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BASEBALL, BOXING METAPHORS USED TO EXCUSE OLIVEIRA; WE SUGGEST NAMING HIM KING OF THE DEMOLITION DERBY

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"In the latter stages of the election season the city is buzzing with the report that State Representative Rene Oliveira was involved in a fender-bender while under the influence."

By Juan Montoya

And so the narratives goes by the state rep's spin hacks to justify the fact that Oliveira "made a mistake in judgment"  when he rear-ended a woman on his way home from the bar with enough force to flatten both his front tires. One shill compares him to a boxing champion. The other to Houston Astros MVP Jose Altuve.

(Yeah, both are a stretch because someone has always taken the fall for Rene. And in most cases – from his late mother Gloria to his girlfriend Lupita – it has been women paying the price. Se esconde detras de las naguas de las mujeres.

As far as comparing him to Altuve, well, we suggest he doesn't try beat out an out and try to make it to first base because of his congenital heart disease. The booze and other intoxicating pursuits don't help either.)

Actually, it was much more than a fender bender. And we'll take his claim that no one was hurt lightly since he – as an ambulance chaser – knows damn well that it may be days before the effects of the impact will become apparent to the victim. It was a powerful rear-end collision that flattened both tires of his black Cadillac and may have injured the woman in the car he hit. We'll never know until she starts to feel pains and hires a lawyer to sue his insurance.

That is, if his car had insurance. The last time he was involved in a similar accident, his car rear-ended a couple in their van and they could not get him to take responsibility because he did not have insurance coverage. The couple had to swallow the loss because no local attorneys would take their case. The woman since has had an aneurysm that has left her disabled with a loss of memory.
http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2018/04/adding-insult-to-injury-oliveiras_18.html

But this time, his defenders say that "Oliveira issued an apology, will accept the appropriate punishment and has quit drinking." Well, at least the woman driver this time got that much. Let's see what he does with the new victim.

His "adversaries," his defenders say will "try to exploit" this issue to defeat him at the polls in the upcoming runoff election against Pct. 2 commissioner Alex Dominguez. They say Dominguez has no experience in the Big Time. That he has been a county commissioner for one term and has done "nothing" to show. Well, it's convenient to forget what you don't know.

But does anyone remember how much "experience" Rene had when he was sent to Austin? None. Not even dog catcher, JP, city commissioner, or even school board member, zilch, nada. He was born with a silver spoon and the right name and feels entitled to be state rep. That what his mommy groomed him for with the Cameron County Democratic Party and that was that. Period.

And after decades, the PACs and lobbyists love Rene because they are the only people who pitch in every two years to keep him bought. 
http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2018/02/when-you-go-vote-in-primary-remember.html

"This is about the people of Brownsville and Cameron County," the narrative goes. "Would the voters rather have a person with almost four decades of experience in Austin or a nobody with no years of experience in Austin?"

Well, one would think that after being there almost four decades (actually 34 years, but hey poetic license is permitted to prop up the idol with the feet of clay), he would have some sense of what is right and what is wrong. He struck the woman's car, called his housemate, left the scene of the crime, and then had her tell police there had been "no accident."

"Let's say the Houston Astros' Jose Altuve (who of course is just like Rene!) received a DWI after winning the World Series. Would the fans demand that the organization bring up a player from the  AAA farm club, and replace their best player with an inferior athlete? Of course not?"

"This is the same situation in the upcoming election. Oliveira has made huge contributions to Brownsville and the Rio Grande Valley. He is fifth in seniority in the 150-member Texas House of Representatives. Oliveira is the Jose Altuve of the House."

And as we have asked before, what good has his fifth place in seniority brought his constituents? Poverty, illiteracy, unemployment. But he has also been the fifth-highest spender on booze and partying of the 150 members. This despite his city being the poorest in the United States. He spends more on booze in a year than the average family income in his district.
http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2018/04/34-years-of-oliviera-alex-change-we.html

"Brownsville is a fun-loving community open to all life styles with mutual respect the sole requirement," say his fans. Well, how much respect did this fun-loving guy pay to the victims of the van which he crashed? He stiffed them because – as the dog who licks his member – because he can.

"Oliveira's generosity is legendary and he possesses a genuine love for humanity. He is currently caring for four children that aren't his because their father has abandoned them."

Yeah, his neighbor's former wife, isn't it? Thou shall not covet something or other...As far as his generosity, he did provide Lupita (the woman who took the fall for him in the first accident when they struck the couple) a Cadillac as a quid pro quo for being a good sport. Could it have been the same car he crashed this time?

