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“One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, “What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?”
SYT
Rachel Carson
A JOURNAL OF THE BORDERLANDS FEBRUARY 2012
Est. 1994
Vol. XVII No. 14 64 PAGES
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The battle of San Ygnacio: grass roots environmental solidarity prompts Texas Energy to withdraw oilfield waste permit PAGE 17
Heavy-handed U.S. Marshals cuff and strike disabled Laredoan PAGE 16
“He picked me up like a suitcase,” Gutierrez said, describing Martinez using the cuffs and her hair to take her to a vehicle outside her home while neighbors leaving for work witnessed the humiliating moment. “He never stopped calling me names.”
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Santa María Journal
In the fog, the white goats appeared legless, disembodied; the crescendo of bird chatter heralds the new day
By MARÍA EUGENIA GUERRA
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n the fog, the white goats appeared legless, disembodied; the crescendo of bird chatter heralds the new day The mist has given the early hour a surreal cast. My dog Luna, frisky in the cool temperatures, prances at my side with far more energy than I’d like to contend with this morning, but as Oat Willie whispered into my ear in Austin in 1967, it’s onward through the fog and into the natural world. The day is so new that a couple of coyotes are still telegraphing back and forth intermittently. The soft coo of mourning dove are the prelude to the drama of the sunrise that will splash light across the landscape and shake the waking world from rest. A crescendo of bird chatter will soon herald the new day.
In the fog, our white goats appear as disembodied, legless forms that float in the gray cover across the fenced callejón where they live. Luna acts for a moment like she was contemplating cabrito for breakfast, but re-thinks the idea when the buzz on her collar recalibrates the fleeting notion. We walk on, and it is impossible not to notice how little grass there is. The recent rains have done much to help the winter weeds come to life, but the reality is that there is very little forage. At the end of the caliche road, we turn back, the walk home at a faster clip than the walk out. We move along the horse pasture fence and catch sight of El Sabino and Estrellita. It is rare these days that I am alone here, and while I have enjoyed the soli-
tude of this moment, I am almost achingly cognizant of how much I like to spend time here with my granddaughters Emily and Amandita. No matter how many times the three of us have gone into the chicken house to collect eggs, the thrill of it still engages them, the slow, careful handling of the eggs into the basket, the counting, the excitement over the green shell of the Araucana eggs, and the duck that is sitting on a huge nest of big white eggs. As we walk back to the house to wash the eggs and put them in cartons to align them next to the ridiculous number of filled cartons in my refrigerator, I think how lucky I am to have my beloved pinguinitas. I have a memory of being with my grandmother at her deluxe brick-floored
chicken house on Laredo Street. As I recall, it was a clean, narrow space behind an ochre colored garage. The bricks were yellow and the hens were golden Buff Orpingtons that laid big brown eggs. No doubt I am idealizing decades later what the coop looked like, but I have this core memory of the direct relationship between the eggs on my plate and those chickens and that space. Recently, as we walked from the henhouse to my house, Emily, the oldest of my granddaughters, told me I didn’t need to hold her hand because she wouldn’t run off like her younger sister Amandita. I told her that while I understood she is becoming independent, that I loved her hand in mine. So much, I understand, rests on those little hands. ◆
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Mariela Rodriguez/LareDOS
Maria Eugenia Guerra/LareDOS
A beautiful winter day on the ranch lands Sandra and Alfonso Varela of Houston and their son Marcos were recent visitors to Laredo and San Ygnacio. Marcos Varela, a musician based in New York City, played with Joe Guerra’s jazz trio at Jamboozie. They are pictured at their ranch in San Ygnacio.
Speaking up Members of Occupy Laredo are pictured on February 10 at the foot of the LCC overpass, making their point about U.S. involvement in Iran.
we have them at...
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M
y One Agenda Campaign for Webb County Commissioner Pct. 3 has put forth many important proposals for Webb County’s future, but the central piece of that platform is the creation of a new county ethics commission comprised of citizens of Webb County, who will have the ability to oversee the business dealings of all county officials and the power to penalize wrongdoers. The proposed ethics commission will have the ability to set civil penalties of up to $4,000 for ethics violations and provide protection to whistleblowers. This type of ethics commission was established in El Paso County in 2009, and provides a ready template for Webb County to adopt. The proposed ethics commission would require confidential investigations and provide punitive measures for anyone who brings false charges. The ethics commission could have as many as 10 members who would meet on a monthly basis and advise the Commissioners Court regarding compliance issues and disseminate information regarding the ethics code to promote ethical conduct and to deter violations. Each commissioner and the county judge would appoint a member to the commission, and then the appointed ethics commissioners would appoint the remaining positions through an open application and screening process. Public corruption — and we have witnessed plenty of it — demoralizes and destroys the integrity of local government and bears an immeasurable financial cost. Webb County needs an ethics commission with teeth. I’m the only candidate in the race for Pct. 3 committed to the creation of this type of ethics commission. A vote for me is a vote for a more transparent and accountable Webb County. To learn more about my vision for change, leadership, and economic development, please visit www.altgeltforwebb.com
-George Altgelt
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Maria Eugenia Guerra/LareDOS
Maria Eugenia Guerra/LareDOS
Everywhere Yanira went
At Gateway Rotary meeting
Lala, Yanira Ramosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; very tame 4-H project, gets her exercise following Yanira, a United South High School student, along the sidewalks of St. Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Plaza.
Gateway Rotary members Jackie Ramos, Lucy Quintanilla, and Tagi Sagafi-nejad are pictured at the clubs February 7 meeting at the Embassy Suites.
The future of heart care Doctors Hospital of Laredo receives Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) # # " # # " ! # ! # ! # # $ # " # ! # "
Physicians are on the medical staff of Doctors Hospital of Laredo, but, with limited exceptions, are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Doctors Hospital of Laredo. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. This hospital is co-owned with physician investors.
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Joe Guerra Jazz Trío + Marcos Varela
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Denise Ferguson/LareDOS
Maria Eugenia Guerra/LareDOS
Filming documentary on the Río Grande Chrisitan Jack and Alan Ibrahaim are pictured in San Ygnacio on February 12 filming a segment for a documentary on the Río Grande. They followed members of the Río Grande International Study Center and the River Pierce Foundation who canvassed San Ygnacio for a February 13 Town Hall meeting about the proposed oilfield waste dump a mile from the river.
Senate proclamation for TMLC State Senator Judith Zaffirini presented Tuesday Music and Literature Club President Linda Mott with Senate Proclamation #74, which acknowledges the 100th anniversary celebration of the TMLC, originally organized in 1911 as a study group.
Pct. 3 candidates for Webb County Commissioner respond to Las Lomas Q&A
Danny Lopez Jr.
Moderator Alejandro Obregon
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John Galo
George J. Altgelt
The residents of Las Lomas on Hwy. 59 hosted a question and answer forum for the candidates for Webb County Commissioner Pct. 3. The well-organized, well-attended event gave the three candidates present the opportunity to share ideas to address the issues of roads that are impassable after rains, flooding, garbage pick-up, and quality of life. The forum was hosted by Alejandro Obregon under auspices of Familias Unidas Pro Mejoramiento del Sector. LareDOS I
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Feature
Feed My Starving Children initiative unites volunteers across the community BY DENISE FERGUSON LareDOS Contributor
H
undreds of Laredoans — about 700 in total — joined the Mobile Pack - Feed My Starving Children Event at Christ Church Episcopal Parish Hall on Saturday, January 28 to prepare 19,000 food packets that wi1l make 16,000 meals New Vision Community Church, headed by Pastor Lucy De Leon, was the local sponsor of the effort to package food to be distributed to those in need. Volunteers were of various ages and represented different religions. Natural born leaders, like the 9-yearold girl who taught her older team members how to correctly attach the empty packets to the feeder funnel, helped their groups to maximize production. Older participants affixed barcode labels to the packets. Part of the volunteer training was instruction to maintain sanitary requirements. Everyone was required to wear hairnets completely covering their
hair; no jewelry was allowed (as it might fall in the food); and there was no food, drink, or candy consumption allowed while packing. Initially, Michelle Heron of Chicago, who has been with the group since last August, provided a slide show illustrating the work of the organization. “Today,” said Pastor De Leon, “The product of the Mobile Pack is to go right back into the community.” Heron added, “We fed 100 families in Nuevo Laredo today.” Pastor De Leon noted, “The need for this type of agency arises from various causes such as famines, natural disasters, poverty, and political crises all over the world.” She continued, “We serve 57 countries, including the Philippines and Nicaragua. The Mobile Pack concept provides a simple, efficient, and inexpensive way to feed those in need. One box, which can be produced in less than two hours, can feed a family for weeks.” Pastor De Leon said it costs less than a quarter to produce each bag, which will provide six meals. “There
Volunteers in training for food packaging are four main ingredients — chicken in powdered form, vegetables, soy protein, and rice. Together the ingredients contain the various minerals and vitamins required each day. The food is provided in a rice medium which is a form recognized all over the world. The recipients know how to cook it and what it looks like,” she said. “Let’s do this in Laredo and not
wait for others to come from outside to help. God’s blessing is with us,” the pastor continued. “He has helped us today in providing the strength, time, and love to share with the needy. Thanks to the people who came to make this event possible, we are transforming the community by bringing churches together to help our community.” ◆
Spears Ariadna Paez, Patricia Rodriguez and Pastor Lucy De Leon at registration desk.
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News Brief
Courtesy photo
WCHF, THC host State Board of Review
Members of the State Board of Review and staff from the Texas Historical Commission visit San AgustĂn Cathedral as part of a trolley tour provided by the Webb County Heritage Foundation prior to their quarterly meeting on January 21.
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Opinion
Racial profiling, the ultimate act of bullying BY JOSÉ ANTONIO LÓPEZ
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n the preface of Tejano Empire, Dr. Andrés Tijerina reveals a significant fact about Tejanos in Texas. It was not until the death of Tejano music star Selena, in March 1995 that the vast majority of the U.S. general public realized the existence of her large and adoring bi-lingual and bi-cultural fan base. The countless memorials to Selena, a popular full-length movie depicting her life story, and spontaneous public demonstrations of grief were extensively covered by major U.S news media. How is it that mainstream society missed noticing such an energetic performer any earlier? Or did they? The fact is that Spanish Mexican Tejanos have been hiding in plain sight for many generations. They are the direct descendants of the first citizens of Texas. As such, they are not immigrants to the U.S. Their family genealogy is that equivalent to modern-day Anglos tracing their lineage to the 13 colonies of the East Coast. Honor, dignity, and respect have yet to be granted to Tejanos. Sadly, they have endured the pain of social exclusion since Texas achieved its independence from Mexico in 1836. They were deliberately shunned simply because they looked Mexican (Native American), spoke Spanish, and were largely Roman Catholic. The situation only got worse when Mexico officially lost Texas to the U.S. in 1848. It was then that the group became an ethnic minority destined to be treated as foreigners in their own homeland. Initially by brute force and later by unfair laws, the Anglo majority tried to sweep clean the new territory of all Mexican (New Spain) traces. Expectedly, the effort proved impractical. The
U.S. found itself experiencing a lesson learned long ago by Greek and Roman armies. It had greatly increased its land size through conquest. However, no matter how hard they tried, short of complete annihilation of the local inhabitants, the Mexican-distinct culture had created numerous Spanish-named communities from Texas to California. Horrid acts of bigotry against the conquered Mexican people became standard practice. So began a premeditated act of colonialstyle racism that has been 170 years in the making. It must be noted that the Tejano monument is the first visual tribute in our state capital honoring Texas’ founding Spanish Mexican pioneers. The fact that this monument is just now being built in 2012 speaks volumes on the level of importance given to Tejano history. Mexican-descent citizens are by far the largest segment under the U.S. Hispanic umbrella, numbering over 30 million (60 percent). By all standards then, they qualify as a world class ethnic group with its own identity. They have attempted to gain a firm foothold in the ladder of acceptance. Yet, every step has been a struggle for fairness. Long held by the Anglo majority as a “Class Apart,” they continue to be one of the most hard-working and loyal ethnic groups. Ardently patriotic to the Red, White, and Blue, Mexican-descent citizens have earned the medals to prove it. Still preserving their distinctive heritage roots in a vast region in what is now the U.S., they exist as a sub-culture within the larger mainstream Anglo society. Their culture straddles the U.S. Mexico boundary in communities that were once united. Then, in 1848, families were split in half when the border became a permanent Mason Dixon Line. That is why residents on both sides of the border look identical
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to one another. After all, they are the same people. Their long-term separation has not diminished their mutual enthusiasm to maintain close ties of kinship and celebrate their vibrant, unique way of life in the geographic area known as the borderlands. In pursuing a hostile racial profiling campaign against Mexican-looking citizens, the Arizona Maricopa County sheriff’s actions are the topic of emotional debate. Following the vile behavior example of 1960s southern sheriffs who used their official positions to fight racial equality for Black citizens, the Arizona sheriff is using his position to likewise violate civil rights. He has developed his own predatory criteria. If Mexican-looking blue-collar worker citizens are heard speaking Spanish, or if they drive older vehicles, they are fair targets for illegal search and seizure. Ironically, many Mexican-appearing Arizona citizens descend from various generations who have lived in the Southwest. Equally, members of the various Native American tribes whose ancestral lands are threatened by the Berlin Wall type of fence, have called Arizona home for thousands of years. It is truly sad that the sheriff’s misguided aggressiveness is teaching impressionable Mexican-descent children to fear law enforcement officials. His supporters must realize that
terrorizing carloads of working-class families is not a courageous act. History will record that he got his self-imposed ‘toughest sheriff in the country’ label by being what he truly is – an irritable bully in search of TV cameras. So reprehensible is this rogue sheriff’s behavior that a recent Justice Department report confirms that he is biased in executing his duties. “Racial profiling is wrong, and we will end it in America.” That statement was not made by a bleedingheart liberal. It was said in 2001 to a Congressional joint session by President George W. Bush. Simply stated, to stop bullying in our schools, students are urged to report it. In the same way, Mexican-looking U.S. citizens who are harassed by law agents in Arizona, Texas, Alabama, Connecticut, or anywhere else in the country should be encouraged to report it. Litigation in courts of law will show the state of Arizona and other intolerant state governments that this ultimate act of bullying will not be tolerated. That was President Bush’s promise. Equally important, it’s a promise that must be kept to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Only then can liberty and justice for all be guaranteed regardless of race, creed, or color of one’s skin. ◆
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Maria Eugenia Guerra/LareDOS
The best kept secret in Laredo
1, 2 and 3 bedroom floorplans available. Prices starting at $725 Town houses and corporate suites also available For more information, please contact: www.carmelapts.com Carmel Apartments Office Hours 830 Fasken Blvd. Laredo, Texas M-F 8:30-5:30 956.753.6500, 956.753.6502 fax Sat. 10:00-5:00
Sit back, relax, and welcome home
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At the FUMC book sale Mary Webber, Sue Webber, and Dorothy Newman staffed the February 7 book sale at the First United Methodist Church at 1220 McClelland Avenue. The sale is held every first Monday of the month. To donate books to the sale, call (956) 722-1674.
