SOMETIMES, PAT AHUMADA IS HIS OWN WORST ENEMY!

Former Two Term Mayor Pat Ahumada

 Pat Ahumada just wasted his own time and money and that of his supporters running for an office for which the City Charter clearly said he was unqualified.

404th District Court Judge Jose Longoria rejected Ahumada's TRO against Brownsville City Secretary Yolanda Galarza-Gomez, who declared Ahumada ineligible based on a May 2021 amendment to the City Charter that clearly states that "any time served prior to the approval of this amendment shall count toward the lifetime term limit."

That single sentence destroyed Ahumada's contention that his two terms of service didn't count since it took place before the amendment.  The amendment's wording was clearly aimed at a former office holder using the loophole Ahumada tried to use.

Ahumada's aborted attempt to run for mayor may have been rooted in his stated position that, as mayor, he was the "quarterback," while the city commissioners were his "blocking lineman."

As arrogant as that statement is, it also would not accurately reflect the chemistry on the city commission were any of John Cowen, Jessica Tetreau or Jennifer Stanton the elected mayor sitting alongside Pat Ahumada as Commissioner At-Large or City Commissioner, District 2.

Does anyone have the least bit of doubt that Ahumada wouldn't dominate a City Commission with a novice mayor considering his experience and personality?  

A fourth mayoral candidate, Erasmo Castro, is more microphone-dominant, but still, Ahumada would easily be able to make his points as a commissioner.

In representing himself legally in this matter, Ahumada reinforced the ancient adage that "He who will be his own Counsellour, shall be sure to have a Fool for his Client."

"SAN BENITO TWENTY" CREATES BOHEMIAN SOCIAL CLUB DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION WHILE VALLEY GETS FILLED WITH BUMS AND HOBOS

                  by Rene Torres

After the stock market crash of 1929 many in this country experienced a dramatic change in their lives. The economic downfall, which lasted about ten years, caused a downgrade of lifestyle as many lost their jobs and some had no choice but to live in shanty towns. 

Some of the well-to-do of the "Roaring Twenties" were reduced to selling apples and pencils on street corners.

The Valley was home to many of those bums and drifters created by the era. 

“They came in record numbers—more than this region had seen before,” said local police.

Word spread among the down and out that the Valley was prosperous with a mild climate, and that you could eat as many grapefruits as your stomach could hold. 

A newspaper of that era reported, “The highways of the Valley are literally lined with human driftwood, hobbling along the side of the road or footing along the railroad tracks.”

It was written that we went from the land of hope to the land of despair and people did what they could to make their lives bearable.

A need for entertainment was apparent. In the Valley no “Depression” was going to damper the spirit of the people and what better way to depart from the pains of their daily routines than to dance the night away 

Listening to the radio offered some escape, but dancing to the Latin rhythms, swinging to the Shim Sham Shimmy, Charleston and the rest brought instant romance.

So, the idea of forming a social dance club in San Benito during the “Depression” had its skeptics, but that did not deter twenty local young men to do what seemed the impossible.

The people of this era were typically entertained by sporting events like baseball and/or girls’ softball games, high school football, boxing, wrestling, horse racing, cock fighting and the more influential were playing golf and tennis—and of course the movies were hot. 

Reading and board games were popular as well.

“The San Benito Twenty,” envisioned more, by bringing the sounds of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey from the radio to the local ballroom, so in 1934 they formed the

Bohemian Recreational Club. 

The club elected Edmundo Leandro, president, Oscar Gomez, vice-president, Oscar Lozano, secretary and Ramon Trevino as treasurer.

The club’s purpose was to organize three dances a year that would be open to the public, but a couple could not just show up and pay their three dollars (equivalent to $48 today) and get in.

The club followed the same rules established by other Bohemian Clubs of the Valley that required an invitation to attend.

Under Leandro’s leadership and club officials, the organization soon established itself as a viable club within, not only the Latin-American community of San Benito, but recognized throughout the Valley as well. 

The San Benito chapter was now rubbing elbows with other Bohemia Clubs that were established in Brownsville, McAllen, Mercedes and Harlingen.

