I’m telling you, if Trump gets COVID-19 we are about a week away from hearing the conspiracy that the virus was made in Hillary’s secret volcano lab funded by George Soros.

I was reading a psychology paper this afternoon about signs of an abusive relationship. So, to whomever needs to hear this, here is a extremely simplified rundown:

Jealousy is not a sign of love, it’s a sign of control.

Spying, snooping, and/or keeping track of your location is control, not love.

Making you feel as if you’re unworthy of them or others is a red flag.

Isolating you from friends and family is controlling, not loving.

Belittling you for any reason is not love.

Making their attraction or acceptance of you conditional on you doing something is not love.

Using guilt to force you to do something contrary to your wishes is not love.

Teasing you, outside of normal loving playful fun, is emotional abuse.

Not respecting your space is not a sign of love or caring, it’s control.

Automatically assuming you are guilty of an infraction against them and demanding proof is unreasonable and a dangerous trait.

Causing arguments, and keeping them going until you relent, is not love.

Attempting to prevent (or successfully doing so) you from attaining educational or career goals, or crushing your self-confidence, is taking away your autonomy and trying to keep you under their control.

A controlling partner is not a safe partner.

Edited to add: this isn’t just for romantic relationships. This can be found in ANY relationship. Additional edits: phone typing is hard

VP Pence says connection between looking at unclothed ankles of women before marriage and coronavirus still being researched.

If it’s going to be Biden, you better get him a Senate majority as well. Trumpicans will be aiming for him with these bullshit Ukraine conspiracies his entire term in office.

Just found out someone I used to work with was caught trying to pickup a 13 year old girl… This is now a second former coworker caught doing this. I am disgusted and floored.

1️⃣ I want Elizabeth Warren 2️⃣ I’ll be happy with Bernie Sanders 3️⃣ I’ll be sad with Status Quo Joe Biden 4️⃣ I’ll be puzzled with a random other 5️⃣ We burn this shit down with Bloomberg

I’ve been blissfully unaware of what Trump has been saying when it comes to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19.

He is a material hazard to the well-being of everyone.

If it is Biden, this will be the saddest vote I’ve made.

I will be absolutely disappointed if Status Quo Joe gets the nomination.

But I’ll vote for him anyways.

Our school district just closed a school for most of next week due to a preliminary positive for coronavirus.

Edit: make that two people.

Plague incoming.

Food for thought: at some point, Subway convinced people that eating an entire loaf of bread was healthy or at least okay.

I have to say I was actually impressed with the XFL today. I only caught the Seattle v DC game, but it looks solid. The changed rules were impressive (even if the kickoffs look weird). I’m pleased they went with decent rules tweaks and not gimmicks like their first attempt nearly 20 years ago.)

I saw the new single from Nightwish and it was like a punch to the gut. Ooof.

Singing these songs as an adult

🎶 it’s raining, it’s pouring The old man is snoring Went to bed, bumped his head And didnt get up in the morning 🎶

Were we really singing a song about a man that suffered a catastrophic and fatal brain injury?!

Sigh…

We just need to burn it all down and have a do over.

We can exclude the south this time.

One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.

The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.

One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.

The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend.

To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own.

Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.

People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and remediate any harm that may have been caused.

Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought.

The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.

So the impeachment is a shitshow as expected. Republicans continue to do everything in their power to protect a criminal.

So now we’re down to “abuse of power is not a crime”.

As I said earlier…. Happy Packers Elimination Day 😁😂

Happy Packers Elimination Day

Shouldn’t Space Force’s camouflage be, I don’t know, black?

Wow. Trump, Pence, Barr, and über dipshit Nunes…

Only the best people, eh?

I’m still convinced that Trump withholding hurricane and earthquake aid to Puerto Rico is an attempt to force poor people to sell their land on the cheap in a tropical paradise to developers. Once rich developers get the land, there will be a sudden influx of aid money to rebuild.

Aaaand now the Portland Thorns has lost Andressinha.

I hope #1 pick and the rumored grab of Kadidiatou Diani is worth it.

#BAONPDX

The flaming heap of garbage in the White House needs to be removed, immediately. For the safety of all of us.

If what I’m reading is true, Trump broke the long standing ancient rule of parlay with the killing of Soleimani and is a war criminal. In addition, his threats against “cultural heritage sites” would be an additional threat to commit war crimes.