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News
Trail ride kicks off Zapata County Fair; Intocable high note of 40th annual fair
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rammy winning Intocable headlines the entertainment for the 40th Annual Zapata County Fair. Considered one of the best county fairs in South Texas, the Zapata event will also feature Los Invasores de Nuevo Leon, Duelo, and Southern Scarred. Los Invasores de Nuevo Leon and Duelo will perform at a street dance Friday, March 9, and Southern Scarred and Intocable will perform Saturday, March 10. The fair kicks off Saturday, March 3, with a pre-trail ride breakfast at the Bustamante Arena on Hwy. 16. In years prior about a hundred riders make the annual 15-mile ride to the County Fair Pavilion.
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On March 8, Zapata youngsters begin moving their livestock projects to the fairgrounds for weigh-ins. Judging begins March 8 and continues through
tivities and fair events, begins with the annual parade that moves from Third Avenue and north along Hwy. 83. Other scheduled events include a
March 9, all in preparation for the Saturday, March 10 Livestock Auction in the Ramirez Exhibit Hall. March 10, a day packed with fes-
carnival, the Intocable Roping Competition; sales for junior and senior arts, crafts, photography, and baked goods; folklorico and dance team per-
formances; a jalape単o eating contest; and a grito contest. The fair provides a host of samplings of delicious foods and sweets Carmen Paredes, working with a core of volunteers, has chaired the 2012 fair. Sponsors for the Zapata County Fair include Zapata County, the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce, L&F Distributors, Falcon International Bank, Miller Lite, Southern Distributing, IBC Bank, and Casa Raul. For further information on the Zapata County Fair go to www. zapatacountryfaironline.comor call the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce at (956) 765-4871. -LareDOS Staff
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Photos by Edwardo García and Andrea Ordoñez
T
he historic Islitas cemetery located off FM 1472 on what is now the site of the City’s Max Mandel Municipal Golf Course, was visited recently by members of the Webb County Heritage Foundation who were asked to provide assistance with preservation plans for site. Among those present were Assistant City Manager Horacio de Leon, Margarita Araiza and Edwardo García of the Webb County Heritage Foundation, Jack Morgan, golf course contractor, Chale Rodriguez, member of the Golf Course Adviso-
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ry Committee, Bill Luft who is working on the design of the Clubhouse, and Alejandro Lambrada, City of Laredo. Approximately 100 graves dating from 1900-1930s are believed to be part of the site. A preliminary study with ground-penetrating radar revealed areas of “disturbed earth” that were marked with orange flags. The cemetery is being assessed in order to be surveyed, fenced off, and marked as a historic site. With approval from City Council, it should form a significant historical attraction at the city’s golf course site. ◆
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News
Laredoans allege terror and abuse of Constitutional rights at the hands of U.S. Marshals brandishing weapons BY MARIA EUGENIA GUERRA
The marshals allegedly pushed David Rodriguez against a wall and pointed a rifle to his chest, threw Carlos Rodriguez to the floor and held him there, and pointed their rifles in Roberto Rodriguez’s face as he lay in bed. In recovery from reconstructive surgery and physical rehabilitation to his leg, Roberto — according to the suit — was dragged across the floor of the home and into the marshal’s vehicle. Gutierrez said that neither she nor her sons offered resistance to the search that yielded no weapons or the object of the marshals search, Arturo Rodriguez. With her hands in the air — fearing for the frailty of Roberto’s leg, which had only recently come out of a brace — Gutierrez informed the agents of her son’s injury and asked them to take care with him. She said a marshal identified as Oscar Martinez seized her by the arm, twisted it behind her, forced her to the floor, and cuffed her. Gutierrez,
and blood pressure medications relative aura Sofia Gutierrez was no to the transplant, stranger to early morning said that Martinez raps on the front door and screamed obscenities uniformed police officers at her, called her “a looking for her adult son Arturo Rofucking bitch,” condriguez, who’d had run-ins with the tinued to hold her to law. Visits by Laredo Police officers the floor, and began and Webb County deputies had been to beat her about the all business, but they’d been cordial, head, face, and body, respectful, and non invasive. with while her sons Nothing could have prepared her watched the terrifyor her other sons — David, Carlos and ing spectacle of their Roberto — for the May 7, 2010 visit by mother being pum- Laura Sofia Gutierrez consults with attorneys Daniel Monahan and co-counsel Israel Reyna. 10 U.S. Marshals looking for Arturo meled by a federal Rodriguez, who no longer lived with law enforcement ofGutierrez. ficer. She opened the door of her home “Whichever way I turned my face about the beating of his mother. on Duval Loop to the members of the from side to side, he hit me,” she Gutierrez, in the patrol car where U.S. Marshal’s Gulf Coast Violent Ofsaid. Martinez had dragged her, heard over fenders Fugitive Task Force and local In addition to the horror of bleed- the car’s radio that Arturo had been law enforcement officers deputized ing wounds on her arms and bruises captured, and that is where she heard by the marshals, all in bullet proof at the hands of a U.S. Marshal, Guti- Marshal Martinez identify himself body armor, some brandishing what errez suffered the degradation of los- for the first time. she believed to be automatic weaping control of her bladder. Bleeding, lightheaded, and in ons. “He picked me up like a suitcase,” pain, she said she had repeatedly Accordi ng G u t i e r r e z asked Martinez for medical help and to a complaint said, describ- that he responded with obscenities. filed for Gutiing Martinez He said, she recalled, “There is nothHe picked me up like a suitcase,” Gutierrez said, describing errez by Texas using the cuffs ing wrong with you.” Río Grande LeMartinez using the cuffs and her hair to take her to a vehicle and her hair Martinez finally released her to gal Aid (TRLA) to take her to her son David and told him to take outside her home while neighbors leaving for work witnessed the attorney Dan a vehicle out- her inside or he would arrest her. He humiliating moment. “He never stopped calling me names. iel Monahan, side her home told David, they had “better not get the U.S. agents while neigh- any calls” to their office. They reportpushed their bors leaving edly had also warned Roberto, cauway through her front door and did who called out that she was disabled, for work witnessed the humiliating tioning him “they would get him for not show Gutierrez a search warrant. said that Martinez knelt on her back. moment. “He never stopped calling something.” The compliant alleges that though She said that she began to weep and me names,” she said, “And he did not Gutierrez drove herself to the hosGutierrez and her sons and their girl- that her son David also told the agents react when I told him I’d had a kidney pital where she was joined by Roberfriends were fully cooperative with his mother was disabled. transplant and that I felt sick.” to, and they saw several of the agents the marshals, the officers swarmed Gutierrez, who received a kidney Roberto Rodriguez, his leg in acute who had been to their home. The nowthrough the house, barking orders, transplant in 2001 and is on a proto- pain, was driven around by the mar- apprehended son Arturo who had waving weapons, and terrifying the col of seven medications including shals in search of his brother and CONTINUED ON PAGE 47 4 4 family. anti organ rejection meds, steroids, was cautioned not to say anything
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Opinion
San Ygnacio townhall meeting: grassroots, solidarity turn the tide on proposed oilfield waste landfarm BY MARÍA EUGENIA GUERRA
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t is rare that we are witness to grassroots activism, a successful common cause, and the exercise of the will of the people. The San Ygnacio Townhall meeting of February 13 was a civics lesson about a town and a county rallying in one voice in opposition to the Texas Energy permit application to operate an oilfield waste landfarm less than a mile from San Ygnacio and a mile from the open waters of the Río Grande. More rare was the outcome of the meeting — the pronouncement by Texas Energy CEO John Crisp that he would withdraw his application for the permit that would expand his Highway 3169 salt water disposal operation to include pits for oilfield drilling waste. In a Q&A session as the meeting moved to closure, San Antonio activist Margie Cortez challenged Crisp, telling him that if the landfarm pits were so safe, why not build them in his own backyard. Crisp answered, “It is in my backyard. It is in the backyard of my son and my grandchildren. They live on the Zapata lake.” When Cortez continued, Crisp stood and interrupted further comment. “I’ll tell you what,” he began, “if you guys don’t want us here, just raise your hand right now.” As he looked out onto a sea of hands, he said, “OK, what we’re going to do is cheat the Railroad Commission out of something, out of deciding if I’m allowed to have a permit. I don’t want to work in a community where there is a problem for my people. We’ll just pull the permit tomorrow. Good day.” The stunned audience responded with resounding applause to the unW W W.L A R ED OS N E WS.CO M
expected announcement. He had earlier in the panel discussion said that in the face of opposition, he would rather “deploy my capital somewhere else.” The meeting — sponsored by the Río Grande International Study Center (RGISC), the River Pierce Foundation of San Ygnacio, Zapata Pct. 2 Commissioner Gabriel Villarreal, Zapata County Judge Joe Rathmell, and the Zapata County Commissioners Court — brought together a diverse panel that addressed the Railroad Commission rules that govern oilfield waste; the topography of the proposed site, as well as health and environmental concerns for air and water; and spills of oilfield waste as it moves in open bed trailers from the Eagle Ford Shale play and through Laredo to dumpsites in Zapata County. About 300 residents of San Ygnacio and Zapata County took their seats and heard Judge Rathmell set the tone for the meeting with the affirmation that the Commissioners Court of Zapata County, in opposition to the Texas Energy permit application, had passed a resolution of protest on January 10, 2011. Comm. Gabriel Villarreal spoke heartfelt words about his hometown and what could happen to the town’s only source of drinking water and the residents of San Ygnacio if the proposed facility’s containment was breached. The most compelling information from the panel came from bio-environmental scientist Maricia Perez Rodriguez, who was well versed on hydrology and the Railroad Commission’s rules. Using data from the Texas Energy permit application, photographs of one of the landfarms in Bustamante and Google aerials of that site, FEMA maps, and other maps that placed Arroyo El Grullo inside the current Texas
Energy saltwater disposal site, Perez Rodriguez made the case for adverse environmental impact on the residents of nearby Valle Verde and San Ygnacio, as well as the impact the operation could have on the Río Grande and the economic benefits relative to eco-tourism, birding, and fishing. Other speakers included RGISC board member Victor Oliveros, who spoke on the environmental components of the 1983 La Paz Agreement between the United States and Mexico; and panelist Esmeralda Rodriguez, a biologist and photographer who has documented toxic spills of oilfield waste in Laredo and on U.S. Highway 83. Crisp, initially a reluctant participant on the panel, spoke well and with unwavering confidence about engineering practices and safeguards he considers environmentally sound. The candid point of view of Webb County Commissioner Jaime Canales, a member of the state-appointed Eagle Ford Shale Task Force, was the second surprise of the evening. Early in the meeting he asked for the first show of hands in opposition to the Texas Energy permit application. “I think you have your answer, Mr. Crisp,” Canales said. Canales told the audience that he would take the environmental concerns and overwhelming opposition of San Ygnacio and Zapata County to the Railroad Commission. He also asked Crisp not to bring the oilfield waste operation to Webb County. Gil Bujano, deputy director of the Railroad Commission’s Oil and Gas Division, and Michael Sims, manger of Technical Permitting, offered little information on the status of the Texas Energy application, but certainly they were listening and took note of the community and the county’s opposition to the landfarm and pit operation in San Ygnacio.