Since money was scarce during this era, raising it was a major stumbling block, so collecting a one dollar membership fee was necessary. 

The club had its headquarters at Daniel Chapa’s store, formerly owned by the Corkill family, where they met every Thursday evening. It was there that members were also expected to donate at least another dollar to be used to finance the dances.

It was agreed to rent the Aztec Building in San Benito, which still stands today, for $25.00 a night, providing the perfect place for dancing the nights and sorrows away. 

Being that the dance floor was on the roof top, it provided a unique dancing climate under the stars.

If you think that the rental fee was affordable, think again, as, according to the consumer price index $25 would be the equivalent of $400 today.

On a cool and fair night of moonlight in November, the sounds of boleros and/or big bandmusic could be heard for long distances throughout the streets and alleys of San Benito. 

“The dances were well attended with guests coming from throughout the Valley.  It was not uncommon to have up to 300 couples,” said a frequent swinger.

After several successful events the club was healthy enough to hire big-name orchestras. 

One of those groups was Peg Lyndon’s band from Philadelphia which performed from 8 p.m. to 1 A.M. for $350. 

The highlight of the year was when Lee Prowse’s band, one of the most renowned bands of the 1930s, (which charged $600 a night) swung south to perform for each of the Bohemian Clubs of the Valley.

Thanks to the ‘San Benformity,’ many were given the opportunity to enjoy their youth and to form lasting friendships through dancing. 

It was an era when young single girls danced out their teenage years into the dawning pleasures of young ladyhood, of course with a chaperon close by, usually their mother.

And, if you wanted to impress your date after a night of dancing, you could take her for supper, which in the 1930's would set you back about 50 cents.

For instance, at Keno’s Café in Weslaco, they had a special plate that included a choice of one: chicken fried steak, grilled pork chop, calf liver & onions, fried chicken and roast beef served with two vegetables and a drink for 25 cents.

The original members of the 1934 San Benito Bohemian Club included: Jose Garcia, Juan Villarreal, Antonio de los Santos, Guadalupe Aguirre, Enrique Zepeda, Jesus E. Gonzalez, Carlos Zepeda, Alberto Villarreal, Rafael Cantu, Jesus Garza Leal, Ramon Cavazos, Jose Amador, Ramon Trevino, Luis Garcia, Oscar Gomez, Rodolfo Guerra, Juan Conde, Lazaro Izaguirre, Edmundo Leandro, and Oscar Lozano.

Bailamos “Mi Amor”!

Photo 1: Original San Benito Bohemia Club invitation September 1936, from Lillian Leandro collection

Photo 2: Edmundo 

BOBBY WIGHTMAN-CERVANTES OFFERS INSIGHT ON TENASKA, JOHN COWEN, TONY MARTINEZ, TREY MENDEZ, WIER DAM PROJECT

Just received this note from Bobby Wightman-Cervantes in the comment section of my blog.  Since the comment covers a wide range of issues pertinent to our city,  we  republish it here as a separate article:

 

Bobby Wightman-Cervantes

Jim, 

Something to consider: For the record not a one of the commissioners on the ballot or the challengers are qualified. But John Cowen and his uncle Ralph take the cake. As a Port Commission Ralph Cowen known for a fact John Cowen is lying when he says he will lower utility rates. I will give you the link, but you should not need it. 

There is a war in Ukraine. Europe is walking away from Russian Natural Gas. As each new LNG plant opens along the Gulf all that natural gas is now going to Europe the price is going to just keep on going up. The BPUB is more reliant on natural gas than coal and has zero policy considering tapping into wind energy which is cheaper.

Even with the second 11% price reduction in electric rates within the next year I see the price going up 30% as each new LNG plant comes on line and the natural gas goes to Europe. No one is talking about this reality which cannot be stopped. Europe needs natural gas. Bottom line. This will raise prices.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/energy-environment/2023/01/10/440912/consumers-in-houston-and-across-texas-may-experience-sticker-shock-after-opening-their-gas-bills-this-month/#:~:text=The%20cost%20in%20the%20wholesale,the%20Texas%2DLouisiana%20gulf%20coast.

