𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙.𝗕.𝗜. 𝗕𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗧 𝗙.𝗕.𝗜. 𝗔𝗖𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗬

 

𝗙𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗝𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗜𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗨𝗣 𝗜𝗡 𝗪𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗘𝗟 𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗢

                                                              

According to digital news site El Paso Matters and the Border Report, several federal agencies have coordinated their efforts to enforce U.S. immigration laws.

The F.B.I, along with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE), the Department of Homeland Security have all been active in West El Paso rounding up immigrants in the country illegally.

On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered state law enforcement entities to assist federal law enforcement with border security. Late last week, airplanes carrying soldiers coming to support border security operations arrived in Fort Bliss. 

Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights, wants to make certain the process is handled in accord with the Constitution:  “If they come to arrest someone it should be with an arrest warrant, if they come into a house, we want to make sure they have a search warrant."

Garcia said community members on Thursday documented police and immigration officer activity in Canutillo, an unincorporated community just west of El Paso.  Garcia and other advocates have been advising community members, especially those in mixed-status families, undocumented but with U.S. born children, about what could become widespread immigration raids under the Trump administration.

𝗠𝗔𝗝𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗔𝗦 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗞 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗪𝗡: 𝟭𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗞 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗧

 

The Brownsville Police Department reports a major gas leak at the 1100 block of E. Levee Street.

Texas Gas Service is on the scene to resolve the issue.  

The Brownsville Police Department encourages citizens to avoid the area.

𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗔𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝟭𝟯 𝗕𝗬 𝗔 𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗨𝗧

                                      

Russian Cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin

One of the first sub-orbiters of Earth in 1961, Russian Cosmonaut, Comrade Yuri Gagarin, declared that he saw "no God or angels" in his 1 hour, 48 minute flight just above the planet's atmosphere. Even at age 13, Gagarin's statement didn't seem scientifically conclusive as it's not like he'd explored every nook and cranny of the universe.

Years before I'd asked my mom the question millions of kids have asked: "Who made God?" She told me, not too convincingly: "He made himself." When I told that to a first grade classmate, he said: "That sounds stupid," so I kept that tidbit of enlightenment to myself after that.

Going to church as a kid, we learned about the so-called creative days, the six days the creator is said to have needed to prepare Earth for human habitation.  It was explained that such a "creative day" was not limited to 24 hours, but could be an entire year or even thousands of years. That bit of religious spin made creation not seem so rushed.

Anyway, thousands of years before Yuri Gagarin was born, Moses was said to have asked to "see God's face," only to be told by God himself that "no man can see me and live." So, Gagarin was lucky he didn't see God or he wouldn't have made it back to Russian soil alive. 

Years after Gagarin's unsuccessful flight in search of God, it was explained to me that God is almighty, omnicient and omnipresent. The almighty part was the easiest of the three to understand because I already figured he was pretty strong, but omnicient or "all-knowing," omnipresent or "everywhere at the same time" is a harder concept to sell.

"So, God already knew Adam and Eve were going to sin and eat from that tree before they actually did?" I asked. It was at that point that my Mom told me one of the dumbest things I've ever heard, that God was indeed "all-knowing," but, that, in some situations he "chooses" not to exercize his "foreknowledge.' That explanation doesn't sound any more plausible six decades later.

The omnipresent thing was actually more fun than the other two.   Being everywhere in the universe at one time seemed like a playful concept. In my juvenile mind, God could be checking on things on Earth accompanied by his angelic posse, then order the whole crew back to Heaven in seconds flat. When the angels got back to headquarters, obviously flying faster than the speed of light as you can't get anywhere in this big universe going  slower than 186,282 miles per second, God would laughingly say "What took you so long?" to his non-omnipresent underlings.  God is so funny.

The role of angels was also intriguing, especially when I learned some ranked higher than others, like cherubs and seraphs. But, angels, I was told, were the "messengers." While that sounded cool, I wondered why God would need a messenger service if he was omnipresent, that is, already there at the scene that angels were going to report on.

"Or, maybe, angels simply delivered messages to humans as there was no need to report back to God as he was ominicient and already knew what was going on everywhere," I thought to myself.

The miracles recorded in the Bible do give some hope that God or his Son could actually do some good in the world, things like Jesus turning water into wine, then, on another occasion multiplying 5 loaves of bread and two fish into enough grub to feed a multitude. Those miracles may have helped a little, but not enough to make a dent in the miseries of human history.

The Father, the Son, accompanied by the impersonal Holy Spirit, have sat and watched  the bubonic plague, the Holocaust, the Spanish flu, the swelling tummies of starving children, WWI, WWII, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes and done nothing while  a "miracle" to stop any one of the above would have been a great act of love and fatherhood on behalf of God's earthly sons and daughters.

