Over Borderline

"Texas is taking historic action to respond to this border crisis. In 2021, Governor Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star, deploying the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to the southern border. (...) While the federal government ignores this crisis, Texas is holding the line." - 2021

"President Biden has instructed his agencies to ignore federal statutes that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants. (...) For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself." - 2024

Greg Abbott

In case you missed it, shit is going down in Texas.

Again and again, the GOP prevents the Federal Government to come up with ANY sort of legislation to address the decades old immigration crisis. Even when they get everything they ever wanted. This time, the United States Senate agreed upon the most conservative immigration reform bill in a very long time. It's a border security hawk's wet dream, and it still is not enough for them. You see, it's an election year. Regardless of his legal problems, that have already cost him close to a hundred million dollars and are soon to get over half a BILLION dollars, plus the criminal trials that may have landed him in prison by the time we get to vote, Trump wants immigration to be front and center in his campaign for the presidency, and thus he has instructed his minions in the United States House of Representatives to vote down ANY bill concerning immigration reform, even a completely reactionary, retrograde bill such as the one the Senate just came up with, and Joe Biden has agreed to sign into law. So, this is the good news.

The bad news is, there's a shit show going down at the Texas border, right now. In 2021, Governor Greg Abbott created "Operation Lone Star", starting to involve the Texas National Guard in immigration related issues at the border with Mexico. Fast forward to 2024, as in NOW, and the same "operation" is still ongoing, with the unbelievably stupid activation of a constitutional clause contained in Article I, Section 10, that reads:

 

"No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a Foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay."

 

Because, as Abbott "explains", this clause was "triggered" by the "inability" of the Federal Government to comply with Article IV, Section 4, which states that:

"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened), against Domestic Violence."

As usual, the form in which the Constitution is written, so very XVIII Century of the Founding Fathers, bless their hearts, gives way to interpretations that can cover everything under the Sun, if you really put your mind to it, and in the case of the "invasion" provisions, it becomes "unclear" if it just means an invasion by a foreign army, any armed entity, or just a very large bunch of lemmings. Abbott, of course, claims that the poor bastards coming in from South America, "armed" with their hopes and dreams, sometimes their children, and most times carrying only a plastic bag with clothes, in addition to the ones on their backs, are "the invasion" that the Federal Government failed to protect the great State of Texas from, forcing it to deploy its National Guard to the border (joined by units from OTHER states, as explicitly allowed for in the Constitution), overruling ANY Federal Agency in charge of immigration affairs, and more than often going AGAINST these Federal Agencies' officers.

We all know federal agents are being blocked from accessing parts of the Rio Grande used by immigrants to cross the border into the United States, from Mexico. The agents are cut off from portions of the Rio Grande banks by razor wire barriers, put in place by the Texas National Guard, which, of course, is also preventing them from removing such barriers.

So this is the bad news part, regarding immigration, but not just. Not at all. This is the part we did not want to see coming, but deep down we knew it would, At least I did. I saw it coming a mile away. I saw it coming because I remember what happened during the Civil Rights Movement, from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, 1965. I also remember Little Rock, Arkansas, 1957. Both Lyndon B. Johnson, and before him Dwight D. Eisenhower, used federal troops to enforce the rule of law against rogue States delusions of insurrection. I do know my History, and I remember. Eisenhower used the fucking 101st Airborne, for fucks sake, and pardon my french.

 

Today, instead of doing what Eisenhower and LBJ did, the Federal Government is stalling. Immigrants have already died at the Texan border, as a result of this delusional course of action, set in motion THREE YEARS AGO. Other Red States are considering sending their own National Guard units to join Texas National Guard at the border, exactly as provided for in the Constitution of these, for now, United States. The madness is expanding fast, and we hear nothing but crickets from Washington D.C., not even a fraction of a reaction. Nada. This is an abuse of the Constitution, a violation of Federal Law, and above all, it's a defiant battle cry of the South, telling the Federal Government that its laws no longer apply in Texas. In my modest opinion, this is nothing short of a secessionist move, even if, for the moment, and because secession has not been invoked (and I emphasize "yet"), it's at the very least most definitely an insurrection against the National Rule of Law, therefore, against the United States of America.