Yes Tenaska was a mess but no one is telling the full story. Yes the audit told the truth, but everyone is leaving out a key factor. Had the BPUB not used the Tenaska money to keep the fuel surcharge lower it would have been on your bill. When they were forced to stop using the Tenaska money for the fuel surcharge, my surcharge doubled. It had to be paid. the price of natural gas was out of control.

If you go back 6 months to a year and check you bills - I know most of that time you were not here so maybe a friend can do it for you. 

Your bill had separate billing for your basic electric and then for the fuel charge. After people went crazy over the doubling of the fuel surcharged they merged it into one number so you could not see how much was your regular bill and how much was surcharge. You have been back llng enough to look at a few bills and the coast of of electricity every month is like a roller coaster because the two are now merged. This was a big con job by the BPUB . 

I met Tony Martinez in his office as he was running for his first time. My question was, what is going to be your water policy. 8 years of Martinez and 4 of Mendez and we have no water policy which is why they have raised our water and sewage rates big time.

Pat was wrong for pushing the wier dam to back up all the way to downtown. He knew Mexico did not have the money and they told him over and over again. 

All the sewage lines along the river on the Mexican side and so much more infrastructure needs to get done first. pat refused to accept reality. he had a compromise and he said all or nothing. Well now we have very high water and sewage bills. 

He could have used the federal money we had to build the dam and create a large reserve of water which did not back up as far as down town. In fact they could have raised the water down town a big without impacting Matamoros. But no.

yes Tenaska was a disaster, but had they not used the money to hold down the fuel surcharge paid by the people, It would have been on your bill and you would have paid it anyway.

But we love simplistic for good headlines. Yes once the deal fell apart they should have lowered the prices, but there is no getting around they would have just raised the surcharge. Natural gas is not free and with the European mess it is about to get a lot higher and their is nothing John Cowen can do about that and his uncle Ralph at the port is helping him with the big lie. John is single handily is going to destroy decades of Cowen good will.

Just something to consider.

bobbywc58@yahoo.com

FOX NEWS PERSONALITIES KNEW THEY WERE LYING ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTION BEING RIGGED

 by Karl Baker and Mary Yang

In the days and weeks after the 2020 elections, the Fox News Channel repeatedly broadcast false claims that then-President Donald Trump had been cheated of victory.

Off the air, the network's stars, producers and executives expressed contempt for those same conspiracies, calling them "mind-blowingly nuts," "totally off the rails" and "completely bs" - often in far earthier terms.

The network's top primetime stars - Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity - texted contemptuously of the claims in group chats, but also denounced colleagues pointing that out publicly or on television.

Ingraham called Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell "a bit nuts." Carlson, who famously demanded evidence from Powell on the air, privately used a vulgar epithet for women to describe her. A top network programming executive wrote privately that he did not believe the shows of Carlson, Hannity and Jeanine Pirro were credible sources of news.

Even so, top executives strategized about how to make it up to their viewers - among Trump's strongest supporters - after Fox News' election-night team correctly called the pivotal state of Arizona for Democratic nominee Joe Biden before other networks. A sense of desperation pervades the private notes from Fox's top stars, reflecting an obsession with collapsing ratings.

"It's remarkable how weak ratings make... good journalists do bad things," Bill Sammon, at the time the network's Washington managing editor, privately wrote on Dec. 2, 2020. Network executives above him stewed over the hit to Fox News' brand among its viewers. Yet there was little apparent concern, other than some inquiries from Fox Corp founder Rupert Murdoch, over the journalistic values of fairness and accuracy.

The audience started to erode severely that fall, starting on Election Night itself. Fox executives and stars equally obsessed over the threat posed by the smaller right-wing network Newsmax. Hannity texted Carlson and Ingraham that Fox's Arizona call "destroyed a brand that took 25 years to build and the damage is incalculable." Carlson shot back that it was "vandalism." Others hosts, including Dana Perino, were equally shocked.

Fox News host Neil Cavuto was attacked by colleagues for pulling his show away from a presentation by then White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany in which she made unfounded claims of fraud once more. (McEnany is now a host on Fox News.)

