Monday, December 23, 2024
TRADITIONAL SERENATA DE MERIENDA IN DOWNTOWN BROWNTOWN
TURMOIL: LAGUNA VISTA MANAGER GONZALEZ FIRED, CHIEF OF POLICE DAVID, CITY COMMISSIONER TOLIN, RESIGN
(Ed.'s Note: Is it a tempest in a teapot, or just good old creative chaos that reigns over at Laguna Vista nowadays? Used as we are to hear of sexual escapades between city officials, police officers and city workers, it should come as no surprise that these folks – living as they do, in a fishbowl – should act up every once in a while. Something new always coming out of LV.)
Editor, PI, SPI Press
According to town officials, after multiple reviews of City Manager Rendie Gonzalez, the Laguna Vista Town Council decided to terminate her employment. The following day, Police Chief Anthony David resigned from his position as well as Commissioner Pl. 3 Betina Tolin.
During the most recent town hall meeting on, Deputy Greg Cruz was appointed interim city manager and police chief for a 60-90 day period. The motions were made by commissioner Teresa Bryant after an hour long closed executive session. The board agreed unanimously.
Cruz says the appointment was a surprise to him.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” said Cruz.
According to Cruz, he does not have any prior city management experience and says he is unsure of why he was chosen to fill this role. He asks for patience during this time period until a new city manager is
chosen.
According to Cruz, he has worked for the Town of Laguna Vista for ten years.
“Commander Cruz has no interest in becoming the city manager in the future,” said Mayor Michael Carter. “He is going to help us out, to get through this process, to do the day-to-day operations. We are in a really
good time in the City to go through this. We have no big projects on the horizon.”
The board unanimously approved to put out RFQs in search for a permanent city manager.
Carter told those present at the Dec. 16 meeting that Cruz would be leaning heavily on the board for the time being.
According to town officials, after multiple reviews of City Manager Rendie Gonzalez, the Laguna Vista Town Council decided to terminate her employment. The following day, Police Chief Anthony David resigned from his position as well as Commissioner Pl. 3 Betina Tolin.
During the most recent town hall meeting on, Deputy Greg Cruz was appointed interim city manager and police chief for a 60-90 day period. The motions were made by commissioner Teresa Bryant after an hour long closed executive session. The board agreed unanimously.
Cruz says the appointment was a surprise to him.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” said Cruz.
According to Cruz, he does not have any prior city management experience and says he is unsure of why he was chosen to fill this role. He asks for patience during this time period until a new city manager is
chosen.
According to Cruz, he has worked for the Town of Laguna Vista for ten years.
“Commander Cruz has no interest in becoming the city manager in the future,” said Mayor Michael Carter. “He is going to help us out, to get through this process, to do the day-to-day operations. We are in a really
good time in the City to go through this. We have no big projects on the horizon.”
The board unanimously approved to put out RFQs in search for a permanent city manager.
Carter told those present at the Dec. 16 meeting that Cruz would be leaning heavily on the board for the time being.
Sunday, December 22, 2024
THE TWO-RIDE, 1,100-MILE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF '73
By Juan Montoya
It was nearing the Christmas season in 1973 and I was stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, headquarters of the Second Fleet Marine Force and looking forward to drive home to Brownsville for Christmas leave.
As I contemplated driving home for the holidays in my Chevy Chevelle, it occurred to me that the tired 350 cubic-inch engine in my car would not do for the long drive home to South Texas. With the help of a fellow gyrene whose dad owned a junkyard back in his home somewhere in Tennessee, we found a 396 cubic-inch engine at a local junk yard and over a weekend installed the new motor and worked out the kinks. It gave the car a noticeable boost in power and before leaving, I checked all the fluids, changed the oil, and threw on some new tires.
Although I had never met any other marines from Brownsville, once word got around the base that someone was driving there for Christmas, a marine showed up at my bunk and told me he lived near 30th Street along Southmost, across the road from Cromack Elementary.
And so it was that we took off Friday and headed south for home. I bought an eight-track player from the PX at the base, and along with the car's speakers, put out some sounds as we barreled along toward Texas. Deep Purple and Black Oak Arkansas blared from the speakers. We were bookin'.
It must have been just before dawn that we were on Interstate 20 emerging on the west side of Atlanta, Georgia, after driving all night when – with the eight-track blaring – I felt like we were just gliding down the highway. I stomped on the gas, without any effect. The motor had stopped. The lights were on, but the motor gone. We got out and looked under the hood, but apart from confirming that the engine had seized, could find nothing wrong with it. Then I checked the oil. Not a drop registered on the dipstick.
I took a flashlight and looked under the car. In those day, the oil filters came with a round rubber gasket that you had to make sure was snug when you tightened it. If you pinched it or tightened it and it wasn't well placed, you'd leak oil. Unbeknownst to us, that is exactly what had happened when I changed the oil. Over time, a slight leak had developed that didn't immediately register on the dashboard gauge. We had burned the motor.
So there we were, 1,100 miles or so from home, on the side of the interstate, with a broken-down car. We waited for dawn and decided to hitchhike to the nearest city west of Atlanta – maybe Birmingham – and jump on a bus to get home. I tore off the eight-track player and threw it in my suitcase and left the keys on the front seat. We took off walking on the Interstate and started hitchhiking west. From the west looking east, Atlanta looks as if it's in a huge bowl, or depression.
Not more than half an hour passed when a car with some local Georgians stopped and took us some five miles down the road to their exit ramp and said goodbye and good luck. The next car that stopped – our second ride – was a white Ford Fairlane with two longhair kids who stopped to give us a lift.
We told them we were stationed in the Marine Corps base in North Click and our sad tale and they asked us if our car was the blue Chevelle some eight or 10 miles back. We said it was. We explained that it had leaked oil and burned the engine and they commiserated with us. They asked us where we were headed and when we told them Brownsville they asked where that was.
"If you drive across Texas and head south, before you fall into the Rio Grande at its southern tip, there you are," I said.
Of course, they had never been here and we asked them where they were heading.
"Nowhere special," said one. "We're from Florida and going as far as we can until we run out of gas because we don't have no money."
"Florida? How did you put gas in the car before?," I asked.
"We were driving in a county road to bypass downtown Atlanta and come out on the west side and we stopped in this little country gas station that was run by an old lady who just happened to be blind," one said sheepishly looking at the other. "Then, after we gassed up, we just took off without paying."
It became apparent to us that perhaps the two had stolen the car and were on the run. But as we spoke to them it was clear to us that that they were not violent criminals, just two kids out for a wild ride. We invited them to have breakfast in a diner along the interstate and made them a proposition.
