𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗕𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗜, 𝗙𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘~𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗗, 𝟱/𝟭𝟬/𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟲

                                                                                    submitted by Rene Torres

𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗪𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗬, 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦, 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗦, 𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗨𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗????

                                                                        

Commentators more knowledgeable than me, more fixated on government policy, more aware of the bend and shape of the world's alliances, will be assessing Donald Trump's total bendover for Russia's Vlad Putin, but honestly, I've been watching world events with a keen eye for all of my 77 years and I've not seen before anyone so destructive to our country and its interests as Trump.

Trump has been taking an absolute wrecking ball to the departments, agencies and structure of our government, weakening it, undermining it's function, rendering it almost useless to the American people.

At the same time, Trump is severing ties with our traditional allies, destroying any semblance of respect other countries have for the U.S., instead linking us with Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, etc.

At the same time, Trump disrespects and mocks our closest neighbors, Canada and Mexico, insults Panama, Greenland, Denmark and others.

Like a greedy, selfish, spoiled child, all of a sudden, Trump wants everything for himself; Panama's canal, the precious minerals of Ukraine and Greenland, etc.  Trump looks at all the countries of the world through the lense of "what can we steal from you?"

It's never been more embarrassing to be an American, to have such an immoral, greedy bastard in the Oval Office, to have someone whose made our country look so idiotic, so egocentric, so unfeeling, so blind to the rest of the world.

Adding to that embarrassment has been the speed with which Republicans, once a proud party of courage and patriotism, quickly acquiesce to every whim of this uneducated bully.  There are no Barry Goldwaters or Howard Bakers in today's version of Republicanism, only sycophants and yes-men.

What is it that Putin has on Trump?  My mind wanders back to the "golden shower's" thing from years ago.  Vladimir must have pictures or more.

May some divine being help our country.

𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗦 & 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗟𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗢𝗡 (𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗝𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗬 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗘)

 

𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗬𝗢𝗥 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗗𝗢𝗦, 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘 𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗣𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗢𝗦, 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗢𝗡 𝗚𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗚𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 "𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗔𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥" 𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗬 𝟮/𝟮𝟳/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

                                                             

Brownsville Mayor John Cowen, Presidente Municipal de Matamoros, Beto Granados

                                                              

𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗧𝗬 𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗗𝗔 𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗦 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧~~𝗜𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗗𝗢𝗡 𝗝𝗥'𝗦 𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗨𝗗𝗗𝗬 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗭𝗘𝗥𝗢 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗧𝗬

                                                   

Hunters Kyle Diamantas, Donald Trump, Jr.

            

As the incompetent duo, Elon Musk and Donald Trump, continue mass, indiscriminate firings, Jim Jones, head of the food division at the U.S. Food and Drug Administratiion(FDA), has resigned.

Jones was recently involved in the banning of red dye #3 do to carcinogens and an investigation into applesauce linked to lead poisoning in children.

Jones stated that he simply could no longer "do his job" after Musk/Trump fired "89 staff members who were key technical experts."  

"I'm not sure if it's a lack of understanding of how things get done, or it's that there's really no seriousness about what they want to get done," Jones stated.  "But I didn't want to spend the next six months of my career on activities that are fundamentally about dismantling an organization, as opposed to working on the stated agenda."

In response to Jones’ resignation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News in a statement, “There are a number of bureaucrats who are resistant to the democratic process and mandate delivered by the American people.”

“President Trump is only interested in the best and most qualified people who are also willing to implement his America First Agenda on behalf of the American people,” Leavitt said. “It’s not for everyone, and that’s okay.”

No worries.  The Trump administration has replaced Jones with Donald Trump, Jr.'s hunting buddy, Kyle Diamantas, an attorney, not a scientist, with no expertise in food safety.  Diamantas did update his resume' to include food and beauty products because the law firm he works for has been involved in law suits regarding those products, but, of course, that's not the same thing as testing for food safety.

