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Character no longer matters?

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Republicans once stood as those who believed in strong moral conduct and scorned those who got caught doing untoward things in public.

Do you remember those days? I sure do. They reached a full boil during the time Bill Clinton was seeking the presidency. Why, the so-called “moral majority” and those on the far right just couldn’t stomach the notion of someone who cheated on his wife becoming president of the United States.

They even countenanced the publishing of an alleged documentary called “The Clinton Chronicles” that purported to “prove” that Bill and Hillary Clinton plotted the murder of a close friend, Vince Foster … who in fact took his own life in a D.C. park.

Oh, how it has all changed.

What now passes for the Republican Party is set to nominate an individual for the presidential campaign who fails at every level possible the test the GOP once applied to candidates for the nation’s highest office.

He admits to cheating on his wives; he has been convicted of sexual abuse; he was impeached twice during his term as POTUS; he once bragged about grabbing women by their genitalia; he has said he never has sought forgiveness; he called for the execution of the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman who had the temerity to criticize him over policy matters.

I could go on … but I won’t.

To be clear, I wasn’t a fan of the witch hunt launched against Bill Clinton back in the day. I am less of a fan now of the dimwit who wants to return to the Oval Office and serve as “your retribution” to those who have swallowed the swill he has offered.

And yet he has the support of the Republican National Committee, those who operate the machinery and a loudly vocal minority of voters who continue to outshout the rest of the nation.

The state of the current Republican Party makes me miss the former GOP … and that, I will tell you, is really saying something.

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Dreaded task … done!

This post is aimed at anyone who has lost a loved one — namely a spouse — after spending decades melding your life with him or her.

As many of you know, I lost my dear bride to cancer a little more than a year ago. Kathy Anne received a glioblastoma diagnosis and six weeks later she was gone. Her oncologist called it the “most aggressive brain cancer I have seen in all my years practicing medicine.”

But then came my emotional journey on which I embarked. Today, a major part of that journey ended for me. After agonizing since the worst day of life, I finally gathered up Kathy Anne’s clothes and delivered them to a shelter for women who need them.

I had been told there are many ways to approach this task. One friend of mine told me she donated her late husband’s clothes two weeks after she lost him. One of my dearest friends on Earth hired someone to empty his late wife’s closet after she passed from cancer about four years ago. Others have waited even longer than I did, while others have completed the task quickly.

I chose to wait. It was too large a leap to make. We had shared a home for 51 years. We became like one. Kathy Anne had been the embodiment of good health … until she wasn’t.

My journey has been a long one, to be sure. I have cleared many emotional hurdles. My friends have told me I have made great strides. My family has been strong, too. My sons, my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter have endured the pain of losing the pillar of our family. Their strength has sustained me.

Today, I am happy to report, is a good day. I believe I have cleared the final hurdle on my journey through the darkness.

The gentleman who received the clothing spoke the truth beautifully to me this morning. “Your wife would want us to put these items to good use,” he said, “and we will.”

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Yes, he was an ‘illegal’ immigrant

Lest you think I am a Joe Biden lackey, I have to acknowledge that the president was wrong to apologize to the killer of a woman whose case has become a rallying cry for the MAGA movement.

Laiken Riley died at the hands of a man who was in this country illegally. President Biden referred to him as an “illegal” immigrant, then apologized to him for his use of the term “illegal.” Biden said he should have called him an “undocumented” immigrant.

Talk about splitting hairs!

The dude was in this country illegally. He reportedly broke U.S. immigration law by coming here, then committed a horrific crime. Riley was killed while jogging on the University of Georgia campus. Police arrested a man from Venezuela, Jose Ibarra, who came to this country — dare I say it — illegally.

The president’s apology now has lifted the issue of immigration to the top shelf of campaign issues heading into the 2024 presidential campaign.

Damn, I wish Biden would take greater care on issues such as this. He blurted out a description that, on its face, is accurate. He did not need to apologize for speaking the truth about an individual charged with a horrible crime.

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‘Will of the House … ‘

Pete Laney’s name comes into my head when I think of the Texas speaker of the House of Representatives.

Laney is a Hale Center cotton farmer and businessman who once served as speaker … until Republicans took control of the Legislature. Then he got the boot prior to the 2003 Legislature.

One of Laney’s governing principles was to “let the will of the House” dictate the flow of legislation. He chose to avoid exerting the considerable power he possessed. My memory of the latest Democrat to hold the speaker’s gavel came to mind as I watched the current speaker, Republican Dade Phelan of Beaumont, seek to fend off an intraparty challenge from a first-time candidate named David Covey.

Phelan and Covey are headed for a runoff after neither man failed to win 50% plus one vote in the GOP primary. Covey finished first and Phelan finished second. Covey was endorsed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Why the AG endorsement? Because the “will of the House” produced an impeachment of the AG, who then was acquitted in the Senate trial.