"Since you have no firm plans to go anywhere, what do you say if we asked you to drive us to Brownsville and we pay all expenses and when we get there we give you a few bucks – say about $100 – for you guys to get back to Houston or wherever and you take it from there?"
They thought about it for a few minutes and agreed.
"Let's go to Brownsville," one said.
Less then 24 hours later we unloaded the other marine at his house behind the gas station on 30th Street on the north side of Southmost and then drove to my parents' home on Weslaco Road off FM 802. Back in 1973, Weslaco was a caliche road and 802 was a rural-grade two-lane road.
I grabbed my suitcase, thanked the two guys, gave them my $50 share of the promised payoff and walked into my house to the surprise of my family.
The last I saw of them was the rear of the white Fairlane turning left on 802 from Weslaco Road headed toward U.S. 77-83.
Two rides, 1,100 miles. Christmas miracles do happen.
Saturday, December 21, 2024
TRUMP MEGA-DONORS WHO COMPLAINED OF "INVASION" HIRE MEXICAN WORKERS
By Stephanie Kirchgaessner and
Alice Herman
The Guardian
A company owned by two of Donald Trump’s top mega-donors has routinely brought dozens of its workers from Mexico to staff its warehouses in Wisconsin and other locations even though they do not appear to have permission to work in the U.S., according to a Guardian investigation.
Uline – a giant Wisconsin-based office and shipping supply company controlled by billionaires Liz and Dick Uihlein – shuttles in its own workers from Mexico, who are using tourist visas and visas meant for employees who are entering the US temporarily to receive professional training, known as B1 visas. But instead of being part of a dedicated training program, the Mexican employees stay for one to six months and – sources with direct knowledge of the matter allege – perform normal work in Uline’s US warehouses.
Lawyers and immigrants’ advocates told the Guardian they believed the alleged practice is likely illegal and could be exploitative of the workers enrolled in the program.
The company has allegedly used employees without proper work permits even as Dick Uihlein’s Super Pac, Restoration Pac, supported Trump’s presidential campaign with a TV advertisement attacking his opponent Kamala Harris for allowing an immigrant “invasion” at the US-Mexico border.
A company owned by two of Donald Trump’s top mega-donors has routinely brought dozens of its workers from Mexico to staff its warehouses in Wisconsin and other locations even though they do not appear to have permission to work in the U.S., according to a Guardian investigation.
Uline – a giant Wisconsin-based office and shipping supply company controlled by billionaires Liz and Dick Uihlein – shuttles in its own workers from Mexico, who are using tourist visas and visas meant for employees who are entering the US temporarily to receive professional training, known as B1 visas. But instead of being part of a dedicated training program, the Mexican employees stay for one to six months and – sources with direct knowledge of the matter allege – perform normal work in Uline’s US warehouses.
Lawyers and immigrants’ advocates told the Guardian they believed the alleged practice is likely illegal and could be exploitative of the workers enrolled in the program.
The company has allegedly used employees without proper work permits even as Dick Uihlein’s Super Pac, Restoration Pac, supported Trump’s presidential campaign with a TV advertisement attacking his opponent Kamala Harris for allowing an immigrant “invasion” at the US-Mexico border.
The Uihleins have emerged as a major force in rightwing politics, spending tens of millions of dollars supporting candidates, including president-elect Trump and other rightwing politicians, who have called for a mass deportation of immigrants. They were second-largest political donors in this year’s election, giving more than even Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.
Inside Uline, a privately held company worth an estimated $8 billion, the Mexico-US program is called “shuttle support” and was launched about three years ago, sources said.
The Guardian’s reporting is based on interviews with sources who have direct knowledge of shuttle support and spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals, and internal documents seen by the Guardian that referred to the worker program, including rules for family members and other guests who are allowed to visit the workers.
Inside Uline, a privately held company worth an estimated $8 billion, the Mexico-US program is called “shuttle support” and was launched about three years ago, sources said.
The Guardian’s reporting is based on interviews with sources who have direct knowledge of shuttle support and spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals, and internal documents seen by the Guardian that referred to the worker program, including rules for family members and other guests who are allowed to visit the workers.
Over the course of a months-long investigation, Guardian reporters also observed a dozen Uline workers from Mexico living in a hotel near the company’s Pleasant Prairie headquarters, where the company pays for their lodging, food and rental cars. A staff member at the hotel confirmed that Uline was among the first customers at the hotel to book “blocks” of suites for workers when the hotel opened about three years ago.
A spokesperson for Uline and the Uihleins declined to comment.
Sources who spoke to the Guardian alleged that executives at the highest level of the company, including Liz Uihlein, know about shuttle support. It is not clear why executives have turned to staff that are employed by Uline in Mexico to work at their US warehouses, but sources said it could be connected to the company’s strict and complicated hiring practices, which include follicle drug testing of employees.
“They were not able to staff their warehouses, especially in Pennsylvania. So they looked at Mexico for workforce,” alleged one person with close knowledge of the matter.
The Mexican workers have an implicit understanding that they should tell border officials that they are entering the US to be trained at Uline, sources alleged.
One Uline document seen by the Guardian, which was used by a Uline employee in Mexico to enter the U.S., said the employee would be receiving training in warehouse safety, understanding how to use vehicle-mounted unit devices, and understanding how to identify warehouse locations. Legal experts said B1 visas are intended to be used for short-term visits – no longer than six months – and that workers are not meant to engage in “productive employment” in that time.
Once the Mexican workers enter the U.S., sources alleged, they work regular shifts in Uline warehouses alongside their American counterparts.
“They are actually doing work. Not training,” said one person with direct knowledge of the situation. The person added that Uline was “very careful” with the amount of time the Mexican employees stayed in the US.
They are paid their Mexican wages into accounts in Mexico. Although they receive some extra compensation for traveling to the U.S. and staying there, they are paid far less than American counterparts, sources told the Guardian.
“The reason employees want to participate is because they give bonuses to those employees. They are risking their [tourist] visas. If they find out they are working, their visas would be revoked,” said one person with direct knowledge of the matter.
The sources who spoke to the Guardian said Uline pays all the costs for their Mexico-based workers to leave Mexico and fly to warehouse locations in the US, including in Wisconsin and Allentown, Pennsylvania. About 60 to 70 workers from the company’s sites in Mexico may be working in the U.S. at any time, the sources alleged.
One internal Uline document reviewed by the Guardian suggests that at least some Uline workers in Mexico have been hired expressly to take part in the shuttle support program, and that workers understand that their future jobs are dependent on their participation in the program for indefinite periods.
Another internal document shows that requests for Mexican participants came from a senior executive at Uline’s Pleasant Prairie headquarters, where some warehouses are based.