𝗠𝗬 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡'𝗦 𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗔 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗟𝗬 𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗣𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗡

 I’ve learned to hate Russians

All through my whole life

If another war starts

It’s them we must fight

To hate them and fear them

To run and to hide

And accept it all bravely

With God on my side

"With God on Our Side," Bob Dylan

Like Dylan wrote above, my generation grew up in rivalry with the Russians.

The editor, 1957

On October 4, 1957, I was in my front yard in the Highland Park subdivision of Renton, Washington, the home of Boeing, looking for it, when I saw the first Russian sputnik arc across the sky, blinking.  It was hard to miss with the sky not as crowded back then, nothing else going across it in seconds like the satellite.

Sure, it bothered me that they put up the first satellite, but I personally didn't "hate" the Russians.  When Nikita Khrushchev took off his shoe at the United Nations, banging it on the table, my juvenile mind thought that was "stupid."  When Khrushchev and Vice President Nixon went back and forth on which country was the greatest, that seemed "silly" to me.  And, why wouldn't Nixon let Khrushchev visit Disneyland like he wanted?  I'd have been proud for him to see that amusement park even though I hadn't.  

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.  I remember giving a talk in school where I compared Earth to an apple, saying Gagarin's suborbital flight had extended just past the apple's "skin."

Years later, President Ronald Reagan called what was then the Soviet Union, the "Evil Empire" before sitting down with President Mikhail Gorbachev for a summit.  I was intrigued by two words used by Gorbechev, glasnost and perestroika, working them into my talks and writings whenever it seemed appropriate.

Now, in a strange turn of events, the U.S., joining Russia, North Korea and other countries, voted AGAINST the U.N. resolution calling for Russia to "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces from Ukraine," also cease attacks on civilians and facilitate the exchange of prisoners.

Incredibly, President Trump, acting as if Putin has some incriminating information on him, won't even admit that Russia invaded Ukraine.  What the Hell?  What a mentally and morally-crippled man occupies the Oval Office!

𝗔 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 "𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘'𝗦 𝗧𝗔𝗫 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗘" 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗔𝗫 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗥/𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗘𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗜𝗔

             

Where the work is done

A group of us met and followed Tax Assessor/Collector Eddie Garcia and his wife single file, forming a giant centipede, following them through a labyrinth of office cubicles that comprise what Garcia referred to as the "Tax Office of the People." 

Honestly, we were met with smiling faces at every brief stop, all department employees dressed in Charro Days garb.

"Did you mandate Charro Days dress for your staff or was this voluntary?" I asked Mr. Garcia.

"No, I encouraged it, but would never mandate it.  This is how they wanted to dress for work," responded Garcia.

At first, one office led to the next, but then, there was a left turn, a right turn, then two left turns and we marched past a long row of desks that face the lobby, where payments are collected, and eventually we were back in the lobby of the old Wells-Fargo Bank turned into city offices.

Garcia is proud of his staff, proud of their efficiency and the happiness they display, saying that's the tone he's tried to set for his office.

As I walked through the lobby, a mariachi band played with the tax assessor/collector joining as lead vocalist.  

Not only was this a festive, happy occasion, but one very distinct to Brownsville.

                             

The after-party in the lobby

       

                               

More photos

𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗝𝗨𝗔𝗡, 𝗜𝗦𝗡'𝗧 𝗜𝗧 𝗠𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗭, 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗠𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗭𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗭, 𝗥𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡, 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗧 𝟰???

