Opinion

This week in history displays a milestone in the development of Western culture. Babe Ruth played his last game in Yankee Stadium (as a Yankee) on September 24, 1934. President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. And this week in 1513, Vasco Nunez de Balboa took his first look at the Pacific Ocean and said, “Peace.”

Eligible Texans planning to vote in the November general election have until Oct. 7 to register, Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson reminds folks.

I have probably made this claim previously, but most friends know that my respect for redundancy has never been more than trivial. So, here I go again, certain that there finally are but two groups of people-those who have egos and admit it and those who likewise have ‘em and don’t admit it.

Many decades ago, the world became infatuated with Bruce Lee. His training was revolutionary, his methods were undeniable, and his philosophy was simple. “Be like the nature of water...” he once stated in an interview. “You can punch it but never hurt it... you put it in a glass, and it becomes the glass...” Simple and refreshing, water remains life-giving and transparent.

A 200-page report from the Department of Homeland Security faulted U.S. Border Patrol agents who rushed to the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, concluding they “failed to establish command and had inadequate training” in one of the deadliest classroom attacks, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Stephen Cox is not an imposing figure. Still, he has the countenance and features to be a Clark Kent lookalike, even if considerably smaller in stature.

B Ivens A great poet once said, “Such is the state of man, thus enter we, into this world with woe and end with misery.” No truer words were ever spoken, but forgive me, I am optimistic… even when everything is uphill. Thankfully, I have been blessed to experience poverty and wealth, acceptance and rejection, love and contempt.

“One man among a thousand have I found…” Solomon’s words during a time of reflection and painful recollection of wasted time. These words are still written on the whiteboard above my desk. I meditate on this phrase regularly, finding solace in the idea that human history has had seasons, ups and downs, ebbs and flows. Sometimes coursing toward progress and development. Other times, it seems bent on destruction and chaos.

It was an absolute accident that likely couldn’t be duplicated, even with the most fastidious planning. My uncle Mort and three of his buddies playing dominoes at the general store in the thicket were caught up in the most bizarre circumstance that may forever alter the game.

When it’s time to take a hard look at our public officials and decide which ones to re-elect – or reject – we need information. A major source of that information is the government itself.