Let’s say you are a Trump supporter. It’s your choice and your right to choose under the liberties granted citizens under the Constitution.
And, let’s say your main reason for backing the president is that, now, Donald Trump is an anti-abortion champion. Again, that’s your right,
And, say you are a dyed-in-the-wool Republican. Period. Paragraph. That’s where this conversation should start.
First, Donald Trump is not a Republican: That’s his label du jour this week, but in the past he has registered as a Democrat, Republican and Independent. He is, then, a political chameleon, changing his color, philosophy and beliefs as it suits his moods or fiscal standing.
He has donated money to many Democratic candidates and organization, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Planned Parenthood and other so-called “liberal” organizations.
Trump is an opportunist, for sure, in business, politics and life. What is good for The Donald is good for The Donaid and his brand.
Now, Republican supporter of President Trump, how do you view the truism that the president, now the titular head of your party, is choking the life out of the GOP with the certainty that the Minneapolis policeman choked the life out of George Floyd?
When The Donald is through “playing” the part of a kick-ass Republican, he will slough his GOP mantle and abdicate the party to start the MAGA Party or the PAT sect (Party for America and Trump) or maybe the TOWY Party (Tired of Winning Yet).
Whatever, Trump is interested in two things and two things only: Money and power. Right now he is giddy beyond measure because, in his eyes and his ham-handed style, he has both.
Win or lose in November, he will do whatever it takes to keep both. That scenario does not bode well for the Republican Party or the majority of citizens in general, and the United States of America in particular.
The rigors of personal agony and turmoil enveloping this country today is a spit in the ocean compared what could be headed our way after November’s general election.
If you believe in the power of prayer, it’s not too early to drop to your knees and start praying now for the future of this country.
Lose, and Trump and his supporters will not go quietly;. Win, and every global citizens will hold their collective breaths, wondering what new hell this president, this newly ordained potentate, will serve up.
The future of America, four months from the election, is a surrealistic landscape where up is down and “bleak” is the main theme.
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Effective Monday, June 8, 2020, Marshall city leaders will open the following city buildings and services to citizens. This decision aligns the city with the latest Executive Order GA-26 from Governor Greg Abbott.
Outdoor public events less than 500 people
City park playgrounds and basketball courts
Marshall Visual Art Center – Only paid renters of art cages will be allowed access
City Hall Community & Economic Development Department for permits and code enforcement
The City of Marshall will hold City Commission meetings utilizing a video and audio conferencing tool, as well as a standard conference call. Instructions and direct links to view meetings or speak during Citizen Comment are at http://www.marshalltexas.net.
The City of Marshall urges all citizens to follow Governor Abbott’s Standard Health Protocols.
All businesses should continue to follow the minimum standing of health protocol for DSHS. For details and a full list of guidelines, please visithttp://open.texas.gov.
Individuals are encouraged to wear appropriate face coverings.
People should not be in groups higher than ten when possible.
People over the age of 65 are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible.
People shall avoid nursing homes, state-supported living centers, assisting living facilities, or long-term care facilities.
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In an extraordinary condemnation, the former defense secretary backs protesters and says the president is trying to turn Americans against one another.
James Mattis, the esteemed Marine general who resigned as secretary of defense in December 2018 to protest Donald Trump’s Syria policy, has, ever since, kept studiously silent about Trump’s performance as president. But he has now broken his silence, writing an extraordinary broadside in which he denounces the president for dividing the nation, and accuses him of ordering the U.S. military to violate the constitutional rights of American citizens.
“I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” Mattis writes. “The words ‘Equal Justice Under Law’ are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.” He goes on, “We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution.”
In his j’accuse, Mattis excoriates the president for setting Americans against one another.
“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,” Mattis writes. “We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.”
He goes on to contrast the American ethos of unity with Nazi ideology. “Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that ‘The Nazi slogan for destroying us … was “Divide and Conquer.” Our American answer is “In Union there is Strength.”’ We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.”
