Whereas the park’s trees, grass and river offer cool temperatures and beauty, free to all park visitors, the plan is to cut down or move many of the heritage trees and pave over the lawn with bricks, keeping only four of the original trees.
City residents have spoken out to preserve this state antiquities landmark, and their concerns were ignored — this, while Stage 3 water restrictions are in place due to the drought. Worse, the migratory birds that nest in the park will be forced out.
The San Antonio City Council should vote to put a hold on this project indefinitely.
Upon returning to San Antonio after three weeks enjoying an Amtrak RailPass, I was distressed to learn that Maureen Galindo, a candidate in the Democratic Party primary runoff for Texas’ 35th Congressional District, had stated on Instagram: “Nowadays many Texas union leaders (not all), wine and dine with the millionaires, lick boots for contracts, gamble pensions on the stock market, take their workers’ money and fund corporate politicians with it.”
As a union member of more than 50 years and a staff member for 30 years, I never experienced Galindo’s allegations.
“The union makes us strong” through solidarity, which enables good contracts that makes us able to work in dignity without licking boots.
The only possible course to victory for any CD 35 Democrat is with strong backing from unions and with the small, voluntary monthly political donations by thousands of union workers.
Galindo has forfeited workers’ support, and she should be defeated if Democrats want to win in November and take the U.S. House of Representatives.
As we approach our 250th anniversary of independence, despite efforts by the federal administration, many are assessing to what we attribute that independence.
Though it may seem unconnected and some folks rail against vaccines, it’s possible to argue there would be no independent United States were it not for the smallpox inoculation that George Washington, from 1777 on, required of all recruits to the Continental Army.
Without the inoculation, it’s likely there would not have been enough healthy soldiers to fight another day. Clearly, the father of our country was not an inoculation skeptic.
And we should remember that smallpox inoculation was not a white male American invention but was brought to the Colonies early in the 18th century, well before the revolution, by Africans.