After the meeting, Bujano told this writer that the Commission had some of the same concerns with the permit application as those voiced at the meeting — floodplain and hydrology concerns. One of the most interesting questions directed to Bujano came from Zapatan Dr. Cruz Torres who asked if the Railroad Commission ever considered the factor of environmental racism in making their decisions. He answered, “We try.” Torres, professor emeritus of sociology at Texas A&M University at College Station, commented on the show of solidarity of the people of San Ygnacio in opposition to something that had the potential to change their lives drastically. She likened the community effort to the town’s petition to the federal government in April of 1951 to have their lands excluded from purchase and condemnation to make way for the Falcon Reservoir. About 400 letters of opposition to the proposed oilfield waste landfarm have been mailed to the Railroad Commission. Christopher Rincón, executive director of the River Pierce Foundation, and his staff, along with RGISC board members and volunteers, were instrumental in collecting the letters and in ensuring that San Ygnacio residents were aware of the meeting. Many of the Town Hall attendees were elated at the meeting’s outcome, and more so when copies of the letter of withdrawal for the permit application circulated a few days later. What a great example of activism, self-reliance, and leadership the residents of San Ygnacio and its elected officials have demonstrated. Laredo and Webb County would do well to take a lesson from this. ◆
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Profile
DR. MARIA DE LOS ANGELES FLORES A journalist with something to say about journalism BY MARIELA RODRIGUEZ LareDOS Staff
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r. María Flores, assistant professor of communication and faculty advisor to The Bridge Newspaper, is one of the hardest working professors at Texas A&M International University. Flores is also a published scholar and a renowned journalist with 13 years of experience in the field. Flores, who earned a Bachelor’s in communication at the Universidad Autonoma de Coahuila, also holds a Master’s in radio, television, and film, and a PhD in journalism, both from the University of Texas at Austin. Asked to comment on her experiences as an Hispanic female journalist, Flores responded, “I had the privilege of working for National Public Radio, for a Latino program called Latino USA. Back then I only had the fundamental knowledge of journalism, and was not quite familiar with what Latino journalism meant. Through my work with Latino USA, I realized
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that it is a cultural perspective that has to be embedded in the journalism. Latino journalism is based on the Latino culture, and the journalist has the responsibility to ask questions most relevant to the ethnic group that he or she represents.” Flores cited an example of having a Latino journalist interview a political candidate, and failing to ask questions pertaining to immigration — an important topic within the Latino community. Flores emphasized, “Journalism in terms of the practice is the same thing. What is different is the perspective from which journalists must approach a topic.” She added, “I think it is very important for any professional, but especially journalists, to learn different cultures, to learn to tolerate, and to learn to understand different points of view and different systems of beliefs.” Asked for her thoughts on border journalism, Flores answered exuberantly, “Well I am in search of that. I did not grow up on the border, so I never had a chance to question this constant
friction between two cultures, the bicultural and bilingualism involved.” Flores is currently interviewing local journalists to determine what border journalism is and what its characteristics are. “To be a border reporter, requires more effort because you have to know the big players on both sides of the United States and Mexico,” she remarked. Flores also stressed that bilingualism is a must for border journalists. In a discussion on print media vs. online media, Flores pointed out that this is not the Dr. María De Los Ángeles Flores first time that print media has had to struggle to acclimate to tion graduates to take with them into technological advances. There was the the field, Flores answered, “ethics and invention of radio, then television, and prestige.” She said “If you learn your now the advent of the Internet. Flores ethics and you learn that the name of said that online media has made it in- the game is prestige, you will be very creasingly easier to facilitate the read- successful.” ers’ instant feedback, which in turn Flores had a word of advice those provides the publication or newspaper interested in pursuing journalism as a with the needed feedback to keep its career. “Journalism is the best career in readers happy. the world. It requires a lot of work, dedFlores weighed in on the state of ication, and critical skills, not to menjournalism and its evolution over the tion discipline.” She further added, “I next 5 years. “The way that we know highly encourage any prospective stuthe newspaper right now as a print ver- dents to follow the path.” sion, it will convert itself into a luxury If you are interested in participating item, or completely disappear and only in Dr. María Flores’ border journalism be available online,” she said. research or interested in joining The When asked what she would like Bridge Newspaper, she may be contactfor her journalism and communica- ed at maflores@tamiu.edu. ◆ W W W.L A RED OS N E WS.CO M
News
BY MARIELA RODRIGUEZ LareDOS Staff
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s distant and removed as the Vietnam era may seem, it remains a constant struggle for those veterans whose memories make it a painful, present reality. A handful of Laredoans, veterans of two conflicts, believe that generations of Americans, too young to remember, need to learn the truth about the men and women who served in Vietnam. They plan to do this with a documentary about Webb County Vietnam Veterans. The “Welcome Home Laredo Vietnam Veterans” project, now two years in the making, will feature veterans from all branches of the armed forces. The planning committee for the documentary includes members of American Legion Post 59, Catholic War Veterans Post 1908, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9194, and the Laredo Veterans Coalition. “The purpose of the project is to promote a living history of Vietnam veterans, and to ensure that a legacy is left to future generations. We also wish to clear up some misconceptions about Vietnam veterans,” said Valentín Moreno, historian of the
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Catholic War Veterans and the film’s producer and director. Vietnam veterans are the only group of combat veterans who returned home to be vilified and abused, rather than being honored and appreciated. According to Moreno, they are some of the most unjustly criticized veterans in American history. Commonly referred to as baby killers or stereotypically thought of as non-contributors to society, there is much to clear up, Moreno said. “The Vietnam era solider served with honor. Every solider who served with honor wanted to come back to America proud. Instead, we were chastised by our own communities. We were not welcomed or received well at all,” commented Juan Castañeda, 2nd vice-commander of the Catholic War Veterans. Moreno said the documentary will allow vets to talk about their experiences. “It will not romanticize war, or try to provide the elusive healing or closure that many have sought. Healing and closure simply do not exist for a Vietnam vet,” Moreno said. Vietnam era veteran Valentín Jorge Cuellar said that the film seeks to disprove that Vietnam veterans were heartless and uneducated, that they
Mariela Rodríguez
Documentary seeks to set record straight for Laredo Vietnam veterans
Pictured left to right are Valentin J Cuellar, Vietnam era Veteran; José M. Soto of the Laredo Veterans Coalition; American Legion Post 59 commander Joe Garza; Juan Castañeda, 2nd vice-commander of the Catholic War Veterans; and Valentin Moreno, historian of the Catholic War Veterans and the film’s producer and director.
spent most of the war doing drugs, and that’s why the war was lost. “In reality, these outstanding men are some of the greatest contributors to our community,” he said. The organizers of the project, who include American Legion Post 59 commander Joe Garza and José M. Soto of the Laredo Veterans Coalition, say the documentary is a call to arms for Vietnam era veterans to contribute to broadening history by including their accounts of the war. According to Professor Robert K. Brigham, Vassar College, the Second Indochina War, 1954-1975, grew out of the long conflict between France and Vietnam. In July 1954, after one hundred years of colonial rule, a defeated France was forced to leave Vietnam. Nationalist forces under the direction of General Vo Nguyen Giap trounced the allied French troops at the remote mountain outpost of Dien Bien Phu in
the northwest corner of Vietnam. This decisive battle convinced the French that they could no longer maintain their Indochinese colonies, and Paris quickly sued for peace. As the two sides came together in Geneva, Switzerland, international events were already shaping the future of Vietnam’s modern revolution. The advent of television gave the media an opportunity to capture and broadcast war images to civilians directly to their homes. According to Cuellar, this significantly contributed to the distortion of facts over the years. Inaccurate reporting and Hollywood’s spin on the war have shadowed these vets for years. If you are interested in participating in the documentary or know of a veteran who is, please contact Valentín Moreno at (956) 236-1010 or by email at cwv@catholicveteranslaredo.com or valmoreno173@yahoo.com ◆ LareDOS I FEB RUA RY 2012 I
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At the January 28 conference on the state of the Río Grande
Maria Eugenia Guerra/LareDOS
Tricia Cortez (far left), executive director of the Río Grande International Study Center, is pictured with panelists Elizabeth Verdecchia of the International Boundary and Water Commission; stream flow advocate Steve Harris of Río Grande Restoration; hydro-ecologist Mark Briggs of the World Wildlife Fund; and TAMIU biologist Dr. Tom Vaughan. The conference, entitled “Río Grande/Río Bravo: River of Life/River in Peril,” focused on the ecological decline of the river over decades and what conservation measures will play into its restoration. Financial support for the well-attended conference included La Posada Hotel, Union Pacific Railroad, Webb County Attorney Anna Laura Cavazos Ramirez, Peacefield, and the South Texas Environmental Education and Research Program.
Congratulations, Steve La Mantia,
LIFE’s 2012 Rancher of the Year.
Best Wishes from Your Many Friends in the Arts
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Courtesy photo
Workaholics on Holiday Laredoans Carol and Ed Sherwood (seated) and Melissa Guerra, Jaynee Santos, Olivia Rigal, and Bertha Galvan (standing left to right) enjoyed a seven-day cruise on the Princess Ruby that departed Ft. Lauderdale for several stops through the eastern Carib-
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Lopez, Galo, Cortez, Casso, and Altgelt vie for Webb County Commissioner Pct. 3
LareDOS offers this Q&A forum so that the voters of Webb County can learn about the platforms of political candidates in the upcoming election, and so that the voter can, by the words of the candidates, distinguish one from the other as to interests, character, and priorities. These are the responses of four of the five candidates for Webb County Commissioner Pct. 3. The four who responded t our questions were Danny Lopez Jr., John Galo, Hector Cortez, and George Altgelt. Candidate Alfonso Casso did not respond as of press time. We edited minimally for punctuation and grammar, though not for substance. -MarĂa Eugenia Guerra, Publisher
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What is your interest in serving as the Webb County Commissioner for Precinct 3?
What skills would you bring to the decision-making forum?
What is your assessment of the current Commissioners Court? Does it have real leadership? What are its strengths and weaknesses? Is it responsive to the needs and wishes of the taxpayer?
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Informed, wellread voters.
Maria Eugenia Guerra/LareDOS
Who reads
At the San Ygnacio Town Hall Meeting
Call Meg Guerra at (956) 3198001 (email meg@laredosnews) or Call Mace Martinez at (56) 6452441 for our political advertising rates. W W W.L A R ED OS N E WS.CO M
David Brown, dean of the Zapata Technology and Advancement Center; former State Representative and activist Frances (Sissy) Farenthold; and Peggy Umphres Moffett, executive director of the Zapata Economic Development Corporation, were in attendance at the February 13 San Ygnacio Town Hall meeting.
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News
LTGI’s “Class on Stage Series” fosters education outside the classroom
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directly than before, while doing what we do best — live theater,” said director Vernon Caroll of LISD’s theater program at the Vidal M Treviño School of Communication and Fine Arts. LTGI received input from educators from UISD, LISD, and some private schools. Ultimately, however, LTGI met with LISD principals, LISD School Board President George Beckelhymer, Superintendent Dr. Marcus Nelson, and Executive Director of Curriculum Linda Theret, and decided to launch the series with Macbeth, one of William Shakespeare’s most powerful plays. “This project seeks to maximize the learning experience for local high school students, while enabling them as performers to become enthusiastic
Photos by Armando X. López
aredo Theatre Guild International’s (LTGI) “Class on Stage Series” launched a production of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth on Thursday, February 2 for a run through Sunday, February 12. The endeavor was made possible through a partnership with Laredo Independent School District and Texas A&M International University. Funding was provided by the D.D. Hachar Charitable Trust and the International Bank of Commerce. LGTI is a theater-based nonprofit that produces and stages theater productions at Texas A&M International University and Laredo Community College. LTGI not only promotes local talent, but is keen on education. Its “Class on Stage Series” reaffirms just that. The series of productions are part of LTGI’s efforts to provide the community with a four-year run of annual theatrical presentations, based on Macbeth (Joe Arciniega) with the witches (Kelly Fitzgerald, Ariadne Diaz, and Margo Paz.) classic and contemporary literary works. In conjunction with curriculum directors, about the literature introduced in their administration, and teachers, selections English classrooms,” said Joe Arciniefor plays are made based on the rel- ga, LTGI executive director, producer, evance to academic curricula for high and lead actor in Macbeth. school students from grades 9 through In 2010, a pilot program for the 12. “Class on Stage Series” presented The “Presenting one show each season Taming of the Shrew. LISD students read that is immediately relevant to dramatic and analyzed Shakespeare’s comedy as study in our secondary schools and col- part of their English curriculum. LTGI leges gives us the opportunity to give put on exclusive day time performancback to our educational partners more es for those students who were given
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the opportunity to further appreciate Shakespeare by viewing a live performance. “The brilliant combination of literature and live performance will ensure that the students truly grasp the concepts within some of the finest pieces of literature and gain a better understanding of history as well,” commented Arcinega. Macbeth’s diverse cast members range in ages from 11 to 70 years and include high school and college students, as well as members of the community. The cast features Carroll, John Maxstadt, Adolfo Ramos, Jake Rathmell, Ariadne Diaz, Margo Paz, Claudia Boone, and Kelly King Malcom (Jake Rathmell) is crowned Fitzgerald. Arciniega plays Macbeth while Teeat that luncheon. He is on the board of na Arciniega portrays Lady Macbeth. trustees of the Shakespeare Fellowship, “The primary goal of this endeavor and is the president of the Lone Star is to provide relevant theatrical enter- Shakespeare Roundtable in Houston. tainment of the highest caliber, while Miller Cutting presented “Shakedeveloping the local performer, pro- speare: A Cross Examination” in the duction, audience, and patron commu- TAMIU Student Center on February 6 nities,” Arcinega said. which focused on continued questions TAMIU hosted “Celebrating Shake- about Shakespeare’s authorship with speare at TAMIU,” a two-week obser- a careful review of historical evidence vation of the performances of Macbeth. and discussion on the film, Anony“Class on Stage Series” participants mous, which further emphasized this were treated to a luncheon with the theory. Miller Cutting also lectured cast for a discussion on Macbeth, after to TAMIU students on the topic of the performance. Bonner Miller Cut- “Shakespeare’s Will Considered Too ting, a special lecturer who has stud- Curiously.” The same was offered to ied the authorship of the Shakespeare LCC students in the Martinez Fine Canon for several decades, was a guest Arts Auditorium on February 8. ◆ Photos by Armando X. López
BY MARIELA RODRIGUEZ LareDOS Staff
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News
Bubble Home benefit concert recognizes new home recipients 1
Evelin June Pérez
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orty Laredo families are recipients of Bubble Homes, mobile homes originally intended for those who lost their homes in 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. The families were recognized at a benefit concert on Saturday, February 4 at Iglesia Cristiana Misericordia on Del Mar Blvd. The giveaway is the result of the efforts of three ministries — Laredo Stepping Stone, Christ Episcopal Church, and New Vision Community Church — and Congressman Henry Cuellar, who petitioned the Texas Facilities Commission (TFC) for the homes. TFC received these mobile homes from the Federal Surplus Property Program (FSP). After serving as temporary shelters to the disaster areas of Hurricanes Ike and Rita, 28 mobile units became a part of the government surplus handled by the TFC. “Congressman Cuellar was able to cut a deal so a nonprofit group could acquire the units for a fee and bring them down to Webb County to benefit families in need,” said Pastor Lucy De Leon of New Vision Community Church and Bubble Home Project coordinator. An additional 12 mobile homes had served as living quarters for Border Patrol agents in another border town prior to being secured by the Bubble Homme Project. Community-wide fundraising and generous benefactors funded the pur-
chase of the mobile homes, the installation of utilities, and decorating and furnishing the homes. Participating churches and groups established a rigorous application process that ensured that deserving families would receive not only a home but also opportunities to enhance their lives overall. Once applicants met the qualifications, they were subject to random drug testing, 10 hours of community service, vocational/enhancement classes, and to participate in fundraisers. All but five of the 40 families present at the concert are already living in their new homes. The pending five are waiting on utility connections. The first five families that have completed a 24-month probation period were presented with titles to their new homes. They were Juan and Sonia Rodriguez, Alejandro and Bertha Garza, Daniela Castillo, Rosita Rodriguez, and Rosalinda Torres. “People need to know that we are doing good things. There is more to this city than violence and crime. This is the first program of its kind, and it’s helping change the lives of families in need,” said De Leon. Proceeds from the concert ticket sales went toward continuing the Bubble Home Project and helping more Laredo families rise from poverty. For more information on the Bubble Home Project please contact Pastor Lucy De Leon at (956) 7120655 or email newvisionlaredo@ gmail.com. ◆
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Evelin June Pérez
BY MARIELA RODRIGUEZ LareDOS Staff
1 Pastor Lucy de Leon, of New Vision Community Church, spoke to the new homeowners. 2 Bubble Home recipent families were recognized. W W W.L A R ED OS N E WS.CO M
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WELCOME TO THE ZAPATA COUNTY FAIR MARCH 8-10
WE DO MORE Across Eight South Texas Counties
BRUSH COUNTRY Welcome to Zapata County, where wildlife and natural beauty abound.
