Here I Come To Save The Daaaaaay!

Press Secretary Vince Perez

I wrote a piece this weekend about the fact that there has been more murders in El Paso just this month than all of last year. In that piece I asked if Congressman Reyes was still going wear his Safest City in The US cape or send it to the cleaners until all this blew over. Well my question was answered tonight. The Congressman sent his Press Secretary Vince Perez wearing the whole Safest City in The US costume to do an interview on ABC 7 Extra.

The topic of tonights show was immigration enforcement. Vince Perez said that having local law enforcement agents enforce immigration law would be detrimental to El Paso's "Safest City" status. Earth to Perez! Did you not read my last piece. Let me refresh your memory. We have more murders and more traffic fatalities in January than we did in all of 2010. Stop telling people we are the safest city. And take off that silly costume, the socks didn't do what you expected them to do.

Darren Hunt had Vince Perez, Commander Gomencindo Lopez of the El Paso Sheriff's Department and local political blogger and my biggest fan David Karlswel.......Karlherher..........Karlshaha.....oh heck he had David K on as well. David K said he was in agreement with Governor Rick Perry's decision to give immigration enforcement an emergency status so the legislature can address it sooner.

The interview was in typical El Paso fashion. Ithad more liberals than conservatives. It was bad enough that David K was outnumbered in the studio 2-1, but then they played a video of Fernando Garcia of the Border Network of Certain Human Rights(BNHR) over dramatizing the situation (like he always does) and say that this would be worse than the law in Arizona. Perez was smart enough to come back and set the record straight by saying that Governor Perry was only proposing to give law enforcement agents the discretion to ask for legal status and not making it mandatory. Somebody go tell Fernando to read this issue since he didn't even read the Arizona law before he went on camera the last go around either. The three used fear and exaggerations to try get there point across while K kept his composure and used common sense to argue his side. I mention composure because Perez looked like he was loosing his just a little towards the end. Maybe it was because he figured if he kept mentioning that El Paso was the "Safest City" people would just agree with him and forget about reality or maybe it was the tights that were riding up on him. Either way I don't think I have ever seen Perez look flustered on TV.

Perez and Lopez alluded to say that Governor Perry's actions were simply political. But I guess having Senator Jose Rodriguez, Mayor John Cook, County Judge Veronica Escobar and my favorite person in the whole world Sheriff Richard Wiles practically cry on television was recreational. I really can't understand it. Laws are laws and law enforcement should enforce them. That is what enforcement means.

My real problem with the way liberals handle immigration issues is that they always find a way to keep these people in hiding instead of finding a way to make them legal. They always find a way to keep people from being sent back instead of figuring out a way of keeping them here legally. I was born to undocumented immigrant parents and have known many, many undocumented immigrants. It is sad to see how liberals keep them down and prevent them from being able to live the American dream by finding ways to keep them in the shadows instead of helping them to be able to hold there head up high by becoming legal immigrants and eventually citizens. We need to fix this problem. But we need to pull the band-aid off to do it. It will hurt really bad for a short time, but in the long run it will allow these wounds to breathe and heal. Liberals keep putting gauze on top of gauze to the point that this immigration issue has reached the point of gangrene.

Silvestre Reyes Named New Spokesperson.........

Just For Fun:


Many people have said that the only thing that came out of the President's second State of The Union Address was a bunch of false promises. 


I am proud to say that is not true. Congressmen Silvestre Reyes of El Paso, Texas missed a scheduled appearance in his very own district because he was in Chicago at the Wrigley Company headquarters where he was named the official spokesperson for Hubba Bubba brand bubble gum. The Wrigley executives saw the Congressman chewing a piece of gum on national television as the President was giving his speech earlier this week. They instantly new they had found their next spokesperson. Executives tell me that a whole new marketing campaign will be launched and consists of billboards and television commercials with Reyes chewing Hubba Bubba brand bubble gum as a backwards American flag flies behind him. 


El Paso can finally be proud of their long time Congressman.


(It's OK to laugh, no really go ahead no one is watching.)