A spokesperson for Uline and the Uihleins declined to comment.
Sources who spoke to the Guardian alleged that executives at the highest level of the company, including Liz Uihlein, know about shuttle support. It is not clear why executives have turned to staff that are employed by Uline in Mexico to work at their US warehouses, but sources said it could be connected to the company’s strict and complicated hiring practices, which include follicle drug testing of employees.
“They were not able to staff their warehouses, especially in Pennsylvania. So they looked at Mexico for workforce,” alleged one person with close knowledge of the matter.
The Mexican workers have an implicit understanding that they should tell border officials that they are entering the US to be trained at Uline, sources alleged.
One Uline document seen by the Guardian, which was used by a Uline employee in Mexico to enter the U.S., said the employee would be receiving training in warehouse safety, understanding how to use vehicle-mounted unit devices, and understanding how to identify warehouse locations. Legal experts said B1 visas are intended to be used for short-term visits – no longer than six months – and that workers are not meant to engage in “productive employment” in that time.
Once the Mexican workers enter the U.S., sources alleged, they work regular shifts in Uline warehouses alongside their American counterparts.
“They are actually doing work. Not training,” said one person with direct knowledge of the situation. The person added that Uline was “very careful” with the amount of time the Mexican employees stayed in the US.
They are paid their Mexican wages into accounts in Mexico. Although they receive some extra compensation for traveling to the U.S. and staying there, they are paid far less than American counterparts, sources told the Guardian.
“The reason employees want to participate is because they give bonuses to those employees. They are risking their [tourist] visas. If they find out they are working, their visas would be revoked,” said one person with direct knowledge of the matter.
The sources who spoke to the Guardian said Uline pays all the costs for their Mexico-based workers to leave Mexico and fly to warehouse locations in the US, including in Wisconsin and Allentown, Pennsylvania. About 60 to 70 workers from the company’s sites in Mexico may be working in the U.S. at any time, the sources alleged.
One internal Uline document reviewed by the Guardian suggests that at least some Uline workers in Mexico have been hired expressly to take part in the shuttle support program, and that workers understand that their future jobs are dependent on their participation in the program for indefinite periods.
Another internal document shows that requests for Mexican participants came from a senior executive at Uline’s Pleasant Prairie headquarters, where some warehouses are based.
CONGRESS REJECTS TRUMP AND MUSK, AVERTS GOV.'T SHUTDOWN
By Al Weaver, Alexander Bolton and Aris Folley
The Hill
The Senate in the early hours of Saturday passed a stopgap funding package, avoiding a government shutdown that would have furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers and bringing a tumultuous week in Congress to a close.
Senators voted 85-11 to approve a continuing resolution (CR) that extends funding at current levels until March 14, provides more than $100 billion in disaster assistance to areas ravaged by hurricanes and other storms and includes economic assistance for farmers.
The bill, which passed the House 366-34-1 earlier Friday, will now head to President Biden desk for his signature ahead of a midnight deadline.
Biden is scheduled to sign the compromise continuing resolution Saturday.
“Tonight, the Senate delivers more good news for America. There will be no government shutdown right before Christmas,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Summer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor ahead of final passage. “This is a good bill. It’ll keep the government open … and helps Americans affected by hurricanes and natural disasters, helps our farmers and avoid harmful cuts.”
(A government shutdown would have caused federal services – ranging from the National Park Service to Border Patrol – to limit and begin closing operations this weekend.
President-elect Donald Trump and Vice-President-elect JD Vance dealt the final blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson's bipartisan funding bill Wednesday night following a pressure campaign led by Elon Musk on X.
Musk, who Trump has tasked with cutting government spending in his future administration, lobbied heavily against the existing deal posting repeatedly against the bill, often with false statements. Congress, after backpedaling, finally passed a bill that did not include the raising of the debt ceiling that Trump wanted.)
“Tonight, the Senate delivers more good news for America. There will be no government shutdown right before Christmas,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Summer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor ahead of final passage. “This is a good bill. It’ll keep the government open … and helps Americans affected by hurricanes and natural disasters, helps our farmers and avoid harmful cuts.”
(A government shutdown would have caused federal services – ranging from the National Park Service to Border Patrol – to limit and begin closing operations this weekend.
President-elect Donald Trump and Vice-President-elect JD Vance dealt the final blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson's bipartisan funding bill Wednesday night following a pressure campaign led by Elon Musk on X.
Musk, who Trump has tasked with cutting government spending in his future administration, lobbied heavily against the existing deal posting repeatedly against the bill, often with false statements. Congress, after backpedaling, finally passed a bill that did not include the raising of the debt ceiling that Trump wanted.)
“After a chaotic few days in the House, it’s good news that the bipartisan approach in the end prevailed. It’s a good lesson for next year. Both sides have to work together,” he added.
The final bill came together quickly after days of uncertainty, during which many lawmakers feared they were careening toward an inevitable shutdown.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was forced to cycle through a number of proposals. A bipartisan, bicameral, 1,547-page deal rolled out on Tuesday collapsed when President-elect Trump announced he wouldn’t support it and demanded any funding plan include a suspension of the debt ceiling.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) fired an early shot at Johnson by announcing that he would not vote for him to serve another two years as Speaker.
The Senate did not play an active role in negotiations after House conservatives and rank-and-file Republicans torpedoed the initial deal, which took weeks to hammer out.
Lawmakers breathed a sigh of relief after it finally passed. But the close brush with a crippling shutdown left some Republicans wondering what chaos might be in store next year, when Republicans will control an even smaller House majority, and Trump is in office.
Friday, December 20, 2024
MUSK AND ABBOTT CHUMPED BY FALSE POSTING ON D.C. STADIUM
By Matthew Chapman
Raw Story
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott applauded Elon Musk's commitment to stopping government waste after the tech billionaire – who heads the "Department of Government Efficiency" task force to try to cut $2 trillion from the budget – vowed to block the federal government from funding the construction of a new football stadium for the Washington Commanders in the omnibus spending deal.
The only problem: it was false.
The flap began when Mario Nawfal, a right-wing social media influencer, posted on Musk's X platform that "Buried in the 1,547-page omnibus bill is a provision to facilitate a $3 billion stadium in Washington, D.C."
Musk quickly replied, "This should not be funded by your tax dollars!"
Abbott cheered Musk on, chiming in, "Good catch, Elon. You are doing a great job."
But according to Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake, none of this is true.
"The thing is not only not in the spending deal; the spending deal explicitly prohibits it," Blake wrote.
