The deposition that I sat for virtually all day yesterday stems from a lawsuit between our Homeowners Association, of which I am president, and one of the homeowners who we believe is in major violation of the covenants.  That is about all I can say about this specific case at this time. 

When I sold my place in Los Angeles and moved up here, I swore I would never serve on the Board of an HOA again and certainly wouldn’t be the president.  I had served on the HOA board in Los Angeles for 5 years, 3 of those years as president.  I wish I would have stood by my initial reaction to not serve on another board. 

Every time I come in contact with our judicial system, I rarely come away feeling good.  I served on juries in Los Angeles, including a gang murder trial, sat for a deposition in a lawsuit against a previous employer, been personally involved in a lawsuit stemming from a car accident (not my fault), and now this.  In each and every case, three things become readily apparent: 1) the wheels of ‘justice’ grind exceedingly slow, 2) if you have lots of money, you definitely have a huge advantage and 3) the only ones who seem to make out well after all is said and done are the attorneys.  I don’t know what the answer is and I understand that our judicial system is better than many others in the world.  Nonetheless, getting involved in the wheels of justice always seems to be a frustrating journey. 

I am still not back in ‘writing mode’ as this whole thing has been taking up a lot of my brain space so I have included the Op-ed from the Bozeman Chronicle that pretty much sums up my feelings regarding the current administration here in Montana.  In fact, I think it fits many of the Republican controlled states where COVID is ravaging the population.

I have to sit for a deposition this morning and am not really in a writing frame of mind.  Consequently, I thought I would just share some pics from last week when my friend Ken came up to visit from LA.   We had a lot of fun, hiking, touring the Museum of the Rockies here in Bozeman, taking an ATV up in the mountains around Big Sky, and making a quick trip to Yellowstone.  Once I get this deposition out of the way, I’ll get back at it. 

I have been thinking a lot about this whole anti-mask/anti-vaccine versus ‘freedom’ issue and I’ve decided that I’ve been wrong about this whole thing.  I think we should do away with all of the mask and vaccine mandates and let people exercise their freedom.  I agree with the Republican governors, like our own Governor Gianforte, who simply state that they trust people to make the right decisions.  This will, of course, cost more American lives, but what’s a few lives as a price for freedom?

And as long as we’re at it, I think, since we have so much faith in our citizens to make the right decisions, we should repeal the laws against drunk driving and driving while talking on cell phones.  Certainly, people know that driving while impaired or distracted is dangerous, so we can rest assured that people will make the correct decision.  Although, just standing on the street corner at any given time and counting the number of cars that pass by operated by someone with a phone up to their ear, does give one pause.  Here in Montana, we have one of the highest drunk driving rates in the country so, again, one wonders just how much trust we should put in people to make the correct decisions but perhaps people choose to drive drunk just because its against the law as some form of protest. 

Countless studies have shown that driving while impaired or distracted lead to a higher probability of getting into an accident and higher incidences of fatalities.  However, what’s a few more lives lost if people are able to exercise their freedom?

I think we should also repeal all of the anti-smoking laws in the country and trust that people will make the correct decision with regard to where and when to smoke.  I understand that there are countless studies showing the adverse effects of secondhand smoke on people who are not smoking but people should have the right to smoke if they choose, even if it costs a few more American lives.  Perhaps we could even bring back the smoking section on airplanes.  I’m old enough to remember when those existed and how effective they were at containing the smoke on aircraft!  What’s a few lives as a price for freedom?

We should also consider repealing all of the laws in most states that require a suite of vaccines for children to enroll in school.  I certainly remember how much fun it was to have the chicken pox at the same time I had a broken arm with a cast on it!  Every child should know the fun and joy of suffering through measles, mumps, and chickenpox.  We know that chickenpox is very contagious so just imagine the schools when a couple of kids with chickenpox show up and it spreads like wildfire through the school because no one is vaccinated!  The good old days? There will, of course, be an increase in childhood deaths if we repeal the laws requiring vaccinations to enroll in schools, but it’s a small price to pay for freedom.   We can certainly sacrifice a few children on the altar of freedom.  I think the Aztecs used to do things like that so its certainly not without precedent.

Over the years, thousands of American men and women have fought and died to defend America and allow us to have the freedoms we have today. 