Paxton is so angry at Phelan that he recruited Covey to run against the speaker who, by almost anyone’s reckoning, is a traditional GOP conservative.

Phelan has sought to tout the conservative legislation that the House has approved on his watch. That doesn’t matter to Paxton, who — along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — calls Phelan a “liberal” speaker. They make me want to laugh — and then vomit!

Pete Laney established a reasonable template for how the Texas House speaker should conduct business. The House’s will resulted in an overwhelming impeachment vote on the way Paxton has performed as AG.

Paxton is angry that Phelan presided over a House of Representatives that saw fit to do its constitutional duty and rise up to effectively condemn the attorney general’s conduct.

I don’t know Phelan, nor do I know much about him. I know that he is the son of a prominent Beaumont developer who I did meet back when I worked in the Golden Triangle. I don’t know Covey, either, other than he is running for the first public office he has sought.

If the voters of Phelan’s legislative district have any brains, they’ll reject the trashy notion of replacing him just because he followed the path blazed by one of his predecessors as speaker.

He let the “will of the House” do its job.

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Media falling asleep

A longtime acquaintance of mine takes time every week to review the contents of the Amarillo Globe-News, a once-thriving newspaper in the city my wife and I called home for more than two decades.

It’s now a battered shell of its once-proud self. My friend noted the absence of a major breaking story that should have raised an eyebrow or two in what passes for the newsroom at the AGN.

What was missing: The story this week in so many print and electronic media sites about the demotion of former Rear Admiral and current Congressman Ronny Jackson after the Navy OIG found multiple unacceptable aspects of his service.

Jackson is serving his second term as a Republican congressman from the 13th Congressional District. He moved to the Texas Panhandle to run for the office when Mac Thornberry announced his retirement from Congress.

Dude once served as White House physician for two presidents: Barack Obama and the idiot who succeeded him. The Navy inspector general stripped Jackson of his rear admiral rank, busting him to captain after probing many allegations of serious misconduct.

This is the kind of story that should be splashed all over the front page of the local newspaper … except that the 13th District doesn’t have a local newspaper based in Amarillo. 

Jackson is a disgrace to his office and to the uniform he once wore. He continues to tout himself as a rear admiral on his website. The guy doesn’t even have the decency to tell his constituents the truth about his post-military standing. “As a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral with nearly three decades of military service I understand the commitment and sacrifices made by servicemen and servicewomen to serve our country,” the two-term Texas representative writes on his congressional website.

I am left to ask: Does character matter any longer to what passes for a formerly great political party … or to the media outlets that report on the conduct of those in power?

media news, national news, political news

Waiting for the unknown

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There once was a time when surprises occurred during presidential primary campaigns.

All eyes would be focused on established political stars or — in the case of the current Republican nominee-in-waiting — on notorious characters.

Then the surprise would occur. Someone would burst out of the crowd. That someone would an individual no one had heard of … or so it seemed. They would take the rest of the field on head to head. The unknown candidate then would collect enough delegates to win the nomination from their party.

Alas, those days appear gone. Maybe forever. Why is that? Social media platforms grant instant celebrity status to newly minted politicians. I think of the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.

MTG and AOC both earned celebrity status by having their names initialized in the manner I have just demonstrated. One of them, MTG, has been a disgrace. AOC — again, in my view only — has emerged as a star; to be fair, I had my doubts about AOC when she arrived in D.C.

I am wishing at times for a new star to burst forth from the tall grass and capture our hearts and minds.

American voters are facing a presidential election this year with two warhorses fighting each other. One of them is a seasoned politician with decades of public service under his belt. Joe Biden, though, is 81 years of age and has been on center stage almost from the moment he became a U.S. senator in January 1973. He says he’s ready for the fight that awaits him; I am taking him at his word.

His probable opponent … I cannot print his name. He is 77 years of age and has been impeached twice, indicted four times, faces 91 criminal counts, incited an assault on our government, lost his re-election bid and has never conceded defeat, been convicted of sexual assault, has lied about his wealth, denigrated a legitimate Vietnam War hero, mocked a physically challenged reporter and said those who serve in the military are “suckers” and “losers.”

I long for a return to an era when someone fresh, clean and scandal free can emerge from the shadows and capture our imagination.

Who is that person? If I knew his or her name, that would take away the surprise.

local news, medical news, political news

Jackson demoted … but he’s hiding it

Ronny Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of rear admiral.

However, the former sailor who now serves as the 13th Congressional District representative in the Texas Panhandle, no longer has that rank. The Navy demoted him to captain, citing the results of an extensive investigation into “inappropriate conduct” when he wore the Navy uniform.

Here’s the deal, though. Jackson’s website still lists him as a rear admiral. No mention made of his current rank, which is still substantial; it’s just not a “flag officer rank” to which officers aspire.

Jackson, let’s remember, served as presidential physician to Barack Obama and the idiot who succeeded him as POTUS. He once said that the 45th POTUS was healthy enough to live 200 years, or some such nonsense.

