USA. A Mexican restaurant. We had not yet ordered anything, and the food was already arriving.
Chips. Salsa. Unrequested. Free.
I stopped the waiter. "We have not earned these."
"They just come with the table, man."
They come with the TABLE. In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling. Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner.
This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: we trust you. Eat.
I ate with the gravity the moment deserved. And then — I must report this calmly — the basket emptied, and a new one appeared.
"Did we…?"
"Refill," the waiter said. "It's bottomless."
Bottomless. They have wells of salsa. The supply lines of this nation are beyond anything my ancestors imagined.
My friend warned me. "Don't fill up on chips, dude."
Too late. I had accepted three baskets. Honor demanded each one be finished — an unfinished gift is an insult. By the time my actual food arrived, I was a ruined man.
I was not hungry. I was not comfortable. I had been defeated by a courtesy.
Generosity that arrives before the request cannot be repaid. It can only be survived.
I know the rule now. I have made my peace with the basket. One basket. Two at the most.
Who am I deceiving. There is no number of baskets I would refuse. The trust of a nation is in that salsa, and I intend to honor all of it.
So ... @SenateGOP ... which of you dirty rotten rat finks will be gaveling in @LeaderJohnThune 's pro forma recess sessions to stop Trump?
Will it be You @Sentomcotton? How about you @JohnCornyn .
You better believe we will be watching and we will NOT be forgetting or forgiving
Dear @GOPSenate,
If you do not remove and replace John Thune now, not a single one of you will hold your seat after your next election.
We will primary every single one of you until there isn't one of you left.
Now do you care more about loyalty to John Thune or do you care more about your loyalty to your constituents and the American people?
We will see. We are watching. Your time is running out.
And just so we have the facts straight, @LeaderJohnThune DOES NOT have to accept the recommendations of the Parliamentarian. He can push the reconciliation through as written and deny her changes to it. He is just looking for someone else to blame. He’s a spineless coward
Its becoming quite clear that Senate Republicans are willing to lose their seats to save @LeaderJohnThune
I hope they understand we are coming for his seat and when he’s gone we’re coming after everyone that didn’t try to remove him. Incumbency will not save you!
🚨 WOW, RINO BETRAYAL: John Thune Just SHUT DOWN The Senate & Sent Everyone Home Until Early June With ZERO Warning!
- No Save America Act.
- No Voter ID & proof of citizenship.
- No ICE/Border funding.
- No recess appointments.
Just another 10-day vacation for the swamp while the invasion continues and elections remain wide open for fraud.
This is exactly why Americans are furious with Senate Republicans. Thune had one job, deliver for President Trump and the American people, and he folded like a cheap suit.
MAGA will NOT forget this.
Pass the damn SAVE America Act and secure the border NOW. No more excuses!
He is tagged, let him hear you!
🚨 BREAKING: John Thune will be sending the Senate home EARLY, and they’ll stay home until JUNE
This guy is a DISGRACE.
That means NO ICE / CBP funding, and NO SAVE America Act until at LEAST next month.
THUNE NEEDS TO BE REMOVED!
My amazing, kind, handsome nephew Matthew Perna hanged himself after 13 months of mental torture from the DOJ after non violent charges for Jan 6. Will our family ever receive justice? How much $$$ should his surviving family member receive? How do you put a price on a HUMAN LIFE?@DAGToddBlanche @elonmusk@POTUS
I was entirely peaceful on January 6, yet the federal government arrested me on 30 years of federal charges (21.5 years of charges were thrown out for being bogus before Trump even won re-election). I lost my job. I had to delay the completion of my PhD. I was banned from Facebook, Instagram, and PayPal. I used up my savings and had to go into debt. I also had to fight in court for four years to defend against the false allegations brought against me. I was never convicted of a single crime, yet my life was crushed by the fascist weaponization of government.