So it’s war with Iran, then?

It’s official, I’m beginning 2020 with strep throat.

You know, I remember the twenty-teens like was yesterday.

#nostalgia

100.5° fever for new years. Awesome.

🎶Toss a coin to your Witcher🎶 🎶O’ Valley of Plenty🎶

My order or support:

Elizabeth Warren Andrew Yang Bernie Sanders <everyone else> Joe Biden Michael Bloomberg

Or separating him and the elves… and then accidentally shipping those elves to white families to be adopted.

Loved Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker. It was everything I could want in a Star Wars movie.

Is 30 minutes of previews really necessary?

“Again I say unto you, it is easier for a yacht to go through the bezel of a Rolex than for a poor man to enter the Kingdom of God.” Koch 19:24

Great Presidential speeches in history:

“I never understood wind. I know windmills very much, I have studied it better than anybody. I know it is very expensive. They are made in China and Germany mostly, very few made here, almost none, but they are manufactured, tremendous — if you are into this — tremendous fumes and gases are spewing into the atmosphere. You know we have a world, right?”

“So the world is tiny compared to the universe. So tremendous, tremendous amount of fumes and everything. You talk about the carbon footprint, fumes are spewing into the air, right spewing, whether it is China or Germany, is going into the air."

“A windmill will kill many bald eagles. After a certain number, they make you turn the windmill off, that is true. By the way, they make you turn it off. And yet, if you killed one, they put you in jail. That is OK. But why is it OK for windmills to destroy the bird population?”

President Donald “I eat word salad” Trump.

My favorite Mitch McConnell story is that in 2012 he filibustered his own bill after he found out Obama supported it.

Haha, good times. Good times…

Adam Schiff, ladies and gentlemen.

GOP Then: We can hold and write legislation in private and not let anyone see it, until the vote.

GOP Now: It isn’t fair that Schiff held private hearings! (to prevent witness coordination)

GOP Then: We can impeach Clinton on December 16 (plus or minus a day)

GOP Now: We cannot impeach Trump a week before Christmas!

GOP Then: Sullying the office is enough for impeachment!

GOP Now: Since no crime can be alleged, he must go free!

GOP Then: We will impeach Hillary as soon as she is elected!

GOP Now: It isn’t right that the Democrats have been trying to impeach the president for three years!

GOP Then: The vote to impeach must bi-partisan!

GOP Now: If you vote to impeach, you will be kicked out of the party

GOP Then: We cannot allow 3 days for the investigate the Kavanugh debacle!

GOP Now: 22 Days for investigation is not enough time!

These Republicans, good gravy.

🤯🔫

There has been 84,237 days since the George Washington was inaugurated as the first president on April 30, 1789. Only on two of those days have we seen a president impeached by the House of Representatives.

December 18, 2019, will make it three.

Are we great again yet?

Xbox Series X

How many Xs can we put in a name.

Great quotes in presidential history.

“Right now in a number of states the laws allow a baby to be born from his or her mother’s womb in the 9th month. It is wrong. It has to change.”

• President Donald “10 months of pregnancy is good enough for llamas” Trump December 7, 2019.

5 out of 5 sick in the house.

Good times.

Trump will be impeached but not removed. The basic fact is that it wasn’t only the Democrat’s servers that got hacked. The Russians also hacked the Republican’s servers as well. They didn’t release those, however. The corrupt ones must hold the line or their dirty laundry is exposed.

This 49ers game is tense, but they’re taking me back to the 80s and 90s with their great play.

I now have all the school photos. If you would like me to send you them, send me a private message with your address and what size you would like. I’m getting Shutterfly to do the heavy lifting for me.

Devin Nunes would sell his car for gas money.

Doing this research on American football has been pretty interesting. I stumbled across the concept of a punt-out after a touchdown and I’m intrigued about how different the sport would have been if this had remained.

This.

I see DeVos almost got herself landed in jail. A bit disappointed the judge didn’t.

Anti-vaxxers make my skin crawl. Literally millions of people, young and old, died from these illnesses before vaccines came about. Absurd garbage.

🏉 Rugby World Cup - Final

England 12 (4P) South Africa 32 (2T, 2C, 6P)

South Africa wins the RWC for the third time, previously 1995 and 2007. England fails to score a try, with all points coming from penalties.

Rugby World Cup - Third Place Match

New Zealand 40 (6T, 5C) Wales 17 (2T, 2C, 1P)

World Cup Final is in ~6 hours, England v South Africa

Rugby World Cup - Semifinal 2

Wales 16 (1T, 1C, 3P) South Africa 19 ( 1T, 1C, 4P)

Next Saturday, Third place match New Zealand v Wales

Next Sunday, World Cup Final England v South Africa

I can’t believe this… New Zealand lost to England!

Rugby World Cup - Semifinal 1

England 19 (1T, 1C, 4P) New Zealand 7 (1T, 1C)

Tomorrow: France v South Africa

Finished with this gala… all I can do is sit here and wonder what I’ve done with my life. These people are truly helping people that are in a desperate situation. Heroes, every single one of them. Stories of rushing to the airports after the Muslim ban and rushing to get ahold of a judge to get an ICE van turned around before they could reach their destination to deport someone. Heroes.

Apparently, immigration lawyers are my kind of people.

If MLB doesn’t take action on Umpire Rob Drake’s now delete tweet, I believe every pitcher in the league should exercise their due diligence to ensure he is beaned with every pitch made until he is fired.

His tweet: “I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! (hashtag)MAGA2020”"

Rugby World Cup - Quarter-Final Day 2:

Wales 20 (2T, 2C, 2P) France 19 (3T, 2C)

Japan 3 (1P) South Africa 26 (3T, 1C, 3P)

Next weekend’s semifinals:

England v New Zealand France v South Africa.

Rugby World Cup - Quarter-Final Day 1:

England 40 (4T,4C,4P) Australia 16 (1T, 1C, 3P)

New Zealand 46 (7T, 4C, 1P) Ireland 14 (1T, 1PT, 1C)

England and New Zealand will play each other next weekend.

Rugby World Cup Quarter-Finals are this weekend:

QF1 - England v Australia QF2 - New Zealand v Ireland QF3 - Wales v France QF4 - Japan v South Africa

Next weekend is the Semi-Finals:

SF1 - QF1 Winner v QF2 Winner SF2 - QF3 Winner v QF4 Winner

The Final Week will be the 3rd Place game and the Final

3PG - SF1 Loser v SF2 Loser FINAL - SF1 Winner v SF2 Winner

This is Japan’s first trip to the knockout round at the Rugby World Cup.

As a reminder, the whole idea of “alpha” and “beta” in group dynamics was based on observations of captive wolf populations and is not actually how wolves behave in the wild. The author has been trying to debunk the influence of his OWN RESEARCH on pop culture for years.

It’s always easy to jump to conclusions when those conclusions fit your preconceived notions of the world.

From the book Основы геополитики (геополитическое будущее России), translation: The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia, published in Russia in 1997:

Russia should use its special services within the borders of the United States to fuel instability and separatism, for instance, provoke “Afro-American racists”. Russia should “introduce geopolitical disorder into internal American activity, encouraging all kinds of separatism and ethnic, social and racial conflicts, actively supporting all dissident movements – extremist, racist, and sectarian groups, thus destabilizing internal political processes in the U.S. It would also make sense simultaneously to support isolationist tendencies in American politics”

Keep Frīg in Friday!

I’m two chapters (just over an hour) into Rachel Maddow’s new book (I’m listening via audiobook) and it’s like listening to the beginning segment of her show, but 15 hours long. It’s soooooo good so far. I’m incredibly happy she narrated her own audiobook.

Oh Lions, some things never change.

It’s the only Michigan vs Michigan St. game I care about. It’s on lightning delay right now. 10 minutes in and 0-0 at the delay.

https://www.battleforthemitten.com/

It was an embarrassing showing at the Rugby World Cup for the United States who fall to England 45-7.

The US didn’t get its first (and only) try until after the full 80 minutes had gone by. In Rugby, the game doesn’t end until the ball is dead after the time has expired.

English Tries: George Ford (5’), Billy Vunipola (24’), Luke Cowan-Dickie (32’), Joe Cokanasiga (47’, 75’), Ruaridh McConnochie (57’), Lewis Ludlam (66')

English Conversions: George Ford (6’, 25’, 59’, 68’, 76')

American Tries: Bryce Campbell (81')

American Conversions: AJ MacGinty (82')

I keep emailing George Soros to get those checks I keep hearing about… still nothing…

So I’m going to begin recording voiceover for my Seven Codes of Football series and I just realized I …….. I don’t know what kind of voice I want to use. Enthusiastic? Serious documentarian? Normal speaking voice?

Hmmmm……

The sound of the sun.

If sound could travel through space just as efficiently as electromagnetic waves, the sun would be about 115 decibels. For reference, 110 decibels is a car horn and 120 decibels is the siren on emergency vehicles. Imagine a roar like that everywhere on Earth, all the time.

https://soundcloud.com/nasa/sun-sonification

The 2019 Men’s Rugby World Cup is underway in Japan. There are 5 teams in each pool, with the top 2 teams at the end of group stage moving on to the knockout rounds.

⭐ CURRENT STANDINGS ⭐

POOL A 1st: Samoa (5 pts, +25 PD) 2nd: Ireland (5 pts, +24 PD) 3rd: Japan (5 pts, +20 PD)

POOL B 1st: Italy (5 pts, +25 PD) 2nd: New Zealand (4 pts, +10 PD) 3rd: Canada (NOT PLAYED)

POOL C 1st: England (5 pts, +32 PD) 2nd: France (4 pts, +2 PD) 3rd: United States (NOT PLAYED)

POOL D 1st: Wales (5 pts, +29 PD) 2nd: Australia (5 pts, +18 PD) 3rd: Uruguay (NOT PLAYED)

⭐ RECENT RESULTS ⭐

🔴 Sept 23 🔴 Wales 43 - 14 Georgia

🔴 Sept 24 🔴 Russia 9 - 34 Samoa

⭐ UPCOMING MATCHES ⭐

🔴 Sept 25 🔴 Fiji - Uruguay

🔴 Sept 26 🔴 Italy - Canada England - USA

In the group stage, a team is awarded 4 league points for a win, 2 league points for a draw, and 0 for a loss. Scoring 4 or more tries will award a bonus league point. Teams losing by 7 or fewer points will be awarded a bonus league point. Teams having the same amount of league points will have their tie broken by 1) winner of the match between the teams, 2) difference in points scored for and against in all matches.

Lighting technician is giving hand signals to people off stage. The crowd follows along.

https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/d8mbrk/a_bands_lighting_technician_signals_to_his/

The 2019 Men’s Rugby World Cup is underway in Japan. Today is day 4 of the group stage.

⭐ CURRENT STANDINGS ⭐

POOL A 1st: Ireland (5 pts, +24 PD) 2nd: Japan (5 pts, +20 PD) 3rd: Samoa (NOT PLAYED) 4th: Russia (0 pts, -20 PD) 5th: Scotland (0 pts, -24 PD)

POOL B 1st: Italy (5 pts, +25 PD) 2nd: New Zealand (4 pts, +10 PD) 3rd: Canada (NOT PLAYED) 4th: South Africa (0 pts, -10 PD) 5th: Namibia (0pts, -25 PD)

POOL C 1st: England (5 pts, +32 PD) 2nd: France (4 pts, +2 PD) 3rd: Argentina (1 pts, -2 PD) 4th: United States (NOT PLAYED) 5th: Tonga (0 pts, -32 PD)

POOL D 1st: Wales (5 pts, +29 PD) 2nd: Australia (5 pts, +18 PD) 3rd: Uruguay (NOT PLAYED) 4th: Fiji (0 pts, -18 PD) 5th: Georgia (0 pts, -29 PD)

⭐ RECENT RESULTS ⭐

🔴 DAY 3 - Sept 22 🔴 Ireland 27 - 3 Scotland England 35 - 3 Tonga

🔴 DAY 4 - Sept 23 🔴 Wales 73 - 14 Georgia

⭐ UPCOMING MATCHES ⭐

🔴 DAY 5 - Sept 24 🔴 Fiji - Uruguay

🔴 DAY 6 - Sept 26 🔴 Italy - Canada England - USA

In the group stage, a team is awarded 4 league points for a win, 2 league points for a draw, and 0 for a loss. Scoring 4 or more tries will award a bonus league point. Teams losing by 7 or fewer points will be awarded a bonus league point. Teams having the same amount of league points will have their tie broken by 1) winner of the match between the teams, 2) difference in points scored for and against in all matches

🏉The 2019 Men’s Rugby World Cup is underway in Japan. Today is day 3 of the group stage.🏉

