That conservatives come after the LGBTQ+ community so aggressively is ironic, as behind closed doors, they’re usually up to some truly demented stuff that’d get them kicked out of any self-respecting gay bar. But former Texas solicitor general Judd Stone has gone above and beyond with some of the most insane stuff I’ve ever heard. 3k5x38

Content Disclaimer: The following story discusses sensitive topics that may include references to sexual misconduct, abuse, or other mature themes. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.

Stone’s conservative credentials are impeccable. He served as Antonin Scalia’s clerk on the Supreme Court, was Chief Counsel to Ted Cruz, and was promoted to Texas solicitor general in 2021, serving until 2023.

At that point, he resigned under unclear circumstances. Those have now been revealed in a legal filing. And, well, if you’re midway through taking a drink of something, maybe swallow first, because you’re in danger of spitting it all over your screen in disbelief:

The allegations against former Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone are wild. A colleague says he bragged about beating sex workers, was fired by Ted Cruz for sexual harassment, and talked about wanting to see said colleague raped with a "cylindrical asteroid" in front of his kids. https://t.co/C8Ov691Ssd pic.twitter.com/uajRgyfEwQ

— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) May 28, 2025

Yes, you read that right. Stone apparently voiced elaborate and sadistic fantasies to his co-workers that involved them being SA’d with an asteroid in front of their children. This comes via a former colleague who, after hearing that and being of his “past history with women”, rightly concluded that he “poses a physical threat to me and my family” and that “I was so disturbed by the violent sexual fantasies about me that I took the weekend to process the news”.

Meet Judd Stone, a Republican.
Would you agree he looks exactly like a maga Texas lawyer who fantasizes about raping his co-workers with cylindrical asteroids while their children watch? pic.twitter.com/yZep8Y2zhK

— Ty Harden (@TyphusHarden) May 28, 2025

The suit goes on to say that Stone boasted about beating sex workers to his co-workers, adding, “I do not know if this is true and cannot corroborate it. The important thing is, regardless of whether this is true, what kind of person would say this">Stone himself promised that “institutions acting under the banner of “diversity, equity and inclusion” cannot avoid the consequences of their lawlessness”.

So, once again what appears to be a conservative campaigning for a return to old-fashioned tradition and conservative values has a brain stuffed with the kind of depraved sicko stuff that’d make the Marquis de Sade blush. Just , they always tell on themselves sooner or later.

Democrats in the South are facing significant challenges following recent electoral setbacks, particularly in Texas where the party’s grip on Latino voters has shown signs of weakening. The situation has prompted Democratic leaders to reassess their strategy and acknowledge past mistakes in their approach to Latino communities.

The Democratic Party’s struggles in the region are multifaceted, with Republicans maintaining advantages in fundraising and control over state legislatures. This Republican dominance extends to the redistricting process, further complicating Democrats’ path to victory. The situation has become more challenging following November’s elections, where Republican strongholds grew even stronger.

According to Politico, Texas State Rep. Erin Gamez, representing a district in South Texas, addressed the party’s shortcomings in engaging Latino voters, stating that taking Latinos for granted is “a mistake we’ll never make again.” This acknowledgment comes as Texas Democrats grapple with their losses in South Texas, a region they had previously considered crucial to their long-term success.

New initiatives aim to rebuild Democratic presence in Texas j222q

In response to these challenges, Democratic leaders are implementing new strategies to strengthen their position. These include establishing a Spanish-language communications department and making efforts to fill vacant precinct positions, which currently stand at 50 percent unfilled.

Local Democratic leaders are also openly criticizing the national party’s approach, arguing that there has been insufficient for building lasting political operations throughout Texas. They emphasize the need to focus on middle-class issues, including higher wages and increased investment in public education.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has responded to these concerns with new funding initiatives. Under recently announced changes, red states will receive $22,500 per month, representing a 50 percent increase, while blue states will get $17,500 monthly, a 30 percent increase from current levels. This additional funding is intended to state parties in hiring staff, opening field offices, and conducting research to refine their messaging.

