Opinion

Marching in lockstep, the Democrats pushed a $700 billion spending bill through Congress, claiming it would reduce inflation. We know that to be a lie.

One must be hooked on the NFL (check), entranced by football wagering (check), and champing at the bit for the season to begin (check) to join a fantasy draft that can take as long as two months to complete. It’s estimated that over 50 million American adults play fantasy sports which, along with conventional betting, is engulfing the sports world. In most season-long fantasy football formats you draft players from among the NFL’s 32 teams, and your score is based on how well your players perform in actual games.

When I was young in West Texas, I loved my time at the Buffalo Trail Boy Scout Ranch near Balmorhea. Boy Scouting and I seemed to fit very well. I liked the outdoors and teamwork and challenges. If you’ve ever been to the final ceremony at a Boy Scout camp like Buffalo Trail, the one in the Davis Mountains, you may have noticed something - young men, Boy Scouts actually, dressed up in the clothes of Native Americans, doing what we called back in the 1950s and 1960s Indian Dancing. In feathered costumes the boys dance and sing the songs of the ancient ones as a tribute to the peoples of the plains and mountains who lived in North America long ago, many of whose values are now a part of the Scouting experience. These Indian dancers are actually a part of a Scout organization called the Order of the Arrow. It is a secret Scout organization designed to raise Scouts to a high standard of honor, conduct, and dependability. It is an honor to be invited to be a part of it.

In September our thought focus on football, tailgating, back to school event and getting ready for fall activities. At extension our programing has turned to 4-H clubs and projects starting, kick off events for 4-H, and programing. My program for the month is Preparing for Emergency and Food Safety. If you wait until an emergency happens it is too late to be prepared. You’ll always be glad you took the time to improve your family’s safety. Create a communication plan. Teach your child one parent’s cell-phone number or a good contact number. Starting at around age five, kids are developmentally ready to memorize a seven- or 10-digit number. Practice with your child and turn the phone number into a song.

Dear Neil: Thanks for the information on trimming tropical milkweed plants by early September. I know that the wild native milkweed is preferable to the tropical type for monarchs, but where can I buy the plants or seeds?

DR. ED WILLIAMSON, SUPPLY PASTOR FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF FORT STOCKTON Igrew up in West Texas, and one of the places I used to spend summer days was at the Buffalo Trail Scout Ranch, a sprawling, mountainous camp for Boy Scouts from all over the region.

Do you have a child who is back in school? Back to school time can be stressful for parents and kids. It marks the end of a more relaxed summer schedule, and the beginning of a large to-do list. While scrambling to get it all done, parents may forget to prepare kids to battle illness and stay healthy. Here are some of the five most common backto- school health concerns doctors see before school kicks back into session.

• 1 10 ounce package large marshmallows ____ cup margarine or butter • 4 cups granola with raisins • 1 __ cup rice crisp cereal ____ cup shelled sunflower seeds or chopped peanuts Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Put marshmallows and margarine in the saucepan.

I see that Fort Stockton ISD is again discussing another large school bond. Liberals never learn.