Whereas the park\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
City residents have spoken out to preserve this state antiquities landmark, and their concerns were ignored\u00a0\u2014 this, while Stage 3 water restrictions<\/a>\u00a0are in place due to the drought. Worse, the migratory birds that nest in the park will be forced out.<\/p>\n The San Antonio City Council should vote to put a hold on this project indefinitely.<\/p>\n Upon returning to San Antonio after three weeks enjoying an Amtrak\u00a0RailPass, I was distressed to learn that\u00a0Maureen Galindo, a candidate in the Democratic Party primary runoff for Texas\u2019 35th Congressional District, had stated on\u00a0Instagram:<\/a> \u201cNowadays 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\u2019 money and fund corporate politicians with it.\u201d<\/p>\n As a union member of more than 50 years and a staff member for 30 years, I never experienced Galindo\u2019s allegations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe union makes us strong\u201d through solidarity, which enables good contracts that makes us able to work in dignity without licking boots.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Galindo has forfeited workers\u2019 support, and she should be defeated if Democrats want to win in November and take the U.S. House of Representatives.<\/p>\n As we approach our 250th anniversary of independence, despite efforts by the federal administration, many are assessing to what we attribute that independence.<\/p>\n Though it may seem unconnected and some folks rail against vaccines, it\u2019s possible to argue there would be no independent United States were it not for the smallpox inoculation that\u00a0George Washington, from 1777 on, required of all recruits to the Continental Army.<\/p>\n Without the inoculation, it\u2019s likely there would not have been enough healthy soldiers to fight another day. Clearly, the father of our country was not an inoculation skeptic.<\/p>\n And we should remember that smallpox inoculation was not a white male American invention\u00a0but was brought to the Colonies early in the 18th century, well before the revolution, by Africans.<\/p>\n