The importance of building strong local infrastructure was highlighted by Brandon Presley’s recent experience in Mississippi, where he came within 3 percentage points of winning the governorship. According to DNC Chair Ken Martin, Presley attributed his narrow loss partly to the lack of ground-level infrastructure, underscoring the critical need for long-term investment in local party operations. Martin emphasized that building this infrastructure is essential for the party to effectively compete in future elections.

Senate Bill 3 (SB 3), a bill that would effectively ban all products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in Texas, has been sent to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk. The bill’s approval represents a major shift for the state’s growing hemp industry, which could now face collapse.

As reported by The Texas Tribune, the Texas Senate ed the House version of SB 3 late on Sunday following a 25-6 vote. If signed into law, the ban, scheduled to begin in September, would wipe out the state’s $8 billion hemp industry and an estimated 50,000 jobs. Per Fox, only products containing non-intoxicating cannabinoids such as CBD and CBG would stay legal for sale and use.

This development is in sharp contrast to 2019. That year, a law meant to boost Texas agriculture unintentionally allowed the hemp industry to expand by legalizing the sale of consumable hemp. While the 2019 law limited the amount of delta-9 THC allowed in products, it did not set the same restrictions for other hemp derivatives. Critics argue this oversight led to the rapid spread of over 8,000 stores selling THC-infused edibles, drinks, vapes, and flower buds across Texas.

The THC industry may collapse overnight in Texas 2g51t

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has been a major er of the ban, calling the removal of the THC-based hemp industry one of his top goals for nearly six months. He claims the thousands of businesses involved are harmful to the state. On the other hand, small business owners and their employees in the industry are worried about the severe economic consequences, including lost revenue and tax money.

After the House approved the THC ban, hemp industry leaders and advocates started a campaign asking Governor Abbott to reject SB 3. While the Governor’s office said he would “carefully consider any legislation sent to his desk,” he has not publicly stated whether he plans to sign or veto the bill.

We’ve seen plenty of big bills go through Texas, like the ban on some games and anime and banning furries from litterboxes. ers of SB 3 in the House tied the THC ban to an expansion of the Texas Comionate Use Program (TCUP), which permits the use of medical marijuana for a small number of conditions.

The original proposal included adding chronic pain as a qualifying condition, but this was later removed from a Senate version of the bill. This led to a public disagreement between Representative Tom Oliverson, a key er of the THC ban, and Lieutenant Governor Patrick.

However, a compromise was reached just before the Senate’s final vote, agreeing to include chronic pain, terminal illness, and hospice patients as qualifying conditions for TCUP. The deal also involves increasing the number of licensed medical marijuana dispensers by four times and allowing satellite storage facilities to make it easier for patients to access their medications.

The approval of SB 3 poses a serious threat to a large part of Texas’s economy. The final decision now depends on whether Governor Abbott signs or vetoes the bill. While the compromise to expand TCUP could lessen the impact for some, the future of the state’s hemp industry remains unclear.

Buckle up, weebs, Texas is coming for your waifus. Sen. Pete Flores’ Senate Bill 20 (SB 20) went before the Texas Senate last week, with them unanimously approving a new law that will make the possession of any material depicting a minor in an “obscene” way a felony offense.

The bill’s stated aim is to crack down on AI image generators being used to create illegal material involving children. That’s a laudable goal and is something that should be criminalized. However, the scope of the bill isn’t limited to AI-generated images, as it also covers “cartoons or animation,” promising that:

“An offense under this new section is considered a state jail felony, or a third-degree felony if a person has been previously convicted, or a second-degree felony if a person has been previously convicted two or more times”

The bill covers a huge scope of existing media and gives judges and politicians the power to decide what’s considered “obscene,” saying it’s “[material or a performance that] taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, and scientific value.” This has left many fans of massive video game franchises, anime, and manga realizing with a chill that continuing to own their collection could put them behind bars.