And if wasn't for the stingy TSC trustees and taxpayers, he was set to give away the $200 million in assets and real estate of this community college to his alma mater, the oil-and-gas wealthy UT System.

"We all know Rene isn't perfect, but he is a good person," the narrative goes ad nauseum. "Do we want a proven veteran who has produced time and time again for Brownsville or do we want a third-rate minor leaguer who will be a complete strike-out at the Capitol?"

No, we want someone who doesn't hurt defenseless people, is not a liar and a cheat, and has delivered results to his county constituents which Rene has not produced in Austin in the last 34 years. Instead of baseball or boxing metaphors, how about naming him the MVP of the Demolition Derby? 

CORRE Y SE VA CON EL BORRACHO! BUENA CON RENE...

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Por Jose Alfredo Jimenez

Llego borracho Oliveira 
pidiendo 5 martinis
y le dijo Mr. Kinney
Tenemos puros daquiris 
si qieres ponerte pedo
En el Tucan te los tiras 
(Llego Rene bien borracho) 

Se fue borracho Oliveira 
del brazo de Joe El Kinney 
y le dijo "what's your poison? 
Let's see who's got more dinero 
I'll bet you a hundred smackers 
That you will fall down primero 

And Rene y Joe El Kinney 
Started pidiendo y pidiendo 
The mariachis and rose sellers 
Se quedaban  nomas viendo 
pero sentian que las babies 
Les 'taban poniendo los cuernos 

grito de pronto Oliveira 
la vida no vale nada 
le dijo Joe El Kinney 
I don't understand you brotha 
If you start to diss my shit 
I'll let you have one of this  
(Rene and Joe were borrachos) 

los 2 sacaron las Visas 
querian comprar pajuelasos
The bartender asked for dollas 
"No money, no honey, batos" 
But they could just barely stand 
Passing out entre sus  brazos 

y Oliveria y Mr. Kinney 
los 2 estaban bien pedos 
Uno se fue en su black Caddy 
El otro llamo un taxi Uber 
And stiffed the waiters at Toucans 
Leaving the bar in a stupor

THE LINES FOR THE SPECTRUM CABLE TV BOXES GROW

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(Ed.'s Note: Spectrum Cable customers were up as early as 7 a.m. forming a queue to get a free box that would allow them to receive the company's upgraded signal. According to the reader who sent us this photo, this was just one of two lines that extended from the front doors, which opened at 8 a.m.

Security guards had formed another that extended to the rear of the building and stretched into McIntosh Street and down the curb.

Property owners on both sides of that street have posted signs preventing Spectrum customers from parking so they could walk and get their box. Is this any way to run a cable company?)

THE SIGN WARS RAGE ON IN 197TH DISTRICT COURT RACE

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(Ed.'s Note: We have received several photos from the supporters of Carlos Masso, one of the candidates in the runoff for the 197th District Court Democratic nomination. They say that the Cordova supporters (namely Mario Saenz, of Team Saenz and his helpers) are playing dirty pool by placing their candidate signs in front of Masso's which were in place already.

They also say that their candidates signs often turn up missing and that a Cordova sign appears where their was originally. In fact, they say that the property owners tell them that they had not given the Cordova people permission to place theirs there. With early voting beginning May 14, the scramble is on for any advantage that a candidate can get over the contender. Will the signs make a difference. Former Cameron County Clerk Joe Rivera used to say that signs don;t vote, that people do. Let's hope ther's a good turnout for the runoff so that the will of the people – and not the sign placers – will prevail.)

CITY OFFERED 25K REWARD FOR OLIVEIRA DWI CONVICTION!

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(Ed.'s Note: We don;t know the gentleman above (Mr. Cooke), but it seems he's got a beef against perennial District 37 State Rep. Rene Oliveira. How the $25 K will be donated to the city is beyond us, but if you know how to get in touch with them through FB maybe you can tell the city there's a couple of bucks out there for the taking.) 

YET MORE OLIVEIRA DWI MEMES: HE DECLARES DWI LEGAL

UPDATE FOR OUR ADVERTISERS: NOW ALMOST 8K READERS!

T.A.G. TO BISD: RELEASE INFO ON VENDOR GRAFIK SPOT

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By Juan Montoya

On January 8, after hearing of alleged irregularities with Brownsville Independent School District vendor Grafik Spot, we filed a request for information with the district asking for the payments made to the company over the last five years (2013-2017).

At the time, the district said it was requesting an exemption from releasing the information because of what it claimed to be confidential information that was involved in an ongoing criminal investigation and sent its objection to the Texas General Attorney's Office.


