Of course politics will invade the tragedy of the Texas Hill Country floods.

[lees1975]

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2025/07/of-course-politics-will-invade-tragedy.html

It's hard to tell which MAGA minded government officials came first, Trump, or Texas?

I always thought that the bumbling, inept, incompetent George W. Bush would go down in history as the worst governor of Texas. When he came along, he only had the incompetent, and totally corrupt Bill Clements to compete with. If there ever were a term in political office during which a politician got nothing accomplished during the whole time, it was Dubya's time as governor of Texas. Sit back, sign a few bills, and campaign for President of the United States. That's all.

Then there was Rick Perry. And nothing could be worse than that bag of scum, and the corruption that came with it. It's harder to leave the office of Governor of Texas richer than when entering, though it is possible. Perry showed us how.

But Greg Abbott wins the "worst governor ever" title. He's been in office in Texas long enough to cover up as much corruption as he has instigated.

The attitude exhibited by Texas politicians explains it all. Falling all over themselves to impress an inept and incompetent Trump administration bureaucrat, like Kristi Noem, who deliberately delayed the arrival of FEMA aid to Kerr County by the way, and who appears frustrated because this surprise flood interupted her agenda of promoting Trump''s corruption, they made it clear that tending to her needs outweighed the importance of search and rescue, now recovery, of flood victims.

So thanks to KSAT reporter Stefania Jimenez for helping to redirect the misplaced priorities of Texas politicians.

There were warnings. And over the next few days, we will find out how seriously they were taken by the camp staff. The focus is going to be on Camp Mystic, because of their high loss of life, but there are many other harrowing stories of escapes all along the river, from other camps as well as from RV parks and small lodges.

But we aren't likely to hear or see much in the way of criticism of public officials as a result. This is Texas. Their local news media, and the local government officials will do their dead level best to cover up any mistakes or wrongdoing that makes Republicans look incompetent. There will be little in the way of accountability for the chronic lack of flood control safety along these rivers, and no one will be blamed for the tragic loss of life, because Republicans don't accept that kind of responsibility. Efforts are already underway to cover up the fact that Kristi Noem deliberately delayed the appropriated FEMA aid. Was she trying to make herself look bad? Too late for that, but does she want the government to look that way on purpose?

[lees1975]

1. Noem is incompetent.

No skills, except for PR and making commercials for Trump.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. When "owning the libs" turns deadly..

[Skittles]

6. the repuke campaign to make people distrust the government

what could go wrong? These assholes sacrificed CHILDREN because of their irrational hatred

DISGUSTING

[Paladin]

3. No argument that Abbott is the worst TX Governor ever. Dubya looks like Churchill by comparison.

But as I never tire of saying: If Texas is insane enough to allow Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to succeed Abbott as Governor, we'll look back upon Abbott's reign as "The Good Old Days." Those who don't believe that, never had the experience of listening to Patrick years ago when he was a rabid Limbaugh-wannabe AM hate radio jockey in Houston, spewing the vilest sort of vilification non-stop over the airwaves. If Patrick is suitable Governor material, so is every rabid dog in the state of Texas. I hope that better things are in store for my flawed-but-beloved home state---but I'm not placing any bets on it...

[lees1975]

4. Wanna bet that there are more than a few counties where the election outcomes do not represent the actual vote totals?

Guarantee Abbott, who's picture is beside the dictionary reference to "corrupt shyster lawyer" has a whole crew to fix elections in Texas.

[lees1975]

5. They've known the flood possibilities in the Hill Country for over a hundred years.

It's not a common weather pattern, but the Texas coastal bend brings warm, moist streams of Gulf of Mexico moisture over the Hill Country, that can drop a whole year's worth of rainfall in one night, about once a decade, though it is hard to predict. Prior to this disaster, Camp Mystic's property partially flooded in 1987, and before that, 1983. At one point, in the 1930's, the water went up to where it did this last time. The frequency and unpredictability warrants taking steps to keep people safe, since there are dozens of summer camps, small lodges and RV Parks all up and down that stretch of the Guadalupe, and many of them are build on land that is within the potential flood zone. Although all the attention has been focused on Camp Mystic, several other camps were also in operation, and some of them experienced a catastropic scenario. There's a boys camp just up the river where, at daybreak, drone photos showed dozens of the campers huddled on the roofs of the dining hall and one of the main buildings, not able to get to dry land, with the water just one foot below where they were taking refuge.

They had the money appropriated and given to them for this purpose. Maybe, in the wake of the outcry, and the lawsuits, that are going to come as a result of so many kids dying, something will get done. Texas isn't a state where right wing politicians will ever be held responsible.