This comes directly from my governor

Greg Abbot has already proved he is a monster.

This is more proof.

This is typical fascist behavior.

Someone that is paid by the state of texas pushed a 4 year old girl back through the wire. They are placing razor wire wrapped barrels in the Rio Grande to deliberately injure and maybe kill desperate refugees/immigrants.

Texas is governed by monsters.

I’m sorry. I promise I didn’t vote for them and I and my entire voted against these monsters.

It's becoming obvious

That we (as a species) will have to do some massive geo engineering to attempt to ameliorate the CO2 we’ve pumped into the atmosphere.

I’m very doubtful that we as a species can sufficiently cooperate to get the job done.

The politics will be ferocious. Whatever is done will negatively impact certain regions.

The most likely scenario will be constant warfare which will only accelerate our planets demise.

I’ve become increasingly despondent lately.

Refugees NOT immigrants

One of the things we all do badly is demand the correct use of language.

We all know at this point the terrible damage that has been inflicted on reproductive rights due to the media and everyone in general allowing the anti-sex, anti-abortion, anti-women's rights movement to commandeer the term "pro-life".

Once that language was rolled out the reproductive rights movement was forever on its heels and valiantly fought a rear guard action for decades that was ultimately futile.

Because all of us failed to prevent the religious zealots who are anything but pro-life to wear a protective mantle of distracting and invalid language.

This is happening again now with the issue of refugees coming to the southern border of the U.S. to petition for asylum.

They are being called "immigrants" which provokes an entirely different emotional response. We empathize with refugees. We are far less sympathetic when we consider immigrants.

Again, the battle is essentially lost because the media and the consumers of media failed to push back hard when the term "immigrant" was used to describe desperate refugees.

Using the term "immigrant" has allowed Texas in particular to act as if these refugees are some invading army.

Texas is now placing large floating buoys into the Rio Grande to prevent crossing. This is all part of Greg Abbot's militarization of Texas' response to a humanitarian crisis.

Texas constantly usurps the role of the federal government by falsely claiming that the federal government is leaving the borders completely opened (Those who want to believe this believe it despite the fact that the borders are anything but open). I wonder if machine gun emplacements are that far behind. Abbot activated the Texas National Guard two years ago and shows no sign of having them stand down despite the cost.

During the pandemic the U.S. slammed the border shut using a legal dodge called Title 42 so that these refugees were refused entry at the border and were not given the hearing that they are entitled to when they present themselves at the border seeking asylum.

Now that Title 42 has been terminated we are very slowly scheduling refugees for their hearings. But the pace is too slow and desperate refugees still try get into the U.S. because our system has been deliberately throttled to prevent large numbers from getting their moment in court.

Much of this is made possible by the deliberate incorrect use of language.

If they are a seething mass of illegal immigrants then almost all means to prevent their entry into our nation are acceptable in most people's hearts.

But look at the what happened in Europe during their refugee crisis when Syria and Iraq became failed states.

They were viewed as refugees not as a ravening army of unauthorized immigrants. The whole world sympathized with these refugees and was enraged when Poland and Hungary refused to let them in.

But here is the U.S., and particularly here in Texas we use a term that has become subtly dehumanizing. Immigrants. Many of these people are not immigrants, but refugees.

What a difference a word makes.

Didn't know that

Read the story. It’s almost reassuring that our gods can behave with petty humanness.

Joni is an incredible writer—Dylan apparently not so much.

His genius was in his creation of the character of Bob Dylan. Can’t sing and doesn’t play all that well but he crafted a persona that made him a megastar. Didn’t know that he lifted some of his lyrics.

Wow

Thanks for posting.

Damn. Woman is and was a genius.

Thank you

I needed this.

Admission of weakness

This is usually not a good move by your average ruthless autocrat. Very weird that he would admit his impotence.

The states are also the laboratories of autocracy

I live in Texas. A state that has led the way in partisan gerrymandering, vote suppression, anti-abortion mandates, environmental devastation, book banning, politicization of education. Oh and don’t forget the loose gun regulations.


Seems like we’re leading the way towards full on facism.

Laboratories of democracy my ass.

My condolences

The key point is that there isn't anywhere to breed and live

The destruction of habitat, which is only accelerating.

Where are the birds to breed and live? What are they to eat if they do manage to exist?

Not only are we leaving little habitat for the birds we are also killing the insects on which the birds subsist with various poisons.

I try to keep my wife from using RAID and the like, but she hired a pest company to spray on the outside. I’m afraid that that might be why I’m not seeing any lizards around the house. We’ve either accidentally killed the lizards or we’ve killed their food and driven them away.

Multiply these depredations by billions and add humanity’s monoculture agricultural practices supported by vast amounts of pesticides and it becomes amazing that any birds or insects survive at all.

But in the end the simple question is where non-human species to live?