What would this cover? 155f1f

For example, video games set in high schools that feature dating mechanics — like the wildly popular Persona series — arguably fall under this umbrella. You could also apply this to iconic anime series like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Dandadan, Dragon Ball, Kill la Kill, and Hunter x Hunter.

It’s ittedly unlikely that cops will pursue individuals for owning a copy of Persona 5 Royal on Switch, but if this bill becomes law video game companies may decide to avoid any legal liability by restricting sales of certain products, individual comic book shops might cease carrying manga, and that streaming services like Crunchyroll could geo-restrict content in Texas.

Do they have a point? 1yi3j

Now, there is a (pretty good) argument that the depiction of minors in anime and manga is often extremely gross, to say nothing of the insanely creepy “waifu” worship culture that’s become so common online it’s an unpleasant background noise. Maybe that stuff should be cracked down on! That said, there’s a litany of historical examples that laws banning media on subjective grounds are generally used as a political cudgel to beat people the state doesn’t like.

So, perhaps you’ve been protesting something in Texas and politicians decide to make an example of you. They raid your house, seize your copy of Persona 5 and your End of Evangelion Blu-ray, and suddenly you’re facing felony charges of obscenity involving minors. With that on your charge sheet expect many people who’d otherwise defend you to vanish, and even after whatever sentence you receive is spent you’d likely still end up on an offenders’ .

That’s perhaps the worst-case scenario, but with the government cracking down hard on self-expression and violently enforcing conformity we should be wary about giving them more weapons against citizens. Fortunately for Texans, Senate Bill 20 isn’t law yet and still needs to be ed by the Texas House of Representatives. But, let’s face it, unanimous from the Senate means it stands a good chance of making it onto the law books.

Tesla mogul Elon Musk might be a vocal newcomer in politics, but the richest man in the world is far from the first billionaire to meddle in politics. Long before Musk started swaying voters with million dollar prizes, two Texas billionaires were buying votes and shaping the Lone Star State into the conservative political hellscape it is today.

Texas Representative James Talarico, who represents Americans in one of the state’s few blue- tinged bastions, is tired of playing by the rules of wealthy elite — especially those set by Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks. According to Talarico, the evangelical Christian business tycoons have bought up much of the state’s legislative bodies, and without some serious help, the Texas House is next.

In the minute-long call to action, Talarico lays out the true extent of the existential threat. According to the former teacher, a small bipartisan group is working “to stop two West Texas billionaires from taking over [the] state government,” but it’s a fight they are losing.

“They’ve already bought our governor. They’ve bought our lieutenant governor. They’ve bought our attorney general. They’ve bought our state senate. And now to complete their takeover, they’re trying to buy the Texas House.”

The Texas takeover might sound like a bad movie concept, but billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks’ ascent has been clearly documented, with millions they’ve spent backing politicians that can push their agenda. Make no mistake, the two men are much more insidious than any Disney caricature, and they blow distasteful toads like Steve Bannon right out of the running for skin-crawling maniacs.

Homophobia is the lowest hanging fruit for any right-wing bigot, and Dunn is no exception. He’s anti-gay marriage, and while helping to foster a forced-birth environment in Texas, he’s against letting gay couples adopt. He’s donated millions to ensure that candidates who agree with this conservative mindset were elected, and is one of Donald Trump‘s biggest donors. He owns and operates a Texas megachurch, and is known to associate with white nationalists like Nick Fuentes.

Farris Wilks and, to a lesser extent, his brother Dan, are much less opinionated about their ideals, but their donations do plenty of talking. Wilks has donated millions to various Texas politicians, including Ted Cruz, and funds multiple conservative PACs. His primary focus seems to be conservative “educational” (read: propaganda) material, like PragerU, and conservative media like The Daily Wire. He’s also a megachurch fundamentalist and a member of a congregation that, rumor has it, forbids women from speaking within its walls.

