Tuesday, November 10, 2026
HARLINGEN RESIDENT SANDRA GOMEZ TO CITY: RELEASE THE FILES!
According to a letter submitted to the Texas Attorney General by the Harlingen city attorney, Mark Sussi, the city is requesting that "Highly intimate or embarrassing" emails between Harlingen mayor, Norma Sepulveda and Harlingen Police Chief, Alfredo Alvear, be exempt from being released to the public.
Sossi – a master of legal gibberish and delay – knows that the usual review by the Texas AG will gain the city some time, but inevitably, unless it's a city personnel matter or real-estate purchase information, it will eventually be declared open to the public.
Hmmm..We wonder what could be "highly intimate" and "embarrassing" in those missives...Release the Files!
TEXAS REP. (D-38) ERIN GAMEZ PRE-FILES HER LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES
AUSTIN, TX - Representative Erin Elizabeth Gámez (D-Brownsville) filed her first round of bills
today. The session formally begins on January 12, 2027, and will conclude on May 31, 2027.
“I’m thrilled to share that I have filed my initial round of bills for the upcoming legislative session. There will be additional bills filed as we continue to gear up for the next legislative session. These bills were developed in collaboration with various community stakeholders. I believe these initiatives will make a positive difference in our community and across our great state."
HB 712: Was filed in response to the tragic shooting incident at the Brownsville Public Library in 2024. It empowers municipalities and counties to prohibit firearms in libraries they operate.
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HB 676: This bill will require mass political text messages to disclose their source, similar to existing requirements for other forms of political advertising, including television and radio. This will help ensure transparency by allowing the public to know who is behind these messages and who is funding the campaigns sending them.
HB 671: With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we saw an overwhelming amount of political ads using AI to distort or create fabricated images. These ads should disclose their use of AI so the public isn’t mislead to believe the images are real.
I look forward to continuing to fight to improve our Texas schools this upcoming session. That is why I have filed the following bills:
HB 580: If, the School Voucher system is to continue at all, it must be drastically improved. That is why I am filing legislation to ensure that schools participating in the voucher program are fully ADA compliant for our students with disabilities.
HB 741: Aims to improve how Texas schools are rated by adding new factors that reflect student success, such as achievements in the arts, bilingual education, and career readiness, while recognizing accomplishments beyond test scores, like college credits and industry certifications.
I will always work to support families and promote health in our community. I’ve introduced the following bills to continue that work:
HB 671: With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we saw an overwhelming amount of political ads using AI to distort or create fabricated images. These ads should disclose their use of AI so the public isn’t mislead to believe the images are real.
I look forward to continuing to fight to improve our Texas schools this upcoming session. That is why I have filed the following bills:
HB 580: If, the School Voucher system is to continue at all, it must be drastically improved. That is why I am filing legislation to ensure that schools participating in the voucher program are fully ADA compliant for our students with disabilities.
HB 741: Aims to improve how Texas schools are rated by adding new factors that reflect student success, such as achievements in the arts, bilingual education, and career readiness, while recognizing accomplishments beyond test scores, like college credits and industry certifications.
I will always work to support families and promote health in our community. I’ve introduced the following bills to continue that work:
HB 631: Protects mothers' rights to breastfeed at work, and requires state agencies to support breastfeeding.
HB 721: Improves data collection on mental health bed allocation by adding evaluations of resources, funding methods, and the impact of current protocols on state-funded beds, aiming to increase transparency and improve access to mental health resources.
HB 679: Directs the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to study the parking needs of individuals with disabilities, particularly disabled veterans and those with mobility impairments. The goal is to evaluate current laws and regulations regarding designated parking spaces and recommend improvements.
HB 385: This bill will ensure that children involved in the criminal justice system receive the attention and support they deserve while improving the efficiency of the system and preventing children from remaining in detention for unnecessarily prolonged periods of time.
HB 661: Minors who can make medical decisions for their children should be able to make medical decisions for themselves. This bill would give them that authority.
HB 683: We all cherish our clean air and water. That is why I filed legislation to reduce unnecessary vehicle pollution in Cameron County.
HB 692: Our court system must protect children. That is why I am filed legislation to make court interviews less traumatic for children.
HCR 16: Designates the Texas Sabal Palm as the official palm tree of Texas. As our team continues to gear up for the Legislative session additional bills will be filed.
I am dedicated to collaborating with my fellow legislators to enact meaningful policy change. Here’s to a successful 90th Legislative Session!”
BEFORE YOU COMPLAIN OF THE RAIN, A SCENE OF BEAUTY IN THE DELUGE
( Ed.'s Note: It's wet and muddy outside. Cars are stalled in the flooded streets, and you forget your umbrella in the last place you stopped. Yet, one of our seven readers took the time to capture a picture of this plant which we found out is called a plumeria (commonly known as frangipani), an imported tropical deciduous tree or large shrub in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae) famous for its waxy, intensely fragrant blossoms and for its use in traditional Hawaiian leis. Apparently, this plant is right at home in our semi-arid – or is it semi-tropical? – Rio Grande Valley. Nice.)
