Author Archive

Star-Telegram Op-Ed: “What I saw in footage of Hamas attack on Israel sickened me”

December 13, 2023

I watched the Israel Defense Forces compilation of footage of gruesome and hideous acts against humanity committed Oct. 7 by Hamas members, and my soul will be changed forever.

The footage, called “Bearing Witness,” is a grim reminder that barbarity and medieval acts of horror can be perpetrated against peaceful civilians at any given moment simply because of their faith or nationality. Images of innocent children abducted, young women raped and slaughtered as they cower in fear still race through my mind.

As a father of two young children, the most gut wrenching moment for me was seeing a father killed in front of his two sons, roughly the same age as mine. The most sickening part was the utter jubilation of civilians in Gaza celebrating the massacre as innocent Israeli after innocent Israel was captured — or even worse. Dead civilians’ bodies were mutilated in their very own homes.

I don’t like writing this; nor could I stand to watch all of the screening. But the world needs to know about the barbarity of what occurred.

Texas is a friend of Israel and will continue to be. As a former statewide official who led a delegation of Texas business leaders to Israel, I can attest to the grit, determination and passion of the Israeli people and have no doubt they will persevere. From the entrepreneurs who created “Startup Nation” to the newly trained energy workers exploring and harvesting natural gas, Texas’ business ties to Israelis will only grow as a result of this horrific episode.

The rising tide of antisemitism and apologists for the actions of Hamas have largely not occurred on Texas campuses because of the moral clarity espoused by university leadership — unlike the pathetic testimony presented by three elite universities’ presidents last week before a congressional committee. I am proud that Texas supports and will continue to be with Israel.

Read the rest here: Fort Worth Star-Telegram

WSJ Op-Ed: “Reagan Wouldn’t Sue Google”

October 16, 2023

An epic debate is unfolding among Republicans about our vision for the nation. While I support strengthening our governing philosophy by putting it through the crucible, I’m concerned by what appears to be the jettisoning of the principles that made the GOP great. Chief among them is our commitment to free markets and competition.

While the Democratic Party has never met a problem it doesn’t want to address with federal intervention, the GOP correctly sees government’s role as limited. It’s disconcerting then to see members of Ronald Reagan’s party join the left’s ranks, cheering as a more muscular Washington settles scores against U.S. businesses. This is doubtless a welcome shift for competitors looking to sic regulators on their rivals, but it’s bad news for the millions of Americans who are stuck with a diminished standard of living.

The consumer’s will is increasingly being trampled by steps such as the antitrust lawsuits the federal government and state attorneys general have brought against tech companies. Consider the Justice Department’s suit against Google and the Federal Trade Commission’s suit against Amazon. Both cases allege the companies have maintained unlawful monopoly power over their peers. Yet both cases are built on complaints from competitors—not consumers—who lost fair and square and are now crying foul to government referees.

Read the rest of the piece, here at the Wall Street Journal.