The contentious Texas race might not seem like much to outsiders with its two Republican front runners, but the House represents a bastion of legacy Republicans, like George W. Bush and Rick Perry, amid a sea of Republicans seemingly aligned with the radically religious and conservative West Texas billionaires. The feud boiled over last year after Attorney General Ken Paxton was impeached by the Texas House for corruption and abuse of office, only to be acquitted by the Texas Senate months later.

This isn’t the first time Talarico has gone to bat against the policies Dunn and Wilks are paying for. The representative went viral in 2023 after questioning proposed changes to Texas educational curriculum, which included whitewashing history by removing sections on Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, and Native Americans. The Tuesday vote won’t help Texas shift even marginally to the center, but it at least gives moderate Republicans and Democrats a voice.

If there is one piece of solace to take from this whole debacle, it’s that even when Republicans have the majority control, the infighting never stops. The party is so unwilling to compromise that even when two candidates stand for roughly the same thing, it’s still not enough. In this race for GOP purity, there are no winners, but Texas Republicans will make sure plenty of Americans will end up losers.

There’s a rape crisis underway in Texas but Governor Greg Abbott can only see it as an opportunity. Texas Association Against Sexual Assault’s data (ed by other humanitarian groups) indicates vulnerable people are regularly being sexually assaulted and in some cases murdered as they try to make it past the border.

Rather than try to protect them, Abbott is using the crimes as a warning via a vindictive slogan on billboards that calls them “tough medicine” and another that says “Your wife and daughter will pay for their trip with their bodies.”

In the heat of Trump’s third campaign, he stopped by Andrew Schulz’s Flagrant podcast and continued his long-documented demonization of migrants — calling them terrorists, among other things — and assured listeners that during his term, the border would be completely closed once he regained power. This statement has led to people rushing to the border before Trump’s official inauguration. However, it might be worth mentioning that during the same podcast, Trump expressed some sympathy for non-criminal migrants escaping hostile lives and seeking a sensible path to citizenship.

That moment of apparent empathy, like many of Trump’s others, didn’t last. Shortly after winning, Trump announced his intent to hire Tom Homan as his border czar — a man who has stated he wouldn’t mind deporting entire families, regardless of whether some have papers or not. This decision was applauded by Gov. Abbott, who called Homan “the right man for the job,” according to The Hill. Abbott added that he’s already started working with Homan to develop more of his strange ideas for tackling the migrant crisis.

Gov. Abbott has made illegal immigration the centerpiece of his gubernatorial term and took to X to tout the achievements of his Operation Lone Star project, launched three years ago. Abbott reported 49,000 arrests and the seizure of over 500 million deadly fentanyl doses, among other statistics.

However, it seems Abbott believes his efforts still aren’t enough. Gov. Abbott, well known for his controversial statements, is now erecting billboards at strategic points in both Texas and Mexico, written in multiple languages. KXAN reported that Abbott announced this initiative at the ranch of Kim and Martin Wall, who have witnessed numerous migrant-related crimes, such as rape and murder. The situation has become so dire on their property that they’ve had to burn entire trees under which migrants hid during assaults, leaving the Walls feeling unsafe on their property.

Abbott has used this grim reality as an opportunity to install billboards that allude to such violence as inevitable. This situation is especially harrowing because it mirrors the type of violence many are fleeing in the first place. Human rights groups have reported that some 11-year-old girls among the migrants are being given morning-after pills to tuck into their bras — just in case they are sexually assaulted on their journey to America.

There are no easy solutions to the migrant crisis, but perhaps Gov. Abbott should sit down and ask himself if the message he wants to send is this: Texas is dangerous for women and children.

Election day is mere weeks out, and tensions are rising as politicians across the country fight tooth and nail to hang onto seats they hold across our national government.