                 

From the editor:  Juan Montoya of "El Rrun Rrun" graciously listed the ballot order for the three City Commission races, but we believe he has the wrong Mike listed in District 4.  Shouldn't that be Mike Rodriguez, Juan?  Attorney Mike Gonzalez did run for the commission a few years ago, but we're pretty sure, it's Mr. Rodriguez running now. . . . . Jim

El Rrun Rrun's Listing

DISTRICT 4

Pedro Cardenas

Mike Gonzalez

Daisy Zamora

Louie Tijerina 

Addendum:  Mr. Montoya has made the correction, so this post stands as simply some additional advertising for Mr. Rodriguez.

~~~~~𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗕𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟳

 submitted by Rene Torres

𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗗𝗢𝗠 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗨𝗧𝗬 𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙.𝗕.𝗜.

Trump selected podcaster and 2020 election denier Dan Bongino as Deputy Director of the F.B.I. So, Trump has two individuals with zero experience to run the F.B.I., Kash Patel and Dan Bongino.  God help our country!

𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢 𝗔 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗'𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗬'𝗦 𝗔𝗙𝗗 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗬

"They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not" 

Psalms 115:5, King James Version

Vice President J.D. Vance, in his recent visit to Germany, eschewed a visit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, instead conferring with rightwing extremist Alice Weidel, co-leader of the AfD neo-Nazi party.

One of my friends, a member of the MAGA movement with ties to Germany, called, worried about the rise of the Nazi apologist party in Germany, the AfD, suggesting I do some research and write about Elon Musk and J.D. Vance having ties to this group.  As we learned in school: "Repetition is the mother of retention."

Well, actually, I've already written two articles I've linked below about Musk and Vance, in their visits to Germany, avoiding contact with the German Chancellor while cavorting with Alice Weidel, co-leader of the AfD:

1. https://brownsvilleobserver.bloWgspot.com/2025/01/blog-post_211.html

2. https://brownsvilleobserver.blogspot.com/2025/01/blog-post_26.html

        

Elon Musk was met with roars of applause from the more than 4,000 attendees gathered in the German city of Halle as he appeared on screen at a rally for the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party.

"I think you really are the best hope for Germany," Musk told them.

Then, in an apparent reference to the Nazi era, Musk added that there is "frankly too much of a focus on past guilt and we need to move beyond that."

Several of my articles have also dealt with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' efforts to suppress textbooks and teachers from educating students about the 400 years of Black slavery in our country, ignorantly implying that the period was actually "beneficial" to Blacks, giving them skills like "blacksmithing."

Some MAGA adherents also want to whitewash the January 6 insurrection, saying it was not an insurrection at all, just a joyous gathering of patriots carrying weapons, beating police with clubs, deficating on the walls and and setting up gallows to hang VP Mike Pence.

Denying the holocaust, denying Black slavery and denying the January 6 insurrection are necessary steps to embracing Trump's intended role as a fascist dictator.

Surely, my MAGA friends, you've not already forgotten Trump's statement that "Hitler did some good things," his wishing "my generals could be like Hitler's," or his first wife's confession that Trump kept a book of Hitler's speeches on his nightstand.

I've gone over all of this with my grandsons, Jack and Felix, but they seemed to already understand.  Sanitizing, white-washing history does not prepare the next generation for dealing with threats to our democracy.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗞𝗘𝗧𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗘𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗬 𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧'𝗦 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗟𝗨𝗞𝗔 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗖 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗦

                             

Luka Doncic, Lebron James

All eyes of the basketball world will be fixated on tonight's NBA game at Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks.

Just three weeks ago, the Dallas Mavericks inexplicably traded away a 25 year old generational superstar who'd already been named All-NBA five times, to the Lakers, prompting huge protests in Dallas among fans who gathered to call out management and ownership of the team.