The Navy probe into his conduct substantiated allegations of bullying, “fostering a negative work environment,” and using alcohol inappropriately, according to the Washington Post. The demotion was handled quietly two summers ago. The Navy said Jackson’s conduct is “not in keeping with the standards the Navy requires of its leaders and, as such, the secretary of the Navy took administrative action in July 2022.”

None of these allegations was a secret. Jackson had been reported to have done these things while he was being considered for a Cabinet job in the previous Republican administration; the POTUS wanted him to serve as veterans affairs secretary, but Jackson pulled out after questions arose about whether he was qualified to run such a gigantic federal agency.

He also reportedly dispensed drugs a bit too, shall we say, freely to those who asked for them.

To be clear, I never have been a fan of the ex-White House doc. He moved to Amarillo specifically to win a seat in Congress after long-time GOP Rep. Mac Thornberry decided against seeking another term. Unlike Thornberry, who grew up in Donley County, Jackson never had lived in the CD 13.

And also unlike Thornberry, Jackson has acted like some sort of clown while firing off tweets damn near daily questioning whether President Biden has the snap to serve as commander in chief.

I am one Texan who is embarrassed that this clown represents my many Panhandle friends in the U.S. House.

Now we have this demotion to further stain his already-soiled reputation. Can we finally get some transparency from this guy? He needs to acknowledge his demotion … and stop living the lie.

local news, national news, political news

GOP pissants reveal their ‘character’

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Let me be clear that I was disappointed, but not the least bit surprised, at the behavior demonstrated by the MAGA chorus of what passes for a once-great political party last night at President Biden’s State of the Union speech.

They showered the president with catcalls and jeers for parts of his speech, showing the world what kind of classlessness comprises the Republican side of the congressional aisle.

My instinct for fairness compels me to point out something before I return to my point: Democrats have on occasion done the same thing when a Republican president has delivered an important speech on the state of our great nation. We also had a House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, tear up her hard-copy text of an SOTU speech delivered by President Biden’s immediate predecessor. That was a poor look, too, to be sure.

I want to remind readers of this blog, though, of an important point.

It is that exactly two people — the president and vice president — hold their office because of votes cast by an entire nation. Congress comprises 535 individuals who are elected either by voters in their states or in congressional districts carved out by legislatures.

Just two people, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, have the standing to demand respect and decorum from their audience to whom they are speaking.

Joe Biden didn’t get it from the likes of, say, the MAGA loudmouth from Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who also showed great disrespect for the rules of the House by wearing a MAGA ballcap on her pointed head. The idea that House Speaker Mike Johnson would allow such a thing to occur is disgraceful on its face; no headgear is allowed in the House chamber, period.

Oh, wait! Had he scolded MTG for breaking the rules, she likely would file a petition to have him removed. Therein lies the real story behind who’s running the show in the House … and it damn sure isn’t the speaker.

Joe Biden delivered a fiery speech from the podium. It resonated with this North Texas blogger. Welcome to the fight, Mr. President.

national news, political news

No mention of ex-POTUS’s name

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Well, I’ll be deep-fried and fricasseed. I was certain President Biden would pepper his State of the Union speech with the name of the fellow he succeeded as president.

He didn’t.

Biden didn’t mention his name not one single time!

I had prepared to swill ouzo from a flask tonight at every mention of the former Moron in Chief’s name.

Hah! I can save it for another time.

Still, my first reaction to President Biden’s speech is quite positive. He came to the joint congressional session prepared to wage political war. He didn’t disappoint.

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No need to ID this guy by name

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Everyone on Earth now likely knows the name of the next Republican Party presidential nominee, as he has captured the party nomination for the past three election cycles.

Thus, you won’t need to read his name on High Plains Blogger. I made a command decision some weeks ago to boycott the idiot’s name, to keep it off my blog posts … to the extent that I can.

There might be an occasion where I quote another politician who has to use his name. I am going to seek ways to write around it.

Why do this? It’s purely selfish. I am sick and fu**ing tired of seeing his name in print and hearing his name mentioned on broadcast media. The very sound of his name makes me feel like puking.

The sight of his overfed, over made-up face causes the same sort of revulsion.

I am wondering whether I should invoke a private drinking game tonight as President Biden delivers his State of the Union speech. Every time the president mentions his 2024 general election foe by name, I am thinking about taking a swig from a small bottle of ouzo I received the other day from a friend of mine.

If I do, I am likely to be wasted by the end of the evening.

President Biden clearly is preparing for a rematch against the former moron in chief he defeated in 2020. He mentions his name liberally whenever he speaks these days in public. That’s fine. It’s good to remind voters specifically who drove the economy into the tank with his feckless, reckless and careless response to the COVID crisis.

That’s a topic for another day.

Meantime, I will watch our president declare that the health of our union is strong and is getting stronger. I just hope my flask of ouzo will last the entire speech.

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