Texas Land Commissioner . . .

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Commissioner George P. Bush wants to eliminate Confederate Heroes Day and you can bet he supports the removal of Confederate monuments. Texans are sick and tired of people destroying our history.

Do you think we can trust politically correct Commissioner Bush to protect the Alamo Cenotaph?

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Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, visiting The Eagle on Texas's Confederate Heroes Day, said he did not believe the state should continue to celebrate the holiday, noting that some consider it a "slap in the face" to celebrate heroes of the confederacy in the same week as Martin Luther King Jr.

In an hour-long discussion Friday with The Eagle's editorial board, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush spoke about his campaign for re-election, Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, the renovation of the Alamo and his belief that Confederate Heroes Day should no longer be a state holiday.

Son of Jeb, nephew of George W. and grandson of George H.W., George P. Bush was elected Texas land commissioner in November 2014, making him head of the state's General Land Office. He faces three opponents -- Davey Edwards, Rick Range and Jerry Patterson, who served as land commissioner from 2003 to 2015 and is a former state senator -- in a crowded Republican primary. Tex Morgan and Miguel Suazo are the Democrats running for the seat.

Bush said the highlights of his term so far are a 15 percent reduction in the office's staff, "modernizing the agency," standing up to the Obama Administration and getting a settlement with some help from the Trump Administration, and continuing to "work hard on the Alamo," and its reformation, despite what he calls misinformation being shared in public discourse.

"The Alamo is the heart of what it means to be a Texan," he said. "We're just trying to reclaim the original battlefield of 1836."

Bush's "Save the Alamo" project, according to its website, aims to find new ways to tell the story of the Alamo, "and tell it to rising generations, to keep Texas values alive."

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas launched a lawsuit last year in an effort to maintain control of the historic site, saying that Bush had been trying to seize a massive collection of Alamo artifacts the Daughters had collected for more than a century, Courthouse News Service reported in April 2015.

"My intent is true, it's authentic, it's sincere," Bush said at the editorial board meeting, noting that the project will require several generations of work that could preserve the Alamo for several hundred more years.

Bush, visiting The Eagle on Texas's Confederate Heroes Day, said he did not believe the state should continue to celebrate the holiday, noting that some consider it a "slap in the face" to celebrate heroes of the confederacy in the same week as Martin Luther King Jr. Bush said it would take a legislative act to get rid of Confederate Heroes Day, and that as a state official he would honor the law by offering it as a skeleton crew day to his employees, but he does not think it should continue to be a recognized holiday.

Bush spent much of his talk discussing recovery efforts for Hurricane Harvey, which he called a "$120 billion storm."

"The Legislature needs to take a deep look at the Rainy Day Fund," Bush said. "We need a special session, and the governor needs to call it."

Bush said the $5 billion given to Texas by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will help Texans trying to get back on their feet after the storm, but "when it comes to protecting [against] the next natural disaster, where is it?"

Bush said a $15 billion coastal barrier system would go a long way toward protecting areas hit hard by Harvey.

"Even if we miss a storm or two, we've gotta get it done in our lifetime," he said. "This is a national security issue, not just a Texas issue."

Bush also talked about the importance of modernizing flood maps and reforming the federal flood insurance program, which he called "completely bankrupt."

Bush gave Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp an "A" rating in his role as Harvey recovery czar. Praising Sharp's "great bedside manner" and "ability to ratchet down the pressure," Bush said Sharp "knew where the money was" and has performed admirably in his role.

Asked if he would use the land commissioner office as a springboard to higher public office, Bush said, "I'm looking to be the best land commissioner I can possibly be."

Of Patterson, Bush said "experience is important, but new ideas are, I think, more important."


"In the middle of a disaster, you don't switch horses," Bush said of potentially having to leave office while working on Hurricane Harvey relief.

http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/battle-of-the-alamo-goes-on-for-george-p-bush/article_e644d4d7-4c1a-5f48-85aa-53dd4db78dfb.html