The district's appeal to the Texas Attorney General's Office says it was taking exception to El Rrun-Rrun's because the information requested "is part of a multi-agency investigation by several law-enforcement offices including the Brownsville Independent School District. The law-enforcement agencies are investigating potential criminal activity."

It cited Texas Government Code Section 552.105 which deals with "Law Enforcement, Corrections and Prosecutorial Information."

"As stated previously, the District's Police Force along with other State and Federal law enforcement agencies are investigating suspected criminal activity. 

The requested information is part of the criminal investigation. At this time, the investigation remains active by the BISD Police Department and the various law enforcement agencies. 

The information made the subject of this request is part of the investigation and we believe are privileged and excepted from disclosure under the section of the Act."  

That was in January.

It is now almost May and we were pleasantly surprised when we saw the requested information in our email. So it wasn't exempt after all? We suspected half as much when BISD board general legal counsel Baltazar Salazar told board trustees during an open meeting that the company was a "vendor in good standing" and approved the district awarding it a contract for printing supplies in 2018.

Right then and then we knew the district (and specifically Salazar) was playing games with the public's right to know. Even before BISD released the requested info (after four month-delay), we had learned that in four months of 2015 alone (July to October), they had paid Grafik Spot $1,2562,120. 

Apparently, that was only the tip of the iceberg We did the math on the new information released and found that the BISD did business with the company to the tune of millions. They started up with a mere $18,093 in 2014, but quickly reached the millions the next year.

In 2013: $0
In 2014: $18,093
In 2015: $1,660,804
In 2016: $586, 415
In 2017: $7,849
2018: ???
            Total to 2017:  $2,256,961

The items purchased ranged from custom nugget boxes ($366,600) to food tray liners ($319,950) to Grafik Spot's "set-up" for the purchasing department ($4). How many of these purchases were part of the criminal investigation performed for the district? And what was the result of the investigation cited to keep these transactions from the public?

We'll be asking.

To see the entire list of purchase orders and the cost of the items, click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=643034ff4a&view=att&th=162fd1b3764fcb0c&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw

UPDATE FOR OUR ADVERTISERS: NOW ALMOST 8 READERS!

DINO ALERT: HAS DA LUIS SAENZ COME OUT OF THE CLOSET?

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By Juan Montoya

Ever since he swore in then-Cameron County Judge election winner Carlos Cascos before the latter took off to become Texas Secretary of State, local Democrats have suspected District  Attorney Luis V. Saenz was a DINO (Democrat In Name Only.)

In photos posted in social and mass media sites, Saenz was featured prominently administering the oath to Cascos and then looking over his shoulder as he signed the oath of office. (See graphic below.)

The curious thing about Saenz's appearance as a "friend" in the local Republican page is that chairperson Morgan Graham is explicit in what the site is for. It is for "our Republican candidates to post information about upcoming events such as meet-and-greets, socials and fundraisers.' (See graphic below)

The cozy relationship grew even closer during the last Democratic Party primary when candidates linked to Luis' Team Saenz invited Cascos to a rally in La Feria held for Democratic Party candidates.

At the time people wondered why the Democrats were hosting Cascos when their two candidates in the primary – former Brownsville mayor Eddie Trevino and Robert Sanchez –
were not.

In fact, the candidates – including Lali Betancourt for county clerk and her supporter Mari Saenz, Luis' brother – posed with Carlos.

Now, county Democrats have been flirting with the GOP back to the days when Tony Garza ran for office against Ray Ramon and beat him with the endorsement of four of the five sitting county commissioners. Garza then went on to win another term and – like Cascos after him –went on to become the Republican governor's SOS.

In one of Cascos' later races for reelection, he beat Gilberto Hinojosa for court judge, a county political player who is now the chairman of the Texas Democratic party. This is a humiliation that Hinojosa has never forgotten.

But this is the first time in recent memory that a faction of the local Democrats has openly courted a staunch Republican like Cascos. Unfortunately for Team Saenz, most of the candidates they supported in the races in this year's primary went down to ignominious defeat.

Now Team Saenz is pegging its hopes on 197th District Court candidate Adolfo Cordova to beat Saenz nemesis Carlos Masso, who twice lost to Luis in previous races for DA in the upcoming runoff, and in the county court judge's race in the November general election between Cascos and Treviño.

Will Saenz's splinter Democratic faction carry the day against Treviño? Or will the yellow-dog Democrats find a way to unite to fight off the GOP candidate and the renegade Democrats?

