As we recover from the devastating winter storm that passed through Texas mere weeks ago, we at AMP felt it was important to discuss the circumstances surrounding the disaster, and its political fallout. In this issue, we’re featuring some reactionary satire and opinion articles from our fellow Comets. The one thing that we want to impart on you, dear reader, is that our government has abandoned us.

Many of you probably realized this earlier in the year as we and our families waited for stimulus checks that would never arrive, and the checks that did certainly weren’t enough to live on. Yet we see our elected officials — current and past — tell us that our suffering is our problem, insisting that we need to make sacrifices while they flee to warmer places. It has become abundantly clear that Texas officials do not, and never did, care about us.

In particular, the state government demonstrated a complete disregard for the consequences of its poorly-managed power grids. It was an egregious oversight that our metropolitan skylines were lit up like a Christmas tree, while only streets away, people were fighting just to stay warm. Our state was unbelievably unprepared for such a life-threatening emergency, and it’s abundantly clear that Texas citizens were never prioritized in their government’s response.

Which brings us to our main message: we are alone out here. We always have been. Regardless of what those in power would like you to think, substantial help is unlikely to be on the way, which means we Texans need to look out for each other. Now’s the time to get involved in our community on the most direct level, through local mutual aid and volunteer organizations. Were it not for the work of small groups, who tirelessly worked together to distribute food, water, and other essentials in the area, the winter storm could have been even more devastating than it already was.

To help get you started, AMP has picked out a few organizations that we personally think are doing great work in the Dallas area. We understand that not everyone is able to contribute their time or money, but for those in a position to do so, we ask that you consider helping these groups out. As we’ve recently seen, pooling together community resources is what gets us through difficult times, more so than any federal or state actions — making mutual aid the best kind of investment.

Stay safe out there, Comets.

Feed the People Dallas

Website: https://feedthepeopledallas.com/

Twitter: @feedtheppldfw

Say it With Your Chest DTX

Website: https://linktr.ee/siwycdtx/

Twitter: @siwycdtx