PAXTON CLAIMS THAT IT WAS ONLY G.O.P. LAWSUITS IN 2020 THAT KEPT TEXAS FROM BEING A BLUE STATE

 

Impeached Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, claims that, if not for him, Texas would likely have been a blue state in 2020.

If you recall, in 2020, AG Paxton filed 12 lawsuits in various counties of Texas, specifically Democratic strongholds like Harris County(Houston) and Travis County(Austin), not to totally stop voting, but to make it much more difficult, hinder the process, etc.

Paxton now claims those lawsuits initiated by the Texas AG were what secured victory for Trump.

Ken Paxton

Paxton states:  "Trump only won Texas by 625,00 votes(actually 631,221), but in Harris County alone, we challenged 2.5 million votes."

Paxton's braggadocio reminds me of a stack of Klu Klux Klan leaflets left in an Arkansas service station bathroom years ago with the front page reading:  "If you're parents hadn't practiced segregation you wouldn't be white today." 

Anyway, this sort of vote challenging by the G.O.P. is not just a Texas thing, but a national trend.

Republicans see the same demographic changes we all see, that the U.S. is becoming a much more diverse nation and soon will be no longer majority white.

Texas, for example, is projected to be majority Hispanic by 2060 and, in the United States as a whole, non-Hispanic whites are projected to be a minority by 2045.

If those non-white votes continue to be majority Democratic, that does not bode well for the future of the Republican Party, thus the stop gap measure of suppressing the vote in most areas. 

CARLOS CASCOS ON TAX APPRAISALS, THIS YEAR'S TAXES, REDUCING THE TAX RATE

 

Carlos Cascos

Assuming one's appraisals get reduced, they aren't going to reduce to last year's value.

All governmental entities will see a windfall in tax revenues if they maintain the same tax rate.

Budget adoptions will be coming up shortly.

These govt entities should do the right thing.

They can compute a 5% increase in tax revenues, and reduce their tax rate to reflect this.

This rate reduction will mitigate the increase in the appraisals a bit.

If all remain silent, our elected officials will assume that all are ok with it.

BILL YOUNG REMINISCES ON MEMORIAL DAY

 

Bill Young

MEMORIAL DAY REMINDS ME OF THREE CLASSMATES AND TEAMMATES AT HARLINGEN HIGH SCHOOL WHO WERE KILLED IN ACTION IN VIETNAM AND THUS ARE FOREVER ON THE VIETNAM WALL;

Billy Weaver--the last 4-year football letterman at HHS, killed during his third tour in 'Nam. Billly was apparently killed in Cambodia.

Thomas Eddy--Playfully known as "cheeks" on account of the way he walked. Eddy is said to have been killed by friendly fire.

George Gutierrez--A Cardinal teammate of mine killed when the helicopter was flying was shot out of the sky. A Harlingen city park on Harrison Street is named for him. George had a contagious smile and like Weaver and Eddy was a Cardinal through and through.

When I was in the service I had the honor of standing guard over George's coffin. All these men were Cardinals.

All 

CASCOS CALLS FOR FORENSIC AUDIT OF TENASKA PROJECT

 

Carlos Cascos

The Tenaska fiasco is far from over.

Millions were spent on a failed project.

Millions were paid to professionals, which in some cases appear to have been unearned.

One of the questions we should be asking our 2 at large candidates is: "Will you commit to calling for a forensic audit by an independent nationally recognized accounting firm, of all professional fees paid pertaining to the Tenaska project?"

That answer will determine the direction our City will go.

THE CRAZY GENIUS OF MCHALE'S LAST SECOND RUN FOR CITY COMMISSIONER AT LARGE "A"

 

Write-in Candidate for City Commissioner Jerry McHale

The City of Brownsville has left a door wide open and opportunistic blogger Jerry McHale has walked through that door to announce his write-in candidacy for City Commissioner At-Large "A."

That large figurative opening constitutes the 91% of registered voters NOT VOTING in the recent city election.

In sales jargon that's referred to as "virgin territory," and, if McHale has proven anything during his half century in this city, it's that he knows how to take virginity.

The blame for Brownsville's dismal voting numbers is easy to spread around.

The Brownsville Independent School District has graduated thousands of students in recent years who do not vote.