Indeed, Page 233 of the continuing resolution contains a passage titled, "PROHIBITING USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS FOR STADIUM," which reads, "The Declaration of Covenants entered into under subsection (a)(1) shall include provisions to ensure that the District may not use Federal funds for stadium purposes on the Campus, including training facilities, offices, and other structures necessary to support a stadium."
Nawfal appeared to backtrack upon being confronted with this information, editing his post on X to read, "Buried in Congress’s 1,547-page spending bill is a provision transferring the RFK Stadium site to D.C., setting the stage for a new Commanders stadium" – which is still a misleading explanation of the bill.
In fact, according to sports reporter A.J. Perez, "D.C. already has a lease for the land for stadium use. The bill creates a new 99-year lease and expands the use of the land from just a stadium to parks, housing and other possibilities. There's still no guarantee the Commanders will relocate there."
Musk thrust Washington into chaos Wednesday by whipping Republicans in Congress against passing the spending bill altogether, threatening primary challenges against any Republican who votes for it, and demanding that nothing be passed until Trump has been sworn in. Lawmakers could be forced to hastily write a new, smaller stopgap bill, and a government shutdown has become more likely.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott applauded Elon Musk's commitment to stopping government waste after the tech billionaire – who heads the "Department of Government Efficiency" task force to try to cut $2 trillion from the budget – vowed to block the federal government from funding the construction of a new football stadium for the Washington Commanders in the omnibus spending deal.
The only problem: it was false.
The flap began when Mario Nawfal, a right-wing social media influencer, posted on Musk's X platform that "Buried in the 1,547-page omnibus bill is a provision to facilitate a $3 billion stadium in Washington, D.C."
Musk quickly replied, "This should not be funded by your tax dollars!"
Abbott cheered Musk on, chiming in, "Good catch, Elon. You are doing a great job."
But according to Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake, none of this is true.
"The thing is not only not in the spending deal; the spending deal explicitly prohibits it," Blake wrote.
Indeed, Page 233 of the continuing resolution contains a passage titled, "PROHIBITING USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS FOR STADIUM," which reads, "The Declaration of Covenants entered into under subsection (a)(1) shall include provisions to ensure that the District may not use Federal funds for stadium purposes on the Campus, including training facilities, offices, and other structures necessary to support a stadium."
Nawfal appeared to backtrack upon being confronted with this information, editing his post on X to read, "Buried in Congress’s 1,547-page spending bill is a provision transferring the RFK Stadium site to D.C., setting the stage for a new Commanders stadium" – which is still a misleading explanation of the bill.
In fact, according to sports reporter A.J. Perez, "D.C. already has a lease for the land for stadium use. The bill creates a new 99-year lease and expands the use of the land from just a stadium to parks, housing and other possibilities. There's still no guarantee the Commanders will relocate there."
Musk thrust Washington into chaos Wednesday by whipping Republicans in Congress against passing the spending bill altogether, threatening primary challenges against any Republican who votes for it, and demanding that nothing be passed until Trump has been sworn in. Lawmakers could be forced to hastily write a new, smaller stopgap bill, and a government shutdown has become more likely.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
MAGA "PATRIOTS": CELEBRATE TRUMP'S WIN. BUY A GUN.
(Ed.'s Note: We're not making this up. Apparently, the election of Donald Trump is cause for celebration and merits the purchase of a semi-automatic assault rifle, according to the pitch below. If you are a real patriot – and gullible enough – you will plunk down $2,997 for this baby, when one can obtain one for around $500. Unbelievable.)
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
Patriots,
They said it couldn't be done.
The deep state. The media. The entire establishment.
But Trump just pulled off the greatest comeback in American history. And we're commemorating his victory in TRUE Trump fashion: By creating the most exclusive collector's rifle ever made.
Each MAGA Patriot AR-15 is:
✓ Precision-engineered to TRUMP TOUGH presidential standards
✓ Hand-built by master American craftsmen
✓ Sub-MOA accurate and combat-grade durable with a lifetime warranty
✓ A unique, cerakote, commemorative work of art!
But here's the historic part:
On January 6th, when Congress certifies Trump's victory, we're PERMANENTLY ending production.
No more MAGA-Patriot AR-15s will ever be made.
Think about it: You're not just getting the finest AR-15 ever crafted...
You're securing a piece of American history. A symbol of the day America roared back.
When your grandkids ask about the greatest political comeback ever...
You'll have more than a story. You'll have the rifle that celebrated it.
Patriots,
They said it couldn't be done.
The deep state. The media. The entire establishment.
But Trump just pulled off the greatest comeback in American history. And we're commemorating his victory in TRUE Trump fashion: By creating the most exclusive collector's rifle ever made.
✓ Precision-engineered to TRUMP TOUGH presidential standards
✓ Hand-built by master American craftsmen
✓ Sub-MOA accurate and combat-grade durable with a lifetime warranty
✓ A unique, cerakote, commemorative work of art!
But here's the historic part:
On January 6th, when Congress certifies Trump's victory, we're PERMANENTLY ending production.
No more MAGA-Patriot AR-15s will ever be made.
Think about it: You're not just getting the finest AR-15 ever crafted...
You're securing a piece of American history. A symbol of the day America roared back.
When your grandkids ask about the greatest political comeback ever...
You'll have more than a story. You'll have the rifle that celebrated it.
OFFICER USED TO CHARGE CHAMBERS LOSES FELONY CONVICTIONS APPEAL
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
The Texas 13th Court of Appeals has upheld the convictions for misuse of public information of
Alfredo Avalos, the man who was the main witness used by prosecutors to indict John Chambers, former Republican candidate for Cameron County Sheriff, for tampering with a government document, i.e., of falsifying his reserves' weapon certifications.The court issued its findings Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Avalos – a lieutenant with the Bishop Police Department in 2019 – was indicted September 15, 2021, on two counts of the offense of misuse of official information, a third-degree felony. A jury convicted Avalos of both counts of misuse of official information. He withdrew his request for jury punishment and the Cameron County District Attorney recommended community supervision for a period of five years with a $2,000 fine. Defense counsel requested two years’ community supervision without the assessment of a fine.
The trial court ultimately sentenced appellant to three years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Institutions Division, probated his sentence, and placed him on community supervision for a period of four years. with a $1,000 fine.
Avalos had a police records staffer use the Texas Law Enforcement Communications System (“TLETS”) to run two license plate searches and he performed a master query for all vehicle information available through TLETS, which includes the Texas Crime Information Center (“TCIC”), the Texas Department of Insurance database, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicle database, and the National Crime Information Center (“NCIC”).
With Avalos being the main witness against him on the documents case in 2016, Chambers was sentenced to one year probation and fined $1,400 on June 2021.
