The Eastern New Mexico News - Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

No matter how you feel about them, U.S. presidents are both too powerful and figureheads without any real power. It seems contradictory, but it’s true. A president has the power to sign...

Are you prepared enough? No, you aren’t. Neither am I. It’s a trick question. There is no such thing as being prepared enough. Recent events in Washington, D.C. — the “District of...

Have you ever run into someone who believes the Earth is flat? I was shocked to discover such people exist. Many of them also believe the moon is a hologram, gravity doesn’t exist, and space...

Was the year 2020 not to your liking? Do you want 2021 to be better? Then make it better. It’s mostly up to you. There will be things beyond your control, but you can choose how you feel about them...

As soon as a COVID-19 vaccine was announced, the debate began over who should get it first. To me, the answer was obvious: Give it to the politicians first. They want to be called “leaders;” let...

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Lubbock for a while. Before heading home I stopped by a Lubbock Walmart so I could grab a few items without being herded like a cow through a chute. As it happens, I...

Like it or not, everyone has the responsibility to make their own decisions. If they decide to wear a mask because they believe it will keep them (or others) safe, they are free to do so. They are...

If there is one message I’d most like to share with you during these times — and for this Thanksgiving — it’s that your rights don’t depend on the opinions of politicians. Whatever mandates...

One thing that has been demonstrated beyond any doubt by both the pandemic and the recent presidential election is that government has too much power over our lives. If government didn’t have the...

I was wrong. I was sure Donald Trump would win easily, in spite of years of political and personal attacks from his various opponents. I knew there was “Anyone but Trump” sentiment out there, but...

With the election now behind us, you need to find a way to live with the neighbors who supported a different candidate than you did. The neighbor who had a sign in the yard supporting the other...

What do you expect to happen after Donald Trump’s election victory? I expect outrage, shock, and denial from the national mainstream media and others who pretended Joe Biden was a credible...

The continuing hysteria over COVID-19 reminds me of the website warning of the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO). The website correctly points out that DHMO is found in all our food, sometimes as...

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in an infinite presidential time loop? Every four years I watch it repeat, but no one else seems to notice. Like the movie Groundhog Day, where the protagonist...

Of all the political ideas I’m puzzled by — which is all of them — the ideas of White Supremacy and White Nationalism are among the most bizarre. To imagine you’re better than others because...

Few people understand the difference between tolerating a behavior and endorsing or approving of it. There are things I don’t approve of but don’t have the right to stop others from doing. I may...

Stocking up on food and supplies before the worst part of the forced shutdowns could turn out to have been good practice for what may be coming after the presidential election. Especially considering...

I wish people were more consistent. Many people in this country say they are for smaller, or “limited” government. Most change their minds as soon as they think of something they want government...

Last week I was reminded how intensely I dislike bureaucracy. People who impose bureaucracy on the rest of us are as useful to society as plague-spreading fleas. You might believe bureaucracy has a pl...

If you go looking for trouble, you’ll probably find it. If you’ve seen any national news recently you’ve watched it happen. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, intentionally went to Kenosha, Wisconsin, a...

Quick, name something you really and truly believe even though you know it’s wrong. You can’t, can you? If you knew your belief was wrong, you’d change it. It’s the same for every person on Ea...

There’s a lot of irresponsibility and selfishness in the world around us. We can choose to not be part of it. People who litter or dump their trash are childishly irresponsible. People who leave...

Government actions have consequences. Some people were happy with the so-called stimulus checks they got from the federal government. Most of them are excited about the prospects of getting another...

Humans are adaptable. More so than any creature other than, possibly, cockroaches. It’s our greatest strength. We have adapted to living almost everywhere on the planet and, soon, with the right tec...