By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

A half-hearted sigh of relief is in order.

While most of the nation reels from the publicity surrounding the far right wing nut jobs who are dominating some of our news cycles, I am relieved to realize that my member of Congress — the young man who represents my family and me in Collin County, Texas — is not among the wackos.

Rep. Van Taylor is a Republican from Plano who is serving his second term. He succeeded a legend in these parts, the late GOP U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, a former Vietnam War prisoner and a longtime Republican stalwart.

Taylor, too, is a veteran. He served as a Marine Corps officer in Iraq. He is a patriot who never, ever — in my humble view — subscribe to the disgraceful ideology ascribed to QAnon adherents who represent other congressional districts.

And for that I am grateful.

Now, having lauded my congressman, I want to offer just a few brief words of condemnation to our state’s junior U.S. senator, Ted Cruz.

The Cruz Missile dishonored the state and the office he occupies by insisting on an audit of the 2020 presidential election. He still to this very day hasn’t even had the decency to refer to President Biden by name and title, which he acquired in a free, fair and totally secure election.

Cruz has swallowed the Big Lie served up by the former president of the United States, and he makes me ashamed that he represents my interests in the Senate.

So, we have the good and the not so good. I will cling to the belief that Rep. Van Taylor will continue to adhere to honest and well-considered principle. I might disagree with him most of the time. I honor the fealty he pays to the U.S. Constitution and to the oath he took to defend and protect it.