𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕-𝟮𝟵 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗶𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁!!!!!! 𝗕𝗨𝗬 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗥 𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗦!!!!!

 submitted by Rene Torres

𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗗𝗟𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗡. . .𝗠𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚. . .𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗢 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗥𝗨𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗦𝗖 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Toddle Inn breakfast tortilla

After mailing our Iowa state tax return, I stopped off at a crowded Toddle Inn for a breakfast tortilla, sending my travel nurse wife the above photo. 

Ana, currently in Nevada, answered quickly:

Analie Barton

"Oh my. I love the Toddle Inn, the hot chocolate and the pork chops.  Now, I miss it there so badly."

On my phone while eating, I noticed that blogger Jerry McHale had run one of my articles, but intentionally misspelled a word in his headline:

  "TSC TRUSTEES CALL A TEMPORARY TRUCE IN REVOLUTINARY WAR!!!"

Jerry McHale

Now, the clever old bastard, a teacher for over 40 years, knows how to spell "revolutionary," but he was hoping one of his former ESL students would catch the error.

Teachers never stop teaching.

As for the TSC Board of Trustee election being a "war," I'm not sure.

Someone, likely Board Chair Adela Garza, recruited candidates to run against Place 6 and 7 incumbents J.J. De Leon and Eva Alejandro and both are actively campaigning to retain their positions, but are not exactly the "Masters of War" Dylan scolded in 1962-63.

Edward Camarillo

One of the candidates recruited to replace De Leon, Edward Camarillo, recently, along with two siblings, oversaw the closing of Incarnate Word Academy, a Catholic institution in operation for 175 years.  

Camarillo told parents during the closing announcement, that he would help their offspring relocate:

"I realize this is not the direction we want to take, but I will do everything necessary to help ensure that you each end up where you need to be," Camarillo said.

Anyway, that school's closing freed up Camarillo to be approached about running for TSC trustee opposite De Leon. (We've been promised more information on this story and await that report.)

𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗔 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧 𝗔 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗙 𝗚𝗨𝗦 𝗢. 𝗞𝗥𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘~𝟮/𝟬𝟯/𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟭

                               submitted by Rene Torres

𝗧𝗦𝗖 𝗕𝗢𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗘 𝗥𝗨𝗕𝗘𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗥𝗔

TSC Board of Trustees

Thursday evening's Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees meeting at Gorgas Hall, the first since the passing of Ruben Herrera, started fittingly with a video tribute to the departed trustee.

Board Chair Adela Garza, along with TSC President Jesus Roberto Rodriguez, watched the tribute on a monitor in front of them while the rest of us were fixated on a large wall screen.

Adela's face repeatedly lit up as she watched the portrayal of Ruben's life.  It was the same video played at the funeral, but more moving in the intimate quarters of Gorgas Hall.  As a keen observer of humans all my life,  it was more than obvious that Ruben loved helping put people on the road to success in their lives.

The school's accountant compassionately raced through the financial report, knowing full well no one cares about the numbers as long as the bills are paid.

Three salesmen presented what I considered gimmicks for the board's consideration.  

Why are high school and college boards such easy marks for Doctor Gillespie's Magic Elixer in various forms?

Barracuda Email Protection offered an annual contract that wards off 13 different email threats for an annual fee of a mere $66,500. (I found "barracuda" a fitting name.) 

The Mongoose Texting Platform was offered to allow students the facility to message each other individually or in a "chat room"  via "phone, tablet or computer" and for the school to send a mass mailout to students for only $32,819 the first year, then a mere $28,463 in years three and four.  Aren't there already a dozen or more ways for students to communicate online for free and can't "mass mailouts" be sent to email addresses?

Then, there was a brief presentation by EBSCO Information Systems, providing computers for the library, but no cost was mentioned.

Ruben with Grandson Patrick Ruben

Don't mind me.  I'm just a cynical 76 year old with a finely tuned bull shit meter and, anyway, tonight's meeting was really about Ruben Herrera.

𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗛-𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗜𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 $𝟱𝟵.𝟵𝟵

 

𝗘𝗟 𝗥𝗥𝗨𝗡 𝗥𝗥𝗨𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗦 𝗕𝗖𝗜𝗖 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗨𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗪 𝗧𝗔𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗟

After not blogging or reading the efforts of other bloggers for three days while doing my federal and state of Iowa taxes, I read a contributed story on Juan Montoya's El Rrun Run that made my blood boil.  The story was about travel plans for Brownsville's taxpayer-supported Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation, the BCIC.