Mattis’s dissatisfaction with Trump was no secret inside the Pentagon. But after his resignation, he argued publicly—and to great criticism—that it would be inappropriate and counterproductive for a former general, and a former Cabinet official, to criticize a sitting president. Doing so, he said, would threaten the apolitical nature of the military. When I interviewed him last year on this subject, he said, “When you leave an administration over clear policy differences, you need to give the people who are still there as much opportunity as possible to defend the country. They still have the responsibility of protecting this great big experiment of ours.” He did add, however: “There is a period in which I owe my silence. It’s not eternal. It’s not going to be forever.”
That period is now definitively over. Mattis reached the conclusion this past weekend that the American experiment is directly threatened by the actions of the president he once served. In his statement, Mattis makes it clear that the president’s response to the police killing of George Floyd, and the ensuing protests, triggered this public condemnation.
“When I joined the military, some 50 years ago,” he writes, “I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.”
He goes on to implicitly criticize the current secretary of defense, Mark Esper, and other senior officials as well. “We must reject any thinking of our cities as a ‘battlespace’ that our uniformed military is called upon to ‘dominate.’ At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them.
Here is the text of the complete statement.
IN UNION THERE IS STRENGTH
I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.
When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.
We must reject any thinking of our cities as a “battlespace” that our uniformed military is called upon to “dominate.” At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them.
James Madison wrote in Federalist 14 that “America united with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier, exhibits a more forbidding posture to foreign ambition than America disunited, with a hundred thousand veterans ready for combat.” We do not need to militarize our response to protests. We need to unite around a common purpose. And it starts by guaranteeing that all of us are equal before the law.
Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that “The Nazi slogan for destroying us…was ‘Divide and Conquer.’ Our American answer is ‘In Union there is Strength.’” We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.
Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.
We can come through this trying time stronger, and with a renewed sense of purpose and respect for one another. The pandemic has shown us that it is not only our troops who are willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of the community. Americans in hospitals, grocery stores, post offices, and elsewhere have put their lives on the line in order to serve their fellow citizens and their country. We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite.
Only by adopting a new path—which means, in truth, returning to the original path of our founding ideals—will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad.
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[Marshall, Texas] It is essential to note that the Marshall Public Library has been open and available for curbside service since May 1, 2020. We encourage patrons to avail themselves to access the library’s services through these means. Please contact info@marshallpubliclibrary.org or (903) 935-4465 to make arrangements for reading materials through this service.
When the city announced furloughs back in April, city leaders were careful to point out that they made such a decision concerning our response to protecting the pandemic for our citizens and budgetary considerations. The focus for the furloughs was mainly in areas that are destination-based, as opposed to safety services and utility operations based on our current circumstances. We are in a recession, which will be announced formally at the end of the month, after the second quarter. We have seen estimates in the drop of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for this second quarter ranging from 35-53%. This drop in the GDP will impact on our sales tax revenues, one of the city’s primary sources of income for providing services on almost every level. We won’t know how severe an impact it will have until we receive our latest sales tax report, which we anticipate in the next few weeks. Keep in mind; there is an approximate two-month delay between what happens at the cash registers in Marshall and when it shows up at City Hall. Although there has been a lot of rhetoric in the nation’s capital about aid to states and cities for lost revenue, there are no formal plans for providing that assistance. Assuming our citizens didn’t want the shortfall passed onto them via tax increases, city leaders have done the responsible thing and made adjustments as early as possible to mitigate the impact of the sales tax lost revenue. Whether we have to cut more, will be based on the subsequent reports.
When deciding on when to reopen city services to their normal state, the City of Marshall will use a combination of things, including a city advisory committee comprised of management personnel, the Governor’s Orders, local COVID-19 statistics, and budgetary considerations. The committee will continue to meet periodically to evaluate reopening the full complement of city services. A prompt announcement will be made by the city on decisions to change the status of building openings or city services.
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Cleon Flanagan is an American, a husband, father, production engineer, and former law enforcement officer. He is my son-in-law and dad to Bryan, 17, Brayden, 11, and Marley, 6, three of my seven grandchildren.
