JEFF FLOWERS OUT, BUT WHAT DID WE LEARN?
I have learned that Jeff Flowers will not seek reelection to the Bandera City Council, and I believe the people of this community deserve a moment to reflect on what this means for the future of Western civilization.
I am not saying the republic will collapse. I am saying that when a man spends his time on the City Council arguing about license plate cameras, privacy and the proper limits of government surveillance, and then quietly decides not to seek reelection, a concerned citizen has every right to wonder who will be left to ask uncomfortable questions at public meetings.
I moved to Texas in 1963 because I believe a man ought to be able to sit on his porch, drink his coffee and mind his own business without being monitored by a government agency, a neighborhood association or a suspicious-looking box mounted on a telephone pole.
I also believe that if you are going to install technology capable of tracking vehicles, you ought to be prepared to explain who has access to that information, how long it is retained and what safeguards prevent its misuse. Asking those questions is not an act of rebellion. It is the bare minimum of responsible citizenship.
But apparently, we have reached a point in American life where a discussion about privacy can turn into a discussion about whether a man should own a smartphone. I would remind everyone that there is a difference between questioning government surveillance and proposing that we return to communicating exclusively through carrier pigeons.
I say this as a conservative. I believe in law and order. I believe criminals should be held accountable. I believe law enforcement officers deserve the tools necessary to do their jobs. I also believe the Constitution does not become optional because somebody promises a new piece of technology will make us safer.
A government powerful enough to watch everybody is a government that must be watched very carefully itself.
Now that Flowers is leaving office, I hope the next generation of council members remembers that their job is not merely to approve expenditures, accept presentations and nod solemnly while somebody explains that a complicated problem can be solved with a monthly subscription.
Their job is to ask questions.
What does it cost? Who benefits? Who has access? What happens when the system is abused? And why, exactly, are we doing this in the first place?
These are not liberal questions or conservative questions. They are questions any taxpayer ought to ask before handing over another dollar or another piece of personal information.
I wish Jeff Flowers well in whatever comes next. I may not agree with every position he has taken, but a town should never become so comfortable with its own opinions that it stops tolerating disagreement.
As for the rest of us, perhaps we should spend less time worrying about whether our neighbors are asking the wrong questions and more time making sure our elected officials are answering the right ones.
Because the moment we decide that asking questions is more dangerous than government refusing to answer them, we have a much bigger problem than a vacant council seat.
And if anybody on the next City Council proposes installing a camera in my mailbox, I expect the minutes to reflect that I objected.
Respectfully,
— Robert Blacksmith Bandera A concerned taxpayer who still pays cash when possible.
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