So how many of us know Louisiana Republican Congressman Clay Higgins? All I know (from a two second Wikipedia scan) is that he has been a police officer or its equivalent with four Louisiana police departments, that he has been married four times, and that he hob nobs with the nobility of the crazy far right.

But this morning, I learned something else. I was listening to a House committee hearing regarding the control of the southern border. I heard little of it, because it was only during a short drive to the bakery that I was listening. The two witnesses were DHS officials. I don’t even know who the chair was – obviously a Republican who only wanted to know whether Secretary Mayorkas, when he said the border was under control, was lying or stupid. Which one? It’s an easy question.

At any rate, what I learned is that Clay Higgins has absorbed the plots of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad and become convinced that the shows are historically accurate non-fiction. He asked one of the witnesses (I paraphrase with regard to words, but not intent) the following: “I have been led to understand that there have been an increasing number of Chinese being smuggled across the border with the help of the Mexican cartels who control our border, and that many of these Chinese are scientists, who then hook up with cartel members inside the United States and are using their expertise to create hidden fentanyl labs within the United States. Can you comment on that?”

The official responded (again I paraphrase): “Huh? No, that’s not happening.”

Higgins also asked why everything changed at border on (exact date) January 21, 2021. Again, I paraphrase: “Don’t you just think that everybody is trying to get into the country now, because they know that in 2024 the Republicans will take over the country again, shut the border down completely, and if they don’t get in now, they know they never will?”

Oh, you Republicans.

I don’t want to let Joe Biden off the hook, though. I don’t know whether the recent approval of drilling in the Arctic (the “Willow” project) is good or bad. My guess is that it’s both, and that perhaps it was inevitable (that I don’t know). But, on MSNBC this morning, there was a clip played of Biden in 2020, stating categorically and maybe six times, that there will no drilling on federal land anywhere, and maybe another six times, “especially in the Arctic”. Now a direct quote: “No, no, no, no, no.” (I remember that one.)

Oh, you politicians.

Random thoughts:

1. At Breads Unlimited this morning, I was told that they were almost out of green St. Patrick’s Day cookies, because “we had a run of grandfathers come in early this morning”. But I also noted that the green bagels looked untouched. I wondered if I should get one or two – then I looked at them more carefully and realized why they were untouched. Ugh.
2. I also stopped in at Staples. The Bethesda store. Big store. Maybe there was one other customer at 10 a.m. That’s the way it always seems to be there. I assume everyone but me buys on-line from Staples, and no one comes into the stores any more. The clerk gave me my receipt, which was quite lengthy. He said to me: “You can see we are trying to compete with CVS, but don’t have it quite down yet.”

Now, I am looking at my desk. What a mess. I have a program to organize for the Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies, a lot of work for both Haberman and the Jewish Funeral Practices Committee to try to find new board members, my presentation on the Israel Supreme Court situation, bank statements and credit card bills to reconcile, new insurance policies to review, etc., etc. I think I’ll take a walk.