Most think this trade would never have happened had Mark Cuban not sold majority interest, 72.3%, of the Mavericks to right-winger Miriam Adelson, the matriarch of the Sands Corporation, a world wide gambling outfit. Adelson was Donald Trump's third highest donator in the 2024 campaign, contributing $108M to the Trump campaign.  (Elon Musk was Trump's highest donor, adding $275M to Trump's campaign coffers in a bought-and-paid-for election)

              

Miriam Adelson receiving the Medal of Freedom for her financial support of Trump

Trump responded to Adelson's generosity by awarding her the Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony. 

Oh, by the way, the Adelson family are not exactly basketball fans, but bought the Mavs with the intention of creating a huge gambling complex in Dallas, including a new arena, casino and retail.

If you've seen advertisements from the Texas Destination Resort Alliance "supporting our schools," trying to keep Texas money in Texas," those are paid for by the Sands Corporation headed by Miriam Adelson as part of her effort to bring gambling to Texas.

                                   

Miriam Adelson's son-in-law, Patrick Dumont, holding the Mavs Western Conference Championship trophy from last year

                                                          

Adelson named her son-in-law, Patrick Dumont, the round-faced, split teeth gentleman pictured above holding the Mavs Western Conference trophy from last year, Governor of the Dallas Mavericks.  Upon learning that Luka Doncic, the teams young superstar, had qualified for a Supermax this summer, that is a five year contract worth $545M, Dumont, along with team General Manager Nico Harrison, promptly traded Doncic to the Lakers.

                         

The Lakers had abolutely no hesitation trading for the 25 year old basketball savant and, as the young man entered the arena, he was greeted by the Lakers players, a #77 Doncic jersey on each seat and Slovenian music soaring up into the rafters.  

Doncic will still be eligible for a contract of $429M or so which the Lakers will gladly offer, cutting Doncic's losses to a mere $116M.

Doncic, who'd not played since a December 25th calf injury, started slowly with the Lakers, averaging just 14.7 points his first two games with the Lakers in limited minutes.  His third game, against the Denver Nuggets, was more Luka-like with 32 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and a block.

After the game, teammate Lebron James, a 40 year old force of nature, was grinning ear to ear, offering a football analogy:  "Luka has been a great quarterback for many years, while I've been a great wide receiver.  It's a perfect fit."

0

The Adelson family has not handled the post-trade protest very well.   Several season ticket holders were escorted out of a recent game for holding signs asking for the firing of the teams general manager.  Now, the Adelson family has made clear that any fan showing up wearing a Luka jersey will be given three options: take off the jersey, cover it with another shirt or leave the arena. (Doesn't sound like the country I grew up in, but this is the Trump era.)

𝗠𝗘𝗫𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗦 𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗞, 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗗 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣

 

𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗜𝗘 𝗧𝗜𝗝𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗔 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗗𝗔𝗜𝗦𝗬 𝗭𝗔𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗔 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗗𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗨𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗣 𝗜𝗡 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗪𝗔𝗬

                                                                                

Candidates for the City Commission picked their ballot positions by lot on the fourth floor of the City Commission Building Monday at 2:00 PM.  Nurith Galonsky Pizana, candidate for At Large B, was not in attendance,  represented instead by a surrogate.

After the ballot positioning ceremony, led by City Secretary Mayra Rios, I met with all of the City Commission candidates in the hallway for about 20 minutes, testing their knowledge of the city.  No "gotcha" questions, with most of the information coming from the city website. (Denise Granado Chavez, candidate for District 3, excused herself, saying she had another meeting to attend.)

With my first question, asking the median household income for Brownsville, it was my information that was incorrect.  Several commissioners responded with answers closer to the actual median than my figure of $62,312, which I discovered later is the mean household income, not the median.  The median household income for Brownsville is $46,735.  