Because TLETS obtains information from the Texas Department of Insurance database, the results of the query included insurance policy and coverage information.
Avalos then used the information to investigate a man who had become his ex-wife's mate and visited his parents' house where he introduced himself as a police officer to his mother and had wanted to tell Hernandez that he knew he was still
married and that he was looking out for his ex and the mother of his son,
because Hernandez was dragging his son into his affair and was a “bad person”.
Before leaving the home, Avalos stated that he was going to run the license
plates on two parked vehicles in order to “know who they are.” He then used his cell phone to ask the records employee to run both license plates.
Detective
Juan Alvarez, a thirty-one-year veteran of the Brownsville Police Department,
testified that appellant’s use of information “accessible to him by his job for
nongovernmental purposes and for personal reasons” constituted “sufficient
grounds” to believe that he had committed the offense of misuse of official
information. A jury agreed and convicted him on the two felonies.
Avalos, through his attorney Phil Cowen, appealed the convictions to the 13th Court of Appeals on technical grounds that the state was wrong when it asserted that a “rational trier of...fact could have found the essential elements of misuse of official
information beyond a reasonable doubt based on the evidence and
reasonable inferences from that evidence.
He also charged that the state apparently glossed over the specific references to how the...void for vagueness challenge concerning (certain sections) that they claim was "unconstitutional as applied” to Avalos.
After granting the motion for review, the justices concluded that the review was "improvidently granted" and dismissed his motion for review.
"Avalos fabricated his story about me," Chambers said, when told of the appeals' court decision. "Now his felony convictions were upheld (which) shows that he is a habitual liar and does things for his own personal gain."
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
PROBE INTO HOW A MAN FELL OUT OF A SHERIFF DEPT. UNIT UNDERWAY
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
A man is said to have ended at a local hospital and was in critical condition Tuesday afternoon following a bizarre incident where he is said to have jumped out of the back window of a Cameron County Sheriff's Department while being transported to the Rucker-Carrizalez Corrections Center late Sunday or early Monday morning.
The incident – which has not been addressed in Sheriff Eric Garza's social pages – was confirmed by sources inside the department. They say department administrators are investigating how a handcuffed person could have opened the rear window of the unit, wedge himself through it, and fall outside the moving vehicle. Neither the name of the inmate, the charges against him, or the identity of the deputy have been made public.
The incident is said to have happened in the rural area off FM 511.
"He landed on his head and was laying on the ground when a car traveling behind the unit caught up with it and told the deputy that the man had been hanging out the window before he fell and that he was a handcuffed and lying on the road," said a sheriff department source who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to issue any statement on the matter.
According to the sources, sheriff dispatcher recordings indicate the the deputy who was making the transport reported that he was carrying a combative individual in the back of his unit and that that he was increasing his speed. He was then stopped by the other vehicle behind him to let him know the man had fallen off the unit and was lying on the side of the road.
How the individual managed to lower the rear window (in the recordings available the deputy is seen manually raising the rear window after the incident), leap off the moving car, and end up on the road without the officer being aware are some of the questions being raised in the wake of the accident.
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
MATA'S ZETA CARTEL BOSS OSIEL CARDENAS BACK IN MEXICO
By U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Enforcement and Removal
CHICAGO — U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Chicago, with assistance from ERO San Diego, Harlingen, Texas, Mexico City, and ERO Removals’ International Operations Division, today removed Osiel Cardenas Guillen, 57, a known zeta cartel member, to Mexico, where he is wanted for homicide and illegal possession of a firearm.
“The successful removal of Osiel Cardenas, a notorious international fugitive, underscores our unwavering commitment to public safety and justice,” said ERO Chicago Field Office Director Samuel Olson. “This operation, executed with precision and coordination by ERO Chicago, alongside our dedicated partners in San Diego, Harlingen, Mexico City and the International Operations Division, demonstrates the power of collaboration in law enforcement. By returning this dangerous individual to Mexico, where he faces serious charges, we have taken a significant step in safeguarding our communities and upholding the rule of law.”
ERO officers took custody of Cardenas from the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana and transferred him to the Otay Mesa Detention Center. Officers escorted Cardenas via the San Diego Port of Entry where he was handed over to Mexican law enforcement without incident.
Cardenas entered the U.S. on Aug. 27, 1992, in Brownsville, Texas using a Border Crossing Card which permitted a temporary stay within 25 miles of the U.S./Mexico border. On that same date, Cardenas was arrested for possessing with intent to distribute, approximately two kilograms of cocaine. Cardenas was transferred to Cameron County Jail in Brownsville, Texas.
On Jan. 13, 1993, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Brownsville convicted
On Dec. 23, 1993, Cardenas transferred to Mexico under the Treaty between the United States and Mexico on the Execution of Penal Sentences. On March 14, 2000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston filed an indictment against Cardenas for 13 counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, six counts of assault on a federal officer, one count of laundering monetary instruments, one count of conspiracy to import into the United States from Mexico cocaine and marijuana, and one count continuing criminal enterprise.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of Mexico to secure his arrest and extradition. Subsequently, on Jan. 19, 2007, Mexico extradited Cardenas to the United States to stand trial in the Southern District of Texas. On Jan. 19, 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection paroled Cardenas into the United States at the Houston port of entry until Jan. 18, 2008, while under U.S. Marshals Service custody. The Marshals Service transferred Cardenas to the Federal Correctional Facility, La Tuna in Anthony, Texas.
On March 3, 2010, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston convicted
Cardenas of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and threatening to assault and murder a federal agent. Cardenas was sentenced to a total term of 25 years’ incarceration at USP Terre Haute.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of Mexico to secure his arrest and extradition. Subsequently, on Jan. 19, 2007, Mexico extradited Cardenas to the United States to stand trial in the Southern District of Texas. On Jan. 19, 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection paroled Cardenas into the United States at the Houston port of entry until Jan. 18, 2008, while under U.S. Marshals Service custody. The Marshals Service transferred Cardenas to the Federal Correctional Facility, La Tuna in Anthony, Texas.
On March 3, 2010, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston convicted
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Rio Grande Valley in coordination with other federal and local law enforcement partners. As part of a deal with the government, Cardenas agreed to turn over nearly $6 million to the Cameron County Sheriff's Office.
(See photo at right of the late Sheriff Omar Lucio receiving the check from the government. Photo property of Gerardo Danache and reprinted with his permission.)
On Feb. 16, 2022, ERO Chicago encountered Cardenas at USP Terre Haute and lodged an immigration detainer.
On July 3, ERO Mexico City notified ERO Chicago that Cardenas had several active arrest warrants in Mexico.
