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Special to the News-Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Morgan Luttrell last week introduced the Cartel and Radical Terrorist Enforcement Log Act, which requires Customs and Border Protection to report if individuals on the Terrorist Screening Database were released into the interior of the United States along with individuals affiliated with cartel organizations.

Additionally, this bill requires a report to Congress detailing which terrorist and cartel organizations are attempting to exploit the northern, southern, and maritime borders to move their members into the United States.

“Due to the Biden Administration’s failed policies, dangerous cartels are controlling our borders and profiting from extensive human and drug trafficking,” Luttrell said. “Combatting these deadly cartels starts with knowing exactly who is exploiting our border and coming into our communities.”

The Cartel and Radical Terrorist Enforcement Log Act requires Customs and Border Patrol to report on:

•Terrorist Screening Database hits and whether the individuals were released into the interior of the United States, in addition to reports on getaway numbers.

•The total number of individuals affiliated with cartel organizations who have repeatedly attempted to cross unlawfully into the United States.

•The total number of individuals affiliated with cartel organizations who have been apprehended, including information relating to whether such individuals were released into the United States or removed.

•Requires a report to Congress detailing which terrorist and cartel organizations are attempting to exploit the northern, southern, and maritime borders to get their members in.

The requirement to report on terrorist hits was secured in the Secure the Border Act (HR 2) by Luttrell. This new legislation expands that provision to transnational criminal organizations (cartels).

This legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Anthony D’Esposito (R-New York), Michael Guest (R-Mississippi), Kat Cammack (R-Florida), Neal Dunn (R-Florida), Bill Posey (R-Florida), Mike Lawler (R-New York), Andrew Garbarino (R-New York), Mike Ezell (R-Mississippi), Carlos Gimenez (R-Florida), Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana), and Dan Webster (R-Florida).

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By Tom Purcell

When I read about the “silent book club” trend, it filled me with instant calm and hope.

As it goes, in 2012, two friends in San Francisco came up with the idea for a non-formal social event in which book lovers can gather at a coffee house or pub, then read together in silence for an hour or so, after which they may discuss any thoughts about what they are reading and socialize.

There is something very special about being immersed in a great work of fiction or nonfiction that brings about a peacefulness and enrichment that few other activities can bring.

A deep dive into someone’s life story, economics, history, the cosmos or so many other curiosities in our incredibly rich world not only makes us calmer, but it improves our ability to think and concentrate and become wiser and more open to the thoughts of others.

Goodness knows we need more free-thinking in these highly agitated and partisan times.

Book reading has been in decline for a long time because it must compete with other forms of entertainment.

I remember seeing author Kurt Vonnegut, whose colorful writings are still enjoyable, talking about this challenge to book reading with other now-deceased authors on a talk-show clip on YouTube that must be 40 years old.

He said that until radio came along, books were the only form of entertainment for most people, particularly in the winters when there was nothing else to do in the evening but read.

Radio and TV offered alternatives to reading. And now social media, streaming TV, podcasts and so much more have really put a dent into our book reading.

According to a 2022 Gallup survey, the average American reads about 12 books a year, two or three books fewer than 20 years prior.

However, the steepest decline, according to Gallup, is among people who had been the most avid readers — college graduates but also women and older Americans.

“College graduates,” Gallup found, “read an average of about six fewer books in 2021 than they did between 2002 and 2016, 14.6 versus 21.1.”

To me this is concerning because book reading improves your ability to concentrate and focus — skills that especially need to be nurtured at a time when attention spans are also in steep decline, as millions jump from one short TikTok or Instagram video to another.

Why is this concerning?

Because concentration and intelligence go hand-in-hand.

The ability to evaluate ideas and delineate between ideas that are silly and false and ideas that are effective and true is important in any democracy.

If we lose the ability to see through bunk, we are at risk of electing officials who put their personal gain before the good of the republic.

Concentration and clear thinking are also important to engaging in thoughtful conversation with others who hold different ideas than our own — and books can nurture our ability to get back to more thoughtful discussions.

Gathering together to read, talk and socialize is as good an idea as I’ve heard in a long time. I am hungry for such camaraderie.

Besides, I’ve got a stack of classic books I’ve been meaning to get to that include Mark Twain, O’Henry, James Michener and Mary Shelley.

Did you know Shelley wrote her famous Frankenstein work when she was only 18?

Now there’s an anecdote to share at a silent book club gathering.

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This is a story about two different, yet somehow the same, events that have occurred regarding the so-called right in this country to a free press.

Some of you may recall that in March of last year, Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal was arrested in Russia on charges of espionage. Apparently, the writer had the temerity to cover the war in the Ukraine, given that his parents had escaped from the Soviet Union.

He was attached to the Journal as its Russian correspondent.

Interestingly, almost a year later, another journalist was arrested for covering a “conflict,” in this case the so-called “insurrection” at the U.S. Capitol.

