𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣'𝗦 𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗞𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗔 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗫 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗨𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗘

 

Trump and the generals for whom he has disdain and disrespect

Before considering Trump's irresponsible choice to head the Department of Defense, let's examine Trump's actual view of the military. 

Trump's disdain for the U.S. military has been repeatedly demonstrated, starting with his daddy's "paid-for" medical disagnosis of bone spurs to get a deferment from military service, his remarks to General Kelley about soldiers being "losers" and "suckers," his statement about John McCain, saying he "liked people who weren't captured," his refusal to be seen with wounded veterans because "it doesn't look good for me," referring to traumatic brain injuries suffered by U.S. troops during Iran's retaliatory strikes as "headaches" and Trump's insulting words to the widow of the grieving widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson that her husband "must have known what he signed up for."

General Mark Milley, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Then, there was the matter of General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Trump's presidency, actually an incident mentioned in Bob Woodward's book, Peril, that so greatly angered Trump that he wanted Milley brought up on charges before a military tribunal to face execution.

While I'll leave a link at the bottom of this article to a PBS News' thorough, point-by-point rendition of the matter, I'll give the Cliff's Notes version here.

With tensions between the U.S. and China at a very high level, there were fears from the Chinese side that Trump would use nuclear weapons in an attack.

Milley made two calls, one on October 30, 2020 and the other January 8, 2021, to General Li Zuocheng of the People's Liberation Army in China to assure him the U.S. had no plans to attack.

Milley said the first call, October 30th, was coordinated with Trump's Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and the second call, January 8th, was coordinated with Defense Secretary Chris Miller.

Milley said at the time the reports came out:  "My task at the time was to de-escalate.  My message again was consistent: Stay calm, steady, and de-escalate.  We are not going to attack you."

Pete Hegseth on the right

Now, Trump's total disrespect for the U.S. military has been displayed with his extremely reckless, irresponsible selection as his prospective nominee for Secretary of Defense, Fox News Fox & Friends Weekend reporter, Pete Hegseth.

Now, Hegseth was in the army years ago, leading a platoon, but has no experience managing any group, company or organization of any size.

The Secretary of Defense runs the U.S. military, which is actually the world's largest employer with 1,400,000 men and women on active duty and 900,000 members of the Reserve and National Guard. 

The Secretary of Defense, not only runs the considerable department, but is also over the Army, Navy and Air Force, supervising defense acquisition, regulations, defense contracts, criminal investigations, defense information systems, logistics, mapping and much, much more.

Obviously, this is not a role for a former platoon leader or talk show reporter, but requires real expertise and experience. 

For Trump, this is a joke appointment, because, to him the Department of Defense is a joke, as are all departments, agencies, institutions of the U.S. government.

This appointment, if confirmed by the Senate, may cost lives, not to mention international respect, but Trump cares not, as his only criteria is "this guy likes Trump," the most important thing to an utter narcissist.

Trump's proposed nomination of such an unqualified person to fill this role is another manifestation of his utter disrespect for the U.S. military, our government and his total incompetence as President-Elect.

 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-gen-milley-explains-his-calls-with-china-over-concerns-about-president-trump

𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗔𝗗𝗝𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗠, 𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗘𝗫𝗨𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗧, 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗘𝗫 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗦?

Donald Trump, "Stormy" Daniels

With a reality TV star as President-Elect, not to mention a proud pussy-grabber, is it any wonder that Trump's proposed cabinet nominees so far seem to be a motley collection of famous folk, TV personalities and alleged sexual predators, totally unqualified to hold such positions in his administration?

Kamala Harris was on target describing Trump as an "unserious person," but that's incredibly understating things as he's amoral, unprincipled and dishonest to the core, lies every time he moves his teeth.

Setting the Moral Tone for Trump's Second Term: Trump, Gaetz and Hegseth

Now, with cabinet nominees Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth allegedly having similar moral deficiencies, a tone is being set for Trump's second term that will neither make our country proud or inspire our young people.

𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗘𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣'𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗦 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

 

𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗬 𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗜𝗥 𝗝𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗛𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗠𝗔 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗚𝗜𝗟𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗧 𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗢𝗝𝗢𝗦𝗔'𝗦 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡?

 

Jared Hockema, Cameron County Democratic Chair

According to Texas Democratic Chair Gilbert Hinojosa, the state was not "in play" during the 2024 election as some anticipated.

Instead, Hinojosa's party suffered "devastating defeats up and down the ballot" with 55% of Hispanic voters in the state voting for Donald Trump.

"We need to reevaluate what is best for our party," stated Hinojosa as he submitted his resignation effective March 2025.

Even Cameron County, "blue" or Democratic for as long as anyone can remember, went 52.5% for Trump, exceeding Trump's national plurality, prompting some locals to suggest that Cameron County Democratic Chair Jared Hockema join Hinojosa in submitting his resignation. 

As things stand, the Cameron County Democratic Party seems fractured, disunited, with one "club" for the northern part of the county and another "club" for the south.  The Southern Cameron County Democratic Party "club," for example, supports a distinct set of candidates not including all Democrats running for office in the county.  What's up with that?

As politicos in our county and across the nation love to say, maybe "it's time for a change" and "elections have consequences."

𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣'𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗦 𝗜𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

 

𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗥 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡'𝗦 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗦 𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗘𝗧𝗭

 "You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence!" Saint Matthew, Chapter 23, Verse 25

Mike Johnson, Matt Gaetz

When little known Louisianian, Congressman Mike Johnson, was introduced to us as the new Speaker of the House, he presented himself as an evangelical Christian with an unshakeable moral code.

"I'm a committed Christian and my faith informs everything I do," said Johnson at the time.

"What does Mike Johnson think about any issue? Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it.  That's my world view," he added.

Then Johnson was introduced to an amoral man without ethics or restraints, not only a convicted felon, but a fraudster and pernicious liar, who, like Johnson, embraced the Bible and the flag, but did so as a mere con to fool the electorate. 

Regardless of your view of the historicity of the so-called gospels or if a rebellious angel called Satan the Devil ever actually tested or tempted Jesus of Nazareth, Donald Trump has placed a test of faith and morals clearly in front of Congressman Mike Johnson in the form of his recommended nominee for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz.

Via Gaetz, Trump will put Johnson's faith and morals fully to the test.

Knowing that Gaetz has been charged with "defiling young virgins," illicit drug use and sex trafficking, will Johnson, as Speaker of the House, follow the  Biblical injunction to "make sure of all things" with proper vetting and facilitating the release of the results of the Ethic Committee's investigation on Gaetz or will Johnson sacrifice his faith and morals, yielding to the temptation of recess appointments demanded by Temptor Trump?

Historical Jesus Tempted by Satan the Devil

𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝗝𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗔 𝗧𝗘𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗨: "𝗪𝗢𝗪! 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗛!"

 

Jessica Tetreau

Former City Commissioner Jessica Tetreau announced on her Facebook page the pending visit of President-Elect Donald Trump to Elon Musk's Boca Chica launch site for the scheduled Starship launch November 19.

"For everyone asking how I knew this info, a flight restriction was just imposed over Brownsville on November 19," said Tetreau.

A visit by the President-Elect would not be a total surprise considering the burgeoning bromance between the South African and the former and future President and the fact that Musk contributed $118M to the America Pac that helped elect Trump.

Elon Musk, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance

Trump and Musk have been almost inseparable since the November 6 election, sharing a McDonald's meal on the plane, sitting together ringside at a UFC fight, with Musk reportedly even listening in on Trump's calls with world leaders at Mar-a-Lago, as well as putting in his two cents on cabinet appointments.

According to Rolling Stone, Musk got into a shouting match with Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn over staffing the Justice Department and White House counsel.

Musk, who has close ties with Trump sons Eric, Don, Jr. and VP-Elect J.D. Vance, has publicly stated his preference for Treasury Secretary, Howard Lutnick.

