Like the nation, moral courage is, what's on the ballot in Texas.
Like the nation, moral courage is, what's on the ballot in Texas.
GOP Extremism vs. reality, should be an easy choice
I’m deeply ashamed of the extremists running the TX Republican Party, that control our state, destroy our American/ Texas values and built their 2022 election platform on conspiracy theories and lies. Maybe it’s because I consider myself an, “Eisenhower-Republican” or just for the simple reason that I’ve worked against extremists in combat zones and beyond. There is no difference today between the TX GOP and the Taliban. Yes, please reread and remember that last sentence.
Like most Texans, I’m proud of our state and its accomplishments. Principled conservatives and liberals built much of what we’re proud of. I frankly don’t give a damn if someone is left/ right, Republican/ Democrat or liberal/ conservative. America does better when principled and well-informed “sides” debate issues. When extremism is not only present, but dominates one side, all else fails. For the record, one of my deep, professional specialties is terrorism, extremism and counterterrorism, that includes several combat deployments prior to my retirement.
We see this in TX at every level of state responsibility. I’ve seen the same in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and other less-than-hospitable parts of the world. I refuse to stay silent when extremism rears its evil head here in my home state. The nation I’ve sworn to defend is now threatened by the soul-scorching, extremism of a party with an insatiable appetite for conspiracy theories and fascist ideals. Someone must have the courage to stand up for integrity and truth. I won’t speak for the left’s dysfunction, but I can guarantee that Abbott and his party are NOT the ones to demonstrate moral courage. We all have a citizen’s duty to be well and accurately informed. It was front and center in the minds of our founders.
The only question is, who will have the courage to stand for truth and integrity too? The threat to US and TX security from the Trump era is very real. January 6th, classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, constant subservience to Putin, with majority support from the party proves this. Never mind the money poured into GOP campaigns from the NRA, using Russian cash.
Today, I will use my own Texas, House district election, to help everyone understand how that the current state of domestic politics, is a threat to our national security. Spoiler alert, a party of extremists vs the chaos of a party, best described as, “herding cats and largely unsupported in most “red states,” is a threat to our nation. Conspiracy theories, lies, dysfunctional pursuit of individual interests, rather than focusing on the greater good, leaves us divorced from our core values and exploitable by foreign nations. Yes, precisely what Putin did to us throughout the 2016 election cycle and beyond. While the USG talks a great deal about, “resiliency,” they don’t seem to have a clue what it means or how to go about enhancing it.
In plain language, TX, like most of America, the extremists controlling today’s GOP, seek more power for their own personal gain and immorally use an anti-constitutional, social agenda, to achieve it. The opposition has little to no power in TX because they cannot agree on which individual interest has priority, but collectively ignore the big picture that clearly demonstrates the potentially lethal injury, today’s GOP is causing to the soul of our nation and worse, our national values.
Both parties live on banners, slogans, advertising manipulation, big donors to bankroll it, etc., rather than the factual analysis required to solve problems. Both sides are creating the dynamic that allows the big money, so-called, 1%ers to have the only “say” that matters. America was never intended to be the exclusive workforce for expanding elite power. Historically, America has rebelled when the elite attempted to cement their power over the workforce by oppressive means. This was true in regard to slavery and again during the “Trust-busting” era. Unionization of workers almost always came with conflict. Conflict was physical violence early in our history and now, is war waged by lawyers, employees held hostage by threats of termination etc. This perpetual conflict exists today between billionaires attempting to impose their wish list on working Americans.
In all cases, the lofty rhetoric we hear today from both sides of the aisle were present. In the years prior to the Civil War, religious rhetoric on both sides was the primary tool of influence. Today, the religiosity I experienced in rural surroundings growing up, was about love, tolerance and the greater good. It was the norm, not the exception. Today’s religious values on the right are the opposite but quoted widely by the party vying for absolute, authoritarian rule, and using religion as their preferred weapon.