And, then we have the regular tsunami waves that occur in actually predictable, observable patterns, one such tsunami killing 227,898 while the omnicient, omnipresent and almighty God of the universe simply watched. I think it was 1965 when a theologian, Thomas Altizer, declared that "God is dead" and shocked, horrified, angered so many. Actually, I'd much rather believe that God is dead than think he's almighty, omnicient and omnipresent and let all this shit happen to his Earthly sons and daughters while he sat on his ass doing nothing.

                              

𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗕𝗔𝗠𝗔, 𝗕𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡, 𝗕𝗨𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗘𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗘-𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗢𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗦𝗛 𝗔𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗡 𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧~~𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗢𝗙 𝗙𝗔𝗔 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗨𝗚𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗬 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗞 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗔 𝗛𝗔𝗗 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗫 $𝟲𝟯𝟯𝗞 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗧𝗬 𝗩𝗜𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦

 

From the editor: During times of national tragedy we've become accustomed to presidents acting as a consoler-in-chief, but these are very different times.  Trump used the occasion of the recent plane-helicopter crash at Reagan Airport to blame past presidents and the outgoing transportation secretary.

From ABC News, CBS News, other sources:

In his first public remarks reacting to Wednesday night’s collision of an American Airlines commercial plane and Army helicopter, President Donald Trump, without evidence, blamed DEI policies and railed against Democrats, including former Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden and former Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

"We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system," said Trump, who claimed that he changed “Obama standards” during his first term in office “from very mediocre, at best, to extraordinary.” The president said his first administration prioritized federal air traffic control workers who were “superior” with the “highest aptitude” and “highest intellect.” He added, “That was not so prior to [me] getting there.”

Buttigieg responded to Trump’s attacks in a post on X, writing that the president’s comments were “despicable.”

“As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying,” Buttigieg wrote.

He added:

"President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe. Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again."

Trump is not the first president in U.S. history to attack airline staff or employees at the FAA for political reasons. In one of his first acts as president, former President Ronald Reagan fired 11,000 air traffic controllers who were on strike. The action was a major blow to the labor movement, resulting in the decertification of the union months later — and a shortage of air traffic controllers that extended into the George H.W. Bush administration.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also criticised Trump's comments.

"It's one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracies, it's another for the President of the United States to throw out idle speculation as bodies are still being recovered," Schumer said.

“Just last week, Trump FIRED the heads of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard, and disbanded the Aviation Security Advisory Committee,” one X post read. The Associated Press reported on January 21 that Trump fired those heads and removed all members of the committee.

No one was in charge of the Federal Aviation Administration last night when a commercial flight collided with a helicopter as it was about to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., killing everyone aboard.

Mike Whitaker, the previous FAA administrator, stepped down on Inauguration Day after just over a year on the job. He’d repeatedly clashed with Elon Musk — now in charge of a group tasked with slashing the government’s headcount by President Donald Trump — over safety issues at his space company, SpaceX.

Last September, the FAA slapped Musk’s rocket company with $633,009 in fines as punishment for a series of three safety violations in May and June of 2023, as The Verge noted.

“Humanity will forever be confined to Earth unless there is radical reform at the FAA!” Musk wrote in frustration.

At the same time, the FAA and SpaceX were also arguing over the timeline for the fifth test flight of SpaceX’s Starship, with federal officials grounding the massive rocket for months to conduct a thorough review.

𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗔 𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗧 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧 𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗛𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘!!!

 

𝗠𝗜𝗫𝗘𝗗-𝗨𝗣 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗦 𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 "𝗔𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗦" 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗦. . . .𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗜𝗦 𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗢, 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗦

During Donald Trump's first 10 days in office he's been pretty much a one-trick-pony, solving any problem by threatening to slap tariffs on the offending country.

In a videotaped conversation with reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump threatened to impose "at least 100% tariffs on Spain."  

Confused, Trump identified Spain as part of the BRICS group of nations, likely assuming the "S" in BRICS was for Spain.  It is not. . . 

Spain is NOT a member of BRICS, but is a member of NATO and the European Union.  Spain has been a member of NATO for 43 years and considers the U.S. a "natural ally." (Does Trump not know Spain is a member of NATO?)

Trump first asked the reporters:  "Isn't Spain a BRICS nation?" then added: "Do you know what a BRICS nation is?  You'll figure it out.  You guys will figure it out.  We're going to put at least a 100% tariff on BRICS nations.

For you middle school students, BRICS is an acronym for its original member countries; Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa(not Spain).

Spanish Education Minister Pilar Alegria

Spanish Education Minister Pilar Alegría, who acts as a spokeswoman for the government, said she wasn’t sure why Trump made the comment.

“I don’t know if the affirmation made by President Trump was the result of a mix-up or not, but I can confirm that Spain is not in BRICS,” Alegria told reporters Tuesday.

𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗚𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗢 𝗕𝗔𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗦

 

BORDERLAND BEAT, 1/29/2925

President Trump said he is signing an executive order on Wednesday to prepare a massive facility at Guantánamo Bay to be used to house deported migrants.

The order will direct the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security to prepare a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantánamo Bay, a facility in Cuba that has been used to house military prisoners, including several involved in the 9/11 attacks.

“We have 30,000 beds in Guantánamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people,” Trump said during an event to sign the Laken Riley Act into law, stiffening the nation’s immigration laws.

“Some of them are so bad we don’t even trust the countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back, so we’re going to send them out to Guantánamo,” Trump added. “This will double our capacity immediately. And tough, it’s a tough place to get out of.”

The order is the latest step in a government-wide effort enacted by the Trump administration to remove certain immigrants from the United States.

Guantánamo Bay is best known as a military base where terror suspects are held. It became infamous for accusations of torture and abuse as the U.S. carried out the war on terrorism. The Biden administration sought to wind down operations at the facility. There are 15 detainees still there.

The New York Times last September reported that the base also housed a separate facility to house migrants.

Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has signed a slew of executive orders specifically intended to crack down on immigration. He has declared a national emergency at the southern border, deployed military assets to the border, reinstated policies that limit pathways to asylum and paused the refugee program.

His administration has also ramped up deportations, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement posting regular updates about how many arrests it carries out on a day-to-basis.

But the rapid deportations have in some cases led to issues about where to send individuals being removed from the U.S., particularly if certain countries refuse to accept migrants.

The Trump White House on Sunday sparred with the president of Colombia after he initially refused to accept planes of deported immigrants. Colombia later relented after Trump threatened to impose tariffs and sanctions. 

𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗦 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗔𝗟𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬 𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗬 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 𝟵 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗢𝗟𝗗

 

𝗧𝗦𝗖 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗧𝗥𝗚𝗩 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗛 𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗨𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣'𝗦 "𝗣𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘" 𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗜𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦

 

One of many Executive Orders President Trump has issued his first few days in office is a "pause" in federal funding that includes tuition assistance.

Although U.S. District Judge Loren L Alikahn has temporarily blocked Trump's order, many Brownsville and Cameron County students are rightfully concerned about the status of their student aid.  

Both South Texas College and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley have issued statements regarding the matter.

South Texas College:

"We want to assure our STC community that this does not impact federal student loans or Pell grants. As of now, there will be no disruptions to educational funding for our students. STC will continue to monitor and provide updates if any changes occur."

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley:

"UTRGV is aware of the recent announcement regarding the federal government’s temporary pause on federal grants and loans as it conducts a comprehensive review of its spending policies.

At this time, there is limited information on how this decision may impact our campus community. However, based on the latest guidance from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Title IV funding (such as student financial aid) will not be affected by the pause. As we receive more information from federal agencies, we will promptly communicate any updates that may affect our campus community.

Please know that our priority remains to support our students, faculty, and staff and to ensure they continue to have access to the resources they need."

Addendum:  President Donald Trump’s budget office on Wednesday rescinded a memo freezing spending on federal grants, less than two days after it sparked widespread confusion and legal challenges across the country.

𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗛𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗜𝗡 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗜𝗙 𝗪𝗘'𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗡!

 

𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗢 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗬 𝗢𝗕𝗩𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗥𝗙𝗞, 𝗝𝗥 𝗜𝗦 𝗨𝗡𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗨𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗦

 

With RFK, Jr.'s Senate Confirmation Hearing playing in the background as I type, he's so obviously unqualified to run the Department of Health and Humans Services, more revelations would simply be a massive overkill.

Kennedy's unfitness, of course, has nothing to do with his voice, so difficult to follow do to spasmodic dysphonia, or even his admitted history as a sexual predator.  Hell, being a rapist, statuatory or otherwise, seems almost a prerequisite to be a Trump nominee, as Trump himself is also an adjudicated sexual assaulter.

As much as I respected Kennedy's work years ago for clean water and environment, the revelations about his dumping of a bear carcass in New York's Central Park, sawing off the head of a whale washed up on the beach, strapping to the roof of his minivan to take home, all his anti-vax bull shit, damn!  How much do we have to learn about this guy to see that he doesn't have the mental stability to run HHS?

Just for good measure, we'll add RFK, Jr.'s contentions that "covid-19 was targeted" to attack "Caucasians and Blacks," that "Chinese and Ashkenazi Jews are less susceptible to it," that school shootings are caused by the drug prozac or that labs in Ukraine have been collecting DNA from Russians and Chinese "to target people by race."

With respect to RFK, Jr., it just keeps adding up, exhaustingly, to Looney Tunes.

OK, I'm about finished, but, in recent months we've learned that Kennedy was incredibly dishonest with his claims that his role on the Children's Defense Fund was "unpaid" and his services were performed "opposite the profit motive," when he actually was paid $2.2M for his work, and also have an Axios report that he funneled $79M from the Water Keeper Alliance to a Bahamas account.

My heart's not in it, but since it's in my notes, let's just add voter fraud to all of this as Kennedy evidently voted from a fake New York address while living in Los Angeles.

Kennedy may be confirmed as was the totally unqualified Pete Hegseth to run the Department of Defense, but that's par for the course with Trump selecting nominees to wreck government, not to run it efficiently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~𝗟𝗔𝗦 𝗩𝗘𝗚𝗔𝗦 𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗖𝗞 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗜.𝗖.𝗘. 𝗢𝗥 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟 𝗩𝗘𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘

 

Billy Settlemeyer of Las Vegas, Nevada, decided to go into the neighborhood ice cream business, rebuilding a 1985 stepvan into an ice cream truck with the clever name painted on the side; "The Las Vegas Ice Cream Patrol."

Seeing the van in her neighborhood, a lady who's since apologized and removed her TikTok posting, mistook the van for law enforcement and social media posts ran with the comment, describing the truck as connected to either ICE or the Border Patrol.

"Please be  on the lookout for 'ice cream trucks. . . they play music to get people to come outside. . . this is actually so sick," was the women's comment.

"I'm an ice cream man, that's it," stated Settlemeyer.  I wanted to build something creative for my community. . . Safe for kids. That's it."

Settlemeyer is a mechanic and a has never worked in any phase of law enforcement.

𝗪𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗧𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗞𝗥𝗜𝗦 𝗞𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 "𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗚𝗜𝗥𝗟," 𝗕𝗢𝗕 𝗗𝗬𝗟𝗔𝗡?

From the editor:  We're just thinking a bit out of the box for future Brownsville street or school namings. Brownsville native Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan, who recorded the song "Brownsville Girl," we'd like to put forward as worthy nominees for either award.

Kris Kristofferson

For a dozen years or more, I've pitched the idea of naming a BISD school after Brownsville native Kris Kristofferson without results.

Brownsville is more inclined to name its schools after politicos or retired school officials like Juliet T. Garcia or Eddie A. Lucio, so my fight has been a losing one.

Kristofferson, born in 1936, always remembered fondly his early life in Brownsville as "the best part of his life. . . in bare feet on dirt roads with good people."A self-described "army brat," Kristofferson's family moved around a lot eventually establishing some roots in San Mateo, CA.

At age 18, while attending Pomona College, Kris had two of his essays published in Atlantic Monthly, "Gone Are the Days" and "The Rock," but also received national recognition in rugby, football and track and field.

In 1958 Kristofferson received a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, but, after graduation, joined the U.S. Army in keeping with family tradition, receiving helicopter and Army Ranger training.

Despite being offered a job teaching English Literature at a military school, Kristofferson decided to leave the army to pursue songwriting, a decision that created a breach with his career army family.

Getting a job on an oil derrick in Louisiana, he wrote songs in his spare time and sent them to Johnny Cash who never answered back.

So, Kristofferson landed a helicopter on Cash's front lawn to get noticed.

No need to publish a list of Kristofferson's songs or movies here.  If you're a fan, you're familiar with his work.

Kristofferson passed away September 28, 2024.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is a music legend with a connection to Brownsville and the deportation of immigrants, recording the song Deportee in 1976 and Brownsville Girl in 1986.  

Bob's career, spanning six decades, is filled with poetic tunes advocating for civil rights; opposing war, oppression and racism.

Dylan, along with Joan Baez, performed at the 1963 March on Washington, appearing with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 for his iconic songwriting. 