What Does Being The "Safest" Do For El Paso

CQ Press City Crime Rankings 2010-2011
Rankings by Population Categories
CITIES OF 500,000 OR MORE POPULATION (34 CITIES)
Lowest Crime Rate      Ranking Highest Crime Rate Ranking
1. El Paso, TX              1. Detroit, MI
2. Honolulu, HI             2. Baltimore, MD
3. New York, NY        3. Memphis, TN
4. San Jose, CA           4.Washington, DC
5. San Diego, CA         5. Atlanta, GA
6. Austin, TX                6. Indianapolis, IN
7. Portland, OR            7. Philadelphia, PA
8. Los Angeles, CA      8. Milwaukee,WI
9. Seattle,WA              9. Houston, TX
10. Fort Worth, TX    10. Columbus, OH

I copied and pasted CQ's City Crime Rankings for cities with 500,000 or more people so people won't misrepresent the facts one way or the other. Please feel free to click on this link to view the full list of the other "Safest Cities" as well. Silvestre Reyes does  the people of Amherst, NY and  Colonie, NY an injustice by saying he represents THE "Safest City" in the US. Now if you look at this list you will see that El Paso was named the "Safest" out of 34 cities. Not the safest in the US. Now look at the other "Top Ten" safest cities. I have been to 7 of the Top 10 cities and I really didn't feel very "safe" in all of them. Let's just take the two most obvious. Los Angeles and New York. Those two cities are known for many things but being safe is not really one of them. Like I said in the past, calling El Paso the "Safest City" was like calling it the prettiest girl in an ugly contest, the skinniest guy at fat camp, the tallest man in a midget contest or the most honest guy in a corruption scandal. OK that last one was just a cheap shot. But you get my point.

I also said that being named the "Safest City" would only give El Pasoans a false sense of security and would make people walk around with their guard down. I'm not the "I told you so" kinda guy, but I did warn you guys. Last year the City of El Paso had four murders total, that's all year. KTSM News Channel 9 just reported that there have been five murders in El Paso for the year already. Then Charlie Moreno reports on Facebook, thats always a good source(sarcasm), that there were two more murders but that the police department had not officially released the information. (Click here to see the kind of sort of released information on the unofficial murders that already happened) That's seven murders and we are still in January. To make things worse there has been nine traffic fatalities year to date. How safe are we really? Do we expect a piece of paper and a title to keep us safe at night or do we do something about it? Unfortunately El Paso is a reactive kind of town instead of being a proactive town. I just can't wait to hear what kind of spin Reyes and his liberal clan put on this. Now that I think about it, I wonder if he will continue to wear his "Safest City In The Whole US" cape or will he send it to the cleaners until this dies down. We will just have to wait and find out.

TFN Takes On Charlie Garza

The Texas Freedom Network, also known as TFN is a self proclaimed watchdog and activist group that claims to advance an agenda of religious freedom but really works on countering efforts of  what they call the conservative political agenda. Their website says they have 45,000 religious and community leaders yet they have fought tooth and nail to try to remove any mention of God in school books. They called a special meeting last week to talk about Charlie Garza. He is one of the newly elected members of the State Board of Education who has come out of his corner swinging since being elected.

Garza took on former Senator Elliot Shapleigh on his allegations against the El Paso Independent School District at his own swearing in ceremony and took on Mary Helen Berlanga on a controversial bill that would have eliminated 97% of all El Pasoans from participating in making a difference in the way kids are educated. And we are only in January.

Warning: Sarcasm in 3.....2.....1

Now I don't know how many of these 45,000 religious or community leaders were present at this meeting but I do know that they came to a unanimous decision on what their strategy was going to be to take on Charlie Garza. Their big strategy, their home run hitter, their ace in the hole was to ........wait for it.......wait for it............. call him a Right Winger!

People close to Garza tell me that he was hurt so bad by the vicious accusation that he had to ask for a leave of absence from his job and hasn't spoken to anyone in a couple days. How dare TFN go as far as calling a conservative a Right Winger? That was completely uncalled for. Do they not know that those types of accusations hurt not just him but also affect his friends and family. I just hope Charlie can get over this quickly and get back to doing what he does best; help improve the education of our children.

Security or Stupidity?

El Minero
Contributor


Since the tragic events that happened in Arizona there has been talk about the possibility of increasing security for federal government officials including members of Congress. 

Such increase was present today at EPCC’s (El Paso Community College) Northwest Campus as EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and U.S. Congressman Silvestre Reyes were scheduled to address the communities concerns regarding the environment. 

There was a strong security presence by members of the El Paso Community College Campus Police Department. There were more than 6 officers providing security for the event, especially for Ms. Jackson since Congressman Reyes failed to attend.

Rumor has it that EPCC’s Campus Police is so short on manpower that some campuses were left with as little as only one police officer in order to boost security for this event. Does it make any sense to have just one officer to provide security for a whole campus which is filled by hundreds of students? What if something unfortunate such as another school shooting would have taken place? How would one officer provide security if such a scenario had played out? 

