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Defense Mechanisms Influence Our Behavior

Learning about defense mechanisms helped me understand myself and others. Employing these methods decreases our internal stress. Many times, these reactions are unconscious. Being aware of our defense mechanisms allows us to find a better way to work through internal stress.

Property Tax Cuts Go Into Effect

A total of $18 billion in property tax cuts were approved by more than 80% of voters in the November general election and should be reflected in property tax bills that are due by Jan. 31. The cuts come in the form of increased home exemptions, lower school district rates, and limiting the amount property appraisals can rise.

Broken Date With Davy Saved Friend’s Life

Davy Crockett spent Christmas Day 1835 at Nacogdoches waiting for Ben McCulloch, but when the younger Tennessean was a no-show, his hero went on without him to San Antonio.

The pressing family problems that delayed McCulloch’s departure for Texas spared his life. Had the 25 year old frontiersman kept his date with the famous excongressman, a close friend as well as a role model, he too would have perished at the Alamo.

Marriage

How marriages have been/are/could be structured is an interesting research project best thought about on long bus trips, and I found myself reading about people shifting how they look at those ‘ties that bind’ while heading to the Yucatan recently. I’ve met couples who are married, have been married 30-plus years, and live apart: some in different towns, and some in the same neighbors, but in separate houses.

Rule of Law vs. We the People

To the Editor: The American judicial system is at a crisis crossroads. Within the ongoing litigations involving former president Trump is an issue argued for thousands of years, and at the heart of deliberations by Plato and Socrates: Where does the buck stop — with the voted will of the people, or the tyranny of absolute power vested in either monarch, dictator or Supreme Court Jurists? Until now, laws and juries were largely excluded from political conflicts.

SCOTUS and Equal Justice

To the Editor: In Fayette County, Texas, and in America, we value our freedoms. But a politically powerful and highly wealthy few have always tried rigging the rules while the MAGA Republicans they’ve paid for accelerate Trump’s criminal conspiracy, and try to take away Social Security, Medicare, and our freedom to thrive.

Demolition of 1875 Building Is Wrong

To the Editor: Imagine demolishing other historic buildings in our state that are important records and connections to our past. Historic buildings are much more than brick and mortar—they connect us to who we once were, memorialize the lives of the people who built them and spent time in them, and help tell the story of a unique community.

Thanks from Flatonia

To the Editor: The Flatonia Area Food Pantry would like to thank Second Chance for their generous donation of $28,500. Second Chance recognized the struggles we are going thru to operate and provide food to our clients with the limited space we have.