Father Armand Matthew on the left

When polling places have been set up at Texas Southmost College, only a tiny trickle of students show up to vote and the UTRGV's Center for Civic Engagement that paid the late Father Armand Matthew handsomely to teach students how to "participate" was an abject failure as UTRGV students do not vote.

It's more than fair to ask what local college professors are actually teaching in government and political science courses if those who successfully complete those courses don't even participate in local elections.

So, how does McHale, with a lifetime 0 for 1 record in local political races, but is a longtime, keen observer of corrupt politicians, take advantage of this unique situation?

Well, have you noticed McHale's relentless support for the last few months for Mayor-Elect John Cowen?  We find that a totally calculated move by blogfather McHale.

Now that the Cowen family's shy "golden boy" is mayor, would he not appreciate a bonified, rock solid rubberstamp on the city commission?

Look no further than Jerry McHale for that rubberstamp.

Rodrigo Moreno

Certainly, John Cowen and equally well-to-do political campaign orchestrator Rodrigo Moreno need no introduction as Rodrigo has cashed Cowen checks in recent years for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

How much would Moreno charge Cowen to produce 1,000 votes for McHale or even 2,000 votes to create a Cowen majority on the city commission?

It would not surprise me if Ralph Cowen and Rodrigo Moreno are not negotiating that price at this very moment and Moreno knows from experience that Cowen checks do not bounce.

Don't consider any of this diatribe as counsel for the McHale election team.  McHale has forgotten more about local politics than I will ever know.

Brownsville Educator and Muscleman Tito Mata

But, successful campaigns need muscle and who better than Brownsville educator,  muscle man and political savant Tito Mata (Titulus Matamoros to you sticklers for detail) to lift Jerry to greatness by serving as Blockwalking Coordinator for the McHale campaign? Such an assignment would be easy lifting for Mata.

And, what blockwalker in his or her right mind would try to shortchange Tito Mata, wanting to be paid by only pretending to walk their assigned territory in advertising the McHale candidacy?

McHale will need an office and, if the City Charter permits it to be rented to a political candidate, Tony Martinez' never-used office at 1101 A, E. Washington Street, could be rented out to provide the city with funding to repair the bent street lights Elon Musk bought, but refused to repair.

The butt of fired city administrator Ramiro Gonzalez sat in that office for a day or two when it was briefly repurposed as the Downtown Revitalization Information Center, but Ramiro has long since vacated the premises and the office, paid for and remodeled with taxpayer monies, sits idle.

Candidates need publicity and who better than outgoing Mayor Trey Mendez to serve as McHale's publicity agent?  Mendez has actually been auditioning for such an opportunity, as he's been flooding social media recently with announcements about everything from pet vaccinations to downtown book stores.

In any event, McHale is asking for your support, especially the 91% of Brownsville voters who were too busy to vote in the recent election.  

As Carlos Cascos and several of our NASA astronauts, might say:  "Godspeed."

Addendum: It's just a rumor, but still worthy of mentioning.  The Susan Rucalcaba campaign may have received some sort of assurance that former President Donald Trump might visit Brownsville to bolter her campaign for city commissioner.

We reached out to one of her opponents, write-in candidate Jerry McHale for comment.

McHale was elated, stating:  "That would be like pennies from heaven, Jim.  Every candidate Trump has supported has lost."

RON DESANTIS CAMPAIGN IN CARTOONS

 

BROWNSVILLE'S ODD COUPLE~BOBBY WIGHTMAN-CERVANTES & ROBERT "CAPTAIN BOB" SANCHEZ

 

Bobby Wightman-Cervantes and Robert "Captain Bob" Sanchez

WHILE IMMIGRANTS CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK OF THIS COUNTRY, SUPERMARKET CHAINS AND SMALLER STORES CARRY THE FOOD ITEMS THEY PREFER

 

Ana at the checkout counter of Asian store

Whatever your level of alarm on the need to "secure" our borders, visit any construction site in the United States and listen to Spanish as the language workers use to communicate.

Mexican Nationals, those who entered this country legally and illegally, are building the homes, offices, bridges, highways and skyscrapers of the United States and our country NEEDS every damn one of them.

Notice we haven't even mentioned our country's glaring need for agricultural workers.

Asians, as they have for a century or more, despite the recent surge in anti-Asian violence, have proven vital, necessary, indispensable to our country's workforce.