FAJITAGATE MAN SENTENCED TO 50-YEAR SENTENCE DOING TALACHA IN RUCKER-CARRIZALES JAIL KITCHEN

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Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Call it poetic justice. Or injustice, if you want.

We have received word that Gilbert Escamilla, the staff member of the Cameron County Darrell B. Hester Juvenile Probation Facility who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1.2 million in fajitas over a nine-year span is now working as a trustee in the kitchen of the Rucker-Carrizales county jail in Olmito.

We've published posts here before echoing the sentiments of many readers who felt that the 50-year sentence Escamilla accepted in his plea bargain was way too much for the crime he committed. After all, there have been public servants – like former Sheriff Conrado Cantu, for example – who have been convicted to lesser sentences for what could be considered more serious crimes.

In fact, most murder defendants who accept a plea with the state get much less, say 20 to 25 years.

Be that as it may, the fact that Escamilla is doing trusty talacha while he awaits his transfer to the Texas Department of Corrections give us pause. Let's hope the y don;t put him in charge of ordering food for the inmates there. If he does, don;t be surprised if a Labbat's truck appears with 800 pounds of fajitas.

PATADAS DE AHOGADO: RENE MILKS HURRICANE HARVEY; TRIES TO DIVERT ATTENTION FROM LEGAL TROUBLE WITH DWI

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By Juan Montoya
Does anyone remember the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey in Cameron County?

Don't blame you if you don't. In fact, there was no damage reported at all in Brownsville or even in South Padre Island on the coast.

About the only precautions taken locally was the passing out of sand bangs by Cameron County and the City of Brownsville.

So now, less than a week after District 37 State Representative Rene Oliveira was arrested and charged with Driving While Intoxicated after he rear-ended a car driven by a woman on Boca Chica Boulevard and then fleeing the scene, he is hosting a hearing of the Texas House of Representatives Business and Industry Committee –  of which he is the chairman – to put local people to work on the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.

Now, Hurricane Harvey struck  August 25, between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor and its torrential rains caused heavy damage in surrounding cities, including metropolitan Houston.

At the time, cleanup and construction workers from South Texas rushed to the areas to work on reconstructing buildings, replacing roofing (tejamanil), and other labor-intensive labor. That was almost nine months ago. FEMA also hired relief workers to take victims' damage reports. Some of those – the Spanish speakers – were sent to Puerto Rico to assist victims there.

Whatever work was to be done was probably already done months ago.

Oliveria scheduled a hearing in South Padre Island yesterday and another today in the City of Brownsville where the likes of Ramiro Gonzalez, the so-called City of Brownsville Government Affairs Liaison, will testify on the ample opportunities for local contractors.

To us it is a bit late and a mite opportunistic. In fact, it smacks of s diversion to take attention off Oliveira's legal problems as his runoff election against Pct. 2 commissioner Alex Dominguez approaches. Early voting starts 11 days from now on May 14.

Hurricane Harvey didn't even hit Brownsville or Cameron County, so are these hearings Oliveira's patadas de ahgado?

GOWEN SAYS MYSTERY CYCLIST/RECYCLER MAN OF THE YEAR

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(Ed.'s note: This blurry photo shows the most wanted man in Browntown. Apparently, City of Brownsville City Commissioner Rose (La Chuisquiada) Gowen would like to know his identity to bestow upon him the coveted Cyclist/Recycler Person of the Year Award.

There was a sighting of the as-yet-unidentified – and potential awardee – cyclist/recycler on the Palo Alto Hike-and-Bike Trail near the Buena Vista Cemetery, presumably on his way to Wilkinson Metals to, of course, recycle the stash of aluminum cans he found discarded in various parts of the city.

Image result for rose gowen, brownsvilleIn declaring him the hands-down winner of the coveted prize,  Gowen issued a statement saying:

"This Brownsville resident exemplifies the result of what I, and other well-heeled progressive groups and committees in the city, have as our ultimate goal. Here we have an obviously healthy individual (Wellness) who is minimizing the carbon footprint by using a bicycle (Green), is contributing to the beauty of the city by removing unsightly litter from our roads and waterways (Beautification), and having then selling the aluminum (Recycling) so that it can be reused.

"The creative way of converting a mere bicycle into a utilitarian three-wheeled vehicle to achieve all these ends should be an example to all of us forward-thinking Brownsville residents. It is difficult to tell from this photo, but it does appear that he is wearing a safety helmet. And his shrewd manner of using the hike-and-bike trail is visionary, to say the least.