Down in Texas, a state facing mounting polarization as its citizens grow more divided, two-term Republican senator and heartless weasel Ted Cruz faces serious risk of an ouster. The slimy excuse for a politician has been in power since 2003, first as the state’s Solicitor General and later as its senator, a seat he won in 2013. For more than a decade now, Cruz has been demonstrating to Texans just how little he cares about their wellbeing. He ignores pleas to better the state’s infrastructure, leading to massive power outages and the loss of lives, and flees to sunny shores when things get tough, ignoring the plight of the people he’s tasked to protect.

Texas has been a confidently red state for nearly 50 years now, and the greasy, pathetic toad that serves as one of its two senators has had an easy path to victory. That era may be at an end if hopeful incumbent Colin Allred has anything to say about it.

The Democratic representative is set to challenge Cruz for his longtime seat, and a mid-October debate showcased just how good of a shot the 41-year-old has. He and Cruz traded barbs in their first and only debate of election season, and Allred came out distinctly on top after he shredded his jowly opponent’s spineless response to the attempted insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

In an instantly iconic clip circulating the web, Allred breezily proclaims that Cruz “can’t be for the mob on January 6 and for the officers.” Cruz attempts to laugh the statement off, but Allred’s flinty-eyed focus turns that back on the Texas Senator, too. “It’s not funny,” the 41-year-old says. “You’re a threat to democracy.”

Allred goes on to deliver a stirring recollection of what he, and other national leaders, endured during the storming of Capitol, emphasizing the process of barricading doors, donning gas masks, and texting his family — perhaps for the last time. It was the second half of his statement that really scathed, however, after Allred explained that, even as he was “prepared to defend the House floor from the mob,” Cruz was “hiding in a supply closet.”

The entire response is pure gold, but it’s Allred’s closing that really seals the deal. “This election is his ability. You cannot just be patriotic when your side wins,” the Texas native declares. “If, for the first time in 250 years, this project of ours — this shared American project — that we did not have a peaceful transfer of power, the folks responsible have to be held able.”

Allred is right. For far too long, we’ve let the sleazy, treacherous thugs that waved off a challenge to our democracy rest easy. People like Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Mike Johnson, and Marjorie Taylor Greene aren’t just un-American, they’re perfidious and Machiavellian. They don’t care about the future of our democracy, or about the lives of their constituents. They care only about themselves, their political futures, and the twisted, treacherous tinkering that slowly works to transform this country from great to Gilead.

Hot Items On Amazon This Week a124c

Photo	Title	Price	Buy
	Apple AirPods Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds, Active Noise Cancellation, Hearing Aid Feature, Bluetooth Headphones, Transparency, Personalized Spatial Audio, High-Fidelity Sound, H2 Chip, USB-C Charging	$169.00
	Bluetooth Speaker with HD Sound, Portable Wireless, IPX5 Waterproof, Up to 20H Playtime, TWS Pairing, BT5.3, for Home/Party/Outdoor/Beach, Electronic Gadgets, Birthday Gift (Black)	$26.99
	Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (newest model) with AI-powered Fire TV Search, Wi-Fi 6, stream over 1.5 million movies and shows, free & live TV	$29.99
	Stanley Quencher H2.0 Tumbler with Handle and Straw 30 oz | Flowstate 3-Position Lid | Cup Holder Compatible for Travel | Insulated Stainless Steel Cup | BPA-Free | Lilac	$34.35
	Crock-Pot 7 Quart Oval Manual Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel (SCV700-S-BR), Versatile Cookware for Large Families or Entertaining	$47.99

We are incredibly privileged to live in an age where help is readily available. In times of emergency, professionals are just a phone call away. Even when natural disasters, like Hurricane Beryl, gum up the works and extend the process, professionals are just around the corner.

But in a bizarre turn of events, some residents of Houston, Texas are, in the best-case scenarios, turning their backs on the volunteer electricians who have left their homes and families to help out after the category 5 hurricane left millions without power. The worst cases have seen Houstonians brandishing guns, throwing rocks, and stalking the men and women who are just trying to help.

The story was first posted by TikTok s and electric lineman, @returnofrandall, who has since deleted his tell-all post. Luckily, the creator was stitched countless times by people all over the country who are just as baffled as the lineman himself, and several commenters on the original video were Houstonians embarrassed and apologizing for their fellow city dwellers.

