LITERATE "REV." RESENDEZ GOES OFF THE DEEP END

By Juan Montoya
Well, it's not everyday that anyone tells me that I've made the columns of the local daily.
This morning a few friends called me to tell me I had.
I bit the bait and bought a copy of the lean offerings in the Tuesday Brownsville Herald. Sure enough, in one of the eight new pages (Section A), was a letter by one of our local gadflies, the Rev. Alex Resendez.
You remember Alex. He was one of those local residents who made frequent use of the public-comment section of  city commission meetings, often pointing out the immoral and sinful nature of some city policy or public official. After the city commission heeded city contract attorney Mark Soss's advice, they discontinued the airing of the public comments (illegally, some contend) and left poor Alex and others like Dagoberto Barrera and the late Fernando Ruiz without a forum to their discontent. In Alex's case it was religious-laden diatribes.
In his letter to the editor, the good reverend let loose on the lack of security and the general misbehavior by some library patrons. Young girls dressed revealingly, homeless off their meds causing a scene, babies crying, and students discussing some topics a bit too loud for his liking.
In fact, he said that a "man possessed by evil spirits attacked him as he walked next to one of the library managers."
This holy man – as is their calling – "had to stop and rebuke his evil spirits in Jesus' mighty name and then report it to the security man in charge of the library."
Well, to make the long story short, the police got there too late after the demon-possessed homeless man wandered off into the desert-like heat off Central Boulevard.
My part came in where he railed against "a man running an online newspaper business; he should be told that the computers are not for any moneymaking scheme...but not for a cheap newspaper that abuses and insults people."
Many people use the library computers for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they don't have a computer at home and want to buy something off E-bay, pay a fine from the state online, sell some item in the pulga online, etc. In fact, you can get sell or buy anything on line by doing business from a computer.
If you're a researcher, a writer, or an author, there is no better place to find the resources to finesse your work. We thought that was what libraries were for. That's what Benjamin Franklin felt.
I am somewhat flattered that Alex is reading this blog. In fact, he has been the subject of some stories in the past and he may have felt insulted by his characterization.
We wouldn't mind, however, if the reverend could tell us how this blog is raking in the cash hand over foot.
We'd hate to see the institution of a surveillance policy to make sure everyone who uses a Facebook account there doesn't post anything offensive to anyone in the cyberworld. Good luck.
But going back to the subject of security at the library. There is no security guard in the morning there because the city turned down the bids for a private security company to keep order there and in other city facilities after some city commissioners objected to the low bidder (American Surveillance).
Instead, they directed the city administration to create an in-house security force and use police academy students and pay them instead. Predictably, the public-funded security ended up costing more than would have the private companies, but isn't that the way things usually work out when government competes with the private sector?
My friend Alex sounds like a Calvinist, the religious sect whose adherents were against card-playing, showy dress (or undress), and boisterous speech. But today's libraries aren't your grandma's libraries anymore. If you can get a kid near a book or a PC where he can do his homework, so what if they're a little noisy? Babies will be babies and cry. Even Alex's Lord Jesus rebuked those who complained they were loud and told the disciples to "Let the children come on to me."
Now, with early voting going on, it might get a little noisy because that's the way democracy is, a bit noisy and messy.
I will do my part and try not to insult or abuse anyone when I occasionally stop by the Central Library to write a post.
But maybe the good reverend will do his part and stop using the public space there to proselytize to the infidels and unbelievers. And maybe he should also stop using the library's computers to write his book (which he hopes to sell) where he lays out the thesis that – according to his reading of the bible – Barack Obama is the Anti-Christ incarnate.
Alex had asked me to look at his electronic manuscript and see if I could suggest some edits. Then he became concerned that I might steal his work and publish it myself and take the credit for his novel idea. I eased his fears by returning the email with the attachment.
If he ever does finish his book, I might be tempted to contribute to his efforts by plunking down my coin to buy one and contribute to his money-making scheme. After all, isn't that what the library is for?