Wednesday, May 6, 2020

IN A CRISIS, PEOPLE, ELECTED OFFICIALS SHOW TRUE COLORS

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Sometimes, it is said, it takes a tragedy or emergency to show how people will react in a pinch.

Like Trump, many local residents and officials initially refused to take the situation of a microscopic virus invading our backwater sanctuary seriously. Suddenly, they were confronted with an enemy they could not argue with, shoot at, punch, or fight.

Guns, assaults, or public pronouncements were useless. The first cases stemmed from travel-related infection that was brought to the silk-stocking estates in Rancho Viejo and spread to the Spring Breakers on South Padre island. When social media made that public, the culprits who brought the infection from Spain and Ireland turned against the bloggers denying their negligence.

Later on it was learned that Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino had reached out to the well-heeled infectors and "graciously" assured them of their privacy without letting the public know where they had been and who might have come into contact with them before they proved positive for the virus.

After that Trevino began broadcasting press conferences and issuing edicts and all kinds of warnings on fines and imprisonment for violators. The constables under Abel Gomez started stopping motorists after the curfew was imposed with little results. Most, if not all, had some legitimate reason for being on the road.

Then, when COB MAyor Trey Mendez and Trevino has established the social distancing, face mak requirement and Stay at Home orders and raised the ire of local merchants with their closing of the local economy, Gov. Greg Abbott cut their legs off at the knees and caved in to pressure from the right for "liberating" the state economy.

The duo - both attorneys - in turn caved in despite the fact that Abbott acted outside the strictures of the Texas Government Code.

Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio - a law enforcement officer in the old school tradition - was a little more heavy handed in his response.

When six-foot social distancing rules were imposed, Lucio announced that his deputies would enforce the rule aggressively, and would stop and give citations to any vehicle that contained more than one person.

Kind Gesture by Sheriff Omar Lucio, But No Flowers for Mary TiptonHe started assigning patrols to the school meal pickup centers and ended up citing parents who had their kids with them to pick up the lunches. As a result, some kids went without a meal and their parents faced a court hearing for taking them to get fed.

Schools nationwide, including those in Brownsville, allowed families to pick up prepared meals at selected schools. Because the food is intended for students, they were required to be in the vehicles at the pick-up sites. Lucio stopped the patrols when the Brownsville Herald - the incumbent's cheerleader - called him off the overzealous performance.

EL RRUN RRUN: WHAT NEXT FROM BISD'S PENA? SHE THINKS COVID-19 IS HOAXOn the other hand, Brownsville Independent School District board president Minnie Pena thinks it's all a hoax (remember someone using that term somewhere?) by the medical establishment and that the schools should be open at whatever the human cost.

She even persuaded Supt. Rene Gutierrez to host a "soft opening" of the BISD campuses on a "voluntary" basis. Of course, she and her informants will surely know who "volunteered" to please her. The issue between city and county travel restriction vis-a-vis the ISD meals program came to a head with a pissing match  between its legal counsel and the city county virus efforts. Cooperation took a second seat in the turf war.

On the city side, the Stay in Shelter order resulted in scores of the homeless being rounded up in the city and spending the night in jail. Next morning they were out again to wander the alleys during the day and hide from the cops at night.

But the seeds of infection were being sown in the adult day care nursery homes and  centers. Some centers' staff worked in different centers and became the carriers for the virus that resulted in their captive elderly audiences sickening - and dying - as the county health workers scrambled to stem the contagion. Even some of them were infected and tested positive and workers had to busy themselves investigating their personal contacts.

After a time, the response from Congressman Filemon Vela was, at best, muted. He did vote for passage of the stimulus bill to help businesses with the (Paycheck Protection Plan) and workers with extended unemployment benefits and $1,200 payments.

But the unemployment payments were swallowed up by large corporations and crashed under the surge of claims. Now it's back to the drawing board and pull more money out of the kitty and see whether that will trickle down to South Texas, and Brownsville, in particular. It's in the mail.

Many local small businesses or their employees still have not seen a penny of the promised PPP and many, those not documented, simply had to do without income.  Even PUB's SHARE utility assistance hinged on the ratepayers' immigration status despite the fact that citizenship is not a requisite to open a PUB account.

Everyone questioned the remarks made by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott when he called for a "soft opening" of the texas economy, especially since COVID-19 cases were on the rise in South Texas and across the state and the flattening curve was nowhere in sight.

An open mike revealed  the fact that Abbott knew that the opening was way too soon and has been implemented by Republican governors to bolster Trump's reelection. For Trump it's not a health crisis or a danger to the people of the United States. It's a hazard to his reelection.