Brownsville Girl

 

Well, there was this movie I seen one time

About a man riding 'cross the desert and it starred Gregory Peck

He was shot down by a hungry kid trying to make a name for himself

The townspeople wanted to crush that kid down and string him up by the neck

Well, the marshal, now he beat that kid to a bloody pulp

As the dying gunfighter lay in the sun and gasped for his last breath

Turn him loose, let him go, let him say he outdrew me fair and square

I want him to feel what it's like to every moment face his death

Well, I keep seeing this stuff and it just comes a-rolling in

And you know it blows right through me like a ball and chain

You know I can't believe we've lived so long and are still so far apart

The memory of you keeps callin' after me like a rollin' train

I can still see the day that you came to me on the painted desert

In your busted down Ford and your platform heels

I could never figure out why you chose that particular place to meet

Ah, but you were right, it was perfect as I got in behind the wheel

Well, we drove that car all night into San Anton'

And we slept near the Alamo, your skin was so tender and soft

Way down in Mexico you went out to find a doctor and you never came back

I would have gone on after you but I didn't feel like letting my head get blown off

Well, we're drivin' this car and the sun is comin' up over the Rockies

Now I know she ain't you but she's here and she's got that dark rhythm in her soul

But I'm too over the edge and I ain't in the mood anymore

To remember the times when I was your only man

And she don't want to remind me, she knows this car would go out of control

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls

Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above

Brownsville girl, show me all around the world

Brownsville girl, you're my honey love

Well, we crossed the panhandle and then we headed towards Amarillo

We pulled up where Henry Porter used to live

He owned a wreckin' lot outside of town about a mile

Ruby was in the backyard hanging clothes, she had her red hair tied back

She saw us come rolling up in a trail of dust

She said, Henry ain't here but you can come on in, he'll be back in a little while

Then she told us how times were tough and about how she was thinkin' of

Bummin' a ride back to where she started

But she changed the subject every time money came up

She said, welcome to the land of the living dead

You could tell she was so broken-hearted

She said, even the swap meets around here are getting pretty corrupt

How far are y'all going, Ruby asked us with a sigh

We're going all the way 'til the wheels fall off and burn

'Til the sun peels the paint and the seat covers fade and the water moccasin dies

Ruby just smiled and said, ah, you know some babies never learn

Something about that movie though, well I just can't get it out of my head

But I can't remember why I was in it or what part I was supposed to play

All I remember about it was Gregory Peck and the way people moved

And a lot of them seemed to be lookin' my way

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls

Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above

Brownsville girl, show me all around the world

Brownsville girl, you're my honey love

Well, they were looking for somebody with a pompadour

I was crossin' the street when shots rang out

I didn't know whether to duck or to run, so I ran

We got him cornered in the churchyard, I heard somebody shout

Well, you saw my picture in the Corpus Christi Tribune

Underneath it, it said, a man with no alibi

You went out on a limb to testify for me, you said I was with you

Then when I saw you break down in front of the judge and cry real tears

It was the best acting I saw anybody do

Now I've always been the kind of person that doesn't like to trespass

But sometimes you just find yourself over the line

Oh if there's an original thought out there, I could use it right now

You know, I feel pretty good, but that ain't sayin' much

I could feel a whole lot better

If you were just here by my side to show me how

Well, I'm standin' in line in the rain to see a movie starring Gregory Peck

Yeah, but you know it's not the one that I had in mind

He's got a new one out now, I don't even know what it's about

But I'll see him in anything so I'll stand in line

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls

Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above

Brownsville girl, show me all around the world

Brownsville girl, you're my honey love

You know, it's funny how things never turn out the way you had 'em planned

The only thing we knew for sure about Henry Porter

Is that his name wasn't Henry Porter

And you know there was somethin' about you baby

That I liked that was always too good for this world

Just like you always said there was something about me you liked

That I left behind in the French Quarter

Strange how people who suffer together have stronger connections

Than people who are most content

I don't have any regrets, they can talk about me plenty when I'm gone

You always said people don't do what they believe in

They just do what's most convenient, then they repent

And I always said, hang on to me, baby, and let's hope that the roof stays on

There was a movie I seen one time, I think I sat through it twice

I don't remember who I was or where I was bound

All I remember about it was it starred Gregory Peck

He wore a gun and he was shot in the back

Seems like a long time ago, long before the stars were torn down

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls

Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above

Brownsville girl, show me all around the world

Brownsville girl, you're my honey love

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls

Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above

Brownsville girl, show me all around the world

Brownsville girl, you're my honey love

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls

Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~𝗙𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗗𝗥. 𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗟 𝗝𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗦 𝗜.𝗖.𝗘. 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗗𝗦 𝗔𝗦 𝗔𝗡 "𝗢𝗕𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗘𝗥"

 

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟱𝟮.𝟱% 𝗜𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗬 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗗 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗜𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗗𝗨𝗣𝗘𝗗, 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗗, 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗗, 𝗬𝗘𝗦, 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗡 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗧 𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗧!!!!!!

