Texas Governor Greg Abbott took pride in sending three bus loads of Venezuelan immigrants from Texas to Washington, D.C. on Christmas Eve. They were sent to the home of Vice-President Harris, where they arrived in bitter cold weather without proper clothing. Men, women, and children.
Is this the spirit of Christmas? Was there no room at the inn in Texas? What was the message of Jesus? What kind of a Christian is Governor Abbott and his buddy Florida Governor Ron DeSantis? Where in the New Testament does it say you should treat the hungry and homeless with contempt and use them as political pawns?
Several busloads of migrants were dropped off at the Washington, D.C., residence of Vice President Kamala Harris on Christmas Eve — apparently the latest in an escalating battle between state officials and the Biden administration over the country’s immigration policy.
A total of three busloads of migrants arrived at the Naval Observatory, where Harris lives, on Saturday evening. The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, a local grassroots organization, met the migrants, who were inadequately dressed for the freezing temperature, according to the station.
Earlier this year, some state governors began sending buses of migrants to the nation’s capital, after the Biden administration attempted to lift a pandemic-era policy that let the U.S. deny entry to immigrants.
At least one governor from these states, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, said his state is purposefully busing migrants to sanctuary cities, where law enforcement are discouraged from deporting immigrants.
Amy Fischer, an organizer with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, told NPR’s All Things Considered on Sunday that Abbott’s actions were “rooted in racism and xenophobia.”
“At the end of the day, everybody who arrived here last night was able to get free transportation, on a charter bus, that got them closer to their final destination,” she said.
Fortunately there are people in the sanctuary cities who are feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and caring for the stranger.
In Abbott’s Texas and DeSantis’ Florida, Christian values have been warped into talking points for rightwing frauds.
WWJD?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I wonder where he worshipped today?
He worshiped today as every day–standing in front of the mirror like his hero traitor trump has taught.
The only word that comes to mind to describe these men is despicable.
I no longer trust so-called “Christians.” Those who identify as such are red flags for me. Too often they are hateful and judgmental- not Christ-like at all. I grew up Catholic and raised my own kids in the Episcopal church. I don’t go anymore. I can’t take the holier-than-thou attitude.
The behavior of both red state Republican Governors leaves me speechless! It is illegal trafficking of victims that should’ve treated like human beings. We need to have Congress pass a law to ban this from happening!
We can start tomorrow morning by asking every republican we know how they feel about this and never, ever letting them off the hook with equivocations of any kinds. This is truly an either/or issue. We need to start demanding that our families, coworkers, classmates, and anyone we come into contact with face up to their bigotry, ignorance and their role in destroying basic decency. If we can’t have basic decency, we can’t have a democratic-republic. It’s time to get into faces, one-on-one, and fight back. This is more fundamental than law making.
If Abbott and DeSantis are breaking any federal laws, they should be prosecuted like any other citizen. It is such abysmal behavior to use desperate migrants as pawns in a political stunt.
“What goes around …/… comes around” – Justin Timberlake
Anyway, Abbott and DeSantis should share one padded cell with Traitor Trump – all three isolated from the world in ever way … for life. But not isolated from each other.
That would be cruel and unusual punishment, but maybe we could get around the 8th Amendment because they don’t believe in The Constitution anyway.
As his boss might say, “Sad!”
I honestly don’t care WJWD. What at a decent human being do? A decent, functioning society? Certainly not this. While these poor people were treated like dirt by a governor and people of a state, I’m betting the gov and all the people involved with this decision were being “good family people” and celebrating with whatever passes for their “loved ones.” More than 45% of Americans think this is normal and desirable.
This is what Steve Reich’s Different Trains is all about. Today we have different planes and busses. They don’t lead to death camps. But they carry with them our nation’s collective shame.
from Matthew 24, KJV
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
I think I related a story of a religious-framed t-shirt salesman I met once. He was on his way back from a big Christian conference, and we were coming home from fiddling. We were both late for our flight, and ended up eating at the bar connected with the hotel where we were put up. The man was intelligent and friendly, a Baptist minister who made his living on Christians who wanted to display their dead on t-shirts, literally wearing their faith on their sleeve.