But we knew that already and it's not that much a surprise to see that Trump is showing his true colors. But what about the rest of our local denizens? It took an invisible bug to bring them out into the light.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

juan looks like we have a bunch of idiots in elected offices, cameron county and brownsville doing well. oh well, what else is new? It must be the PUB water we drink.

Anonymous said...

Go to the Brownsville herald web page and click on a story. At the bottom you will find a link that is asking
For donations to support the Brownsville Herald Covid 19 local news fund. Are they having trouble paying there last 5 employees?
The end is near. Shut it down already.

Anonymous said...

CRABS

Anonymous said...

The homeless and the panhandlers do not hide from the police. Look at the one lying in the middle of the median at International Blvd and Expressway. All the mess he has around him should attract the virus as flies attack a dead
taquache, but no one does anything about it. Is there not an ordinance in Brownsville against panhandling? Police just drive by and pretend not to see anyone.

Gutierrez is a total useless highly paid superintendent who lets 3 women tell him what to do and lead him by the ring in his nose. He is a total disappointment to education. His hiring was a slap on the face to the previous superintendent that we were lucky to have. She had cojones, and because of that, the women on the board could not tolerate her. I can almost bet that they all wish she was back at the helm.

Anonymous said...

Onta el cheque Pat?

Anonymous said...

The BISD Super is really burning himself. Is it true he said BISD is pure drama with teachers and staff?

Anonymous said...

You Juan you have always been part of the problem For Brownsville! It saddens me that your family is so sadden by what you turned out to be. You had such potential and still you act like the lowlife erasmo castro, who had his father and horrible looking step mother charged with fraud and practicing law without a law license. Can you Believe the lowlife erasmo, who apparently did not fall far from his parent’s tree, has the nerve to trash people when his own parents are criminals who took advantage of the poor!!! The majority of erasmo’s sisters are not to be trusted and are very bad people starting with Linda and Gabby. The notary business they run on Madison Street in downtown Brownsville has been using and abusing poor innocent people for years. Thank goodness they finally got busted and charged and fined 500,000.00. To think that Erasmo’s Father, the so called church preacher, was charged and convicted is unbelievable. Go ahead Erasmo keep bashing people just be ready to have things come back and haunt you for being such a horrible, lowlife, broke human being.

Anonymous said...

Gutierrez lets Minnie Winnie be the top character in the "drama." He can not carry on a decent conversation without having to look at his written notes.
It is most definite that he is not a leader but then, again, the board does so much mircromanagement that makes it impossible to do what is right for the children, instead about worrying about getting a pink slip whenever they please. How much longer will this idiot of Minnie Winnie still be around?
What about La Prisci? Y la Drue? Y el Cowen. De todos no se hace uno!

Oh, by the way, how do you plan to hold graduation, Minerva? I am sure he can not make a move until he gets your approval with blessing from above!

Anonymous said...

BISD 12 months working schdule hahahaha lol

Anonymous said...

And what colors are those. Is there a list of colors for crsis? Where can I get one?

Anonymous said...

Let us plan for a double schedule for next year to reduce the risk of passing on the virus. Go to half day sessions like we used to do in the 70's and have less students on campus at a time. This can help reduce the enrollment in the classrooms and more individual attention for more students. Let elementary schools be divided 1-3 PM and 4-5 AM. Middle School 6th in AM and 7-8 in PM.
High School - 11-12 AM and 10-9 in PM. (From 7-12, from 1-6) We did it at BHS and Porter and it worked, but since it did work, I can bet BISD will not even consider it. Kids can get breakfast and lunch and lunch and supper so it is a win-win situation.

Anonymous said...

On my god, Abbot told the truth, more people might get infected. Son of a gun.

I thought the lockdown was going to eradicate the virus.No?

If it was up to most of you bums, we should shut down for 6 months till we get a vaccine and barbecue in the back yard while you collect your pension, government check or unemployment.

Anonymous said...

Seriously, you people complain and bring no solutions to the problems! You complainers here are a major part of the problem because you work hard to hinder any good solution to any given problem.

Just like that former postmaster Al Santa Ana! He and his wife claim to be ministers of the word of God on their page but they get on erasmo Castro podcast and blast people! They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are total and complete hypocrites of the word.
Not to worry Al and Ellie,
God is watching and listening closely to you. You are shameful to wake up in the morning and pray to God only to sleep with Satan every night.
Yes you my friends are just like the Castro family. A bunch of fakes using God’s word only to fund your adventures and nothing more.
God help you because you are totally disrespecting the word of God when you get online and post ugliness towards people who have never harmed you in any way or manner.

It is obvious that Al left the post office on a very bitter note! Good, happy people don’t trash people like Al does. Totally disgraceful human being, very sad, claiming to worship God with his wife Ellie.

rita