World War I              116, 516 deaths

World War II             405,399 deaths

Korean War                 36,574 deaths

Vietnam                        58,220 deaths¹

Adding those up totals to 616,709 deaths in these modern conflicts but does not include the casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan.  So far, the pandemic has killed 660,00 Americans in the last two years, with no end in sight, and the people who are so anti-mask and anti-vaccine continue to insist that they are exercising their constitutional freedoms that all of the men and women fought and died for in the wars listed above.

I have to wonder if all of the men and women who gave their lives in these wars to protect America, its Constitutional form of government, their fellow citizens, and the right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ would agree that they fought to allow American citizens to exercise their ‘freedom’ even if that freedom resulted in the needless and preventable deaths of other Americans? 

I suspect the large majority of Americans (including me) would agree that we need laws against drunk and impaired driving, against smoking in confined spaces, in support of vaccinations for children attending school and other public health measures because they have proven to save lives and make the country safer for us all.  I personally believe that it is doing a huge disservice and, frankly, quite insulting to all of those who have fought and died for this country to undermine and pervert the concept of freedom that they sacrificed so much for.

Freedom without responsibility is just anarchy. Let freedom ring!

1. American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics (census.gov)

I’ve had a great visit with my friend, Ken, from Los Angeles and have stayed away from the keyboard. However, this letter I wrote to the Bozeman Chronicle was published this morning. I thought I would share it here. See you soon.

I will be having company all this week so I won’t be writing anything. For today’s post I wrote a little one act play just because I got a little crazy over the weekend. See you in a week. No offense intended. Like I said, I just went a little insane for a while! Enjoy – or not! It’s all about freedom.

A Play in One Act

Characters:

God (should need no introduction)

John Doe (ardent conservative and anti-mask/anti-vaccine man who died from COVID)

Hazel Smith (elderly woman who caught COVID from John Doe)

Man in Black (and aide to God)

God:  Welcome, please step forward and state your name and your age.  Oh, and I’m sorry about the wait, we’ve been just slammed with new arrivals lately. 

                        Mr. Doe tentatively shuffles forward

John:  I’m – uh – my name is John Doe.  I’m – uh – 51.

God:   And why are you here?  You seem like you’re fairly young and in reasonably good health.

John:   I died of COVID 19.

God:    Did you get a vaccine and were you careful around others?  Did you routinely wear a mask when you were close to others?

John:  Well, no, I didn’t get a vaccine and I didn’t wear a mask most of the time.

God:   Why not?

John:  I just didn’t like the fact that the vaccine was developed so fast and I really didn’t trust that it was safe.  And masks were really a nuisance and I just wanted to exercise my freedom. 

God:   John, John, John!!  Who do you think gave the brains to the scientists who developed the vaccine?  That would be me!  Are you aware that the vaccines have been injected into millions and millions of people and has been proven safe many times over?  Where are you getting your information that it is unsafe?

John:  Well, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham are always talking about how the vaccine is bad.  And my pastor has also said that you will protect me because I’m a good Christian.

God:   John, do you have any idea how busy I am?  You know it’s a really big universe and it really keeps me quite busy.  That’s why I gave you humans a brain and the ability to develop tools to help take care of yourselves.  Why do you think you don’t need to use the tools I gave you?

            If I taught you to be a builder and gave you all the tools you needed, would you still expect me to build your house for you?  Of course not.   I don’t have time to build everyone’s house – I have a universe to run.  So, I give you the tools and expect you and others to build your own houses.  If you choose not to do that, that is not my problem.

John: But what about my freedom? 

God:   You certainly have your freedom.  You can choose to use the tools and education I gave you and build your house and solve the problems for you and your family or you can choose not to build your house and allow yourself and your family to live outside in the elements and take the consequences of that decision.   You are perfectly free to make that choice.

John:  But, but, I’m a good Christian.  I believe in you.  I go to church.

God:   Do you think that part of being a good Christian is reaching out and helping your neighbor?  If you needed help building your house, you could probably count on your family and friends to help you.  And, if one of your neighbors needed help building their house, the Christian thing to do would be to help them.  Don’t you agree?

John:  Well, sure.  But getting a vaccine or wearing a mask is different than building a house. 

