Good morning,

Tomorrow, the nation pauses—or it should—to consider the service of our veterans. I conclude the week reflecting on what their service should inspire in us as the citizen-leaders of the republic.

But first, here is the Texas Minute for Friday, November 10, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

DOJ Does Not Name D.C. Brothel's "Elected Official" Customers

• On the same day Congress voted to protect a controversial FBI building project, the Department of Justice announced the closure of "high-end" brothels outside D.C. and Boston that served "elected officials."
       
• The brothels specialized in providing young "Asian women" to their customers, and the alleged operators were named in the DOJ press release. The agency reported that customers were required to provide their real names and other information to the brothels in order to gain access.
       
• But, for some reason, the DOJ did not name (and have apparently not arrested) any of the brothels' clients.
       
• Hours later, the FBI's massive construction project was protected by a coalition of Democrats and 70 Republicans.  Among those Republicans were Texans John Carter, Jake Ellzey, Tony Gonzales, Kay Granger, and Pete Sessions.
       
• The FBI and DOJ have been weaponized in recent years against the citizenry. For a long time the FBI kept files on the sex lives of congressmen – especially during the tenure of J. Edgar Hoover, for whom the current FBI HQ is named.

Proposal to Remove Illegal Aliens Moves Quickly Through Legislature

• As lawmakers consider border security legislation in the fourth special session, one proposal would create a criminal penalty for illegal entry into or illegal presence in Texas. Notably, reports Sydnie Henry, the law would authorize the removal of persons found to be in violation.
        
• Identical measures have been filed in both chambers, styled as House Bill 4 and Senate Bill 4. Both measures advanced through their chambers' committees yesterday afternoon.
       
• Once arrested in violation, the law would provide for a magistrate to give the suspect the opportunity to agree to leave the country under the supervision of state law enforcement officers in lieu of prosecution. The suspect would be photographed and fingerprinted, to ensure enhanced prosecution should they try to re-enter illegally in the future. 
       
• The law would also provide civil immunity from federal prosecution for local and state officials, employees, and contractors in implementing the law.

8 Dead After Human Smuggler Attempted to Evade Police

• Eight people have died as a result of a major car crash caused by a suspected human smuggler attempting to evade Zavala County Sheriff’s deputies in Batesville, Texas. Emily Medeiros has the story.

       
• According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the suspected smuggler was driving an SUV eastbound and attempting to pass a semi-trailer truck in a no-passing zone. The other car, driving westbound, was hit head-on. Upon impact, the vehicles were engulfed in flames.
         
• As a result, two Americans from Georgia, five illegal aliens from Honduras, and the suspected human smuggler from Houston all died. 

Chief Justice Must Retire After Voters Reject Raising Retirement Age

• First elected to the Supreme Court of Texas in 1988, Chief Justice Nathan Hecht will be forced to retire when he turns 75 next year. Brandon Waltens has the details.
       
• Hecht was re-elected in 2020 to a six-year term.
       
• Earlier this week, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have raised the mandatory retirement age from 75 to 79 for judges in Texas.

Texas Democrats Want Israel to Accept a Ceasefire With Hamas

• A group of Democrats in the Texas Legislature are calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East, as Israel fights back against attacks from Hamas.
      
• In a letter to Texas Democrat Party Chairman Gilbert Hinojosa, Democrat State Reps. Ron Reynolds (Houston), John Bryant (Dallas), Terry Meza (Irving), and Ana-Marie Ramos (Richardson) asked the state party to urge President Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War.
        

• Two days after the conflict began, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an Executive Order preventing “every state agency from purchasing goods produced in or exported from the Gaza Strip, and from any organization or state actor with ties to Hamas.”

Church Provides Katy ISD Students With "Chest Binders"

• First Christian Church is working with a Katy Independent School District club to provide chest binders to gender-confused children. Soli Rice reports chest binding has been proven to have long-lasting, negative effects on female bodies.

      
• A Katy ISD student club, the Cinco Ranch Gender-Sexuality Alliance, is working with the church to make the harmful devices available to young girls. Gender-confused females use the binders to appear male.
       
• According to numerous studies, chest binding can cause severe pain, scarring, overheating, shortness of breath, a buildup of fluid in the lungs, difficulty speaking, damaged or broken ribs, back pain, and other issues.

Friday Reflection:
A Republic Worth Serving

Our republic and constitutional form of government have been an aberration in human history. The American experiment persists because patriots have stood ready to do rough things in defense of the ideals of self-governance.

Whether in the farmlands of Massachusetts against the redcoats or the fields of France against the Nazis, our nation would not exist—even in its currently troubled state—were it not for those who have served in the Armed Forces.

People often confuse and conflate Veterans Day and Memorial Day. The latter exists specifically to honor the fallen patriots who gave that last full measure of devotion to the American republic while in uniform. The former, though, recognizes especially the men and women who once wore our nation’s uniforms but have since returned to civilian life.

It is easier for some than others.

The things that have needed to be done to secure the blessings of liberty are not always pleasant. Thanks to modern medicine, many of our veterans’ deepest scars are not physically visible. But they are there.

Veterans Day often expresses itself as “thank a veteran!” That is well and good, and we should.

Yet, maybe we should also think about ensuring that our republic is one worthy of their sacrifice. Sure, you can say they were paid (even if poorly) or got an education or skill out of it. For a half-century, the military has been an all-volunteer force.

Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have served without an obligation beyond the contractual agreement they freely made.

Are we worth it? Is our republic one worth serving?

If we want our nation to survive, then we as citizens must be about the business of ensuring it is one for which men and women want to volunteer in its defense. Veterans Day should inspire us to consider the government and culture we ask men and women to defend.

And, of course, to thank those who have served.

Quote-Unquote

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."

– Elmer Davis

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