Good morning,

Is it possible many of us are praying for the wrong people? I reflect on that question at the end of today's Texas Minute.

But first… if you haven’t yet reserved your seats for the Conservative Leader Awards dinner on Dec. 4, you should!

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Friday, October 8, 2021
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Border County Asks Abbott For Help

• On the same day Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asked the Biden–Harris administration to secure the open border with Mexico, Kinney County Judge Tully Shahan (R) asked the governor to use his authority to stop illegal border crossings. Robert Montoya has the story.
   
• Shahan asked Abbott to “immediately deploy 2,000 state military personnel” and “state military air assets” to the county to “repel an invasion and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Texas.”
   
• The request was made, Shahan said, because the “health, life, and property” of local citizens remain “under an imminent threat of disaster from the human trafficking and cartel activity.” He cited a report that 60,000 people are heading toward the open border, with a clear intent to enter illegally.

• At 11 a.m. today, join Brandon Waltens and Jacob Asmussen live on The Headline to discuss the week’s news. Their focus will be the ever-growing border crisis.
   
• If you cannot join them live, a video archive of the show and the podcast will be available early this afternoon.

Federal Judge Blocks Texas’ Heartbeat Bill

• U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pittman, an Obama-appointee, has temporarily blocked the implementation of the Texas Heartbeat Act. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing the decision to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Sydnie Henry has the details.

Redistricting Podcast Series Debuts Today

• Texas Scorecard is launching a five-part podcast series today on redistricting. The first episode, which will go live at 2 p.m., is a conversation with election law expert Trey Trainor, who currently serves on the Federal Elections Commission.

Texas School District Honors A.O.C.

• “During Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate those of Spanish-speaking backgrounds who have positively influenced our students and staff. Today: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” announced Pflugerville Independent School District on social media this week.
   
• As Jacob Asmussen reports, citizens where appalled by the school district celebrating her as a role model. Her antisemitism and positions on social issues were were cited by parents and taxpayers frustrated by the decision.
     
• “This is asinine. I might file a [public open records] request for all information in this decision making process,” wrote Sylvan Rodriguez.
   
• The school district’s social media profiles shows that as part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Pflugerville ISD has honored three politicians: AOC, deceased leftwing activist Cesar Chavez, and liberal Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
   
• Conspicuously, the district has not mentioned U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, or heroes from Texas history like José Antonio Navarro.

Schools Taught To Delay Parent Requests

• A parent-led transparency movement is growing around the state, but at an education conference last month school districts were shown how they can thwart requests from parents and taxpayers. Robert Montoya was there and has the details.
     
• While the Texas Public Information Act (PIA) recognizes a citizen’s right to “inspect or copy” state and local government records, the Texas Association of School Administrators and Texas Association of School Boards conference held a panel that discussed how to “handle” incoming requests. 
      
• For example, panelist James Whitton of the Fort Worth law firm Brackett & Ellis, P.C., suggested “the power of requesting clarification” as a way to delay responding to public information requests.
       
• “Open record requests are the best way for parents to see for themselves exactly what goes on in the schools from an administrative standpoint,” Ashley McCurry, a Carroll ISD parent, told Texas Scorecard.

Constitutional Prop. 2 Hides Property Tax Hikes

• In a new commentary, grassroots activist Terri Hall urges her fellow Texans to oppose “proposition 2” on the November statewide ballot. She says the proposition “contains misleading ballot wording to hide the fact that it uses local property tax increases to pay for transportation projects that should be funded by the state using your existing taxes.”

Friday Reflection: Praying For ‘Leaders’

Are we praying for the wrong people? In a word: yes.

We hear this segment of a prayer all the time: Someone will have asked us to bow our heads and join them in praying, and at some point – particularly at church or a political gathering – will come the inevitable, “…And we pray for our leaders” followed by a litany of names or public offices.

The particularly pious, hoping to evoke a sense of biblical weight, will prayerfully refer to the president, governor, or mayor as our “rulers.”

It reminds me just how ignorant we have become in our republic, just how far we devolved in our understanding of how government is supposed to work. We don’t elect “rulers” and “leaders,” we elect servants.

So let me say it again: Every time you hear someone pray for our nation’s “rulers” and “leaders” to have wisdom in addressing the issues of the day, they are praying – ultimately – for the wrong people if the focus is on the politicians. 

We should pray not as a submissive serf under the heavy thumb of a feudal lord, but as kings earnestly seeking divine guidance for ourselves and our fellow regents. 

Now, don’t get me wrong: We absolutely must pray for the public servants holding these specific positions – just like an employer should pray for her employees, or a commander pray for the soldiers under his command.

All too often, though, the real leaders in our system of government, the ones for whom those title-holders work and take orders, never seem to be the object of corporate prayer. The citizenry has become an after-thought – if ever thought of at all – even by the citizens.

Yes, an ancient kingdom’s fortunes shifted with the attitude of the king, and Rome became a Christian empire because of Emperor Constantine’s edict. But in our republic, the citizen is the ruler. Even absentee citizens, those who don’t participate, are still ruling – they are just ruling badly.

All of this is by design; our Founding Fathers rejected kings and bequeathed us a constitutional republic where the direction is driven by the citizens.

It is very easy, in a fallen world, to wish for a strong leader – a single person on whom we can thrust blame and outsource responsibility. The people of Israel certainly did so when they demanded a king and rejected the system of self-governance under God. Just as the ancient Israelites suffered for abandoning the political designs given to them by God, our abdication of governing obligations undergirds many of our modern political problems.

Praying for the republic’s politicians and not the citizens is like asking a physician to alleviate the symptoms without addressing the disease. If we want righteous men and women to hold public office, we must start by praying for our neighbors and countrymen to be consumed by a desire for righteousness when electing the public servants.

Yes, we should pray for our public servants, for the men and women holding public office, but we should pray harder for our fellow citizens. If we are praying for the hearts of our nation’s leaders to be inclined to God, we must be praying more often – and much more explicitly – for the hearts and attitudes of our fellow citizens.