He is black.
He and I talked this weekend about the racial turmoil roiling through the U.S. His heart was breaking and it was obvious he was worried about the future and what new hell his biracial children would face.
So you will know, I grew up in a segregated community and never had a real, honest conversation and exchange of views about anything with any black person until I went to college.
Cleon is the epitome of what a husband, father, relative and human being should be. He is one of the best men I have ever met. I love him.
He wrote the piece below this week. Please read it. If you do and get through it without shedding tears…you have more self control than I do.
By Cleon Flanagan
So let’s talk … take a seat.
1980’s—Walking home, around age 12, and two white men in a pickup truck and a confederate flag waving, pulled up behind me and then beside me and threw beer and full beer cans on and at me. Thank God I was almost home.
1997 — When I worked for a local police agency, we were doing a transport of some detainees and prisoners when a detainee turned to me and said (while i was in uniform) “My daddy used to own some like you. ha ha!” I couldn’t speak up.
Same town — I went into the store to get a drink, in uniform, and the cashier looked at me (missed the badge) and said “I can’t stand f-ing n******.”
I’d like to say these instances early in my adulthood were rare, or stopped as I aged.
But that would be a “No.”
Jennifer Thurman Flanagan and I, throughout our marriage, have endured comments that we know wouldn’t be made (or tolerated) about white couples.
“Oh, I’ll bet her family has money. You’re all set now.”
“She has a good job so y’all know y’all will be ok. (But I’m an engineer?)
Jen has been asked if all of our kids were by the same dad.
They are struck by the fact that she had actually graduated college, got married, and bought a house (in that order) yearsssssss before having kids. That we weren’t teen parents.
She’s been asked at the grocery store, when the little ones were with her, if she’ll be using her Lone Star card to pay.
She’s looked at as trash when she shops alone with our kids, but I get stereotyped as having “married up.”
And let me tell you about our recent vacations … Galveston 2019 — Our kids were questioned for missing fishing poles from a residence AN ENTIRE BLOCK AWAY. The police were driving around and saw our kid’s fishing (with their own poles).
Lake O the Pines 2018 — The white man who owned the property we rented was as friendly and sweet as peach pie over the phone… until he saw Bryan, his black classmate, and me heading in with our boat. After that, we were harassed, watched, hounded, then, after cleaning profusely, he kept our deposit and sent us a bill (we got it all back after filing a complaint with VRBO).
Speaking of vacations — How many of you have to plan your vacation depending on the demographics of the town? The location? Is it a place notorious for pulling over and harassing POC (people of color)?
Have you every had to justify simply being in a public place?
Have you every been denied a day off by your boss at Thanksgiving, just for him to tell you, “Them white folks don’t want you to eat with them.”
These are only a fraction of the stories I could tell. Imagine all of the stories millions black men and women could tell today.
Imagine being a black man and being ridiculed and belittled by police, by your boss, by your white neighbor. treated less than human, in front of your own children who don’t understand the systematic racism that you encounter.
And you are helpless to fight it. You have to “stay in your place.” You can’t speak up.
If you think the world still doesn’t look at us differently, let me tell you: I have a CHI (Concealed Handgun License), and I could open carry. If I walked into Walmart with a rifle strapped to my back, the cops would be called. White men open carry regularly – not an eye batted.
Have you every had to tell your black son where to put his hands when he gets pulled over and to let the officer know he are unarmed?
Some of y’all get excited about your kids going off to college, traveling the world, getting jobs ANYWHERE. That worries the hell out of me. I don’t get the privilege to get excited for my kids — I just get to worry.
The only reason I’m posting this is because I need y’all to understand. I have tons of white friends. I have white family members. But I really think that some don’t understand the experiences that we go through. They make assumptions that our life is great and happy and everyone is nice to us. I’ve heard the sideways comments from people and either they think it doesn’t bother me, or they make the comment of “But you’re not like other black guys.“ What does THAT mean??