"Ideally, he should be wearing a fluorescent cycling outfit, but perhaps after a few more hauls to Wilkinson's he can go to Bike World and lay away a nice $400 outfit and join us on the county wide system of trials I envision for the area active trail plan. This photo is the culmination of all our efforts to use the city's millions to enhance the livability of  our city and promote the wellness of our residents. My safety helmet is off to the New Brownsville Man."

BROWNSVILLE'S MALDONADO A TRUE BASEBALL LEGEND

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Special to El Rrun-Rrun

The late Juan Ybarra, who once tried out as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, when asked who he thought was the best local baseball player in recent history, would not hesitate for a moment.
Image result for frank maldonado, baseball, brownsville texas
"That would be Pancho Maldonado," Ybarra would say. "Frank could throw, hit, field and run the bases like no one else. He was an all-round baseballer."

His bateria, Pete Avila, who would catch for Ybarra, echoed the praise of Maldonado.
"He was a legend," Avila, a former county constable and a baseball player into his 80s, said. "He knew all the basics and could also coach."

Maldonado, on May 2, passed away at 93.

Maldonado was featured on the front page of "Mexican American Baseball in South Texas" Richard A. Santillán, Gregory Garrett, Juan D. Coronado, Jorge Iber and Roberto Zamora, all renown academics. 

In the book, they say that Maldonado played in the era from the late 19th century through the 1950s, when "baseball in South Texas provided opportunities for nurturing athletic and educational skills, reaffirming ethnic identity, promoting political self-determination, developing economic autonomy, and reshaping gender roles for women."

The games were "special times where Mexican Americans found refuge from backbreaking work and prejudice."

His obituary and numerous news stories narrate how this multi-sports athlete broke into sports after his birth in 1924 in Berclair, a hamlet southeast of Goliad, Texas and his family moved to Brownsville. Little dis anyone know that he would loom large in local sports lore and become an all-district performer at Brownsville High School during the late 1930s who later embarked on a lengthy coaching career.

 From 1942 to 1954, he participated in basketball and baseball in four different countries- playing basketball, military service baseball and semi-pro baseball.

He was inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. Maldonado was all-district in basketball and football for the BHS Eagles from 1939 to 1941, and once played against Mission native and fellow Hall of Famer Tom Landry.

“I played against him in one basketball game in a tournament, and we just happened to play Mission in that tournament,” Maldonado told the Brownsville Herald.

He went on to play football and basketball at Brownsville Junior College before Maldonado’s athletic career was interrupted by World War II.

Maldonado served with the Army Medical Corps in New Guinea and the Philippines, and was on hand for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the biggest naval battle of World War II. When he was a child, Maldonado’s father owned a bakery, La Poblanita, across the street from Fort Brown.

“I used to see the soldiers march every morning,” he said. "By 6 o’clock or 6:30, I was already up. I never did think that a few years afterwards I was going to be part of that.”

Maldonado came home from the military in 1946 and tried out for the New York Giants before attending the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship. He was a regular first baseman for the Buffaloes from 1949 to 1950. After graduation he returned to the Valley, organizing an RGV semi-professional baseball league in 1956.
He also played football and basketball in 1946-1947 at Brownsville Junior College. In 1946, he was given a professional baseball tryout with the New York Giants farm system and played semi-pro baseball with the Brownsville Charros and Donna Cardinals in 1947-48. 

In 1946-47, Maldonado coached the Packard Clippers and then went back to college and played varsity baseball at the University of Colorado in 1949-50. The picture on the cover of the Suth Texa baseball book shows him in a batting stance with the Buffaloes.

In 1959, he coached McAllen High School baseball to the South Zone district title, the first McAllen team championship in 10 years. He then joined the Brownsville High football coaching staff as a varsity assistant in 1962, helping the team reach the State Quarterfinals. He then entered private business in 1967. On October 1998 and October 2017, he was honored by "Leo Najo" Day Baseball Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

A proclamation was issued by the Mayor and the Commission of the City of Brownsville on May 2, 2017, honoring Mr. Maldonado as a citizen of Brownsville for all his accomplishments and contributions to the community.

"Frank was a seminal figure in local sports and we all looked up to him," Avila recalls. "He was a true talent and coach. We will see him again in the big diamond in the sky." 

IS PORT SUCCESS DUE TO "HOLY VIRGIN MARY" OF GAS PRICES?

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From Bloomberg

Gas costs in the U.S. are climbing, with the average price as of early May sitting right around $2.99 according to Blomberg. But before Americans get too sour, let’s compare U.S. fuel prices against those found elsewhere in the world.