Some of you will claim that they could call El Paso Police if back-up is needed, but back up takes several minutes to respond. During an emergency situation it is crucial to respond and react in seconds, not in minutes. I think such a move was ill planned by Community College officials. 

So ask yourself, whose life is worth more, the life of a regular citizen or that of a U.S. Representative or federal government department head?

Parents Need To Punish Their Kids

I saw a very interesting story tonight on KFOX. It dealt with high school students, drugs, an abandoned house, an assistant principal and couple angry parents. Most of you are thinking, the parents should be upset. Unfortunately they are upset at the assistant principal. According to the story, a neighbor called saying there were teenagers hanging out in an abandoned house during school hours. The next day an assistant principal decides to go to the house and catch the Austin High School students in the act. Sure enough the kids showed up again. The assistant principal entered the abandoned home and took pictures of the students and of drug paraphernalia.

One of the students told her mom she felt violated while another parent said the assistant principal should have never let the kids into the house in the first place. Really? It's the assistant principal's fault that your kids are ditching school, entering private property and using drugs. I think not. If the assistant principal did not allow the kids to enter they would have said he didn't have any proof to accuse them of anything and complained to their parents. Now he has enough proof to show their parents and  the parents are complaining about his actions. Parents please! Kids now a days get away with murder because parents like you defend your kids without knowing the facts. These kids know that so they do whatever they want knowing you will make a fool of yourselves defending them no matter what.

Those students got busted red handed and they should take their punishment and move on. But I can see it now. Some slimy lawyer will come to their aid and convince them that their rights were violated and will try to sue the assistant principal, the school district, the owner of the abandoned home and me for writing this piece. It's pretty sad when people are suing for just about any reason now. I can see it playing out like this. They will sue for millions of dollars and claim that their kids were so emotionally and physically affected by the cruel actions of the assistant principle that their kids will no longer be able to get a quality education and require many hours of therapy and also require compensation for future wages lost since their education will be inadequate to get the job they could have landed if this event had not happened. i may have exaggerated a bit but I bet we here something along those lines in the news in the next couple days.

A Couple House Keeping Tips For Congressman Silvestre Reyes

Just a couple house keeping tips for Congressman Silvestre Reyes.........


1.) Do not have your office release a statement just minutes after the State of the Union Address is over and date it three days in advance. Plus yesterday would mean the address was given on the 27 when it was actually given on the 25th.

"

Documents... - US Representative Silvestre Reyes

Jan 28, 2010 - Congressman Silvestre Reyes released the following statement today on the President's State of the Union address delivered yesterday at the ...reyes.house.gov/News/DocumentQuery.aspx?CatagoryID=4817 - Cached"

2.) Do not have a big wad of Hubba Bubba bubble gum in your mouth when you could possibly be on national television. Didn't your mother teach you that?


and last but not least........

3.) Don't be lazy and stand up and applaud when your other Democrat friends are doing it. It didn't look to good to have a Democratic Congressman sitting on his tush when the rest of the Democrats were giving the President a standing ovation after he mentioned the new health care law. I didn't say it was wrong for you not to give a standing ovation, I wouldn't have either. I'm just saying that you have to play along with your little friends so you won't look bad. But as I see these suggestions were a little too late.

The Ruckus About Cesar Chavez Holiday

A lot of noise has been made lately about UTEP(University of Texas at El Paso) choosing not to give students and faculty the day off for the optional Cesar Chavez Holiday. The state allows the University to observe 12 holidays throughout the year. They have chosen to eliminate Cesar Chavez' birthday this year. Some have called it racist and anti-immigrant. But I disagree.

Most of our kids don't even know what holidays really mean or why they are off of school and adults are just glad they don't have to go to work. They don't understand the true meaning of any holiday and just use the day off to get drunk, take a trip or just sleep in late. Is that anyway to commemorate the legacy of any person who had a day set aside for them? NO!

If people at and around UTEP really want to commemorate the work and accomplishments of Cesar Chavez then they can do it on campus on his birthday. There is no better venue for an event like this? They have the whole campus to set up booths, put up pictures of Chavez and even have a march down University to educate other students on the life and accomplishments of Cesar Chavez. You will have a pretty big crowd observing everything since everyone will be in school. Now, not everyone might agree with it but when can you get everyone to agree on anything now a days? Do you think students would do anything like this on their day off? OK maybe a hand full hard core Chicano Studies majors wearing red t-shirts and barets with their fist in the air  might. But a hand full of people is not very commemorative. I think we need to educate the youth more and doing it on a school day is the perfect time and place to do it and most importantly a perfect way of showing respect to Cesar Chavez. So long story short. Take what you thought was a negative and make it into a positive and stop pulling the race card.