INCREDIBLE ENTERTAINMENT LINEUP INCLUDES:
Member FDIC/International Bancshares Corporation
Holiday Restaurant
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Enjoy The Fair & Enjoy Our
GOOD FOOD!
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765-9717
GAS & DIESEL
MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME, ENJOY THE 4OTH ANNUAL FAIR AND OUR NATURAL RESOURCES -THE RIO GRANDE, FALCON LAKE, BOUNTIFUL WILDLIFE, RANCHLAND AS FAR AS YOU CAN SEE, AND THE GOOD PEOPLE OF ZAPATA COUNTY.
Felipe, Elia, & Robert Garza 3838 Stop 38B HWY. 16 & 1st St. Zapata , TX.
Zapata County Judge Joe Rathmell Comm. Pct. 1 José Emilio Vela Comm. Pct. 2 Gabriel Villarreal
Comm. Pct. 3 Eddie Martinez Comm. Pct. 4 Norberto Garza
can Food Steaks • Mexi • Seafood
U.S. Hwy. 83 (956) 765-4521
6 a.m. – 10 p.m. Daily
ZAPATA FEED & RANCH SUPPLIES
El Paraíso Restaurant The restaurant that
made Zapata famous!
765-3558 Welcome To Zapata!
N. Hwy. 83
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GARCIA’S PILLBOX
Mon -Sat/8am-5:30pm Sun/9am-12pm
765-6033
U.S. Hwy. 83 & 6th Zapata, TX. 78076
•
1010 Jackson St. Zapata Tx. 78076 2 8 I LareDOS I FEB RUA RY 2012
JAVIER ZAPATA/ OWNER
Ramiro García, Reg. Pharmacist
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Feature
Rancher of the Year La Mantia: it’s in his genes “We grew up in agriculture. My grandfather, my father, my brothers, sister, and myself were in farming and ranching long before we got into the beer business. Agriculture was our ‘education,’ as my father likes to say,” mused L.I.F.E.’s 2012 Rancher of the Year Steve La Mantia. La Mantia makes time away from L&F Distributors to plan for, work at, and manage a 500-head yearling calf operation, a hunting enterprise, and a thousand acres of culitvated farmland on the historic Dolores Ranch, the site of a small town that grew up around the coal mine there in the late 1800s. “When we bought the ranch seven years ago from the Scibienski family, there had not been cattle on the ranch for a number of years. The first thing we did was fix and build fences, and then we started adding earthen tanks for livestock and wildlife. As with any ranch, we are still not done,” La Mantia said. He said he has great value for the history of Dolores Ranch, originally a Mexican town established in 1860 as San José until it was renamed Dolores in 1882 for Dolores Wright, the daughter of Charles Wright, president of the Cannal Coal Company. Charles Wright built the Río Grande and Eagle Pass Railroad to move coal from the mine at Dolores to Palafox and to the market in Eagle Pass. In the 1900s the town had a post office, a school, and a general store and was home to a thousand residents. “The old commissary, train water tower, and several outbuildings are still standing. There is a cemetery with a number of well-recognized Laredo family names among the graves. We’ve cleaned the cemetery and fenced it,” La Mantia said, adding that the narrow gauge tracks of the W W W.L A R ED OS N E WS.CO M
railroad were pulled up and removed in the 1960s. “We have rebuilt some of the old structures. We put a new roof and floor in the commissary and tried to keep a lot of the old detail as we restored it,” he said. The walls of the old store tell a story. Visible in the bricks are the names of railroad travelers who etched their names while they waited for the train. According to La Mantia, one of the four-digit phone numbers on the wall was that of the Laredo grocer Alfredo Santos. “Mr. Santos would accept the chits, the tokens that were the currency of Dolores.” La Mantia said that when he built his own home on the ranch he ensured that its style and profile fit into the building traditions of the original settlement. La Mantia plays a role in operating other family enterprises including wine and spirit distributorships throughout Texas and New Mexico, a ranch in Wimberley that raises cattle and buffalo, a cattle ranch in Colorado, and a horse track and dog racing operation. He is on the board of directors of South Texas Academic Rising (STARS), a non-profit educational foundation established by the La Mantia family to provide scholarships to deserving South Texas students. He is married to the artist Linda La Mantia, and they have five daughters Courtesy photo
BY MARIA EUGENIA GUERRA
– Ann, Morgan, Katie, Samantha, and Molly. Describing the diverse topography of Dolores Ranch – “from the river vega to flat farmland to caliche to South Texas brush” – La Mantia said, “What I value the most aesthetically by far is the river. Think of what that river means to our history and our futures. I don’t want to sound melodramatic, but the significance of that river to both Mexico and Texas is huge.” He recently undertook – with the blessing of the International Boundary and Water Commission – the clearing of Carrizo cane from two miles of riverbank. “We didn’t use chemicals. We planted Bermuda grass, and it has successfully choked out the Carrizo and acts as an anti-erosion measure.”
He called land “the sustenance of life,” adding that its value is twofold – what it can produce and what it returns to the steward who has the good fortune to care for it. “To be able to still participate in that lifestyle you knew as a child, to be able to notice the smallest things and to have a feel for it — the forbs and browse are coming up, the pasture conditions, time to move the cattle — this is a great thing, a way to be at one with the natural world. You can taste it, you can touch it,” he said, noting that he is at Dolores Ranch two or three times a week, “sometimes for an hour or three or four days at a time.” It is, according to La Mantia, time well spent. “It pays for itself. We run it as a business, and not a weekend carnival.” ◆ LareDOS I FEB RUA RY 2012 I
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Participants in the Fourth Annual Laredo Birding Festival enjoyed outings to area ranches and the San Ygnacio Birding Sanctuary. This group traveled with birding expert Gene Blacklock, Monte Mucho Audubon Society member Susan Foster, and Laredo CVB director Blasita L贸pez.
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Neither Webb County nor those who go before the 341st for their day in court can af-
ford to have a judge who will be learning on the job. A judge who is learning on the job will take longer to make a decision, or perhaps even make the wrong decision. The end result — justice delayed or justice denied.
EXPERIENCE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE COURTROOM • 21 Years Courtroom Experience in civil and criminal cases • 5 ½ Years as a former Webb County ADA Prosecutor • 15 Years in Private Practice • Extensive Trial and Appellate Experience
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COMMITMENT An unwavering, lifetime commitment to the Rule of Law.
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RGISC
celebrates its
anniversary EN LA RANCHERÍA
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News
The new faces of rock and roll: Language of The Gun BY MARIELA RODRIGUEZ LareDOS Staff
Maria Eugenia Guerra/LareDOS
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Canadian birders visit in San Ygnacio Patricia and Michael Bronskill of Toronto, Canada are pictured on the bluff above the Río Grande at San Ygnacio. They reported no snow in Toronto and colder weather as they traveled through Zapata County on their road trip. They detoured off the birding trail onto a private ranch, happy to sight green jays and ladderback woodpeckers.
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Recent changes to local radio programming have led to the extinction of rock on air. Nevertheless, the rock & roll spirit remains alive thanks to one local up and coming group — Language of The Gun. The five members of this hard rock From left, Joe Reyna on guitar, vocalist Pegroup are Peter García, vocals; ter García, Noel G. Torres also on guitar, Joe Reyna, guitar; Steve O. Sosa, and Ozzy Love on drums rocked out at bass; Ozzy Love, drums; and The Cold Brew on Saturday, Feb 11. Not pictured is bassist Steve O. Sosa. Noel G. Torres, guitar. García, Reyna, and Sosa originally belonged to Last Train Home, an acoustic group that was While the Laredo hard rock scene caformed back in 2011. When they decided ters to a select few, it is surprising that to shift to a heavier sound, they plugged there is not more support for original in their guitars and went out in search groups as opposed to cover bands. of a drummer. Ozzy Love, the youngest Reyna said, “I wish there were more member of band at 17, answered the call. venues that wanted original acts, and of With a drummer in place, the search be- course I wish there were more people gan for a bassist, a task that proved to be who wanted to play and listen to origia bit more difficult than anticipated. nal music. It’s really depressing that this With no luck, the band went in an- city can’t seem to support rock music, other direction. Reyna knew of another whether it be local or national, but we guitarist whose capabilities fit with the hope to help the situation in 2012.” rest of the band. “Once I heard this guy Language of The Gun is doing just play, I was blown away by his skills. I that. Along with Pretty Visitors, Sounds just decided to switch over to bass,” said of Arson, and Vagabundo, they are set to Sosa, about incorporating newest mem- play Save Rock and Roll, on Friday Febber Torres into the band. ruary 24 at downtown’s On The Rocks Language of The Gun’s sound rang- Tavern. The musical event wants to es from radio rock to metal. Seether, raise awareness about the lack of supAvenged Sevenfold, Bullet for My Val- port for the rock community, as well as entine, Godsmack, and Staind are a few save rock and roll in Laredo. What does bands of the bands they resemble. the future have in store for Language Collectively the band has composed of the Gun? “We plan on playing more 10 original songs. “Out of everything shows, getting more recognition, writwe’ve done, no two songs are alike. We ing more songs, and going on tour down try to speak in general to an audience the road,” commented García. that might be feeling the same as we do. For more information on up-coming A recurring theme in our songs would performances check out Language of be good vs. evil — how it is shown in the The Gun’s Facebook page http://www. world and in all of us, whether it is hid- facebook.com/pages/Language-Of-Theden or out in the open,” said Reyna. Gun/139945272782329 ◆ LareDOS I
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Q&A District Judge
Rebecca Palomo, Fernando Sanchez Jr. seek judgeship of the 341st Court Please share with us your background — family, education, career. Palomo: I am Rebecca “Beckie” Ramirez Palomo. I was born and raised in Laredo, the second of four daughters born to loving and supportive parents. My mother, Angelica Gonzalez Ramirez, raised us to value a close relationship with God and family and to value work. She prioritized our education and always reminded us that, unlike her, we would go to college and pursue a career that would ensure our financial independence as women. I credit my mother for the person I am today, and continue to look to her for personal advice and wisdom. My father, José Ramirez, is from Nuevo Laredo. He dropped out of school in the third grade to work on the family ranch where he learned the value of hard work. He worked in the oil field for over 30 years to provide for his family until an unfortunate accident forced him to retire early, but well after he had cemented his example of a good work ethic for us. I attended Bruni Elementary and Christen Middle and graduated from Martin High School in 1991. I was the first in my family to attend college, and I received my Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a major in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. In my senior year of college I called my mother to ask for permission to go to law school. It was understood that I was supposed to return home and help with my sisters’ college expenses. My mother gave me her blessing and reminded me to trust God and to continue focusing on furthering my education. In 1998, I graduated from St. Mary’s University School of Law receiving my Doctorate of Jurisprudence. As my mother earnestly demanded, I waited until completing my education to marry my high school sweetheart, Daniel Palomo. My husband worked in the oil field until he started his own business, Air Solutions, Inc., a Laredo-based air conditioning business. God has blessed us with five healthy boys, Daniel (12), Sebastian (10), Marcelo (8), Joaquin (6) and Caleb (4). We are committed to instilling in our boys the same values we received as children: God, family, and work. While it is challenging to work full-time and raise a large family, I am energized by the challenge. It motivates me to work smarter, not harder, and to stay healthy. I consider myself lucky because I can combine being an attorney and being a mother. The work that I do as a lawyer helps ensure that we live in a safer community. This,
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in turn, provides a safer community for raising my children. Sanchez: My name is Fernando Antonio Sanchez Jr. I am 45 years old, and I am currently a practicing attorney in private practice. I am a native Laredoan, born to Fernando A. and Josie Sanchez. I have one brother and one sister, Gary Sanchez and Joanne Sanchez-Gutierrez. My stepmother is Severita Sanchez, and my stepbrother is Freddy Gutierrez. I am not married and do not have children, however, I have three beautiful nieces and nephews, Clarissa, Sofia, and Lucas. I was raised in the Chacon neighborhood in south Laredo. I still have a lot of family living there. My grandfather was Jesus Hernandez, who many of you may remember was a social activist in the 1960s through the 1990s, fighting for the rights of farm workers and veterans. I graduated from Nixon High School in 1984 at the age of 17. Upon graduation, I immediately enrolled at Laredo Junior College and later Laredo State University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in accounting three years later in 1987 at the age of 20. I graduated Magna Cum Laude. Four days after graduating from Laredo State, I started my legal education at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, where I received my Juris Doctor degree in 1990 at the age of 23. I made dean’s list three out of the six semesters in law school. I had the privilege of studying under some great professors, including Richard Hemingway, who wrote the Hornbook on Oil and Gas Law, and Anita Hill. I passed the Texas bar exam on my first try, having absorbed Texas law in three months instead of the usual three years afforded to Texas law school graduates. I was licensed to practice law on November 2, 1990 at the age of 23, making me one of the youngest lawyers in Texas that year. I was offered a job in Dallas by ARCO Oil and Gas Company, whom I had clerked for during my second summer at OU, but Laredo was my home, and home kept calling me. My first job was working at the Webb County Public Defender’s Office. I then moved over to the Webb County District Attorney’s Office, where I remained for approximately 5 ½ years. In 1996 I began my private practice.
