July 14 is the date set for the Republican primary runoff for Precinct 4 Constable. The only stipulation to be eligible to vote is that you DID NOT vote in the Democratic Primary. If you did not vote at all, you are still eligible to vote in the runoff.

You may vote in person at your polling place from 7am until 7pm on election day. Polling places will be the EMS Building by the Fairgrounds (voting precincts 20, 21, 22, and 23), or the Seadrift Civic Center next door to the Seadrift City Hall (voting precinct 24).

Early voting begins Monday, 6 July, at the Calhoun County Courthouse.

Applications for absentee voting should be processed with the Elections office as soon as possible. The cutoff for requesting the application by mail is June 30. In other words, if you want an application mailed to you, you must request it before June 30. The Elections office will mail you the application, you fill it out, mail it back to the elections office, they process it and mail you the absentee ballot, you then vote and mail the ballot back to the Elections office to arrive there NO LATER THAN Monday, July 12.

Candidates are Kevin Koliba (incumbent) and Louis Warren.

May has already turned into June and the schedule remains extreme! We continue meeting each Lord’s Day at 10:00 a.m. for Bible Study; 11:00 a.m. for our Morning Service; and 6:00 p.m. for the Evening Service. Our Fisherman’s Bible Institute (FBI) meets on Tuesday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. for intense Bible teaching by Pastor Joane. She is presently teaching from the Gospel of Mark. Each Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. we gather for midweek inspiration. There is congregational singing and a special message from God’s Word. Everyone is welcomed to attend any of these services.

June has been extra busy with two very important happenings. On Friday, June 5, we helped lay Brother Kenneth Smith in burial. Brother Kenneth and Sister Kathy came to the Chapel about twelve years ago and Sister Kathy provided our piano music. Brother Kenneth was almost immediately elected to our Board of Directors and was truly a special part of the leadership team at the Chapel. When Sister Kathy died in 2012, Brother Kenneth continued serving here in many ways. Each of our Directors is given an area of leadership. Brother Kenneth’s assignment was to pray daily for the Pastorial family. He was always very faithful and would often call to check on us and see if therer were any special needs. Often he would personally take care of things he saw around the Chapel that could use his expertise. He rarely ever missed any of the activities of the church and was always extremely kind. At the beginning of 2019, Brother Kenneth had to move with his son Pastor Brad Smith to Midland for his care. The phone calls and prayers never stopped, even through he was getting very low. He will always be remembered here for his faithfulness, his clever wit, and his huge smile. Heaven is richer, but earth is poorer because of Brother Kenneth’s move to Glory! We miss him very much and our Chapel family mourns his promotion!

On Sunday, June 7,, we had the honor of dedicating one-year-old Ross Allen Ebner. His parents, Will and Jordan Ebner, brought him to the Chapel to be dedicated to the Lord. Ross’ sister, Joelle Ellizabeth (JoJo) was dedicated on August 5, 2018, here at the Chapel. Will and Jordan have moved to the Dallas area now, so we are especially honored to have them make the long trip for us to have an opportunity to be a part of the family’s celebration. Tommy and Elaine Ebner, JoJo’s grandparents, have a home in Port O’Connor and have been special friends of the Chapel for many years. It was such an honor for us to be asked to help Will and Jordan in their effort to lead their children in the ways of the Lord. Many parents do not understand this very important service the church performs for children and anyone with questions or who have a desire to dedicate their children to the Lord should contact Pastor Joane or Erny. We believe it will help any family who wishes to help their child in their personal relationship with the Lord.

Captain Robert is back at the Chapel for another Sea Academy Class. There has been an ongoing relationship between the Chapel and Sea Academy since 2000. Many boat captains have received their training and earned their licenses from attending one of these classes. The next class is scheduled to begin on August 21 and conclude on August 28, 2020. All who may be interested in this opportunity to take the class here in Port O’Connor should contact Captain Robert at 361/758/6184.

Fathers’ Day will be a special event at the Chapel. Every year we have given each dad present a special gift. This year will be on exception. We will be honoring each Father and his family, so we encourage June 21, to come as a family to the Chapel and let us honor dads in a special way!

Men’s activities continue on the Saturday following Fathers’ Day, June 27. At 8:30 a.m. we will share a Men’s Breakfast together. It will be an old fashioned breakfast and will be a time of fellowship. Also, there will be a devotional designed with men in mind. It will be a special and all are welcome!

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation whose goal is to help individuals and families find their way through this life and successfully make eternity with Jesus a reality! Everyone is warmly welcomed and all are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”

“The Way I See It” is an attempt by the columnist to enlighten readers on a subject as he views it, and does not necessarily reflect the views of this publication. (See website for links and updates.)

The “Newest Crisis”

The “Major Crisis” of the Chicom Corona Virus has been replaced by the “Current Crisis” of “George Floyd (Black Man) Murdered by Police”. All the necessity of ‘Social Distancing’ is gone, but masks for Antifa Anarchists and looters are still popular. The ‘Mainstream Media’ can shift priorities instantly and are very loose in defining even the words they use: Rioters, Vandals, Arsonists, and Looters are described as “Peaceful Protesters”, any and all criminal violent behavior by radical Far-Left revolutionaries is excused, as long as it is Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Constitution, Anti-Christian, and can be blamed somehow on Trump.

