Opinion

SOMETIMES THE IMAGES of war are just numbing. The brutality and horror of victims fleeing the ruins of a bombedout school in Zhytomyr or Stanytsia Luhanska, the splintered wreckage of what was once a quiet residential street in Mykolaiv, the flames of an apartment building in Mariupol—it all becomes almost incomprehensible. Scenes of bodies being buried in mass graves and families fleeing their homes carrying the meager remains of their lives in once-cheerful pink backpacks or dreary plastic trash bags are so heartbreaking we are unable to even find sorrow’s edges.

PART 1: Like you, dear Ms. Editor Person, I spent a big chunk of last Saturday at the River Valley Pioneer Museum. Joining us were 60 or so of our friends and neighbors. We gathered to hear Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke discuss his election platform. (In passing, I must mention that Ms. O’Rourke and several members of the event advance team took brief tours of the museum and were very impressed with what they saw. “This isn’t your typical small-town museum,” was the comment most often heard, followed by, “I need to come back when I have more time.”)

IF YOU SAY—or write—that it’s harder to vote in Texas today than it was a year ago, or four years ago, someone will tell you how easy it is and how full of beans you are. But what are we supposed to make of the thousands of rejected mail-in ballots during the Republican and Democratic primaries this month? The Texas Tribune’s Alexa Ura and Mandi Cai reported that 18,742 ballots were tossed in 16 of the 20 Texas counties with the most voters.

AS UKRAINIANS FIGHT AND DIE for democracy, Russia is arresting its own citizens who are protesting the war and threatening prison for journalists who report the truth. The attempt to crush a democratic government and stop the flow of information comes as American news organizations and transparency advocates observe Sunshine Week from March 13-19, a time for highlighting government openness and a free press.

Nine accused of sex trafficking at center Nine employees at a Bastrop County facility that cares for young victims of sex trafficking have been accused of trafficking those same girls, according to the Austin American-Statesman. One employee of the state-contracted Refuge Ranch has been arrested on an undisclosed charge and more arrests are anticipated, according to Tara Olah, a director with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

IN RECENT DAYS it has been impossible to ignore the scenes of Russian troops invading Ukraine. The U.S. and other states, such as Germany and even the typically neutral Switzerland, are joining together to offer various combinations of economic sanctions, providing intelligence and/or weapons to Ukraine.

THE LATE FRED ROGERS told a story to help kids through terrible times. “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news,” Mr. Rogers said, “my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You can always find people who are helping.’”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Bob Farkas’ guest column was originally published in the Eastern New Mexico News, in Clovis, New Mexico, and is reprinted here with the author’s permission. I NEVER MET MY GRANDFATHER on my mother’s side.

A number of statewide races are headed for a May 24 runoff after the votes were tallied in the March 1 primary. Topping the ballot in the Republican races is the contest for attorney general, where incumbent Ken Paxton led the field with 42.7 percent of votes cast, followed by George P. Bush, current land commissioner, who garnered 22.8 percent. The remainder of GOP ballots went to former Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman with 17.5 percent and U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert with 17 percent.

IN LAST WEEK’S REPORT on the City Council fielding HOT fund requests (Thursday, March 3, 2022, pages 8-9) we reported incorrectly that the Chamber receives an annual 25 percent allocation of hotel occupancy tax funds collected by the city. The Chamber actually receives 50 percent of the HOT funds collected here. The city retains 25 percent of those receipts, and allocates the remaining 25 percent to the River Valley Pioneer Museum. We also reported that the Chamber’s projected budget for 2019-20 was $68,000. The Chamber received only $30,522 for that year, and had actual expenses of $29,733.