@raturnofrandal works as an electrical lineman – those daring folks who shimmy up electrical poles and towers to maintain and install the much-needed electrical equipment that keeps our power on – and has been posting about his job for years. In a recently removed video, the lineman took to TikTok to air his grievances and beg the people of Houston to get their s**t together.

In a short but frustrated rant, he claims that two linemen were hospitalized after being given water laced with fentanyl, that the staging areas set up for them to sleep received bomb threats leading to evacuation, alleges that guns were pulled on unsuspecting workmen, that linemen were physically assaulted, and most salaciously, that 20 men were held hostage at gunpoint.

He berates the aggressors, saying that many of the volunteers, including him, wouldn’t come back to the Lone Star State, before commending his colleagues for their speedy repair of the line.

“You had 2.7 million customers without power. In 6 days… [there are] only 25,000 outages left. Usually, when you reach the 3 million number, you’re looking at people without power for 4…5…6 weeks!”

Some of his claims are wildly inaccurate – no hostages were ever taken, and no one was ever drugged – but some Houstonians have actually lost their minds. Houston isn’t exactly known for its temperate weather, and the city regularly hits 95+ degrees Fahrenheit (35 C), so maybe it’s the heat melting their brains as they wait for AC.

Citizens have refused to allow linemen to access their properties, verbally and physically assaulted them, and as of Monday, at least 5 incidents of violence have been reported. One of those led to the arrest of a 39-year-old male who threw rocks at linemen before drawing and pointing his weapon at the workers.

100 linemen were evacuated from a staging area after threats were called in, and at least one woman has been charged with making a terroristic threat against utility workers. Ed Allen, the business manager for the local Union chapter and a 42-year veteran said he’d never seen anything like it. “In 42 years in this industry, working here in this community, I have never seen a response like this from the community.”

He continued, “We’ve had guys who have had guns pulled on them, we’ve got guys who have had rocks picked up and slung at them. I had a crew out in Sugarland, they had guys with AK-47s ′s standing across from them.”

Houston Mayor John Witmire addressed the violence, telling citizens, “Linemen are our friends and are doing their job. Do not threaten them. I understand you’re angry and mad and frustrated, but let’s get through this together.”  

At almost 98% restoration at the time of writing, nearly 40K residents are still without power. In the wake of the botched response, CedarPoint Energy, Houston’s energy provider, has been slammed with lawsuits.  The Texas governor opened an official inquiry into the company’s preparedness, and many Texans are wondering how it will handle storms in the future.

 Whatever CedarPoint decides to do, they had best figure it out quickly because, after that less-than-neighborly response, it sounds like Texas may not get nearly as much help in the future.

Ah Greg Abbott. The Texas Governor of nearly a decade continues to disappoint at every turn, embracing the MAGA mind frame with zealotous furor and putting the needs of his own state citizens last on the list of priorities.

Its been his approach to leadership from the start, but Abbott’s dismissal of the very people who got him elected is really starting to get old. Maybe its due to the ever-rising number of similarly incompetent state leaders cinching high-profile positions in government, or perhaps its simply thanks to our increasing lack of patience with the heartless harpies who put profit above life, but Abbott is only getting less popular.

For precisely that reason, the 66-year-old’s recent departure from his home state is seen as more of a boon than a barrier. Abbott’s absence isn’t seen as much of an issue to a bulk of Texans, but his lack of attendance even as yet another climate-spurred natural disaster strikes is sparking plenty of questions among the people who make his state their home.

Where the heck is Greg Abbott? 442eh

It seems to be a trend among Texas politicians to ditch the country whenever the going gets tough. Ted Cruz set the precedent when he bailed on his home state in the midst of a winter disaster that left hundreds dead and more without power, and it seems Abbott is taking up the torch.