God:   How is that?  I give you tools and knowledge to build a house and I give you tools and knowledge to combat a virus.  I fail to see the difference. Your neighbors are asking for your help and you are refusing – and your neighbors are dying.

            By the way, I’d like you to meet someone.

                        And elderly woman walks in.

            This is Hazel Smith.  She is 78 years old.  Even though she was vaccinated, she caught the COVID virus from you when you went to the grocery store even though you didn’t feel well.  She arrived here last week.  Anything you’d like to say to Hazel?  You had a chance to help Hazel and you refused.

John: I, uh, uh, I’m sorry.  I had no idea. 

            Hazel looks at him sadly and shuffles out of the room.

God:  What do you mean you had no idea?  It’s no secret how contagious this virus is.  I mean, I could use a little help here.  Like I said before, I’m pretty busy.  I’ve got two black holes that are in a big power struggle on the other side of the universe, I have thousands of stars exploding all over the place, and other weird life forms sprouting up on at least a thousand different planets. 

John:  Well, I – uh, uh

God:   John, you say you believe in me.  I’m flattered and appreciate that but it’s a two-way street.  I’d like to believe in you as well but how can I when I give you the tools to solve a problem and you refuse to give me any help at all.  Doesn’t that seem a bit selfish to you?  There are places in the world that do not have access to cheap plentiful vaccines and here you are just tossing away an opportunity that millions would die for (and are!)

John:  I, uh, suppose so, I guess.

God:   Well, you exercised your freedom and you’re going to have a lot of time to think about all of these issues now.  Pick up one of those bags on the table on your way out of door number 2.

            John slowly walks towards the table, picks up a bag and looks inside.  He sees a box of graham crackers, a bar of chocolate and a bag of marshmallows.

            He turns around with a quizzical look on his face and looks back at God who is already engaging the next person in line.  He turns back towards the door and a man dressed in black hands him a long skewer as he opens the door to reveal a fiery pit down in the abyss. 

Man in Black:  Enjoy the smores! 

            He pushes John into the abyss.

Almost 3,000 people lost their lives on 9/11/2001 and that tragedy brought with it a sense of unity in the United States unlike anything we’ve seen since probably World War II. 

The current pandemic has killed 650,000 Americans and the country is more divided than at any time in my lifetime.

In spite of all of the admonitions to ‘Never Forget’ – I guess we forgot!

I have nothing further to add to this very solemn day.

President Biden rolled out his plan yesterday to mandate vaccinations to a large segment of the American population since people can’t seem to be able to get out of their ‘it’s all about me’ bubbles and do the right thing for the community.  When you listen to some of these anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers, they remind me of children having tantrums.  At such times, children can rarely offer a cogent explanation why they are acting in a such an irrational manner but there they are – screaming, yelling, crying and lashing out right in the middle of the aisle at the supermarket.  And what do most of us do when that happens?  We pick the child up, take them outside and refuse to take them back into the store to go shopping until they learn to behave.  Disruptive and selfish children are a nuisance.  Disruptive and selfish adults are killing people.

There are six parts to Biden’s plan¹:

1. All employers with 100 or more employees must require all employees to be vaccinated or submit to regular testing
2. Introduce booster shots for those that are eligible for whom a booster shot would be appropriate
3. Education – the Federal government will make up the salary of any teacher or administrator; all educators in the federal Head Start program must be vaccinated; all governors will be asked to require vaccinations for all teachers and school staff
4. Increased testing
5. Expansion of small business loan program
6. Improved care for those with COVID

This is on top of the federal mandate that all federal employees be vaccinated or submit to regular testing.

Of course, there was immediate pushback from the Republicans including our own governor, Greg Gianforte.  “The Republican said in a Tweet that he is “committed to protecting Montanans’ freedoms and liberties against this gross federal overreach.”  Interestingly, Montana is the only state in the union that makes it illegal for private employers to require vaccines as a condition for employment.

Think about that for a minute.  Gianforte is saying that it is federal overreach to mandate that businesses require vaccines, however, it is not government overreach for him to tell private businesses that they can’t require vaccines.  Does anyone else see the irony here?  If Gianforte really believed in ‘freedom’ then he would let a business run their business however they hell they want, including mandating vaccinations for employees.  What happened to ‘It’s my business, my right”?  How is this different from, “It’s my body, my right?”  Once again, the hypocrisy is astounding. 

