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November 27, 2015

Dear Gov. Abbott: Yes, keep the #terrorists out of Texas! They're #teaparty folks; you can find them

The last arguable terrorist attack in Texas? As I blogged about multiple times, concluding with this, it was tea party sympathizer Larry Steven McQuilliams.

Per that post, with the links inside of it, McQuilliams had clear anti-government leanings, as mentioned on his Facebook page and other things.

His family of origin, per my post, was deep into Obama birther territory and more.

McQuilliams himself was anti-immigrant as well as a birther, and according to Austin Police, this was based on part on "Christian identity" stances he was taking.

"Christian identity" movements usually boil down to "white identity" movements, and biggest one McQuilliams was in was certainly that.

Given that this happened not quite one full year ago, Texas GOP leadership's institutional memory is short because it chooses to be.


Smoke billowed from a seven-story building after a small private plane
crashed into a building that houses an office of the IRS in Austin.
Alberto Martinez/Austin-American Statesman, via Associated Press
Before McQuilliams?

Andrew Joseph Stack, who in 2010 flew a private plane into the Austin IRS office, in what can only be called a suicide bombing. And, while right-wing bloggers tried to distance themselves and their movement from Stack, anti-IRS animus is much more the province of the far right than the far left, or what bits of a far left exist in America today.

And, yes, it's still a terrorist attack even if done by an individual that's not part of a group, if terroristic intent is involved.

The state of Texas even has the crime of "terroristic threats" on the book of criminal offenses.

Before that?

David Koresh/Wikipedia
Well, going back just over 20 years? White, Christian, anti-government? Remember a guy named David Koresh?

After Koresh but before the election of President Obama, the Southern Poverty Law Center reminds us of the Texas Militia, the Republic of Texas movement, and other right-wing anti-government groups, plus the good old Ku Klux Klan.

So, by all means, Gov. Abbott, I wish you would keep terrorists out of the state. You can start by being honest about who the terrorists are.

But, you won't.

You never will.

Meanwhile, Andrea Grimes of Texas Observer had almost exactly the same thought, including naming McQuilliams, Stack and Koresh, while also throwing in a healthy touch of snark.

I think President Obama should not only call Abbott's bluff on refugees, but go one better.

Let's make Jade Helm 2016 about the military doing humanitarian work resettling refugees — at the Governor's Mansion in Austin.

Oh, and "thoughts and prayers" won't bring back the dead killed by wingnuts.

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