There is no excuse for the murder of Mr. Floyd by a police officer. Floyd was arrested for trying to pass a counterfeit bill, he resisted arrest, was thrown on the ground and handcuffed. So why did a sworn police officer kneel on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds until he died? Some three minutes after Floyd stopped begging for his life and moving? Why did he think he could get away with that, in front of three other sworn police officers and many other witnesses? This is not “just racism”, but a form of insanity and societal collapse from Political corruption from the top to the bottom. Why didn’t the other three officers use force, if necessary, to stop this?

As horrible as that was, it only gets worse as little factoids bubble to the surface. Mr. Floyd had a history of being a career criminal (see Candace Owens – https://youtu.be/JtPfoEvNJ74 ) , he and the police officer that killed him worked together providing security for a Hispanic nightclub. Rumors abound, including connections with a counterfeiting ring. Autopsy reports indicate Floyd was using meth and cocaine, probably to treat the symptoms of Covid19, to get through it. There definitely needs a serious investigation into this, but the Manure-spreader Media has used it to create over two weeks (and counting) of Political Theater to create Riot and Revolution. While George Floyd is being canonized by the Media and radical Leftists in the Dem-Soc Party, retired Police Captain David Dorn, murdered by looting rioters in St Louis while protecting a friend’s store, is largely ignored. Where is the Social Justice and Black Lives Matter on that? Captain Dorn spent his life protecting and improving the “Black (and white) Community”, right up until his death, at the hands of Black Anarchists encouraged by the Propaganda Media and the Dem/Soc Party. Every citizen, regardless of race, ethnicity, or political persuasion should be asking: WHY? Whose side are they on? Certainly not on the side of American Citizens! Certainly not on the side of the residents and business owners in the areas affected. Many of those are minorities that the “Virtue Signalling” Media claim to be defending … by encouraging more lawlessness?? Does that make any sense at all to anyone? Other than the criminal Antifa terrorists and the paid “political Organizers”? And who paid for the pallets of bricks strategically located in some riots?

We are in a Propaganda War. There are many different groups, all struggling for some political and economic advantage, but what are their real long-term aims? The advantage of this somewhat “Open Warfare” of this “George Floyd Revolution” is various groups are exposing themselves more than they might wish. We know the various factions of the Dem-Socialist Party are fighting for Political Power, not only against Repubs, Constitutionalists, and normal American Citizens, but for the votes of all the divided “Classes and Tribes”. There are the “Radical Leftists of the Green Persuasion” (mostly also Anti-Capitalist) that see the Coronavirus Pandemic as an opportunity to paralyze industry and production in the USA, and increase unemployment for anything except more Govt Bureaucracy to regulate everything. There are the Globalists of all factions, the Big Industry Elitists, the Military-Industrial Complex, the greatly enlarged “Intelligence Community”, the traditional Marxist-Internationale America-haters, as well as the “Tribal Pressure Groups” of race, religion, and sexual persuasions.

The “Dem-Soc Party” is now loyal only to its Agenda, and Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, while the hard-core left have graduated to the KGB’s “4 Stages of Ideological Subversion”. These are: 1) Demoralization – normalizing Marxist theory in youth; 2) Destabilization – attacking the economy, political system, legal system, history, and culture; 3) Crisis – Creating endless ‘crises’ to panic demoralized, destabilized people into abandoning their legal protections and constitutional ideals; & 4) Normalization – “normalizing’ the take-over of the new political shift – New World Order; Hope and Change; Socialism/Welfare, even for Illegal Aliens, & Refugees; Voting for Non-Citizens; Whatever. Then create another “Crisis”, repeat as necessary to create the Totalitarian Central Govt necessary to enforce the Marxist Policy. We are in a double Crisis now, the Wuhan Virus and the George Floyd Riots, the next “Normalization” will be Massive Vote Fraud & Non-Citizen Voting by Mail-In Voting. This will allow the Dem-Socs to win, they think, and damn the consequences! We need to fight back, identify & expose the Domestic Terrorists, expose the ones who finance and direct them, and also expose all those Useful Idiots that “aid and abet” the Radical Left in their destruction of Constitutional America. If not now, the only alternatives are dissolution & partition, or surrender & slavery to the Marxist/Globalist/Totalitarians. This is not just a “war on racism”, or “war on capitalism”; with this “Defund the Police” insanity it is a War on Civilization and War on Humanity to gain power Power to enforce their War on the Nuclear Family, the basic foundation of society and Christian western civilization, to be replaced by the GroupThink of the Marxist “Collective”, a socialist utopia run by the self-appointed Elite. They are not fooling around with Socialist Theory anymore, they are trying to DO IT! And we better start paying attention to what their real goals are.

What mammal has the most teeth in North America, is resistant to snake venom, and might live in your home? If you didn’t guess the Virginia opossum, you were wrong! These pint-sized critters have quite the reputation as backyard pests, but in reality they help us out in all sorts of ways! From helping curb harmful diseases, to offering potential insights into developing anti-venom for treating snake bites, opossums make great neighbors and we’re lucky to have them.

