As the MAGOP base watches the six catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles and is fed its daily bread of lies, disinformation and pure ignorance from their peerless leaders about it (while the fires remain intensely active), those party officials use this false blame as their self-made reason to suggest -- rather than help those in ongoing distress -- that they might instead deny all emergency aid to their fellow Americans or require “strings” on any assistance. Trump has already hinted at such. And this past Sunday, MAGOP Senate Whip John Barrasso said on Face the Nation: "There will be strings attached" to any disaster and recovery aid Congress will ‘ultimately’ approve for the California wildfires. It has to do with being ready the next time because this was a gross failure this time.” "Strings." Good one. There are six catastrophic fires -- in January!! Fire season here is May-October! But…strings! Perhaps Sen. Barrasso (MAGOP-WY) wants to insist all Californians buy brooms to sweep out the forest. I look forward to him explaining all the "strings" he insisted on before aiding the South for all the massive hurricanes last year. And hurricanes there every year. By the way, Sen. Barrasso is a physician. Y’know, “First, do no harm” and all that. And by the way, too -- no, there wasn’t gross failure. In fact, firefighters and management on the scene has acted magnificently and heroically in the midst of scenes you’d envision for Armageddon, keeping the catastrophe from spreading even further. And if there were mistakes in planning or operation – as there were, as there are in all catastrophes (because...they are catastrophes!) – it was because this is January, and the fire season is May-to-October, and there have never been six catastrophic wildfires in January in the 243-history of Los Angeles! “Ready the next time,” he says??!! Next time?? By this standard, next time will be in another 243 years. Though in fairness, it now is likely to happen significantly sooner since we no longer have a traditional fire season in Los Angeles, but rather a “fire year” – thanks to Climate Change that MAGOPs have been fighting for years, trying to convince the ignorant that it doesn’t exist. Doesn’t exist? Tell that to victims of monumental hurricanes, monumental tornadoes, monumental winter freezes, monumental heat waves and monumental… well, y’know wildfires with 140 miles-per-hour winds…in January. All more intense and more frequent every year. If John Barrasso truly did want to "be ready next time," recognizing that Climate Change actually is actually real, actual, would be the basic starting point. Then there was Tommy Tuberville (MAGOP-Neptune) who added “empty-hearted” to his credentials as the most totally clueless member of the Senate, when he appeared yesterday on Newsmax. "They don't deserve anything, to be honest with you,” he pontificated without even a hint honesty or awareness of the reality, ”unless they show us they're going to make some changes." I believe this is where some people might insert "What would Jesus do?" so that the faux-religious right can understand it in their language. It would be so cool to know what changes does the Great Swami suggests, since I am certain he doesn’t have the slightest clue of all the detailed planning that is truly done in the state. Being Tuberville, maybe he thinks that California should cut down all the trees here and install Astroturf in the forests. Still, Mr. Tuberville is welcome to the Hurricane Helene emergency relief that California helped pay for – and pay more for than any other state. Which, in fact, it pays more for than any other state for all disaster aid, all the time. In fact, contributing more in federal taxes than it gets back, so that all the states that underpay (like, say, Alabama) can use for their disaster relief. And all MAGOPs in Congress know this. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) knows it. But that didn't stop the faux-wannabe religious leader from saying with his veneer of devout emotion, when asked about emergency aid to California, "I think there should be conditions." (No word yet if this is what Jesus would do. Though if anyone does knows, it could be the self-proclaimed Moses, Mike Johnson, as he directs the people trying to escape Pharoah into the fire.) By the way, when Louisiana screwed up building its levees, I might have liked to have said there should be conditions on emergency aid to them after Hurricane Katrina drowned New Orleans, but...well, I didn't because I'm not cruel and heartless, nor a religious hypocrite about my fellow citizens when in catastrophic need. That’s just four MAGOPs (including Trump) out of all the self-righteous MAGOP officials they represent spewing intentional cruelty and ignorance – while the wildfires are still burning, and millions of people remain at risk. Because that's who've all seen the MAGOP is today. Splitting families. Denying healthcare. Caging children. Banning books, banning the teaching of Black history, banning drag shows. It's just business as usual. And it’s all the more pathetic for their inhumane vindictiveness not only being directed at the tens of millions of people (most who don't even live in the area) simply because the majority of the state votes in a way these MAGOP officials don't like, but also ignoring there are over 10 million people in their own party here -- and ignoring, too, that everyone in the state is a part of the same whole, taking on the same burdens of helping and rebuilding (because that's how states and community work) and suffering the same. To refute every MAGOP lie, misinformation, ignorance, disinformation and conspiracy theory would be like playing the world's most hellish game of Whack-a-mole. Marquest Charter Elementary School The bottom line is that almost none of these MAGOP officials know what they're talking about, on almost anything they say. And they ignore that most everything they say pertains exactly to every natural disaster in every state, including those in their own Red ones. Insurance companies aren't leaving California because of liberal laws -- they're leaving, just like they're leaving in Florida, because Climate Change has made natural disasters more common and more devastating. And more expensive. Ultimately, I don’t know what Trump and the MAGOP will do about emergency aid. But unlike other times he and they have threatened to withhold aid, this time is very different, I think. This disaster is not just massive – it comes with extensive news coverage of overwhelming, ongoing devastation, wiping out towns and communities, and was covered almost non-stop on TV day after day after day for the past five days, and the fire is still ongoing, and the coverage will continue. So, I think that most people really get it, and understand what a historic conflagration this is. And I suspect, unlike their leaders, see their own risks in it and know people, even relatives here, and are horrified by the devastation. The homes lost, the communities disappeared from existence. That’s for starters. Then the reality kicks in that these aren’t just Democrats and liberals impacted by the crushing loss, but Republicans, MAGOPs, conservatives, everyone. And they’re going to be infuriated if there’s no aid. Or “strings.” Or “changes.” And they’ll have representatives in Congress. And “they” aren’t just going to be those in California, because it’s hard to imagine that all conservatives throughout the country would be okay with Trump and the party withholding funds from this. That people have been watching wipe villages off the map for a week. With the House especially having just a one-vote margin – and the Senate very close – it doesn’t take many to say, “Sorry, no, withholding aid is deeply wrong. This is a crushing emergency on a catastrophic scale.” I’m not suggesting all the country would rise up in outrage – it won’t. But 5-10% (or 25%) recognizing how totally unacceptable this would be to Americans whose lives and communities have been destroyed, seeing it all on TV endlessly for a week – I don’t think that is unreasonable to consider. I don’t think Trump can come away from withholding funds unscathed. That doesn’t mean he still won’t do it, only that even he might get pushed enough to act, but if he doesn’t, if he withholds federal funding, or starts layering on "strings" and "conditions," I think he’ll pay a price. In fact, for all I know, if Trump does nothing, despite Dr. Sen. Barrabasso’s contention of "ultimate" aid that comes with all his "strings" (along with Coach Tuberville's "changes" and the Very Rev. Mike Johnson's "conditions"), most members of Congress might even ignore them and vote to put together an aid package because, as much as they follow Trump, they aren’t Trump and know that their own states might well face far-less emergencies at some point and need assistance. And this is a national disaster. Though maybe not as much as what used to be the Republican Party.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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