Carelessly-dispersed tax dollars always remind me of the frail, elderly woman in front of me at the Cameron County Tax Office, surrounded by family.

Maybe 4'9", bent over with osteoporosis, she clutched a worn envelope secured with rubber bands.  

She had my full attention as she slipped the rubber bands off the envelope, removing three one hundred dollar bills, then a couple twenties, a five and several ones to hand the cashier what I presumed to be her annual property taxes.

Years after technology has rendered in person travel to "seminars" unnecessary, the boys and girls of the taxpayer-funded BCIC are still milking taxpayer funds for travel, just as their ignominous predecessors on the BCIC, GBIC and now defunct BEDC boards.

Notice the pending travel requests for just the BCIC Board posted in El Rrun Rrun:

The word "travel" on the search feature of my blog, the Brownsville Observer, brought up dozens of articles and I got writer's cramp just making notes from 2013-14:  10 people to the Texas Trails & Active Transportation Conference~$14,000, Planning Department under interim Director Ramiro Gonzalez spent $18,702 on travel in 2014 with Ramiro himself pocketing $4,748 for attending two seminars including $71 per diem for meals, 4 young men to the American Planning Association (Noe Puga, Trey Whittemore, Adolfo Pereira and Craig Grove) for $5,539.50, Ramiro Gonzalez again, to Boston for $2,523.50, Dallas for $829.50 and Seattle for $2379.50, Port of Brownsville's pudgy Ralph Cowen and Eduardo Camparino to eat in China, meals alone costing $1,800 and $1,600, City Commissioner's trip to Denver to accept the All-America City Award cost the taxpayers $24,120, not to mention 16 trips to Bogota, Colombia to learn about bicycle riding, the delegation headed by BEDC Director Jason Hiltz and Mayor Tony Martinez(Hiltz refused my Public Information Request for the amount spent unless I coughed up $270 for "labor"to do the research.) Hiltz during his tenure as BCIC chair spent a whopping $312,541 on travel that could be documented.

Former BEDC Chair Jason Hiltz, "King" of Taxpayer-Funded Travel

All of the above was gleaned from just a few Brownsville Observer articles in 2013-14.

With modern technology easily connecting people from around the world for conferences, why in hades, ten years later, are Brownsville's taxpayers continuing to foot the bill, including airfare, hotel and eats, for these leaches?

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗬 𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘, 𝗧𝗘𝗫𝗔𝗦

 

Brownsville Observer Editor

From the editor: Reaching for a shirt this morning, I came across my old "FRONTON" shirt from the day representative democracy was declared dead, deceased, non-functioning in Brownsville, Texas.

Four uneducated, arrogant city commissioners, John Cowen, Rose Gowen, Jessica Tetreau and commissioner/insurance man Joel Munguia, after listening to pleas from citizens actually living on historic E. Fronton Street, who implored the commission to NOT change the name of their street to honor some rich Anglo businessman, chose to ignore "the will of the people."

I guess the foursome just "knew better"than the taxpayers they claim to represent.  . . 

Below is a reposting of our 2019 report:

DEMOCRACY FAILS MISERABLY FOR EAST FRONTON STREET RESIDENTS

Several dozen East Fronton taxpayers learned a valuable lesson in participatory democracy tonight at the City Commission meeting where they hoped to reverse a short-sighted City Commission decision to rename East Fronton Street, the historic street they lived on, for an Anglo profiteer who'd made a fortune utilizing minimum wage labor in three factory/warehouse buildings.  

During a spell of overt goofiness, the City Commission had changed the name of a downtown street from it's historic 1850 "East Fronton Street" to "McNair Family Drive."

Carlos Lastra from Engineering, who was given the task of discerning the mood of the residents of East Fronton about the proposed name change, failed miserably and the City Commission faced an angry group of East Frontoners who had no idea the name of their street was being changed.

Have no fear.  4th graders from sea to shining sea will be reminded in the morning that the United States of America is a democracy ruled "by the people."

The residents of East Fronton Street got that same lecture in two languages and have shown up at the last two City Commission meetings to see the American dream in action.

"You can correct this with a petition," they were told, among other things:

1.  Play by the rules, conform to every requirement of a newly enacted city policy about changing the name of a street.
2.  Go en masse to the commission meeting to voice your position to your duly elected representatives.
3.  Sit back and observe democracy in action.

The resident taxpayers of East Fronton did everything asked of them before showing up at tonight's meeting to see if the concept of democracy actually worked.