Here's an explanation of the difference between median and mean household income:  

Median income is the amount which divides the income distribution into two equal groups, half having income above that amount, and half having income below that amount. Mean income (average) is the amount obtained by dividing the total aggregate income of a group by the number of units in that group.

Gustavo De Leon, candidate for District 3, immediately recognized my number to be high for median income and so stated.  My apologies to Mr. De Leon.

We also talked about the percentage of Brownsville residents under the poverty line; 26.08%.

Commissioner Roy De Los Santos, candidate for At Large B, correctly identified our style of city government as "Council-Manager." 

When I asked the commissioner candidates for details on the Old Highway 77 project, both Daisy Zamora and Louie Tijerina, both District 4 candidates, knew every detail, from the estimated cost, the P.U.B. contribution, and the full realm of work, including sewer, water, repaving, sidewalks, curb and gutter work, etc.  Current District 4 Commissioner Pedro Cardenas was also totally familiar with the project. 

Louie Tijerina came closest to estimating the number of miles the city has devoted to hike and bike trails.  

We asked about the city's program with larvacide, mosquito spraying, and Daisy Zamora seemed on top of that, explaining why the city sprayed after a substantial rain, etc. (Commissioner Bryan Martinez, who must have been listening in, although not currently running, added some more details, explaining something about computer-aided identification of mosquito larvae or somesuch.

We'll monitor candidate forums as they come up, but, for this informal meeting in a hallway, Daisy Zamora and Louie Tijerina stood out.

𝗡𝗢, 𝗪𝗘'𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗘𝗚𝗚𝗦 𝗔𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗢𝗦

From the editor: With egg prices at H.E.B. reaching $5.97 for a dozen large, I had to check the prices in Mexico.  Several sources indicated prices ranging from $1.73 to $1.98 USD per dozen.(Eggs in Matamoros may be a bit higher, $2.14 to $2.66 USD)

Of course, bringing eggs or poultry products across from Matamoros is not allowed as the excerpt from a "Border Report" article posted below explains:

                       

           

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — Since the start of the year, border officers in El Paso have encountered more than 90 people attempting to import eggs from Mexico.

On Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection warned border crossers to be aware that raw egg imports from Mexico are prohibited.

According to a news release, CBP agriculture specialists have issued 16 civil penalties totaling almost $4,000 linked to the attempted smuggling of prohibited agriculture and food products, including raw eggs.

CBP says importing raw/fresh eggs into the United States is prohibited due to concerns about diseases such as bird flu and the Virulent Newcastle disease (VND).

Additionally, raw chicken, unprocessed avian products, and live birds are prohibited from being brought into the U.S.

Travelers are encouraged to declare all agriculture products to CBP officers and agriculture specialists or face potential fines and penalties.

In the U.S., the bird flu outbreak has devastated egg and poultry farms over the past three years.

It has prompted the slaughter of roughly 160 million birds to help control the virus since the outbreak began in 2022. Most of the birds killed were egg-laying chickens, driving egg prices up to a record average high of $4.95 per dozen. The federal government has spent nearly $2 billion on the response, including almost $1.2 billion in payments to farmers to compensate them for their lost birds.

𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡

 Candidates for May 3 City Commission Election

At-Large B

Nurith Galonsky Pizana

Roy De Los Santos

Alejandro Garcia

Jason Edward Moody

District 3

Yvonne Barraza

Gustavo De Leon

Denise Granado Chavez

District 4

Daisy Zamora

Mike Rodriguez

Louie Tijerina

Pedro Eduardo Cardenas                                                           

 

Above are the candidates running for the City Commission in the May 3, 2025 election.   

After observing the Brownsville City Commission for a number of years, let's deal with the role of a city commissioner and the necessary, requisite skillset, needed to be effective.  I'm not reading this from a textbook, just sharing what I've observed.

The role of a City Commissioner:  A City Commissioner must represent the best interests of the constituents in their district or, if serving At Large, the entire city.

On the Friday before the City Commission meetings held the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, each commissioner will receive an agenda with background information on each agenda point.

