About the Fate Gazette
The Fate Gazette is an independent local publication devoted to the careful examination of public affairs in and around Fate, Texas.
Our purpose is simple: to record, explain, and reflect upon matters of civic importance so that citizens may better understand how decisions are made, how power is exercised, and how those decisions affect the common good.
We believe a healthy republic depends not only on participation, but on clarity — clarity of facts, clarity of language, and clarity of moral reasoning. The Gazette exists to contribute to that clarity at the local level, where self-government is meant to be most tangible.
Our Approach
The Fate Gazette publishes a small number of recurring columns, each serving a distinct civic purpose. Together, they are meant to offer readers multiple ways of seeing and understanding public life.
- Common Sense
Plain-spoken commentary on matters that directly affect ordinary citizens, written to emphasize moral clarity, proportionality, and local consequence. - From the Peanut Gallery
Observations and illustrations from the public benches. This column includes civic satire, reflective commentary, and occasional political cartoons. While the tone may be lighter, the intent is serious: to illuminate patterns, contradictions, and habits in public life that are often easier to recognize through irony than argument. - On the Nature of Power
Careful analysis of charters, laws, procedures, and institutional authority, with particular attention to how power is structured, delegated, and constrained at the local level. - The Ledger
Factual summaries, timelines, and records of public actions, votes, and statements, presented without commentary so that readers may consult a clear civic record. - From the Pulpit
Reflections on civic virtue, conscience, and moral responsibility. These pieces are published sparingly and are intended to address the ethical dimensions of public life rather than partisan outcomes.
While styles may differ, all writing in the Gazette is guided by the same principles: accuracy, restraint, and respect for the reader.
Independence & Anonymity
The Fate Gazette is published independently and is not affiliated with any political party, campaign, or governmental body.
In keeping with a long American tradition of civic writing, many pieces are published without personal bylines. This is intentional. The Gazette seeks to draw attention to arguments, evidence, and public conduct, not personalities.
Anonymity here is not meant to obscure responsibility, but to preserve focus — allowing ideas to stand or fall on their merits, and permitting honest inquiry without unnecessary personal distraction.
Standards
The Gazette relies exclusively on publicly available information, official records, and statements made in public forums. It does not traffic in rumor, speculation, or personal accusation.
When errors occur, they will be corrected.
Disagreement is expected. Serious disagreement is welcome. Personal abuse is not.
A Record for the Public
Newspapers once described themselves as being “printed in the interest of the public good.” The Fate Gazette embraces that older understanding of the press — not as an instrument of outrage, but as a record, a forum, and a mirror held up to civic life.
Our hope is that this publication may serve, in some small way, as a durable reference for citizens who wish to understand their community not only as it is, but as it ought to be.
Contact
Correspondence may be directed to: