national news, political news

Never have seen hatred like this …

My interest in politics and public policy goes back a ways … to, oh, around 1968. I had just graduated high school the previous year and was floundering in college.

Military duty awaited me, along with the Vietnam War that was fueling much of the debate in this country. The war and the debate raged on after I donned the Army uniform in the summer of ’68; in fact, I was inducted on Aug. 21 of that year, which means I will commemorate my induction date in just a few days.

I had a preferred presidential candidate that year. It was Sen. Robert F. Kennedy of New York. He was possibly on track to be nominated that summer as the Democratic candidate for president. Then in June 1968 it ended in a hail of gunfire in the Los Angeles hotel kitchen the night of the California Democratic primary that RFK won.

I went on to serve my country. I returned home in 1970. I got involved in the 1972 presidential election.

Where am I going with this? At no time, not a single time, did I witness the kind of bad blood flow among activists and politicians that we’re witnessing now in the Age of Donald Trump. We are witnessing the tearing apart of one of the essential threads of our political fabric. It’s the fabric that tells us that civility and decorum have their place … even as we debate with every ounce of mental and emotional strength in favor of policies and politicians we admire.

These days we hear about politicians fearing for their lives, that their political foes could react violently. And I won’t be coy about this aspect of the today’s climate: Pols and activists on the right — especially the MAGA right — are the most guilty of fomenting this fear. To be fair, the violence has its roots across the spectrum. I will cite the gruesome murder of right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk as a key example of how dangerous this rhetoric has become for everyone in the public eye.

Can we return to the good old days of fierce debate among friends in high places? I damn sure hope so.

legal news

This isn’t compromise … it’s betrayal

In all the years I have been watching and covering politics — as a daily print journalist — I have seen my share of men and women make compromises to seek a greater good.

The decision by key Republican U.S. senators to back Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation in the Senate, however, falls into a darker category. It is a betrayal of common decency, not to mention of the oath they all took to defend and protect the U.S. Constitution.

Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina both had been critical of recent decisions by Donald J. Trump. They made noise about opposing Blanche’s confirmation. It turned out that’s what it was: just a lot of noise.

The same could be said of Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a longtime foe of Trump. He, too, cast his vote to confirm Blanche, even though the new AG demonstrated repeatedly during his confirmation hearing that he had no intention of bucking the POTUS were he to issue an order that would violate the Constitution. Blanche, of course, served as Trump’s defense lawyer during his trials for various felonies of which he was convicted.

Accordingly, I am going to say a good word about Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska,, who were the only GOP senators to stand on principle, rather than on blind fealty to a lame-duck president who has shown zero inclination to do anything for the good of the entire nation he was elected to lead.

Cornyn and Tillis’s plunge into the cavern is particularly odious. They had demanded a written commitment from Blanche that he would disallow the spending of $1.8 billion in taxpayer money to the traitorous felons convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection against the government after the 2020 election that Trump lost to President Biden. They got a written promise from Blanche, but there remains a distinct possibility that he and/or Trump could renege on that promise. There is zero legal binding to it.

Cornyn and Tillis both went with the idiot in chief rather than sending a clear message that they stood on a matter of principle.

Blanche’s confirmation by a 50-49 partisan vote, indeed, was a dark day for the rule of law. The GOP will have to defend the indefensible before a voting public that has lost its patience with a once-great political party.

national news

Trump hangs on by a thread

Donald J. Trump keeps bragging about how great he is as a man and as a politician, about he won two of three presidential elections in a landslide.

Hmm. I gave that some thought, so I looked up a few numbers to try to put this man’s time in high office in its proper perspective. Let’s take a brief look at them, OK?

Trump ran in 2016 against Hillary Clinton. He finished that election with nearly 3 million fewer votes than Clinton, but won the Electoral College and, thus, became president.

He ran for re-election in 2020 and got whipped by Joe Biden, who tallied about 7 million more votes than Trump, who then protested Biden’s victory by launching the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump ran again in 2024 and beat Kamala Harris by about 2 million votes, and won the Electoral College, too.

I totaled up Trump’s popular votes in all three elections and came up with 212 million votes compared to 214 million votes tallied by Clinton, Biden and Harris combined.

Here’s my point.

Donald Trump can declare until his orange face turns blue, but the numbers don’t lie, unlike the liar in chief. Donald Trump did win all those “battleground states” in 2024 and I will give him credit for that. He fought hard to persuade voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia to support him. But across the vast nation, he still came up short of anything approaching the “landslide” he keeps saying he won.

Furthermore, in all three of those national elections on which Trump’s name was on the ballot, he fell short of scoring a majority. He finished with about 45% in 2016, 47% on 2020 and 49% in 2024.

A landslide usually describes a 10-point victory or greater. Trump has been hanging on by a single thread since the moment he took the oath of office in January 2017.

I believe he is going to see what a landslide actually looks like in about 88 days.

local news

Community ralllies to save a huge event

A marvelous event has just taken place in a community that sits about seven miles east of my house in Princeton along U.S. Highway 380.

