Weber Wrong in Doubting Governor’s Order

To the Editor:

My wife and I are chuckling because today is a first for us. We have been married going on forty years and find this amazing since we, apart from many common interests, so vehemently disagree over political issues. She is a devout liberal Democrat and I am a staunch Republican. Yes, we know that our votes simply cancel one another, but that’s the way it is.

After having read the Tuesday (July 7) Fayette County Record, we find that we are one hundred percent in agreement over our issues with Judge Joe Weber and his stand on Governor Greg Abbott’s emergency order concerning the wearing of face masks in public.

Certainly, anybody who has been following the news over the many past months knows the issues. The first reported case of COVID-19 came on January 21st. Within ninety-nine days, a million Americans had become infected. In less than half that time – fortythree days – the second million cases were reported. It only took twenty-eight more days for the third million case point to be reported. And so what has been happening along the way? Thinking people have isolated themselves and been very careful to avoid public contact. We, along with hundreds of other church members across the land, have moved to virtual services. Thinking people have made every effort to do the recommended procedures – hand washing and mask wearing in particular – to try to avoid contracting the virus or spreading germs that might cause others to get it. Our governor, caught in the

Our governor, caught in the middle of extreme pressures from all sides, made a critical error, opening the state up too early. As a consequence, our numbers of cases in Texas have soared. We are one of the top states in case counts. And so, in an effort to correct his mistake, he issued an executive order to counter the problem – face masks in public.

Now, when I shop in La Grange or Giddings, face masks are required. People have been excellent in their response to this requirement. I am proud of those I see at the grocery and WalMart. As a senior with a severely ill wife, I am doing everything possible to keep us safe. Were either of us to catch it, we would likely both die as we are both very high risk individuals.

And so we read about Judge Joe Weber and his comments about how Governor Abbott made the wrong decision for our county. I was raised to believe that judges were really important people who could have a major impact on people’s lives. I was brought up to respect them as intelligent and important people. I guess I am not so sure about that when it comes to Judge Weber.

Across Texas, people are fighting together, trying to get past this virus and get back to our normal lives. We have made months of sacrifices to try to join all our other brethren in winning this battle. To have an important local official come out with his opposition to what we are doing is unconscionable. Further, his influence on county law officials is obvious when deputy sheriffs badger citizens concerned about situations where local store owners don’t respect or enforce Governor Abbott’s orders.

Jim Holmes Ledbetter