local news

Another journey looms

Not many days from now, I am going to jump into my Ranger pickup with Toby the Puppy and head east.

The trek will take us to North Carolina and Virginia before we start the return to the house in North Texas. The goal for this journey is the same as it was for the month-long trip I took to the other coast. This one won’t last as long.

I’ve budgeted two weeks for this one, but the aim is the same: to clear my head and seek to mend my heart, which was shattered into a zillion pieces with the passing of my bride on Feb. 3.  Kathy Anne lost a fierce, but brief, fight with cancer.

But … you know about that.

I am not yet sure if I will require any more of these kinds of mind-clearing, heart-mending getaways. I can report some progress in this journey I have taken since I lost the love of my life.

For instance, I can think of Kathy Anne without bawling — although not always. The emotions run amok, though, when I talk about her with friends and family. My sons, my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter are struggling in their own ways with the loss they suffered. I have sought to let them all know that I am here for them if they need special support … except that among all of us, I believe I am the most emotionally tender.

Well, the journey will continue for all of us who loved Kathy Anne.

I have all but declared my heart will be damaged permanently. I am just seeking ways to cope with the pain that I am certain will flare on occasion. Getting behind the wheel of my pickup — with Toby the Puppy riding shotgun — is sure to offer plenty of comfort.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

military news

How does this guy get elected?

1 Comment

I happen to know four people fairly well who live in the great state of Alabama.

I worked with two of them; two others I met along the way. They all are friends and I believe with all my heart that they do not subscribe to the views expressed by one of their U.S. senators.

Still, I have to wonder how in the world does a dim bulb such as Tommy Tuberville, a Republican, get elected to what used to be known as the “world’s greatest deliberative body.”

Tuberville is angry with the Pentagon over its alleged acceptance of abortion; members of the military are able to acquire abortion-related medical services. So, what does Tuberville do? He blocks the appointment of the next commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, denying that service its first commandant in more than century.

Acting out of political petulance in fact puts the nation’s security at some risk. Tuberville also has held up the appointments of several other officers on the same grounds.

Didn’t the GOP once stand as the party of a strong national defense? That it would let nothing get in the way of providing the most powerful military the world has known?

Not any longer. It now stands as the party that puts partisanship and politics above national security.

Tuberville is a disgrace to his office and to the entire U.S. Senate.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news, State news

Ted Cruz: common foe

Colin Allred and Roland Guiterrez have something — or someone — in common. It is the individual they both want to face in the November 2024 general election.

Except that only one of them will get the chance to face off against Rafael Edward Cruz.

Allred is a Democratic congressman from Dallas; Guiterrez is a Democratic state senator from San Antonio; Cruz is the Republican senator who has (allegedly) represented Texas since 2013.

Allred and Guiterrez are running in the Democratic Senate primary.

This is just a hunch on my part, but I’m betting we aren’t going to hear much from the Democrats about why they are better than the other guy. Their target will be Ted Cruz.

Their task, therefore, will be to persuade Texas Democrats who between them can make the best case to boot Cruz out of office.

I am likely to vote in the 2024 Democratic primary next spring. I am going to wait with bated breath on which individual is suited better to represent my state than the GOP fire-breather who has spent a Senate career making an ass of himself.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

legal news

14th Amendment stands out

It appears that of all the 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the 14th Amendment has emerged as the most discussed, most cited, most argued and arguably the most important of them all.

I’ve been following a host of legal and political battles for a long time. Just lately, though, it seems that the 14th Amendment keeps surfacing from the legal mumbo-jumbo that at times accompanies these discussions.

Let’s ponder a few notions, shall we?

Section 1 makes two important distinctions. One is that anyone born in the United States is granted citizenship upon birth. A Republican presidential candidate, Ron DeSantis, wants to remove that stipulation from the law. Section 1 also says all citizens are entitled to “equal protection under the law.” This clause has come into play in decisions — to cite one example — regarding gay marriage.

Section 3 declares that anyone who participates in sedition or an insurrection shall be denied the opportunity to seek public office at any level in this country. Hmm. Does that one sound familiar? It should. If Donald J. Trump is indicted for allegedly fomenting the insurrection of 1/6 and then is convicted in a trial, he cannot serve in any public office … ever!

Section 4 declares that the nation’s good faith and credit shouldn’t be messed with, giving the lie to the notion by the MAGA morons who sought to deny efforts to increase the nation’s debt ceiling. Failure to honor our debts would have plunged us into economic catastrophe.

All of this is my way of wondering: Do the MAGA cultists know a damn thing about the Constitution, the oaths of office they take to honor and protect it or the penalties they face if they fail to honor their oath?