As the state was buckling down in preparation for Hurricane Beryl, Abbott was busy rubbing elbows with foreign leaders. The timing of his departure isn’t necessarily on Abbott, given the unexpectedly dire development of the storm — which touched down on the state as a Category 1 — but his absence is being dully noted by the civilians he left behind.

While Texans endure punishing winds and widespread power outages, Abbott is busy discussing “business deals” with leaders across Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has taken over duties as acting governor, working hard to prep the citizens of his state and adding a wave of fresh counties to a Hurricane Beryl disaster declaration on Saturday, while Abbott works to strengthen business ties between Texas and Asian leaders.

In a statement about the trip, Abbott explained that “Texas is a magnet for global investments,” and expressed his hopes that the week-long journey will “spur job creation and promote innovation between Texas and Taiwan.”

Abbott’s trip began on July 5 and will continue through July 13. He should be back within his home state on the 13th, returning to his role as Governor and allowing Patrick to return to his typical duties as Lieutenant Governor.

Sometimes there are miscarriages of justice, and sometimes, there is justice that’s so lenient it almost feels like an insult. As is the case of 60-year-old Carey Birmingham.

In what kind of situation is Texas – that, by all means, executes people more than any other US State – going to give a murderer more leniency than some European countries – my home country, for instance, which has a maximum sentence of 25 years?  

Answer: When the victim has allegedly cheated before being killed. Because we all know how it goes: “Thou shalt not kill” unless there’s also “Thou shalt not commit adultery” in the mix, then the whole “Thou shalt not kill” is void. In other words, you shouldn’t commit murder, but if your partner cheated, then it’s fair game. Shoot them thrice in the head outside of the driveway of the home you shared for years while they film their own death, because that’s perfectly reasonable, they allegedly cheated.

Patricia’s sister, Mary, defends her, insisting she did not even cheat on her husband — and the truth is, we don’t know whether she did. Even if someone cheated, that alone is insufficient to provide a valid explanation for taking their life. It could also be the case that Carey had “Othello syndrome,” as a few men do – and some women too.

Well, he certainly went the Shakespeare’s Othello way in dealing with the situation. But he used a shotgun instead of a pillow.

An all-female jury failing their own gender 5d2a3h

Some drug offenses and thefts are more harshly punished than Mr. Birmingham was. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after 5 years.

Here in my tiny European country of Portugal, the maximum sentence afforded by the legal system is 25 years, no matter what you do; a friend’s father was sentenced to ten years, the same sentence as Birmingham — for money laundering. No parole after 5 years for him. This is not to condone money laundering, just to condemn the slap on the wrist that was given to the man who stole the mother of his child from her.

The 18-year-old daughter, Olivia, who was at school when the tragedy took place, said in an interview with Inside Edition: “My love for my dad died that day.”  

Palpable (and understandable) outrage 5f421o

In the same interview, Patricia’s sister pointed out that, because her sister stood her ground instead of pleading for her life, the female jury did not feel pity for her as they should’ve. Of course, that coupled with the fact that the potential adultery (and a dash of Bible Belt internalized misogyny) seemed to justify the violent act in the jury’s minds. “They took the computers, they took the phones, and there’s no proof of that ever happening.”  Mary also said during the interview.

“Since when is it acceptable for someone to outright MURDER someone and get less than 20????” read one comment under the aforementioned Inside Edition interview video.

On Reddit, the discussion continued. Some comments threw humorous jabs at the killer’s expense.

Others commented on the defense attorneys’ achievement:

But the majority expressed their vexation. Some, while also offering their own examples:

Ultimately, a large portion of those aware of this case cannot understand how Patricia’s life was worth only 10, potentially 5 years of Carey’s life. But if this netizen is correct —

— ten to five years may be enough for Carey to also, as he put it, “go meet Jesus,” and hopefully bring some lasting peace of mind to those who loved and cared for Patricia. If not, here’s hoping the video of him visibly intoxicated, wearing nothing but an open bathrobe, with his private bits blurred, and being just your average, unfriendly next-door wife killer, follows him even after the handful of years of incarceration.