He was very disappointed with his market. His greatest disappointment, he confided after scotch, was that his favorite t-shirt, based on verse 45 in the above, never sold.
To my mind the greatest line in the library of books known as the Bible. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Roy!
Bob,
Exactly the right quote from the New Testament.
Abbott and DeSantis spurned the hungry, thirsty, sick, homeless strangers. Gave them nothing to eat or drink. No place to rest. No comfort. Nothing. Put them on a chartered bus and sent them away. They would have done the same to Joseph and Mary.
Yes, these are evil people. A lot of professed Christians fall into this category. Amoral cretins.
What a laugh. An avowed atheist who has expressed hostility on this blog to all religious beliefs quotes scripture to support his political opinions.
I am not an atheist, so I could hardly be an “avowed” one. LOL.
And, among the nonsuperstitious, material like the passage from Matthew is known collectively as the world’s “wisdom literature” for a reason. Here’s a statement of my own religious beliefs, if you are interested:
It is true, however, that I do not practice the local tribal religion, and practitioners of that religion often confuse that nonpractice with atheism, oddly. These are not people who typically make subtle distinctions.
\https://bobshepherdonline.wordpress.com/2022/05/15/why-is-christianity-so-weird/
One must distinguish Jesus from Christianity, which is this bizarre religion in which people can simultaneously believe that “God is love” and act like Gregg A-butt.
And Ms. Dickrell, you totally ignore the main point of this quotation with your diversion to discuss a side issue, that being that Abbott’s action DIRECTLY contradicts the EXPLICIT TEACHING by Yeshua of Nazareth, commonly referred to as Christ.
cx: that point being
It wouldn’t matter WHO pointed this out, Abbott would still be a disgusting self-contradiction, so your comment, Ms. Dickrell, is an example of what is known as the Genetic Fallacy.
Abbott, ofc, makes the case for trashing Fundamentalist Christianity far more clearly, by example, than does or any of the professing atheists like Dennett, Dawkins, or Hitchens. He is as clear and example as one could imagine of a person who is both a professing Christian AND a person lacking any moral compass. A fool could see this. I suspect that a lot of young people can.
It would be different, of course, if Christians actually started professing Christianity. But don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen. Christians don’t follow Christ’s teaching, and often they don’t even know their own texts–don’t know, for example, Matthew 23:1-39, where Christ discusses hypocrites like Abbott. He was so aware and saw the proliferation of people like Abbott clearly.
And, Ms. Dickrell, if you cannot tell this opinion about a matter of basic morality from a political opinion, you are one sick person, like Abbott or DeSantis. We are talking about this evil cretin sending families fleeing violence and extreme poverty to be dropped off in a strange city in the extreme cold in the dead of winter. Duh.
In short, Ms. Dickrell, you are wrong on many levels and in many senses of the word “wrong.”
Both Abbott and DeSantis are amoral hypocrites, creatures of pure ambition and hunger.
I left the Catholic Church more than 50 years ago, and never had a second thought. But I will always remember the stories we learned about biblical behavior, and the meaning of Christianity, and neither of these guys would pass the test.
Morality is not tied to religion.
There is no contradiction in being a moral atheist.
And one can respect and follow the teachings of Jesus and other religious figures without being a member of any church or even believing in God.
It may seem ironic, but atheists can be much more “Christian” in the way they live their lives than many churchgoing Christians.
I and my Brother Yeshua thank you for this, SomeDAM.
And I’d call what Abbott just did (and what DeSantis did previously when he sent migrants to Martha’s Vineyard under false pretenses) “immoral”, not “amoral”.
To exploit the vulnerable for political gain is the very definition of immoral.