Those revelations and far more surfaced in legal filings made public late Thursday afternoon as part of Dominion Voting System's blockbuster $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox and its parent company. Dominion sued after Fox hosts and guests repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that the company had switched Trump votes to Biden.

The material presented in the remarkable 178-page brief reflects there were no illusions that there was heft to the allegations of election fraud even among those Fox figures who gave the most intense embrace to Trump allies peddling those lies.

Instead, Dominion's attorneys paint a portrait of inner turmoil, anger and angst at the news network.

"Dominion has mischaracterized the record, cherry-picked quotes stripped of key context, and spilled considerable ink on facts that are irrelevant under black-letter principles of defamation law," a Fox News spokesperson said.

After Fox's correct projection of Arizona for Joe Biden, network leaders schemed to woo back Trump supporters. Fox News chief executive Suzanne Scott texted Lachlan Murdoch, the Fox Corp co-chairman, that "the AZ [call] was damaging but we will highlight our stars and plant flags letting the viewers know we hear them and respect them."

A team led by then-Fox Corp senior vice president Raj Shah, formerly a White House aide to Trump, warned other top corporate leaders of a "Brand Threat" after Cavuto's refusal to air McEnany's White House press briefing on baseless claims of voter fraud.

The claims against the election tech company recurred on Fox News despite Dominion sending thousands of communications dissecting and disproving the false claims - even taking to the opinion pages of Fox News' corporate cousin, the Wall Street Journal, to do so. (Both Fox News and the Wall Street Journal are part of the Murdoch family's media empire.) Dominion says it sent more than 3,600 communications to Fox staffers taking issue with the false claims of election fraud.

Fox News host Maria Bartiromo was first to interview Powell, the Trump attorney, on Nov. 8, 2020, a few days after the election. Powell would become one of Trump's most fervent legal advocates. In her deposition, Bartiromo conceded Powell's claims lacked any substantiation.

For its part, Fox's attorneys call Dominion's suit an attempt to punish the news network for reporting on "one of the biggest stories of the day." The network says it could dissuade journalists in the future from reporting allegations "inconvenient to Dominion—and other companies."

In a separate filing, also released to the public on Thursday, the cable network's attorneys say Dominion's ten-figure request for damages is designed to "generate headlines" and to enrich the company's controlling owner, the private equity fund Staple Street Capital Partners.

"According to Dominion, [Fox News] had a duty not to truthfully report the President's allegations but to suppress them or denounce them as false," the Fox attorneys argue. Fox further asserts that Dominion did not suffer harm as a result of the broadcasts, and that the company's value as a business is nowhere near the $1.6 billion in damages it is seeking.

"There will be a lot of noise and confusion generated by Dominion and their opportunistic private equity owners," Fox News said in a statement today. "The core of this case remains about freedom of the press and freedom of speech, which are fundamental rights afforded by the Constitution and protected by New York Times v. Sullivan."

Under the high legal bar of actual malice, defined in that 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision involving The New York Times, Dominion has to show Fox acted either with knowledge that what it was broadcasting to the public was false, or that it acted with reckless disregard of the truth.

"Here," Dominion's legal team wrote in its filings, "every person acted with actual malice." It offered one example after another that key Fox figures knew what the network was putting on the air was false.

On Nov. 5, 2020, just days after the election, Bret Baier, the network's chief political anchor texted a friend: "[T]here is NO evidence of fraud. None. Allegations - stories. Twitter. Bulls---."

The following week, a producer for Ingraham sent a note conveying similar disgust. "This dominion s--- is going to give me a f---ing aneurysm."

In answering questions from Dominion's attorneys under oath, former Fox Business host Lou Dobbs said he had never "seen any verifiable, tangible support" that Dominion was owned by a second voting-tech company Smartmatic. Yet that claim was repeatedly said on air by Fox hosts and guests. Dobbs also said he was aware of no evidence that Dominion rigged the election, according to Dominion's legal filings.

On the air, Dobbs was among the most muscular proponents of Trump's baseless claims of election fraud. He was forced out of Fox the day after Smartmatic filed its own $2.7 billion defamation case against the network.