In the group stage, a team is awarded 4 league points for a win, 2 league points for a draw, and 0 for a loss. Scoring 4 or more tries will award a bonus league point. Teams losing by 7 or fewer points will be awarded a bonus league point. Teams having the same amount of league points will have their tie broken by 1) winner of the match between the teams, 2) difference in points scored for and against in all matches

⭐ CURRENT STANDINGS ⭐

POOL A 1st: Ireland (5 pts, +24 PD) 2nd: Japan (5 pts, +20 PD) 3rd: Samoa (NOT PLAYED) 4th: Russia (0 pts, -20 PD) 5th: Scotland (0 pts, -24 PD)

POOL B 1st: Italy (5 pts, +25 PD) 2nd: New Zealand (4 pts, +10 PD) 3rd: Canada (NOT PLAYED) 4th: South Africa (0 pts, -10 PD) 5th: Namibia (0pts, -25 PD)

POOL C 1st: England (5 pts, +32 PD) 2nd: France (4 pts, +2 PD) 3rd: Argentina (1 pts, -2 PD) 4th: United States (NOT PLAYED) 5th: Tonga (0 pts, -32 PD)

POOL D 1st: Australia (5 pts, +18 PD) 2nd: Wales (NOT PLAYED) 3rd: Georgia (NOT PLAYED) 4th: Uruguay (NOT PLAYED) 5th: Fiji (0 pts, -18 PD)

⭐ RECENT RESULTS ⭐

🔴 DAY 1 - Sept 20 🔴 Japan 30 - 10 Russia Australia 39 - 21 Fiji

🔴 DAY 2 - Sept 21 🔴 France 23 - 21 Argentina New Zealand 23 - 13 South Africa Italy 47 - 22 Nambia

🔴 DAY 3 - Sept 22 🔴 Ireland 27 - 3 Scotland England 35 - 3 Tonga

⭐ UPCOMING MATCHES ⭐

🔴 DAY 4 - Sept 23 🔴 Fiji - Uruguay

🔴 DAY 5 - Sept 24 🔴 Italy - Canada England - USA

Today, I am 14,234 days old.

It’s game day people!!!!

Don’t for a moment give Trump any credit for reversing the decision on deporting sick children. Creating a problem then solving it (by reversing course) is Trump’s forte. This should not be normalized.

028
WWUS53 KGRR 120100
SVSGRR

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
900 PM EDT WED SEP 11 2019

MIC037-067-120110-
/O.EXP.KGRR.SV.W.0071.000000T0000Z-190912T0100Z/
IONIA MI-CLINTON MI-
900 PM EDT WED SEP 11 2019

…THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR EASTERN IONIA AND CLINTON
COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED…

THE STORMS WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAVE WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS, AND HAVE EXITED THE WARNED AREA. THEREFORE, THE WARNING HAS
BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT FOR
SOUTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL MICHIGAN.

LAT…LON 4278 8510 4312 8488 4312 8437 4277 8436
TIME…MOT…LOC 0100Z 276DEG 48KT 4304 8432 4270 8454

Jinjer’s new song is quite good.

https://youtu.be/zt3hEznbuuM

As someone that has always had a fascination with weather - and I have frequently referred to myself (tongue in cheek) as an amateur meteorologist, I am absolutely appalled by NOAA right now.

By Sunday morning it was obvious the path wasn’t Alabama bound, yet the president continued to mention Alabama, possible causing undue concern with people that take his word as literal truth. He went as far as doctoring an official NHC product!

NOAA, the NWS, and the NHC are supposed to be above politics. NOAA coming out defending Trump against the Birmingham NWS’s tweet of no danger is ridiculous verging on parody.

Now I know the horror of watching your kid’s bus stop, let off a bunch of kids that are not yours, and leave with no sign of your kid anywhere.

10 minutes of sheer panic later, I found out that he was accidentally put on the wrong bus.

😨

Kerrie and I playing some WoW Classic!

Resumed at https://www.facebook.com/114741436557445/videos/675052029672410/

People that say there isn’t good music made today aren’t trying very hard to find it.

We just got a leaf blower and I’m like a child at Christmas. Nothing’s going to stand between me and blowing things around.

Kerrie is going to have to talk me down or I’m going to use this sucker to “sweep” the house.