Spam, identical to the food rations American soldiers ate and shared with filipinos in WWII, is featured in every Asian store.  In the Philippines, there are 7 or 8 Spam flavors and a Spam display usually takes up half of a supermarket aisle

In every facility my wife Ana has worked in the last four years, she's been greeted by doctors and nurses from the Philippines, some who attended the same university in Cagayan de Oro.

Asians, like Mexicans, are very particular about their rice

Since all of these immigrants have to eat, the supermarkets of this country including that huge corporation from Arkansas, Walmart, have tried to outdo each other in carrying the food items needed by these immigrants.

Yesterday, shopping at the Walmart in Ottumwa, Iowa, I saw the largest section of Mexican cheeses I've ever seen in a supermarket, an entire wall, including the 32 oz bag of Chihuaha Quesadilla Cheese pictured above for $13.99 per bag.

In most towns of any size in the U.S. there is an "Asian Store," featuring food items from the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and, of course, China and Japan.

Every week or so, Ana visits one of these stores, pushing the little shopping cart from aisle to aisle to get items that remind her of her country of birth and help dissipate her temporary periods of homesickness.

NEWT GINGRICH DAMNS TRUMP WITH FAINT PRAISE AS DESANTIS CAMPAIGN INAUGURAL SPUTTERS

 

With the campaign launch of the man Donald Trump refers to as "Meatball Ron," a sputtering mess, 80's Republican guru New Gingrich, attempted to do damage control.

Gingrich explained on  Laura Ingraham’s Faux News show  that while Ron DeSantis is smart, he doesn’t communicate at a level that everyday people can understand. 

Gingrich explained that Trump speaks at a level of 3rd, 4th, and fifth-grade educations can understand, which has made the Republican Party the party of “working Americans.”

"3rd, 4th or 5th grade level?"  

Has our country really been dumbed down that much since Trump's inglorious glide down the escalator in 2015 to announce his run for the Presidency?

Actually, DeSantis has much bigger hurdle to getting elected than a glitchy campaign launch on Twitter.

His moves as Florida governor to exclude school textbooks that refer to our country's suppression of Black Americans is repulsive to educated Americans and those who remember similar stifling of history by Nazi Germany in trying to prevent German school students from learning about the holocaust.

According to national polls, Donald Trump still remains the favorite to secure the Republican nomination for President, with almost 2-1 numbers over Ron DeSantis.

The disappointing thing is that so many Hispanics in Brownsville are still duped, tricked and fooled by Trump, seeing him as a Bible respecting, flag-embracing patriot despite all the evidence that he's simply a racist, who tolerates white supremacists and articulates like an elementary school student.

MEET & GREET FOR GABBY GARCIA 138TH DISTRICT COURT JUDGE

SWATTING THE PESKY HORSE FLY

 

Recently, this blog was threatened with a law suit, a scenario that occasionally rears its ugly head when writing accidentally hits a fragile nerve.

The threat, actually three incoherent comments with poor syntax and spelling, was reminiscent of the annoying, persistant horse fly that buzzes around one's head before finally landing.

To be honest, these short-lived insects pose no real threat to humans, beyond the annoyance of landing on your skin.

Swatting them is almost instinctive as their mere presence feels invasive.  It's not a triumphant kill as you still have to deal with the gook from the dead insect's ugly carcass.

Just to be sure there was no "clear and present danger" we checked the internet resource wikipedia to learn that the insect was not a threat to humans:

Horseflies carry equine infectious anemia, also known as swamp fever. When they bite an equine animal, they can transmit this life threatening disease.

Female horseflies in particular are very persistent. They’ve been known to chase their victims for a short time if their first bite does not get them the satisfying meal they were hoping for.

That's reassurring.  

Knowledge is power, while fear, even if if it's irrational, can be paralyzing.

CASCOS SHARES HIS VIEWS ABOUT TRUMP 2024 NOMINATION, BIDEN PRESIDENCY, ETC.

Carlos Cascos

Good day all. 

I do not speak for the Republican Party. I speak for myself. 

In my opinion, a Trump nomination would in all liklihood not only result in a Biden victory, but would be a detriment to down ballot candidates in South Texas. 

Biden has been a disaster for the nation as a whole, however, Trump's character, personality & failure to accept his 2020 defeat will be a detriment to his candidacy. 