Texas Lawmakers To Vote on Voter ID Card

I just love it how people are complaining about possibly needing to show a state issued ID to be able to vote. Honestly, I always misplace my voter registration card and find it easier just to whip out an ID to vote. Our lawmakers will be voting on the issue tomorrow and thanks to a Republican majority it looks like there will be enough votes to pass the bill.

Now people have said that requiring a state issued ID will keep minorities and the poor from voting. First of all, who in the state of Texas does not have an ID? You need an ID for just about everything. You need it to buy cigarettes, alcohol, you need one to rent an apartment, to open up a bank account, to cash a check, to apply for a loan, to get a membership to a movie rental, to get a reduced fare bus pass, to register to go to school, you need one to register to get general assistance, you pretty much need one to be able to live. And if people think that this will affect minorities, they must be out of their minds.

People who come from other countries are used to having voter IDs. Let's take Mexico for example. They actually have a Federal Voter Registration ID card. They call it their "Electoral". I'm not suggesting we move to Federal ID cards. What I am saying is that people who have come from Mexico are used to having to show an ID to vote. This would be less strict than the system they were used to. The system in Mexico actually has a book containing the picture of every voter in the precinct. The poll workers can compare the picture in the book to the person if there is any question about the identity of the voter. So all this talk about minorities not voting because they might need an ID is a bunch of garbage.

People who left their countries for a better life in the U.S. are not lazy. If they were they would have stayed back in their home countries. Whether they did it legally or illegally and then became legal they took it upon themselves to take the extra step and sacrifice everything to live the American dream. Registering to vote is also taking an extra step. And those who take that step are willing to reach into their wallets and purses and pull out the ID they worked so hard to get so they can cast that vote they've earned with their own blood and tears.

Manny Hinojosa Crosses Joyce Wilson At Meeting

City Manager Joyce Wilson spoke in front of the Greater El Paso Republican Women's group a little over on January 15th. About 100 people heard Wilson go on and on and on about what she has done for the City of El Paso. She even had a 15 page color printout of all the accomplishments. The crowd of older people followed along for about the first 5 pages then started nodding off but still gave her a round of applause when she was done.

Wilson took some questions after her lecture. That's when Manny Hinojosa who is a candidate for City Council District 1 decided to stand up and shake things up.  Manny is known for going to City Council meetings and voicing his concern about the way City Council spends money. He didn't disappoint at this meeting. He thanked Wilson for all that she had done. But he said that all he heard when she was talking, besides the snores, was "Ch-ching cha-ching". He said all her accomplishments may sound nice but they cost the tax payer a lot of money. Hinojosa said he would like it if the taxpayer had more say in how tax payer money was used.

The crowd woke up and started to applaud. Wilson gave Hinojosa one of those evil looks you get when you make your parents look bad in public and said that public meetings were held for many of the projects but that not many people attended.

Hinojosa might have got a good one in with Wilson in public but he fails to realize that Wilson will now have his number. Wilson doesn't like to be publicly humiliated. But then who does. The difference is that she can do something about it. Wilson has been known to have ruined people's chances of being elected when she is crossed. Just ask Rachel Quintana.

More From Tunisia; An Update From Our Contributor

Mohamed Hedi Selmi
Contributor




I would like to give you and update on what is happening in Tunisia. People from south and central Tunisia went on a 350Km march to the capital. They went non stop in cars, in trucks and even by foot. They crossed Kairouan, my home town and reached the capital this morning without any sleep. They are strong and no one can stop them. They made the long journey to destroy and shutdown the old system. The old system is the same as the one of Ben Ali and the new members of government are just like his sons. We don't need them. We just want our freedom. The protest arrived at the capital this morning.  We hope we can take our freedom back. Hope god will protect us because our God is with us!

Senior Member Of Texas SBOE Proposes "Racist" Amendment

Mary Helen Berlanga is the District 2 and senior representative on the Texas State Board of Education. Her district covers Corpus Christi and much of south Texas. Berlanga has been on the board since 1982 where she was appointed Governor Mark White and has served on the Committee on Instruction, Committee on Students and Committee on the Permanent School Fund. She is an attorney that focuses on immigration, disability and administrative law.


