Opinion

I will soon be away from Alpine for a bit to help my dad celebrate his 100th birthday. Yes, 100 years.

We would like to thank the community and visitors from all over the country for joining us for the 50th Fourth of July Celebration hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Alpine. We had a perfect evening after the rain.

Thank you for the chance to recognize the achievement of the City of Alpine and clarify the public narrative regarding its updated outdoor lighting ordinance. The previous 20-year-old ordinance was outdated because lighting technology changed dramatically, and we know that LEDs and blue light can cause serious problems if used improperly.

There are times and circumstances that warrant the firing of public officials, elected or appointed. The terminations of city managers Chuy Garcia, Bill Lewis, Karen Phillipi, and Jessica Garza were, in my opinion, appropriate exercises of council authority, and were executed with very extensive public discussion of the reasons for the action. In some instances public opinion was divided, and views were aired in large public meetings.

Just when Covid-19 appears to have slowed down due to folks taking advantage of the free vaccine, the CDC has announced a new strain is on the rise, and it is highly contagious. The City of Alpine continues to run normally thanks in part to Interim City Manager Megan Antrim and City Secretary Geo Calderon, along with city council members who have teamed up to insure that city services continue to be adequately provided to the residents of Alpine.

Lots of hype about “critical race theory” these days. The best explanation I’ve seen can be found at alternet. org/2021/06/critical-race-theory. But we really should de-racialize the whole argument. The reality is discrimination that harms equal opportunity is not just a racial issue. There is, aside from racial distinctions, systemic discrimination based on sex, religion, and disability status. The issue is really one of xenophobia - fear of or disregard for others. And it’s not a matter of whether we recognize the otherness of groups and individuals.

The port city of Topolobampo in Sinaloa, Mexico, was said to already house a liquefied natural gas plant six years ago when the infamous Trans Pecos Pipeline that was to supply it with natural gas was on every sign-toting protester’s lips.

The United States of America will celebrate Independence Day on July 4th. This day reminds us of everything this great nation stands for. Our freedom and independence comes with the responsibility to be grateful for all that we have and are allowed to do.

My name is Dr. Matthew Short, and like you, I stand proud as a Sul Ross alumnus. When you became the 13th president of Sul Ross, I knew the university would be taken care of by one of its own for the first time in its history. Your welcome letter stated that your goal was to ensure students have the same career opportunities you had. Where did that go?

Now that Sul Ross has a national champion in the bull riding competition, perhaps it is a good time to point out that these student athletes are not recognized by Sul Ross to be athletes, but rather, only a student in the Range Animal Science department. By denying these rodeo athletes the full recognition of the Athletic Department, and relegating them to second-class participants, the rodeo program barely subsists financially.