They were sorely disappointed, seeing the uglier side of city politics, how a rich Anglo businessman could indeed manipulate four commissioners to get the agenda item shot down.

All four, much like Trump supporters in the U.S. Congress, questioned the methodology instead of responding to their constituents.

Commissioner Rose Gowen questioned the wording of the policy awarding a vote to each owner listed on the Cameron County property listings, while Jessica Tetreau mentioned conversations with other Texas cities whose policy differed from Brownsville's.

The vote almost got tabled again until Commissioner Ben Neece reminded the commission that "we've passed the policy and the City Attorney has ruled on it.  Let's vote and do the right thing."

Commissioners Joel Mungia and John Cowen, neither of whom normally ever make so much as a peep in City Commission meetings, both attacked the policy at tonight's meeting.

None of these four had any criticism of the policy when it was enacted weeks ago.  Had the McNair family gained their support somehow?

Four voted against residents having a say in their community, all using convoluted reasoning to support their position:  Rose Gowen, Jessica Tetreau, John Cowen and Joel Munguia.

Nurith Galonsky, Ben Neece and Mayor Trey Mendez supported the citizenry.

"Let it be noted that the vote was 4-3," stated Mendez, making certain we knew where he stood, even though his vote is normally needed only in a tie.

Commissioner Nurith Galonsky apologied to the East Fronton citizens as they exited chambers.

𝙉𝙊 𝙄𝙉𝙁𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙊𝙍 𝘾𝙄𝙑𝙄𝙇 𝙒𝘼𝙍 𝙒𝙄𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉 𝙏𝙎𝘾 𝘽𝙊𝘼𝙍𝘿; 𝙊𝙉𝙇𝙔 𝘼 𝙋𝙊𝙒𝙀𝙍 𝙂𝙍𝘼𝘽 𝘽𝙔 𝘽𝙊𝘼𝙍𝘿 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙄𝙍 𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙇𝘼 𝙂𝘼𝙍𝙕𝘼

Jerry McHale

A few years ago I designated Jerry McHale of the McHale Report the "blogfather" as the longest active member of the local blogosphere, starting with El Rocinante in 1990.

Jerry, along with Juan Montoya of El Rrun Rrun are "bloggers-for-hire," writing articles for advertisers or, sometimes, in Jerry's case, simply posting a photo accompanied by a clever headline.

For the last 14 years, I've written the Brownsville Observer, initially Mean Mister Brownsville, without payment from advertisers or third parties, giving me incredible freedom to simply write what I know to be true without being second-guessed by a customer.

For example, my facility to speak freely allowed me to post the above photo from Board Chair Adela Garza's Facebook page openly promoting a candidate to run against Adela's friend of 40 years, Eva Alejandro, the incumbent.

That posting may not have set well with one of Jerry's customers, either Norma Lopez-Harris or Adela Garza, so Jerry countered with the headline "DR. NORMA INSISTS SHE WILL BE AN INDEPENDENT VOICE" and a picture of Norma.

Of course, a candidate, a prospective board member, is not "independent" when they're being promoted openly by the board chair, an action that's unethical if not illegal. 

If Norma Lopez-Harris wants to be seen as "independent," she can request that Board Chair Adela Garza not so openly push her candidacy. 

This blog also objected to McHale's characterization of the TSC election as a "civil war" with the headline "DO NORMA & EVA FEAR HILDA IN TSC CIVIL WAR?"

A civil war implies "infighting," that is a battle raging within a group that could result in a permanent split, but Dr. Norma Lopez-Harris and Dr. Hilda Silva are not part of the TSC board, but simply contenders to be part of that body, so they do not currently add or subtract to any turmoil within the board.

The same could be said for Mirla Veronica Deaton, Edward C. Camarillo and Alan Moreno Salazar, all candidates for the board, but not participants in a "civil war."

There's also been no reporting of warfare being waged by TSC Trustees not up for re-election like Alejandra Aldrete, Tony Zavaleta or Delia Saenz.

Adela Garza

If there is skirmishing within the TSC Board it originates with Board Chair Adela Garza, who is hellbent on maintaining control of the board via board majority, thus the influx of candidates to oppose incumbents Eva Alejandro and J.J. De Leon.

Alejandro, with 52 years in education, De Leon with 36, are not seeking a fight with Adela, but simply making the case that Adela Garza is fighting for their defeat and ouster from the board because they are not simply "kids who will do what they're told," but long-tenured trustees who want to continue to promote the interests of Texas Southmost College.

It's a ruthless power grab, folks, but certainly no "civil war."