Not too shabby looking from the outside in. But for somebody who focuses on immigration law her proposed amendment leaves many asking why she would propose something that would potentially affect the children of immigrants and minorities. The proposed amendment would make it mandatory for anyone who serves on the Committee on Instruction to have a Master's Degree and have taught at the college level. Well that makes sense. Does it? Let's look at it from an El Pasoans point of view. Only 3% of El Pasoans have a Master's degree. That's not even breaking it down by ethnic group. And of the 3% even less have taught at the college level. Most have administrative positions at the elementary, secondary or high school level. As we all know the majority of those who live in El Paso are Hispanic. So by default her amendment would affect the largely Hispanic community. Some people would go as far as calling that racist. That's if the actions came from a certain side of the aisle. But since it didn't no one is really making a big deal about it.


By putting such rigid restrictions those who have spent most of there careers teaching our children will not be able to be involved in fixing school standards at the state level. There is a big difference in theory and practical application. I think that teachers that spend more time with our school age kids will know more about what is best for them than someone who has been taught what is best for our kids. There is definitely a disconnect in Berlanga's reasoning.  But then again she is a lawyer. How many children do you think she has taught?


I personally think this is Berlanga's way of keeping certain people (conservatives) from serving in certain capacities. The struggle with conservatives has been heating up lately and has been in the news. This is possible an attempt by Burlanga and others on the board to get an upper hand on the situation. But does she really think that she can set minimum requirements just high enough and out of people's reach to keep certain people from participating? The board will vote on this tomorrow in Austin and you can see it live at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index.aspx. The fun starts at 9AM Austin time, 8AM El Paso time. If you would like to reach Berlanga and tell her that her actions would only keep hard working Hispanics down you can reach her at (361) 881-1000.

Trouble In Tunisia

Many of us have been following or have at least seen some coverage of the unrest in Tunisia.  We always here what the media, experts or government officials have to say. But we really haven't heard how the troubles affect the youth. That is until now. Mohamed Hedi Selmi tells us first hand what he and his family are going through in Tunisia.


Mohamed Hedi Selmi
Contributor


Hi my name is Mohamed Hedi Selmi I am 18 years old From Kairouan Tunisia.  I would like to speak about my country at this time .

These days my people are so angry about the system because we have endured 23 years of injustice, violence and many other bad things. In Tunisia we study for 17 years that includes the university. When we are done and want  a job they tell us to wait our turn.  Some people wait up to 10 years and don't get anything at all. They tell us that we have to pay so we can get a job. They tell us that this job is worth $5000 and that another is $3000. Every job has a price.  


There is a lot of violence here but they don't care. All they care  about is money and power.  They don't care if they have to hurt or kill to get it.  From my perspective these days are the most difficult days. The cops don't care about us they just kill peoples without reason. Their snipers just kill and run. We think these killers work for the President.


My hommies and I don't sleep much because we are awake at night guarding our hoods watching for killers in cars until the early morning. The Army tries to help us but it is not sufficient. Most of the Army is in the capital of Tunis. We only have a few soldiers here. But I do want to say thanks to the Tunisian Army for their help.


My family is afraid and worries about us because we have to protect our hoods since the Army is not enough. We are always under the cops and killer's guns. We are waiting for the new system and the elections. We hope the new system will come with good rules and new laws. We hate BEN ALI and his family. They took all the Tunisian wealth and fortune. They stole everything, they killed people and caused violence in the streets. 


We hope we will cross this difficult stage soon and take both our freedom and our money back! I hope I can report better news to you as soon as possible.

Oh No He Didn't........He Sure Did

Congressman Silvestre Reyes took the opportunity to pull the racist card on this very Martin Luther King Jr Day. (I spell it all out because MLK sounds to much like a vehicle Lincoln makes. We should give him the proper respect he deserves.)

Speaking at a press conference this morning, the Congressman expressed his feelings against the idea of Republicans trying to repeal what his office refers to as "the landmark Affordable Care Act" but is more commonly known as Obamacare to the rest of us hard working people. OK, he has the right to voice his opinion on the bill. But does he have the right to pull the racist card on Martin Luther King Jr Day? Now most of you are jumping up right now and saying that you saw the interviews he did and at no time did he pull the racist card. You are right......if you watched the English language news.

Now I was watching Univision Canal 26, a Spanish language station, at 5 PM today when I witnessed the interview where the Congressman said that people were against the healthcare bill because they were racist.

"un porcentaje del pueblo nacional esta en contra de Presidente Obama.....No estan de acuerdo que este una persona de color en control del pais"

Translation: A percentage of the people nationally are against President Obama.....They do not agree that a person of color should be in control of the country. He also goes on and says that "they" have used wrong information and misinformation to criticize this healthcare bill. Who, the racist?

