First and foremost, this isn’t any kind of endorsement, or even an anti-endorsement, of a candidate, because I won’t do that, nor does Polk County Publishing permit that.
I believe that the voting public needs to make up its own mind about who to vote for based on whatever information is available about the candidate. Nothing about working as a journalist makes me an expert analyst, which is why I admonish everyone to do their homework.
That said, I can, and will, take people to task for some of the dumb, head-scratching utterances put out during campaigns.
Everyone is aware of the rollercoaster ride that is Sen. John Cornyn and his ever-malleable positions, particularly on the SAVE Act. His runoff opponent, Ken Paxton, was impeached as Texas Attorney General, and has accused the Catholic Church of being a stash house for illegal aliens, and had sought to have the church’s tax-exempt status removed because they didn’t celebrate Mass as often as he thought they should.
(Being a baptized and former student of Catholic schools, I can attest that there are daily Masses, and student attendance is mandatory.)
Former U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who sought the Democrat nomination in the race against Sen. John Cornyn, famously claimed that numerous Republicans received money from “Jeffrey Epstein,” only to find out that it was a different man from the notorious pedophile. She passed that off to not doing her due diligence. She also referred to ICE patrols as slave squads, and called Charlie Kirk a Confederate relic.
Her opponent and the eventual nominee, though, has popped off a couple of doozies, and you have to ask if James Talarico actually has lived in the state he purports to represent in Congress.
For instance, Talarico made the claim that God is non-binary while defending trans youth, as well as claiming that trans children are made in God’s own image. He also condemns what he calls Christian nationalism (it’s a betrayal of Jesus).
Then, doubling down on his belief that animal welfare is a thing and everyone, particularly in Texas, he said that everyone needs to cut their meat consumption, and that his campaign is officially meat-free.
In Texas, a state synonymous with cattle, beef production, and the absolute best barbecue in the world. And doing it at the time when the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo was going on (first week of February) and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo was kicking off (throughout March).
So much of the economy in Texas is tied up in agriculture and animal production, and most kids in the state have spent some time raising and showing animals for the numerous fairs that happen throughout the year.
And the barbecue. Oh, there’s nothing like it to my mind (and, yes, I’ve had quite a lot of it from different areas of the country. I’ll say this: stay away from North Carolina barbecue), and there’s million of folks in this state that feel the same. Even Guy Fieri has said that brisket is the State Bird of Texas.
The reason his stance is puzzling is because I feel it’s completely out of touch with the people Talarico hopes to represent. Why would a state that is intertwined with ag and a lover of its heritage want someone in office who is antithetical to them?
And in light of his comments regarding the Almighty, how is it that anyone can hope to describe — with authority — God’s composition and his intent?
Legislation from a perceived, yet unsubstantiated, belief in your own superiority is what has led us to our current state of nanny government. We need leaders that reflect the will of their constituents.
Tony Farkas is editor of the Trinity County News-Standard and the San Jacinto News-Times. He can be reached at tony@polkcountypublishing.com.