Bloomberg just recently ran a study in which it compared fuel prices between 61 countries based on three metrics: price per gallon in dollars, how the fuel price compares to a day’s wage in each country, and how much citizens of each country actually spend on fuel annually as a percentage of their total income.


https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/gas-prices/#20181:United-States:USD:g

You can see the results in graphic form via Bloomberg who used data from GlobalPetrolPrices.com to determine 95-octane fuel pricing around the world. The results reveal that, in the first quarter of 2018, the U.S. is ranked 12th lowest when it comes to gasoline pricing, with countries including Russia, Pakistan, Iran, and Venezuela offering a gallon of gas for significantly less than $2.99.

But when Bloomberg factored in the average income of people in each country by using GDP per capita in local currency and translating into dollars, the U.S. jumped to fourth place. This drop in position is due to the fact that the U.S.’s $170.28 “average daily income” handily beats that of any other country with lower fuel prices.

The final measurement, “income spent,” drops the U.S. down to 52nd place, with Bloomberg saying the average driver uses 429.19 gallons of gas each year, spending over 2 percent of that person’s annual salary. The news site says it used “UN data for motor gasoline by road in 2015" to determine fuel consumption, and based on how far down the U.S. ranks in the “income spent” category, apparently the Americans do a lot of consuming.

Check out the graphics over at Bloomberg; they act as an interesting way to contextualize what different fuel prices in different countries really mean.

WHITEWASH ON? BPD HOLDS OLIVEIRA DWI REPORT; SAYS D.A. SAENZ WANTS TO "REVIEW," EDIT IT BEFORE HE OKS RELEASE

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Anonymous said...

It already started: wake up a magistrate (special treatment)not tow his car (special treatment) release early (special treatment) not in orange jumpsuit (special treatment) the Lexus driver lied to police (special treatment) refuse breathalyzer (special treatment) a child present during accident more charges should have been filed by PD(special treatment) and this only what was made public. WHEN IS THIS GOING TO END!APRIL 30, 2018 AT 1:58 PM


By Juan Montoya
Fully a half dozen requests for the police reports on the DWI hit-and-run accident late last Friday night involving District 37 State Rep. Rene Oliveira are being held up by police officials because they say Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz wants to review them, edit them. and then authorize the release of the sanitized versions.

According to a few of those making the requests (media types and private citizens), BPD Commander
James Paschall, of the Support Services Command which includes the Records Division, has told them that he could not release the raw police reports that are routinely released in any other case until Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz reviews them first.

After Saenz reviews them and edits their content, Paschall said he would be authorized to release the edited version of the original reports. And as usual, Chief Orlando Rodriguez is conveniently out of town when the need for a firm decision is necessary.

After the Friday night incident, the BPD released a "statement" broadly outlining the mishap that said Oliveira rear-ended a woman's car and then gave her his card and left the scene despite the fact that police officers were already arriving there.

Police said Oliveira struck the vehicle from behind at a light on the 800 block of Boca Chica Boulevard at about 10:22 p.m., exited his vehicle and handed the driver his business card, saying "he would take care of everything."

Police later responded to Oliveira's home, where they found his dark-colored Cadillac with "damage to the front end and two flat tires on the passenger side," and arrested him for DWI, according to a news release.

They said a black Cadillac was leaving the accident scene and that a silver Lexus driven by a woman who police identified as his wife, told them that there had been no accident.

But numerous commenters like the anonymous one on top, assert that there was a young child in the backseat of the car that Oliveira struck.

If the commenters and other sources are correct, then the fact that Oliveira left the scene of an accident where a child might have been hurt, if not terrified, after the car was rammed from behind, would have made it a more serious charge than a run-of-the-mill DWI. Endangering a child, leaving the scene of an accident, making false statements to police, etc..

Paschall said he might release the report (the Saenz sanitized version) by 3 p.m. today. Will the commenters to this blog be proven correct that the whitewash has already begun to protect Oliviera? Remember, early voting in his runoff with Cameron County Pct. 2 commissioner Alex Dominguez starts March 14, 10 days from now.

AND GARCIA CLAIMS HE IS THE "ETHICAL" TSC CANDIDATE?

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Fiduciary Responsibility: A legal obligation of one party to act in the best interest of another. The obligated party is typically a fiduciary, that is, someone entrusted with the care of money or property. Also called fiduciary obligation. Misuse of official information is a violation of that responsibility.

By Juan Montoya

Someone close to Texas Southmost College trustee Dr. Rey Garcia, DDS. (retired), should tell him that as someone the people elected to the board of the community college the voters entrusted him to protect the property and interests of that institution.