Savanah Soto, 18, her 9-month-old unborn child, and her boyfriend Matthew Guerra, 22, were found murdered the day after Christmas. And now, a murder suspect and an accomplice have been arrested in connection to the awful crime.

Savanah and Matthew were found days after they were reported missing, in a medical center apartment complex. It is not the same place in which they were shot and killed, but San Antonio authorities, as of right now, are not able to say where the murder actually took place.

That being said, they are pretty sure of who did it, and why they did it.

A drug deal gone wrong? t2q6d

Police say Savanah and Matthew were killed on Dec. 21, and that Christopher Preciado, 19, is now charged with their capital murder, and his father, Ramon Preciado, charged for his alleged role in helping deal with the bodies in the aftermath.

Thanks to Savanah’s phone, police were able to locate the dark pickup truck that could be seen on surveillance video. This was when, allegedly, Ramon went to meet his son to help him dispose of the bodies. The suspects’ home was a mere two blocks away from where the bodies were discovered.

When interrogated, Christopher provided information that was inconsistent with the manner of the victims’ deaths. He claims self-defense, that he wrestled the gun away from Matthew who was the first to draw a weapon and act violently. This, however, seems inconsistent with the fact that both victims were shot in the head behind the ear. Both interrogations led directly to the arrests.

It appears like Christopher intended to buy marijuana from Matthew, which seems to be corroborated by his own story to the police and Matthew’s known occupation as a weed dealer. During the transaction, something may not have gone as planned, and thus Christopher shot both the dealer and his girlfriend.

But whatever Matthew’s occupation was does not excuse any actions taken by Christopher. As Gabriel Guerra, Matthew’s bereaved father, said:

“Matthew hasn’t always made the best decisions. […] I make no excuses for him, whatever he did, […] I don’t condone that at all. But, that being said, no one deserves to be murdered, period. Regardless of what kind of activity you’re in or what you are doing.”

Additional charges are pending, including those to do with the death of the unborn baby girl, Fabian. Taking into consideration Texas’ laws on abortion, it would be strange, at the very least, not to consider a fully-developed baby, who was to be induced and born on one of the days his parents were missing, as a third murder victim.

Update Jan. 6: The gun police believe was used as the murder weapon, has since been found at the suspects’ home. Police are also exploring the possibility of the involvement of a third person.

Is your biggest fear scorpions? If not, why not? Imagine minding your own business in the bathtub, settling in after an exhausting shift at work, only to be visited by a thirsty arachnid.

Thankfully, of the estimated 1,500 known scorpion species, only 25 to 30 pose a lethal threat to humans. Most scorpions in Texas are considered non-venomous, although they do pack a powerful sting when threatened. It’s generally best to keep your distance, unless you happen to scare one or one of them finds its way into your home.

And that’s precisely what one TikTok endured. When resting at home in the bathtub, she was greeted by a scorpion looking for some water during the summer drought. It first begins to show its pincers from behind the drain, attempting to squeeze its way from behind the covering. Believing it to be stuck, the woman bangs on the drain cover to encourage it to flee, but it remains persistent.

“Texas living at its finest,” she says, as she attempts to deter her unwanted visitor. It manages to get its upper body free, then desperately wiggles for complete freedom. At this point, you would safely say “nope” to the bath entirely, get out of the tub as quickly as possible, burn the house down, move to another country, and change your name.

But for some reason, she doesn’t scare so easily. It isn’t until the scorpion drops into the water that she finally exits the bathtub in an orderly fashion.

New fear unlocked: scorpions crawling into the bathtub. I don’t know about some of you, but when I’m taking a bath, I want complete and utter privacy. Apparently, this scorpion missed the memo. Either that or it’s a peeping Tom. Thankfully, here in Connecticut, we don’t see too many scorpions about, but anyone living in Texas has my utter respect. We thought spiders were bad, but now the scorpions are taking over, too.