Again, according to Rolling Stone, Trump has been annoyed at Musk's bragging about the role of his America PAC, "taking lots of credit for the president's victory."

Here's the agenda for DOGE according to Politics: Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency taskforce has thrown open its doors to recruitment, inviting applications even before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

Nicknamed DOGE after the cryptocurrency preferred by the Tesla CEO, its stated purpose is to radically shrink the size of the federal government by streamlining bureaucracy, eliminating jobs and shaving up to a third off of the $6.75 trillion fiscal budget. 

Addendum:  SpaceX is scheduled to launch its sixth uncrewed test flight of Starship on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. CT from Starbase in Boca Chica  to expand the massive 400-foot rocket's booster capabilities and bring its "catch and reuse" launch system online, following last month's historic booster grab.Starship will fly in a similar trajectory to its previous flights, tracking over the Gulf of Mexico before landing for a third straight time in the Indian Ocean "in daylight to provide better conditions for visual observations."

SpaceX Launch from Playa Bagdad

An alternate, perhaps less crowded observation point, is Bagdad Beach, South of the Rio Grande River on the Mexican side.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗦: 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧-𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗗 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗗𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗪𝗕𝗢𝗬𝗦 𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝗝𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗬 𝗝𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦

Thinking a bit about narcissism, how super-sensitive a narcissist can be about a critique, subtle jab or slight, or not being the center of attention, in the limelight, so to speak.

Two narcissistic humans come to mind: Donald Trump and Jerry Jones.

First of all, Trump, who during the Barack Obama presidency, was relentless in falsely accusing Obama of not being born in the U.S., a basic requirement for the presidency, asking that he produce a birth certificate.

Obama finally did produce the document, but that didn't stop Trump's clatter.  

Things came to a head at the White House Correspondent's Dinner April 30, 2011, when Obama turned tables and gently mocked Trump.

It was on that very night, according to Trump insiders including Roger Stone, that Trump decided to challenge for the presidency, eventually winning the 2016 presidential election saying he would "show them."

Trump's run for office in 2016 was revenge-motivated without a real plan in place should he actually be elected.

Skip ahead 8 years to the 2024 election Trump just won.  Revenge is still Trump's motivation, but, this time, that revenge is to be carried out against everyone who somehow said "no" to Trump's wishes during his first term of office; military generals who didn't kowtow to him or willingly order troops to shut down peaceful demonstrations by the citizenry, anyone who didn't symbolically kiss his ring. 

The primary goal of Trump's second term of seeking revenge is simply fueled by narcissism. 

Donald Trump, Jerry Jones

Now, to another narcissist, Jerry Jones, 82, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, actually a longtime supporter of Donald Trump, 78. 

Back in the mid-60's, three young men who played football for the University of Arkansas for the legendary Frank Broyles, were deeply entwined, interconnected:  Barry Switzer, Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson. 

Jones was from the poor part of North Little Rock, Rose City, the only area Nena told me she didn't want a house in the early 70's when we bought our first.

Barry Switzer, 87, was a poor white from Crossett, AR, where, unlike Mayra Flores, actually did pick cotton growing up.

Jimmy Johnson, 81, played for Arkansas, but was actually from Port Arthur, TX.

Anyway, writing this from memory with no desire to look any of this up, Jones bought the team in '89 after a sweetheart deal with Lieutenant Governor Sheffield Nelson for natural gas rights at a few pennies per acre, resulted in Jones making a large fortune in a single deal when he discovered natural gas.

Jones' first order of business after purchasing the Cowboys was to fire legendary coach Tom Landry from Mission, TX, replacing him with college buddy, Jimmy Johnson.  While no one understood the move at the time, in retrospect, it was simply narcissm, Jones not wanting to share the limelight with the successful coach Landry.