ART IMITATING ART AS HESGETH IMPEACHEMENT LOOMS...
HESGETH AND TRUMP:
CHARLIE CHAPLIN AS THE CHICKEN IN THE GOLD RUSH....
Monday, November 9, 2026
KAYAKING ON LA VILLITA STREET GOING TO LA PITADA DE LOS COWBOYS!
No es Matamoros es Brownsville es la Villita (rumbo à la Pitada ) 
"CHOSEN PEOPLE" – AND WILLING COUNTRIES – DESTROY PALESTINIAN HOMES, STARVE OLD PEOPLE, KILL THEM, AND ENABLE CONTINUING ISRAELI GENOCIDE
Facebook
Israel didn’t even allow them to remove their belongings. The soldiers showed up first thing this morning, threw stun grenades into the apartments and made everyone leave. Then they brought in their bulldozers and demolished everything.
The “reason”? Improper building permits.
The real reason: because they can.
Israel didn’t even allow them to remove their belongings. The soldiers showed up first thing this morning, threw stun grenades into the apartments and made everyone leave. Then they brought in their bulldozers and demolished everything.
The “reason”? Improper building permits.
The real reason: because they can.
The family sat among rubble after home demolition over building permits.
The video shows a group of children and a woman sitting on large concrete slabs amid extensive rubble under an overcast sky. In the foreground, an older girl with long dark hair wearing a black velvet top and light green pants appears tearful, at times wiping her eye and looking off-camera.
Behind her, a younger girl in a red hoodie is held by a woman wearing a red headscarf and dark clothing. A young boy in a blue shirt and green jacket stands nearby, looking serious. The camera alternates between a close side view and a wider frontal view revealing more of the destroyed site with scattered stones and twisted metal.
A watermark reading "HAMZA AFAHA" is visible throughout. The accompanying caption describes Israeli soldiers arriving in the morning, using stun grenades, forcing residents out without allowing them to take belongings, and then demolishing the homes citing improper building permits, framing the action as unjust and supported by American taxpayers. The scene captures the immediate human impact of Zionist displacement of helpless Palestinian families.
REMEMBER THESE COUNTRIES
Sunday, November 8, 2026
"IT'S THE WAY I MAKE MY LIVING": "SELLING OUT AIN'T MUCH OF A LIVING, BOY."
guero-1523: Sellout as MF'ers 🖕🏽 🥥
eddie1071: This will soon end!!! We will make sure they feel their shame!
joeadam1301: It’s a shame because the ICE agents of Mexican decent are 90 percent most likely to be the grand children of Mexicans to cross the borders without papers. It’s freaking shameful.
"MI MATAMOROS QUERIDO, NO TE QUIERO VER QUEMAR..."
Saturday, November 7, 2026
JOHN WOOD, CITY, COUNTY AND PORT COMISSIONER, DIES
Commissioner John Wood, Place 2, is joined by his wife Dr. Virginia and one of his sons after receiving a proclamation and award of recognition for his years of dedicated service to the district at a regular BND board meeting held May 13, in the BND boardroom.
Port of Brownsville
Word was received last night on the passing away of longtime public servant John Wood. He was 79 years of age.
Wood arrived in Brownsville in 1970 as a 23-year-old Southwestern Bell company manager. More than five decades later, he is retiring from public service after helping shape some of the city’s most consequential civic projects, from establishing City Hall on the former site of the U.S. Federal Courthouse to negotiating an international bridge that carries millions of dollars in commerce each day.
His work also includes revitalizing Cameron Park, one of Cameron County’s most underserved neighborhoods, and helping anchor the Rio Grande Valley’s leading maritime port.
Along the way, Wood contributed significantly to the development and growth of major community institutions that continue to shape Brownsville’s civic and cultural landscape. These efforts include helping to establish the Brownsville Event Center; the Tennis Center, developed with the support of benefactors Al Roser and Carl Chilton; the Mitte Foundation; and Veterans Park, as well as negotiating the City of Brownsville’s purchase of landfill property from the Port of Brownsville.
Additionally, with the assistance of historian Chula Griffin, he helped rehabilitate the old city cemetery.
He also provided state‑level testimony on behalf of the Brownsville Public Utilities Board in support of municipally owned utilities and participated in Brownsville Police Department ride‑alongs, experiences he said broadened his understanding of public safety, governance, and frontline decision‑making. Throughout his career, Wood maintained close working relationships with community leaders, including Rubén Edelstein, as part of his efforts to connect local priorities with regional and state institutions.