𝐍𝐎, 𝐉𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘. 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐍𝐎 𝐂𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐋 𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐒𝐂 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐒, 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋

Jerry McHale in a pensive, reflective moment at Market Square

On March 20, Jerry McHale, via the Mchale Report, ran the story headlined DO NORMA & EVA FEAR HILDA IN TSC CIVIL WAR?

No, Jerry.  There is no civil war on the TSC Board of Trustees.  Two of the ladies you cite in your article, Norma Lopez Harris and Hilda Silva, are not even on the board, but are merely candidates most likely recruited by Board Chair Adela Garza in a power grab for control of the board following the loss of beloved Trustee Ruben Herrera.

A "civil war" implies infighting among parties of near equal stature, certainly not a fitting phrase to include mere challengers for the position not even on the board.

Adela's unabashed promotion of a replacement candidate for her friend of 40 years, Eva Alejandro

The simple truth is that Board Chair Adela Garza is not comfortable with board members who will not "do as they're told," preferring younger, less experienced members she can intimidate and control.

Where Adela excels is in political gamesmanship, being an actual savant in manipulation and control.

Eva Alejandro, TSC Trustee Place 7

But, much to Adela's displeasure, Eva Alejandro, with 52 years in education, and Board Vice Chair J.J. De Leon, with 30 years at B.I.S.D. and 6 years as a TSC trustee, are not the malleable, easily-led folk Adela prefers to work with.

J.J. De Leon, TSC Trustee Place 6

Both Alejandro and De Leon have educational degrees far exceeding Adela's.

Alejandro and De Leon agree with Adela at times, but disagree when it's in the best interests of the community college.

Isn't a board with independent thinkers preferable to one dominated by a single overlord?

𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗩𝗢𝗦 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗝𝗨𝗔𝗡 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗬𝗔 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗕𝗬 𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗔 𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗭𝗔

Honestly, I seldom raise my voice unless a family member is about to get hit by a car, but Juan Montoya's headline in El Rrun Rrun speaks differently:  THEY SCREAM. EVA SCREAMS. JIM SCREAMS. . . FOR ATTENTION

Actually, Juan is referencing a 1927 song my late father used to sing while taking us out for a ten cent ice cream cone after we'd endured a boring two hour church service.  

And, after over three quarters century of life, I don't need attention, much less to scream for it.

So, where is Montoya going with this?

Juan is a blogger-for-hire, an entrepreneur, who writes articles for money and TSC Board Chair Adela Garza has money burning a hole in her pocket.

This brings to mind another nursery rhyme; "One Potato, Two Potatoes," the first line of which is:

"One Potato, two potatoes, three potatoes, four"

Four is the magic number of votes Adela Garza needs to control the TSC Board of Trustees.

Longtime educators and board members Eva Alejandro and J.J. De Leon do not match Adela Garza's needs because they are not simply kids who will "do as they are told," but mature, accomplished folk.

So, Adela, in a pure power grab, has recruited much-less-experienced alternates to run against Alejandro and De Leon.  

Juan Montoya, man about town (Graphic by Diego Lee Rot)

Where does the dapper Juan Montoya fit in?

He will likely be paid to write what Adela wants him to write.

Will the longtime blogger attack Eva Alejandro and J.J. De Leon?

We don't know.

Will Montoya promote those Adela has recruited to run against Alejandro and De Leon?

We don't know that either.

But, have some popcorn handy.

𝗗𝗢 𝗪𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗬𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗢 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗢 𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗥?

 

Former Port Director Eduardo Campirano with Brownsville Observer editor on 90 minute boat tour of the Port of Brownsville

I'm not certain even Rose Timmer of Redfish Recycling would approve of former Port of Brownsville Director Eduardo Campirano regurgitating himself to run for commissioner of the very same Port of Brownsville.

Why would the old fart, longtime port director, now want to be one of the commissioners?  Is the port that lucrative for the decision-makers?

Actually, Brownsville and Cameron County have a shitpot full of "public servants" already.  No need to recycle old, tired ones like former Port Director Eduardo Campirano.

The instant Campirano and two other port officials chowed down on that $1,800 taxpayer-subsidized meal in Shanghai, China, they disqualified themselves as stewards of public money and interests.  

It bears mentioning that the Port of Brownsville threesome did not choke on that extravagant meal or lose sleep over the expensive burden to the country's poorest taxpayers, but simply defecated that grub, then went back the next day for $1,600 more of the pricey fare, inviting the BEDC's Jason Hilts to share in the gluttony.  