THIS IS OUR EVERYDAY REALITY!
This impacts me personally not because of my experiences that I have had or will have, but because of the experiences that my children will have. Racism is only around today because it keeps being reinforced and taught throughout the generations. And now, it’s my kids’ turns to encounter it. And it INFURIATES ME.
What if George Floyd was Bryan. Or our classmates, or me????
Like I was told at the police academy: Just because it happens in a big town, don’t think it can’t happen in your small piece of the world.
Would you still sit back silent? Would we just be a hashtag?
Would you be complaining about protestors and rioting … or would you march for me? Would you actually act? Would you vote differently? Would you not make assumptions? Would you still grasp your purse or lock your doors when we walk by? Would we still get an interview, the job, or a promotion?
Would you stand next to us?
And, does it have to be someone you know for you to GET IT!?
Are you mad at the protesters? Be mad that y’all haven’t spoken up in the names of my sons. Be mad at the systematic racism that is still plagues the every day life of POC.
If we keep going this way, if Y’ALL DONT SPEAK UP and make SYSTEMATIC CHANGES, then it very well really might BE one of us.
Or maybe that’s it: You don’t want it to change. And THAT is the real problem.
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After Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis in 1968, peaceful protests turned into riots and from April though mid-summer, this nation was washed over by the largest wave of social unrest since the Civil War.
Today, same racial song, second verse.
The slow-motion murder of Minneapolis resident George Floyd by four police officers — coming on the heels of the killing of several black Americans by law enforcement officers (and in one case by “vigilantes”)— has ignited violent protests in more than 140 cities in the U.S., and even in foreign countries.
Since 1968, there have been remarkable changes in the overall racial landscape in America: The most visible wrinkle in a racial snapshot of the U.S.in the last 50 years was the election the first black president 12 years ago.
Now, today, we’re right back to 1968, where distrust and fear of the police by a large segment of this nation’s population is rampant and fear and loathing is turning to rage and violence.
But, unlike the reactions of those trying to quell the unrest in 1968, some individual officers and even entire police departments are reducing the anger level of protestors by JOINING them in kneeling in honoring the life of Floyd and other victims of unnecessary police violence.
President Trump could learn something from these officers.
The president can be defined by many of his absurd and detrimental actions as the nation’s CEO; you either like him or you don’t, there is no middle ground.
However, his absence in the current framework of nationwide protests and violence, the absence of empathy, his absolute refusal to take time to try and calm the nation in this time of double crises (pandemic and coast-to-coast protests) is an abdication of his duties as president.
The fact he is tweeting about his confounded MAGA crew as “liking blacks…liking African Americans” is proof of how he views blacks, i.e., they are not part of MAGA congregation, and, thus, not part of HIS vision of America.
For more than two decades, the Republican Party has made it a priority to work to create a bridge of understanding with minorities, knowing those voting blocs are growing in numbers.
All that work, all the money burned in that effort has been wasted due to the callous and prejudiced actions of the Man from MAGA.
Trump’s chaotic handling of the pandemic response and his clueless response to the nationwide protests is proof-positive of his abject ignorance of what drives the majority of people in this country to get up every day and create opportunities for personal and professional growth.
He is, in a phrase, a wounded president, laid low by his constant lying, woeful management style, dearth of patience and his inability to comprehend the importance of briefings on important domestic and foreign issues.
The president claims to be a “stable genius” but his ignorance of history, the Constitution, his duty to all citizens (not just members of the MAGA cult) and how his knee-jerk reactions affect not just Trump World by the global community, prove that he is a spoiled, rich bully.
Trump claims to be a Christian but displays no Christian values; he came to power to “drain the swamp”, but his “swamp” is deeper, more murky and more corrupt than any administration since the Watergate era of Richard Nixon and that of Warren G. Harding’s Teapot Dome scandal.
He should never have been elected. His re-election would ensure the continued decline of this nation on all fronts, foreign and domestic.