How many years have you been an attorney?
Palomo: I have been licensed to practice law in the State of Texas since December 1999, starting my legal career at the Webb County District Attorney’s Office where I worked for eight years seeking justice for the victims of crimes and enforcing the Texas Penal Code. I prosecuted hundreds of misdemeanor and violent felony offenders, achieving justice and safety for our community. I gained invaluable experience serving as the Chief Prosecutor of 341st District Court where I led a team of attorneys dedicated to removing violent criminal offenders from our streets. I believe it was through this experience that I proved myself to the Board of Judges because in 2007 they unanimously appointed me as the Director of the Community Supervision & Corrections Department. I currently oversee the rehabilitation of more than 2,800 adult offenders on probation. We protect victims of crime and do our part to ensure the safety of our community by effectively supervising high-level offenders placed on intensive supervision caseloads such as the sexual offender caseload, domestic violence caseload, mental health caseload, DWI caseload, and substance abuse caseload. With a staff of 61 dedicated employees, we work to ensure that offenders comply with the conditions of probation and attempt to rehabilitate the medium and low risk offenders through behavioral modification using motivaCONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 4 4 tional techniques. W W W.L A RED OS N E WS.CO M
During this short time I am actively involved as a member of the Texas Probation Association and also had the privilege of being appointed Chairperson for the Legislative Committee of the Texas Probation Advisory Committee. As Chairperson of the legislative committee this past 82nd Legislative Session, I was responsible for coordinating round table discussions with other directors from across Texas to determine the most pressing needs affecting the rehabilitation of adult offenders. During the session, I reviewed and tracked the bills affecting probation in one form or another, scheduled members to interview before legislative committee hearings, and communicated our progress with the field and with our Board of Judges. Sanchez: I have been an attorney for 21 years and approximately 3 months. I have never taken a break from the practice of law, and have maintained my license and continued practicing since November 2, 1990.
How many civil trials do you have to your credit; how many criminal?
Palomo: I can humbly say that I have represented the rights and interests of many civil litigants throughout my career. All of the civil cases that I handled as lead counsel were resolved without having to impanel a jury. By preparing well I saved the court and the taxpayers the burden and expense of a trial. This was something I learned in law school where they taught us that the most efficient lawyers were the ones that could bring successful closure to a case with the least amount of litigation involved. I worked for several years with the District Attorney’s Office where most of my trial experience had been as a lead attorney representing the interest of justice in general. In that regard, I have participated in the administration of justice in thousands of cases of different offenses and varying degrees of legal complexity. I represented the State of Texas and the victims of our community by demanding justice in hundreds of bench trials and jury trials, too many to enumerate without extensive research and ample time. Sanchez: I tried my first trial about four months after I became licensed, and since that time, I have tried many, many cases. By way of explanation, a trial is the means to dispose of a case when the parties cannot agree on the outcome and the parties elect to have a judge or jury hear the evidence and determine the outcome. A trial can last as little as one day, and can last for months at the other end of the spectrum. The longest trial I have been involved in lasted five weeks. Most cases, I would venture to say, 90 some percent, are resolved without a trial, a plea bargain if it’s a criminal case, or settled, if it’s a civil case. Very few cases end up being tried. I tried many cases during the 5 ½ years I was an Assistant District Attorney, the exact number I cannot recall, but I would venture to say, conservatively, in the 50-plus range. These were cases that were taken before a jury. As far as total number of cases I handled, it was in the thousands I am sure. In private practice, where I have been since September of 1996, I have tried 25 trials and I have assisted as local counsel in two others. I have had three civil trials and 24 criminal trials as a private practitioner. These trials have been both in state courts as well as federal court. My trial skills were noted in the summer of 1996 by the National College of District Attorneys, which is the training source for America’s prosecutors, when I was invited to teach young prosecutors from around the country for their 2 week long training in Houston, in the art of trial skills. This was a great honor.
How many of your cases have been appealed?
Palomo: While an Assistant District Attorney I prosecuted hundreds of serious felony and misdemeanor cases which resulted in final convictions, including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, engaging in organized criminal activity, aggravated robberies, burglary of habitation, theft, DWI, and assault. I am pleased to share with the citizens of my community the fruit of my hard W W W.L A R ED OS N E WS.CO M
work and, more importantly, the service I provided in advocating for the victims of crime while ensuring a safer community. None of the hundreds of cases I handled were appealed, and this is a testament to my work ethic, knowledge of the law, and commitment to seeking justice. Sanchez: I have extensive appellate experience as well. An appeal is a request made by a party involved in the litigation to the next higher court, asking that court to review the decision made by the trial court and/or jury. This is a right that is afforded to all. I have been practicing nonstop for over 21 years, so it is very hard to remember the number of appeals I have handled, or the number of my cases that have been appealed. I can tell you with certainty that since I have been in private practice, I have handled over 10 appeals, both in State and Federal courts. And, as a prosecutor, I appealed four cases which were published. Published means that the justices from the appellate court felt the issues presented by the lawyer in that appeal were so important, that they either made new law, or interpreted old law in a new fashion that other courts should follow, and are therefore, put in “the books,” and become new law. This is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a lawyer. One of those cases went all the way up to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which is the highest court in Texas for criminal cases. It is imperative that a judge have vast trial and appellate experience. It is very hard to win on appeal, so it is very important that the district judge make the correct decision, because for all practical purposes, that decision will usually be final. I cannot stress how important experience is, especially when you are dealing with people’s lives, liberty, and their futures.
What has been your best moment in the practice of law? Your worst moment?
Palomo: During my career, I have had countless wonderful moments that I carry in my heart. I would have to say that the best moments have been when I read the many letters of appreciation I have received during my career. Whether I received letters from victims expressing their confidence in the judicial system or letters from offenders, or their family, thanking me for being an instrumental part of the positive change in their lives, I cherish these moments knowing that I have made a difference in someone’s life. Likewise, my worst moments have been witnessing the unfortunate pain caused by the senseless crimes involving violence, drugs, and money. Whether it was sharing a silent moment with a grieving mother trying to find closure in her son’s murder or witnessing the unspeakable physical and emotional pain inflicted on children or pleading with a young offender suffering the ravages of drug addiction, all of these moments have been hard to bear but I accept them as part of duties and responsibilities as a public servant. Sanchez: Some of the best moments I have had in the practice of law have dealt with cases having happy endings. Adoptions come to mind. I have helped many couples that are unable to have children in adopting a child or children. The smile on their faces after the judge pronounces his order granting the adoption is priceless. The worst moments have come after a jury pronounces its decision. This is especially hard in criminal cases, because, as a lawyer, whether you win or lose, in the end, nobody wins. You have families on both sides: the victim’s family, and the defendant’s family, and it is no fault of theirs that they are in court witnessing what is just happening. I can feel the hurt or joy the families feel, and I have always carried myself with respect and dignity in addressing them after the jury has made a decision, both as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney, whether it’s been a guilty verdict or a not guilty verdict, regardless of what side I was on. 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 52 4 LareDOS I FEB RUA RY 2012 I
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South Texas Food Bank BY SALO OTERO
Ranchers donate deer to feed the hungry
Salo Otero is the director of development for the South Texas Food Bank. He can be reached at sotero@ southexasfoodbank. org or by calling 956-726-3120.
BY SALO OTERO
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aredo and area deer hunters did their part during this past hunting season to assist the South Texas Food Bank mission of feeding the hungry through the food bank’s Ranchers for the Hungry program. STFB chief development officer Cindy Liendo Espinoza reported at the year’s first board meeting in January a hefty increase in deer meat donations. She noted hunters donated 11,252 pounds of venison in 2011 compared to 3,410 in 2010. She said that during hunting season, Ranchers for the Hungry become Hunters for the Hungry. STFB board member Tano Tijerina, a Laredo rancher and businessman, was praised by fellow board members during the meeting for his support. Tijerina, board chair of the Ranchers and Hunters for the Hungry, helps by transporting deer for processing. The venison is then distributed to clients via food bank programs like Adopt-aFamily and Kids Cafes. Adopt-a-Family has 1,004 families registered to pick up a bag of groceries per month. Kids Café includes 13 Laredo sites serving an after-school meal to nearly 1,000 children Monday through Friday. STFB staff member Pancho Farias coordinates the Ranchers for the Hungry program. The Hunters and Ranchers for the Hungry received its first boost in 2009 when Laredo rancher and businessman Roberto Laurel and his cousin, Oscar M. Laurel Jr., harvested 121 deer at their Zapata County ranch, donating more
than 6,000 pounds of meat. Farias praised the late Joe B. Finley Jr. of the Callaghan Ranch for his contribution in 2011. “Mr. Finley promised the South Texas Food Bank beef, and true to his word, the Callaghan has donated four steers to date,” Farias said. Finley, who died last August, arranged through his foreman, George Light, for Callaghan hunters to donate their deer.
Haynes (Rancho Colorado); Ronnie Gates (Trapiche Ranch in Jim Hogg County); Travis Carter (Sombrerito Ranch); and D. D. Dodier (Zapata County). Zapata’s Ricky Muñoz, founder and accordionist of the award-winning Tejano band Intocable, will have a donation soon from his Buena Suerte Ranch. Also, monetary donations for processing have come from Librado Piña, Tijerina,
A welcome addition to the South Texas Food Bank mission of feeding the hungry is a new Ford Edge van with its “wrap,” which was paid for with funds from a Beaumont Foundation grant. It is used by STFB agency director Elia Solis, who travels the eight-county service area from Río Grande City to Del Río. Farias reported that meat from 30 bucks and does made it from the Callaghan Ranch onto the tables of food bank clients of all ages. Among those who have joined the Ranchers for the Hungry as deer donors are J.J. and Minnie Dora
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and Haynes Farias emphasized, “If hunters have more donations, just call us and we’ll make arrangements in advance to pick up the deer in our refrigerated truck.” The number is (956) 726-3120. The monetary contri-
butions can be mailed to South Texas Food Bank, 1907 Freight, Laredo, Texas, 78041. Food for Thought LULAC Council # 7 members donated money to adopt five families in the adopt-a-family program. Sanjuanita Gonzalez is the LULAC Council #7 president and her husband, Joe Gonzalez, a retired firefighter, is the vice president. “We’ve been donating for the past several years. We help as best we can,” Joe commented. Lawrence Bruni of Paul Young’s Family Chevrolet placed a collection jar at his place of work. The food bank picked up $103 and the collections will continue. The Women’s City Club has several fundraisers throughout the year to help several Laredo non-profits. The South Texas Food Bank received a WCC check for the purchase of 100 carts given to food bank bus-riding clients, mostly elderly, who carry their grocery bags home. STFB executive director Alfonso Casso Jr. reported on grants received by the STFB: The Beaumont Foundation, Frank Newton chairman, $75,000 to buy a van and remodel the warehouse; Shell Oil Company, $50,000 for Kids Cafes in Carrizo Springs and Eagle Pass; Allstate Insurance, $25,000 to the general fund; ConAgra Foods, $15,000 for Kids Cafes food products; and Laredo Medical Center, $10,000 in food product. (Salo Otero is the marketing director for the South Texas Food Bank. He can be reached at sotero@ southtexasfoodbank.org). ◆
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Serving Sentences
Welching on the truth
BY RANDY KOCH Randy Koch earned his MFA at the University of Wyoming and teaches writing at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
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Courtesy photo
hen I was 12 or 13, I didn’t know what was happening to me. I hadn’t heard the word “puberty,” and even if I had, it wouldn’t have made any difference because my body had a mind of its own and wasn’t interested in new vocabulary. Back then, what attracted the needle of my body’s compass was an advertisement for the Sleepy Eye Theater in the New Ulm Daily Journal. Just a few inches tall and one column wide, the ad on the back page contained a list of weekend show times and one black-and-white image that drew me like a barn cat to a pan of warm milk: Raquel Welch in a bikini.
Mom stacked old newspapers in the porch next to the rug where our collie Patsy curled up in the winter, so when she put that one out with the others that she and Dad had already read, I found it, folded it open to the back page, and carefully placed it on top of the stack. Then, while I pulled on my coveralls and boots, I could stand next to it and glance at it nonchalantly so Mom and my brothers wouldn’t realize what I was up to. I was mesmerized by her long hair, the curves that hit my bony body like a shock wave, and the smoldering eyes that burned through my layers of clothing. The image was so gripping that when I plodded outside and fed the hogs, the ears of corn tumbled around her naked feet, and when I pulled open the barn door, she stood near the stanchions, hands on those tan curvaceous hips.