Not surprisingly, the Port of Brownsville, an entity that should be self-supporting with proper leadership, continues to rely on millions of dollars of locally-generated taxpayer monies to continue operation.  

You may also recall that Camparino was totally in favor of the LNG plants now operating in our area, while ignorantly minimizing the ecological dangers to our region.  

"LNG is the liquefied form of the natural gas that people use in their homes for cooking and heating, and has been safely handled for many years." (Eduardo Camparino, Letter to the Editor, Brownsville Herald, 10/5/2015.)

Yes, doofus, but LNG plants do not simply burn natural gas like grandma heating tortillas on her two burner range!  

The purpose of an LNG plant is to condense natural gas into a liquid 1/600th of its normal displacement so it can be shipped economically.

That process, extremely complex, requires an ENORMOUS amount of energy and releases hydrocarbons, mercury, hydrogen sulfide and other contaminants into the atmosphere.

Millions of gallons of hot effluent must also be disposed daily, likely in our case, into the pristine estuaries and bird sanctuaries of eastern Cameron County.

No thanks to recycling Eduardo Camparino back to a leadership role at the Port of Brownsville!

𝗧𝗦𝗖 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗔 𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗭𝗔, 𝗥𝗨𝗕𝗘𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗥𝗔 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗬 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗭 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗚𝗬 𝗜𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟴 𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗫 𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗥𝗢

 

𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗧 𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗦 𝗧𝗘𝗫𝗔𝗦 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝟰 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗠𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗬𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗞/𝗦𝗨𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧/𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗕𝗘 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗬 𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬

 

𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗔 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗔 𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗭𝗔 𝗣𝗔𝗬 𝗝𝗨𝗔𝗡 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗬𝗔 𝗧𝗢 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗘 𝗔 𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗧𝗦𝗖 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗘 𝗘𝗩𝗔 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗝𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗥𝗢?

 

The late Ruben Herrera in back, fronted by Dr. Norma Lopez Harris

My local blogging compadre Juan Montoya of El Rrun Rrun posted the above photo as the essence of his blog for Monday, March 18; picture only, no commentary.

The awkward, incredibly thin photo has obviously been cropped out of a much larger picture to leave the impression that the recently-departed Ruben Herrera supports Dr. Norma Lopez Harris for TSC Trustee Place 7, a position long occupied by seasoned educator/trustee Eva Alejandro.

It's shameless pandering likely paid for by someone with no shame.  What sort of person disrespectfully utilizes the deceased to promote a political candidate?

Juan Montoya of El Rrun Rrun

Please understand that Juan Montoya charges for posts like this as a blogger-for-hire.  Almost nothing Juan "writes" is fueled by moral outrage or righteous indignation.  He simply "writes" for those who "pay" just like H.E.B. charges for the groceries you place in your shopping cart.

It doesn't take a super sleuth to ascertain the person funding that posting is likely TSC Board Chair Adela Garza as her Facebook page above promotes the same person to run against Eva Alejandro for Trustee Place 7.

In recruiting and backing an opponent for Eva Alejandro, Adela Garza trashes a forty year friendship of a woman who's tirelessly worked for education for fifty-two years.

Eva Alejandro

Born in Pawnee, Texas Eva Alejandro joined the Teacher Corp while studying at Texas Womans University, became a teacher, then founding director of TSC's Childcare and Development Program.

Alejandro was an Assistant Professor at Pan American/UTB-TSC for twenty years, an educational consultant for McGraw Hill Publishing Company and Head Start for four years.

Needless to say, Eva Alejandro is and has been an incredible asset to Texas Southmost College, Brownsville and Cameron County.

It would be an absolute shame to lose her service on the board simply because a power hungry board chair gets her panties in a wad and pays a blogger-for-hire to promote a replacement candidate.

𝘿𝙄𝙍𝙆 𝙉𝙊𝙒𝙄𝙏𝙕𝙆𝙄 & 𝙁𝘼𝙈𝙄𝙇𝙔 𝙄𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁𝙍𝙊𝙉𝙏 𝙍𝙊𝙒 𝘼𝙏 𝙈𝘼𝙑𝙎/𝙉𝙐𝙂𝙂𝙀𝙏𝙎 𝙂𝘼𝙈𝙀

 

𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐒𝐂 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐀 𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐙𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐓 𝐕. 𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐀?

 "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."  British Historian Lord Acton

Is Adela Garza Morphing Into Julieta V. Garcia?

With her old running buddy, Sylvia P. Atkinson, incarcerated until 2027, TSC Board Chair Adela Garza proceeds alone with her wanton power grab at Brownsville's historic Texas Southmost College.