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I have taught various management courses in adjunct positions for more than 25 years at various colleges and universities in three states.
I started researching and writing about politics in 1966 and for more than 50 years have seen and reported on the activities, actions and abominations of hundreds of politicians at all levels of the political spectrum.
That does not mean I am an expert in business or politics, just that I have experience in research and writing about topics in those areas.
Look at this list:
Cruel.
Crude.
Antagonistic.
Misogynist.
Thin-skinned.
Attacks perceived foes on personal level.
Makes wild accusations based on whims, not evidence
Lacks empathy.
Petty.
Impatient to a fault.
Will not read important documents and reports.
Ignorant on many subjects directly connected to the job.
Believes “gut” over acclaimed experts.
There is no way that a person with this extensive list of faults could be selected as CEO of a major company or be elected to any public office. Yet, Donald J. Trump embraces all of these negative traits and was elected president.
Via frequent tweets, Trump brags about his prowess as a manager and leader even as he is daily giving historians ammunition to declare him the most divisive, abrasive m, corrosive and corrupt president in U.S. history.
Why do do many people follow this man with a cult-like fervor?
To some, it boils down to a one-issue situation, i.e., abortion or immigration or the perceived need for religious freedom.
To others, Trump is seen as a leader in the white supremacy movement;m, the white-is-right believers that has abject racism as their core mantra.
And, a slice of his supporters sing his praises simply because he is seen as an outlier, someone from outside the political area whom they thought would hear their frustration and create change.
Trump has brought change: Regulations that protected workers, the environment and the animal population have been gutted; public lands are being raped by big businesses who donate campaign funds to Trump; racist tension is back to the 1960’s level, with distrust between police and the people they are sworn to protect increasing exponentially and with protests and riots becoming along racial lines more commonplace.
This president has made sure to cut ties with longtime foreign allies, alienating friendly nations while cozying up to dictators, despots and third world strongmen.
He has not hidden the fact that he wants to dismantle any program from the Obama Administration, simply because he is piqued by the former president’s constant popularity and the fact Obama has more Twitter followers.
We are stuck with this petulant degenerate and will wake up every day wondering what new hell our president perpetuated via tweet overnight.
We are stuck through election day. Trump’s antics, incompetencies, malignant actions and benign neglect of traditional protocol will be a part of history. His supporters’ stated reasons for kowtowing to his bizarre and corrosive whims will also be examined by history’s prolific authors.
The final stories on leader and his cultish followers will be brutal. Count on it.
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To my friends and political frienemies who are hardcore on the Trump train. I feel for you, I really do. Carrying around that much angry and delusion is a burden.
And to those who believe immigrants are taking certain jobs:
Few WASPs over the age of 16 in this country would agree to do stoop labor or haul hay or pick peaches for anything less that $12-$15 an hour. And after one dawn to dusk shift, even that is iffy.
It’s called community culture. Some folks run to hard labor because it is necessary, while others run just as hard in the other direction because they hate hard work.
I decided to go to college when I was 14; that was the summer I tried picking tomatoes and cucumbers and hauling hay.
Nope. Nada.
Uh-uh. Nyet.
The fact that some folks think U.S. citizens raised on social media, video games and hip-hop are going to do stoop labor is laughable and ludicrous.
Who do you think picks strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, watermelons snd cantaloupes that we, the self-entitled, gently place in our grocery carts?
Who stands elbow to elbow to elbow with other workers deboning chickens or cutting slabs of beef and pork into salable packages? Or pulling the entrails out of fish, goats and turkeys?
Be thankful for immigrants, illegal or otherwise; they do work that Most American citizens do not want to do, or cannot do.
And most of Americans are grateful for those who do. And damn well we should be.
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Marshall Depot Board shares Amtrak’s plans to restore staffing that was eliminated in 2018at the Amtrak station in Marshall, Texas and 14 other cities nationwide
Passenger rail advocates from the Marshall Depot Board of Directors shared exciting news on Wednesday that Amtrak is in the process of restoring, in the coming month to six weeks, the paid Customer Service Representative positions at the Marshall, Texas station, as well as the staffing of 14 cities nationwide, which were all eliminated by Amtrak in 2018.