I must remind them that they take that oath while placing their hand on a holy book. Thus, the oath is sacred, given the religious tenets to which the politicians claim to follow.

The framers didn’t craft the perfect government framework. It’s pretty damn inclusive and those wise men managed to cram many key provisions into a single amendment to the Constitution.

Moreover, if the MAGA nitwits had half a brain, they would understand that “constitutional absolutism” means they follow the document to the letter … or else.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

national news

End of era: end of division

We all know this about this so-called Era of Donald Trump: It will end eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later.

When it does, it is my sincere hope to see friendships rekindled and rebuilt, even among family members who have split between two camps: the MAGA cult and the Never Trumpers.

I lo.ng ago lost count of the number of times people have told me how they avoid certain friends or family members because of their political differences. Specifically, these friends of mine tell me it has to do with their loyalty to Trump.

“I just can’t stand to be around them,” these folks say with more than a slight air of frustration and sadness. To be truthful, I don’t hang out with the MAGA cultists, so I generally only have heard from the anti-Trump side. So, forgive me for not having a more complete picture of the great divide that has split the nation.

This divide among friends and family is worse than anything I’ve ever witnessed in real time. I am 73 years of age. I came of age during the Vietnam War. I went there for a time to serve my country. There were those in families who supported the war and those who opposed it. I do not recall ever discussing with anyone whether they should talk to their family members because of policy differences relating to the war.

Not long after Vietnam came Watergate. A team of numbskull burglars got caught breaking into the Democratic Party’s office complex in DC. Then came the coverup. President Nixon abused the power of his office to obstruct justice. He was on the road to impeachment when he resigned the presidency in 1974. Again, do I recall family members becoming estranged over that? No.

You are free to correct me if you experienced such a thing. I merely am saying I did not see it first hand.

This time it’s different. A former president has been indicted twice for crimes. The House of Reps impeached him twice, only to see that effort fail to obtain a conviction because of a lack of courage in the U.S. Senate.

And there has been plenty of wreckage spread along the way, even as Trump has sought to overturn the results of a legitimate presidential election.

When the Trump Era ends is anyone’s guess. It could end with the Republican Party primary season in 2024. It could end with a conviction perhaps at the end of this year on one of those indictments. It could end with — dare I say it? — Trump’s demise.

I just know it will end eventually. I hope the damage this demagogue has inflicted on families and friendships isn’t permanent.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news

New memories to be built

Some of my Texas Panhandle peeps perhaps thought I popped off to vigorously in cheering the demolition of Potter County Memorial Stadium.

If so, allow me to explain.

I admit to not having any of the memories of spending evenings at the rotten old ballpark watching teams named the Gold Sox and the Dillas play hardball. I attended a couple of events at the place but found it to be unsuitable for virtually any sort of public activity, given the deplorable condition of amenities such as, oh, restrooms and the like.

So, while visiting Amarillo the other day I took a moment to travel to the Tri-State Fairgrounds to see the rubble that is what is left of the stadium. I cheered its demise.

Then a friend of mine reminded me via social media that Amarillo voters had the good sense to endorse a municipal referendum to build the downtown stadium now called Hodgetown. It is a shiny venue, a state-of-the-art place to watch the Amarillo Sod Poodles play under the guidance of a Major League Baseball franchise.

The Sod Poodles opened the ballpark by winning the Texas League championship in their initial season.

Fans are continuing to pack the place. I suspect there will be plenty of new memories to be built over time as the Sod Poodles continue to enjoy successful seasons. They will welcome players who eventually will gravitate to the Big Leagues and, who knows, possibly craft Hall of Fame careers the way, say, the late Tony Gwinn did when he stopped briefly in Amarillo to play for the Gold Sox.

Therefore, I don’t think I popped off when I bid a heartfelt farewell to a rathole dump. I’m betting the best is yet to come for Amarillo.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news

Why do I care about these matters?

It’s time to come clean on something, which is part of this journey I have been traveling since I first started collecting Social Security retirement benefits.

It deals with the current dispute in the Texas Legislature over how to reduce property taxes. I haven’t followed the issue as closely as, say, some members of my family. Why not? Because the state of Texas does an extremely good job of protecting us old folks from the pressures of paying increasing property taxes.

You see, we have these homestead exemptions and senior exemptions that freeze our property taxes.

It doesn’t mean that I don’t care about how local governments are spending my tax money. I do watch the Princeton Independent School District, the City of Princeton, Collin County and Collin College spending issues carefully. I don’t want the taxes I pay to be wasted on frivolous expenditures.