What created the dramatic escalation in manipulative influence during the Trump-era was enlisting unprincipled influence professionals like Cambridge Analytica and support from Russian operators and strategists.
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The word conservative in TX is a “sacred cow” of sorts. The problem is that the current TX Republican party is now, like the national party, controlled by extremists. They are not, “consservatives.” Principled conservatives have zero voice. America, just like TX 122, is now engaged in an actual war over our unique, lofty and constitutional values versus extremism. That is what’s on the ballot in a few days: Extremism vs. reality
In TX, like most of the nation, GOP candidates run for office on extremist, unconstitutional views, while claiming to be principled, conservative patriots. Nothing could be further from the truth.
So, let’s look at the fake patriot running as a conservative in TX, HD 122, Mark Dorazio. Sorry Mark but if you put your hat in the public ring, scrutiny can’t be far behind.
His campaign page indicates the following nine issues as his platform, all of which, have little or nothing to do with helping any citizen in 122. Not one is an actual, “conservative value” if you compare his list to President Eisenhower’s platform in 1956. I will list and then explain my position on each of his only 9 campaign issues. I could have just as easily have picked John Lujan in TX HD 118 or my ideological and dishonest congressman, Tony Gonzalez of TX #23. For that matter, I could have used nearly every Republican candidate in TX or the nation. They are unified in their messaging of fake patriotism and fake-conservatism. In TX, they also have a platform full of anti-constitutional positions and have endorsed election denial as part of that platform.
Disclaimer: When moving to TX in 2005, I registered Republican because my political beliefs are very much those of one of my heroes, President, Dwight D. Eisenhower. President Eisenhower was and still is the embodiment of principled conservatism. This makes me a modern, moderate Democrat in today’s, no-man’s-land, between parties. I am disgusted with both, big-money, political machines. This is the curse of being raised in a family of professional educators and a dad who taught history and government before administrative positions.
1. Border security
a. Every TX voter is inundated with border messaging… from the RWE/ right-wing, extremists
b. TV, campaign ads are at least 10 – 1 of extremist ads vs Democratic ads
c. The alleged, “border crisis” by the numbers is little different for the past few decades, regarding the ebb and flow of migrants
d. Greg Abbott’s and the entire R party is fixated on some old political/ social tropes to use fear-mongering as a political weapon, that uses human lives as the collateral
1. Abbott’s abuse of the TX National Guard
a. Abusing our troops is disgusting and can hardly be considered, “supporting the military.” Just another TX GOP lie
b. Abbott’s theft of public funds for a useless, poorly constructed, tiny section of wall, is nothing more than a political stunt
c. Yes, borders must be secured but Abbott and Co., have manufactured political stunts that not only destroy migrant lives but also those of the TX National Guard. Abbott’s political stunts were the focus of several Military Time’s investigations due to how badly they abused our Guard troops.
d. Death, drugs and a disbanded unit: How the Guard’s Mexico border mission fell apart (armytimes.com)
e. This is what it’ll take to end the military’s border mission (militarytimes.com)
f. DoD is sending more support to the Mexico border mission (militarytimes.com)
g. Border mission should be a Homeland Security job, says head of Northern Command (militarytimes.com)
h. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/01/texas-national-guard-border-operation-lone-star-abbott/
i. Troops slam Operation Lone Star in leaked survey | The Texas Tribune
i. Slow or no pay
ii. An epidemic of suicides
iii. Diminished State Guard benefits
iv. Little to no notice for open-ended, mission-less deployments to the border
v. Deployments do not count towards retirement and they are paid less than Federal Deployments
j. Our legislature has little to no impact on any issue that causes what is now, a global migration of people due to several factors.
k. Dorazio has zero say in resolving and of those factors at the state level
l. The Bush and Obama comprehensive immigration reform plans were very similar but Congress refused to adopt either
m. This TX GOP talking point is nothing but a “rally the base” effort
2. Critical Race Theory
i. Yes, I know this because my wife retired from teaching TX public school last year and… I do research for a living. Anyone that can read and that has integrity knows the truth. Still, Dorazio is willing to publicly lie about this, like his other R extremists
ii. I would also like to point out, that in conjunction with this CRT dishonesty that the TX Republican party wants to put religion into public schools. Yes, it’s written into their platform. This violates some of the most basic constitutional principles of our nation and TX.