Meanwhile, fixated on the erosion of viewers to smaller right-wing rivals, Fox News executives purged senior journalists who were fixated on reflecting the facts. In a note to the network's top publicity executive, Fox News CEO Scott denounced Sammon, the former Washington managing editor. Scott wrote Sammon did not understand "the impact to the brand and the arrogance" in projecting Arizona for Biden, saying it was Sammon's job "to protect the brand."

His departure two months later was termed a retirement by Fox News; through an intermediary, Sammon has declined to comment on that, citing the terms of his departure.

Despite their contempt for Powell and Giuliani, the two Trump campaign attorneys appeared repeatedly on Fox shows. On several occasions, so did Trump.

On Jan. 5, 2021, the day before Congress was to ceremonially affirm Biden's win, and an angry pro-Trump mob sacked the U.S. Capitol to prevent it, Rupert Murdoch forwarded a suggestion to Fox News CEO Scott. He recommended that the Fox prime time stars - Carlson, Hannity and Ingraham - acknowledge Trump's loss. "Would go a long way to stop the Trump myth that the election was stolen," he wrote. They did not do so. "We need to be careful about using the shows and pissing off the viewers," Scott said to a colleague.

As the election tech firm's attorneys wrote in their filing, Fox never retracted the claims made about Dominion on its airwaves.

BIKE TRAIL AMENITIES BEFORE BUS SHELTERS~REALLY???

 

West Brownsville residents got a rare glimpse at participatory democracy Thursday when given the opportunity to recommend niceties for the West Rail Hike and Bike Trail in what was dubbed the West Rail Trail Amenities Project.

The event was sort of co-sponsored by the City of Brownsville and Brownsville Metro.

The city was represented by City Commissioners Roy de los Santos and Rose Gowen, regarded as the mother hen and leading advocate of bike trails in the city.

Juan Pena, Jr.

Young Juan Pena, Jr., Project Manager for Brownsville Metro, guided attendees to three tables with detailed maps of the trail, encouraging the residents to use color coded circles to represent which amenities they wanted and where on the trail they wanted them.

Do you want benches for seating or perhaps automobile parking along your portion of the trail?

What about lighting or even a bicycle repair station or perhaps a juice bar featuring freshly squeezed citrus products from local growers?

I'm not anti-bike trail.  I'm actually happy the city has trails and that downtown is actually connected to the 77 Flea Market by trail.

The bike trails are used on a limited basis.  Although Ana and I live along the West Rail Trail, I couldn't bring myself to suggest the city spend tax dollars on an amenity, not when just two days ago I saw two elderly women standing in the hot sun waiting for a Brownsville Metro bus.

Commissioners De los Santos and Gowen, along with Brownsville Metro's Pena, should put their heads together and come up with a concrete plan for bus shelters or at least put into service the shelters Brownsville Metro has had in storage for years.

Fellow blogger Juan Montoya has been preaching on this issue for over a decade.

A MISCONCEPTION ABOUT UKRAINE PROMOTED IN CERTAIN CIRCLES

 

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin wants you to believe that Ukraine was once part of Russia.  

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene agrees with Putin as does Fox News Tucker Carlson.

While most Republicans side with Ukraine in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the MAGA wing sides with Putin against the President of Ukraine Valodymyr Zelensky.

Actually, Ukraine is home to the Kylvan Rus people who formed an independent nation in 1922.  

Ukraine suffered at the hands of Russian President Joseph Stalin in 1932 when he forced a famine on the country, killing 3,000,000 Ukrainians.

During World War II, Nazi Germany got a foothold in Ukraine, killing 1,500,000 more.

By 1954 Ukraine became part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics along with 14 other countries.  It was part of the USSR, but not part of Russia.

When the USSR dissolved in 1991 Ukraine was a sovereign nation again, but it did not break away from Russia as it was never part of Russia.

Oh, by the way, Crimea is part of the Ukraine.  That was certified by none other than Russian President Nikita Khrushchev. 

But, again, Ukraine was never part of Russia.  That's Russian propaganda, being pushed by Vladimir Putin.

