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Then again I could Be Wrong...
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Dennis Phillips

Publisher - The Silbee Bee

Weekly column by Dennis Phillips — featuring local news, hilarious misadventures, strange life events, and the occasional mind-numbing, head-scratching, possibly thought-provoking ramble.

Capitol Highlights
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Gary Borders

State Capitol Reporter - Texas Press Asssociation

A weekly, bullet-point look at the Texas Capitol — covering the antics, actions, and aftermath of each legislative session. Gary delivers a straight-shooting news report on the state government issues that matter most to Texans.

Death toll climbs in Hill Country flooding;
Legislators will investigate response to crisis

Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday he’s likely to instruct the Texas Legislature to investigate early warning systems and other governmental responses to July 4 flash flooding that killed at least 82 people in the Hill Country. Lawmakers are set to convene in Austin on July 21. Meanwhile, as of late Sunday an additional 41 people were still missing. In addition to local first responders, more than 1,300 state personnel were dispatched to the scene. Abbott has issued a disaster declaration covering 21 Hill Country counties, where rain continued to fall through the weekend. “We will be relentless in going after and ensuring that we locate every single person who’s been a victim of this flooding event,” Abbott said. “We’re not going to stop today or tomorrow.” Appeals court: Immigration law unconstitutional A three-judge panel of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked a 2023 Texas immigration law that would have permitted local police to arrest people believed to have illegally crossed the Texas-Mexico border. The vote was 2-1, The Texas Tribune reported. “For nearly 150 years, the Supreme Court has recognized that the power to control immigration — the entry, admission, and removal of aliens — is exclusively a federal power,” the ruling says. The Trump administration earlier this year dropped the federal government’s opposition to a suit filed by two immigrant rights groups and El Paso County challenging the constitutionality of the Texas state law. It would have made it a Class B misdemeanor to cross the border between ports of entry. Subsequent offenses could have resulted in a second-degree felony. It was not immediately known whether the state will appeal the Fifth Circuit ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Interfaith parents sue to block Ten Commandments law Two separate lawsuits are challenging a law passed during the last legislative session requiring posters of the Ten Commandments be hung in all public-school classrooms. The San Antonio Express-News said the latest suit was filed against several Austin, Houston and San Antonio-area districts. “Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every Texas public-school classroom — rendering them unavoidable — is plainly unconstitutional,” one of the suits states. The plaintiffs are parents from Jewish, Christian, Unitarian Universalist and Hindu faiths, plus some who are nonreligious. They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Church and Faith. The new law, which would take effect in September if a court doesn’t halt it, would require all publicly funded schools to hang a 16-by-20-inch framed poster of the Ten Commandment in a “conspicuous place” in every classroom. First case of West Nile illness in state reported The first case of West Nile illness in Texas this year has been reported by the Department of State Health Services in a resident of Brazos County. West Nile is transmitted by mosquitoes and 80% of people exposed do not get sick, but the rest can have symptoms such as fever, nausea, headaches, muscle fatigue, and muscle and joint pain. Fewer than 1% suffer more serious symptoms, including some fatalities. “Texans should be aware that mosquitoes transmit disease, and some of these illnesses, like West Nile and dengue, can be severe,” said Department of State Health Services Commissioner Jennifer A. Shuford, MD, MPH. “But taking steps to prevent mosquito bites and eliminating mosquito breeding areas around homes are proactive measures that can reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illness.” Several steps can be taken to avoid West Nile, including wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellent, and removing standing water in outside containers. A total of 455 cases of West Nile disease were reported in 2024, including 56 deaths. Adult education programs squeezed by federal funding freeze A federal hold on funding for adult education programs is affecting Texans enrolled in such programs as GED classes, workforce training, and instruction in English. The Texas Standard reported $78 million the state was slated to receive for these programs this month has been paused. Sharon Bonney, CEO of the national Coalition on Adult Basic Education, said people enrolled in adult education programs could have their studies interrupted in the next few weeks. “Closures will start immediately,” Bonney said. “We’ve already heard from a number of local programs. This is going to be across-the-board mass closures and layoffs.” The funding usually goes to states from the Department of Education as part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act, passed in 2014. Northeast Texas farmer plans run against Abbott A former firefighter and farmer from Wood County plans to run next year as a Democrat against Abbott, the Houston Chronicle reported. Bobby Cole is vowing to “take back the government for working people of the state.” “Republicans have spent 30 years in office, and working men and women have been having to pay the cost,” Cole, 55, said. “It has to stop.” Cole retired as a firefighter in Texarkana and later Plano. He maintains a family farm in Quitman where they raise 300 head of cattle and also chickens. Abbott has been governor since 2014 and has already announced plans to run for reelection. Funding boost for schools comes with strings attached Texas lawmakers are providing public schools with $8.5 billion in new funding, but some school administrators say the money comes with provisions that limit their independence to a greater degree than previously, The Tribune reported. The largest portion of the new money goes for teacher raises, with districts having little discretion on who gets raises. Lawmakers did not significantly raise the base amount school districts receive, leaving some districts struggling to pay for non-teacher items, such as rising operational costs and compensation for support staff. Some educators say that while they are grateful for the teacher pay raises, they are disappointed in a lack of flexibility in how money is spent. “I think that that’s really, really dangerous when you don’t trust leaders in public education to do the best they can for kids,” said Megan Simoneau, an educator of 21 years who teaches high school math in the Leander school district. All that “most teachers, and most principals, and most superintendents are really attempting to do, is do the best they possibly can for the students, and the families, and their communities.” Summer anti-drunk driving campaign launched More than 1,000 deaths were recorded in Texas last year from alcohol-related crashes, and the Texas Department of Transportation is again launching a public awareness campaign to cut down on those fatalities. The agency’s “Drive Sober. No Regrets” campaign is underway, along with increased law enforcement continuing through mid-July. Officers are on heightened lookout for impaired drivers in hopes of reducing DUI crashes and fatalities across Texas.

