Good morning,

I've long rejected the "Great Man Theory" of history because we have a great God. Yet even still, I reflect on how it is so easy to get caught up in the "Big Things" that we miss how regular people can get burned in the process.

But first, here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Friday, May 8, 2020
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• Acting on a petition filed by her lawyers, the Texas Supreme Court on Thursday took action freeing small business owner Shelley Luther from her wrongful imprisonment. A Dallas judge, Democrat Eric Moyé, earlier this week sentenced her to jail time for disobeying a temporary restraining order based on Gov. Greg Abbott’s shutdown of the economy.
    
• Brandon Waltens and Robert Montoya have details of the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling.
       
• You can also watch Luther’s lead lawyer, Warren Norred, explain the actual circumstances surrounding Ms. Luther regaining her freedom.
      
• After Luther was freed by the Supreme Court, Gov. Abbott issued a revised – and retroactive – executive order countermanding his previous order that included the possibility of jail time. The governor had previously acknowledged he could pardon Luther, but instead issued a revised order arguing it would effect the Luther case. However, legal experts note Luther was actually jailed for violating Judge Moyé’s restraining order – a step or two removed from the shutdown orders themselves.
     
• Of course, the judge’s restraining order was to prevent Luther from operating her business in defiance of Abbott’s orders. This is the problem with government by executive fiat: the Rule of Law is consumed by the whims of men. There are far-reaching consequences when implementing policies without the public give-and-take of legislative debate.
      
• Some friends are organizing a “Set Texas Free Rally” to be held tomorrow (Saturday, May 9) at 11:30 a.m., in Dallas’ Dealey Plaza. Speakers will include Shelley Luther, Pastor Stephen Borden, Lt. Col. Allen West, and David Barton, among others.
      
• Texans for Fiscal Responsibility is joining the Club for Growth in calling on Congress and President Donald Trump to temporarily roll back costly business regulations. The Cut Red Tape Coalition already includes many of the nation’s leading conservative organizations, such as Heritage Action, Tea Party Patriots, and Freedom Works.
   
• Cary Cheshire explains cutting regulatory burdens will help enable the American economy to recover from the government-initiated shutdowns that resulted in shuttered businesses and millions of citizens losing their jobs. He adds that Texas’ U.S. senators, Republicans Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, as well as the 36 members of the state’s congressional delegation, should all take a leading role in facilitating these reforms.
     
• Some good news out of Washington: The nomination of our friend (and my former lawyer) Trey Trainor to the Federal Election Commission is headed to the full Senate. As Roll Call reports, the Rules and Administration Committee voted 9-1 to move forward with confirmation. President Trump nominated Trainor to the six-year post in September 2017.
      
• Somehow I managed to miss that yesterday was the birthday of our very own Matt Stringer. Please join me in wishing him a happy, if belated, birthday!

Friday Reflection

by Michael Quinn Sullivan

It’s easy to miss today, as it would have been 2,000 years ago. Just another set of doors on an anonymous street filled with vendors in the heart of the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City.

This archeological site, some 19 feet below the current street level, contains the burnt remains of a home that was destroyed when Romans set fire to the city in 70 A.D. following the destruction of the Temple during the Great Revolt. 

Human fragments were found during the excavations, a reminder that great events in history had consequences for the real people living through them. For this family – possibly the priestly Kathros family – the loss and sorrow afterwards would have been deeply personal.

We don’t know for sure who lived and died there, but the uncovered remains of this burnt house put in perspective the reality of those turbulent times. While the Zealots were waging a losing war against the Romans, as the Temple was destroyed, the people living in Jerusalem saw their own lives crumbling. 

This isn’t a field of battle, like the Valley of Elah where David killed Goliath, or a military fortress like Masada. This was a home, where children had played, meals had been served, and life had unfolded.

In our rush to see the “Great Things” done by “Great Men” in history, we have a tendency to rush past the real-life consequences for actual people. The “burnt house” in Jerusalem is a reminder that big-time politics impact real people in deep and personal ways.

It is too easy to let our politics, positions, philosophies, ideals, and candidates become idols we relentlessly serve. We must remember that they are only tools in our daily work of honoring God and loving our fellow man.