Steve Baker, an independent writer working for Blaze Media, surrendered to the FBI on Friday to face misdemeanor charges connected with his being in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, the second day that will live in infamy.

Those charges include knowingly entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building, and parading or demonstrating in a Capitol Building.

Leaving the individual charges alone, there is a very distinct similarity between the two cases in that governments are looking to suppress information. Russia doesn’t want to look bad for their naked aggression, and the U.S. government is trying to paint the Jan. 6 events in such a light as to keep Trump from being elected again.

In the case of the U.S., the government can’t afford for the truth to come out, since it would destroy the orange-man-bad scenario they’ve painted. This narrative has had ripple effects, trickling down to the states to where Colorado, Maine and now a county in Illinois is looking to keep Trump off the ballot.

In another unrelated, but sorta related, case, former Fox News reporter Catherine Herridge is being held in contempt of court for not revealing her sources for a story she was pursuing involving a Chinese American scientist.

The First Amendment specifically states that a free press shall not be abridged, so the fellers supposedly protecting our rights — oaths of office usually have a codicil about protecting the Constitution — instead try to game the system with arrests for other things.

Wanna write a story about a developing riot? Be careful not to step foot in a public building that someone has deemed not accessible without proper authorization.

Wanna cover the war in the Ukraine, since the U.S. government sees fit to subsidize the entire thing? Don’t make Uncle Vlad uncomfortable.

The arrest in Russia happens simply because it’s Russia. While not as stringent as the former Soviet Union, everyone and everything remains squarely under the government thumb, and Pravda remains the greatest oxymoronic newspaper name in history.

But this is supposed to the U.S., the antithesis of that. More and more, the government controls the narrative, and from there starts getting pushy when the party line isn’t being parroted as written. It’s almost as if George Orwell issued a challenge, not a cautionary tale.

Thomas Jefferson felt that the people were the only censors to government. His quote, “The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

A newspaper that is beholden to government is the same as a government without newspapers, and unless it’s stopped, it will only get worse.

Tony Farkas is editor of the San Jacinto News-Times and the Trinity County News-Standard. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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By Trent Ashby
District 9 Representative

Last week, Texans from every corner of the state celebrated our Independence Day. Let us never forget that glorious day on March 2, 1836, when 59 brave delegates met at Washington-on-the-Brazos and declared their independence from Mexico and the tyranny of Santa Anna’s authoritarian government.

A little over a month later, The Republic of Texas was born at the Battle of San Jacinto, when General Sam Houston and his ragtag group of volunteers charged Santa Anna’s army on hallowed ground and secured the future of our homeland.

Texas remained a sovereign state until 1846, when it was annexed and became the 28th state admitted into the United States of America. The same principles of liberty, pride, and sovereignty, for which our ancestors fought so fiercely, persist to this day.

Each one of us bears a responsibility to live up to the legacy of our forefathers and work together to build an even brighter Texas for our children and future generations of Texans to come. God bless Texas.

With that, here’s an update from your State Capitol.

Last week, the Veterans Land Board, which the Government Land Office administers, announced that it will partner with the Texas Veterans Network, a non-profit that seeks to connect veterans with a variety of resources across Texas, to connect veterans with benefits they are eligible to receive as a result of their service.

I applaud the GLO for their commitment to our men and women who served their country and hope that any veteran in need of services will take advantage of this opportunity. For more information on the services offered by this unique program, please visit combinedarms.us/tvn.

On a more somber note, and as many of you are aware, a family in House District 9 from Polk County is experiencing unimaginable heartache after losing their 11-year-old daughter, Audrii Cunningham. Please join me in praying for the family and all those affected by this devastating tragedy, and may God impart His comfort and peace to fill the absence felt across our community.

If you’d like to honor Audrii’s memory, please consider making a donation to the Audrii Cunningham Memorial Scholarship that was recently established at Livingston ISD. This scholarship was created as a way to honor Audrii and her love for school. Donations may be made to the Audrii Cunningham Memorial Scholarship by mailing funds to “Green & White Scholarship Fund – Audrii Cunningham,” P.O. Box 1297, Livingston, TX 77351.

The mobile office is on the road again this month, and our District Director will look forward to seeing you on the following dates, in the following locations: March 6 at the San Augustine County Courthouse in San Augustine from 9-11 a.m.; March 13 at the Polk County Commissioner’s Courtroom in Livingston from 9-11 a.m. and at the Tyler County Commissioner’s Courtroom in Woodville from 1:30-3:30 p.m.; March 20 at the Houston County Courthouse Annex in Crockett from 9-11 a.m. and at the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you in any way. My district office may be reached at (936) 634-2762 and my Capitol office may be reached at (512) 463-0508. Additionally, I welcome you to follow along on my Official Facebook Page, where I will be posting regular updates on what’s happening in your State Capitol and sharing information that could be useful to you and your family: https://www.facebook.com/RepTrentAshby/.

Trent Ashby represents District 9, which includes Trinity County, in the Texas Legislature.