A General's influence
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Don Forrester

Life and God

For more than 30 years, Don Forrester—pastor of Henly Baptist Church and a longtime spiritual guide from Dennis Phillips' hometown—has shared wisdom, humor, and a touch of divine insight. His perspective is often shaped (and sharpened) by his wife, affectionately known as “The General.”

"Missing" Represents an Emotional and Familial Landmine

The trail of tears associated with the long Fourth of July weekend across Texas will forever be etched in our memories. The flooding in Texas has turned rivers and creeks into catalysts for unbelievable carnage and destruction. The cleanup from flooded homes and property damage over miles of devastation will take months, if not longer. Yet, all of that pales in comparison to the loss of life. As the death toll continues to climb and as missing family members and friends are located and identified, the gut-wrenching pain that one thought impossible only escalates. No one in the Texas Hill Country is exempt. We all know someone who is directly impacted; their pain becomes our pain. Social media, filled with pictures of children and families whose lives have been cut short, adds a contrasting dimension to the Texas landscape, which is usually known for its beauty. Initially, our focus centered on the Hunt and Kerrville area, where the Guadalupe River became a torrent of death and destruction. However, as the rain continued throughout the long weekend, the plight of the Texas Hill Country expanded to other regions across Texas. I have a dear friend whom I’ve known for fifty years. Early that past Saturday afternoon, he learned that his daughter and two grandchildren were missing. Behind their home in Leander was a wet weather creek that was mostly unnoticeable. It is believed that around four o’clock that Saturday morning, a wall of water hit their home with the force of an explosion. The man of the house was propelled into the front yard by the force of the water. When he regained his bearings, he realized that the home was completely gone, along with the three family members who were now missing. “Missing” is one of those words that represents an emotional and familial landmine, difficult to wrap one’s head around. When "missing" is associated with someone we love, fear and anxiety become constant companions that are hard to shake. When I spoke with my friend on Saturday afternoon, he said something that stuck with me: “You know what it’s like to have a missing family member.” The similarities between our circumstances had not even occurred to me, but he was right. I do know something about that. On Sunday morning, I woke up with the phrase “the morning after” on my mind. Fifty-two years ago, on December 29, 1972, I learned late in the afternoon that my brother had been missing in action since December 27 during the Christmas bombing raids over North Vietnam. The morning after was the most terrible day of my life. I surmised that my friend might have a similar experience. I reached out to him Sunday afternoon, and he confirmed that the day had been significantly painful. He had received notification of a positive identification of his fourteen-year-old grandson. Another child had reportedly been recovered, but a positive identification was pending. There was still no news regarding his daughter. His daughter's body has since been located, and my heart aches for him and his wife. It still does. I realized late on Sunday that for most who have followed the tragic events of the weekend, we are experiencing something like compassion fatigue. This is especially true for those of us who have faced unexpected death that shattered our own families. The stories of families now dealing with unexpected loss invariably remind us of grief long set aside. Grief can resurface when we are near others currently walking the same path we once traveled. If anything, the empathy we feel for those who are now walking where we once walked can prompt us to draw close to those who are hurting. They don’t need to hear our stories; they simply need someone to come alongside them at the point of their need. There are no easy answers. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 145:8-9: “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made." For those of us who have encountered the loss of a loved one, we find comfort in these words of instruction: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” [2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV] All My Best!

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