Good morning, 

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Friday, October 4, 2019
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• Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush is gearing up to run for governor or lieutenant governor, according to National Review’s Kevin Williamson. While Williamson’s sources say Bush wouldn’t necessarily challenge either incumbent, “he’s ready” to run should the opportunity present itself.
      
• After announcing his congressional campaign just last week, conservative Chris Putnam is poised to present a serious challenge to U.S. Rep Kay Granger (R–Ft. Worth); he announced yesterday he has raised more than half a million dollars in the first six days of his candidacy. Brandon Waltens has the details. “Voters are excited at the chance to send a real conservative to Congress to represent the 12th District – someone who will stand with President Trump to secure our border, protect innocent life, and restore fiscal sanity in Washington D.C.,” said Putnam.
      
• Putnam is known for implementing major pro-taxpayer initiatives during his self-limited time on the Colleyville City Council, including ethics reform and term limits. It’s a stark contrast to Granger, a 23-year incumbent who has amassed a liberal record during her time in Congress, earning a dismal rating on the latest FreedomWorks Congressional Scorecard.
      

• Speaking of Rep. Granger... Despite rumors to the contrary, her son – J.D. Granger – will continue running a Fort Worth project that, after 16 years and hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, still hasn’t completed any phase of construction. Jim Oliver, general manager of the Tarrant Regional Water District, informed Texas Scorecard’s Robert Montoya in an email Thursday morning that “J.D. Granger is still going to run the” Panther Island Project.
      

• Given how far over budget the project has drifted, maybe it should be renamed the Granger Floating Island of Waste?
      

• The two Republicans on the Harris County Commissioners Court will have an opportunity – using rules available under state law – to stop a massive property tax hike being pushed by County Judge Lina Hidalgo and the court’s Democrat majority at their upcoming October 8 meeting. But will they? Reagan Reed has the story.
      
• A former Greenville Independent School District official is accused of using his status as a public servant to steal from the taxpayers, Erin Anderson reports. Ralph Lee Sanders, Greenville ISD’s former chief human resources officer, is one of two people charged with felony theft in the case being prosecuted by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

Friday Reflection

John Adams famously described facts as “pesky things,” going on to say “whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

For years a common attack on the veracity of the Bible has been a lack of archeological evidence for the various people mentioned—including such pivotal figures as King David.

The basic attack has been “since there isn’t evidence for King David or these other people, none of this other stuff in the Bible can be true.”

One can almost hear God smile.

There has always been ample physical evidence for the veracity of the Bible as an historical document. Yet the last two decades has produced an unprecedented series of archeological finds. For example, scholars had for years claimed there was no evidence King David ever existed. Well, very specific evidence for the House of David was uncovered several years ago at Tel Dan, the remains of an ancient city dating back thousands of years. It was literally carved in stone. (We’ll be visiting the site during the Empower Texans trip to Israel in 2020 studying the roots of self-governance.)

Earlier this year, the discovery of a 3,000-year-old ring underneath modern day Jerusalem was announced by archeologists. The ring was inscribed as being the property of “Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King.” The Old Testament specifically mentions this person as an official in the court of King Josiah.

As the evidence mounts, the reasons for ignoring the truth of the Bible become increasingly petty. 

Working Adams’ famous quip backwards: if we are to be honest we must make sure our passions and inclinations align with the evidence and facts!