Unfortunately, many candidates are elected, not on their public policy positions, platforms or qualifications, but rather on their personalities & likeableness, as we have seen recently & in past elections. 

As in all elections, we should vote for those candidates that we believe will better our lives, thru sound public policy, viable & sustainable platforms, regardless of political affiliations.

People cast votes, not parties. As always, I stand ready to support those candidates that I believe have our community's interests at the forefront, free from bias, personal agendas or self enrichment. 

Carlos Cascos

MY EXPOSURE TO MUSIC, RECORDED AND LIVE

 So, I'm from Seattle and I'm supposed to be hip. . . . . that's a laugh.

True, I always listened to music, but not Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Nirvana.  

Those groups came well after I left town in '66 for a brief 4 years in Brownsville.

Jimmie Rogers

The music that I listened to growing up was played by musicians like Jimmie Rogers, Roger Miller and Roy Orbison.

"Oh, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby

Well, Honeycomb be my own

Got a hank o' hair and a piece o' bone

And made a walkin' talkin' Honeycome"

The dj's told us that was Western music.  No one said anything about country.  

"Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison certainly caught my attention and I sang it in the shower and in my car.

My '59 VW, purchased when I was 15 and totally paid for before I was old enough to drive it on my 16th birthday, had a great German radio and KJR Seattle came through loud and clear.

"California Dreamin'" by the Mamas and Papas caused me to buy my first record.  

Then, "Daydream," by the Lovin' Spoonful, another record.  

"Along Comes Mary" by The Association was behind my third purchase.

"Rubber Soul" by the Beatles totally blew my mind and I had to share it with my Uncle Joe and Aunt Doris.  Aunt Doris totally got it but my Uncle Joe was so hung up on Nat King Cole he couldn't open his ears.

But, when KJR played "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan I remember pulling my car to the side of the road and yelling: "You can't say that!" at his line "You'd rather see me paralyzed."

But, it was Paul Sanders, my front desk mate at the Valley Inn in Brownsville, that turned me on to Joan Baez in '66 and, when I saw so many of her songs were written by "B. Dylan," I had to examine his stuff more closely.

Around '67 Santiago Na'me, the guitarist at the Valley Inn lounge, could play the instrumentals of all the Beatles' hits and would be serenading a young lady outside the bar in the walkways of the hotel.

Paul usually gave the pair a room that had not been cleaned to satisfy themselves.

Tom Robinson in '67 bought a Rolling Stones record and it annoyed me a little when he reminded me not to "scratch it up" when he loaned it for a listen.

In '70 my scene changed to Arkansas with nothing but country music on the radio.

I must have heard "Rose Garden" by Lynne Anderson 1,000 times:

"I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain sometime
When you take you gotta give so live and let live or let go
Oh-whoa-whoa-whoa
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden"

In '74 we took all of our records with us to Little Rock, but life sidetracked us for a time.

Sure, we had all of the Beatles, including the solo stuff after the breakup.

Nena had her Temptations from her army days.

It would be a few years before we got another taste of live music.

There was this unpretentious place on Main Street in Little Rock, Juanita's.

They served Mexican food on the restaurant side, but half of the building was reserved for live music with a standing audience of 550, as designated by the fire marshal.

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was the first guest I remember, with 11 harmonicas on his belt, taking his guitar into "outer space" and back, the playing the fiddle for several tunes.

We became regulars at Juanita's and saw the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Joan Baez, Joe Louis Walker and the Boss Talkers and many, many groups, mostly blues.

Some time in the late 80's we saw and advertisement in the window of a drug store for John Mayal and the Bluesbreakers and Buddy Guy.

A stage was set up on the levee of the Arkansas River and we were just to the right of the stage.

John Mayall was great.  After his set, we watched as the stage was cleared.  

When someone tried to unplug Mayall's guitar from his amp, he screamed:  "Don't touch my damn guitar!"

Then, Mayall went up to the man and apologized:  "It's just that I don't let anyone else handle my equipment," he explained.

As the sun set, a stagehand came out to Nena and I asking us to move a few feet.

"Buddy likes to go out into the crowd and he has to walk through here."

Fine.

At dusk, this man dressed in overalls with a big smile and gleaming white teeth hit the stage and shouted:

"Damn right I've got the blues!"