While serving as County Commissioner, Wood worked with Cameron County staff and officials in Mexico City to relocate the rail line out of the cities of Brownsville and Matamoros, creating a safer community and establishing a more direct route from the Port of Brownsville to Mexico.
His last chapter, a 12-year tenure on the Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners, ended with gratitude and a perspective forged by service and responsibility.
Our condolences to his friends and family
Visiting hours will be held on Friday, the 13th of November 2026 between the hours of 3 P.M. and 9 P.M., with the recitation of the holy rosary to begin at 7 P.M. Friday evening within the East Chapel of Darling-Mouser Funeral Home.
The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 A.M. Saturday, the 14th of November 2026 at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 1914 Barnard Road, Brownsville. All services will conclude at the church.
AMERICAN-FLAG BLUE WAVE SWEEPS ASIDE THE UNREFLECTIVE FOOL!
Catch a Wave And You'll be Sitting on Top of The WORLD...
GINA'S BLUE WAVE MADE UP OF BLACK, BROWN, ASIAN, EDUCATED VOTERS
GINA VS. ABBOTT BY THE NUMBERS
Demographic data from the 2026 Texas gubernatorial race shows a stark contrast in voter coalitions between Democrat Gina Hinojosa and Republican incumbent Greg Abbott. In a historic upset, Hinojosa became the first Latina governor-elect of Texas, driven heavily by record-breaking turnout among Hispanic and Black voters, alongside strong support from younger demographics and women. Abbott maintained his core strength among White voters, men, and rural, non-college-educated populations.
According to voter survey and polling data compiled by networks like CNN (SSRS), the breakdown of support across key demographics includes:
Race and Ethnicity
Black Voters: Heavily favored Hinojosa. She captured 90 percent of Black women and 87 percent of Black men.
Hispanic/Latino Voters: A crucial driver for Hinojosa's victory. Over 2.7 million Hispanic Texans voted, up from 2 million in 2022.Latina Women: Supported Hinojosa at 69 percent.
Latino Men: Supported Hinojosa at 57 percent though a significant 42 percent voted for Abbott.
White Voters: Remained a stronghold for Abbott. He captured 61 percent of White men and 57 percent of White women.
Gender and Age
Age Groups: Hinojosa dominated among younger generations, holding comfortable leads in the 18–34 and 18–44 age groups. Abbott carried voters aged 35 and older.
Education and Geography
Education: Hinojosa led with college-educated voters, whereas Abbott held the advantage among non-degree holders.
Geography: Hinojosa won the race by dominating urban centers, flipping fast-growing suburban strongholds (like Denton and Collin counties), and securing massive margins in heavily Hispanic South Texas border counties (such as Hidalgo and Starr). Abbott retained control over the majority of West Texas, East Texas, and the Panhandle regions
Friday, November 6, 2026
OUR BROWNSVILLE'S KIDS DESERVE BETTER: LOSS OF INPATIENT PEDIATRIC CARE
By A Concerned Community Resident:
Brownsville is facing a serious healthcare concern that deserves the attention of our entire community.
In May 2026, Valley Regional Medical Center discontinued its inpatient pediatric services. Now, Valley Baptist Medical Center–Brownsville has announced that it will stop accepting admissions to its inpatient pediatric unit effective November 13, 2026.
This decision leaves Brownsville and its surrounding communities without general inpatient pediatric services at either of these major hospital facilities.
According to the November 3 memorandum issued by Valley Baptist's CEO, pediatric emergency services will continue at the Brownsville facility, as will its Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). However, pediatric inpatient and intensive care services will remain available at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen.
While this announcement may sound like a reasonable redistribution of services, it raises an important question: What happens to the thousands of children in Brownsville and surrounding communities when they need hospitalization?
The pediatric population in this area exceeds 53,000 children. This is a substantial population that warrants access to appropriate hospital services.
There is an important medical distinction that needs to be understood. Most children who require inpatient hospitalization do not need a pediatric subspecialist. Many common childhood illnesses and medical conditions can be appropriately treated by qualified general pediatricians in a properly staffed inpatient pediatric unit.
Children admitted with pneumonia, dehydration, asthma exacerbations, respiratory infections, gastrointestinal illnesses, and numerous other conditions often require hospital admission, intravenous treatment, monitoring, and continued medical care. These patients do not necessarily require subspecialty services.
For children whose conditions require a higher level of care or specialized expertise, arrangements can be made for transfer to Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen when clinically appropriate and when resources are available.
The availability of subspecialists in Harlingen should not be confused with the medical necessity of maintaining general inpatient pediatric services in Brownsville.
An emergency department is not a substitute for an inpatient pediatric unit. Emergency departments evaluate and stabilize patients, but children who require continued hospitalization need appropriate beds, nursing care, and physicians capable of managing their conditions.