Not since the days of UTRGV's Julieta V. Garcia have we seen such ruthless manipulation of an educational institution's Board of Trustees.

In Trump-like fashion Adela has thrown her friend of 40 years, Trustee Eva Alejandro, under the proverbial bus without a single word of explanation.

After four decades of close friendship with Eva Alejandro, Adela trashes that friendship by cultivating and now supporting a candidate to run against her for TSC Place 7, Dr. Norma Lopez-Harris.  To the power-hungry, control is the ultimate high.

Getting complete control of a board of trustees or city commission is the ultimate high for the power hungry, longtime friends and associates be damned!

Remember just a few years ago when Mayor Pat Ahumada referred to himself as Brownsville's "quarterback" and the commissioners as his "blocking lineman?"  Well, Adela is of the same ilk.  Only complete control satisfies her inner cravings.

Actually, according a local blogger, Adela is fortunate to not currently be sitting in an adjoining cell to her longtime friend Sylvia Atkinson.

As Juan Montoya reported 11/3/2020 in El Rrun Rrun:

During cross-examination, new details emerged about a related corruption case that involved Texas Southmost College Trustee Adela Garza. Prosecutors alleged that Garza and Atkinson schemed to profit from telehealth companies that wanted to do business with the Brownsville Independent School District and other local school districts. 

They created a company called "Sunshine Solutions" to launder the money, according to prosecutors. Late yesterday, Garza acknowledged Atkinson had named her as a participant in the scheme. 

OK, Sylvia took the fall for all that and is rightfully serving time for conspiracy, extortion and bribery.  In a recent court hearing, Atkinson is asking for a judge to "set aside" her sentence based on some "honest services" she once performed while saying her crime was mainly "bribery."

Just to illustrate, via a small incident, though, Adela Garza's obsession with control, we'll share our observation from Adela's wonderfully-arranged "Celebration of Life" for the departed Ruben Herrera. 

Early on, I noticed special seating arranged for the Garza Family, and stopped TSC President Jesus Roberto Rodriguez as he passed by my corner chair to ask about it:

"There's special seating for the Garza family, but what about the families of the other trustees?" I asked.

The TSC President laughed, adding:  "I'll check with Adela about that."

Less than half a minute later I saw Adela Garza moving toward me with a very strident, determined walk.

"Jim, that is not seating for my family but for the family of Hector Garza, Ruben's closest friend," Adela explained before turning around to go back to her seat.

I might have bought that explanation had Adela not gone immediately to that seat to rip off the "Garza Family" sign from the back.

A few minutes later, one of Adela's own daughters sat in that very seat clinching which Garza family for which the seats were intended.

Later, during the actual program, Hector Garza came to the stage, not from Adela's designated row, but from somewhere deep in the audience.

OK, it's not a big thing, but it's an indication of character.

Despite no longer being a believer, hundreds of scripture texts still roll around in my feeble brain from my inculcation decades ago.

"He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in that which is greater: and he that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that which is greater." Saint Luke Chapter XVI, Verse X~Catholic Douay-Rheims Version

Jesus own words there seem to indicate that a person capable of manipulating seating for a funeral service could also manipulate those serving on a Board of Trustees to maintain control.

It's usually referred to as being power hungry.

Thinking rationally, which board is likely to better serve the school's interests; one where each board member makes an individual decision or a board controlled by a single overlord?

𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗢𝗦 𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗜𝗔 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗦 𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘

 At Carlos Garcia's campaign event the other day I asked him to clearly state his vision for the Port of Brownsville. Garcia, candidate for commissioner Place 1, emailed the following:

Carlos Garcia

Jim,

Sorry for the delay in responding to yesterday's evening request.

All Port Commissioners should have the common goal of promoting the Port and recruiting businesses that have a mari-time nexus to locate themselves at the Port of Brownsville. 

So I will not use this as part of my goals for the Port. It is a given for all commissioners to make this a priority. As they say "Build it and they will come". Well it has been built and now we have to maintain it or else they will leave.

Three statements about what I would focus on for the Port of Brownsville.

1. Future Infrastructure Needs: A master capital improvement plan is a must with constant review and updating as required.

A Master CIP encompasses all the areas of the Port to include the Fishing Harbor. The Port needs to provide adequate facilities so that our tenants can be successful. 

Numerous port facilities such as warehouses and sheds are leased by the stevedores to temporarily store their client's cargo/product.