As I recall, Johnson went winless his first year with rookie Troy Aikman at quarterback, then went on to win two Super Bowls, leaving after the second Super Bowl win because of constant infighting with Jerry Jones, to be succeeded by Arkansas teammate Barry Switzer, who won a third Super Bowl with the team Johnson had assembled. 

That was thirty years ago and the Cowboys haven't won anything since.  Narcissism can be counterproductive.

𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣'𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗟𝗬-𝗩𝗘𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡 𝗧𝗢 𝗪𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗞 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗚𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗢𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗨𝗡𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗚𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦

Yes, it was annoying, actually discouraging, to pay more for a dozen eggs and a gallon of gas as this country came out of a pandemic managed brilliantly by Joe Biden and it meant little to us that the U.S. singularly recovered much better than any other G7(the world's industrialized democracies) country from that inflation.

Biden will be viewed historically as a very effective President whose mumbling, tongue-tied inability to communicate destroyed his effectiveness.  A little self-awareness would have helped Biden decide NOT to run for reelection, yielding to the Democrat's single best communicator and politician, Pete Buttigieg, but, if America was not ready to elect a minority woman, they would have probably also rejected a gay man for that office. 

Ok, so trying to save money on eggs and gas, America elected someone Kamala Harris referred to an an "unserious" man, Donald J. Trump.

I would disagree with Harris on that. While Trump is "unserious" about preserving democracy or our country's institutions, he's absolutely Hell-bent on destroying both.

Just take notice of his proposed nominees for the highest, most important and difficult positions in his pending administration.

We'll start with Matt Gaetz, Trump's proposed nominee for Attorney General, an office that oversees the Department of Justice(DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA), the Bureau of Prisons, the Office of Justice Programs, the U.S. Attorneys and the U.S. Marshals Service.  The AG also deals with antitrust, civil rights, immigration review and organized crime.

Gaetz, a surly, petulant, wildly immature 42 year old, who days ago resigned from Congress to prevent the release of a House Ethics Committee report on his involvement in sex-trafficking and illicit drug use, an attorney who's never practiced law, woefully unqualified to run the DOJ, gains this role because of his promise to be an attack dog against Trump's "enemies" during Trump's promised second term of "revenge."  

Unraveling our nation's institutions and weakening democracy is the clearly stated thrust and purpose of Trump's second term and Gaetz promises to be one of Trump's lap dogs to that end.

RFK, Jr., an anti-vaxxer nutjob, conspiracy theorist with brain-numbing views, claiming wifi causes cancer, chemicals in the water lead to transgender children and that vaccines cause autism, is Trump's pick to head Health and Human Services.

Like Gaetz, RFK, Jr. promises to tear down the department he's proposed to run, on "Day One" terminating 600 employees in the National Institute of Health.

Kennedy, not even a doctor, is woefully unqualified to head HHS and the ten agencies under its umbrella.  Health experts foresee an actual RFK, Jr. appointment to result in the loss of many, many lives.

The COVID-19 vaccine saved 14.4M lives, but, at age 76, I still remember third grade teacher Miss Landers saying in 1955, "yes, you HAVE to get the shot, Jim!" 

The polio vaccine, developed by Jonas Salk, saved at least 1.5M lives, preventing another 20M from paralysis. As we were reminded in 2020, mandatory vaccines create herd immunity, meaning that enough people in a group are protected through vaccination or natural infection making it difficult for the infection to spread.

Trump also went for the woefully unqualified in selecting weekend Fox News host, Pete Hegseth to run the mammoth Department of Defense, possibly the world's largest employer.  While Hegseth ran a platoon in the army, he has no government experience, as if running the Department of Defense is an entry level position.

Tulsi Gabbard, the former congresswoman with a decidedly pro-Putin, pro-Syria bent, is Trump's foolish choice to oversee the Department of Intelligence which includes the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, among many others.

Again, in naming someone who's never worked in the intelligence field, Trump reveals he has no concern about the strength, efficiency or performance of this agency, simply setting the stage for its elimination.