And anyone who does not speak out against this is as immoral as Abbott and DeSantis.
Where are the leaders of the Catholic, Baptist, Methodist and other churches on this issue?
They seem to be utterly silent.
Your point is well taken, SomeDAM. With someone like Trump, it’s amorality. He simply has the instincts of, say, parasitic wasp larvae. Someone like Abbott is slightly smarter. He probably knows on some level that he is doing really ugly, really immoral stuff to families, to children, in order to score political points with a base, cretinous base.
Nailed it, jsrtheta. People like A-butt and NotSanctis are exempla of the moral bankruotcy of contemporary fundy Christianity. There are precise terms to describe such lowlife persons as these governors, but they aren’t allowed on Diane’s blog.
Isn’t this all part of the much cherished American freedom? Freedom to mistreat people of other races/nationalities?
What a great Christmas present for this VP! Isn’t this funny! Maybe next time they will bring in some food and eat in front of some starving people. Knock some canes out from under the elderly for your next try. What fools these men are. What fools are their voters.
Their voters are the main problem.
Abbott and DeSantis are only the choir boys.
Satan’s Choir
If Hell is a thing
Then Hell-bells will ring
And Abbott will sing
Where Satan is King
Satan’s Choir (2)
While Abbott sings Soprano
Like Tony on the show
DeSantis sings the Bass line
As low as low can go
Make that
“DeSantis sings the base line”
Abbott and DeSatanist are The Sopranos.
And their supporters are The Supinos.
LOL, SomeDAM. Good stuff.
Is anyone shocked. Roughly 47% of American voters applaud these actions. After 6years of this Sh– show it is time to admit that the entire “basket” was “deplorable” . That is such a typically PC description. Like countless other examples in human history. “The Cruelty Is The Point. “
DeVoters
DeSantis is DePlorable
DeAbbott is DeSame
Behavior is just horrible
DeVoters are to blame
Good morning Diane and everyone,
If this isn’t true Christmas spirit, I don’t know what is! A wonderful story!
https://www.insider.com/south-korean-tourists-stranded-in-buffalo-blizzard-kind-stranger-host-2022-12
So this is Christmas (with apologies to John Lennon)
So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
You sent migrants over?
To DC for fun?
And so this is Christmas
I hope you had fun
In leaving them stranded
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
For Abbott to sneer
And so this is Christmas
For weak and for sick
For destitute poor ones
Greg Abbott’s a dick
Outstanding. Perfect.
Greg Abbott is one BITTER & HATEFUL guy.
No hope for him!
He’s a BULLY of the 1st degree, using the power of his office to kick & spit the most desperate & vulnerable people who have nothing…..nothing but their families, a couple of items and THEIR DIGNITY.
Abbott has no dignity, humanity or decency & never will.
Guys like him should be removed from office, taken away his keys of Texas and sent packing.
Disgusting guy!
Texas gubernatorial election results, 2022:
Abbott: 54.8%, 4,426,655 votes
O’Rourke: 43.8%, 3,539,142 votes
I’m not letting the people of Texas off the hook. The vast majority of them are bigots who have no idea about and fear anyone not like them. Tired of hearing of how Texas is changing. Cities are changing slowly, but with little statewide impact. Indeed with each crowing of liberal advances, it seems the entrenched powers only get stronger, more brazen, and seemingly unaware that there is a political opposition somewhere in the state. Not picking on Texas. It’s just as bad here in Ohio, but the window dressing is better, the lawns are greener, and white is always right.
If the governors Texas has had since Ann Richards are indicative, I’d say Texas is changing for the worse. Much worse.
Jesus’ family sought asylum from Herod in Egypt and didn’t return for about three years. Would Abbott have put them on a chariot to Carthage?
No Room at the Abbutt Inn
When Joseph looked for lodging
For wife and unborn child
The Ass was not obliging
And sent them to the wild
*The Ass : Greg Abbutt