Pontification, Mea Culpa and Rising Flood Waters Dominate SRO City Commission Meeting

From the editor:  The Brownsville Observer's music writer, Diego Lee Rot, called me about 6:15 PM to let me know that the fire marshal was not permitting any more attendees to tonight's city commission meeting.  He and former Freddy Fender drummer Robert Silva were dressed in their Sunday best to represent the Observer. 

"That's ok," I told him.

"I'm getting it on Brownsville TV/Channel 12."

OCTOBER 3 CITY COMMISSION MEETING

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Ex-truck driver, Pastor Brad Burke, opened the festivities by apologizing to "Father God" for America taking prayer and Bible reading out of schools resulting in the Las Vegas Massacre.

Fact check, Brad:  Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas mass murderer was 64, and, if born in the Bible belt, probably repeated the Lord's Prayer daily in school.

As to Bible reading, perhaps he read Deuteronomy 20:17:  "You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the LORD your God has commanded you."

Murderer Paddock likely needed lithium, not Scripture.

Mayor Tony Martinez

Mayor Tony Martinez, in his Mayor's Report, continued the pontification by reminding us all to "call on our better angels."

Next up on the soap box, Commissioner Cesar de Leon said he "profoundly regretted his choice of words" on the covertly recorded audio tape.

"I spoke from a heated, frustrated frame of mind," Cesar said.

De Leon spoke of his work with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals(DACA) and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund(MALDEF), voter registration, etc.

Commissioner Ben Neece echoed Cesar, stating:  "I know he's not a racist."

Both totally missed the point.

Every activity mentioned by Cesar and Ben benefits Hispanics.  Promoting one's own ethnic group does not disprove racism.  Cesar didn't call Hispanics "fucking niggers" and nowhere in his mea culpa did he mention apologizing to the black women and man who work in the District Attorneys office for referring to them in that way.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Rene Cardenas

Rene Cardenas took the podium for Public Comment, but had no idea what he wanted to say.  He mentioned racism, then heard the "one minute warning" and closed by fumbling JFK's "Ask not" quote.

Erasmo Castro

Cardenas was followed by a nearly svelte Erasmo Castro, who blasted Cesar's racism, then Cata Presas-Garcia, referring to De Leon as a "great man" for "owning" his indiscretions, then Eduardo Estrada, who wants a civil war battlefield monument removed.

AGENDA ITEMS

An interesting bit of warped logic ensued when first, Commissioner Tetreau-Kalifa, then Commissioner de Leon abstained from voting on a new member of the GBIC, because they're both members of that board.  

Minutes later both commissioners voted to accept the audit of the fire department/ems, although both are members of the audit committee.

Go figure!

A possible slugfest over whether or not to remove the Jefferson Davis Memorial from Washington Park was averted, when the item was tabled.  Commissioner Ben Neece called for a workshop on the matter, while Mayor Martinez said he would likely call a special town hall meeting.

The packed standing room only chambers applauded Cesar de Leon's apology speech, then later applauded a young man explaining the city's newest solution to flooding in "four corners."