When the Republican legislature here in Montana passed a law stripping the rights of local municipalities to enact gun control laws in their jurisdictions, that is not government overreach?   When they passed a law allowing students to carry weapons on college campuses in direct violation of the Montana constitution that gives full responsibility for college campuses to the Board of Regents, that is not government overreach?  When they pass laws restricting a woman’s right to control her own reproductive health, that is not government overreach?   When they pass laws restricting people’s ability to vote, that is not government overreach? 

I guess it’s just government overreach when someone from the opposing political party passes a law in an attempt to curb a pandemic that has killed over 650,000 Americans to date and is currently overwhelming the healthcare systems in many states.  I guess I would ask Gianforte and the other Republican governors what they suggest as a solution to this pandemic.   It is easy to be against things, but it’s a lot harder to offer realistic and workable solutions.  What is their solution?  The fact is, they have none!

In those states with low vaccination rates and anti-mask laws, cases are skyrocketing, health systems are overwhelmed, and people are dying.  What these governors are doing (or not doing) is clearly not working, so what is their proposed solution?  Do nothing and just let people die by the thousands?  Until they can offer a solution other than just sit on their hands, talk about freedom and let more and more Americans die each and every day, they should really just shut up about government overreach.  They clearly have nothing better to offer.

1. https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/10/politics/what-matters-biden-covid-plan/index.html

Yesterday I threw out the Mirriam-Webster definitions of democracy in this blog.  The United States has always been held up as the paragon of democracy and the ‘shining light on the hill.’  It turns out that is really no longer true.  I found a study that was done in 2017 that ranked 167 countries on a scale of 0 to 10.  Only those countries that had a score above 8 were considered ‘full democracies’.¹   The US did not make the list and, in fact, was called a ‘flawed democracy”, because of a score of 7.98.   One has to remember that this study was done in 2017 – before the refusal of Trump to concede the last election; before the insurrection of January 6^th; and before a number of states passed laws restricting the rights of voters.

The five criteria that were used to rank these countries were: whether elections were free and fair; whether governments have checks and balances; whether citizens are included in politics; whether citizens support their government; and whether or not they enjoy freedom of expression.  There is no doubt that, given these criteria and the events that have occurred since the original study in 2017, the United States would fall even further down the list.  That is the direction the country is going.

The countries that ranked (in order) ahead of the United States in this study were: Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland, Canada, Australia, Finland, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, Mauritius, Malta, Uruguay, Spain, South Korea.   You will realize quickly that most of these countries are European.  I also find it interesting that Mauritius (an island nation in the Indian Ocean), Uruguay and South Korea all rank ahead of the United States.

There are a few other interesting things that are interesting to point out.  Most of these countries, particularly those that are ranked the highest, i.e. the Northern European countries are all countries that have high tax rates, robust infrastructures and some form of universal health care.  So, to those that argue that high tax rates and universal health care are all ‘socialist’ reforms desired by ‘liberal’ democrats, the data do not support those positions.  (Not that facts matter to Republicans any more).

Another interesting thing to point out is that many of these countries are either currently or have in the past been led by women.  Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Finland and New Zealand are all currently led by women.

Of all the countries on this list, there are only two where abortions are illegal – Mauritius and Malta.  However, it is widely recognized that induced abortions are very common on Mauritius, even though it is illegal.  And women in Malta have relatively easy access to other nearby European countries where abortion is legal.  Abortions in South Korea were decriminalized at the beginning of this year. 

The simple fact is that the political climate in the United States is continuing to dim the light of democracy.    If you look at the criteria used in this study, it is easy to see the demise of democracy in the United States:

FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS – there are still a large number of people who believe there was widespread election fraud in the last election, even though there is absolutely no proof that will stand up in a court of law to support that claim. 

GOVERNMENTS HAVE CHECKS AND BALANCES – Two failed attempts to convict an impeached president, a politicized Supreme Court, and a Congress that acts almost solely in partisan ways have severely hampered any thoughts of checks and balances.

WHETHER CITIZENS ARE INCLUDED IN POLITICS – All of the recent laws restricting voter access, excessive gerrymandering and seemingly unlimited amounts of money poured into political campaigns by wealthy individuals are significantly limiting the ability of ordinary people to have a voice in government.

