Out in March: The Case Runner by Carlos H. Cisneros

Local attorney and good friend, Carlos H. Cisneros, has written a mystery novel entitled The Case Runner. It's slated for release next month and can be pre-ordered now at Amazon.com or by filling out and mailing the below order form.

I, for one, put in my order already and can't wait to read it for a variety of reasons. ¡Buena suerte, Carlos!

MALC Forum - October 30, 2007

Mexican American Legislative Caucus Forum
October 30, 2007

PSJA ISD Indictments Now Online.

A good read, those PSJA indictments are.

It's enough to GALVANize taxpayers and give the LAYMEN in town agita, seeking a DR . I wonder if the same can be said for the POWERS that be?

Only time will tell, I guess.

"Border Bandits" Documentary Airs on KMBH

Click photo for trailer.

Speaking of The Art of Brownsville blog, I'd like to forward on a post I saw there this morning. Fire up those Tivos and VCR's and set them to record "Border Bandits" next Tuesday, June 7th, at 7:00PM on KMBH (the PBS channel). It supposedly deals with an incident in 1915 where Texas Rangers shot two Mexicans in the back at the Guadalupe Ranch near Edinburg. I know, I know, PBS usually means hopelessly biased liberalism, but I'm fond of many of their documentaries (Ken Burns, etc.) and I'm willing to give this one a chance.

Elitism Personified

Good piece in today's Herald covering Memorial Day. At least until it gets to Tullos quote:

Justice of the Peace Oscar Tullos, also a Vietnam veteran, walked alongside other veterans, their friends and family Monday.
He supports those fighting in Iraq, Tullos said, but questions the wisdom of the campaign.
"“I have negative feelings when it comes to our policy and going over to introduce democracy,"” he said.
"I support our troops and I wish them the best. I think we did well in Afghanistan, but Iraq is different."

How's it different, exactly? Why are one nation's people worthy of democracy and another's not? And either you support the troops and why they're there, or you don't. Having it both ways for the sake of political expediency or correctness is a copout, plain and simple.

In Memoriam - Margaret M. Clark

Tadpole. Waterbug. Turtle. Fish. Duck. Swan. Dolphin. Seahorse.

If I recall correctly that's the order, from beginner-level (blowing bubbles) on up, of patches given at Mrs. Clark's summer swimming classes at the Dixon Motel back in the 1970's. They were cut, I think, from swatches of colorful wallpaper and my mom & other moms would sew them onto our swimming suits as we earned them. While our parents watched at picnic tables under mesquite trees, Mrs. Clark oversaw and taught the various classes going on during the morning. But like clockwork and about 45 minutes or so into the lesson, she'd blow her whistle, yell out "Playtime!!!!", and dump laundry baskets full of toys into the pool. 15 minutes later we all were climbing out of the pool exhausted and happy, running into our folks' towel-draped arms. I swear half of Brownsville learned to swim there, for decades.

She was a proud fixture in this community and, appropriately, the Aquatic Center was named for and dedicated to her. We would all do well to remember her service and words:

“You can sit on your como se llama and do nothing and get through life very well or you can try to contribute something,” she said.

From her obituary:

Mrs. Clark’s family, together with Rev. Richard Aguilar, invite all who were touched by her to a Celebration of Life which will be held tomorrow, Monday, May 16, 2005 at 6 p.m. at the Church of the Advent Episcopal, 104 W. Elizabeth St. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions in Mrs. Clark’s name be made to the Boys and Girls Club of Brownsville Inc., 1338 E. 8th St., Brownsville, Texas 78520 or the donor’s favorite charity.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Darling-Mouser Funeral Home, 945 Palm Blvd., Brownsville, (956) 546-7111.

She will be missed by legions.

Other articles:
Herald coverage of her passing
UTB-TSC Press Release on her passing
Herald editorial on her service to the community

Diana Zarate's 1995 Herald article
Marcie Lasseigne's 2003 Herald article
2001 Orange and White (TSC) article honoring her

I Swear I Can't Make These Things Up. But They Can

"Just when I thought that I was out... they pull me back in."
-Michael Corleone, The Godfather: Part III

Update: Turns out to be a hoax. Ya got me. Ha.

Passing of a Friend's Best Friend

Astro served his master and community well. He will be missed by many.

You Know... For Kids.