Nor does maintaining a neonatal intensive care unit address the needs of older infants, children, and adolescents who require hospitalization.
Families in Brownsville, Rancho Viejo, Olmito, and surrounding communities will now face the possibility of traveling to Harlingen when their children need inpatient care. This creates additional burdens for parents, particularly those without reliable transportation, those with other children at home, and families who cannot afford repeated travel.
We must also consider the availability of emergency medical transportation. A critically ill child may require a timely transfer, and the distance between facilities becomes an important consideration.
The announcement describes this change as an effort to streamline services and focus resources on acute care. However, the memorandum does not provide the admission statistics, bed utilization figures, financial analysis, or community needs assessment necessary for the public to understand the basis for this decision.
If patient volume is the justification, where are the numbers? If financial considerations are driving the decision, where is the supporting analysis? Has anyone adequately evaluated the impact on the pediatric population of Brownsville and surrounding communities?
This is not an argument against hospital consolidation or the responsible management of healthcare resources. Nor is it an argument that every pediatric specialty must be available in every hospital.
It is an argument for maintaining essential general pediatric inpatient services in a community of this size.
Hospital administrators must consider more than operational efficiency. They must also consider access, geography, transportation, the medical needs of children, and the consequences of removing essential services from an already underserved region.
Brownsville deserves transparency and answers. More importantly, its children deserve access to appropriate medical care close to home whenever possible.
Children should not have to leave their community for hospitalization when their medical needs could be appropriately managed locally.
Our children cannot advocate for themselves. It is our responsibility as a community to speak for them.
In May 2026, Valley Regional Medical Center discontinued its inpatient pediatric services. Now, Valley Baptist Medical Center–Brownsville has announced that it will stop accepting admissions to its inpatient pediatric unit effective November 13, 2026.
This decision leaves Brownsville and its surrounding communities without general inpatient pediatric services at either of these major hospital facilities.
According to the November 3 memorandum issued by Valley Baptist's CEO, pediatric emergency services will continue at the Brownsville facility, as will its Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). However, pediatric inpatient and intensive care services will remain available at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen.
While this announcement may sound like a reasonable redistribution of services, it raises an important question: What happens to the thousands of children in Brownsville and surrounding communities when they need hospitalization?
The pediatric population in this area exceeds 53,000 children. This is a substantial population that warrants access to appropriate hospital services.
There is an important medical distinction that needs to be understood. Most children who require inpatient hospitalization do not need a pediatric subspecialist. Many common childhood illnesses and medical conditions can be appropriately treated by qualified general pediatricians in a properly staffed inpatient pediatric unit.
Children admitted with pneumonia, dehydration, asthma exacerbations, respiratory infections, gastrointestinal illnesses, and numerous other conditions often require hospital admission, intravenous treatment, monitoring, and continued medical care. These patients do not necessarily require subspecialty services.
For children whose conditions require a higher level of care or specialized expertise, arrangements can be made for transfer to Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen when clinically appropriate and when resources are available.
An emergency department is not a substitute for an inpatient pediatric unit. Emergency departments evaluate and stabilize patients, but children who require continued hospitalization need appropriate beds, nursing care, and physicians capable of managing their conditions.
Nor does maintaining a neonatal intensive care unit address the needs of older infants, children, and adolescents who require hospitalization.
Families in Brownsville, Rancho Viejo, Olmito, and surrounding communities will now face the possibility of traveling to Harlingen when their children need inpatient care. This creates additional burdens for parents, particularly those without reliable transportation, those with other children at home, and families who cannot afford repeated travel.
We must also consider the availability of emergency medical transportation. A critically ill child may require a timely transfer, and the distance between facilities becomes an important consideration.
The announcement describes this change as an effort to streamline services and focus resources on acute care. However, the memorandum does not provide the admission statistics, bed utilization figures, financial analysis, or community needs assessment necessary for the public to understand the basis for this decision.
If patient volume is the justification, where are the numbers? If financial considerations are driving the decision, where is the supporting analysis? Has anyone adequately evaluated the impact on the pediatric population of Brownsville and surrounding communities?
This is not an argument against hospital consolidation or the responsible management of healthcare resources. Nor is it an argument that every pediatric specialty must be available in every hospital.
It is an argument for maintaining essential general pediatric inpatient services in a community of this size.
Hospital administrators must consider more than operational efficiency. They must also consider access, geography, transportation, the medical needs of children, and the consequences of removing essential services from an already underserved region.
Brownsville deserves transparency and answers. More importantly, its children deserve access to appropriate medical care close to home whenever possible.
Children should not have to leave their community for hospitalization when their medical needs could be appropriately managed locally.
Our children cannot advocate for themselves. It is our responsibility as a community to speak for them.
CAMERON COUNTY DEFENDANTS STRUGGLE TO OBTAIN COURT-APPOINTED COUNSEL
Some Cameron County defendants were told to obtain three private-attorney price quotes before requesting a court-appointed lawyer, state monitors found. The review also documented delayed decisions on requests for counsel, and the county promised changes.
John Ferrara
The Hawk's Eye, Consulting and News
Some Cameron County defendants seeking court-appointed lawyers were told to obtain prices from three private attorneys before they could request representation, according to a Texas Indigent Defense Commission review.
Cameron County’s published appointment plan requires appointment as soon as possible, no later than the end of the first working day after Pretrial Services receives the request. It expressly applies that timeframe to people in custody and those who have been released. The plan separately requires the magistrate to transmit the request within 24 hours. Those provisions make the date of the initial request, its transmission, and the resulting decision important to assessing compliance.
The same plan provides a financial framework for eligibility, including an income threshold of 125% of the federal poverty guidelines and available assets no greater than $15,000. It also permits further court screening for someone who does not meet the presumptive income standard. The plan limits how posting bail may be considered and does not treat release alone as proof that a person can afford a lawyer. For an applicant found ineligible, it calls for a written determination and notice of the opportunity to seek judicial review.
In the May 7, 2026 response, Pretrial Services Director Priscilla Guajardo described existing screening procedures and a plan to supply financial affidavits directly to municipal courts. The county said it would end attorney-quote prerequisites and review its instructions and checklists. It also said additional financial information “will not be used to delay, deny, or prevent a defendant from requesting court-appointed counsel.” The response described round-the-clock interviews for defendants transferred to Carrizales or Cameron County Magistrate Court.
The county attributed many felony delays to defendants making bond and failing to complete or return financial affidavits. It pledged timely determinations once completed affidavits arrived. It also promised to track request dates, completed-affidavit dates, decisions, and reasons for delays. Those records would allow a comparison between the time a person first sought counsel and the time the county considered the application complete.
As of November 4, 2026, the county’s Pretrial Services webpage links to application forms in English and Spanish. It also labels supporting documents as required for screening and tells applicants to submit necessary records to avoid processing delays. The page directs people to a separate document checklist.
Some Cameron County defendants seeking court-appointed lawyers were told to obtain prices from three private attorneys before they could request representation, according to a Texas Indigent Defense Commission review.
The county subsequently promised to eliminate that requirement. The commission issued its report on March 12, 2026, and the county submitted its response on May 7, 2026. Publicly posted materials now provide access to application forms, but they do not establish whether defendants are receiving timely decisions.
Monitors observed the three-quote practice in County Court at Law No. 3 during a review involving visits in June and August 2025. The commission made seven findings of noncompliance. Its direction was explicit: “If defendants wish to request appointed counsel, they must be allowed to do so upon request.” The county's written plan already allows defendants to request appointed counsel at any time.
TIDC's public guidance explains that applicants may be asked to disclose income, expenses, and property, provide supporting documents, and swear that their financial information is truthful. Financial screening therefore remains part of the appointment process. But a person’s ability to ask for counsel and the eventual determination of eligibility are separate steps, and the state’s guidance describes financial questions following the request.
The timeliness review covered fiscal year 2024, from October 2023 through September 2024, and excluded files without matched magistrate warnings. Decisions included appointments and indigence denials. These sample results cannot establish countywide rates or current performance. Both adult groups fell below TIDC’s 90 percent benchmark; juvenile appointments met the reviewed deadlines.
Requests for Lawyers Faced Additional Conditions
Monitors observed the three-quote practice in County Court at Law No. 3 during a review involving visits in June and August 2025. The commission made seven findings of noncompliance. Its direction was explicit: “If defendants wish to request appointed counsel, they must be allowed to do so upon request.” The county's written plan already allows defendants to request appointed counsel at any time.
TIDC's public guidance explains that applicants may be asked to disclose income, expenses, and property, provide supporting documents, and swear that their financial information is truthful. Financial screening therefore remains part of the appointment process. But a person’s ability to ask for counsel and the eventual determination of eligibility are separate steps, and the state’s guidance describes financial questions following the request.
Few Sampled Requests Received Timely Decisions
The timeliness review covered fiscal year 2024, from October 2023 through September 2024, and excluded files without matched magistrate warnings. Decisions included appointments and indigence denials. These sample results cannot establish countywide rates or current performance. Both adult groups fell below TIDC’s 90 percent benchmark; juvenile appointments met the reviewed deadlines.
County Rules Already Set a Deadline
The same plan provides a financial framework for eligibility, including an income threshold of 125% of the federal poverty guidelines and available assets no greater than $15,000. It also permits further court screening for someone who does not meet the presumptive income standard. The plan limits how posting bail may be considered and does not treat release alone as proof that a person can afford a lawyer. For an applicant found ineligible, it calls for a written determination and notice of the opportunity to seek judicial review.