31. Prayer, Bible, and Ten Commandments in Schools: We support prayer, the Bible, and the Ten Commandments being returned to our schools, courthouses, and other government buildings
- TX GOP Platform/ 2022
Pg. 6
iii. The effort by these nuts is in support of vouchers which would allow public funding to pay for charter schools that could indoctrinate TX kids with extreme religious and political views.
iv. The CRT insanity cascaded into the book banning and burning craze. Yes, the same party that has run TX for 27 years exclusively, all of a sudden decided to ban books that they’d already approved, while blaming it on the left who has had very little say in those years.
3. Property taxes
a. TX has an odd funding stream regarding property taxes. They make the counties do the dirty work of establishing and collecting them so they can pay their bills and to the state. Since the State’s funding of local/ critical infrastructure is perpetually insufficient, sometimes, critically so, as indicated by our big freeze a couple of years ago, this leaves it up to counties and cities to do the State’s work. The state benefits but the legislature gets to scapegoat the counties and cities. Dorazio, like the rest of TX GOP candidates is lying if he thinks he can help mitigate the fact that TX has the sixth highest property taxes in the nation.
4. TX vs. DC
a. Well, as 700+ Texans died during our big freeze a couple of winters ago. This occurred because Abbott and his cronies refused to address the engineering recommendations made during a similar event in 2011. It was the most expensive disaster in TX history. Providers and energy suppliers made a windfall profit. Still, almost nothing has been done to improve the infrastructure. To rub “salt into our wounds,” Greg Abbott, Dade Phelan and the rest have ensured that all Texans will pay the bill for this most expensive, self-inflicted disaster.
b. All of this so TX could have their own grid. Let’s ask the families of the dead and buried in debt Texans how they feel about keeping the national grid out of TX.
5. Life
a. Of course, the issue of life is about abortion
b. I won’t argue between yes or no. I personally am not a fan of abortion but I am not only just one voice, but a man. My say is in support of womens’ and family health. I will say categorically that the TX abortion law is draconian and is to be enforced by vigilantes, not law enforcement. Somehow, our activist SCOTUS sees this as just fine. I am speechless. Never mind the TX Supreme Court, who is essentially a rubber-stamp for anything the extremists want, regardless of constitutionality.
6. 2nd Amendment
a. I live about an hour’s drive from Uvalde. Like the Walmart case, the use of military styled weapons by young men took the innocent lives of Texans. The Walmart shooting was also a racist mass murder, based on the extremist rhetoric of Abbott, the TX extreme right and Trump. Still, TX has expanded access to firearms by damn near anyone. Their answer is always more guns, not better oversight for buyers. I have no issue with Americans owning firearms. I own them too but I have been trained by the very best and can pass any type of background check. Reasonable, common-sense regulation is desired by the majority of Texans, regardless of party. The TX extremists refuse to listen. They didn’t even listen to the majority of TX LE that said no to “constitutional carry” BS here in TX. “The inmates are running the asylum.”
b. Dorazio, like his peers, has proved with his actions and words, that the lives of Texans, including our children, don’t matter so long as the traitorous NRA is happy. Yes, the same TX based, NRA that facilitated the funding of GOP campaigns and Trump’s in the 2016 elections.