For Donald Trump, his immigration policy was NEVER about protecting the border from dangerous criminals.  When he referred to Mexican Nationals, saying "some are rapists, murderers, some might be good people," that was a LIE as immigrants have a lower crime rate than citizens.

When Donald Trump doubled, tripled and quadrupled down on the total lie that Haitian immigrants in the country legally were eating the cats and dogs of the residents of Springfield, Ohio, that lie was simply racism as was Trump's contention that in Charlotteville,  the White Supremacists carrying torches while chanting anti-semitic and pro-Russia slogans, were "good people."

Trump's so-called Muslim ban was pure racism, then  Trump broadened the ban to include what he called "shithole" countries of Africa; Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea, Kygyzstan, Sudan and Tanzania, more than half a billion people, a quarter of Africa's population!!!

And, do you know what cinches Trump's racism?  

The fact that he pardoned 1500+ actual, incarcerated criminals, many who'd plead guilty to violent criminal acts.

Those pardons were proof positive that Trump's claims of acting out of a desire to safeguard the U.S. from dangerous criminals, keeping all these browns and black people out, was a total lie!!!!  

He's a racist, pure and simple and the millions who voted for him in the last election were duped, tricked and fooled, conned into voting for a despicable, overt racist! 

~~~~~~~~~~~𝗙𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗬𝗟 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦~~𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗙𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧'𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚!!

 

 

Pushing 77, I've been aware of the drug scene since my early teens, but never been a user and I've yet to smoke my first cigarette, although I'm a daily drinker of beer and/or wine.

I remember vividly when American psychologist Timothy Leary urged the San Francisco hippies in 1966-67 to "Turn on, tune in and drop out" and I can still spell lysergic acid diethylamide without looking the phrase up.

As for John Lennon's song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," I don't believe his explanation that the capitalized words in the song's title were accidental as the images provoked by the lyrics so closely resemble those someone tripping on LSD might see, but Lennon was, more often than not, disingenuous or simply coy. 

Today's enemy #1 on the drug list is fentanyl and some in the rightwing of the Republican Party(Is there any other wing?) want to send the U.S. military into Mexico to bomb the shit out of the Sinaloa and CJNG cartels, but what would that accomplish besides violating Mexico's soveignty?

Anyway, it was the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, Big Pharma, who created the opioid addiction in the first place, while China and India continue to make handsome profits producing as much of the precursor chemicals needed to make fentanyl as they possibly can.

I was in the Philippines when President Rodrigo Duterte, mentally unstable like Trump, instituted his program of shooting on sight drug users and their siblings or family, with police murdering at least 6,200 during his tenure as president, mowing them down in the streets.  Even with those harsh penalties, I saw obvious users totally out of it on the sidewalk, so the heavyhandedness accomplished little.

If the answer is legalizing the shit, well, maybe that's better than the U.S. "War on Drugs" and the obscene enrichment of Mexico's drug cartels selling illegal substances while engaging in open warfare against their cartel competitors.

𝗚𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗢𝗥 𝗔𝗕𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗧 𝗔𝗦𝗞𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 $𝟭𝟭𝗕 𝗥𝗘𝗜𝗠𝗕𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗘𝗫𝗔𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥

 

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗠𝗥. 𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗢 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗛𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗭𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗢𝗦

 Photos courtesy of Jerry Danache

L to R, Mrs. Granados,(sister-in-law of Beto Granados), Mr. Amigo, Jose Cantoral, Presidente Municipal, Beto Granados 

Local businessman Zeke Silva agreed with me that Monday's Mr. Amigo announcement event was more heavily attended than similar functions in the past.

"I think it's because this time the name of the nominee was not leaked out beforehand as in the past," Mr. Silva told me.

Indeed, there were perhaps twice as many people as chairs in the beautiful lobby of TSC's ITEC Center, with even some listeners spread out on permanent seating in an adjacent hallway.

County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., in his remarks, emphasized that the relationship between Brownsville and Matamoros was "familial" and got a chuckle when he said both cities were situated along the Gulf of MEXICO, a body of water our recently-inaugurated President wants to rename.

Folks are surprised, when, in my travels, I tell them where I live and that we don't feel a "border crisis" at all, but enjoy a great relationship with our friends across the border.  Certainly, our country needs a comprehensive immigration policy, but that's long overdue and the last bipartisan effort was squelched by the current President for political reasons.

This 2023 statement from City Commissioner Roy De Los Santos captures the spirit of the Mr. Amigo event:  "And ultimately the spirit of what Mr. Amigo represents, transcends the individual who is selected for the honor. The Charro Days spirit is about a sense of community, and friendship, and the goodwill between our two nations. The rich culture you find along the border, on both sides of the Rio Grande, is the best representation of that."