BROWNSVILLE'S LAST THREE MAYORS DID NOT SERVE THE CITIZENS WELL

 

Mayor Trey Mendez

Much like the citizens of Mark Twain's "Hadleyburg," Brownsville's last three mayors proved unable to resist the temptation to use the office for personal gain.

As a mere lad, Trey Mendez, as a TSC trustee, showed some mettle in resisting the absorption of the community college by the University of Texas system, standing strong along with Adela Garza, Rene Torres and Kiko Rendon.

That stance was likely the backdrop that gave Brownsville voters enough confidence to elect Trey as mayor, but that trust was not rewarded.

Trey greatly dissappointed the citizenry when he, along with BCIC board member Michael Limas, were first in line as the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation dispersed monies contributed to the city by Elon Musk.

The stated purpose of the BCIC, a "4B" board, is to disperse funds to improve the city's "quality of life," and the board exists to keep those funds away from the sticky hands of politicians.  Otherwise, the city commission would simply handle the distribution.

Once the light of day shone on Trey's greedy attempt to personally benefit from funds dispersed by a board he helped staff, fund and set guidelines for, Mendez is said to have returned his original grant of $80,000 and not picked up the additional $200,000 he'd requested.

Since then, we understand that Mendez is not seeking re-election.

Tony Martinez

Mendez' predecessor Tony Martinez bragged during his campaign for mayor that his first order of business would be to create an ethics code for city employees and officials, but, despite serving two terms as mayor, his administration never produced such a code.

It's just as well as Tony violated ethical standards left and right as mayor. 

One such ethical violation was reported in Juan Montoya's El Rrun Rrun blog:

"On  Nov. 3, 2015 regular meeting, a unanimous city commission – after emerging from executive session where John Guevara, representing Linbarger, Goggan Blair and Sampson LLD and city attorney Mark Sossi outlined the bids/offers for 16 properties offered for sale for tax delinquency – Martinez voted to sell himself the property.

The street address was 1226 E. Van Buren, next to the mayor's law office. The minutes show that Martinez participated in the executive session discussion and later voted for the city to accept the bids for the 16 properties, including the one he had bid on."

Martinez paid a mere pittance, $5,200, for the property, well under market value.

Without a smidgeon of transparency, Martinez also went on a downtown buying spree, purchasing numerous older buildings in or near downtown Brownsville with zero explanation to the taxpayers as to why he was committing their hard-earned tax dollars as well as their children's for the next two decades to these speculative real estate purchases.

Included in these never-explained purchases are a rest home on Madison Street for $195,101, a warehouse on Ringgold for $100,000, two tiny downtown restaurants for $83,000, leasing the home next the Cueto Building for 3 years, $90,000, the Old National Armory for $431,200, Casa del Nylon for $2,300,000 and the San Fernando Building for $315,000.

Most suspect in these deals is the one unethically negotiated by Tony's law partner Horacio Barrerra with Tony's friend, Abraham Galonsky, La Casa del Nylon.  That property had been on the market for nearly two decades.  The unsold merchandise, still new, but from the 80's, was considered "vintage."  The negotiated purchase price was a totally confounding $2,300,000, triple its appraised value.

If Martinez' law office received a commission for negotiating that sale to the city, that's and additional ethics violation.

Martinez' obsession with Juliet Garcia and the University of Texas was also demonstrated when he tried to donate the city's beautiful Lincoln Park to the university, a move stopped only by public outcry.

Despite all these purchases, when the mayor coveted a personal office downtown, he leased, at the city's expense, yet another location, 1101-A E. Washington St. as his personal office.  The remodeling, leasing was done at city expense, but Martinez NEVER used the office that sits empty to this day.

We've not even mentioned Martinez's dishonesty in pushing a 36% increase in electric rates for an 800 megawatt power plant that was never built~Tenaska, but that story has been well chronicled. 

Pat Ahumada

Former Mayor Pat Ahumada, known for his abrasive personality, served two terms as mayor, and is waiting on a ruling from the city to see if the City Charter prevents him from running for the office a third time. 

Ahumada, when mayor, referred to himself as the "quarterback" and the city commissioners as "blocking lineman" and got into many a verbal conflict with then City Commissioner Charlie Atkinson.

