Opinion

You may have been told that illegal immigrants are voting in our elections, receiving welfare, bringing in most of the fentanyl, raising crime rates, and taking your jobs. All lies. This is the same tactic Hitler used to demonize Jews as causing all the ills in Germany in the 1920s and 30s.

Davis Mountains State Park Interpretive Ranger/Volunteer Coordinator The Davis Mountains of Far West Texas occupy a special place in the hearts of many. Maybe it’s those cool mornings during the late summer monsoon season or endless expanses of clear blue summer skies.

Recently, I was getting a haircut and teasing my longterm stylist about the lack of inspirational quote décor in her salon station compared to the one next to hers. Of course, she knows that teasing her is how I show my love and appreciation to her for not re-sculpting my earlobes with her straight razor or making my hair look like it was styled with a package of firecrackers.

We had wonderful learning experiences attending Bluebonnet Girls State in our State Capital Austin, thanks to the American Legion Auxiliary who sent us there. Lolly Lockhart, a “citizen” from Alpine in 1956, returned in 1957 as a counselor and, after completing her RN, as a camp nurse in the early 60’s. Mary Bell Lockhart was a citizen in 1966 and our older sister, Joyce Lockhart Wildenthal, was a citizen in 1954. Our experience was much like the one described in a recent Avalanche for the 2024 Boys State; the high point was being able to “occupy” the Texas Capitol building and practice being legislators in the Senate and House chambers and hear speeches by the current elected State legislators. Apparently, that is not the experience of today’s Girls State citizens. Bluebonnet Girls State has been moved to Texas Lutheran University, a private religious university in Seguin, Texas, an hour away from Austin. It is underfunded and current legislators are not speakers as they are for Boys State. Those who think that Girls State should be restored to its former home in the State Capital should join Vikki Goodwin, an Austin area Legislator, who is working to get that changed. She can be reached at Vikki.Goodwin@house.texas.gov |512-4630652 | P.O Box 2910, Austin, Texas 78768.

When I was researching the history of Fort Lancaster (1855-1861) for Texas Parks & Wildlife, one of the original sources was the inspection of the post in 1860 by Joesph Mansfi eld, the Inspector General of the Army. The report included an excellent map. Fort Lancaster was one of the most isolated posts in Texas, and no civilian settlement existed. It was located on the Overland Trail between San Antonio and El Paso and built close to good water sources, Live Oak Creek and the Pecos River.

As we celebrate the 4th of July things I’ve read come to mind. The Greek Plato, and student of Socrates, believed if people in a country stopped involving themselves in politics the people would then be governed I would like to commend Jim Street’s editorial in the Avalanche (20 June 2024, page 6), bringing attention to the practice of allowing no cameras in court. He makes a good point that trials and court proceedings ought to be public by their inferiors. Huey P. Long, a Governor of the State of Louisiana, said Fascism would come to America under the guise of Anti-Fascism, i.e., ANTIFA. To paraphrase POTUS Abe Lincoln, if America falls, we will have done it to ourselves. If all three were alive events, and the ease of recording these now makes that not intrusive. Unfortunately, there is a trend nowadays to make everything secret and proprietary, usually in the name of security. The Big Tech companies do this all the time, with to see this current U.S. Democrat Regime, would they see their predictions as accurate? With these thoughts in mind, there may be two hundred, or more, reasons to not vote for Democrats in November, and yes there’s a detailed list of reasons available simply for the their secret algorithms harvesting our data; the government does it with secret courts (the latest FISA extension is a good example, and, by the way, the congressman for this district voted for it); and even the news media tries to do it with attributions asking. As a former Democrat, I say God Bless America, and may the U.S. Republic soon be rid of its many ridiculous and self-destroying practices. James R. Le Blanc Fort Davis, Texas

Building codes are some of the most important components of the building industry. Yet, they are also some of the most misunderstood components. People often feel obtaining permits is restrictive, increases cost, and delays construction. These fears are often the result of misinformation. In this article, we’ll discuss why building codes matter.

One perk of living a long life is recalling smart people you’ve met and remembering what you learned from them. Wise men like Ben Grimes up in Naples.

Tough, fearl ess, unflappable—these are the words that describe the superheroes of the world. However, these tough exteriors do not always bode well for health.

A Big Thank You! As a result of the surprising and life-changing fire, I would like to thank, first and foremost, God for His continued presence, guidance, and blessings throughout all of this. He is so good! I would also like to thank Mr.