Hospitality in the great outdoors Cookie and Albert Muller of La Bota Ranch welcomed Loving Laredo hikers and naturalists to their pristine bend in the river. The hike was sponsored by the Río Grande International Study Center. W W W.L A R ED OS N E WS.CO M
That’s one true thing I never told anyone in my family. But it’s not really truth. Sure, it includes facts, at least the facts as I recall them after 40 years, but facts aren’t the same as the hard truth. Truth goes beyond the ad, farm chores, and fantasies. Truth concerns private honesty. Truth is a tattoo on the hip of a modest past unwilling to disrobe in public. This is also true: I grew up an evangelical Lutheran at a time when “evangelical” didn’t have the political connotations it has today. It was just part of the name of the church my family attended in Sleepy Eye, MN--St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. The German farmers in the congregation didn’t have meetings to decide which presidential candidate most deserved their conservative vote. Back then, adults where I grew up didn’t publically argue about politics or discuss money. They didn’t ask a neighbor how much he paid for the new baler or how much he made on last year’s corn crop. And under no circumstances did they mention or even imply sex. I can still picture Mom’s rosy cheeks and Dad’s stunned silence when my smart aleck cousin Darold, whom we hadn’t seen in several years and was only a few years younger than Dad, walked up to us one Sunday morning outside St. John’s after the late service. He looked down at my sister Darla, my three brothers, and me. Then, he grinned at Dad. “Hey, Lenny,” he said, “I see you’ve been busy.” Of course, I didn’t understand until later why only he laughed. Even the way people discussed livestock--breeding or coming in heat or being in calf--never seemed connected to “sex.” They were just fundamental parts of farming. When I was a kid, I don’t even recall thinking “sex” when I watched a rooster balancing on the back of a hen or saw the steers riding the heifers or heard the other-worldly bellowing of the Black
Angus bull locked in the barn away from the cows in the yard. This was all visible and, in my innocent mind, meant that it all concerned something other than “sex” because you didn’t talk about sex or think about sex, and you absolutely didn’t look at sex. However, the very public image of Raquel Welch in the New Ulm Daily Journal and its effect on my adolescent mind and body was disconcerting and seemed the key to some truth I didn’t yet understand. Two things in my young life contributed to my ignorance about what it was: mortal fear of embarrassment and reticent adults. When the relatives got together after a graduation or funeral, all the aunts sat around the table in the kitchen, and the uncles sat in the living room. There the men talked mostly in low, confidential tones about how much rain we got in June, the price of corn and soybeans, and maybe how the Jensen kid drove too close to a slough and sank the John Deere up to the rear axle. And then there was silence. Silence, sighing, and staring at the thin living room carpet, at their black oxfords, at the bit of chaff from the cuff of someone’s slacks. Mom always said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Maybe that explains all the silence. Maybe that’s why for 35 years I couldn’t say the honest things, the necessary things, the true things. And in my family no truth has meant no truce. Just a long, silent, cold war. For a long time I feared the consequences of putting anger or humiliation or love or desire into words because if I did, those sentences would cling to me like a stench I couldn’t wash off, mud someone ruthlessly rubbed my face into, a hickey no turtleneck could cover. I’m mostly beyond that now, but when it comes to writing the details of my own and others’ private lives, I still wonder, how true must we be to get at the truth?. ◆ LareDOS I
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Opinion
The danger of parties — the left-right paradigm BY GUILLERMO JIMENEZ
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eorge Washington is arguably the most highly regarded and revered American figure in our history, and in light of the month’s festivities in honor of Washington’s Birthday, it seems appropriate to take some time and focus in on the man’s final words to his country as President — a message that is as relevant today, over 200 years later, as it has ever been. In perhaps his best known public address, George Washington left the American public with a prophetic admonition. While in office, Washington witnessed the development of certain public policies that he believed, if continued, would weaken our country. In short, there were three principal areas of concern in his Farewell Address: (1) the accumulation of debt, (2) follies in foreign policy and an overgrown military establishment, and (3) the danger of political parties. It is fairly plain to see how all three issues put forth by Washington in 1796 fit into today’s politics—and all three deserve special attention. I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the state… It serves always to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration. It agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another… In today’s political arena, it has become necessary to belong to one of two major political parties to be effectively engaged in any part of the process. Lest ye be shunned to the political margins, you are essentially forced to choose a side. Are you a Democrat — a “liberal,” with all the assumptions that it carries, or a Republican — a “conservative,” with its own implications? The main-line alternative, an Independent, as viewed from the
perspective of the two-party system, carries with it an aura of pretension— someone who can’t quite make up their mind and pick a side. For many, identification with a political party is a life-long tradition, even spanning several generations. It becomes so ingrained that the idea of supporting candidates or policies of the opposing party is met with repulsion —anathema to the core of a defined political identity. In this way, by associating with a particular party and all its ideological baggage, you give up part, perhaps all, of your own political autonomy. Once you have accepted labels of either “liberal” or “conservative,” chosen Left or Right, you have consented to a merger of political and personal identity which inevitably shapes perception. The way in which news and information is received is then parsed and filtered through either a Left or Right lens. This has been true throughout our country’s history for as long as political parties have flourished, but we need not look any further than the partisan politics of the last decade for a clear cut example. The most controversial and constitutionally egregious policies executed by the Bush administration (the creation of Homeland Security, the passage of the Patriot Act, Guantanamo Bay, undeclared wars in Iraq and Afghanistan) were met with a great deal of hostility from the “Left.” While it is true that these policies were conceived, and thrived, with the support of leadership from both Republican and Democratic parties, President Bush was routinely villainized by the Left, and rightfully so, for overstepping the bounds of his executive authority. Flash forward to present — we have a President in Barack Obama who suc-
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cessfully campaigned for the office on the promise he would reverse the course of the previous administration and has, in actuality, done anything but. The current administration has not only continued in those same policies, it has, in many ways, strengthened them —upping the ante to include the indefinite detention by military police and outright assassination (through drone strikes) of American citizens. It stands to reason that the same group of people (the “Left”) who blasted President Bush for his blatant disregard of constitutional boundaries would be just as upset, vocal and active in opposing Obama — perhaps even more so, given the betrayal. However, this is evidently not the case. Opinion polls suggest that the Democratic Party and its base of supporters have shifted positions right along with the President. According to the Pew Research center, 64 percent of Democrats supported the decision to close down the military prison in Guantanamo Bay in the early part of 2009, when it was believed the President still had the intention to do so. Today, as President Obama defends the need for the camp, a Washington Post-ABC News poll shows 67 percent of Democrats now favor keeping Guantanamo Bay open for business. This same poll also reveals that a large majority of “liberal-Democrats,” a whopping 77 percent, approve of the President’s use of unmanned predator drones – the sort used to drop a missile on unsuspecting victims. Support then dips only slightly (73 percent) when the crosshairs are aimed at American citizens — a policy which would surely be scorned by Democrats if occurring during a Republican presidency. In the interest of fairness, it should be noted that the same
holds true when the political roles are reversed. In the year 2000, George W. Bush ran for president based on a platform of a “humble foreign policy,” and “no nation-building,” criticizing thenPresident Clinton for his overseas adventurism. The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. Memories are short, and there appears to be no room for principles in this kind of party-driven system. The ease in which the “party man” executes these mental gymnastics, juggling between two diametrically opposed beliefs, is truly disturbing. This has created an environment in which public opinion has become dangerously malleable to the will of party leaders — the ultimate goal being not the preservation of deeply held political ideals or convictions but the “domination of one faction over another.” As long the party is “winning,” members of the party and those who identify with it have their concerns assuaged —no need to worry over the details, the country is in good hands after all, now that the “other party” is out of office. The divisiveness of the party system as it exists today has served primarily to distract from the true nature of the political and governmental hierarchy. Over the last century, regardless of which party has been in power, we have seen a push toward the same ends — one which Washington would surely recognize as a “frightful despotism:” the expansion of government, a reliance on deficit financing, and the promotion of warfare and welfare, CONTINUED ON PAGE 47
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Maria Eugenia Guerra/LareDOS
Working on real-time connectivity Peggy Umphres Moffet, executive director of the Zapata Economic Development Council, is pictured with Houston marketing consultant Bruce May of The Experts Knowledge Network, and Maricia Perez Rodriguez, also of the ZEDC. Umphres-Moffett and Perez Rodriguez are in training for performance management and training for changes to the ZEDC website.
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The Mystery Customer BY THE MYSTERY CUSTOMER
La Posada Hotel: high standards set, high standards met
Zaragoza Grill La Posada Hotel 1000 Zaragoza The goal of providing excellent customer service is evident from the moment you hand your keys over to the very courteous employees who have met you curbside and will park your car. The hotel arranged a small Friday evening dinner party for 12 at the grill, offered its trademark lack-for-nothing service, and served delicious food. The out of town guests in the MC’s party who stayed at the hotel were treated like royalty. High standards set, high standards met. Rodeo Tex Mex Restaurant 720 Convent Ave. The MC had a report of very good service and a great homemade hamburger at Rodeo Tex Mex Restaurant at the corner of Convent and Matamoros. “Gente muy amable, y la comida sabrosa” is how it was described.
Sames Honda 6105 San Dario When the MC took her Honda in for routine service, a new guy at the service counter didn’t seem to know how to disengage himself from a phone call. He signaled the MC to hang on a minute, but kept chatting. When he finally finished his call and was about to talk to the MC, he saw someone he’d rather talk to and asked co-worker Monica across the way to help the MC. Monica, who has offered the MC the consistently good, sterling service she’s offered in the past, was her ususal courteous, efficient self. McDonald’s 4719 Hwy. 83 Do you love the experience of a restaurant giving you what they think you need for breakfast and not what you ordered? Such was the case at the new McD’s down south at daybreak on Feb. 2. From the drivethrough window, apparently the soundproof drive-through window,
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the MC saw staff having the best time, lots of choteando and horsing around. When the MC hit the horn a couple of times to get an explanation for a 10 minute wait at the window, there was no response until the MC was handed two drippingin-grease gray sausage sandwiches. Not a good first impression. Laredo Salsa’s Restaurant 9902 McPherson Rd # 14 With its family-like atmosphere and friendly attentive staff, the MC reported he received excellent customer service on Feb 1. The server was attentive to his needs from the minute the MC was seated. The MC took note of the fact that live entertainment is regularly provided during the evenings. The server provided the MC with everything requested in a timely manner. No drink went without a refill; despite the fact the young lady had several tables to tend to. Her level of energy and desire to provide good customer service was oddly refreshing for the MC, and enhanced his dining experience that much more. McDonald’s 4717 San Bernardo Ave The MC experienced complete disregard for the customer and a lack of service. In the late evening of February 2, the MC opted to go through the drive- thru to pick up two large sweet teas. The MC waited at the speaker for 8 minutes before someone took her order. Once at the window she was greeted by what appeared to be an individual no older than 16. The kid looked half asleep as he handed her the teas, with what appeared to be stir sticks and sugar packets. The MC
was confused and asked the young gentleman to provide her with straws. To which he responded, “I did,” and proceeded to shut the window. MC was upset and decided to go into the lobby and demand her sweet teas. She was met with a sight of a cluster of 15 and 16 years olds huddled conversing. MC attempted to get her own drink, but was met with an empty container of tea. She went up to the counter explained what had happened and asked for her teas. MC was then made to wait for an additional 10 minutes despite the fact there was no one else in line. Which teen was the boss? Danny Gunn Laredo Farmers Market Jarvis Plaza If you haven’t partaken of Danny’s grapefruit, you have missed a sweet citrus experience. The large ones, the small ones, the ones in between, they are delicious! Look for Danny at the next Farmers Market. Olive Garden 5319 San Dario Ave MC was thoroughly pleased with the excellent customer service provided, to him and his party of 17, the evening of Feb 5. The two servers that tended to MC and his group worked marvelously together, as was evident by the flow of the evening’s dinner. There was a great willingness from the staff to help make the evening a success. MC felt that the young staff was well equipped and communicated wonderfully and respectively to each member of the party. ◆
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 on too tight. They beat a mother. They threatened her sons. They cuffed everyone except Mrs. Gutierrez’s newborn grandchild and that child’s mother. They violated the rights of everyone in the house.” He continued, “The marshals knew Arturo wasn’t there — they had already searched the house for him and for weapons. There was no risk to them. Everyone was cuffed, and yet they beat Mrs. Gutierrez and treated other members of her family like criminals.” Gutierrez characterized the ordeal
might be arrested and taken away, so been tasered was receiving medical I always have my medications with treatment at the same facility. As she me.” and Roberto approached the area The suit, which names defendants where Arturo was being treated, two United States Marshal Oscar Martiof the agents reportedly admonished nez; nine U.S. Marshals known only Gutierrez and Roberto to say nothas John Doe 1 through 9; and the ing about what had happened earlier United States of America, was filed at their home, putting them in fear of in federal court on February 3, 2012. retaliation. Gutierrez and her sons allege violaUnfazed by their threats Gutierrez tions of their Fourth Amendment called the Laredo Police Department, rights, which guarantee protection and officers documented with photofrom unreasonable search and seigraphs the cuts to her arms and the zure; and their Fifth Amendment bruises to her face, head, and body. rights to due process. They told her, howThey also allege unever, that it was the FBI reasonable and excessive that polices the U.S. force, assault and battery, Now documented twice on the pages of LareDOS, the Marshals. unlawful detention, false heavy-handedness of the U.S. Marshalls seems to be fol“The FBI treated me imprisonment, invasion lowing a pattern of violence, unnecessary force, and the very respectfully,” she of privacy, emotional violation of Constitutional law. said of the report they distress at observing the In this story, that of the Gutierrez family, and in the Octook from her a few assault and battery of tober 2011 story about UISD police officer Richard Villardays after the marshals their family members, real Sr. facing brutal consequences and allegations that he had been to her home. physical harm, retaliawas harboring a fugitive, the stories bear a horrible like“They took very detion, and the filing of a ness. tailed photographs of false complaint against Both of the victims of the marshals’ show of unnecesmy injuries,” she said, Gutierrez. sary force were the parent of a fugitive from the law. adding, “And they fol“This is a nightmare, In both cases a search revealed there was no fugitive lowed up, telling me a common one, ” said coin the house. In both cases, a sibling of the fugitive was that my case was in counsel Israel Reyna of forced into a car to aid in the capture of the fugitive. In Washington with the the Laredo TRLA office, both cases, other members of the household were terrified civil rights division.” adding, “We aren’t sayand threatened by the marshals’ search party, and in both Gutierrez said, “Eving all police agents are cases the parent of the fugitive was threatened and physieryone told me ‘no one bad. We are saying that cally harmed to the extent that medical care was necesis going to take on the those who were complicsary. These two incidents — and no doubt there are others marshals. They are the it are just as guilty. We in which the victims feared speaking up — inspire fear government, you won’t have a moral duty to stop about the erosion of our Constitutional rights and they beat them.’ The pain, someone behaving badly tarnish the image of law enforcement. embarrassment, my into a defenseless person. — María Eugenia Guerra juries, the scars I now You can’t just watch the have, and the threat of show. You have to speak retaliation have made up, even when law enme try to find justice.” as “ugly from the get go.” She said forcement tells the abused party ‘Go The marshals made good on their Marshal Martinez, “a stocky His- ahead and try to sue us.’” threat of retaliation, filing an incident panic,” was out of control. “I did not Monahan said, “The marshals are report with the Laredo Police Depart- know when he was going to stop hit- thought to be the best of the best, ment that says Gutierrez kicked Mar- ting me. I had no defense against his but here they violated the rights of tinez. blows. I was handcuffed.” everyone in the house. It’s shocking. Attorney Monahan said, “This She said she has yet to feel she has Mrs. Gutierrez and her sons are coucase struck the conscience. It wasn’t a gotten her life back. “They took a lot rageous to stand up in spite of the case of the marshals putting the cuffs from me that day. I am in fear that I beating and the threats.” ◆
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differing only in either the social or corporate variety. While the rhetoric within the parties differs, actual public policy undoubtedly has not. We have allowed ourselves and our country to be made a caricature of Blue and Red States, “enfeebled,” as Washington described, by a false leftright paradigm — a mental construct recognized early on by our nation’s first president as a way to box-in political dialogue and diminish liberty. The sooner we heed Washington’s words regarding the dangers of political parties, the better off we’ll be. The simple truth is — there is no Left or Right. There is only Right and Wrong. There is Liberty and there is Tyranny; Constitutional and Unconstitutional. Labels like “liberal” or “conservative,” Republican or Democrat, are just that —labels, and we can shed them any time we choose. ◆
Arts, Crafts, Book and handmade items of all kinds Every Firts Satuday of the month
500 San Agustín Avenue The public is invited to attend Call 956 725-1715 For more information Vendors Welcome $25 per booth Sorry no food vendors
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Feature
Dr. Frederich Gechter adds Borge to his diverse performances BY DENISE FERGUSON LareDOS Contributor
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r. Frederich Gechter of Texas A&M International University is known for his multiple connections with the music community. At TAMIU Dr. Gechter teaches piano and music theory and serves as student and faculty collaborative pianist. He also maintains a private piano studio at TAMIU as part of the university’s Young Pianists Program for secondary school students. He helped inaugurate Laredo’s first Mozart festival with Mozart’s Piano Sonata in A Major, K. 331. In August 2003 he collaborated with violinist Richard Kilmer on the inaugural recital in TAMIU’s newly built recital hall. And that November he performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major with the Omaha Municipal Orchestra in Omaha, Nebraska. He helped launch TAMIU’s first classical piano recital series in 2006, the Steinway Series, which features internationally acclaimed guest pianists as well as himself. That same year Dr. Gechter was guest artist with the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 Emperor. In the summer of 2007 he led a group of TAMIU students to Salzburg and Vienna, Austria for a month of study and exploration. In 2010 Dr. Gechter was guest artist at the Alfredo Saint Malo Music Festival in Panama City, Panama. Recently Dr. Gechter surprised his Laredo fans with the revelation of other facets of his talent. He appeared in the Laredo Little Theater production of Annie. And on February 14, 2012 he presented the program “Comedy in Music A Special Appearance by Victor Borge by Dr. Frederich Gechter” at the Tuesday Music and Literature Club’s annual Valentine Tea. LareDOS recently sat down with Dr. Gechter to talk about his affinity for Borge.
