The Republic of Texas

by on March 24, 2020 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

Fort Bliss was one of three major United States Army Forts in Texas when the Second Great Depression began. It spread out from its headquarters in El Paso into New Mexico to the White Sands Missile Range where the first nuclear bomb was tested, which linked it with Holloman Air Force Base. It was a massive complex of interconnected military reservations just north of the Mexico border that housed an entire combined arms armored division, multiple fighter wings, a joint task force devoted to fighting drug cartels and terrorists, military research and development programs, and training cadres from all over America and the world. It trained and worked with foreign militaries from as near as Mexico to as far as India, and was a vital cog in the machine that ran and oversaw the Mexican-American border. And when the federal governments on both sides of that border collapsed, everyone looked to it for support in troubled times.

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Quarantine

by on March 23, 2020 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

It is amazing how much the world can change in two weeks. Two weeks ago I forecasted a minor economic bump and some late kickstarters if the Wuhan Virus continued as it was. Slightly more deadly or around the same as the flue. Easily transmittable, but focused mainly on the elderly or immune-compromised. That trend has continued, though I did hold out the possibility of a second expression or some other change in the Wuhan Virus’s trends in general. I was mainly thinking of a major uptick in the illness beyond the current trends of the time.

I did not factor for the actions of the government in my forecast. I should have. That is totally on me.

We have seen some very sensible recommendations from the federal government. A declaration of emergency. Travel bans from infected nations. A two-page, very clear recommendation on how you should travel (or not) depending on your current situation. Suggestions that we not congregate in large groups, a number that started at 100 and has since dropped to 50 and then 10. Reminders to wash our hands and disinfect commonly used areas. These are all very sensible suggestions in my opinion. And following them will greatly reduce the spread of the Wuhan Virus.

Then certain State governments jumped in and demanded the shutting down of entire segments of our economy. Restaurants down to take out or delivery only. Bars closed. Note that these aren’t entirely bad suggestions, mind you. Limit social contact is a very good thing in a case like this. And any public space can pass the virus, so I do understand this. But in some States, all “non-essential” industries are closed for the duration. With each State deciding what is essential of course. Truck stops that truckers use to fuel up and feed themselves while delivering food and medicine aren’t essential. Right? So close them down. Maybe we should be ban all voluntary medical procedures? Great. Who decides what should be allowed or not. The government? Or the professionals who know what they are doing?

And that doesn’t even count those who have decided to use this emergency to try to infringe on certain Constitutionally-recognized rights. The right to protest and peaceably assemble. Just mind your personal space, please. I don’t want anybody sneezing on me. The right to have firearms. What? You think a virus is a good reason to take away people’s guns? Increasing the government’s authority to detain people without letting them see a lawyer or know what charges are being aimed at them? These are some pretty big asks here, and I’m looking real doubtful towards a lot of you government types right now.

This has all caused a rather…impressive kick to our collective posteriors when it comes to our economy. Who knew that shutting down entire sectors of our economy would negatively impact the economy? But have no fear. The federal government is here to help us in our hour of need. Right? Republicans and Democrats have been negotiating all weekend to get something done, to give a boost to the economy and help all the people who are being taken out of work by this whole thing. A major infusion of tax dollars to give us all a cushion so we can pay our bills. Oh, but wait. After finally coming to a compromise bill that will pass, the Head of the House of Representatives flies across the country to trump the compromise and say no to all of it.

So now we are back to our previous situation. Entire segments of the economy are shut down. Millions of Americans are under quarantine and unable to work. The economy is in what I would probably describe as something close to freefall for the foreseeable near future. And to think. Even a week ago, things still felt pretty normal to me. Just a little panic around the edges. Right.

Sometimes I just don’t understand humans.

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The Republic of Texas

by on March 22, 2020 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

The Borderplex, as the region around El Paso, Juarez, and Las Cruces was known, had a long history of fighting the drug cartels and various gangs. Some of their history was good. Some was bad. The Second Great Depression deprived them of the federal support they had long enjoyed, and the Drug Wars quickly escalated into high gear as the cartels thought they saw a chance to improve their position. Running gunfights passed through much of the Borderplex for months, placing the cities under conditions of virtual siege. Police, Sheriffs, and Texas Rangers fought the gangs and cartels every day, and citizen militias defended neighborhoods from rooftops and walls. They built or printed makeshift guns and mixed explosives in their backyards and garages, all in the fight to bring law and order back to their ravaged neighborhoods. It was a dangerous time to live in the Borderplex, and the cost in lives was heartbreaking, but they stood on their own in the end. They drove the drug cartels out, and they tamed the worst of the gang problem. They survived and thrived and help provide an example of how the Mexican States could move into a new future with their American neighbors.

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The Republic of Texas

by on March 21, 2020 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

The three neighboring cities of El Paso, Juarez, and Las Cruces had long been home to major issues due to the borders dividing them. They had seen a bizarre range of local governments in the last century, from those purchased or terrorized by the drug cartels to do whatever they wanted, to those elected on law and order campaigns and promising to deal with the Drug Lords once and for all. They never managed to succeed. The Second Great Depression and the Drug Wars forced those cities to make a stand, and it was not an easy one. They had powerful police departments and full support from the Texas Rangers, even if they technically had not jurisdiction, but the Drug Lords had many insiders and a total willingness to kill people who stood against them. It would be too strong to say that they fell into civil war. They did not fall, for instance. But gang and drug cartel warfare became far more common in all three cities, and peace officers throughout the region went to war with them.

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The Republic of Texas

by on March 20, 2020 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

It is an interesting historical point that the term Drug Lords was not common when the Second Great Depression began. They were drug cartels and gangs, and while some of them were certainly rich and powerful enough to rule small nations, it was not what they were called. Drug Lord was a fictitious title created for the Dixie the Drug Lord Slayer show. It was silly and ridiculous entertainment, with only a passing resemblance to historical accuracy, especially in the first season. But Dixie was alive, and the kernel of her story that was real struck home with a people caught in the midst of a world-ending financial collapse. She laughed and joked as she killed stereotypical, black hat-wearing, mustache twirling, liberally-tattooed drug gang lords who pushed old people into streets as object lessons and kicked little dogs for the thrill of it. It was a gleeful-dark parody of real life, with some rather painful depictions of certain marginalized groups by modern standards, but the clarity of the good versus evil fight resonated with everything the watchers of the day wanted to see. Especially the Texans who knew her real story. They welcomed and supported the show with nearly religious fervor and Drug Lord became part of the common parlance, where it has remained ever since.

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