One member of Congress alone has limited power in an emergency at the scale of the screwworm outbreak, and federal and state officials are mobilizing resources. And there are plenty of powerful members from West and South Texas who are engaged and able to ask questions directly to federal personnel.
But given the high-profile federal response and importance of the cattle industry to the district’s economy, the lack of a representative could hamper constituents’ ability to get information or be heard.
Absent a representative, both candidates to replace Gonzales are trying to convene ranchers, get information from the federal government and get information to people in the district — without the title of “Representative” next to their names that affords more information access.
When he was in office, Gonzales led the introduction of a House bill, cosponsored by the majority of the Texas delegation and included members of both parties, to establish a facility to grow sterile New World screwworm flies in areas at risk of infection — though the bill never received a vote.
Gonzales also launched a screwworm working group with federal personnel, state stakeholders and ranchers, and was on site when Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a plan to eliminate New World screwworm last June.
USDA did break ground on a sterile fly facility in Edinburg in April, flanked by Republican Sen. John Cornyn and Republican U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, but the facility is not yet operational, though Rollins has pledged to fasttrack its opening.
Yo Texas.
You doing alright over there?
You’ve got parasites, your electric grid is questionable, your politicians are redrawing maps without your permission, and weed still isn’t legal.
Best Wishes,
California
It’s bad but at least it’s not raining (stares into hurricane season as it’s just beginning)
Is drought better?
Bzzzzzbzzzzbzzzzbzzx?
Bzzz?
Bzzz bzzz bzzz! Bzzz, bz, bzzzzz bzzz bzzz, BZZZ!?
MAGAs getting exactly what they voted for. I love that for them.
The congressman they voted for was actively fighting screwworm
Except that every single other person around them suffers and I hate that for them
Its like having to deal with drug addicts, they destroy their lives and the lives of others around them except instead of being able to avoid them they are everywhere and affecting every facet of your life no matter if you don’t have contact with them or not. That’s what Trump voters are like.
Really sucks.
Texas, the One Star State.
The ten plagues occurred in the following sequence:
Water to Blood: The Nile River and all Egyptian water sources turned to blood, killing the fish and creating a foul odor. (bye bye EPA)
Frogs: Countless frogs swarmed the land, invading homes, beds, and ovens. All gay.
Gnats (or Lice): Gnats emerged from the dust, tormenting both humans and animals.
Flies: Hordes of flies infested the country
Livestock Pestilence: A severe disease killed the Egyptians’ horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, and sheep (you are here)
Boils: Painful, festering boils broke out on the skin of all Egyptians and their animals.
Hail: A destructive storm of thunder, fire, and heavy hail destroyed crops, trees, and livestock left in the fields. (Florida in September.)
Locusts: Swarms of locusts devoured every green plant and tree left by the hail.
Darkness: A thick, palpable darkness covered Egypt for three days, confining people to their homes. (another Blue Origin fail?)
Death of the Firstborn: The final and most severe plague took the life of every firstborn male in Egypt (measles?)
Before its elimination in the US, the screwworm fly could spread as far as the Canadian border in favorable years. Dispersals occur at a rate of about 80 to 160 km (50 to 99 mi) per generation.
I wonder it favorable years are more common now, with global warming in full swing.
Also the fly will infect any warm blooded animal including livestock, pets, humans and even birds.
Edit: I hope they infect Elon Musk since his DOGE shit directly led to this.
Beef prices are already high due to herd mismanagement, beef will be insane in a few months.
good thing soylent green is cheap.
I wonder it favorable years are more common now, with global warming in full swing.
It’s more a matter of luck and human stupidity. The adult screw-worms typically travel only about 10 miles looking for an animal to infect . One major cause of spread is infected animals (mostly deer and other wildlife) that travel long distances before succumbing to the infection so it comes down to how far infected animals carry the larva.
- July 3, 2023: Panama declared a state of emergency. Just days later, Costa Rica followed suit.
- By the end of 2024: Every Central American nation had identified cases of screwworm.
- November 22, 2024: Screwworm larvae were discovered in a cow at the Mexico-Guatemala border crossing,
- approximately 700 miles south of Texas.
- July 9, 2025: A detection [was reported] in Veracruz, approximately 370 miles south of the US border.
- September 21, 2025: [A screwworm case was reported in] Nuevo León, only 70 miles from Texas.
Less than a year later we’ve detected a case about 50-70 miles into Texas. So from November 2024 to not quite the middle of 2026, about a year and a half, the parasite has spread from the southern Mexico border all the way into Texas.
Now, there is one other major way the parasite spreads. If someone unknowingly ships an infected animal to another part of the country, it could leap thousands of miles in a very short time. In fact, cattle smuggling from Central American countries is one of the ways that screwworms spread across Mexico so quickly. I really expect the same to happen in the USA if it hasn’t already.
If I was a religious type I would think God was mad at us for electing this dude
“God is angry because we elected the wrong dude” is just a mantra the losing party repeats following every defeat.
On the flip side, “God’s light shines on our candidate!” is the mantra the winning party repeats following every victory.
Almost as though it’s just hollow partisan superstition used to distract the gullible types from policy.
Yeah but you gotta admit theres something distinctly biblical about these tribulations, pardon the pun
Bible be like “You’re going to experience hunger, illness, war, and death.”
2000 years later, every single fucking generation in history thinks they’re living in the End Times.
Guess they’re just screwed
Just let the farmers deal with it. If meat becomes unaffordably expensive, then let them eat vegetables I guess? This is what they wanted
Do you know what screw worms are?
They’re blowflies with a parasitic larval stage. The flies land on cattle, usually areas where they have a hard time biting or grooming, and lay their eggs in a wound. This is unusual, given that most blowflies lay their eggs in festering, putrid carcasses. These guys prefer hosts that are still alive. In fact, they prefer to attack soft, vulnerable areas. Like the eyes, the peritoneum, or even the bellybuttons of newborn calves.
In that wound, these maggots–roughly 2/3 of an inch long (or 17mm)–will hatch. Wanna know how they get their name? Their little mouth hooks act like the points of woodscrews. Their bodies have little ridges, like a woodscrew. They will burrow deeper into infected flesh, like a woodscrew. Deeper, deeper, deeper, to get to richer blood and flesh. And when they mature, they shred that flesh on the way out. A single female can lay up to 500 eggs in a single landing.
Did I mention they can infect dogs, cats, and humans? Especially babies and disabled people who spend their time outside?
Personally? Fuck whatever their politics are, no one deserves that kind of torture.
It has spread to a dog in New Mexico already. https://slrpnk.net/post/38838127
Once again, everyore and everything else ends up suffering to acommodate the Repubs. Ugh
Thoughts and prayers