On Aug. 5, ERO Chicago served Cardenas with a notice of intent to issue a final administrative removal order, citing federal aggravated felony convictions, as amended, in that, at any time after admission, you have been convicted of an aggravated felony, an offense relating to the illicit trafficking in a controlled substance, including a drug trafficking crime.
ERO is one of ICE’s three operational directorates and is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.
Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.
On Feb. 16, 2022, ERO Chicago encountered Cardenas at USP Terre Haute and lodged an immigration detainer.
On July 3, ERO Mexico City notified ERO Chicago that Cardenas had several active arrest warrants in Mexico.
ERO is one of ICE’s three operational directorates and is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.
Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.
Monday, December 16, 2024
WITH 2 WEEKS LEFT ON GARZA' S TERM, KK BUSTERS HITS THE FAN
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
For the past four months, hundreds of inmates at the Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center have not had access to hot water in their showers because of chronic breakdowns in the jail's hot water boilers.Now, with the end of his administration a scant two weeks away, the Sheriff Eric Garza administration has let out a contract to KK Buster Septic Tank Cleaning and Plumbing, of Brownsville, to replace the aging boilers.
What does a septic tank cleaner know about replacing industrial boilers?
"When Manny" Treviño (the incoming new sheriff in January) had a walk-though at the jail, they told him the boilers hadn't been working for the last four months and inmates had to bathe in cold water," said a jailer. "We expected to have a plumbing contractor remove and install them, but the job went to KK Busters."
The problem is compounded because the jail was built around the boilers and they have to be cut and removed because the boilers won't fit through the doors, said the jailer. Their replacements have to be brought in and installed where the old machinery was in place.
"Many people will say that since they are prisoners, they don't really matter," he said. "But sometimes little things like that are very important when you are tying to manage a jail," he said. "The jail is kept very cold with its air conditioning to being with. Having inmates take cold showers in that environment is bad and makes it more difficult for us to maintain good order in the jail. It's a different world in there."
When questioned if the commissioners court had ben told of the problem, the jailers sad that they had notified county maintenance, with little success.
"They tried to fix the problem, but they are general maintenance, not plumbing specialists," he said. "They would come and try to fix them, but they only broke down again soon after. Let's see if Manny doesn't inherit the problem after the KK Busters try to install the new equipment."
WHERE''S THE OUTRAGE AND INIDGNATION OVER GUN VIOLENCE?
As of September, there have been more than 385 mass shootings across the U.S. so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed. Their figures include shootings that happen in homes and in public places.
For each of the last four years there have been more than 600 mass shootings - almost two a day on average.
The deadliest such attack, in Las Vegas in 2017, killed more than 50 people and left 500 wounded. The vast majority of mass shootings, however, leave fewer than 10 people dead.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
TRUMP: BILLIONAIRES WILL BE EXEMPT FROM NORMAL ENVIRONMENTAL RULES
By Victor Tangermann
Futurism
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is dancing with joy now that his new father figure Donald Trump has promised him that he will no longer have to abide by the pesky environmental rules that apply to lowly commoners.
Last Tuesday, president-elect Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post that any "person or company" investing $1 billion or more in the US would "receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental [sic] approvals."
"GET READY TO ROCK!!!" Trump exclaimed.
"This is awesome," gloated Musk, the world's richest man, on X-formerly-Twitter, which he also owns.
The unusual pronouncement makes it sound as though there will soon be two sets of environmental rules in the US: one for the wealthy, and one for everybody else.
The initiative – if it actually happens, which is always a question with Trump – will also likely dovetail with his efforts to roll back environmental protections to pave the way for fossil fuel production.
Trump's pick for Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, is a climate-change skeptic, which means we should expect an even bigger emphasis on oil and gas production.
Meanwhile, the president-elect has called for the US to "drill, baby, drill," while calling the environmental protection initiative known as the Green New Deal the " green new scam" and a "waste" of money.
For his part, Musk has increasingly turned a blind eye to protecting the environment as his public politics have shifted.
Previously, the billionaire had vowed to "expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy, which I believe to be the primary, but not exclusive, sustainable solution" in his 2006 "Secret Market Plan" climate manifesto – which was quietly deleted from the EV maker's website earlier this year.
Musk, who was once hailed as a pioneer in our efforts to electrify cars to save humankind from climate change, has become a poster child for flouting environmental rules. Just last month, the Wall Street Journal found that Tesla's factory in Austin had been leaking hazardous wastewater into the city's sewer, violating local environmental guidelines.
SpaceX's operations at its "Starbase" in South Texas have also repeatedly ran afoul of environmental rules by threatening a nearby nature reserve, including the wildlife that lives there, with its thunderous Starship rocket launches.
The space company was sued in October over unpermitted wastewater discharges.
That's not to mention the chemicals that many researchers believe SpaceX's thousands of Starlink satellites are releasing in the Earth's upper atmosphere as they burn up after their useful lives, a stain on the environment that scientists are only beginning to understand.
Musk has also railed against the Federal Aviation Administration, with SpaceX suing the regulator for "regulatory overreach."
In a bigger sense, Trump is also saying the quiet part out loud by announcing that only companies with a billion dollars to throw around will be allowed to flout environmental rules, leaving everyone else out in the cold.
In other words, the richest men in the world are being served even more rights on a silver platter – at the expense of the American people who will suffer the consequences.
"What about us small business owners?" one X user replied to Musk.
Last Tuesday, president-elect Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post that any "person or company" investing $1 billion or more in the US would "receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental [sic] approvals."
"GET READY TO ROCK!!!" Trump exclaimed.
"This is awesome," gloated Musk, the world's richest man, on X-formerly-Twitter, which he also owns.
The unusual pronouncement makes it sound as though there will soon be two sets of environmental rules in the US: one for the wealthy, and one for everybody else.
The initiative – if it actually happens, which is always a question with Trump – will also likely dovetail with his efforts to roll back environmental protections to pave the way for fossil fuel production.
Trump's pick for Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, is a climate-change skeptic, which means we should expect an even bigger emphasis on oil and gas production.
Meanwhile, the president-elect has called for the US to "drill, baby, drill," while calling the environmental protection initiative known as the Green New Deal the " green new scam" and a "waste" of money.
For his part, Musk has increasingly turned a blind eye to protecting the environment as his public politics have shifted.
Previously, the billionaire had vowed to "expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy, which I believe to be the primary, but not exclusive, sustainable solution" in his 2006 "Secret Market Plan" climate manifesto – which was quietly deleted from the EV maker's website earlier this year.
Musk, who was once hailed as a pioneer in our efforts to electrify cars to save humankind from climate change, has become a poster child for flouting environmental rules. Just last month, the Wall Street Journal found that Tesla's factory in Austin had been leaking hazardous wastewater into the city's sewer, violating local environmental guidelines.