The County Promised Changes and Defended Its Process
In the May 7, 2026 response, Pretrial Services Director Priscilla Guajardo described existing screening procedures and a plan to supply financial affidavits directly to municipal courts. The county said it would end attorney-quote prerequisites and review its instructions and checklists. It also said additional financial information “will not be used to delay, deny, or prevent a defendant from requesting court-appointed counsel.” The response described round-the-clock interviews for defendants transferred to Carrizales or Cameron County Magistrate Court.
The county attributed many felony delays to defendants making bond and failing to complete or return financial affidavits. It pledged timely determinations once completed affidavits arrived. It also promised to track request dates, completed-affidavit dates, decisions, and reasons for delays. Those records would allow a comparison between the time a person first sought counsel and the time the county considered the application complete.
Online Forms Are Available but Document Instructions Remain
OWNED BY THE WHITE-SMOKE SNAKE SLITHERING IN THE CLEAR-GLASS STEM
the shriveled crackhead
and the skeletal man-whore
seeking tricks
to quench
the ravenous monkey
devouring their soul
are with us
and we can't, won't,
see
Within a block of where
eBridge manufactures illusions
and the city cyberspins its truths
nursing a lust
hangover
A man-whore sleeps
On a morgue slab
Of stone and rock
brought into the world
by good, decent folk
and lured by the green leaf,
crystalized into rock,
to ruin
not just in the alleys
of the urban hell
but in the plush bosom
where the good people dwell...
and you know that well
ignore it at your own peril
and think its only in the mean streets
where the devil dwells
but he lounges,
jeering,
ln your antechamber
white smoke snaking
through a clear glass stem
WE, THE PEOPLE. WHERE HAVE WE GONE WRONG?
By Jean Nycz
Mountain View
I have been sitting with my thoughts all day, trying to process how our country has gotten to where we are today. Things are happening that, not so long ago, would have been considered unacceptable. And I keep wondering: When did the unthinkable become normal?
Consider the recent attack ad targeting Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton. Her opponent’s campaign issued an ad featuring her estranged mother disputing Acton’s account of childhood abuse, then committed millions of dollars to promote it. Think about that for a moment. Whatever your politics, is this really where we are? Using someone’s childhood trauma to win an election? Have we lost sight of any sense of decency?
I know we have real disagreements in this country. Another one of them is Immigration. But enforcing our laws and treating people humanely are not mutually exclusive.
Mountain View
I have been sitting with my thoughts all day, trying to process how our country has gotten to where we are today. Things are happening that, not so long ago, would have been considered unacceptable. And I keep wondering: When did the unthinkable become normal?
Consider the recent attack ad targeting Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton. Her opponent’s campaign issued an ad featuring her estranged mother disputing Acton’s account of childhood abuse, then committed millions of dollars to promote it. Think about that for a moment. Whatever your politics, is this really where we are? Using someone’s childhood trauma to win an election? Have we lost sight of any sense of decency?
I know we have real disagreements in this country. Another one of them is Immigration. But enforcing our laws and treating people humanely are not mutually exclusive.
Due process matters and so does accountability. When there are serious questions about how people are treated by those acting in our name, in both the political process and policy execution, shouldn’t we want answers and accountability, regardless of our politics?
I remember a time when there were lines you didn’t cross. Watergate led to Nixon’s resignation. Clinton was impeached. Robert Menendez’s actions landed him in federal prison. These were very different situations, but there was an expectation that how you behaved mattered. That there were consequences when you went too far.
Today, it feels like those lines have all but disappeared.
This change didn’t happen overnight. It has been a slow, steady drip that has become a broken dam. An insurrection. The persistent lie that the 2020 election was stolen. Attacks on judges, journalists, and political opponents. One shocking headline after another, with barely enough time to process one before the next arrives.
We’ve become exhausted by it. Maybe that’s the point. When the news cycle never stops, when every day brings something else that would once have been unthinkable, it’s easy to become numb. To shake our heads, feel outraged for a moment, to feel powerless and to then, just move on.
What concerns me most is how easily we seem to excuse and even defend behavior that would once have brought condemnation. When did winning become more important than how we win? When did loyalty to a political party become more important than doing what we know is right?
I refuse to believe that most Americans — regardless of party — want this. We may disagree about taxes, health care, immigration, or the role of government. Those are legitimate differences that deserve rigorous discourse. But surely, we can agree on some basic things. People deserve dignity and due process. Our leaders should be held accountable. And telling the truth shouldn’t depend on which political party benefits.
So how do we find our way back?
It has to start with us. We need to be willing to take off our political party jerseys to hold our politicians accountable to a higher standard. Decency, honesty and respecting the basic humanity of the other side must be the bare minimum we expect from our leaders.