Ahumada's two trials for depositing a $26,139 check made out to Tarsia Technical into his personal account ended with one being a mistrial and the other an acquittal.

Reports indicate he was overdrawn in his own account when he made the deposit, then spent $6,000 on a trip to Tampico he said was to "promote Brownsville."

At first he denied depositing the check until he became aware of being caught on a surveillance camera.  

Ahumada was also arrested three times for DWI's, convicted twice, and beat a charge of gambling when police raided his 8-liner establishment.

Ahumada was totally fooled by convicted con artist Carlos Quintanilla into promoting a bogus airline, Fly Frontera, promising flights to Mexico, but demanding upfront money to pay for rental planes, fuel and spare parts.

Supporters of Ahumada will frequently say he's "changed," but we're reminded of the Biblical quote that a "leopard cannot change his spots."

BROWNSVILLE POLITICS ON THE MENU AT CAPTAIN BOB'S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

 

Captain Bob's Seafood Restaurant, owned by Robert Sanchez, Brownsville's notorious "Captain Bob," has become the epicenter of political discussion in our city.

Ana and I were guests of the gracious captain noon Friday for a square table discussion of Brownsville's future along with Arturo Trevino, Jerry McHale, Erasmo Castro and others.

Bobby Wightman-Cervantes and Juan Montoya declined invitations.

The host brought out a plastic dart to illustrate that the online proelium between he and McHale had been all in fun, not vindictive or personal.

McHale, while stopping short of an endorsement, views John Cowen as the city's best candidate for mayor, while Sanchez views Erasmo Castro as the most qualified.

When I asked rhetorically "who is this Jean Stanton?" Sanchez said I should have watched his CBS Podcast during which he interviewed Stanton, a candidate for mayor.(CBS is an acronym for Captain Bob Series.)

"She's from Corpus Christi, used to work at the Broken Sprocket, but has now started her own house cleaning business," Sanchez explained.

Arturo Trevino, not currently a candidate, pushed for an initiative called "participatory economics," where citizens, even those below voting age, suggest worthwhile projects for the city to pursue, although he did state that the city's budget was strapped.

Sanchez stated that, while hesitant to make endorsements, he preferred candidates who were "approachable."

McHale cautioned against endorsing anyone until at least the filing deadline.

Twice Mayor Pat Ahumada was mentioned as someone testing the City Charter's prohibition against holding that office more than two terms.

WHO IS JENNIFER STANTON?

 

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: BOTH ERIC AND DONALD TRUMP TAKE THE FIFTH OVER 500 TIMES ACCORDING TO NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL

 

Donald Trump

Eric Trump

"You see the mob takes the Fifth. . .  If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”  Donald Trump, 2016

A FRIEND SETS ME STRAIGHT ON DONALD TRUMP'S PLACE IN HISTORY

Daniel Lenz

Daniel Lenz and I have remained friends despite some obvious political and viewpoint differences as our recent Facebook interchange illustrates.

Responding to a statement by John Bolton, Trump's former National Security Adviser, who described Trump's 2024 campaign for president as "poison" and predicted it would "continue to go downhill, I commented as below and Daniel responded:

Barton:  I just wish Bolton and others had spoken up sooner about Trump's obvious inadequacy.

Lenz:  Please tell me you are not taking advice from Mr. Coups d'état and War Monger, John Bolton. Talk about Poison, LOL

Barton:  My point is that Bolton's words ring hollow after the fact, just as those of others who left the Trump administration without sharing how dangerous they knew Trump to be, like Defense Secretary James Mattis, Chief of Staff John Kelley, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, Scaramucci, Ty Cobb, Rex Tillerson, etc. All of them later told stories about Trump's incompetence but kept silent while he was in office.

Lenz: First of all, I am not supporting a Trump 2024 election bid. As far as all the people you name, a few of them were/are War Mongers, and when they and the rest did not get their way with Trump they turned on him. 

Same can be said for Bolton (a self proclaimed regime change idiot) who had an extra motivation, selling his book! 

Remember, not one new war was started under Trump, and peace in the Middle East was being delivered through his Administration. 