SpaceX's operations at its "Starbase" in South Texas have also repeatedly ran afoul of environmental rules by threatening a nearby nature reserve, including the wildlife that lives there, with its thunderous Starship rocket launches.
The space company was sued in October over unpermitted wastewater discharges.
That's not to mention the chemicals that many researchers believe SpaceX's thousands of Starlink satellites are releasing in the Earth's upper atmosphere as they burn up after their useful lives, a stain on the environment that scientists are only beginning to understand.
Musk has also railed against the Federal Aviation Administration, with SpaceX suing the regulator for "regulatory overreach."
In a bigger sense, Trump is also saying the quiet part out loud by announcing that only companies with a billion dollars to throw around will be allowed to flout environmental rules, leaving everyone else out in the cold.
In other words, the richest men in the world are being served even more rights on a silver platter – at the expense of the American people who will suffer the consequences.
"What about us small business owners?" one X user replied to Musk.
Friday, December 13, 2024
13TH COURT OF APPEALS DENIES TOUCAN WAITER BATTERER'S PLEA
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
The 13th Court of Appeals denied a Brownsville man's appeal of his conviction who was charged with brutally beating his girlfriend in 2021 and who is serving a 25 year prison sentence and was fined $10,000.A jury fund Amado Martinez Jr. guilty after a three-day trial in the 357th District Court under Judge Juan A. Magallanes on January 2023. Initially, he faced charges of attempt to commit murder, aggravated assault with a weapon and burglary of a habitation with intent to commit another felony. His conviction was for the aggravated assault charge.
His appeal claimed that extensive pre-trial publicity on his case in El Rrun-Rrun prejudiced his case and that the court should have granted his request for a change of venue, that the state had not delivered all of the defense's last-minute motions for discovery, and that his conviction on the one charge – aggravated assault – had been erased through a clerical error that dismissed the other two charges.
The denial of his appeal was issued yesterday, December 12.
Martinez was arrested Oct. 18. 2021, by Brownsville police and the U.S. Marshal's Task Force.On Sept. 15, 2021, officers with the Brownsville Police Department responded to an assault call to an apartment complex on the 2400 block of Barnard Road where they found a 49-year-old woman badly beaten lying on the asphalt in a basketball court area.
According to the police department, the woman had been “severely beaten and had several lacerations on her face.” Veronica Rivas Cespedes – a popular waitress at the Toucan Lounge – was tortured by Martinez, her boyfriend. The assault included pulling off her fingernails and chopping off her hair before she was left for dead from the vicious beating, according to friends and relatives.
According to the police department, the woman had been “severely beaten and had several lacerations on her face.” Veronica Rivas Cespedes – a popular waitress at the Toucan Lounge – was tortured by Martinez, her boyfriend. The assault included pulling off her fingernails and chopping off her hair before she was left for dead from the vicious beating, according to friends and relatives.
"Police told the family to keep quiet make believe that she was dead so they could make an arrest," said a family friend.
Her co-workers at the lounge where she worked held a fundraiser to help her with medical expenses.
Police obtained an arrest warrant for Martinez and he was taken into custody. His bond was set at $1 million and then raised to $3 million due to the extreme violent character of the offense.
"We feel that justice had been served on this defendant," said Cameron County D.A. Luis V. Saenz. "I was very proud of our staff for fighting for the victim and getting this violent individual off the street."
Thursday, December 12, 2024
RUEGA POR NOSOTROS VIRGEN MORENA MARIA GUADALUPE
Along his way, in the village of Guadalupe, the Virgin Mary appeared, speaking to him in his native Nahuatl language. She told him to build a church at the site, but when Juan Diego spoke to the Spanish bishop the bishop did not believe him, asking for a miraculous sign.
The Virgin told Juan Diego to gather flowers from a hill, even though it was winter, when no plants bloom. He found Spanish roses and presented these to the bishop. When the roses fell from his tilma (a kind of apron) an icon of the Virgin remained imprinted on the cloth.
Whether you believe the story or not, many of our fellow residents here who are Catholics do and we live in a society based on religious tolerance so we must respect people's beliefs. The photo was taken at Guadalupe Church on Lincoln Street and graciously sent to us by one of our Catholic readers.)
MUNICIPAL COURT SERVICES OPEN TODAY AT S-MOST TAX OFFICE
To: Cameron County Tax Assessor Collector Tony Yzaguirre
From: Mirla V. Deaton, City of Brownsville, COB Municipal Court Assistant
Dear Mr. Yzaguirre,
This email serves as a progress "Check-In" related to the COB's Municipal Court Service Counter initiative at the Cameron County Tax Office - Southmost Branch.
In line with our commitment to the City of Brownsville's "ONE CITY" mindset, this project represents another important step in enhancing the services we provide to our citizens. It underscores our continued partnership and plays a crucial role in improving accessibility for our Southmost community, ensuring they have convenient access to Municipal Court services.
This email serves as a progress "Check-In" related to the COB's Municipal Court Service Counter initiative at the Cameron County Tax Office - Southmost Branch.
In line with our commitment to the City of Brownsville's "ONE CITY" mindset, this project represents another important step in enhancing the services we provide to our citizens. It underscores our continued partnership and plays a crucial role in improving accessibility for our Southmost community, ensuring they have convenient access to Municipal Court services.
Effective December 12, 2024, Municipal Court payment and information services Kiosk as your Southmost location will "Go-Live". Your team has been instrumental in making this initiative happen.
Below is a quick summary of services to be offered and hours of operation:
*Services Available:Payment and Information Kiosk, staffed by one of our dedicated service members.
Service Hours:Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (mirroring tax office hours of operation)
Service Hours:Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (mirroring tax office hours of operation)
*This project is designed to bring vital services closer to our community, making them more accessible and ensuring a positive impact for those who need it most. We are excited to continue supporting the needs of our residents through efforts such as these.
Please contact me immediately if further information may be required.
PARKS AND REC INSTALLS TEMPORARY JUNGLE GYM AFTER $50,000 SET WAS TORCHED
Vandalism-plagued Harry McNair Park on Levee Street between E. 4th and 5th streets is getting a temporary jungle gym after the original $50,000 playground fixture was destroyed by a fire this past Thanksgiving Day.
Brownsville Police report that no one was hurt, but the park’s $50,000 jungle gym was destroyed.
The city said this was not the first time the park was vandalized. and say they they’re investigating the fire.
“We've had vandalism here before, more recently with one of our fountains here,” Brownsville Parks and Recreation Director Sean De Palma told a news station. “We have a public fountain and there's graffiti and so forth, and we're just asking the community to partner with us."