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What factors contributed to your decision to present the Victor Borge program for the Tuesday Music and Literature Club? Gechter: I was brought up listening to Borge’s long-playing albums and watching his performances on TV. I also saw him live in Seattle. Of course, I loved classical music, and Borge’s humor was right up my alley. I enjoyed having fun with his jokes, and I developed lots of skits with my friends. We got together to do a routine for a presentation involving an audience of 200 people. Afterwards I continued to develop the material until I made it my own. Does this departure from your musical performances present special time consequences in the preparation of your performance? Gechter: Actually, I have the material from those previous performances on file. All I need to do is take the bits and pieces together and modify them for the current presentation. This does not require anywhere as much time as it might take, for instance, to prepare a formal recital with my students. A professional classical presentation may require more than 60 hours of preparation. Is there any connection between the warm reception you received from the people of Laredo in your portrayal of Daddy Warbucks in Annie with the Laredo Little Theater and your decision to reveal other facets of your talent — such as singing and comedy? Gechter: Yes, people were surprised. They said, “We didn’t know you could do that.” I had been asked three or four times to do the role, and I finally accepted. It was the right role. That type of offer is always welcome. It was a lot of fun and relaxing, as it was a change from the demands of my day job. I needed that. People kept telling me I did a good job. I saw the same people on a daily basis for six or seven weeks, and they were always complimentary. So when Betty Ball (first vice president of the Tuesday Music and Literature Club) called to
ask me to prepare something for the February meeting, I told her that I had done Borge and would bring it out for the Club’s members. In fact, acting is not out of the realm of my family background, as my father was a successful actor in the 1960s. What constituted Victor Borge’s greatest gift within his performances — his rapid finger technique, his rhythm, or his sensitive touch? Gechter: Borge could play anything. His large hands enabled him to engage large intervals of notes. He was as good as any pianist of his day. When funny things happened Dr. Frederich Gechter in concerts, he made jokes. It was purpose for the interruptions he invery different, but something that came serted into the piano programs. But natural to him. As a result, he offered if I ever had any concerns, they were something special to international au- dismissed when I viewed a couple of diences. It set him apart from similarly videos in which he delivered his long gifted artists of the day and provided a program to completion without interspecial connection with audiences. He ruption. had found his niche. Do you have any special statewide, Borge’s comedic interpretations often national, or international plans in the seemed to result in audiences wanting more. near future? His performances never seemed long enough. Gechter: I am planning to travel Did you ever wonder if there was any par- to Mexico as part of an exchange ticular reason for his limiting the technical program. A piano artist from the piano aspects of the program? area will visit TAMIU for two Gechter: weeks this spring, and I will travel It might have vaguely occurred to there in the fall for an equivalent me that there may be an underlying amount of time. ◆ W W W.L A RED OS N E WS.CO M
Feature
The Bodies Exhibit, an amazing learning experience BY LEM LONDOS RAILSBACK LareDOS Contributor
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he Las Vegas Luxor’s lifesized exhibition called “Bodies” provides an amazing teaching-learning unit in
t hree dimensions. As the viewer-participant-student proceeds through a chain of nearly a dozen separate rooms, interesting aspects of the human body are revealed. An actual human skeleton with partial skull attached to a vertical rod provides the first shocking display. As the printed narrative explains, the complete skeleton actually did belong to someone when that person was alive. But, after death, some special sort of stripping and drying processes were applied, and then some sort of thin layer of preservative was sprayed on. Additional displays of different bodies displayed a skeleton with only large muscles attached with ligaments and tendons, also specially preserved, of course. Next was another skeleton with both large and small muscles attached with ligaments and tendons. Then, a muscled skeleton with head and mustache and head hair rounded out the concept of a structured human body. In another room, different skeletons displayed various organs — kidneys, pancreas, thyroid, small intestine, large intestine, et al. In a glassed-in table, a pair of lungs and a heart presented themselves. Yet another display, rather delicate looking, the blood vessels of the bodies — arteries, veins, and capillaries — were carefully laid out. On a table in another room, a human skin was laid across the length of the table. As I moved from room to room, I marveled at the science of stripping, drying, and preserving the actual body parts, and I began to appreciate how carefully and thoughtfully the sequence of displays had been organized and
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spaced throughout the different rooms, along with the printed narrative explanation for each display situated close by. I began to appreciate the benefits of having a visual dictionary to study, as did the Chinese emperor Hwang Ti over four thousand years ago. By working on/with cadavers, he described and drew skeletal models which remain generally accurate to this day. After learning of Hwang Ti’s work, I recalled that even in our West, several historically significant contributors had performed similar work. That fellow who painted that girl who looks like she is either about to smile or to curse someone certainly drew some very accurate skeletal models for medical personnel and artists to study. And then there was the guy whose color drawings/paintings which had such generally accurate proportions and measurements that medical students are still required to study his precise works, especially surgeons. Insightfully, I paid silent homage to Hwang Ti, DaVinci, that other fellow, and all of the scientists who have contributed to our understanding of our physical selves. In studying my visual dictionary that the Luxor had provided, I learned several new understandings. If I read my notes correctly, some of my most important discoveries included but were not limited to the following: More than 200 different kinds of cells comprise a whole human body, and each whole body contains over 75,000,000,000 (trillions) cells. • 10,000 cells can “sit” on the head of a pin. • Human bone is five times harder than “mild steel.” • About 33 vertebra make up a human spine. • The human being grows 206 bones in its skeleton and attachments. • Bone marrow in certain bones of certain adults create about 2.5 million
new red blood cells per second. (Amazing, yet?) • More than 600 muscles line up the body, maintain erect posture, provide locomotion, and enable all sorts of movements including arm and hand gestures, leg and foot gestures, facial gestures, neck adjustments, and eye movements. • More than 12 billion nerve cells process all information arriving at/to/ from the body. • To do its work well, the brain requires about 20 percent of the blood in the body. • Every drop of blood in the body passes through the heart once every minute. • The blood travels through over 100,000 miles of vessels — arteries, veins, and capillaries. • Food takes about 24 hours to make its way completely through the digestive tract. • The brain can manufacture certain substances whereby the brain/body can heal itself of certain ailments. The baker’s dozen facts were simply the most striking items that I could remember and write in a darkened room while listening to the attendants and reading the printed narratives. I actually learned a lot more, especially the statistically significant links cited between obesity and cancer, between cigarette smoking and longevity (or, perhaps more accurately, the loss of it.), and between alcohol abuse and decreased longevity. I was especially touched by the displays in the last room or two in which human embryos at different stages of development were displayed. We had been warned about these displays and an alternate exit route was pointed out. Some individuals left the exhibit, but most of us stayed. At we surveyed the special, unusual, and, in some instances, shocking displays, we learned all sorts
of facts about male parts and processes and functioning and about female parts and processes and functioning. However, the most striking discovery of all was the number and variety of abuses that pregnant females can inflict, through either intent or ignorance, on their unborn children. The many possibilities for abuse of the one-cell-developing-intoa-human-form were frightening. I remember that either as we were leaving or as we were entering the exhibit, we encountered one skeletal body overlaid with massive muscles. Its previous owner had obviously been trained as an athlete because the many outstanding muscles exuded great strength. The athlete was poised to throw a javelin. Whether throwing the javelin was intended for killing an animal for food, for slaying an enemy, or for winning a contest, I could not determine. But viewing all of those muscles and the obvious strength that this former human most certainly possessed reminded me of how much enormously hard and extended work is needed in order to build a successful athletic body. I remembered my rigorous and grueling training for football in elementary school, in junior high school, and in high school. I remembered my endurance and running and shooting practices in basketball in junior high school and in high school. I remembered my strenuous and utterly challenging track duels in the mile race and in the cross-country race.
I still have a three-foot high trophy for one of the cross-country races that I won one summer. On that race, after my shoes had just gotten the best of me, I just took them off and ran the last two miles bare-foot, and I still won the race. And I especially CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE LareDOS I
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Maverick Ranch Notes
BY BEBE & SISSY FENSTERMAKER
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he weather turned cooler today after staying in the mid seventies all last week. It’s quite unusual to have such mild weather at this time of year. The roses are starting to bloom along with the big sweet olive bush. I also sort of hate to mention that we’ve had some good rains lately; last Friday night was a gully washer in San Antonio while we got the tamer showers. There was an enormous billowing cloud filled with lightening moving over that city as we got back to the ranch about 10 p.m. The roar of thunder got louder as the night wore on. This is the part of the year that our area gets rain in normal years. Our rains come not in late spring or summer but during the winter. This meant chilly days and unpleasant livestock work, but who cares when we are getting some rain! Neither the cows nor I regret the mud puddles and showers this year. The grass is very short because of the ongoing drought, but it is green. Short grass means short roots and that is not good. There is a bit of water standing in the spring, but no flow. The creek has had puddles in it but no flowing waters for over a year. With warmer than usual temperatures a few butterflies have emerged. Sissy and I rejuvenated a flowerbed here in the yard then planted onion sets instead of flowers. I’m starting to eye any bare yard space as potential vegetable-raising area. I’m not wasting any good spot. What we haven’t tackled yet is the vegetable garden itself. Rye grass went crazy there and after last summer it’s hard to get serious about all the hard work ahead. Will we hit the water-wise wall again? Everybody says we will. Update: Sissy and I started hoeing up the vegetable garden. The nice show-
Prepping the vegetable garden plot; an homage to Lee, a childhood horse ers made the work pretty easy except for several large grass clumps that took some force to remove. We got two-thirds of the work done, and pretty soon I’ll back the pickup up to the cows’ nest in the Green Shed and haul out two winters’ worth of spoiled hay. Eventually, after composting, the garden will rejoice. Our superb seed-starting friend Mary says she’s ready to put seeds in trays in her greenhouse. She’ll start with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. I’ll start pumpkins, beans and squash alfresco as soon as the temperature gets to a safe degree. The kitchen table is covered with Rodale books, seed catalogues, and gardening magazines. Yep, spring is coming. There are also recipe books in preparation for all that cooking with one’s own produce. The one thing I will always regret is that 30 years ago I didn’t plant fruit trees. It’s still possible, but all those years of no homegrown fruit were kind of senseless. Of course we were otherwise-occupied defending the home place and things like that which take all one’s time. It wasn’t a matter of laziness, more a matter of concentrating one’s energy. I remember our parents’ efforts with peaches after having planted the local recommended varieties. They were tasteless compared to the hale haven peaches from Ft. Davis days. Research will be necessary because there’s no point in pitiful peaches. I do have a sour orange I started from a cousin’s tree last summer. It can only be planted out here in a protected place, and that’s hard to find in this yard now. I plan to use the fruit for great sauces for chicken, fish, and vegetables. -Bebe Fenstermaker While picking the mud and the occasional rock out of Langtry’s hooves my mind wandered back to my first horse
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when I was a child growing up in West Texas. He had been a gift from Nellie Lee and Pat Mulloy who owned the Jeff Ranch down the canyon from Ft. Davis. Lee was named for Nellie Lee and was born, raised and worked all his life on their ranch. When it was time to retire Lee the Mulloys offered him to us. He had never been loaded in a trailer and so refused to load for the trip to our house. A ranch hand, Manuel Hernández, had to ride him all the way up from the ranch, crossing several mountains to get him to us. Lee was a tall, raw-boned brown bay with a diamond on his forehead and socks on his hind feet. He was absolutely independent and ruled the other two horses. Oh, and he had a temper. He became my horse and a wondrous sight we two were. I was a chubby little girl astride a tall, snarky horse. Lee and I did all right together once I was in the saddle. Getting up there was the problem. Actually it was quite a struggle; I could just barely get
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remember that several decades ago, I ran in the mile race in Laredo’s annual homage to the athletic gods, the Border Olympics. In that particular race that day, I was given the opportunity to run against the legendary Humberto Adame and about a dozen more contestants. Believe it or not, while Adame just ran a regular heel-totoe stride, I had to run that entire race on my toes in order to keep up —or, rather, nearly keep up. Believe it or not, that legend won that race that day, rather easily, one might say, but I felt that I had been honored to have been allowed to even be in the same race with Adame. I still feel that way, and if he is still alive and you
my foot in the stirrup followed by several hops to grab the saddle horn. It was a real pull to get myself up to the saddle. Lee, objecting to the hopping and pulling, would flatten his ears, reach around with bared teeth and nip. Seeing that head begin to come around did move me along. Once on board I was safe and all the other riders in our group gave us a wide berth. Lee had the reputation of kicking or biting if the others rode too close. Lee’s fastest gait was a rough trot. Standing in the stirrups was the best way to handle it. I remember riding bareback once with my youngest sister. Lee and I were trotting as usual and she and her horse Pat pulled alongside us. Lee bit her hard on the thigh, so hard the teeth marks were visible for weeks. She remembers it to this day. Climate-changing Spring update: Bebe reported an agarita bush already in full bloom in her yard. Date was February 10. -Sissy Fenstermaker know him, please pass on my respects. In short, I know what is required to train for an athletic contest and to train for Okinawan go-ju, an advanced form of aggressive martial arts. And because of my own experiences, I finished the displays of the Bodies exhibition with even more respect for and understanding of the human body than I already had possessed. And, on the way back to my hotel, I silently thanked my departed mother and father for having given me such a healthy body. I apologize for not providing photos. I certainly would have like to because the displays were astounding! However, no photography was allowed in the Bodies Exhibition. ◆
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News
Heritage Foundation calling all members
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he Webb County Heritage Foundation is calling on the public to initiate or renew membership in the organization for the 2012 year of activities and services. Membership renewal forms were mailed out in January, but anyone wishing to join the Foundation is cordially invited to do so at this time. You may join or renew online at www.webbheritage.org or by coming by the office at 500 Flores Ave. or calling (956) 727-0977 to request a mailed membership form. The Webb County Heritage Foundation is a non-profit historic preservation organization that is dedicated to the goals of historic architectural preservation, heritage education, and heritage tourism in Webb County and surrounding border region.
