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

I remember the panic I felt about tornado warnings as a child. It didn’t matter whether my family was in danger; I wasn’t informed enough to know whether we were. I didn’t understand that worry...

I’m not a fan of the trend on social media to create artificial divisions to pit people against each other. A recent example is the condescending remark “OK boomer.” This phrase is commonly...

Happy new year and happy new decade. I know, it doesn’t really mean anything to say it’s a “new year” or a “new decade” since it’s arbitrary, but it feels significant — partly because...

Peace on Earth. While it sounds like a wonderful ambition — and under the right conditions, it would be nice — not all peace is good. A cemetery is peaceful. No one is more peaceful than the...

The holiday season is the main time of year when traditions come alive. Everywhere you look, someone’s tradition will be on display; from house decorations, to clothing, to food and music. These...

There’s one Christmas gift I’d love to give you: the gift of liberty. The freedom to do everything you have a right to do. It’s a gift bigger than you can imagine. Alas, it’s not possible to...

It’s the holiday season. This is the time of year when people can celebrate — or not — however they like. It’s also when those who feel they are better than you and assume the moral authority...

How can Thanksgiving Day be here again? Has it really been a year? Yes, it has, and this means it’s time again to remind myself of the things I’m grateful for on this Gratitude Day. You’d...

Are you concerned over how divisive politics has become? Do you notice the growing intolerance for opposing opinions? Do you wish everyone could go back to a time when there was civil debate and...

A common criticism of libertarians is that we are wrapped up in principles; in absolutes. We are called “purists” as if this is a bad thing, yet the opposite of “pure” is “contaminated....

I’m always in favor of cleaning up litter, so Clovis’ semi-annual Trek for Trash last weekend seems like a good idea. A useful task made into a party. An even better idea is to not wait until some...

A tax increase for Clovis’ near-mythical water project has been recommended. This illustrates one danger of allowing government to control access to water. To propose a tax is to admit failure. They...

How much do you respect and obey laws? How much should you? I suppose that depends on what you mean by “laws.” Most people confuse legislation for laws. Laws were discovered — usually thousands...

Sometimes it’s hard to remember to be thankful for life’s little blessings. Recently I was reminded to be grateful I don’t live in California. My electricity went out for a little while a few...

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, and all the rest of you, too! Welcome to the Big Top. Yes, that’s right: the Impeachment Circus, with its dancing elephants and prancing d...

You may find it hard to believe, but my first car was an electric car. Nothing so fancy as a Tesla, though. It was a 1975 Sebring-Vanguard Citicar. That's us in the photograph, in the spring of 1980,...

Libertarians have a saying, often represented by the acronym TANSTAAFL: “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” This is a rule of reality as inflexible as any other law of physics, but...

It’s as predictable as the equinox: school starts in the fall and bullying catches society’s attention anew. It’s not as though bullying stops over the summer break, but then it is usually...

We all have our own likes and dislikes. This means everyone likes some things other people dislike; sometimes the likes and dislikes are passionate and the disagreements get rather heated. There’s...

I admit it: I’ve always been a bit of a space geek. Or, would that be “space nerd?” Whatever the term, I love space flight, and am especially excited to see it beginning to escape the stagnant,...

The better you understand something, the easier it is to notice when you’re being lied to. Plus, the less likely it is you’ll be fooled by the lies. When I’m watching a movie and I see someone...

Usually, the more I learn about something the more I appreciate it. There have been many times when a friend has introduced me to something I knew next to nothing about; something they were...

In the wake of the recent mass shootings and the hype surrounding them, people are asking “why?” Simpletons parrot the popular answer: “guns.” Sensible people know there’s no single reason....

Once again we approach that saddest time of the year: when the majority of parents send their kids back to school; back into the local government concentration day-camps. If you’re someone who...