SUPPORT THEIR GOVERNMENT – The dysfunction of Congress over the last decade and the increasing polarization of the parties has led many, many Americans to have little faith in the Government at all.  The current problems caused by the polarization around the pandemic is a stark example.

ENJOY FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION – So far, the press has been able to remain relatively free.  However, there have been many, many threats to change that.

Democracies generally don’t disappear overnight.  The foundations are nibbled away until it is too late.  I would like to think that the current trend can be reversed at some point.  But some days, it is very difficult to be optimistic and assume that the ‘light on the hill’ will continue to shine.  It is already dimmer than it once was.  I truly believe that we are at an inflection point in American history and the next few years will cast the die and set the course for the next generation of Americans.  We can aspire to climb back up the mountain of democracy and repair the beacon on the hill or slip into the abyss of authoritarianism and minority rule.  Unfortunately, those who continue to push conspiracy theories and misinformation have already made their choice.

1. Economist Intelligence Unit 2017 Democracy Index: Best Countries (businessinsider.com)

It is well documented that the majority of Americans favor allowing a woman’s access to abortion and the ability to make that decision without government interference.¹ However, it is becoming clearer and clearer that the voice of the ‘majority’ in this country is being drowned out and overpowered by a vocal and politically motivated minority. 

According to Mirriam-Webster, a ‘democracy’ is: “government by the people; especially ‘rule of the majority.’  Unfortunately, that is becoming less and less true in this country.  Another definition under the heading of ‘democracy’ in Mirriam-Webster is: ‘an organization or situation in which everyone is treated equally and has equal rights.’  With the enactment of more and more restrictive voting laws in Teas and elsewhere, that is becoming less and less true as well.  If anyone does not believe that democracy is under serious attack in this country it is a simple matter of comparing what is going on in this country with the basic definition of ‘democracy’.  But I digress.

In one of my recent posts, I discussed the absolute lunacy of the new Texas abortion law just in terms of the basic math.  I came across an opinion piece that delves into this issue even further by looking at the economic impacts of this law.² Once again it boils down to ‘do the math’ and it is very evident that this is just bad policy.   There is absolutely no doubt that this policy will follow the ‘Law of Unintended Consequences’ and result in many more problems that it purports to solve.  History has shown over and over again that policies enacted based upon emotions and political reasons inevitably fail. 

Just recently, in staunchly Catholic Mexico, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that criminalizing abortion is unconstitutional.³ What the hell happened to own our Supreme Court in this supposedly ‘progressive’ country?  Their decision to allow the Texas abortion law to stand, which seems to be a direct violation of Roe v. Wade, is astounding.

When I saw that Mexico, in the face of a growing women’s movement in Mexico, had handed down this ruling I decided to look at what other countries are doing with respect to abortion.  In our northern neighbor, Canada, abortion is not only legal but is just viewed as another medical procedure and covered by insurance as such.

In Europe, 41 European countries allow abortion on a woman’s request or broad social grounds while 6 European countries do not.⁴ The fact is, 95% of European women of reproductive age live in countries that allow abortion upon request or broad social grounds.  The six European countries that have very restrictive abortion laws are: Andorra, Lichtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Poland and San Marino.  With the exception of Poland, these are all very, very small countries and given the ease of traveling within Europe, women in these countries can fairly easily cross a border to gain access to an abortion provider.

“For more than 60 years Europe has led the continuing global trend towards the liberalization of abortion laws and the legalization of women’s access to safe and legal abortion. Today almost all European countries allow abortion on request or on broad social grounds and only a very small minority maintain highly restrictive laws prohibiting abortion in almost all circumstances. Similarly, a broad range of European countries continue to enact reforms to remove harmful procedural and regulatory barriers that often impede access to legal abortion.”⁴

I have no doubt that the Texas law and those ‘copycat’ laws being considered in other Republican-controlled states will prove to be economic and social disasters that will ultimately be overturned, the real question is how much damage will be inflicted until that occurs. 

Climate change has a direct impact on my life, the life of my daughter and the general public.  The current pandemic has a direct impact on my life, the life of my daughter or the population in general.   The crumbling infrastructure in this country has a direct impact on my life, the life of my daughter and most Americans.  Whether or not some woman chooses to have an abortion or not has zero direct impact on my life, the life of my daughter or the general public.  So why the hell do we continue to squander resources on this issue? 