Other areas of the port that need to be addressed are streets and unimproved areas. Funding these needs is a big undertaking. By not having a master capital improvement plan fails the Port in identifying the immediate and long term needs and the funding source(s).

2. Fishing Harbor: The fishing harbor serves our local shrimping industry. 

The local shrimping industry is not doing well due to the inflation in the costs of fuel and supplies. The importation of foreign shrimp has kept the prices down. 

It may be time to think about identifying how much of the fishing harbor should be dedicated to the shrimping industry and the rest of the mari-time industry.  

The master capital improvement plan would include addressing the needs and funding sources. In the future it should serve multiple functions in the mari-time industry. 

Port of Brownsville

The Port of Brownsville needs to seriously consider in identifying the long term appropriate use of the fishing harbor. 

3. Port Future Financial Investments: The Port has done well in producing revenues over expenses in the past several years. 

Future revenues will continue to grow as new tenants arrive with major projects that serve the mari-time industry. We need to be good stewards in how that money is spent/invested to meet the needs of the Port and its tenants. With the continued growth of inflation the time is now to repair or build the Port infrastructure.

Jim, this is a little more than what I stated last night. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Respectfully,

Carlos L. Garcia

Candidate for Port of Brownsville Commissioner Place 1

𝙅𝙊𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙎 𝘾𝙀𝙇𝙀𝘽𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 𝙊𝙁 𝙇𝙄𝙁𝙀 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙁𝙍𝙄𝙀𝙉𝘿 𝙍𝙐𝘽𝙀𝙉 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙍𝙀𝙍𝘼 𝘼𝙏 𝙅𝘼𝘾𝙊𝘽 𝘽𝙍𝙊𝙒𝙉 𝘼𝙐𝘿𝙄𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙄𝙐𝙈

 

Frequently, they're not called funerals, but "celebrations of life," and the gathering to commemorate the life of TSC Trustee Ruben Herrera lived up to that description in every sense of the phrase.

The standing-room-only crowd filling Jacob Brown Auditorium was more joyous than somber, so happy to stay afterward, chatting and drinking limonada spiked with cucumber juice, partaking of the ample buffet.

Although many said it, realtor Craig Grove clearly stated it after the service, that "Ruben helped so many educationally and in their legal careers."

Ruben's co-traveler through so many countries, Hector Garza, started his recounting of his travels with Ruben, invoking Steppenwolf's Born to Be Wild:

"Get your motor runnin'

Head out on the highway

Looking for adventure

In whatever comes out way"

Fittingly, Ruben's bag-laden BMW motorcycle was parked behind the auditorium along with his mint condition Corvette, personal symbols of the much-loved world traveler.

Editor flanked by Ruben Herrera and Matamoros attorney Jerry Danache at TSC Law Center 3/02/2024

The Brownsville Observer editor sat with Ruben at the TSC Law Center Ruben helped create just two weeks ago for the Sheriffs Forum.  

Damn, life is so fleeting!

𝙏𝙍𝙐𝙈𝙋 𝙄𝙎 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙉𝙀𝙒 𝙇𝙊𝙎𝙀𝙍 𝘼𝙎 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙂𝙊𝙋'𝙎 𝙄𝙈𝙋𝙀𝘼𝘾𝙃𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏 𝙁𝘼𝙍𝘾𝙀 𝙄𝙈𝙋𝙇𝙊𝘿𝙀𝙎

by Gary Sargent, The New Republic

Donald Trump

(March 13, 2024) The House GOP’s effort to impeach President Biden appears to be in deep trouble. Republicans are privately admitting that their case against Biden has fizzled. Moderate GOP lawmakers are signaling dread of any impeachment vote. GOP leaders are pathetically concocting an alternative to impeachment in hopes of keeping the MAGA base happy.

But as we watch all this unfold, let’s not lose sight of one critical piece of the story: If the impeachment push has devolved into a farce, it isn’t just because the case against Biden is so weak. It’s also because the parallel case against Donald Trump is so strong.

That might seem counterintuitive. What does Trump’s culpability have to do with the case against Biden? Yet step back a bit and the dynamic becomes clear: The GOP arguments for impeaching Biden are revealed at their most absurd when the two cases are laid side by side.

What’s more, when the GOP’s game is fully exposed—that it’s not just about hatching fake evidence of crimes by Biden but also about muddying the waters around evidence of crimes by Trump that is very real—that’s when the GOP posture becomes most indefensible.