That agenda has to be carefully studied, but then an effective commissioner will seek out the opinions of his or her constituents.  No commissioner should think about attending a City Commission meeting without an understanding of how to best represent their constituency on EACH agenda point as the City Commission is a representative democracy.

Please don't come to a City Commission meeting flat-footed.  Come prepared to participate and create consensus.

Also, if you're so busy in your life or business that you will be frequently or even minimally absent from City Commission meetings, please don't run for this office.  Brownsville voters deserve the full attention of everyone on the City Commission.

Beware of snake oil salesman:  The city commission can be an easy target for slick con men selling a master plan, surveys, a comprehensive plan.  Over the years, Brownsville forked over $900,000 for a comprehensive plan, than $454,000 for something similar for the industrial corridor.  The same snake oil salesman, sensing a gullible customer, next asked for $180,000 to "fine tune" the plan, about the same to "implement" it, etc.  It never ends.

Some years later, after being approached by a clever shyster, the City Commission forked over $154,000 in taxpayer dollars for "rebranding," mainly a new city logo which I'm pretty certain was never used.  

Just be careful, guys and gals on the City Commission.  These are hard-earned sales tax dollars being spent.

Listen to the citizens you claim to represent:  A few years ago, someone proposed a name change for the historic East Fronton Street in downtown Brownsville, renaming the street after a factory owner who'd profited handsomely from Brownsville workers paid very low wages.

The residents of East Fronton testified before the City Commission that they DID NOT want their street name changed, all wearing t-shirts with the name FRONTON on the front.  Could it be any clearer for the appropriate action in a representative democracy?  Dammit if the doofuses on that City Commission didn't overrule the citizenry and rename the city street after the factor owner!  What a dark day that was in Brownsville history!

Creating a consensus: If you've submitted an agenda item or believe its passage will benefit your constituents, you still need four votes.  Being able to create a consensus, convincing others of an item's efficacy is crucial.  Years ago, we had a mayor who brazenly described himself as the city's "quarterback," calling the commissioners his "blocking lineman."  He had some great ideas for the city, but could never create a consensus.  I think you understand why.

Tomorrow, I'll add an article with some honest observations about the candidates I'm familiar with in the City Commission race.

𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗦𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗞 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗗.𝗢.𝗚.𝗘., 𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗛𝗘'𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧~~~~𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦??

                           

                                             

Elon Musk's work with the Department of Government Efficiency(D.O.G.E.) has been anything but efficient and carefully executed.

Many on the nuclear staff, charged with keeping our nuclear weapons safe and our citizens protected from radiation, were first fired, then asked to return.  The same for those working on the bird flu problem.

Now, we're being told that Elon Musk is not even the head of D.O.G.E. or even involved in it, although President Trump announced him as such this past Wednesday.

In a court filing Monday, Josh Fisher, director of the White House's Office of Administration, stated that Musk had "no authority" over D.O.G.E. and was note even an "employee" of the program, but was simply a "senior advisor" to the President, not part of D.O.G.E.

"Like other senior White House advisors, Mr. Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself," Fisher added.

So, what's all this flim.flam about?

Simply put, Musk doesn't want to submit to an ethics report revealing his financial worth, conflicts of interest, etc., as any member of the administration is required by law to do.

So, he continues to make decisions greatly impacting the American people without the normal safeguards the law requires.

Musk is a rogue operator, not playing by the rules.

𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗦𝗨𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗕𝗔𝗡 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗢𝗩𝗔𝗟 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗘, 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔𝗜𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗘

 

Map from 1792 showing the Gulf of Mexico

The Associated Press, a not-for-profit news group founded in 1846, has sued three Trump officials for banning the news group from Trump events, the Oval Office and Air Force One.

