More Republican vermin jump into the cauldron of cruelty

The news that doctors have left Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin broke on the Texas Standard this morning (May 16) citing the work of Nicole Villalpando, an Austin American-Statesman reporter. Unfortunately, Villalpando’s story is behind the newspaper’s strong paywall. Nevertheless, this news combines with the Texas Tribune’s reporting on May 12 that the Texas Legislature has advanced a ban on transgender care.

 This is a continuation of the vermin-like behavior of the Republican Party, and especially the Republicans in Texas led by the fascist governor, Greg Abbott and his creepy-crawlies in the form of Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton. This should not be a surprise. In 2015, I pointed out what a bloodsucker Abbott was. But that added twist today was learning that an additional assault against decent behavior came from Ted Cruz and Chip Roy. These particular pieces of feces wrote Dell asking for personal patient information, likely a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

 We don’t know the details of Dell’s doctor departure. However, we know one thing. The above-named public officials are not — I repeat, not — working in the best interest of the people they claim to represent. Every one of the these vermin are Christian nationalists and theocrats seeking to impose on the populace a form of fascism based on a perversion of the United States Constitution and the writings of our nation’s founders. Abbott, who I personally believe is an evil sociopath, leads the march toward turning Texas back to the Nineteenth Century. The harm to individuals affected by these dystopian laws and assaults will go well beyond them and their families, which are and will be devastating.

 If that’s not enough for these purveyors of cruelty and indecency, it will undercut Abbott’s chant that Texas is a great place for business. Smart people, those who form the backbone of an educated workforce, will not want to move to a bastion of mediaeval life. Oh, their owners and masters may be happy with that environment, as award-winning Duke University historian Nancy MacLean pointed out in “Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America.” Educated people blessed with critical thinking skills — not so much.

How many times must one bugle a clarion call to fight these traitors?