The Virginia opossum is North America’s only marsupial; every other mammal on the continent is a placental mammal, meaning young develop completely inside the mother. Marsupials on the other hand, are born only partially developed, and crawl into an external pouch on the mother’s belly, where it nurses and finishes development.

Approximately 70% of marsupial species are found in Australia, including the possums, which are related to, but are not the same as, the Virginia opossum. Species like kangaroos, wombats, and Tasmanian devils are also marsupials found in Australia. The other 30% of marsupial species are found in South America.

When Virginia opossums are born, they are the size of a dime! These tiny babies remain in the mother’s pouch for two-and-a-half months before emerging, and stay with the mother until they are around five months of age. When caring for her babies, the mother opossum will carry them around on her back, an incredibly adorable sight!

Despite this cuteness, opossums have a poor reputation. Many view them as backyard pests that knock over garbage cans and dig up gardens, or as dangerous animals that lurk in your backyard. However, both of these are misconceptions.

Opossums are generalists, meaning they eat a wide variety of things, including all sorts of insects (including garden pests!), snails, and even venomous snakes! Opossums’ small size makes it unlikely for them to knock over trash cans in search of food (trash can problems are likely raccoons), although opossums will certainly eat trash if it is easily accessible.

While opossums do hold the record for most teeth of any North American mammal, and frequently show them off when cornered, they are very timid animals, and will not bite unless they feel strongly threatened.

In fact, in response to extreme threats, they will “play opossum”, or pretend to be dead for up to hours at a time, rather than fight a potential attacker. This being said, while it is incredibly unlikely, it is possible to be bitten by an opossum if they are cornered; therefore, if you encounter an opossum, make sure they have an escape route to avoid any contact.

Admittedly, appreciating the cuteness of an opossum is an acquired skill, but looks aren’t everything! A single opossum can eat up to 5,000 ticks per year, helping to curb the spread of tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Additionally, because opossums eat venomous snakes, they are quite resistant to snake venoms. Scientists are studying this resistance in order to create more effective anti-venoms for curing snake bites. Opossums also eat carrion, helping to remove harmful bacteria from the local environment.

If you’re lucky enough to have an opossum as a neighbor, be sure to appreciate all their hard work, and be kind to them!

Morgan Barnes is a biology intern at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the birds and their habitats along the entire Gulf Coast and beyond into their Central and South America wintering grounds.

On July 31, 2017 a federal Clean Water Act lawsuit was filed by San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper and S. Diane Wilson against Formosa Plastics, Corp. alleging illegal discharges from Formosa’s plant located in Point Comfort, Texas.

On June 27, 2019 the US District Court in Victoria issued a declaratory judgement against Formosa for monetary and injunctive relief after which a settlement was reached that included Formosa’s commitment to undertake engineering changes, future monitoring, mitigation payments for future infractions, and remediation of past discharges. The settlement also provided for the establishment of the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust to be funded by Formosa Plastics, Corp. in the amount of $50 million over a five-year period.

In February 2020, Steven J. Raabe, P.E. was appointed as Trustee of the Trust.

Today, the Trustee announces the official formation and launch of the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust (MBMT). MBMT’s purpose is to undertake the specifically defined environmental restoration and mitigation projects for the benefit of the Matagorda Bay and San Antonio Bay area ecosystems as defined in the December 6, 2019 Consent Decree as follows:

1. To work with the Georgia based nonprofit, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, to form a Matagorda Bay Fishing Cooperative to revitalize the marine ecosystems and promote long-term sustainable fisheries by supporting the fishing community to work together to sustain harvests from the Bay Systems in an environmentally responsible manner.

2. To conduct environmental restoration and to develop and protect Green Lake in Calhoun County. Green Lake is the second largest natural lake in the state of Texas but does not have public access and has not been developed or protected in a way to ensure its natural environment is sustained. This project will restore the lake to its historic condition and develop public access to the park.

3. To work with the Port Lavaca YMCA to fund camps for children and teenagers in their service area. These camps will be focused on education about how to be a good steward of the local ecosystems and will teach outdoor education and provide recreation activities.

4. To conduct erosion control and beach restoration at Magnolia Beach in Calhoun County.

5. To provide support for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute’s “Nurdle Patrol” which documents the discharge of plastics on the Gulf Shore and conducts environmental education and environmental quality assessment.

6. To undertake environmental research regarding the Bay Systems, or the river deltas in Calhoun and Jackson Counties feeding into those systems, to study the ecology, pollution, fisheries or habitat and wildlife restoration of those ecosystems.

7. To research, protect, and restore the ecosystems of the Bay Systems and associated river deltas by providing public education, purchasing land for conservation purposes to reduce pollution, improve public areas, and to conduct environmental advocacy and habitat restoration.

“The MBMT has a unique mission and purpose to support valuable environmental restoration and research for the Matagorda and San Antonio Bay systems,” stated Steven Raabe, the Trustee of the newly formed Trust.

“The Trust looks forward to working with the recipients of this funding to accomplish these important environmental projects,” Raabe further stated.