But hey, Trump has his flaws, but everybody turns a blind eye to Trump's accomplishments because they just don't like the man (very sad).

History will tell a different story than the lies the media puts out today. Unfortunately, people such as yourself, believe all the propaganda/spin against Trump by the media and can't recognize for a second all the good he did. 

But as I said, History will eventually tell a different story, you and I might not be around to witness it, but it will come. 

In the meantime, since I consider you a very smart person, look for yourself at Trump's accomplishments (Nato Funding being another one) and put the rhetoric aside for a minute.

When you do, you will not have to wait for History to get it all right, it's all there for you to see now.

Barton:  While I appreciate Daniel's perspective, I don't think all the men who worked in the Trump administration, but left critical of his performance as President were war mongers.

That's not my perception of Defense Secretary James Mattis, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, Chief of Staff John Kelley, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Special Representative Kurt Volker and others who served in the Trump administration, but left describing him as unsuitable to hold the office.

My own political leanings are non-partisan.  I've attended both Democratic and Republican Cameron County meetings and listened dispassionately.

In high school I carefully followed Republican Barry Goldwater, finding him a "straight shooter," but his statement about "tactical nuclear weapons" scared me off.

I listened carefully as Trump announced his campaign for President in 2015, not with high-minded words calling for unity, equality, but with overt racism.

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. . . . . They're sending people that have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems with us(sic).  They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. . . .They're rapists.  And some, I assume, are good people."

Trump was likely not a rotten-to-the-core racist himself (I understand he even employed undocumented aliens in his businesses.), but he was using racist buzz words to appeal to a core constituency, largely poor, white, rural and uneducated, people who may have felt overlooked and feared losing jobs to minorities and immigrants.  

Trump, not noted for a particular religious inclination, now awkwardly held up a Bible, posing as devout with an evangelical bent.

The TV preachers ate it up like hog slop, and, almost universally became Trump advocates.

Both tactics played well to Trump's base, and just as Trump had insulted Mexican Nationals, he now insulted 16 other Republican candidates for President, topping it off by claiming Ted Cruz's dad played a role in the Kennedy assassination.  

It was dumb stuff, but just what his core constituency loved hearing.

Trump's popularity seemed to grow with every lie, untruth and insult including the claim that Obama wasn't born in the U.S., the repeatedly debunked "birther" theory.

Trump may have not been a racist, serial liar or Bible thumper, but he was playing one on TV and his base was devouring it.

More significant than any of the above is Trump's choice of White Supremicist Stephen Miller as presidential advisor and speech writer, someone who shaped Trump's immigration policy including the travel ban.  

To Miller, "diversity" was a bad word, a false religion and that view influence policy.

Presidential Advisor Steve Bannon, the publisher of Breitbart News, contributed to the racist image of Trump and the party, with his news outlet admittedly featuring "Western values" and "White identify."

Then Trump added Sebastian Gorky to the mix, a man with Nazi connections, and you get the picture.

So, if Trump and his supporters have been tainted with racism, I've tried to carefully explain how that occurred.

Does that mean all Trump supporters, all Republicans are racists?  Certainly not.

I certainly don't view my friend Daniel in that way.  In fact, in my small circle of friends, several are Trump supporters, but none are racists in my view and, hopefully, friendships will continue to supercede political views.

PILLOW MAN MAKES HIS CASE FOR RIGGED 2020 ELECTION ON JIMMY KIMMEL SHOW

 

Pillow Man Mike Lindell had been begging Jimmy Kimmel for weeks to let him on his late night show.  Kimmel finally agreed if Lindell would allow himself to be interviewed in a giant claw machine.  Pillow man may be a bit dense, but he certainly has a sense of humor.

"They stole the 2020 election, they stole down tickets, they stole everything," claims Mike Lindell.    

"None of you guys elected your officials, they were selected for you!"

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell said he plans to sue "all machines" over false election fraud claims.

"It's a class-action lawsuit against all machines," Lindell said at a rally for Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

"They're defective devices," Lindell said, adding that his lawyers have been working on the lawsuit for five months.

He also claimed that he has around 300 county commissioners and clerks on board as plaintiffs.