Vladimir Putin will totally love Trump's approach to "leading" our government.  Many of us have noticed the goo-goo eyes Trump makes at Vladimir and his admiration for "strong leaders" like Orban, Jong Un, Xi and Putin.  

Putin solidifies his position over Russia by poisoning and window-tossing the opposition.  Trump hasn't quite mastered those skills yet, but does similarly by selecting only those unqualified, who've displayed unwavering Trump loyalty, to serve in government.

Trump's stated plan is to be "dictator on Day One."

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗕𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗗𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘: 𝗔𝗡 𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗔𝗧 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘'𝗦 𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗧

 

By Rene Torres

In order to understand modern America one must look at its history—from the establishment of its first colony to what is now the United States.

In order to understand Brownsville and its colorful history we must retreat and revisit its people and the historical events that shaped this city—a history that figured in the annals of our country since the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.

Those diaries, letters, newspapers, magazines, books and the stories past on by our founding fathers were the sources that helped us keep up with the civilized world then and now.

In the 1950s, the Brownsville Herald published several stories that attempted to educate its readers about local history—the following are summaries of those articles. Selected excerpts were submitted by Jo Sobrino:

Did You Know?

That the means of transit to Matamoros form Brownsville in 1890 were two row boats, the “America” and the “Mexico”?

That the first telegraphic communication linking Brownsville to the outside world was on May 1, 1871?

That the hurricane of 1874 wiped out the cities of Bagdad and Clarksville?

That the world premier of the film “Red River” took place in Brownsville at the Capitol, in McAllen at the Palace, and in Harlingen at the Arcadia?

The movie was the story of the “Chisholm Trial—which actually began in Brownsville.

That R.B. Rentfro was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1875, and also a member of the House of Representatives of the twenty-first session of the Texas Legislature, being elected as a Republican from this, at the time, strongly Democratic district?

That there was a school named “Little Indiana School” located on the Northeast corner of Boca Chica and Indiana Ave (now FM 511). Teachers that taught there were Zola Berry, Margaret Conklin, Edwin Hockaday, and his father. The school was around from about 1910 to 1922

Did You Know?

That the famed Alice to Brownsville Stage Line was inaugurated in 1884. The line carried the U. S. Mail and it required 40 hours of riding to reach Alice.

That the Rio Grande Railway Company that operated between Brownsville and Point Isabel was founded in 1870 by Simon Celaya Sr.

That on November 2, 1863 a local vaquero—Brownsville’s Paul Revere, dashed down the main street, yelling and waving a sombrero announcing the arrival of “the Federals ( the union soldiers )

That the kids that attended the local Grammar school of the 1890s were trained in the rudiments of military tactics? The students had to stand erect in ranks and keep step to music of the piano from the time they left their rooms until the leader called “break ranks” outside of the school gate.

That the Brownsville Market bell announced the opening and closing of the market, fire alarms, times of stress, police calls and for the saloons to close at night?

That the Opera House in Brownsville was inaugurated in November 1881 with a formal ball and that included a buffet supper?

That in November 1920, Oscar Dancy was elected Cameron County Judge, a post he was to hold with only one interruption (1933-34) for the next fifty years?

That in 1914, W. A. “Snake” King, rode a burro from Brownsville to Austin and up the steps of the state capitol to invite the governor to the annual Mid-Winter Fair in Brownsville? Governor O.B. Colquitt attended the fair.

That in the period shortly after the Civil War many of the houses in Brownsville were prefabricated; that is they were designed and partially assembled in New Orleans, shipped to Brownsville and here put up through the cooperation of the entire town?

That in 1893, Hon. William Neale was 85 and the oldest inhabitant in Brownsville?

That in 1898, Cipriano Cardenas Sr., opened his first grocery store at the corner of 15 th and East Jackson Streets?

That in 1918, the three leading theaters were the Dittman, Dreamland and Queen?

That in 1893, one of the most popular social clubs in the city was the Brownsville Casino Society, headed by Louis Kowalski?