That was the first of several times of seeing Buddy Guy.

"You damn right, I've got the blues
From my head down to my shoes
You damn right, I've got the blues
From my head down to my shoes

I can't win, 'cause I don't have a thing to lose

I stopped by my daughter's house
You know I just want to use the phone
I stopped by my daughter's house
You know I just want to use the phone

You know my new grandbaby came to the door
And said, granddaddy, you know ain't no one at home"

Little Rock was about a 2-1/2 hour drive from Memphis.

For several years we witnessed Memphis In May featuring all the blues legends, more than I could begin to enumerate her.

But, we became semi-regulars at B.B. King's Club in Memphis and saw so many performers including B.B.

With that live music background, we were so pleased to discover Ben Neece's Crescent Moon in 2004.

Henry Lee

I'm pretty certain we were there every night it was open and Ben brought so much live music to Brownsville: Henry Lee, the Earthmen, Lords of D'Nile, Louis Villarreal, the Foncerrada family, Los Bluzanos, Clay Moore, etc.

J.J. Struebelt and the editor

J.J. Strubelt was the bartender who made us feel comfortable.

Joe Hugonette with the editor

Damn, those were good times.

Louie Villarreal and the Goodtime Band

Later, a much larger venue, the Half Moon was opened by George Ramirez, who made a valiant attempt at offering live music, but the acoustics of the building were just not the same as the Crescent Moon.

THINKING ABOUT MY FRIENDS AT THE CAMERON COUNTY G.O.P.

Carlos Cascos

Just wondering if the local Cameron County G.O.P. is still active.

The party website's last announcement is not current:  

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Cameron County Republican Party will be on July 21, 2022 from 3:00 – 5:00 PM at the Brownsville Public Library.

The site also contained a list of precinct chairs from 2022.

I think about these people, the Cameron County Republicans, and wonder what's going through their minds these days.

I can't imagine Carlos Cascos, the face of the local party, looking into his shaving mirror and smiling at the thought of another Trump run for the presidency.

Party Chair, Morgan Cisneros Graham, voiced her reservations about Trump to me years ago.  I wonder how she feels now.

Tad Hasse

Tad Hasse, who campaigned for the State Board of Education in 2018 with a call to "exterminate Democrats," would likely be more than pleased with a Trump run as would Elizabeth Dierlam.

Roman Perez, who literally stalked the local chairperson Morgan Graham for years, now has a seat at the local Republican table.  We wonder what his view of a Trump candidacy in 2024 might be.

It might be a little unsettling to attend a meeting of the local G.O.P. as many of the members two years ago were aging Anglos from Harlingen.

I commented at the time that it felt like I was attending a country Assembly of God church in rural Arkansas.

What's up, Cameron County G.O.P.?

FOOTBALL, CIVIL RIGHTS LEGEND JIM BROWN PASSES AWAY AT 87

 

The kids of my generation knew Jim Brown was the toughest creature to ever wear a football uniform, playing running back from 1957-1965 for the Cleveland Browns.

On tiny screens of black and white, in rain, sleet and snow, Brown was the hardest thing to bring down in the old NFL.(Years later, perhaps Earl Campbell came close.)

In my family, I was the "go-to" guy to gently turn the fine tuning knob to remove snow from the screen or to move the rabbit ears to stop the screen from rolling.

I remember being shocked when Brown retired at age 30 to go into acting, but that was the smart thing to do.  

Professional football takes a horrible toll on the human body.  It's so much better to get out while young than to live the rest of your life with damaged knees, back and feet.

Brown's legacy includes more than football, though, as the man became a pillar in the field of civil rights, along with the universally respected Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali and others.

Brown passed away yesterday at age 87.

PROTECTION FOR THE JANUARY 6 INSURRECTIONISTS

 

TREY MENDEZ FINISHES "LAME DUCK" PERIOD OF MAYORSHIP AS JOHN COWEN ACCEPTS THE CHALLENGE OF THE OFFICE

 

"Lame Duck" Mayor Trey Mendez

Outgoing Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez has now completed the "lame duck" phase of his tenure, although Leroy, my Arkansas friend from years ago, preferred the phrase "lame dick" to describe one-term President Jimmy Carter, not seeming to understand why that term drew so much laughter.