Signs of this dynamic are everywhere. On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing that purported to grill Robert Hur, the special counsel who recently released a report exonerating Biden that also contained damning but gratuitous claims about his age and memory.

The Hur hearing was an opportunity for Republicans to highlight the damaging stuff in the report, which, in addition to faulting Biden’s memory, detailed evidence that Biden did willfully retain classified documents. Hur recommended against criminal charges because he couldn’t find evidence that Biden did this with corrupt intent despite searching high and low for many months.

But the hearing was largely a bust for Republicans. The savvy observers at Politico’s Playbook called it a “dud” and reported that it has prompted Republicans to look for an “off ramp” from their impeachment push, which turns on a separate set of claims about the Biden family’s business dealings that have also largely collapsed.

“Republicans of all ideological persuasions are increasingly admitting that they pulled the trigger on Biden’s impeachment too soon and that the effort has been hobbled by embarrassing setbacks,” Playbook concluded, noting that this comes after the GOP’s much-advertised “FBI informant” was indicted for fabricating a story that’s central to the GOP case.

The Hur hearing helped demonstrate why all this is happening. Some of the biggest moments featured Republicans raging at Hur for failing to recommend criminal charges. Inside the MAGA universe, this is a no-brainer: Of course Hur was supposed to recommend charges, and of course the failure to do so can only have been supreme dereliction of duty. But outside that information space, what’s become unavoidably obvious is that Republicans are demanding that Biden be charged with crimes no matter what the evidence actually shows.

Meanwhile, many of the hearing’s other breakthrough moments came when Democrats managed to make the proceedings about the former president:

As you’ll note, in this exchange, California Representative Ted Lieu recited a litany of things that Trump did with regard to classified documents, and he asked puckishly whether Biden had done them, to which Hur was forced to answer in the negative. Importantly, Liu was drawing on Hur’s own report, which explicitly compares Trump’s handling of documents to Biden’s, demonstrating why the former merited criminal charges while the latter did not.

The Democratic strategy in this hearing was to draw out this contrast. As one House Democratic aide told me, the goal was largely to stick “to attacking Trump rather than Hur,” because Democrats wanted to draw Republicans “into a conversation about Trump.”

This led to some ripe moments. After the hearing, CNN’s Laura Coates grilled Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, the Judiciary chair, by pointing out the contrast in the two presidents’ handling of documents. Coates asked Jordan if Trump would have been indicted if he’d done what Biden did—turn over documents and cooperate with investigators. Jordan haplessly answered with a yes, but he could only sputter aimlessly when Coates noted that Hur was originally a Trump appointee.

Underscoring the absurdity of all this, ABC News now reports that Republicans may send referrals to the Justice Department recommending prosecutions related to their findings, as an “exit strategy” from impeachment. While it’s very possible Republicans will ultimately impeach Biden, the case for it has imploded, and this would plainly be the consolation prize thrown to Trump and the MAGA base if it doesn’t happen.

Yet that too only reveals the core absurdity of the GOP game. Republicans won’t even name which Biden family members would be the target of such referrals, and they know the current Justice Department wouldn’t prosecute them anyway. But Representative James Comer, chair of the Oversight Committee, recently told Fox News that such referrals would lay the groundwork for prosecution under a victorious Trump, who has vowed to prosecute the “Biden crime family” without cause.

Incredibly, the Republican message here is basically this: OK, we can’t find any evidence of Biden crimes, but just wait until the guy who promises to prosecute Biden regardless of what the facts show is back in charge! Then we’ll get justice! The GOP scam exposes itself.

Trump doesn’t bother trying to hide the corrupt nature of all of this. He openly declares that he will prosecute the Biden family as revenge, i.e., because of what was done to him, not because of anything the Bidens actually did. Similarly, he is calling on Republicans to impeach Biden primarily as retribution—right out in the open, as an applause line at political rallies.

For Trump, all this is perfectly natural: Impeachment and prosecutions can’t ever be legitimately predicated; all is tit for tat; everything is political all the way down. By contrast, Republicans like Jordan and Comer want to retain the thinnest veneer of legitimacy to these proceedings.

Yet that’s become impossible. At the most fundamental level, the Republican project here is to use all the levers of power at the party’s disposal to erase a reality that cannot be erased: The case against Trump is based on things that actually happened, while the case against Biden is based largely on inventions. This project utterly collapses at precisely the moments when the two cases are compared side by side most unflinchingly. And given that this juxtaposition derives its ultimate force from the damning evidence of Trump’s transgressions, Republicans have no one to blame for this fiasco but Trump himself.