😲😲😲😲😲

000 WTNT65 KNHC 011330 TCUAT5

Hurricane Dorian Tropical Cyclone Update NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL052019 930 AM EDT Sun Sep 01 2019

…CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY 5 DORIAN CONTINUING TO INTENSIFY AS IT APPROACHES THE ABACO ISLANDS…

Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that Dorian has continued to intensify, and now has maximum sustained winds near 175 mph⚠️ (280 km/h), with a minimum central pressure of 922 mb (27.23 inches).

The eyewall of catastrophic Hurricane Dorian is currently reaching the Abaco Islands. This is a life-threatening situation. Residents there should take immediate shelter. Do not venture into the eye if it passes over your location.

Hazards:

• Wind Gusts over 200 mph⚠️
• Storm Surge 15 to 20 feet above normal tide levels with higher destructive waves

These hazards will cause extreme destruction in the affected areas. and will continue for several hours.

SUMMARY OF 930 AM EDT…1330 UTC…INFORMATION

LOCATION…26.5N 76.6W ABOUT 25 MI…40 KM ENE OF GREAT ABACO ISLAND ABOUT 210 MI…340 KM E OF WEST PALM BEACH FLORIDA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…175 MPH…280 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT…W OR 275 DEGREES AT 8 MPH…13 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…922 MB…27.73 INCHES

$$ Forecaster Brennan/Blake/Zelinsky/Avila

Playing the most exciting game to come out this year: WoW 2004 Queue Simulator.

(It’s a joke, and I’m not even at the keyboard at the moment.)

I’m pretty sure I accumulated a year of watching this screen back in the day.

Playing some Divinity: Original Sin 2 before bed.

About to play some No Man’s Sky.

So this is something I’m doing. Games and game related shenanigans. I started a page last night, Facebook didn’t like the name, so I started another one.

Great quotes in Presidential History

“The members of our armed forcef (sic) I, and you understand that very well - the members of our armed forcer (sic) have always lived by the word of Douglas Magarth (sic): ‘In war, there is no substitute for victory’.”

“Despite these obselels (sic), Karen (sic: actual name Katherine) is now pursuing a degree at the University of Nevada.”

All of this, after he created a diplomatic row over Denmark refusing his advances on Greenland, referred to himself as the Chosen One, entertained the idea that he was the King of Jews and the Second Coming of God, and wrapped that turd sandwich with proposing he had the ability to modify the constitution and may serve an additional 14 years as president.

–President Donald “I’m not sure this is funny anymore, this guy seems to have a real serious problem” Trump

The next time someone tells you that the CIvil War wasn’t about slavery, quote the document titled “A Declaration of the Causes which Impel the State of Texas to Secede from the Federal Union”

We hold as undeniable truths that the governments of the various States, and of the confederacy itself, were established exclusively by the white race, for themselves and their posterity; that the African race had no agency in their establishment; that they were rightfully held and regarded as an inferior and dependent race, and in that condition only could their existence in this country be rendered beneficial or tolerable.

That in this free government all white men are and of right ought to be entitled to equal civil and political rights; that the servitude of the African race, as existing in these States, is mutually beneficial to both bond and free, and is abundantly authorized and justified by the experience of mankind, and the revealed will of the Almighty Creator, as recognized by all Christian nations; while the destruction of the existing relations between the two races, as advocated by our sectional enemies, would bring inevitable calamities upon both and desolation upon the fifteen slave-holding states.

By the secession of six of the slave-holding States, and the certainty that others will speedily do likewise, Texas has no alternative but to remain in an isolated connection with the North, or unite her destinies with the South.

For these and other reasons, solemnly asserting that the federal constitution has been violated and virtually abrogated by the several States named, seeing that the federal government is now passing under the control of our enemies to be diverted from the exalted objects of its creation to those of oppression and wrong, and realizing that our own State can no longer look for protection, but to God and her own sons– We the delegates of the people of Texas, in Convention assembled, have passed an ordinance dissolving all political connection with the government of the United States of America and the people thereof and confidently appeal to the intelligence and patriotism of the freemen of Texas to ratify the same at the ballot box, on the 23rd day of the present month.

Adopted in Convention on the 2nd day of Feby, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one and of the independence of Texas the twenty-fifth.

If I’m ever a victim of gun violence, you have my permission to “politicize” my incapacitation/death for the purpose of gun laws.

Waking up to a power outage is always fun…