An opportunity missed; But why?

A few months ago, my buddy and I were walking along Main Street Boerne, when he said, “California.” I asked what he was talking about. He said, “It’s a California plate on that car.”

I turned around and there was a family getting out of the California car. Stupidly (for lack of a better characterization) I said out loud, “I hope they’re not Democrats.”

The adults in that group looked at me in seeming amazement but didn’t respond; so, I assumed I was correct.

In reflection, you know the colloquial meaning of “assume.” Yep, that was me on that occasion, and honestly it was out of character.

Rather I should have, and ordinarily would have, stopped and greeted them warmly. Any Hill Country neighbor I know would have.

It was an opportunity missed — an opportunity to do my job as a precinct chair, an opportunity to be civil and act my age, an opportunity to reflect what we are and who we are as congenial, community- minded Hill Country Texans.

If that family is reading this, I apologize. Truly. Please feel welcome here.

But know too that my offensive remark was made in the context of seeing out- of- staters moving here only to remake what they left — a failed state. It is exactly what our enemies want; contention.

And to my next point: Information from well-informed sources.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has worked for many years to get the Republicans and the Democrats baiting, hating and fighting, all to the end of what we almost saw as a result of the last administration — the destruction of our beloved democracy.

The enemy within has a stronghold. A retired brigadier general, China expert and former senior director for strategic planning at the National Security Council Robert Spalding makes a truly convincing, relative point in this regard in his book “War Without Rules.”

Spalding’s thesis is grounded in the concept of “Unrestricted Warfare,” a doctrine articulated by two Chinese colonels in 1999, which posits that modern warfare transcends conventional military confrontations.

It encompasses a broad spectrum of tactics including economic coercion, cyber espionage, cultural influence and even the manipulation of global health crises. The CCP’s approach, Spalding notes, is a total war strategy that seeks to exploit the open and interconnected nature of Western societies.

His book dissects the CCP’s playbook, revealing how the West’s adherence to rules-based international order is being exploited. Spalding warns that the CCP has promised to use corporate espionage, global pandemics and trade violations to achieve dominance, effectively waging a stealth war against the United States and our allies.

So, what’s the message in all of this and my apology? Let’s agree to disagree, but do it agreeably. Isn’t that a virtue we should nurture.

Granted, we are in sort of a state of counterrevolution. The Dems are angry about the Trump administration’s counterrevolution because it’s succeeding and it’s succeeding beyond anybody’s expectations. The effects of the revisionist policies and practices we see every day are giving us a new sense of optimism for our individual, community and national futures.

We cannot rest on our laurels. As I learned in my military career and later in government service in Iraq, it’s how not to retreat if at all until the mission is accomplished.

How? Stay the course. We can only do that with personal commitment and strong leaders in local, state and national government.

Ask yourself: What can I do to support the mission? Are you willing to text or talk with neighbors, family and friends to get out and vote, to write notes or letters to local, state and congressional leaders to tell them why you voted for them and what you know we need to sustain the growth we’re now seeing in our country.

Go to: https:// www. kcrptx. com/ precinct- chairs to find your voting precinct chair. Call or email him or her and ask how you can help. If you’re not sure which is your precinct, look on your voter registration card or click on and go to: https:// experience. arcgis. com/ experience/ a97914dd0646475d97eb83aeb0f37998.

Abraham Lincoln: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Matthew 12:25 “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”

Art Humphries is a Kendall County Republican Precinct Chair.