Why do we say that?

TSC is currently embroiled in a lawsuit in federal court where former president Lily Tercero on May 2016 sued TSC for unlawful termination. She was terminated for at least nine reasons, including her renewal of the windstorm insurance policy without board approval that exceeded $1 million in costs for the coverage. 

Tercero said renewed the policy when she was informed it was set to expire in two weeks. By that point, there was not enough time to go out for bids, her attorney Richard A. Illmer said, saying her termination was “without good cause and in violation of her right to due process.”

Trustees Reynaldo Garcia and Art Rendon voted against the motion for dismissal, while Chairwoman Adela Garza, Vice Chairman Trey Mendez, and Trustees Ruben Herrera, Ramon Champion Hinojosa (since passed), and Tony Zavaleta voted for dismissal.

Tercero’s employment contract was set to expire May 1, 2019. She received an annual base salary of $228,228, according to the lawsuit.

Tercero is requesting her salary, compensatory damages and punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial, an award of reasonable attorney fees and costs, and an order to direct the board to open their illegally closed deliberations. If she prevails, that could easily amount to millions TSC and its insurers will have to pay.

Image result for lily terceroAs the case wends its way through federal court, the Tercero and the trustees have to go through depositions by the opposing counsel. In the Tercero deposition, she was asked whether she knew of the report on the windstorm insurance renewal that was presented to the board members in executive session.

TSC's attorneys asked Tercero whether she had seen a copy of the confidential report. 
"Yes," she answered."

 "Who gave it to you?," she was aksed.
"A board member," she answered.
"And what board member was that?," the lawyers asked.
"Dr. Rey Garcia,"" she answered.

Now, Tercero is suing TSC and asking the court to award her millions from the college coffers.
Garcia – whose fiduciary (that word again) duties include protecting the college's assets and keeping information that might harm the TSC's interests confidential – has betrayed that responsibility by releasing information to an adversary.

And let's not forget that it was Garcia who petitioned TSC's accrediting agency to review its accreditation over Tercero's firing. That was after the college and Tercero spent the better part of three years and untold treasure to regain it after the UTB-TSC separation after trustees and the public determined it had proved disastrous to the college.

And he is asking you, the TSC voters, to reelect him Saturday to another six-year term?

Two candidates – JJ De Leon and Carlos Rios – are challenging Garcia for the Place 6 position. Either one of them would be en improvement over Garcia, whose loyalties obviously lie somewhere else than for our community college.

TODAY! KEEP THE PORT RIGHT! VOTE JAVIER. HE'S OUR DAWG!

IGNACIO ZARAGOZA: OF SUCH METTLE ARE HEROES MADE

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(The hero of Cinco de Mayo Ignacio Zaragoza was born in present-day in Goliad, Texas. Goliad, named for Father Miguel Hidalgo, is an anagram, minus the silent H. After his family moved to Matamoros to escape persecution from the soldiers of the Texas Revolution, he attended school there and then moved to Monterrey to further his schooling. Brownsville didn't exists when Zaragoza was here, but it was communal property of Matamoros on the other side of the river. After that, he joined the Mexican military on the side of Benito Juarez's Liberal army. A chronology of his life follows.)


1829: Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin was born on January 14, 1829 to Capt. Miguel Zaragoza and his wife Maria de Jesus Seguin in the Bahia del Espiritu Santo. The site is near present-day Matagorda Bay, between Houston and Corpus Christi. The State of Texas has included his birthplace in the Goliad State Park and the house where Zaragoza was actually born is still standing.

1833: With fierce Comanches as neighbors and the incipient Texas Republic in the offing, the Zaragozas stay in Texas was relatively brief. When he was four, his family moved to Matamoros and he attended the San Juan elementary school, although little is known about his stay there. 


A street bears his name in Matamoros, but apart from that, there is little to indicate the hero of Puebla lived there. The Original Townsite of Brownsville was once that city's communal land, so in a sense, Zaragoza lived here, too. Zaragoza’s family had originally come from Monterrey, where many of the settlers of the South Texas area originated. In fact, that Nuevo Leon city was the launching point for many Mexican families who lived in then-Mexican Texas.


1840s: In Monterrey Ignacio entered the seminary, a traditional haven for young men who saw the church as a way to a profession. He interrupted his clerical studies to enter commerce. He worked for Felipe Sepulveda, a prominent Monterrey grocer. In 1846, when U.S. troops invaded Mexico, he joined the Mexican national guard.