Christina Anderson, member of the Marshall Depot Board and I-20 Corridor Council, who, along with her husband former Harrison County Judge and former Texas State Senator Richard Anderson, headed up the local and regional grassroot efforts in 2018 to urge Amtrak to not eliminate the important staffing at the Marshall station and the other stations nationwide, shared the following statement, on behalf of the Marshall Depot Board:
“During the sadness and difficulty of the ongoing pandemic and with continued gratitude for the brave service of our frontline workers and all working together to battle the current health crisis, we’re very grateful and honored to be able to share some welcomed and happy news with our community and region. On Tuesday, May 19, we received a phone call from Amtrak informing us that Amtrak plans to restore the paid Customer Service Representative staffing at our Marshall Depot station, as well as at the 14 other U.S. cities who had staffing eliminated in 2018.”
Ms. Anderson added: “Congratulations and much appreciation to all who worked with such dedication—locally, regionally, and nationally—on the grassroots effort to help Amtrak understand the critical role that staffing of our stations plays in our rural and urban communities, plus the critical role that Amtrak’s long-distance National Network plays in providing much-needed transportation options to citizens throughout America. Our community greatly values and appreciates our strong, long-standing partnership with Amtrak, as Marshall is proudly one of the stops along the Texas Eagle route. And, with regard to this issue, we are grateful that our local and national unified voices were heard.”
Cathy Wright, President of the Marshall Depot Board, echoed this sentiment: “We’re so appreciative to all who worked so hard and effectively to bring about this successful outcome, not only in 2018 but over the past two years. We’re thankful for the strong working relationship we have with Amtrak, now and in the past, and we look forward to the relationship continuing to strengthen in the many years to come.”
Amtrak shared the information that there would be a posting internally within Amtrak for the two restored Customer Service Representative (CSR) jobs in Marshall from May 20-May 27. The jobs will then be posted externally. One CSR agent would work Monday through Thursday, the other CSR agent would work Friday through Sunday, for a fully-staffed station in Marshall.
The CSR agents will provide service at the Marshall Depot station in the three hours before, during, and after the arrival and departure of the northbound, as well as the southbound trains on the Texas Eagle route, which provides service between Chicago and San Antonio. The northbound train to Chicago departs each day at 7:31pm and the southbound train to Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio departs at 7:50am. Marshall is one of only about 525 cities nationwide that has an Amtrak stop.
By way of background, Amtrak announced in the spring of 2018 that the company planned to eliminate the Customer Service Representative staffing at the Marshall Depot station by the end of June of that year.
At that time, Amtrak also announced the elimination of staffing at 14 other cities–Texarkana, Arkansas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Topeka, Kansas; Meridian, Mississippi; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Hammond, Louisiana; Charleston, West Virginia; Fort Madison, Iowa; Ottumwa, Iowa; Garden City, Kansas; La Junta, Colorado; Lamy, New Mexico; Shelby, Montana; and Havre, Montana.
In 2018, upon hearing the news of the proposed staffing elimination, members of the Marshall Depot Board went into action to inform the community and region about the proposed de-staffing and to mobilize them through a letter-writing and petition-signing campaign to Amtrak officials and members of Congress.
“We worked not only throughout our community and region,” Richard Anderson shared, “but also with advocates in some of the other 14 affected cities. We also worked with national rail advocacy groups such as Texas Eagle Marketing and Performance Organization (TEMPO) and Rail Passengers Association to raise awareness with members of Congress and Amtrak about the negative economic, tourism, and quality of life impact that the staffing elimination would have on Marshall, the other cities, and the National Network.”
The Marshall Depot Board received more than 750 signatures on the petition from citizens throughout the region. Petitions were provided to be signed at community events and at local business such as The Ginocchio Restaurant, East Texas Office Supply, Central Perks, Red Poppy Hair Salon, and the T & P Railway Museum, located at the Marshall Depot.