Trump himself initiated the ban because of words the AP used in their reports, namely the "Gulf of Mexico" instead of Trump's preferred and recently-designated phrase, the "Gulf of America."

Of course, it's a bullying tactic, likely one not protected by the Constitution.

It's odd Trump chose this particular issue since many other journalists and news groups have reported on his repeated lies, his inciting of an insurrection, his criminal conviction and multiple frauds.

The case will be heard in U.S. District Court, Washington, D.C. by Trump appointed Judge Trevor McFadden.  The AP seeks an emergency hearing and court order to declare the ban unconstitutional and rescind it.

                         

𝗠𝗘𝗫𝗜𝗖𝗢 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗠 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗙 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗦 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗦 𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗡𝗨𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗜𝗝𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗔 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗦

                                                          

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — The head of Tijuana’s Tourism and Conventions Committee says American tourists, especially from Southern California, continue to visit the city of Tijuana despite President Donald Trump’s border policies and rhetoric against illegal immigration.

Committee chair Teresa Velázquez told reporters on Thursday they feared a backlash, but it has not materialized as visits from Americans to Northern Baja California have kept pace with previous years.

“We see visits at a normal rate including tourism for real estate, medical and sports purposes, we have not seen tourism drop,” she said.

Velázquez believes strong ties within the San Diego-Tijuana region bond people who share a culture and traditions in spite of the border and politics.

Baja California receives 28 million visitors per year and almost 60% are U.S. residents mostly from California, according to Velázquez.

“Thousands of Americans cross the border daily for medical reasons or recreational opportunities, many come to visit family or simply get away for the weekend.”

Velázquez said the city of Tijuana and Northern Baja region are planning several large events for this year to bring back even more visitors to the area.

𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗗 "𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗦𝗠𝗢 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢, 𝗝𝗥." 𝗜𝗡 𝟭𝟬𝟯𝗥𝗗 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗧

                

Case 48061/2025-DCL-00976 in the interest of Erasmo Castro, deceased 2/15/2025

Filed 2/18/2025 by Linda Castro against Melissa Castro, a temporary restraining order, in the 103rd District Court, the Hon. Janet L. Leal presiding,  Angela Nix, Attorney.

Exhibit A: An affidavit in support of the restraining order

Exhibit B: The will of Erasmo Castro, Jr.

𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧~~~𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗟 𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗗!!!!!

"Well, we're just going to do it and dare someone to stop us, and, by the time they stop us, we'll have destroyed it." Former NOAA official, characterizing Trump's obvious intention after Trump/Musk made severe cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

                                      

It's so very obvious that Trump is trying to wreck all the the individual components of government to solidify all power under the presidency leading to him being the dictator.

Will there be some incident that finally wakes up the American public including MAGA?

Will it take some airport tragedy without sufficient air traffic controllers on duty?

Will it take a health threat like COVID-19 that Trump totally mishandled, killing several hundred thousand more than any other industrialized nation, especially now with anti-vax, anti-science, conspiracy theorist buffoon RFK, Jr. at the helm of Health and Human Services?

Even now, several million dollars worth of Iowa grain are rotting in storage, not being delivered to hungry countries because of Trump/Musk's dismantling of USAID.

Trump is already on the cusp of losing our allies in NATO, foolishly stating the U.S. is protected from attack by the "ocean."  Dumbass, did the ocean prevent the Pearl Harbor attack December 7, 1941 or the attack on the World Trade Center September 11, 2001? Damn, Trump is stupid and dangerous!

We elected this man, now "we" need to generate the impetus to get him removed him from office.  He's totally unqualified, totally inept, totally dishonest, unfit to serve and an extreme danger to our country.  

              

