interview
jUDGE LOYD WRIGHT DISCUSSES FREEDOM WITH AUBREY R. TAYLOR AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What does freedom mean to you?
medals. But none of it seemed a lifetime worth of the pain of the mother that bore me. It JUDGE LOYD WRIGHT: Any discuswas like I was empty. Well, I’m sion of freedom begins with paying not empty anymore. That’s homage to the brave men and what’s important, to feel useful women who fought and died to prein this old world, to hit a lick serve our freedom and liberate others against what’s wrong or to say from tyranny and oppression around a word for what’s right even the world. These courageous men though you get walloped for and women selflessly gave life and saying that word. Now I may limb for country and freedom. The sound like a Bible beater best way to honor them is for us to yelling up a revival at a river preserve and protect the very freecrossing camp meeting, but doms and values for which they so that don’t change the truth willingly gave everything. none. There’s right and there’s In simplest terms, freedom wrong. You got to do one or means the right to live as we choose the other. You do the one and so long as we don't hurt others or you’re living. You do the other their property. It means the right to and you may be walking make our own decisions knowing around, but you’re dead as a that the consequences of those debeaver hat." cisions are ours alone. The exercise Now I know Davy didn't of our freedoms ideally contemplates make that speech, but the inevery individual’s inner struggle to spiring words remind me of be their "better self", to listen to the the struggle for freedom and "better angels of our nature”. While the rugged individualism that in our imperfect world this does not defined this country and the always occur, we realize that living great State of Texas. They dein a free society is worth the cost. scribe the ideal of how to exerWhat meaning would life have withcise our freedoms - to always out the freedom to chart our own strive to "do the right thing". destiny and to live as we choose? As They embody a spirit in this Ben Franklin said, “They who can country I hope we never lose. Judge Loyd Wright (Harris County Probate We must be ever vigilant in give up essential liberty to obtain a Court #1) and Governor of Texas Greg Abbott protecting our freedoms. As little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Ronald Reagan said: “FreeOne of my favorite movies is dom is never more than one "The Alamo" where John Wayne (as Davy Crockett) makes the generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children following speech: "……When I come down here to Texas, I was in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed looking for something. I didn’t know what. Seems like you added on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset up my life and I spent it all either stomping other men or, in some years telling our children and our children's children what it was cases, getting stomped. Had me some money and had me some once like in the United States where men were free.”
56
HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE -