The Ire of Texas

Abbott vs Biden - "This is an interesting situation!"

In the holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, hero, George Baily walks into an interesting situation while escorting love interest Mary Hatch home from a dance that included an unexpected dip in the school pool. Mary’s over-sized bathrobe gets caught on a branch leaving her with only her birthday suit. George finds the robe but no Mary. She’s taken cover behind some bushes, demanding George hand over the robe. George suddenly realizes the tantalizing position he’s in, exclaiming “Well! This is an interesting situation!” and rubs his jaw in contemplation of the prurient choices.

Analogously, such is the case of Texas’ Governor Abbott as George Baily and Joe Biden playing Mary.

Down in Texas, “Mary” Biden has demanded “George” Abbott return the “robe”, i.e. 2.5 miles of the cartel causeway, Eagle Pass, to the control of Federal Border agents. That the agents haven’t controlled anything resembling prevention of illegal trespassing for 3 years formed the basis for Texas saying “No”. What a shocker! Historically, States have immediately gone wobbly whenever the Great DC Leviathan demanded subservience to its latest bellow that consistently resulted in the State’s losing some measure of its own authority now ceded to DC.    

That Gov. Abbott would have the temerity to take such a stand has created what the MSM calls a “firestorm of controversy”: the real possibility of a confrontation between a sovereign State and the Feds. Biden and the Democrats increasing threats and vitriol have fanned the flames. That 13 other state’s Attorneys General have sided with Texas has seriously raised the political temperature. Happening in the increasingly tense tinder of a Presidential election year has resulted in ‘all options are on the table’, according to “Mary’ Biden.

Who blinks first?

In a letter to Biden, Abbott spells out Biden’s faults and failures at the Texas-Mexico border, 8 million illegal aliens and counting topped by the President’s abdication of his clear Constitutional responsibilities and fortified with the Constitution’s authority of a State’s self-defense in the face of invasion:    

Article 1, section 10:

“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.”

Determining whether ‘invasion’ is taking place or not is the sole determination of the State, “directly authorized by the US constitution and therefore not subject to mere federal statutes.”

In the days ahead, the Professional Pundits, Preening Politicians and Social Media Morons with questionable education and intellect will have All. The. Answers. Of course, the Court will be the only answer that actually matters. But…considering the example set by Biden himself, ignoring a SCOTUS ruling and proceeding with now illegal and unconstitutional “Student Loan Forgiveness” tricks has become a precedent, creating a potent weapon in the “Lawfare” game being waged against anything Red or Conservative.

“At this point, the Biden Administration is clearly motivated to move into Texas, take control of the situation, and throw the border open. In an election year, however, this will be problematic for Biden with many constituencies. Many will see the situation for what it is: a powerful Washington establishment, with no skin in the game in southern Texas, shows up to tell the locals that they are hereby ordered to house limitless numbers of unscreened migrants in their own neighborhoods, and for the taxpayers to cover the cost. With the legacy media on his side, Biden may be able to get away with it.

“ Here's what should happen, though: any federal agents that attempt to intervene with state agents on the border should be arrested and tried for obstruction and trespassing under Texas law.  Federal attempts to take control of the National Guard should be declared non-starters by the governor under Section 1, Article 10. Federal agents should be treated as the criminals they are. After all, the ATF, FBI, federal Border Control, NSA, and countless federal regulators are all unconstitutional agents with no authorization within the constitution itself. (Federal control over immigration is an invention of the late nineteenth century.) Ryan McMaken, Mises Institute

What’s the next move? Will Abbott punt? Will Biden fumble? Right now, the “Take Our Border Back” convoy is on the way to Eagle Pass and not for a rock concert.  That doesn’t mean there won’t be rocks. Most definitely, “this is an interesting situation.”

Stay tuned…

BW

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