Reflecting that spirit, the respective mayors of the two cities, John Cowen and Beto Granados, sat together facing the audience.  Cowen, in his brief remarks, mentioned his close friendships on both sides of the border, adding that several employees in The Cowen Group are from Mexico, "legally," he added.

The President of the Mr. Amigo Association, Maria Irma Villarreal, with the considerable fanfare of a mariachi group, unveiled the portrait of the 2025 Mr. Amigo, Jose Cantoral, while summoning the singer to the podium.

"Do you know this young man?" I asked David Barraza, who was standing next to me.

"Not so much," said Mr. Barraza, "but I know his father who was also a singer."

After the event, several of us holding cameras went up to the portrait of the 2025 Mr. Amigo, set on a tripod, to get a better closeup photo.  A police officer working security suggested we "just take a quick picture because all of this has to be taken down," but no one seemed in a hurry.

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗜𝗡 𝗩𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣'𝗦 𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗜𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬

  

When Donald Trump walks among the world's leaders, he's tolerated, but not respected, like a little rich kid who has bigger toys and more money, but no manners.  

Like a petulant child, he brags: "I can take your country if I want to" or "I'm going to make your country one of our states."

As for Trump wanting to take back a gift, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino simply says: "No, Donnie, the canal is Panama's and will remain Panama's."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, knowing little Donnie loves flattery, tries a different approach: "I know as a successful negotiator he likes to keep people off balance.  The 51st state, it's not going to happen."

Claudia Sheinbaum, the President of Mexico, just laughs on learning Trump wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America:  "He can call the American part of it whatever he wants."

Anders Vistisen, a Danish member of the European Parliament, uses words Trump may have used with his own generals:  "Dear Mr. President, listen very carefully, let me put this in words I think you can understand: F**k Off!"

In an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett, Vistisen made some serious points, saying, first of all that Greenland has been part of Denmark for 800 years, three times longer than the U.S. has been a country.

As to Trump saying that the United States "needed" Greenland for nationality security, Vistisen pointed out that Denmark and the U.S. have had a security agreement since 1941 allowing the U.S. a military base in Greenland and that it could be expanded, if necessary, but Denmark was not surrendering sovereignty.

Next, as to whether Greenlanders would be "better off" being part of the United States, Vistesen explained that Denmark sold the U.S. the Virgin Islands over 100 years ago, March 31, 1917, yet the residents of the Virgin Island never became citizens.  They can't vote.  They have no representation in the U.S. Congress and "they frankly don't regard being part of the U.S. with a lot of enthusiasm."  

Greenland is a self-governing part of the Danish Commonwealth and its residents are Danish citizens with the right to vote and have representation.

For the next four years, the world's leaders will have to deal with Donald Trump, but they seem to have the skillset to protect their own interests.

𝗠𝗥. 𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗢 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗗𝗢 𝗗𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗫𝗜𝗖𝗢 𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗠𝗥. 𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗢 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱!!!!

The Mr. Amigo Association and the Consulado de México en Brownsville cordially invites you to our announcement of the 2025 Mr. Amigo Honoree!

Light refreshments will be served. 

Monday, January 27, 2025

10:00 AM

TSC ITEC Center 

301 Mexico Blvd. 

Brownsville, Texas 

The Mr. Amigo Association selects a Mexican citizen to be Mr. Amigo each year as part of the shared culture, friendship, and family ties between Brownsville and Matamoros and to recognize Mexican citizens who have contributed to the friendship between the United States and Mexico.

𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗙 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗦 𝟳𝟯𝟱 𝗥𝗜𝗢 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗘 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗢𝗙 "𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦"

 

Non-stop deportations or repatriations, as United States Border Patrol Chief Gloria Chavez calls them, have resulted in 735 people in the Rio Grande Valley sent back to their home country in the last two days.

Chavez stated that people from Cuba, Honduras, Venezuela, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador who'd entered the country illegally had been deported under what ICE has called "targeted operations."

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gloria Chavez

𝗙𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗘𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗚𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘~𝗩𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗞 𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗠𝗬

 

𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟵 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗜-𝗣𝗥𝗢 𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠~~𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗥 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢, 𝗛𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗬𝗢 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗕𝗔𝗧𝗕𝗢𝗬 𝗥𝗨𝗕𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗦, 𝗦𝗥.

 submitted by Rene Torres

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙊 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙉𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙕~~𝙒𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙀𝘿, 𝘼𝙍𝙈𝙀𝘿 & 𝘿𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙍𝙊𝙐𝙎!!!!!

 