This is the definition of a National Security crisis, in which case the POTUS, as Commander in Chief of ALL the Armed Forces, has the right and the power to take control over all units of the National Guard involved in this insurrectionist adventure, wherever they may be and from wherever they may come. So let's be clear here: the first step is for Biden to recall ALL the National Guard units involved in this mess to stand down and return to their bases immediately; the second step would be to send loyal National Guard troops from other States to ensure the border is secured and access is granted to any Federal Agencies responsible for dealing with immigration issues. Hopefully this will solve the problem. But if it doesn't...

Hopefully, the rogue National Guard units now involved in this insurrection, would realize the only course of action is to obey their C.I.C. and return to their home bases, returning control of the border to the federal Government. But there's always the off chance they won't, which would instantly convert a National Security crisis into a National Security threat. And I am absolutely certain that, just like in 1957, the 101st Airborne can deal with these shitheads very fast, by simply cutting off the rogue units supplies, and arresting their commanding officers, at bayonet point if needed, which would be followed by a complete evaluation of the state of readiness and compliance of all remaining members of the National Guard rogue units. Pretty sure a lot of people will end up in the brig, and for treason. Yeah, it kinda is treason, when you take up arms against your own government. But you don't have to actually take up arms to commit treason, all you have to do is aid and abet such actions, or worse, order them. So I am assuming the 101st would place some irons on a few Governors wrists.

This would solve a fuck ton of problems, once and for all, and it would NOT create new ones, not really. One look at Little Rock, Arkansas, 1957, tells you so. But sure, there would be a lot of resentment and angry hillbillies. About the same as, say, the ALREADY existing one. So what the fuck is the President waiting for? That this fascist immigration reform bill passes the House of Representatives? Really? Is Biden really this naive? One thing is clear to me: If this is allowed to continue unchallenged, we will lose every semblance of unity as a Nation, and the "United" in the United States will really become a sick joke, for the one thing that binds us together, as a Nation, is the Rule of Law. And the Rule of Law means abiding by laws we don't necessarily agree with, not going along with laws we all like and are fuzzy about.

 

Without the Rule of Law, we are nothing but a fucked up modern version of Game of Thrones, with each State trying to establish total control over their territory first, proceeding to join forces with other like minded freedom crazy States, and finally defy and try to subjugate the Federal Government, by any means necessary. The many ways in which such a nightmare scenario can develop would fill thousands of pages, and inspire many a crappy action movie, so lets skip that part, and focus on what to do NOT to get there. And that is simple, really. Biden needs to grow a pair, similar to Eisenhower's, or LBJ's, and fucking squash this insurrection NOW, before it takes a real civil war to do it. The rest will fall into place, specifically, and most importantly, the sense that if you break the fucking law you will pay for it. Especially if you take up arms against your country.

So lets cut the bulshit and see this for what it is.

Not just the continuation of January 6 by other means, but the next step, the decisive step to crush the Rule of Law in this country, and once and for all turn the Constitution into an Old Farmer's Almanac of sorts, where every peasant is a meteorology expert, and nothing means shit anymore.

Democracy, it is said, dies in the dead of night, victim of a thousand cuts, through the inaction of many. Well this is broad daylight and a very deep cut. Are you going to sit down and watch it play out? Or are you going to fucking do something about it? Think fast. Time is running out.

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Complete quotes from the Office of the Texas Governor:

Texas. Operation Lone Star, 2021.

"President Biden’s reckless open border policies have created an ongoing crisis at our southern border as record levels of illegal immigrants and deadly drugs pour into Texas."
"Texas is taking historic action to respond to this border crisis. In 2021, Governor Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star, deploying the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to the southern border. Operation Lone Star personnel work around-the-clock to detect and repel illegal crossings, arrest human smugglers and cartel gang members, and stop the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl into our nation. While the federal government ignores this crisis, Texas is holding the line."

 

Office of the Texas Governor | Greg Abbott | gov.texas.gov

Texas. Operation Lone Star, 2024.

"The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including immigration laws on the books right now. President Biden has instructed his agencies to ignore federal statutes that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants. The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense. For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary."

Office of the Texas Governor | Greg Abbott | gov.texas.gov