That standard is not unattainable. During the 2017 Alabama Senate race, it was revealed that candidate Roy Moore had credible allegations of sexual misconduct and assault levied against him, including by victims who were minors at the time of the incidents. Multiple senior members of his party stepped up, calling for him to drop out of the race. He refused.
I remember a time when there were lines you didn’t cross. Watergate led to Nixon’s resignation. Clinton was impeached. Robert Menendez’s actions landed him in federal prison. These were very different situations, but there was an expectation that how you behaved mattered. That there were consequences when you went too far.
Today, it feels like those lines have all but disappeared.
We’ve become exhausted by it. Maybe that’s the point. When the news cycle never stops, when every day brings something else that would once have been unthinkable, it’s easy to become numb. To shake our heads, feel outraged for a moment, to feel powerless and to then, just move on.
What concerns me most is how easily we seem to excuse and even defend behavior that would once have brought condemnation. When did winning become more important than how we win? When did loyalty to a political party become more important than doing what we know is right?
I refuse to believe that most Americans — regardless of party — want this. We may disagree about taxes, health care, immigration, or the role of government. Those are legitimate differences that deserve rigorous discourse. But surely, we can agree on some basic things. People deserve dignity and due process. Our leaders should be held accountable. And telling the truth shouldn’t depend on which political party benefits.
So how do we find our way back?
It has to start with us. We need to be willing to take off our political party jerseys to hold our politicians accountable to a higher standard. Decency, honesty and respecting the basic humanity of the other side must be the bare minimum we expect from our leaders.
That standard is not unattainable. During the 2017 Alabama Senate race, it was revealed that candidate Roy Moore had credible allegations of sexual misconduct and assault levied against him, including by victims who were minors at the time of the incidents. Multiple senior members of his party stepped up, calling for him to drop out of the race. He refused.
Instead, Alabama voters held their leaders to that higher standard, and Moore lost the race a few weeks later. That is the power that “We the People” all hold.
On November 3, we once again have an opportunity to make our voices heard. I hope we use it to say that enough is enough. Finding our way back will take time, honesty and a willingness to work together, even when it’s hard. And rest assured, it will be.
I still believe we can do that. I have to believe that there are decent people on all sides who look at what is happening and feel that something has gone terribly wrong.
I think about the country we are leaving for our children and grandchildren. I want our children and their children to inherit a country that stands for something, where people can disagree without losing sight of our shared humanity, and where doing the right thing still matters.
I hope we can find our way back to a place where we don’t have to agree on everything to agree on what matters most.
Basic decency should never have been a partisan issue. It’s time we started acting like it.
On November 3, we once again have an opportunity to make our voices heard. I hope we use it to say that enough is enough. Finding our way back will take time, honesty and a willingness to work together, even when it’s hard. And rest assured, it will be.
I still believe we can do that. I have to believe that there are decent people on all sides who look at what is happening and feel that something has gone terribly wrong.
I think about the country we are leaving for our children and grandchildren. I want our children and their children to inherit a country that stands for something, where people can disagree without losing sight of our shared humanity, and where doing the right thing still matters.
I hope we can find our way back to a place where we don’t have to agree on everything to agree on what matters most.
Basic decency should never have been a partisan issue. It’s time we started acting like it.
Thursday, November 5, 2026
INTRODUCING OUR NEW TEXAS GOVERNOR-ELECT FROM BROWNTOWN
She did it! So incredibly proud of our 1st Latina Governor of Texas, Brownsville's own Gina Hinojosa.
By Edgar Sandoval
New York Times
Gina Hinojosa seemed to come out of nowhere when she announced her run for Texas governor a year ago.
As a Democratic state lawmaker from Austin, she supported transgender rights and opposed enshrining the state’s income tax ban in the Texas Constitution — causes that kept her little known and far from the state’s centers of power.
The well-funded campaign of incumbent Greg Abbott, one of America’s most powerful Republicans, refused to say her name even as her campaign gained momentum over the summer, allowing her to define herself to voters on her own terms.
On Tuesday, Ms. Hinojosa denied Mr. Abbott a record-setting fourth term. She became the first Democrat to win statewide office in more than 30 years and the first Latina to be elected governor in Texas.
“Latinas led the charge,” said Maria Teresa Kumar, president of Voto Latino, a voter advocacy group. “We saw Latino participation in Texas surpass 2024 numbers. You don’t see that happen.”
“The candidates were speaking to the Latino experience. People who voted for Trump said, ‘This is not what I voted for,’” said Ms. Kumar, referring to the cost of living and President Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
Ms. Hinojosa, 52, a native of the Rio Grande Valley, foresaw what others missed: The state’s Latino plurality — and a rural population that had been seen as a Republican redoubt — were ready for someone like her in the governor’s mansion.