The final petition from our region was presented via mail to the President of Amtrak, Chairman of the Board of Amtrak, as well as to various members of the Texas Congressional delegation.
In the ensuing months, through a continued collaborative effort by rail advocates nationwide concerning the 15 affected cities and related routes, advocates were able to convince Congress to provide the directive to Amtrak to restore the CSR positions in all 15 cities, including Marshall.
Dr. Bill Pollard, President of the Texas Eagle Marketing and Performance Organization (TEMPO) who also served for nearly 20 years as volunteer Local Revenue Manager for the Texas Eagle, underscored the importance of the CSR staffing to the safety of Amtrak stations.
“Due to their knowledge, experience, and recurrent training,” Dr. Pollard shared, “the Customer Service Representatives provide services to ensure safe entraining and de-training of passengers, safety on the platform, assistance to persons with disabilities and/or special needs, assistance with luggage, and other important services. They are often the ‘face of Amtrak’ and are the initial or primary contact for the traveling public to access Amtrak’s important transportation services.”
Ms. Anderson shared that the Marshall Depot Board looks forward to sharing additional information as things progress regarding this positive news regarding the restoration of the Amtrak staffing.
She shared: “We can’t underscore enough how fortunate we are to be an Amtrak-served community and the important economic, transportation, and quality of life benefits that Amtrak and the Marshall Depot provide our community and region. We’re also thankful to be a part of such a strong local, regional, and national network of grassroots advocates in support of passenger rail. Plus, in this uncertain time of the pandemic, we’re fortunate that two jobs are being added to the Marshall economy.”
Cathy Wright added: “On behalf of all the members of the Marshall Depot Board, we wish to thank everyone in our community and region for their support of Amtrak and the Marshall Depot.”
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The CDC estimates more than a third of coronavirus patients don’t have any symptoms at all, and 40% of virus transmission happens before people feel sick. The figures are part of the agency’s new guidance for mathematical modelers and public health officials, and are not supposed to be predictions of how many people could have or contract Covid-19. The CDC has also released mortality figures and scenarios intended to help public health preparedness. Under the most severe of the five scenarios outlined, the CDC lists a symptomatic case fatality ratio of 0.01, meaning that 1% of people overall with Covid-19 and symptoms would die. But some experts say the figures lowball the proportion of people who are succumbing to the disease.blic pools it is impossible to prevent viral spread).
“…I understand the importance of opening up the economy. The worry that I have is that we haven’t put in place a public health system — the testing, the contact tracing — that’s commensurate to sustain the economy…”
TEST DATA AND SWEDEN’S SITUATION FROM J. HOPKINS:
SWEDEN SEROLOGICAL STUDY Sweden’s Public Health Authority announced preliminary results from a serological study, based on more than 1,100 specimens collected across 9 regions. The study is ongoing and aims to collect 1,200 specimens per week over an 8-week period. The preliminary results described in the press release correspond to Week 18 (April 27-May 3). During that period, 7.3% of participants in Stockholm had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, the highest of the regions tested. The press release included results from two other regions—4.2% in Skåne and 3.7% in Västra Götaland. Among the specimens tested, participants aged 20-64 years had the highest seroprevalence (6.7%), followed by 0-19 years (4.7%) and 65-70 years (2.7%). Sweden has previously reported results of studies conducted using molecular tests (e.g., PCR). Molecular tests only detect active infection, whereas serological testing can identify individuals who were previously infected. Sweden has been criticized for not implementing more restrictive mandatory community mitigation measures. Sweden continues to report elevated per capita incidence compared to most of Europe, and its daily per capita deaths is currently the highest in Europe.
Kawasaki’s Disease Report: An unusual vasculitis seen is some children with Covid is also showing up in young adults — just as many of the young had decided that they were “bulletproof.”
COLLIN PUN FOR THE DAY: A rubber – band pistol was confiscated from an algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.
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