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Fiddling with the Filibuster | verses Public Servants |
Venezuela: The Impact | |||||||
Published by The Galveston County Daily News Published: January 7, 2026 | |||||||||
When the Constitution was signed, Ben Franklin was asked, “Well, doctor, what have we got – a Republic or a monarchy?” Franklin replied: “A Republic, if you can keep it.” After several years of great adversity, strong and brave leaders formed a different type of government knowing of its risks. It was the first and only government where it’s power, authority, and its sovereignty, came from the people it governed. It also required the people’s vigilance to keep it. With the unfortunate human tendency of some to seek power over many, the founders fully understood its possible failure from within. In 1776 General George Washington set one of the many examples in-spite of the odds. He and the rest of the rebels risked it all. They faced the eighteenth-century form of “lawfare” from King George -- criminal indictments and more. Because of uncontrolled “general warrants,” [broad discretion or authority for law enforcement to search unspecified places or persons and to conduct seizures] their property and their lives faced unjust condemnation. On Christmas night, 1776, the General ordered a crossing of the Delaware river while facing a northeasterner storm. As the storm raged the oarsmen expended their strength, their will, and more in order to make the crossing. Two other groups of American forces failed to accomplish the crossing. Only Washington, with some of his troops without shoes and dressed in rags, succeeded. His band would go on alone to Trenton and turn the tide of the revolution. They found a sleeping enemy. The mercenaries left to guard Trenton were not prepared for Washington’s attack. The American troops made quick work of their enemy. THE LESSON? It was about strong leadership and dedicated people willing to risk it all for freedom from tyranny. In the recent past we’ve seen leaders seeking power for themselves, corruption not honest leadership, self-serving politicians who serve themselves, not the average citizen. They seek to commandeer power for their own ends, not honest leadership. A few examples: - Former Attorney General James Comey lying under oath to Congress; - New York Attorney General Leticia James lying on mortgage documents to get a more favorable interest rate; - An administration monitoring political opponents (Members of Congress’ private phone calls and activities); - Former FBI leadership ordering a raid on a former president’s home with machine guns while rank-and-file professional FBI agents said there was no justification; - Activist judges making decisions to remove the executive branch’s foreign policy authority and staffing decisions; - Activists trying to block the executive branch’s efforts to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse; and - An administration labeling parents criminals for calling school boards to account As did our forefathers, we need to fight corruption and political self-interest, shed light upon tyrannical activities, and ensure nobody is above the law. We should elect leaders who will truly serve us, not themselves; both Democrats and Republicans alike. It sickens us when people run for office promising to serve for a short period and then find reasons to break that promise. We need citizen-leaders, not career politicians. We need to support candidates who choose true leadership not self-interest. In this new year, choose, but choose wisely!
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| About the Authors and Columnists |  2026 Bill and Mansius have written over 300 guest columnsr and editorials together over the last ten years for numerous publications across the country and they continue to do so. Bill lives in Texas and Mark in Utah. Both gentlemen ran against each other in the 2012 Republican Primary for Texas Congressional District 14. Since then they have become close friends and colleagues. In addition to formerly being responsible for overseeing elections in Galveston County as Galveston's Chief Deputy Clerk for Elections, Bill has worked with the Texas State Legislature to improve and craft election legisation. |
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