Much of the rest of the world continues to try to move forward while the United States continues to move backwards.  Where will it all end?

1. U.S. Public Continues to Favor Legal Abortion, Oppose Overturning Roe v. Wade | Pew Research Center
2. The Texas Anti-abortion Law Will Have Damaging Economic Effects | Energy Blog (uci.edu)
3. Mexico’s Supreme Court Votes to Decriminalize Abortion – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
4. European Abortion Law: A Comparative Overview | Center for Reproductive Rights

I read an article yesterday that just made me chuckle a bit about the absurdity of the new abortion law in Texas.  The fact is, the large majority of abortions in Texas are provided to women of color, primarily Black and Hispanic women.¹ Due to the changing demographics in Texas, the white population are no longer a majority.  That is a fact that obviously scares the hell out of Texas Republican politicians and a segment of the Texas population at large.  With the new law essentially outlawing abortions, that means that even more Black and Hispanic babies will be carried to term.   So, in essence, the new law virtually guarantees that the non-white majority will grow even faster.   The Texas Republican politicians and people who support them have sealed their own fate.  I find this hysterical and extremely ironic.  I guess, once again, they haven’t really thought this all the way through!!

The new abortion law, coupled with new laws imposing restrictions on social study teachers to even discuss racial issues, and new laws restricting voting rights has me thinking that perhaps we should revisit Texas’ statehood.  I’m thinking we should give it back to Mexico!  I mean it makes fiscal sense.  Texas receives more Federal tax dollars than it contributes to the U.S. Government.² While the deficit is not significant, it appears that losing Texas would essentially be a wash economically.  There is the issue of oil because Texas is the nation’s largest oil producer but I’m sure we could negotiate an equitable arrangement with Mexico.  I’m sure Mexico would be very happy to have the oil to help boost their own economy.   In fact, maybe rather than just giving Texas back to Mexico, we could sell it to them.

As you may remember from history class, Texas was once a part of Mexico.  In fact, the first Texans violated the original agreement with Mexico that allowed them to settle a limited number of families in the Texas territory.  Eventually, the settlers began to outnumber the native Mexicans and Mexico took steps to limit the influx of Americans (how ironic is this?).  Finally in 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico.  This led to the Texas Revolution and the infamous battle at The Alamo!  Texas eventually won their independence from Mexico but was not admitted to the Unites States for another 10 years and was an independent republic during that time.³ [I wonder if that paragraph would violate Texas’ new law on what social studies teachers can teach? Not that I give a damn]

Since Texas was originally part of Mexico, and they certainly don’t seem to want to be part of the greater United States, I think it makes perfect sense that we return it to Mexico.  For example, it turns out that abortion is legal in some Mexican states and severely restricted in others, so Texas could just be one of those Mexican states in which abortions are severely restricted.  They would just fit right in.

Texas would not have to worry about building a wall on their southern border because there would be no more illegal immigrant problem.  The United States, on the other hand, might want to invest in a wall along the entire northern border of Texas to make sure no illegal immigrants from Texas try to make their way into the United States to rape, pillage, steal jobs or cause more political turmoil!

Some Texans would, no doubt, like to secede from the United States and go back to being an independent republic, however they have demonstrated that they are incapable of operating on their own.  Does anyone remember the giant fiasco that resulted when Texas decided not to hook into the national power grid and were hit by an extreme cold spell?  They are the only state to have their own independent power grid and that proved to be a costly disaster.   So, they obviously need to be part of something bigger.  I think Mexico is a much better fit than the United States, particularly since the demographics show that the majority of the population of Texas will sooner or later be Hispanic any way.

I guess the one really big issue that will weigh heavily on most white Republican Texans’ minds if we give the state back to Mexico is the fact that Mexico is, after all, filled with Mexicans!  You can’t have everything!  Remember the Alamo!!

Have a great weekend.  Taking a couple of days off.

1. Texas laws on abortion, education and voting target Latinos and people of color, advocates and critics say – CNN
2. Federal Taxes Paid by State vs Received – Are You Giving or Getting? (howmuch.net)
3. Texas declares independence – HISTORY