7. Ending vaccine mandates
a. Dorazio has no say in Federal law
b. Vaccine mandates are not a thing in TX unless you’re a federal worker, so what’s he even talking about?
c. Abbott and his henchmen were willing to kill more Texans with COVID, than any state but California, which has 10 million more residents
d. Science is a dirty word in TX unless it supports big oil and gas engineering. Even TX oil companies are struggling to find engineers because of the extremist abortion law. Female engineers, already a low number won’t move here. Wives, daughters and family members of engineers won’t either. This is called, “cutting off your nose to spite your face.”
e. Vaccine mandates are just another Trump-era conspiracy theory, talking point, and nothing more. All of these conspiracy theory-based talking points are to rally their base, not serve constituents
8. Election Security
a. Nothing in the Texas state, Republican platform for the 2022 election, is as disgusting and dangerous to our democratic republic as, “election denial.” Any candidate that fully embraces such a heinous, anti-American lie, is by default a national security threat
b. The TX GOP literally has election denial as part of their state platform.
“2020 Election: We believe that the 2020 election violated Articles 1 and 2 of the US Constitution, that various secretaries of state illegally circumvented their state legislatures in conducting their elections in multiple ways, including by allowing ballots to be received after November 3, 2020. We believe that substantial election fraud in key metropolitan areas significantly affected the results in five key states in favor of Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. We reject the certified results of the 2020 Presidential Election, and we hold that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States. We strongly urge all Republicans to work to ensure election integrity and to show up to vote in November of 2022, bring your friends and family, volunteer for your local Republicans, and overwhelm any possible fraud. “
- Platform and Resolutions as Amended and Adopted by the 2022 State Convention of the Republican Party of Texas
- Page 40
9. Protecting our right to assemble
a. Just another carryover talking point from COVID that today’s RWEs use to highlight so-called “freedom.”
b. This is just as much BS as is the election security BS
i. TX, like the entire nation has no problem with secure elections. This is just a made-up solution in search of a non-existent problem.
So, as I wrap this up, I would ask that whatever state you’re in, compare the Republican platform to these utterly dishonest and extremist talking points. You can almost certainly find your talking points similar or the same as Dorazio’s, Lujan’s, Abbott’s and the rest of the TX GOP.
Next, I’d ask that you look up, from a credible source, Eisenhower era talking points from his campaigns. Compare them and you will find, without exception how divergent todays are from one of America’s most respected presidents. Pres. Eisenhower was a “principled conservative.” If you understand this, you will see that today’s TX and national GOP is extremist, by default. Now, it’s up to you, will you vote for extremists or…, impotent candidates, lying to your face and basing their candidacy on conspiracy theories?
TX Republicans have had exclusive control over everything in TX for 27 years. Everything they claim is wrong with TX is something that they, not others had control of. If TX is broken, an increasingly extremist, Republican Party did the breaking. Education, poverty, income disparity, lack of health care, racism and Jim Crow, 2.0 limits to voting. These are the acts of the only politicians with a say. Now, even they have tossed aside their political identity for an extremist identity.
I will leave y’all with this: Texas, like America, is at its best when principled politicians of differing perspectives, factually debate issues. Both parties have extremists that should have zero say in these debates. The primary difference at the moment between left and right is the left extremists in elected office, at the national level are essentially no threat, because the party has corralled them so as not to have an impact on legislation. On the right, the extremists control the party and like Mark Dorazio, have no interest in legislating for the greater good. Their sole interest is power and any conspiracy theory that allows them to achieve or sustain power.
The ultimate insult to true patriots is how the current version of the party still reveres a corrupt, immoral traitor named Trump. Considering my profession, Trump’s theft, obstruction and compromise of some of our nation’s most critical secrets should trigger every true patriot’s anger. But then again, the Republican party excused 4+ years of national security violations and actions in their effort to support the traitor. The TX GOP has not only still elevated his stature to a cult-like figure but refuse to acknowledge treason when it’s in front of their face. No, fellow Texans, any party supporting treason is by definition unworthy of any office. More to follow on this issue, in a later post.
I know, this is a somber way to kick off the week. We can no longer afford to allow politicians and extremists to operate the same old way. We need ethics, oversight and here in TX, an Attorney General who isn’t a Seditionist and a felon. If not, who will enforce our laws and protect our constitutional rights? Like the nation, we need Texans with moral courage, to demonstrate it by standing against extremism.
