By Johnny Trlica 

Commentary: A cheating husband is quick to accuse his wife of having an affair. A thief will quickly point the finger at his best friend. A woman who emits a silent but deadly fart will blame the innocent dog in a flash. It’s called projecting. According to Karen R. Koenig, M. Ed, LCSW, projection refers to taking unwanted emotions or traits you don’t like about yourself and attributing them to someone else.  

Projecting can easily be confused with lying; if they are not married, they are related. In either case, the goal is to draw attention away from the accuser committing the offence. 

At the Texas Republican Convention held in Houston last month, a party platform was adopted that used the word abnormal. “Homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle choice. We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin, and we oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values. No one should be granted special legal status based on their LGBTQ+ identification,” reads the document. 

For a party that resembles a cult more than a political organization and who has, as its leader, a lying, corrupt, treason-committing, braggadocios, narcissistic tax evading, money grubbing, vulgar, sexist, pussy grabbing, handicap mocking, greedy, Putin ass-kissing, bleach injecting, white supremacist, incompetent, arrogant, coup attempting, racist, transphobic and homophobic man, to call anyone abnormal is ridiculous. 

On January 6, 2021, the entire nation watched Trump flag waving goons attack our nation’s Capital. They erected gallows with a noose hanging from it and had intentions of murdering Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the second and third people in line for the presidency.  

GOP Representative Andre Clyde of Georgia, describing the event that killed and/or injured hundreds of police officers, said, “Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes, taking videos and pictures. You know, if you didn’t know the TV footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.” 

His delusional view of the happenings of that day is basically the party line now. Move on. Nothing to see here. Now, that’s abnormal! 

Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election by seven million votes nationally and 306-232 in the Electoral College, and became the first U.S. President to refuse to hand over power peacefully. His incitement of the January 6 assault on the Capitol was a last-ditch attempt to remain in office. 

Nevertheless, Trump remains the dominant figure in the Republican Party and is openly speaking about running for the presidency again in 2024 and would probably gain his party’s nomination. 

Ain’t nothing normal about that! 

Texas lawmakers passed some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The law makes no exceptions for victims of rape or incest, which runs counter to public opinion. The state mandates a 12-year-old girl, raped by a relative, must carry the baby to term. 

The state will force an adult woman who goes out with friends, has a few too many adult beverages, has a one-night stand and is impregnated, to live with that mistake for eternity. Being forced to carry a pregnancy to term can be harmful financially, psychologically and, sometimes, physically.  

Texas’ Republican controlled legislature wrote and enacted these laws, setting the clock back a hundred years. Now, that’s abnormal. 

On May 16, 2022, an Uvalde resident celebrated his 18th birthday. The next day, he walked into a gun shop and purchased an AR platform rifle from a federally licensed gun store. A few days later he bought another one along with 375 rounds of 5.56-caliber ammunition. Legally!  

In Texas, you must be at least 18 years old to buy a rifle, and the state does not require a license to openly carry one in public. 

A week later, nineteen children and two teachers lay dead on the floors of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. It’s the deadliest school shooting in Texas history. The public cried out that something must be done. 

Governor Greg Abbott and every single GOP politician defended the laws that allowed the gunman, with no background check, no waiting period and no license, to purchase the deadly weapon specifically designed for mass killings.  

They put their love of guns and fear of the NRA over school children. Now that’s abnormal. 

For years, Republicans tried to instill fear of Sharia law and radicalized Muslims. For a look at laws based on fanatical religious beliefs and extremist, radicalized members, they need only to look in the mirror.