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tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#190976: May 29th 2017 at 4:14:48 PM

And some shit went down inside the Texas House of Representatives.

I was going to write a timeline, but here's the full article with emphasis added.

The normally ceremonial last day of the legislative session briefly descended into chaos on Monday, as proceedings in the House were disrupted by large protests and at least one Republican lawmaker called immigration authorities on the protesters.

State Rep. Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving, said he called U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement while hundreds of people dressed in red T-shirts unfurled banners and chanted in opposition to the state’s new sanctuary cities law. His action enraged Hispanic legislators nearby, leading to a tussle in which each side accused the other of threats and violence.

In a statement, Rinaldi said state Rep. Poncho Nevárez, D-Eagle Pass, "threatened my life on the House floor," and that Rinaldi is currently under the protection of the Department of Public Safety as a result.

“I was pushed, jostled and someone threatened to kill me,” Rinaldi said. “It was basically just bullying.”

Nevárez said in an interview with the Tribune that he put his hands on Rinaldi and told him to take his argument outside the House chamber. "But was I going to shoot the guy? No," he said.

After the incident, Nevárez tweeted in response to Rinaldi's claims: "He's a liar and hateful man. Got no use for him. God bless him."

DPS was not available to comment Monday because of the Memorial Day holiday.

Hispanic Democratic lawmakers involved in the altercation said it wasn’t physical but indicated that Rinaldi got into people’s faces and cursed repeatedly. Video shot from the House floor shows both Republicans and Democrats pushing each other.

“He came up to us and said, ‘I’m glad I just called ICE to have all these people deported,'” said state Rep. César Blanco, D-El Paso, whose account was echoed by state Reps. Armando Walle, D-Houston, and Ramon Romero, D-Fort Worth.

"He said, 'I called ICE — fuck them,'" Romero added. Rinaldi also turned to the Democratic lawmakers and yelled, “Fuck you," to the “point where spit was hitting” their faces, Romero said.

The skirmish started while lawmakers were taking a few moments to recognize House staff and clerks. Protesters who packed the House gallery erupted into chants in opposition of Senate Bill 4.

The controversial legislation has already been signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. The law requires local cities and counties to cooperate with federal immigration authorities who request that law enforcement agencies continue to detain people suspected of being in the country illegally. It also bans local entities from adopting policies that ban their police officers from asking about the immigration status of people they detain. Among concerns raised by the law’s opponents is that it could lead to racial profiling of Texans during interactions with police, such as traffic stops.

“There’s no excuse for members making insensitive and disparaging remarks on the floor of the Texas House," Speaker Joe Straus said in a statement.

DPS quickly rushed in to break up the protest. They grabbed the banners from the protesters and pulled some of the people holding them out of the room. Eventually, they decided to clear the gallery of the protesters.

The ordeal became so loud that the House had to take a break from its proceedings for about 20 minutes. A handful of Democratic lawmakers looked up to the gallery and clapped. That’s when the altercation between the lawmakers on the floor started, according to the House Democrats.

Blanco said that at one point during the altercation, he pointed out that "Rinaldi" is an Italian name and that the Irish and Italians were once treated poorly in this country.

"He said, 'the difference between me and them is that I love this country,'" said Blanco, who added: "It's just disrespectful."

Rinaldi said he was angry because Democrats in the House were “bragging about how great it was and they were inciting them to break the House rules and break Texas law.”

“I took issue with that,” Rinaldi said.

“We jawed back and forth and one of them physically assaulted me and another threatened my life, actually,” he said.

House Democrats involved in the altercation said that wasn’t the case and that they were simply cheering on members of the public who were exercising their First Amendment rights. It was Rinaldi who caused the scuffle on the floor, they argued.

"Matt Rinaldi gave the perfect example of why there's a problem with SB 4," said state Rep. Ramon Romero, D-Fort Worth. "Matt Rinaldi looked into the gallery and saw Hispanic people and automatically assumed they were undocumented. He racially profiled every single person that was in the gallery today. He created the scenario that so many of us fear."

In a press conference following the altercation, state Rep. Justin Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, said Rinaldi had also threatened to “put a bullet in one of my colleagues’ heads.”

Rinaldi said in his statement that he was speaking in self defense.

In an earlier interview, Rinaldi defended the decision to call immigration authorities.

