Texassippi

Sometimes, Texas and Mississippi make it incredibly hard for others to be decent and do the right thing.  

Texas and Mississippi were both pummeled by the recent winter storms, and their residents were put in horribly difficult conditions.  And President Biden declared an emergency (as he should have) and sent assistance (as he should have).  Texas and Mississippi both also apply for federal aid and get it, which is as it should be when a state or anyone is in need of federal aid.

These are the same Texas and Mississippi who this week got rid of restrictions for wearing face masks and also both opened up their businesses, putting not only all their residents at risk, but also the entire country since people in Texas and Mississippi travel across the country, and people through the United States travel to Texas and Mississippi (okay, not as much to Mississippi...but some) and then back home.  All at risk now of transmitting this infectious disease.  Actually, not just an infectious disease but because Texas how has all three variants of COVID-19, it is an even more highly infectious disease there than elsewhere.  Further, it is core to Texas to sashay around bragging how independent it is, the LONE Star State, the Republic of Texas.  Indeed, Texas periodically -- and, in fact, recently -- makes rumblings about wanting to secede from the Union.

All the while asking for federal aid and emergency relief from the federal government when they face some disaster. Especially when they may have even help cause the disaster themselves, as was the case with Texas not regulating energy companies and not participating in the national power grid, but just their own power grid for Texas.  Swaggering independence and arrogant secession only carry you so far until all those times when you actually, really do desperately need others.

And to be clear, Texas and Mississippi both deserve federal aid and emergency relief and should get it.  Because that's how decency, doing the right thing, caring for others and federal law work.  It's just that sometimes, those two states make it incredibly hard for others to be decent and do the right thing.

I mean, seriously, one of the two U.S. Senators in Texas didn't even care enough about the emergency crisis in his own state and chose instead to leave it vacation in Cancun.  And when President Joe Biden actually came to Texas to view the devastation, this same Sen. Cruz couldn't even be bothered to join other state leaders, since he was busy going to Florida to promenade at CPAC.

And Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (who at least did meet with Joe Biden) decided to go full-crazy and attack President Biden who is giving emergency aid to the state -- day after declaring Texas is wide open to the coronavirus. No really, he sent out this tweet yesterday --

You see?!  I wasn't lying.  This is weird even by GOP -- and Greg Abbott -- standards.  Greg Abbott just exposed 29 million people to COVID in the only state that has all 3 variants of the disease!  And he's slamming the president...who's delivering aid to his state...over the spread COVID.  And this doesn't even take into consideration that I can find no evidence that "hundreds" of "illegal immigrants" are being released into Texas by Biden who actually have COVID.  For that matter, I haven't heard of the Biden Administration releasing illegal immigrants whether they had COVID or not!   It's just weird.

And Mississippi, just on general principle from its long-history of racism added on top of opening the state to the spread of the coronavirus, is enough to grant the place its own spot in hell.

You know what the decent and right thing to do is.  Not just because not everyone who lives in those states is a far-right racist luddite or as cruel, thoughtless and vindictive as the worst -- but because it's what you do when decency demands it.  And so, yes, they should get the emergency relief and federal aid they need.  And that's good.  But, man, it takes all of one's decency to not yell, "Screw you, Texas and Mississippi.  If you want to spit at the rest of the country whenever it suits you and ridicule damn liberals because it makes you feel good and then come desperately crying for help when you need it, you can prance away on your own like you like to posture you can and dig your way out of the holes you keep helping create for yourselves."

But decency prevails.  And you do the right and proper thing -- for the benefit of the greater good, and for the benefit of those in need.

It's just that sometimes, Texas and Mississippi make it incredibly hard.