In other Park news, the Children's Museum of Brownsville is now open to the public! Congratulations go out to everyone who, both in their public and/or private capacity, helped bring this wonderful city facility to fruition.

*Special thanks should go out to my wife and Education Director Monica Davis, Museum Director Mary Rowe Hall, and tireless founders and proponents Mellena Conner and Beth Pace. Their dedication and efforts were and still are inspiring.

Park No Worse For Wear After Sombrero Fest

As reported this morning, the Dean Porter Park suffered no significant damage from this past weekend's Sombrero Festival. I presume that's due to both the Sombrero Committee taking extra care for their first time there, as well as attendance being down an unfortunate 65% from prior years, given the rainy days and Mr. Musso's figures.

I was there with my wife and daughter and although the weather was cool, overcast, and at times drizzly, we had a very pleasant time strolling the grounds. Indeed, there weren't a bunch of folks out there at the time, but driving by later that night, the parking lots appeared fuller. I especially like the layout of food and beverage booths. They fit well within the asphalt parking spaces and weren't at all as spread out from each other as I had feared they'd be. And by all accounts, the FrijOlympics was a continued success under the open-air pavilion with room for all entrants and audience.

We still don't know how well the new park would handle a typical Sombrero crowd. But I'm more than willing to wait until next year to find out. From the little I saw this year, it may be a very good fit. Congratulations to Mr. Musso and the Sombrero staff on their 20th well-run festival! I sincerely hope they're around for another 20.

Using "Mama's Fine China"...

Charro Days has begun, which means the Sombrero Festival isn't far behind. Today, the Herald's J. Noel Espinoza wrote a fair article covering the relocation to the renovated Dean Porter Park and the inherent concerns over the three-day impact to the grounds of a festival that size.

Late last week, however, Sombrero president David Musso distributed a not-so-fair e-mail around town alleging "sabotage" of the festival and urging his supporters to vote in the online poll at the Herald's website. Here's his e-mail below in its entirety:

Friends,
Recent criticism aimed at our organization (Sombrero Festival) as weather [sic] we should conduct our event in the newly renovated and still under construction site of Dean Porter Park. Obviously, this criticism is sparked by a very small group of people who have no vision and do not have a clue what it takes to put on a Festival like ours and I don't mean HOW, I mean WHY we do it. OUR EFFORTS TO CONDUCT THIS EVENT ARE OUR CONTRIBUTION TO OUR COMMUNITY "FREE OF CHARGE TO ANYONE"! WE DO IT FOR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND THE COMMUNITY WELFARE OF OUR GREAT CITY, OUR ONLY REWARD IS THE PATRON'S OF THE FESTIVAL ENJOYMENT!
Yesterday, The Brownsville Herald conducted a Pole [sic] Question. "Is Dean Porter Park a good site for Sombrero Festival?
I urge you all to log on to the Internet go to this website http://www.brownsvilleherald.com VOTE YES, But don't stop there please call everyone you know, email everyone you know and ask them to do the same. Please do this and lets shut these people out that are deliberately trying to sabotage and destroy our Event.

Thanks for your support,
David

Mr. Musso & supporters (if you happen to read this), I'd like to speak up for many of those (not all, I'm sure) that questioned the wisdom of the festival relocation at the time and still do (more than don't, if you believe the Herald's poll). I have no ill will towards Sombrero Festival. I've attended as well as participated in it in many years past. I, and most of my friends and compatriots, certainly plan to attend this year. Most folks just want your group to leave the Park in as close and as clean a condition as to when you arrived. We all understand the grass will grow back. Our concern stems from the risk to the elaborate landscaping, play structures, and pavilion facilities that are there and will undoubtedly face heavy use; heavier than anything at last year's Shrimp Festival (regardless of what one of our commissioners may think).

I'm not sure what you meant when you wrote that your efforts in the event are "free of charge to anyone" when admission is clearly charged, other than what I assume to be your group's volunteer work of planning and managing the event. But I applaud your group's contributions of time and resources and I sincerely hope that the festival and the booths that comprise it are as successful as they've been in the past; in spite of patrons attending the various parades earlier in the day having to walk at least a half-mile further to attend.

So good luck and please remember, to quote our Mayor on Oct. 19th of last year, you're using "Mama's fine china" and the public expects little to no trace that the festival's been there after it's done.