I can't believe any person in Congress, man or woman, would make accusations like that on a day like this. After what happened in Tuscon and all the anti-rhetoric rhetoric he goes on Television and does this. He is the same Congressman who was on KVIA Channel 7 last Sunday who echoed the Pima County Sheriff's statement that said that we couldn't have "free speech without consequences". It is just another example of "do as I say and not as I do". But unfortunately the local media will not pick up on it. They will give the Congressman a pass and he can go along his merry way without being held accountable for his words. Welcome to good old El Paso......the land of the Libs.

It's All In The Timing..........

And this time I'm letting it all out on how I feel about being a Republican with a Spanish last name.




I'll be the first to admit that I hear many people talk to myself and other Latino Republicans in a condescending way. They might not mean to, but they do.   I can't count the times we have been referred to as "you guys" or "those people" or have heard people say "we need to get more of those Mexicans, I mean Hispanics involved".  Get "us" involved because it's the right thing to do, not because you feel obligated to. 


For god sake, treat "us" like you treat your next door neighbor and you will see that you won't have to come after "us" to participate in the party. Stop talking about us like "we" are not in the room and we will gladly throw all of our support behind the candidates and the party. Take our suggestions and concerns into consideration, treat us like human beings and "we" will help you make things happen for the GOP. Treat our candidates like credible candidates because they are. Don't use us simply because our last names are Gonzalez, Martinez, Fernandez or Cervantes and you will see that the party will make great strides and move this country in the right right direction.


We don't want you to give us an equal outcome, we just ask that you give us an equal opportunity! We wan't the same thing as everyone else in this country. The only difference between "us" and "them" is that some of us can order chile rellenos without any help from the waitress. I said some not all.

The Rhetoric on Rhetoric

How many of you remember watching or have heard of Pee-Wee's Playhouse? It was a children's television show that ran in the 80's that featured actor Paul Reubens. They had this little game where everyone would scream and yell at the top of there lungs and do a crazy little dance when the designated word of the day was used by anyone on the show. It seems that rhetoric has become the word of the day for the last week or so thanks to all the media coverage. You here it on all the political talk shows, day time talk shows, talk radio and I'm pretty sure even Elmo used it on Sesame Street this week along with the letters F and U.

The word is being thrown around by those on the left to demonize the other side's dialogue when rhetoric is simply  the art of using language to communicate effectively and persuasively. The meaning of rhetoric has been misconstrued so much by these political pundits that people now believe that rhetoric is a political four letter word and is used by the right to excite and cause people to do evil things. Those on the left are going out of there way and will do anything to make people believe that. The funny thing is that they are defining the word by trying to change the definition of the word. Go figure.

I just don't see how a word can be negatively associated with a certain political group when the act is committed by everyone on a daily basis. But then again I am a salesman and that is part of my job description.

Le Faltan Ganas! A Shot Across The Bow Directed At Shapleigh

Newly elected School Board of Education member Charlie Garza was sworn in yesterday at the El Paso Independent School District board room that was full of spectators. It wasn't your traditional swearing in ceremony. You had Greg Freyermuth as the M.C. He always brings his wit and humor to every event, you had a high school quior, two high school trumpeters, a high school ROTC color guard, your typical politician acceptance speech, a bible, a judge an oath and a shot across the bow.

Yup. Charlie Garza took time during his ceremony to put former Senator Eliot Shapleigh on the spot with a shot that should have been heard on every News channel at 10 PM. Too bad the English television stations didn't show up.

"I wish to offer Dr. Garcia, the Board of Trustees, the faculty, staff and students an apology that should have come from the former Senator and would ask the members of the media to ask him why he has not had the “Ganas” to do what right in light of the compelling documentation from the Inspector General."  

Univision Canal 26, El Diario and the El Paso Times along with several dignitaries to include the whole EPISD School Board witnessed Charlie Garza calling out the former Senator for not telling the public that he had received two letters dated September 20, 2010 and October 8, 2010 from the Texas Education Agency with their findings on the investigation that should have put his allegations to rest. Garza received a standing ovation and some chuckles for his words that mocked Shapleigh's famous "Adelante Con Ganas" award.

Garza also read a letter he wrote to the US Department of Education Office of Inspector General where he stated that Shapleigh's allegations were putting a "black cloud" over the advancement of teachers and students in the EPISD. He also offered to assist in anyway possible with the audit of EPISD and Bowie High School as he feels confident that the federal investigation will once again show that the allegations were unfounded. I personally think this is just Eliot Shapleigh trying to flex his muscles, or former muscles really.