“We didn’t know what to do,” he said. “A lot of people had signs that said, ‘We are illegal and here to stay.’”

He said he called law enforcement “to incentivize them to leave the House.”

“They were disrupting,” he said. “They were breaking the law.”

Asked if the protest was too little, too late since the measure has already been signed into law, Adrian Reyna, an organizer with United We Dream, said the movement is just getting started.

“We have to show resistance the whole summer,” he said. “We have identified key representatives that we will take out of office who voted for SB 4. People are outraged, people are tired of the Legislature walking all over people.”

The protesters made that clear immediately after the House adjourned. After being shuffled out of the chamber, many of the hundreds of people gathered on the south steps of the Capitol. By then, the protest had turned into a celebration.

With a band playing Mexican cumbias, protesters held up signs reading, “NO SB 4, NO HATE” as they danced along.

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#190977: May 29th 2017 at 4:31:41 PM

America is heading for Civil War 2, if World War 3 doesn't interrupt it.

Wryte Since: Jul, 2010
#190978: May 29th 2017 at 4:57:13 PM

Civil war won't happen. There's no way for civilians to compete with the military anymore, so whoever has them on their side automatically wins.

fruitpork Since: Oct, 2010
#190979: May 29th 2017 at 4:57:51 PM

Not so much a civil war as a bloodbath.

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#190980: May 29th 2017 at 4:59:19 PM

[up][up] That's been the case throughout history. Where the loyalty of the military falls when the chips are down is a fairly open question, and is frequently settled through bloodshed in states on the verge of collapse. The United States is nowhere near that point, but it's not impossible arbitrarily far in the future.

edited 29th May '17 5:00:25 PM by CaptainCapsase

FluffyMcChicken My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare from where the floating lights gleam Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare
#190981: May 29th 2017 at 5:03:29 PM

I'm just unnerved by the pattern established by the Civil War that already happened, which by preceded by an incident that involved physical violence between congressmen.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#190982: May 29th 2017 at 5:06:30 PM

America is heading for Civil War 2, if World War 3 doesn't interrupt it.

Hardly, we're nowhere near that point.

[up] I understand, but the national situations are completely different and America is absolutely not anywhere close to a civil war.

edited 29th May '17 5:07:05 PM by Fourthspartan56

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#190983: May 29th 2017 at 5:07:38 PM

Indeed we aren't.

However, that being said, every society is three missed meals away from chaos.

New Survey coming this weekend!
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#190984: May 29th 2017 at 5:10:30 PM

[up]Oh absolutely, there are some major problems with American politics/political discourse. The ultra partisanship not to mention the reality denying nature of the right are deeply troubling issues, and should not be ignored.

edited 29th May '17 5:10:37 PM by Fourthspartan56

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#190985: May 29th 2017 at 8:22:53 PM

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IO) has asked Federal Investment Regulators to investigate Qiaowai, a Chinese Company with ties to Jared Kushner. Specifically, because it has been reported that Qiaowai workers are getting Green Cards if they promise to work on Kushner's Projects.

Kushner just keeps getting into deeper and deeper hot water.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#190987: May 29th 2017 at 8:58:56 PM

Double post for different topic:

So the New York Times ran a story a few days ago about how the proposed budget will affect women.

Spoiler: It's not good for women. It's not good for anyone who isn't rich, really, but it's harder on women. Programs that predominantly benefit women are suffering somewhat larger cuts compared to programs that predominantly benefit men.

Disgusted, but not surprised
fruitpork Since: Oct, 2010
#190988: May 29th 2017 at 9:41:47 PM

[up] republicans hate women, surprise surprise.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#190989: May 30th 2017 at 1:53:07 AM

Eichenwald tears into the so-called evangelical movement for their hypocritical support of Trump.

I'm not sure what set him off on this twitter warpath...but wow.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#190990: May 30th 2017 at 2:29:38 AM

Did anyone remember about the Trump factor regarding a civil war? We can discuss that in that thread.

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#190991: May 30th 2017 at 3:26:08 AM

The Russians reportedly discussed derogatory information they had on Trump and his associates during the campaign.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/30/politics/russians-trump-campaign-information/index.html

The entire West Wing is probably compromised....

