russian iceberg looming in front of the Trumpian ship of state.  Flynn had to go after having lied to Vice President Mike Pence about discussing sanctions with the Russian Ambassador before Trump took office.   Flynn apparently relayed the message from Trump that Putin need not worry about Obama’s latest round of sanctions and that everyone would kiss and make up when Trump took over.  Only that seems to explain the lack of Russian retaliation.  Putin had always taken strong action in response to sanctions – until he didn’t – which alerted anyone who was paying attention that something was going down.

Clearly, Trump was behind the attempt to undermine the authority of the sitting President and conduct unauthorized diplomatic negotiations with a hostile foreign power in violation of the Logan Act.  Flynn was not flying solo on this mission.  He thought the President had his back – a perhaps fatal miscalculation in this case.

Flynn’s connections to Putin and his Kakistocracy  go much further back.  Flynn was an early Trump devotee and rah-rah man and had his own connections with the Kremlin.  Was he the main bag man between Trump and Putin?  It seems very plausible that Flynn knows more than anyone about what happened with the Russians during the campaign.  In all likelihood, Flynn was in charge of managing the  apparent quid pro quo between Putin and Trump.  If elected, Trump would kowtow to most of Putin’s demands and make kissy-face; in return Putin would not expose Trump’s Russian peccadillos and possible criminal connections.  And to sweeten the deal, Putin would unleash his squads of hackers and undermine Hillary’s campaign.  It was a win-win deal for both autocrats – the real one and the would-be one.

As it now looks more and more like Putin has the goods on Trump (the Moscow Hotel videos are probably just a teaser – the real question is whether Trump is in deep with the Russian Mob), Flynn likely had the unenviable task of selling out his country after Trump’s election.  Someone had to seal the deal made with the Russian strongman during the campaign.

Trump’s big mistake may have been not tossing Flynn overboard before taking office. But perhaps he was afraid that Flynn knew too much.  The problem is compounded now and the vultures are circling the White House already.  Look for Trump to arrange for the Russians to either pay off or otherwise take care of Flynn before he spills the borscht.  The price of treachery is always dear.

 

 

The Coming War with Iran

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It is becoming very clear that Trump wants a war.  As he said during the campaign, “I love war, in a certain way” and clearly pointed out that nuclear weapons were “very important to me.” Red takes Trump at his word.  His already flagging approval rating is merely the latest warning sign.

There are two sure ways to temporarily boost your popularity in the White House – 1) do things that are actually popular and improve the country, or 2) start a war.  The first way is hard and Trump seems incapable of doing anything likely to get a majority of the country behind him (and remember readers – Red fully supports complete implementation of the Trump/GOP agenda starting with locking up Hillary and deporting 12 million illegal aliens and building a wall at Mexico’s expense).  But all he has been able to do so far is make some weak moves on immigration that are getting tied up in the courts and pay some lip service to unleashing Wall Street to deservedly feast on the unwary – yet again.  It isn’t working.  We are only 2.5 weeks in and Trump is already  stalking the corridors of the White House late at night when the cable news outlets go into repeat mode.  That usually doesn’t happen until deep in a second term.

So what’s a poor billionaire to do when faced with an increasingly disapproving public and the “dishonest media.”

Red has an idea! Drum up a war.  And who can most of America agree to hate – that’s right IRAN.  It’s only been 36 years since the hostage crisis and the aged clerics are bound to screw something up that will provide at least a thin veneer of an excuse for unleashing hell.  And a thin veneer will suffice for Trump and likely for a good number of Americans.

Which brings us to the coddling of Russia.  Trump is smart enough to know that a war against Iran will be much easier if Putin throws in with us.  They are right there after all and we can stage operations from Mother Russia much more easily than from say – Iraq.  The question is – what is the price of Russian cooperation.  Is it the Ukraine?  The Baltics?  All of Central Europe?  Whatever it is, Trump may be willing to pay if he thinks that a US-Iran conflict will deliver him the ratings and favorable poll numbers that he so greatly desires.  And if we have to lose a few thousand men and women and spend trillions of dollars, well that is a small price to pay to have your ego stroked.

Yes, there is that small problem of  the Constitution and Congress and a declaration of war, but that hasn’t really stopped any president in a long time.  If war is what Trump wants, Congress is likely to give him one.

So those of you out there with teenage boys and girls, like Red, take heed.  Do you want your son or daughter sacrificed on the altar of Trump’s vanity?  We fought a failed war in Iraq without a draft, but  a war against a much larger, much richer opponent may just require reinstitution of compulsory service.  No more fighting wars on the cheap.  The price is blood and Red thinks there will be many payments made before Trump is sated.