It doesn't take a genius to see that Charlie Garza has made some new allies at the El Paso Independent School District. That's a good start if you ask me. We have to remember that it's been at least 23 years since a School Board of Education member has had any sort of presence in El Paso. Now we will  just have to wait and see how the former Senator reacts to Garza's not so kind words. I have a feeling this little squabble is going to get pretty interesting. But by the looks of it Charlie Garza is going to have some back up. So stay tuned for more developments as I will make sure I follow this one closely.

We have each others back!

Rick Ybarra Takes on Ouisa Davis

Rick Ybarra

Ala Derecha Contributor

If you read today’s EP Times Living section, you’ll find a glowing article featuring Ouisa Davis. The newspaper reporter interviewed Davis in “her tiny office in the El Paso County Courthouse”. Is it just me, or does it seem like seem like Ouisa Davis—an unelected official of El Paso County—is using her office (i.e. taxpayer owned property) to agitate for her agenda via the newspaper? It seems to me this like a pretty overtly political move from a supposed non-political County employee. In the article, Davis is described as being on a “lifelong journey as a social justice activist”. 

http://www.elpasotimes.com/living/ci_17058455

This report shows that the taxpayers of El Paso County (i.e. all of you on this email distribution list) paid Ouisa a salary of $74,698.00 for her “day job” (Ramon Renteria’s words, not mine) at the County.   http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/government-employee-salaries/el-paso-county/?page=8     Don’t forget that she also receives benefits and will likely receive a taxpayer-funded pension at her retirement. By the way, has your 401K fully recovered from the stock market drop in 2008?   Are you going to receive a pension at your retirement?

As you know, Davis continues to write her Friday column in the EP Times. Some of her recent columns have been very interesting.    

In this column titled “With GOP In Power, Be Very Afraid” Ouisa Davis wrote that “Americans have placed into positions of power people who really don’t care about the middle class.” She also wrote that that NAFTA “began to strip our nation of the blue-collar and labor industry” without mentioning that President Bill Clinton signed the bill in to law.  http://www.elpasotimes.com/opinion/ci_16587418?IADID=Search-www.elpasotimes.com-www.elpasotimes.com

Preying on the goodwill of people during the Christmas season, Davis cynically brought up Jesus and Christian scriptures to proclaim her agenda regarding healthcare reform, illegal immigration, unemployment benefits, and other issues.   http://www.elpasotimes.com/opinion/ci_16877713?IADID=Search-www.elpasotimes.com-www.elpasotimes.com

In both of her columns, the El Paso Times again identified the column’s author as “Ouisa D. Davis is an attorney at law in El Paso” without mentioning her County employment. 

It’s time for you guys, the taxpayers of El Paso County, to be heard. I’ll gladly join you—even lead you from Austin—in this initiative.  The County Commissioners need to make a decision:  either Ouisa’s chooses her County employment or she chooses the EP Times column. You guys shouldn’t tolerate having a County employee actively campaign for an agenda that you don’t support by writing a weekly column in the newspaper. 

Let’s roll.

 Rick E. Ybarra

 RickYbarra@austin.rr.com

Pray For the People Of Tuscon

This weekend's events in Tuscon have left many families without loved ones or with loved ones injured. The shooting and  assassination attempt of Congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords at a Safeway has left six dead and many injured.

We have to remember; each one had a name, a birthday, each one had a family who loved them and each one will be equally missed. This story does not need to be sensationalized any more by trying to associate the passed with people or with different events. Those who have passed away leave a void and would have left avoid no matter who they were. Let us all pray, equally, for all them and their families and for those who are injured so they can recover quickly. Let's not forget to pray for the entire city of Tuscon as they have suffered along with the families of the dead and injured. And pray for Jared Loughner and people like him tonight. yes, pray that they open their eyes and hearts and can understand the difference between right and wrong. Pray that their anger and their hate is removed from within them so they won't find the need to harm anyone.

Go Hug Yourself......You Jack Wagon!

Captain Owen Honors was relived from his post on the USS Enterprise because of lewd videos he participated in back in 2007. They were a series of videos shown to the crew aboard the USS Enterprise in what was called "XO Movie Night". As in Executive Officer, for the non military types. I myself served six months aboard a naval ship back in 1997 and can appreciate the humor behind the videos.

Being out at sea for six months you tend to form a certain type of comradery. A bond that those who never served on Naval ship will never understand.You are in confined spaces for a long period of time away from your family and really away from the rest of the world. You tend to open up more to the people around you and forget your inhibitions completely. You have no choice. Naval ships are so confined that there is literally no room for inhibitions. I had the third rack from the deck, I know what I'm talking about. Once again for the non military types, that means third bed from the floor up. It was known as the....the.....rooster and donkey rack, yeah that's it.Think about it. What is another word for rooster and donkey? I cleaned it up just in case my mother decides to read this.  