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
WhatArtThee Since: Oct, 2015
#190992: May 30th 2017 at 4:45:04 AM

This is just spectulation, but I think that this is the way Trump's presidency from here on out is gonna go:

He governs more like a typical Republican and abandons some of his more outlandish/unethical/unsupported ideals such as the travel ban, the Wall, and such, and gains some support, and doesn't do any major screw-ups like say George HW Bush (As in, no pointless wars). However, his reputation is still very low, sunk further by the scandal with Russia which causes the removal of many of his Cabinet members, and still doesn't get bills like the AHCA through (Or it does get through but in significantly altered form) After a 2018 mid-term election shows a significant swing towards Democrats, Trump is impeached and removed (or he resigns?) in 2019, and a Democrat wins presidency in 2020.

I think that is the most likely path, judging by how things have gone so far.

edited 30th May '17 4:47:20 AM by WhatArtThee

Just another day in the life of Jimmy Nutrin
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#190993: May 30th 2017 at 4:55:33 AM

[up] That's pretty damn optimistic, considering the recent budget proposal included a billion or so dollars for starting the wall.

He really wants that wall.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#190994: May 30th 2017 at 4:55:49 AM

[up] What's the other path?

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
WhatArtThee Since: Oct, 2015
#190995: May 30th 2017 at 5:03:10 AM

[up][up] 1 billion seems like a lot, but the estimate given by the DHS states it would cost 22 billion for what Trump had in mind.

Also the other path, the way more pessimistic one, which I feel is looking a lot less likely:

Trump gets his promises done. Travel ban is introduced, Syrian refugees completely blocked. All illegal immigrants are deported and quota on Muslim immigrations is put in and intense survelliance/government persecution ensues, including surveillance of Mosques. Wall is built, AHCA goes through in it's worst form. Eventually he starts a pointless war which many other countries get on with, starting World War III. Trump leads US to authoritarianism, similar to the situation in Turkey, and opposing journalists in institutions like the New York Times are imprisoned.

edited 30th May '17 5:07:23 AM by WhatArtThee

Just another day in the life of Jimmy Nutrin
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#190996: May 30th 2017 at 5:04:47 AM

The other path (worse case) is that he doubles down on the awful policies, screws things in North Korea, Yemen, and/or Syria, and his appointees keep deregulating and dismantling their own departments.

Oh, and he appoints more reactionary judges who set back civil rights by decades.

Let's not forget that Trump has already damaged the USA's foreign relations. Renegotiating NAFTA may not work out so well, given the caliber of people handling it on the USA's side of things, and his disastrous foreign visit has made the rest of NATO consider the USA to be untrustworthy. The EU more or less has written the USA and the UK off as unreliable.

Trump and his cronies have done lasting damage to the USA which will take a lot of effort to fix.

edited 30th May '17 5:09:38 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
WhatArtThee Since: Oct, 2015
#190997: May 30th 2017 at 5:11:42 AM

To add to the wall situation, the current plan would be enough to only cover 74 miles of the border, and only 60 miles of that will be "new".

As for the worst scenario: North Korea strikes. Trump declares total war. Nukes drop, everyone dies.

Just another day in the life of Jimmy Nutrin
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#190998: May 30th 2017 at 7:19:39 AM

North Korea stri.... *guffaw*

Sorry, I just thought you said that North Korea would attack the United States. They'd be lucky to hit an island in the Pacific. They are a regional threat, nothing more. That said, Trump could certainly parlay aggression on their part into an excuse for general war, but that's true of any potentially hostile nation.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#190999: May 30th 2017 at 7:21:09 AM

[up][up]As doomsayey as that is, (seriously people, enough with it already,) chances are that Trump's going to start a conventional war with them long before that can happen. It would still be horrible and catastrophic, but it wouldn't exactly be World War III.

[up]Also that.

edited 30th May '17 7:22:47 AM by kkhohoho

TotemicHero No longer a forum herald from the next level Since: Dec, 2009
No longer a forum herald
#191000: May 30th 2017 at 7:31:22 AM

Trump's Twitter account has gained three million new followers, almost all of which have the highly coincidental common trait of being brand new accounts.

I'm pretty sure this is against terms and services, and would normally lead to said account being banned.

edited 30th May '17 7:33:32 AM by TotemicHero

Expergiscēre cras, medior quam hodie. (Awaken tomorrow, better than today.)

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