Citizens rose rallied to bring back a long-standing event that has become an attraction of sorts in North Texas. Old Time Saturday had been put on the far back shelf in Farmersville when organizers decided they could no longer do all the work needed to keep it going.

The Farmersville community said, in unison, “Not so fast.” So, the Chamber of Commerce, the school district, the Farmersville Rotary Club, the City of Farmersville, Farmersville Centennial, Farmersville Parks and Rec., and the Farmersville Community Corp., cobbled together a partnership to revive Old Time Saturday.

So, an event thought to be possibly a thing of the past has become very much an event for the present — and hopefully for the future. Old Time Saturday will occur on Oct. 3. Visitors will be able to shop, consume lots of good food, watch a parade through downtown Farmersville, enjoy entertainment and all told just a hell of a good time.

I’ve covered a number of these community events during my many years in local journalism. This is a rare event to see a community rally the way Farmersville has done to preserve a long-standing event that pumps a lot of money into the region. Old Time Saturday will get a chance to pour even more funds into Farmersville.

Too often I have watched communities throw up their hands when organizers grow weary and then announce the event for which they toiled was going away. The Farmersville Centennial group had taken the lead on organizing Old Time Saturday for many years. I found out that many of the volunteers upon whom Farmersville Centennial depended on for help had other things to do. Planning and execution of the event fell on just a handful of folks. They, too, grew tired.

The collection of agencies, though, demonstrates to me that Farmersville, a rapidly growing community in eastern Collin County, wasn’t going to let an event that draws thousands of visitors to Farmersville every year was not going to throw dirt on the event and bury it forever.

Old Time Saturday is back. Farmersville has done itself proud.

political news, State news

How will Donald react to the drubbing?

Hey, it’s time to ask what I believe is a pertinent question regarding the midterm congressional election that is now just around the corner.

How is Donald Trump going to react if his Republican Party suffers the drubbing it is expected to receive from voters across the land who are tired of going to war, weary of the inflation caused by tariffs and sickened by the POTUS’s power grab?

My hunch? He will hate it all with a purple passion and will seek to find conspiracies around every corner and in every nook and cranny of the electoral system.

We now can presume that Trump cannot stomach the thought that he is a loser. Except that he is. He keeps challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden. He’s lost more than 60 court challenges. Loser!

What will happen if Republicans lose in states where they haven’t lost since The Flood? Will the party accept the results of free, fair and legal results if Democrats end up with more votes than the GOP? Bwahahahahaha!

Republicans will be fueled by the POTUS’s anger. They’ll gobble up the lie about elections being stolen.

I’m trying to fathom what might occur in Texas, where Democrat James Talarico holds an estimated 5-point lead over Republican Ken Paxton. Suppose Talarico’s lead is real and suppose as well that it translates into a victory in November. Trump will become apoplectic! He’ll go crazier than he already has become … especially if it’s a narrow Talarico win.

I am going to hope for the best. Which is that Trump realizes finally — finally! — that his battle to cling to power is lost forever. And that he’ll accept the thrashing he is expected to get and settle into the lame-duck status that is his alone.

You can stop laughing now.

religious news

Sharia Law targeted by Congress

Did you know — and this tidbit caught me by surprise when I heard it today — that there’s a committee in Congress dedicated to ensuring that Sharia Law has no place in American society?

What is Sharia Law? It’s a religious tenet practiced by Muslims around the world.

As I understand it, Sharia Law carries a good bit of weight among devout Muslims. If you violate any of its rules, you can be punished … severely! I understand that Sharia Law allows “honor killings,” which would enable someone to kill a member of his or her family if that person dishonors the family name.

Allow me now to back up just a bit. Let’s visit for a moment the religious freedom clause of the Constitution’s First Amendment. It says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof … “

I now shall sigh just a bit and ask out loud whether any effort to ban Sharia Law runs counter to the Constitution’s guarantee of the freedom to worship how one pleases. It seems like it does.

Moreover, the Constitution also prohibits clearly the practicing of religion in our public schools. Correct? Again, I believe that’s the case.

I have to wonder, then, what in the world is so vital that we have a House committee working on ways to prevent Muslims in this country from believing in Sharia Law. We have criminal laws that punish people for killing other people. If one commits an “honor killing,” then one can be arrested, tried and if convicted can be put to death. It would appear clear to me that losing one’s life at the hands of the state could deter them from committing such a crime as an “honor killing” of a loved one.

I’ve been quick to defend the Constitution. I believe it is strong enough to withstand damn near any assault on its authority. A president cannot suspend constitutional restrictions on his power just because he desires it. Nor can individuals take another human being’s life without facing the wrath of the state.

Which makes me wonder: What the hell is a congressional committee going to do to circumvent the Constitution?

local news, State news

Talarico’s time has come?

James Talarico has gotten the attention of a lot of politicos far outside Texas’s vast borders … and with good reason.

The young man stands a decent chance of wresting the Republicans’ vise grip on statewide office in Texas. It’s not necessarily that Talarico is an immensely strong candidate. His strength lies in the weakness of his GOP rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton is being called the “most corrupt politician in the country.” He might be all of that.