Mendez cited the negative impact serving as mayor has had on his physical, mental and financial health in his Facebook explanation for not seeking another term.  Some feel that Mendez may have resigned because, as mayor, he did not qualify ethically and perhaps legally to benefit from $280,000 he'd sought from BCIC to fix up his recently acquired Coca Cola Building in downtown Brownsville.

Now, that he's no longer mayor, Mendez may actually reapply for those funds with terminated City Administrator Ramiro Gonzalez at his side.

Newly installed Brownsville Mayor John Cowen will have significantly less financial hardship from serving the city as mayor with the passing of Proposition "A", authorizing the city to extend a $40,000 salary to the mayor and $25,000 to city commissioners.

Mayor John Cowen

Actually, Cowen, a young man with a waiflike appearance and reticent nature, will likely not even need the salary, as his Uncle Ralph Cowen told me that Johnny had made the Cowen Group "a lot of money."

With my personal vote I asked myself the question "which of these mayoral candidates would most likely return my phone call?" and voted for Erasmo Castro.

Certainly, Cowen should have no difficulty conducting city commission meetings considering he's served on the Brownsville City Improvement Corporation and knows how meetings work.

But, will John have an agenda for the city and be able to persuade enough individual commissioners to follow his leadership?

Brownville citizens are eagerly awaiting the answer to that question.

RUNNING AS A SLATE FOR BROWNSVILLE CITY COMMISSION 2025?

 

DONALD TRUMP'S BASTARD SONS

 

HOW LONG WILL FRUIA MOTORS KEEP POCKETING BCIC FUNDS?

 

Juan Montoya has the dirty story in El Rrun Rrun:  https://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2023/05/fruia-edges-convoluted-road-to-235000.html

ZEKE SILVA, TRUCKER, COFFEE ENTREPRENEUR, "MAN OF GOD," ATTACKS WITHOUT WARNING

 

Zeke Silva

Brownsville's "Mr. Coffee," the hot-tempered, gravelly-voiced trucker politico, Zeke Silva, jumped on my case the other day, repeatedly calling me "old," of all things.

Well, before I could tell the long distance hauler that "75 is the new 55" he'd skittishly erased all our conversations, forcing me to search the temporal lobe of my feeble, aging brain to reconstruct the exchanges.

Words are not Zeke's game and he tends to grind the gears as he attempts to shift from thought to thought, so let's simply put all the parts on the shop table.

The church-going Silva has a huge burr up his butt with respect to Jessica Tetreau, the outgoing District 2 city commissioner with 12 years of service and one of several losers in the recent mayor's race.

Silva's obsession with the blondish former commissioner stems from his own attempt to run for that very same office 12 years ago, an attempt that was stymied, stifled and squelched by his criminal history said to be DWI's charged as felonies.

The replacement vehicle, selected by Zeke's campaign manager Craig Grove, to defeat the vitriolic Charlie Atkinson, was none other than Jessica Tetreau.

Now, one of Atkinson's old neighbors during that campaign told me he'd rather "vote for a mesquite tree" than Atkinson, so Tetreau's "historic" write-in campaign had, in a way, been jump-started by Atkinson himself.

Had Zeke qualified to run and serve, he'd have likely been the one just finishing 12 years as District 2 commissioner, but, as some say, "the Lord works in mysterious ways."

But, for the record, the Holy Bible, the book on Zeke's night stand and the seat of his big rig, warns against jealousy and envy.

Proverbs 14:30 from the Good Book, King James Version reads: "A sound heart is the life of the flesh, but envy the rottenness of the bones."

Yes, Zeke.  Jealousy and envy can destroy a person, eat them up as it were.

As a friend, albeit an "old" one, I hope you get this self-destroying, engine-ruining trait under control.

Oh yes, one more thing!

You addressed me as an "athiest."

That's not really true.  

I've frequently said that I don't know enough to say there is no God or even that there is a God.

Obviously, I've not been in every nook and cranny of the universe.

For years I've referred to myself as a "backsliding agnostic," that is a person who isn't certain on this subject.

While I see order and design in the universe, I also see tsunami waves, repeating the same patterns over centuries, killing humans, male and female, again and again.

A parent, who would sit idly by while their sons and daughters underwent such a death, without attempting to save them or, at least warn them, would be guilty of child endangerment at the least and murder at the most.

I hold the God of the universe to a similar standard.