Ms. Hinojosa is a civil rights and labor lawyer who spent nearly a decade in the statehouse, representing a solidly Democratic district and championing long-shot issues. In this year’s campaign, she embraced a more populist message and Mr. Abbott failed to make her more progressive policies into political millstones.
In the end, like many competitive elections this year, the race for governor of Texas became a referendum on affordability. Ms. Hinojosa successfully argued that Republicans, who have controlled every branch of state government for more than two decades, were not prioritizing the cost of living.
As a Democratic state lawmaker from Austin, she supported transgender rights and opposed enshrining the state’s income tax ban in the Texas Constitution — causes that kept her little known and far from the state’s centers of power.
The well-funded campaign of incumbent Greg Abbott, one of America’s most powerful Republicans, refused to say her name even as her campaign gained momentum over the summer, allowing her to define herself to voters on her own terms.
On Tuesday, Ms. Hinojosa denied Mr. Abbott a record-setting fourth term. She became the first Democrat to win statewide office in more than 30 years and the first Latina to be elected governor in Texas.
“Latinas led the charge,” said Maria Teresa Kumar, president of Voto Latino, a voter advocacy group. “We saw Latino participation in Texas surpass 2024 numbers. You don’t see that happen.”
“The candidates were speaking to the Latino experience. People who voted for Trump said, ‘This is not what I voted for,’” said Ms. Kumar, referring to the cost of living and President Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
Ms. Hinojosa, 52, a native of the Rio Grande Valley, foresaw what others missed: The state’s Latino plurality — and a rural population that had been seen as a Republican redoubt — were ready for someone like her in the governor’s mansion.
Ms. Hinojosa is a civil rights and labor lawyer who spent nearly a decade in the statehouse, representing a solidly Democratic district and championing long-shot issues. In this year’s campaign, she embraced a more populist message and Mr. Abbott failed to make her more progressive policies into political millstones.
In the end, like many competitive elections this year, the race for governor of Texas became a referendum on affordability. Ms. Hinojosa successfully argued that Republicans, who have controlled every branch of state government for more than two decades, were not prioritizing the cost of living.
PICKING UP THE PIECES AFTER TRUMP'S GREAT FALL: BLUE WAVE SOAKS GOP
President Trump at a campaign rally in Kalispell, Mont., last month. Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times
By Shane Goldmacher, Johnathan Swan, and Maggie Haberman
By Shane Goldmacher, Johnathan Swan, and Maggie Haberman
New York Times
Six days before the election, more than two dozen of President Trump’s top strategists logged onto a private video call.
The mood was grim. The discussion began with talk of cyanide.
“Do you want the white pill first, or the black pill first?” asked Tony Fabrizio, the president’s chief pollster.
Tim Saler, one of the Republican Party’s top data consultants, laid out two scenarios. In the first, the $400 million MAGA Inc. super PAC was reaching the voters that it had wanted and expected to vote. “That’s the optimistic scenario,” he said.
“I’m getting my affairs in order,” James Blair, who left the White House to oversee the president’s midterm strategy, said to laughter, according to four people on the call. “I suggest everybody else do the same.”
For roughly 30 minutes, the call ran on gallows humor: funeral arrangements, prison food, presidential pardons, even a brief riff on fleeing the country.
“At least Bibi won. He’ll protect us,” Mr. Blair said sarcastically of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country had voted the day before. (Mr. Netanyahu’s bloc fell short of a majority, and his party soon claimed the election had been stolen.)
“Maybe we could get asylum in Israel,” Mr. Fabrizio said.
Collapse at the Polls
The scope of the Republican wreckage would become clear a week later.
Democrats stormed to a huge House majority and won control of the Senate, a remarkable feat powered by victories in Republican strongholds — Kansas, South Carolina, Texas — that few could have imagined a year ago.
This account of the Republican Party’s collapse is based on interviews with more than 70 people — among them lawmakers, political strategists, party leaders, pollsters, White House officials and congressional aides — who were directly involved in the midterm elections, many of whom were granted anonymity to describe private conversations and decisions.
People watched the results come in at Ken Paxton’s election night watch party in Dallas on Tuesday. Mr. Paxton lost by 12 points. Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times
The scale of the defeat was far from inevitable.
Republicans had record fund-raising, the world's richest man, a favorable Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance and a demoralized, unpopular opposition.
In the Senate, they had a map that required Democrats to compete in states they hadn’t won in decades.
And in the House, the Trump team demolished the tradition of redrawing congressional lines only once a decade in order to carve up new districts to help the G.O.P. bolster its narrow majority.
What Republicans could not overcome was a president who lost the public’s trust on the economy and so much more. And what they had not counted on was an unpopular war in the Middle East — one that would close the Strait of Hormuz and push gas prices past $4 a gallon — that would rage all the way through the election.
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