I was aboard the USS Peleliu as a Marine back in 1997. Our ship's Captain did not allow us to participate in normal Naval traditions like becoming a shell back. In Naval tradition inexperienced Sailors and Marines are called "polliwogs" and once they sail across the Equator for the first time they are welcomed with a coming of age ceremony, a full day of merciful hazing and earn the right to be called "shell backs". The same Captain had cancelled our trip to Australia yet another Naval tradition. The ship's moral dropped so low that the crew was talking about having him relived of his duties. The Captain was forced to reroute the ship and we landed in Darwin, Australia. The northern most point in Australia. We landed their just to say we stopped in Australia. The experience was far from the stories we had heard from landing in Perth or Sydney. We had no welcome parties waiting for us, no music or fireworks, no women banging on the ship's hull waiting for liberty to be sounded so they could catch themselves an American Sailor or Marine.

Troop morale is very important. I always used to tell my Marines that a happy Marine was a good Marine. It's always easier for you to expect someone to do something for you when they like you, like jump in front of a bullet for you. You think that someone who dislikes you would do that for you? According to reports Captain Honors was liked very much by his crew. Some have even come out publicly in his defense. I know if he was my Captain I would have done the same. I wish he would have been the XO on our ship when I was out at sea. All we had to watch was movies that were about ten years old or other "alternatives" to mainstream movies. That gets old after the first month out at sea.

Thanks to YouTube you can enjoy more of Captain Honors' "lewd" videos. Yes they were a little raunchy but there was nothing illegal or unethical shown on the videos. For those who complain about how his videos insult one group or another, I can honestly say he offended groups from the port and starboard side. So stop complaining about it. Do what the video told you to do and go hug yourself. Or do me a favor, volunteer to go on a Naval ship for six months then tell me what you think about the videos.

But for now, I think this video addresses the issue best. Another Naval tradition., a Marine stepping up and defending a Sailor when he needs it. 

Charlie Garza Will Take On Eliot Shapleigh

Recently elected Republican Charlie Garza will not be waiting very long before he stirs up some controversy. People within his camp tell me that Charlie Garza will publicly challenge former Senator Eliot Shapleigh on his accusations against Bowie High School and the EPISD shortly after taking his oath as the newest member of the Texas School Board of Education. The Garza camp claims to have two separate reports by the TEA that show their findings after a thorough investigation into the matter. What's the catch? Shapleigh received both reports and still, with thefindings in hand, went on his publicity stunt on television.

Most people are probably asking why is Shapleigh going through all of this? Someone from the outside looking in would say that he is doing it for "La Gente". But some on the inside tell me it is for other reasons. (I was talking to someone inside a building so technically I can say I spoke to an insider.) Rumor says that Shapleigh is going all out against the EPISD because the district did not hire someone he had recommended for an administrator's position in the district.

What? All this because his "friend" wasn't GIVEN the job in a highly competitive market? Is he not paying attention to the public corruption scandals? Looks like it's a bad case of "GOD" complex if you ask me  now he wants the EPISD to feel the wrath of Shapleigh. Now like I said before, this was information given to me by an "insider", for what ever that is worth.

I wonder how Shapleigh will react to the public display of these reports? Will he admit that he was wrong? Or will he keep arguing even if though he is wrong like the lawyer that he is?

SSSS:

Rumor says Shapleigh will be given a new award that will be named in his honor. The "Falta" award will be given to those who work so hard to show the lack of testicular fortitude to admit they are wrong. To those who lack integrity and honor. To those who lack the courage to do the right thing and to those who are not committed to serving the people. It will be the first award of its kind. But I have been told that the nominations committee has many names waiting for the award.

Charlie Garza Invite

You are cordially invited to attend

The Investiture of

Carlos “Charlie” Garza

As a member of The Texas State Board of Education

And

The administration of the oath of office

The Honorable Bill Hicks

243^rd District Court Judge

To administer the oath of Office

Tuesday, January 11^th 2011 at 5:30 pm

EPISD Board Room

6531 Boeing Drive, El Paso, TX 79925

Charlie Garza Swearing In Ceremony

Charlie Garza will be holding his swearing in ceremony on Tuesday January 11th at the El Paso Independent School District offices. Rumor says he will be addressing a controversial issue that has been all over the local news that involves a former member of the Texas senate. Stay tuned. More information coming soon!

El Paso LNRC 2010 Year In Review