Arturo Hernandez

𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡 𝗔𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗢𝗥 𝗡𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗗 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗙 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗪𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬?

The foolish, uninformed members of the MAGA cult who voted, against their own interests, for an intellectually and morally challenged convicted felon as President because he promised to bring down egg prices, are quickly seeing results from that braindead decision, but things could potentially get much worse.

For sure, our nation's farmers are already experiencing a labor shortage, but that's not the only industry that will be hit with any sizeable deportation of immigrants.  

In 2023, Ana and I were at a large motel in Iowa for six weeks as she fulfilled one of her travel nurse assignments.  Almost everyone else in that motel was a Mexican National or immigrant, as reflected by the license plates in the parking lot and the language spoken in the corridors.  We learned that two large construction projects were ongoing in the area, one involving highway construction, the other large apartment buildings, with the labor force for both projects filled with immigrants.

Employers in the food industry and factory owners would tell the same story as their work force is largely populated by immigrants.

At a 10 story hotel in another town in the midwest that same year, I watched the hotel manager try to tell a Spanish speaking landscaper what she wanted done in the hotel's green areas and flower beds.  Finally, in frustration, she just told him, in essence, just "make it beautiful."

After about two days of hard work, the landscaper transformed that hotel into a veritable flower garden.  I could tell the manager was totally proud and thoroughly pleased with the work of a man with whom she could not actually communicate as she showed it off to every vendor or prospective renter entering her office.

Now, if Trump's immigration policies come to fruition, a large portion of these laborers will disappear, effecting not only the farms, hotels, factories and construction industries, but the U.S. economy.

Now, combine Trump's proposed immigration policies with his knucklehead tariffs and the economy is in for a double-whammy of stupidity.

Trump will largely wreck what's actually been a good Biden economy, except for inflation*, just as he wrecked a great Obama economy in his first term, totally mishandling the covid-19 pandemic.

The Social Security and Medicare programs will also experience a serious shortfall as these workers have deducted from their weekly checks funding for those programs, programs from which most will never benefit.

As James Carville said in 1992:  "It's the economy stupid!"

Someone in Trump's administration should explain all this to him, but, then again, he's not hiring competent folk this time around, but sycophants, "yes" men who will readily agree to every piece of dumb shit exiting his mouth.

*

𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗢 𝗔𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗕𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗨𝗜𝗗𝗢𝗦𝗢, 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗠𝗘𝗫𝗜𝗖𝗢

According to a report on the Mescalero Apache Tribal website, a tribal member was questioned by an ICE agent in Ruidoso, New Mexico January 22 at 3:45 PM.  Agents first questioned a family standing in front of the tribal member, then escorted the family outside of this public place.

An ICE agent returned to question the tribal member, speaking to him in Spanish.  When the member told the agent that he spoke English, he was asked to show a passport.  The tribal member presented his New Mexico drivers license and a tribal identification card, after which the ICE agent left.

“While this is the only incident we have been able to verify, Tribal leadership is actively working with the New Mexico Congressional Delegation to ensure the rights of Tribal Members are protected,” said Tribal President Thora Walsh-Padilla on the Tribe’s website.

The Tribe advised its members to keep identification on them at all times and if possible, carry multiple forms of identification, including driver’s license, state-issued identification card, tribal identification card and certificate of Indian blood.

Mescalero or Mescalero Apache (Mescalero-Chiricahua: Naa'dahéńdé) is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south-central New Mexico.

In the 19th century, the Mescalero opened their reservation to other Apache tribes, such as the Mimbreno (Chíhéńde, Warm Springs Apaches) and the Chiricahua (Shá’i’áńde or Chidikáágu). Some Lipan Apache (Tú’édįnéńde and Túntsańde) also joined the reservation. Their descendants are enrolled in the Mescalero Apache Tribe.

𝟳𝗧𝗛 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗨𝗔𝗟 ""𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗨𝗡 𝟱𝗞 & 𝟭-𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗘" 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧, 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗙𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗬𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢 𝗝𝗨𝗔𝗡 𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗚𝗢 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥, 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗗 𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗔𝗬

Photos courtesy of Jerry Danache

The 7th Annual Sisters On the Run 5K & 1-Mile event was held Saturday to benefit the Proyecto Juan Diego Community Center at 3910 Paredes Line Road.

Proyecto Juan Diego is a 501(3)(c) charity aimed at improving the quality of life for families exposed to violence, generational poverty and/or immigration fears.

An after school program features one-on-one tutoring and a health and fitness class.

In 2024, the event raised $26,831 with 200 participants.  (We'll update with 2025 numbers when those become available.)