That Brownsville was right proud of its 1890s “Cinderella parties” where a dainty pair of Turkish slippers were given to the lady with the smallest feet?

Did you know?

That the first mayor of Brownsville was Israel Bigelow elected on April 8, 1850—but was removed from office on September of the same year following allegations of election fraud and other irregularities.

That a major improvement in health care facilities occurred in 1923, when Mercy Hospital was constructed on two blocks of land donated by James Stillman?

That higher education came to Brownsville in 1926 in the form of the Junior College of the Lower Rio Grande Valley? Renamed Brownsville Junior College five years later which is now Texas Southmost College.

That in 1925, a Brownsville citizen hotel committee was responsible for contracting to erect a hotel? The El Jardin Hotel took two years to complete; that the roof of the hotel was the site of radio broadcasting tower for KWWG, the first in the Valley?

That the steamer “Bessie” made trips about every 10 days from Brownsville to all up- river points such as Santa Maria, Rio Grande City, Reynosa, Meir and Camargo?

That in 1875, W. S. Dougherty established “The Daily Cosmopolitan”, a newspaper devoted to the trade interest of this section and the Welfare of the Rio Grande country?

That the chandeliers that hung in the Immaculate Conception Church were the gift of Jeremiah Galvan?

That the “Protection Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 was organized in 1875?

That in 1880, the bill for the year for feeding prisoners in the city jail was $11.01?

That in 1889, there was a school for the Negro children in Brownsville at the foot of Jefferson Street in charge of a white teacher, Miss Mary Wallace?

That in 1890, there was no theaters in Brownsville because we were too far off the beaten track for any manager to risk the danger—but at the well equipped Opera House, local talent endeavored to lessen our regrets?

That in 1890 “Summer Whites” were worn at Fort Brown by troops from April 15 to November 15?

That in 1893 the drug store “Botica de Leon” owned by Joseph L. Putegnat carried a full line of drugs, chemicals, patent medicines, surgical instruments, perfumery, toilet articles, paint, paint brushes, oils, combs, hair brushes and tooth brushes?

Did You Know?

That in 1920 famed baseball managers Branch Rickey and Connie Mack brought their St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Athletics to Brownsville and the Valley for training camp?

That James B. Wells promoted the plan and pushed the appropriation through Congress to build the International Bridge Brownsville completed in 1910.

That Henry Martin Schmidt, born in Brownsville 1873, played with the Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers of the National League in 1903?

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗡, 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗡 "𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗦" 𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗢𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟲

 submitted by Rene Torres

𝗜𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧 𝗚𝗔𝗘𝗧𝗭 𝗧𝗛𝗘 "𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧" 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗘𝗬 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗜𝗡 𝗔 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗔𝗗𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡?

 

"Why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions?"  Matt Gaetz, 2022

Matthew Louis Gates II, the congressman resigning just before the release of a House Ethics Committee report on sexual misconduct and drug use allegations, is a mini-Trump, almost the perfect choice for Attorney General in a Trump administration.

Insensitive, surly, brash and obnoxious, Gaetz checks all the boxes for a President-Elect who intends to use a second term to exact revenge on his political opponents.

𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗢 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚, 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦

This video, that I originally discovered on Clem Hernandez' Facebook page, resonates with me. 

Like the man speaking on this tape, I do not understand people I know to be of good moral character, decent, even intelligent folk, supporting and voting for someone like Trump. 

It's not that Trump is simply a clown, a reality TV star or someone who takes a shit on golden toilet seats.  None of that bothers me.

It's that we've elected someone to our nation's highest office who has no compassion, no empathy, no genuine love for our country, no moral values and nothing even approaching the necessary skills to hold that office.  

How unsettling it is to have a blatant racist, obvious fascist, adjudicated rapist soon again holding our nation's highest office!

While, in my view, 52.4% of the Cameron County electorate voted against their own interests, do moral values, integrity and honesty mean nothing?