De Palma said said it'll be there for at least a year before a permanent replacement piece is brought in.
If you know anything, call Brownsville police at 956-548-7000.
If you know anything, call Brownsville police at 956-548-7000.
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
BOURDAIN: "RESTAURANT BUSINESS...WOULD COLLAPSE OVERNIGHT WITHOUT MEXICAN WORKERS"
By Anthony Bourdain
“Americans love Mexican food. We consume nachos, tacos, burritos, tortas, enchiladas, tamales and anything resembling Mexican in enormous quantities. We love Mexican beverages, happily knocking back huge amounts of tequila, mezcal, and Mexican beer every year.
As any chef will tell you, our entire service economy– the restaurant business as we know it – in most American cities, would collapse overnight without Mexican workers. Some, of course, like to claim that Mexicans are “stealing American jobs.”
But in two decades as a chef and employer, I never had ONE American kid walk in my door and apply for a dishwashing job, a porter’s position – or even a job as a prep cook. Mexicans do much of the work in this country that Americans, probably, simply won’t do.
We love Mexican drugs. Maybe not you personally, but “we”, as a nation, certainly consume titanic amounts of them — and go to extraordinary lengths and expense to acquire them. We love Mexican music, Mexican beaches, Mexican architecture, interior design, Mexican films.
So, why don’t we love Mexico?
We throw up our hands and shrug at what happens and what is happening just across the border. Maybe we are embarrassed. Mexico, after all, has always been there for us, to service our darkest needs and desires. Whether it’s dress up like fools and get passed-out drunk and sunburned on spring break in Cancun, throw pesos at strippers in Tijuana, or get toasted on Mexican drugs, we are seldom on our best behavior in Mexico. They have seen many of us at our worst. They know our darkest desires.
In the service of our appetites, we spend billions and billions of dollars each year on Mexican drugs – while at the same time spending billions and billions more trying to prevent those drugs from reaching us. The effect on our society is everywhere to be seen.
We love Mexican drugs. Maybe not you personally, but “we”, as a nation, certainly consume titanic amounts of them — and go to extraordinary lengths and expense to acquire them. We love Mexican music, Mexican beaches, Mexican architecture, interior design, Mexican films.
So, why don’t we love Mexico?
We throw up our hands and shrug at what happens and what is happening just across the border. Maybe we are embarrassed. Mexico, after all, has always been there for us, to service our darkest needs and desires. Whether it’s dress up like fools and get passed-out drunk and sunburned on spring break in Cancun, throw pesos at strippers in Tijuana, or get toasted on Mexican drugs, we are seldom on our best behavior in Mexico. They have seen many of us at our worst. They know our darkest desires.
In the service of our appetites, we spend billions and billions of dollars each year on Mexican drugs – while at the same time spending billions and billions more trying to prevent those drugs from reaching us. The effect on our society is everywhere to be seen.
Whether it’s kids nodding off and overdosing in small town Vermont, gang violence in L.A., burned out neighborhoods in Detroit – it’s there to see. What we don’t see, however, haven’t really noticed, and don’t seem to much care about, is the 80,000 dead in Mexico, just in the past few years – mostly innocent victims. Eighty thousand families who’ve been touched directly by the so-called “War On Drugs”.
Mexico. Our brother from another mother. A country, with whom, like it or not, we are inexorably, deeply involved, in a close but often uncomfortable embrace.
Look at it. It’s beautiful. It has some of the most ravishingly beautiful beaches on earth. Mountains, desert, jungle. Beautiful colonial architecture, a tragic, elegant, violent, ludicrous, heroic, lamentable, heartbreaking history.
Mexican wine country rivals Tuscany for gorgeousness.
Its archeological sites – the remnants of great empires, unrivaled anywhere. And as much as we think we know and love it, we have barely scratched the surface of what Mexican food really is. It is NOT melted cheese over tortilla chips. It is not simple, or easy. It is not simply “bro food” at halftime. It is in fact, old – older even than the great cuisines of Europe, and often deeply complex, refined, subtle, and sophisticated.
A true mole sauce, for instance, can take DAYS to make, a balance of freshly (always fresh) ingredients painstakingly prepared by hand. It could be, should be, one of the most exciting cuisines on the planet, if we paid attention. The old school cooks of Oaxaca make some of the more difficult and nuanced sauces in gastronomy. And some of the new generation – many of whom have trained in the kitchens of America and Europe – have returned home to take Mexican food to new and thrilling heights.
It’s a country I feel particularly attached to and grateful for. In nearly 30 years of cooking professionally, just about every time I walked into a new kitchen, it was a Mexican guy who looked after me, had my back, showed me what was what, and was there – and on the case – when the cooks like me, with backgrounds like mine, ran away to go skiing or surfing or simply flaked. I have been fortunate to track where some of those cooks come from, to go back home with them.
To small towns populated mostly by women – where in the evening, families gather at the town’s phone kiosk, waiting for calls from their husbands, sons and brothers who have left to work in our kitchens in the cities of the North. I have been fortunate enough to see where that affinity for cooking comes from, to experience moms and grandmothers preparing many delicious things, with pride and real love, passing that food made by hand from their hands to mine.
In years of making television in Mexico, it’s one of the places we, as a crew, are happiest when the day’s work is over.
We’ll gather around a street stall and order soft tacos with fresh, bright, delicious salsas, drink cold Mexican beer, sip smoky mezcals, and listen with moist eyes to sentimental songs from street musicians. We will look around and remark, for the hundredth time, what an extraordinary place this is.
The perceived wisdom is that Mexico will never change. That is hopelessly corrupt, from top to bottom. That it is useless to resist – to care, to hope for a happier future. But there are heroes out there who refuse to go along. On episodes of “Parts Unknown,” we meet a few of them. People who are standing up against overwhelming odds, demanding accountability, demanding change – at great, even horrifying personal cost.”
In years of making television in Mexico, it’s one of the places we, as a crew, are happiest when the day’s work is over.
We’ll gather around a street stall and order soft tacos with fresh, bright, delicious salsas, drink cold Mexican beer, sip smoky mezcals, and listen with moist eyes to sentimental songs from street musicians. We will look around and remark, for the hundredth time, what an extraordinary place this is.
The perceived wisdom is that Mexico will never change. That is hopelessly corrupt, from top to bottom. That it is useless to resist – to care, to hope for a happier future. But there are heroes out there who refuse to go along. On episodes of “Parts Unknown,” we meet a few of them. People who are standing up against overwhelming odds, demanding accountability, demanding change – at great, even horrifying personal cost.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
rita
