Opinion

MOST TEXANS, INCLUDING ME, don’t usually pay close attention to judicial races. But there’s one race coming up that’s worth watching because it shines light on the sacred concept of judicial impartiality.

ON THE NATIONAL HOLIDAY celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., more than 53 years after his assassination in 1968, voting rights remain in the center ring of American politics. With the party primary season already underway, Texas is busy in court, defending restrictive new voting laws and challenges to new political maps for its congressional delegation, the state Legislature and the State Board of Education that were drawn after the 2020 census.

WITHOUT FACTS you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust. Without trust, we have no shared reality, no democracy, and it becomes impossible to deal with the existential problems of our times: climate, coronavirus, now, the battle for truth.

IN OUR REPORT on candidate filing for the May 7 local elections, we incorrectly identified the old address of the Hemphill County Underground Water District offices, rather than their new address at 211 North 2nd. Our apologies for the error. — LEB

Thank you to my friends and neighbors for your prayers, calls, cards, and flowers, and for the help you gave to Liz during the past week. Friends and neighbors are priceless. I have some of the best, and I love you all. I have a way to go, but I will be back to 100 percent before we know it! Thanks again.

JOHN ERICKSON STILL REMEMBERS the first wildfire he fought. Back in 1978, while working on a ranch in the Oklahoma Panhandle, he was among 10 other cowboys called on in the middle of the night to fight a lightning-struck fire, which they did by “shoveling dirt on smoldering cow chips” and beating out the flames with wet gunnysacks.

Dozens of school districts close due to COVID-19 Several dozen school districts across the state were forced to close last week due to the omicron variant of COVID-19 sending home students, staff, and teachers. Most school districts planned to reopen on Tuesday following the MLK holiday.

AS WE HONOR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr. today, the words “I have a Dream” come to mind. But in 2022, with the current Texas political climate, it’s critical that we remember all of Dr. King’s teachings and that his “dream” included ending white supremacy by seeking systemic change.

LAWS ARE LAWS until judges or legislators toss them out. For political purposes, a law that doesn’t survive court challenges can still count as a win—as long as it remains in place through an election.

I ENDED 2021 WITH A BANG, proving that what happens in Las Vegas—or more likely the airport there—does not necessarily stay in Las Vegas. I found out last week that I had COVID, and more importantly, it also had me.