Texas Outlaw Newsletter: The Redacted Version

They cried out to see the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant for MAGA-Lago... the warrant to search for unlawfully stored documents that the FPOTUS had toted off when he left the White House. The ones that had "Top Secret" stamped in red stencil. The ones that he was specifically told not to take.

Allegedly toted off.

The fact that the FBI actually found a pretty good handful of those illegally stored docs actually shut the Trumpers up, for almost a minute or two. The affidavit was released. It was heavily redacted, both to prevent leaks of any sensitive information about the investigation and also to shield any FBI agents or informants that had facilitated or participated in the search. The judge was aware that they could be intimidated or threatened if they were outed. This made the Trumpers very mad. How dare they be denied the names of people that they could further dox and harass?

So they cried out to see the specific reasons that the affidavit was redacted. So the Justice Dept. released a list of reasons.

And it too was heavily redacted.

You can't make this up. I think Groucho and Chico are representing the party of the first part and the party of the second part.

By the way, The Texas Outlaw Writers petitioned the Judge in the case for a list of reasons for redacting the affidavit justifying the warrant to search Maga-Lago (even after the search warrant affadavit was also revealed to be redacted.) And this is what we got with our Freedom of Information Act request:

This is what we received with our FOIA request. Strange. WE think there was someone on the inside. Allegedly.

Student loan debt relief was probably the biggest headline of the week. At least it was here in Texas where we support our kids who are trying to better themselves through higher education. In Texas, our Christian family values also lead us to forgive our debtors... HA-HA! Just kidding! President Biden gave a bit of relief to the average undergrad - who leaves school with $25,000 in debt at an interest rate of between 5 and 8%. And then the GOP lost its collective mind.

Roger Gray outlines Biden's proposal, and more importantly, traces the history of how this explosion in student debt occurred.

Suffer the Little Children to Pay Unto Me | TX Outlaw Writers
Student loan debt now totals $1.59 Trillion dollars, a $14 billion increase from this time last year. The average undergrad leaves school with $25,000 in debt at an interest rate of between 5 and 8%. Factor in grad, medical or law school, and the numbers become astronomical.

And speaking of Christian values and education, Myra Jolivet takes a dive into the continued tearing down of the wall between church and state, specifically in our schools. That's bad enough, but the brand of Christianity espoused by the extremists jumping into the school board political fray is transforming entire school systems. And not in a very Christian way.  

School Boards, Books, and Truth: Targets of the So-called Christian White, I mean…Right | TX Outlaw Writers
Call me crazy, but I’ve never been able to consider bigots and racists, Christian. How does that work? Well, it depends on what you mean by Christian.

Kansas changed the narrative. You remember the recent referendum that shut down an anti-abortion constitutional amendment there? It was a landslide. And it happened in one of the most conservative states in the nation. For the GOP, it finally seemed a bridge too far. For Dems, it revealed the one issue (among many) that might be a winner if handled properly, even in red states. Are they ready to talk about a 'War on Women"?

Progressives have always been pretty weak in message discipline. James Moore wonders if Texas Democrats can convert this slam-dunk campaign issue into some significant wins.

That One Thing | Texas Outlaw Writers
If nothing else were spoken of the entire campaign season this autumn, abortion ought to be enough to defeat Republicans. The same Trump party fools who refused vaccines with the chant of “my body, my choice,” are telling women they cannot legally make choices about their bodies.

For those following the saga of John Nova Lomax, one of our Outlaws... this weekend he was moved to "Long Term Acute Care" (from being in ICU) as his wounds heal. Keep making progress, John!