He was indicted in his first year (2015) as AG by a Collin County grand jury for securities fraud allegations. What has gotten little play in the national media is that Collin County is Paxton’s home county. He represented the county — where I now live, by the way — when he served in the Legislature. For a hometown grand jury to decide the charges brought against Paxton merit a trial, well, that’s a big …. deal. You know what I mean?

Then he got impeached by the Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives. The GOP-laden Senate didn’t convict Paxton. Why? Beats the stuffing out of me.

He’s been accused of taking bribes, of doing favors for political contributors — and of cheating on his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, who’s divorcing her hubby on “Biblical grounds.”

I’d be willing to write Paxton off. Except for one thing. He is a Republican and GOP voters in this state have shown a remarkable loyalty to their party over the actual qualifications of candidates who run under that party flag.

medical news

Fauci is a champ … not a chump

It is my sincere hope that most of us understand the huge chasm that exists between making a misstatement and telling a lie.

Speaking incorrectly about an issue is a mistatement. People in high places do it all the time. They should be given a pass — just once — if they state something incorrectly. A lie is different. Lying about something is a deliberate act, with the liar knowing that he or she says is false, but they say it anyway.

So it is with the struggle Anthony Fauci is facing these days. Republicans are so damn quick to toss he “liar” canard at Dr. Fauci that they forget that the liar in chief, Donald Trump, cannot tell the truth if his life depended on it.

Fauci, one of the world’s foremost infectious disease doctors, sought to tell his GOP Senate questioners that he’s never told a deliberate untruth. He says he hasn’t lied to Congress.

I happen to believe him.

A man of Dr. Fauci’s standing and stature isn’t awarded medals, citations, and declarations if he does shoddy work. Fauci has been far from shoddy in his efforts to protect Americans from the danger of COVID-19.

It is entirely possible that Fauci misspoke during the disease’s run through the populace. If he did, well, he’s a human being. A fallible human being. He also took an oath when he tossed the stethoscope around his neck to “do no harm” and to work to the limits of his ability to keep human being safe.

I believe Anthony Fauci fits the description as a medical champ. His foes on Capitol Hill are nothing but chumps.

local news

Princeton takes key step toward maturity

Princeton has made a significant turn to becoming a grownup city in North Texas, and its new city charter, formed in a November 2022 election, illustrates a key point I want to make with this brief blog post.

It is becoming a hybrid community of sorts, with part of its expanded City Council representing the entire city with the rest of the council representing those who live within certain voting precincts.

The charter states: Seats 1, 2, and 3 shall be elected by the qualified voters of the City at large. Seats 4, 5, 6, and 7 shall be elected by the qualified voters residing in assigned single-member districts, which shall be implemented for the election of Council Members for those seats held in 2030, but shall be elected by the qualified voters of the City at-large until districts have been implemented.

With that pronouncement, Princeton joins other growing communities in recognizing the desire — and the need — recognize the issues raised by certain neighborhoods.

To be sure, there’s a bit of risk involved with this kind of governing framework. One of them involves the potential for turf battles. City council members might argue that their community’s project is more needed than those sought for another project on the other side of the city. This is where at-large members can step in and cool whatever rancor might develop.

The mayor, of course, will be elected at-large, so we could get a feel for the kind of leadership Eugene Escobar Jr., is able to muster as he leads an expanded governing council. The charter expands the council from five members to seven.

All in all, though, I am delighted to see the city take this important step. My wife and I came to Princeton after living 23 years in Amarillo, a city of 200,000 residents. Amarillo is governed by five council members who all represent the city at-large. We argued at the newspaper where I worked that the a-large system worked for Amarillo. I didn’t agree with that editorial policy, so I spoke out against it when I left the paper in August 2012.

Princeton is taking an important step toward a modern recognition of the huge diversity that exists among its population, which now is estimated to be well north of 40,000 residents.

Welcome to the new world, Princeton City Hall. I wish you all the success you can muster.

Donald Trump, national news

Trump angry at GOP rebellion? Awww, too bad

Word out of DC is that the hothead in chief, Donald Trump, is angry over Republican resistance to his choice to be the next attorney general.

Gosh, what could be getting under their skin? It could be that Todd Blanche can’t stop acting like Trump’s personal lawyer, which he was for several years. It might be Blanche’s resistance to submit in writing a pledge to protect the reputations of the victims of the late Jeffrey Epstein, who brutalized these women. Maybe it’s a collection of “all of the above” factors that make Blanche totally unfit to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer.

At least two GOP senators, lame ducks John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, say they might vote “no” on Blanche’s AG nomination. Cornyn lost his GOP runoff race and Tillis chose not to seek re-election. They’re both free of Trump’s threats. We also have Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who’s been a thorn in Trump’s s ample backside for years.

I am pleased to see the GOP Senate caucus grow a set of — oh, you know — and start to resist Trump on matters that count. Selecting an AG is a big deal. Blanche shouldn’t get the nod to lead the Department of Justice. Hope is beginning to stir.

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