~~~𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗚𝗡 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧!!

CANDIDATES FOR 2025 GENERAL ELECTION 

AT- LARGE B

NURITH GALONSKY PIZAÑA

ROY DE LOS SANTOS

ALEJANDRO GARCIA 

JASON EDWARD MOODY

DISTRICT 3

YVONNE BARRAZA

GUSTAVO DE LEON

DENISE GRANADO CHAVEZ

DISTRICT 4

DAISY ZAMORA

MIKE RODRIGUEZ

LOUIE TIJERINA

PEDRO EDUARDO CARDENAS 

𝗠𝗘𝗫𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗕𝗔𝗨𝗠 𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗦 𝗖.𝗜.𝗔. 𝗗𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗙𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗘𝗫𝗜𝗖𝗢!!!

 

       

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum: “These flights are part of the coordination … collaborations that have been going on for many years, between the United States government and the Mexican government,” Sheinbaum said at her daily press briefing. “Every time it is at Mexico’s request for collaboration, for information to be able to attend to security conditions.”

She said the information gathered was shared with Mexican authorities.

𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗦, 𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗣𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗡, 𝗔𝗦 𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗢𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣

               

In remarks Wednesday, President Trump seemed to reverse U.S. foreign policy, referring to Ukraine President Zelensky as a "dictator," even saying it was Ukraine that "started the war."

Shit! I guess Ukraine invaded itself.  What a dishonest, lying dumbass Trump is!

Trump continued: “Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and “TRUMP,” will never be able to settle,” Mr. Trump wrote.

As he did in making his assertions a day earlier, he misrepresented verifiable facts. The United States, for instance, has allocated $119 billion for aid to Ukraine, according to a research organization in Germany, the Kiel Institute, not $350 billion.

Fareed Zakaria said Trump's remarks were a "breathtaking reversal in U.S. foreign policy," "the largest in eight decades," stating "nobody was expecting this," calling it a "flipping" of U.S. foreign policy.  "We're witnessing history now in a very tragic way," Zakaria added.

Bernie Sanders: “The issue is not who’s technically the administrator, who has the title. Elon Musk is clearly running the show.” Sanders confessed that he does not feel like he has any oversight over Musk and spoke frankly about the current state of the U.S. federal government and America at large.

“This country is moving very rapidly under Trump into an authoritarian form of society,” Sanders observed. “The Founding Fathers way back in the 1770s — these were nobody’s fools. They had fought the king of England, an autocrat, [who] had all the power, and they said, ‘You know what? We don’t want that in the new country. We’re going to set up three separate, equal branches of government.”

“Every kid in the sixth grade knows who they are, but Trump does not,” the senator told Collins. “What Trump is doing now is trying every day to usurp the powers of Congress … It is a very dangerous moment.

These are dark days for our country.  Trump has aligned with our nation's primary enemy, Russia, turning his back on our nation's allies.  Trump is a traitor to our country and should be removed from office immediately.  

Actually, it should have happened years ago.

Robert Mueller's report clearly showed Trump colluded with Russia, but Mueller undersold his report, leaving it up to interpretation by then Attorney General Bill Barr, who white-washed it.  Now, Barr says Trump is unfit for the oval office, but it's too late.  Mitch McConnell knew better, but saved Trump, putting party before country.  Now, McConnell is retiring after he severely failed the country.

Are there any "Profiles in Courage" in 2025?  

                             

𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬, 𝗜𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗦𝗢 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝗔 𝗙𝗨𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗦𝗠𝗢, 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗔 𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘!

 

Mike Rodriguez: "He's not gone.  Erasmo lives in each one of us.  When we see something wrong in our community, our schools, our government, now we become Erasmo, fighting to make things better."

𝟭𝟵𝟰𝟬 𝗟𝗢𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗡𝗢𝗦 𝗚𝗜𝗥𝗟𝗦 𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗥𝗚𝗩 𝗩𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗬𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗦~~~𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘!!!!

 

                                

By Rene Torres

Staging a sensational comeback from the loser’s bracket, the 1940 Los Fresnos girls won La Feria’s annual valley-wide volleyball tournament. The road to the title game took a pause in their first encounter of the tournament when the La Feria squad embarrassed them 15-3 and 15-5.

But that only ignited their spirit! What they learned from those early losses was that— “some defeats are more triumphant than victories.” And that’s what gave them the momentum to embrace the agony of defeat.

The much-anticipated game drew murmurs from the crowd as La Feria stepped on to the court as favorites. But this time around, the Falcons were not going to be denied. It is not known what coach Copeland said to motivate her squad, but they were a different team that had suffered those early losses. At the end, they won, and crowned Valley champs, dispatching their opposition 13-6 and 15-9.

The given photo shows the Falcons demonstrating smiles, they were a proud and happy group after displaying a miracle comeback. They made a power statement with their win over a great La Feria team.

The roster included: 

Coach P.D. Copeland, Juanita Brooks, Barbara J. Goates, Patsy Weikel, Elizabeth Galyean, captain, Hazel Lipe, Martha S. Cook, and Ruby J. Pederson.

It was an exhausting effort, “All for the love of the game.”