It’s the debate over the amount I pay that slides past me.

Legislators are bickering among themselves over how to cut property taxes. So are Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dade Phelan and Gov. Greg Abbott. They’re sniping among themselves over which plan is suitable. Gov. Abbott says he’ll keep calling lawmakers back to special sessions for as long as it takes to get his way on the issue.

Meanwhile, he’s vetoing legislation that does affect me and my fellow Texans to force legislators to see it his way. That’s not a good look, governor.

I’ll just let ’em keep bickering over property tax reform. I have no particular opinion on which plan works best for me. I’m an old guy. The Legislature already has solved the issue for me.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news

Huge project on the rocks

A gigantic construction project that began along Princeton’s major thoroughfare has hit what one must describe as “not your everyday construction hiccup.”

A huge luxury apartment complex has seen work stopped for several weeks over some sort of dispute between the developer and the general contractor. The complex has arisen partly next to Wal-Mart on U.S. 380.

The Princeton Herald reported this week that construction is expected to resume next month once the developer hires another contractor. The developer says he has “identified a new team to continue the project” and is working out the details to sign them up to get cracking, the Princeton Herald has reported.

Oh, brother. I am shuddering at the prospect of this half-built complex comprising several hundred apartment units sitting there … unfinished and unoccupied for only God knows when.

I do not know this as fact, but I have to believe that City Hall’s senior management is set to move every obstacle out of the way to get the developer, Frontline Construction Management of Coppell, hooked up with a general contractor … as quickly as possible!

The developer and the former contractor got into some sort of snit that brought construction to a halt on May 19, according to the Princeton Herald. The stoppage does not mean the project is in financial peril, says the developer. Man, I hope he’s telling us the truth.

I am not going to push any panic buttons on this matter, given that I am just a chump civilian … who also pays his taxes that help pay for the city’s myriad levels of municipal government.

One of them happens to be the senior administration, which has the task of ensuring that this job gets completed.

I am one taxpaying resident who wants to see that job swarming with workers and construction equipment. The sooner the better.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

military news

Cluster bombs: Too much, too deadly?

President Biden’s decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine to aid the Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggressors sends a slight chill up my spine.

I say “slight” because the president easily could place some restrictions on their use by Ukrainian armed forces.

Cluster munitions are the types of bombs break apart, sending explosives over a vast target area. They inflict astonishing damage on targets they hit. They also are known to inflict tragic collateral damage. Indeed, the Russians are using them against Ukrainians in their effort to conquer that sovereign state.

Joe Biden has accused Russians of committing war crimes in using cluster munitions, given the damage they have done to schools, hospitals and houses of worship.

It sounds like Ukraine could be sliding down that proverbial slippery slope if they use this ordnance against Russians, unless …

They are able to inflict the intended damage only to military targets.

President Biden’s decision to send these munitions to Ukraine comes at the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Pentagon brass. Fine, Mr. President.

Please, though, tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to use them judiciously to avoid falling into the same category of “war criminal” as the madman who seeks to take control of your country.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news

Kitties’ roles have switched

I reported to you on May 16 about one of two cats that have moved into my home with my son, who relocated from Amarillo to Princeton.

The kitty to whom I referred was Macy, the female feline who moved in with her brother, Marlowe. I had noted that Macy was coming out of her proverbial shell and that Marlowe remained a work in progress.

I am able to report that Marlowe has acclimated himself fully to life in North Texas.

Kitty is finding her way – High Plains Blogger (wordpress.com)

Not only that, but my two grandkitties have all but reversed roles. It is Marlowe, a monstrous male who probably outweighs Toby the Puppy — the acknowledged King of Our House — by 10 pounds, who has become the Alpha Kitty.

I must report, though, that Marlowe recently reached beyond his grasp. Toby was eating his dinner one afternoon when Marlowe decided to stick his head into Toby’s bowl — while the Puppy was eating. That was a very bad call! Toby snapped, growled and made noises I had never heard from him as he chased Marlowe away from his chow. Lesson learned.

Marlowe simply will not leave me alone at night. I try to grab a few winks during the night, but Marlowe will have none of it. He licks, nuzzles and gets his face right in front of mine just to make sure I can hear his purring, which I can hear across any room in the house.

My only remedy is to close the bedroom door, which I do when Toby is sleeping with me. If Toby the Puppy decides he prefers his kennel over the bed, well … that’s where he goes.

In Toby’s absence, I get Marlowe.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the kitties. I love having them around. They are sweet and they are lovable.

They’re part of the family.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Commentary on politics, current events and life experience