He attained the rank of captain and was stationed in Victoria, Tamaulipas, the capital of the state. Later, one of Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana’s usurpations of the national presidency drew Zaragoza into the regular army and he served under the liberal generals who adhered to the constitution defended by Benito Juarez. He soon attained the rank of colonel. His performance on the battlefield and his knowledge of military tactics earned him the confidence and respect of his superiors.

1855: In the Battle of Silao, Zaragoza – then only 25 – played a defining role in the Liberals' victory. That battle is recognized as one of the bloodiest of the war. Zaragoza knew what stakes were in play. At the heart of the civil war was the dispute between the constitutionalists who wanted the laws of reform followed, and the conservatives, who wanted to hold on to power.

The church, a powerful institution, backed the conservatives. Clerics feared the state would carry out the separation of church and state called for in the reformed constitution and financed the conservatives in their quest to retain their power.

1856-61: Interim President Ignacio Comonfort refused to relinquish power and uphold the precepts of the constitution and it ignited civil war. In battle after bloody battle, the liberals moved toward the Mexican capital as the conservatives delayed their progress by inciting peasants to battle the "devil-driven" liberals.
In one of these battles, General Jesus Gonzalez Ortega took ill with fever. The Battle of Guadalajara was to mark an important turning point in the war. The city – which lay between the Liberal Army and the capital – was an important tactical site and the conservatives fought hard to deny them a victory.

Gonzalez-Ortega hand-picked Zaragoza over higher-ranking officers to lead the assault against the city. The Liberal siege of the city lasted for weeks and saw hand-to-hand combat in the city’s streets. Time and time again the Liberals charged only to be driven back by the determined defenders.

With typhoid fever raging through the city, the weary defenders finally succumbed to Zaragoza’s Ejercito del Centro and asked for a truce that would allow them to retreat and abandon the city. A truce was worked out and the defeated army was allowed to depart. But another surprise awaited the Liberal soldiers. Unbeknownst to them, another conservative army had arrived in the outskirts of the city and the two armies met at a bridge to the city. Zaragoza’s army would not be denied their victory and the conservatives were defeated.

December 22, 1861: Before them, the road to the capital lay waiting. Gathering their forces, the Liberals organized around San Miguelito. They faced an army of 8,000 well-equipped men with supplies bought for them by frightened church prelates and clergy. They had at their disposal several dangerous artillery pieces. The task of defending the most vulnerable site on the battle field was assigned to young Ignacio, then only 31.

He was given the task of defending the hills overlooking the battle. If the high ground was lost, the result could very well decide the war between the Liberals and Conservatives – and the future of Mexico. He did not falter. Bearing the brunt of the attack, Zaragoza’s troops held the hills as the enemy’s troops fought for their survival. Bloody and fierce clashes occurred where the defenders of the hills foiled the attacks and Zaragoza aided his fellow generals to execute the battle plan. His troops held. The Liberals prevailed. The next day, the defeated conservative generals came to secure guarantees for their remaining troops and officers.
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December 25, 1861: With the city theirs for the taking, the Liberal armies gathered to enter it. On Christmas Day General Gonzalez-Ortega, ordered one of his generals and an escort to enter the city and assure of a peaceful takeover. The general he chose for this honor – and great risk– was Ignacio Zaragoza.

Thus, it came  that on that day when the constitutionalist forces of Benito Juarez took the city the man leading the takeover force was the same who was born a scant 32 years before in the rolling hills of Goliad, Texas.

January 1, 1862: Benito Juarez and his constitutionalist armies joined Zaragoza in the city. Later in April, Juarez named him minister of War of Mexico. By then he was all of 33 years old.

May 5, 1862: He was to be tested again, but this time it would be by seasoned French troops who had entered the country under the pretense of getting debts repaid to their country. Having heard that the French had started their march toward Mexico City, Zaragoza led his troops to meet the most feared imperial army in the world of the day.

He left behind a gravely ill wife he would never see again.On the hills of Puebla and the plains below, Zaragoza and his army withstood and defeated the French troops. For half a day, the soldiers repelled the charges of the imperial soldiers and left the field in victory. Among the defenders were future Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz and Brownsville's own guerrilla leader Juan Cortina.

"The national arms have been covered with glory," he wrote Juarez in a one-line letter after the May 5th battle for Puebla. ("Las armas nacionales se han cubierto de gloria.")

September 8, 1862: Four months later, Ignacio Zaragoza died of typhoid fever. His victory, however, remains celebrated to this day.

TODAY LET'S REMEMBER TO BE GOOD TO OUR EARTH MOTHER

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