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The WCHF conducts tours of historic downtown Laredo, archives historic documents, maps, and photographs, records oral histories, presents exhibitions, and operates the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum and the Republic of the Río Grande Museum. The Heritage Foundation hosts the annual Founders’ Day Celebration in May and also names an honorary President of the Republic of the Río Grande as a tribute to outstanding commitment to historic preservation by an individual in this community. Working with a group of educators from Laredo Independent School District, the Diocese of Laredo School District, Texas A&M International University, and Laredo Community College, the Webb County Heritage
Foundation was successful in initiating a “Laredo History” curriculum in local schools. Membership levels range from “Student” to “1755 Club” reflecting various degrees of benefits available. As every year, the Foundation re-
peats its pledge to continue providing access to unique events that celebrate our heritage, changing museum exhibits, special projects, historical collections, preservation workshops, tours, and advocacy in the name of historic preservation. ◆
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What was your work experience before entering the legal field? Palomo: Although my parents did not have the means to finance my college education, much less law school, they discouraged me from working because they did not want the weight of a work schedule to interfere with my studies. Instead, they encouraged me to apply for financial assistance available for young minority women seeking a college education. I applied for and received financial aid, low-interest student loans, and was the recipient of the D.D. Hachar Scholarship each year during my undergraduate studies. As part of my financial aid, I participated in the Work-Study Program and was assigned to office duties at the UT Business School in the MIS Department. This was my first job and while I was only an office clerk, I nevertheless matured through this experience because I gained a better understanding of the dynamics involved in running an efficient and effective operation. I learned about work performance measures, accountability, teamwork, chain of command, and adjusting to different personalities in the work environment. After graduating from college I went straight into law school and, again, relied on financial aid and student loans to fund the next three years. Law school was challenging, and I was fortunate to be able to focus on my studies without the weight of a demanding work schedule. During the summer months of my college and law school years, I felt an obligation to give back to one of the organizations that helped me achieve my goals. I volunteered my time at the Boys & Girls Club of Laredo. I enjoyed connecting with the youth because they reminded me of when I was a young girl running around the Boy’s Club with my whole life ahead of me. It was important to me that I leave a lasting impression on some of those kids in a way that would hopefully inspire and motivate them to set goals towards accomplishing their dreams. It is the least I can do in return for the direction the caring staff at the Boy’s Club gave me. Sanchez: In my younger years, when I was a senior in high school and a freshman in college, I had a part time job on weekends as a radio personality at KVOZ and KLAR. I ran a radio show from midnight to 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights called the “South Texas Country Show.” I went straight from high school to undergrad to law school. I love the practice of law, and this is all I have done, continuously, for over 21 years.
Have you ever been in private practice?
Palomo: Have you ever been in private practice? I have dedicated my career to public service as a government employee; therefore, I have not operated an independent private practice. However, I have represented numerous clients regarding a variety of civil matters, including family law cases, probate cases, personal injury cases, family law cases, property disputes, and other legal matters. Sanchez: Yes. I have been in private practice since September of 1996, for well over 15 years. The areas I practice involve the same types of cases the 341st handles: criminal cases, civil cases and family cases. I handle defense work both in state and federal court. I represent people in divorces, child support and custody cases, and adoptions. I also handle civil cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, oil and gas issues, and real estate disputes. I also help people in drafting their last will and testament. I feel extremely confident in assuming the role of judge of the 341st District Court. The types of cases this court handles are the types of cases I handle on a daily basis. If I did not feel confident to assume this job, I would not be running for this position. I would never do a disservice to the citizens of Webb County by asking them to vote for me, unless I was absolutely
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sure I could handle this job with the utmost of confidence they deserve.
As former prosecutors in the DA’s office, did you have a private practice while being paid by the taxpayers of Webb County? Palomo: As an attorney I have devoted most of my years of legal work to public service, both as an Assistant District Attorney and currently as the Director of the Community Supervision & Corrections Department. As a public servant I have always been cognizant of respecting and not using taxpayers’ time for personal gain. As stated earlier, I have represented family and friends with legal matters. I did not solicit their business. Moreover, many of these matters required a legal expertise that my clients could not have otherwise afforded to get, so I helped them out of a firm belief that access to the judicial system should not be denied to anyone because they cannot afford it. Sanchez: No. I was an assistant district attorney for approximately 5 ½ years, and I never maintained a private practice during my tenure.
What fomented your decision to study the law and become an attorney?
Palomo: Honorable Elma Salinas Ender was first appointed to serve as judge of the 341st District Court in 1983 when she was only 30 years old. I remember Judge Ender as a young woman with dark, neat, short hair and small earrings, a dignified lady dressed in a dark, skirt suit and a warm smile. She was the guest speaker for the Bruni Elementary 6th grade graduation ceremony in the fall of 1985. The graduation was at the gymnasium of the Main Boys & Girls Club of Laredo. I was a 12-year-old honor student waiting to receive my diploma as if it was my right of passage into another world, middle school. That day was a milestone because I clearly remember feeling older, a little more mature, and a sense of real responsibility looming. I remember feeling inspired by Judge Salinas Ender’s success and was inspired to reach higher. Maybe it was because she was a young lady or maybe because she was Hispanic, I do not know but I do remember my mother’s words when I commented on Judge Salinas Ender, “You too will go to college and you will be successful.” This was something my mother repeated too often to me and my three sisters, so much so that I am embarrassed to say that I blocked her mundane affirmations until I saw that day and understood what my mother was talking about. I did not pursue the study of law because I loved the rule of law or because I found interpreting Constitutional law interesting. Instead, I wanted to make my parents proud and I have — beyond their wildest dreams. I wanted to be a strong and independent woman and I am. I wanted to be financially secure and I thank my Lord that my earnings allow me to abundantly provide for my family. Today, I continue to practice law because I enjoy using my education, knowledge, and experience as an attorney to serve my community. I especially take pleasure in being a role model for young students as Judge Salinas Ender was for me. Sanchez: As a kid, I always aspired to be a veterinarian. I’ve always loved animals, and still do. I have a little place out in Duval County where I raise Belted Galloway cattle, Texas Dall sheep, and where I have some chickens, ducks, and guineas. However, when I was in eighth grade at Lamar Middle School, and I will never forget this, in Ms. Chacha Benavides’ social study class, we had a mock trial, and I was chosen to be one of the lawyers. I loved it. I found myself being able to articulate my thoughts into words, and loving the contemplation of one day becoming a lawyer if I should change my mind about becoming a vet. In undergrad, I soon found out 4 science and math were not my CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 4 W W W.L A RED OS N E WS.CO M
cup of tea, and so I began to explore what I wanted to do with my life. I looked back at the work my grandfather had done back in the 1960s and 1970s, fighting for civil rights in Austin, and fighting the old party system in Laredo, and I also remembered the voice he gave to the farm workers and veterans in later years, all without a formal education. He helped people, and I embraced that as my calling. My grandma showed me a certificate he had gotten from the University of Oklahoma when they had come down in the 1950s to Laredo for a training seminar. I was so proud to have him at my graduation in 1990 from OU, not too far from the farm fields he once worked, because it was because of him and people like him that doors that had once been shut were now open.
Why do you want this seat on the bench, and if elected, what will you bring to the position?
Palomo: During my service as a state prosecutor, I was assigned to the 341st District Court where I later had the privilege of being promoted to Chief Prosecutor, having the responsibility of leading the prosecution of hundreds of violent felony offenders. Working for the 341st gave me the opportunity to observe my role model, Judge Salinas Ender, dispense justice with a firm hand and an understanding heart. Today, with my experience as director of the adult probation department, I better understand the criminal justice system and the effect it has on our society. I understand that some offenders should be incarcerated to ensure the continued safety of the victims and our community; while other nonviolent offenders can be rehabilitated and become productive citizens of our society. The experience gained in these capacities gives me the unique advantage of having two distinct perspectives, each from different ends of the criminal justice field. This has undoubtedly prepared me to make the tough decision required of judges during the administration of justice, especially in criminal cases where a person’s liberty is at stake. Additionally, I have extensive administrative experience restructuring operations, managing large groups of people, and balancing a multi-million dollar budget funded by tax dollars. Every day I make important decisions that affect the overall operations of the adult probation department, and occasionally, I have had to make very difficult decisions related to employee grievance complaints, reassignments, demotions, and termination proceedings. Making these administrative decisions requires me to use my knowledge, analytical skills, impartial judgment, and a sense of fairness; the same attributes I will bring to the bench as your next district judge. I will provide a level playing field for anyone coming before the court. It is important that the tradition of fairness and independence from politics in the courtroom continue at the 341st District Court. I intend to promote judicial economy, dispensing justice in a respectful and efficient manner for everyone involved. In closing, I want the people of Webb County to know that, above all, I am a woman of faith. I have strong family values, a good work ethic and the integrity required of a person in this position. I am ready to serve you. Sanchez: I bring over 21 years of invaluable experience as a practicing lawyer. There is no better experience than having been in the trenches, trying and handling the same types of cases this court hears. I have experience on both sides of the courtroom: I have been both a prosecutor and a defense lawyer; I have been both a plaintiff’s lawyer and a defense lawyer. I would not be running for this position unless I was extremely confident of assuming the duties of this very important position. I would never, ever, do a disservice to the citizens of Webb County by asking them to vote for me if I W W W.L A R ED OS N E WS.CO M
did not believe I was the best qualified to take this job. Judge Elma Salinas Ender has done a tremendous job as judge for the almost three decades she has sat on the bench, and I believe the voters of Webb County deserve to have someone pick up where she left off with no on the job training. This is why I decided to run for this position. I believe in making the courtroom accessible to all. It is very, very expensive to litigate a civil case. Sometimes the legal fees outweigh what the case is worth. This is nonsense, and as judge I intend to do my part in making it more economically feasible for the average citizen to have their day in court. How would I do this you ask? Very simple: fast rulings and don’t make your lawyers go to court (i.e. charge you) when it is not necessary. You cannot afford to have a judge that will be learning on the job with your case. If you have a judge that has to learn on the job, that judge is going to take longer to make a decision, or perhaps even, the wrong decision, the end result being that the client will have to pay his lawyer for all the times the lawyer had to go to court only to have the judge pass the case for another day. That’s why experience matters. I strongly believe victims of crime should not be forgotten in the judicial process. Once a defendant pleas guilty or is found guilty, the law affords a victim the right to address the court at sentencing. A judge needs to scrutinize the agreement on punishment reached by the parties, to determine whether the punishment fits the crime. I believe if restitution is involved, a victim should be compensated for the harm they have suffered. Victims of crime should be respected and never forgotten. I unselfishly offer you, the citizens of Webb County, my vast experience and my undying dedication to justice, and I humbly ask for your vote. Thank you, and may God bless you and your families. ◆
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Movie Review
The joy and pleasure of terror: The Woman in Black BY CORDELIA BARRERA LareDOS Contributor
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he agonizing weight of insufferable loss (These are the cheerless heavens above). The claustrophobic spiral of obsession (These are the walls, and they are slowly closing in). Shadowy forms that swell and gasp...and grip with invisible fingers. (These are the decaying floorboards under your feet). Sinister-looking china dolls, tapestries that breathe sour whispers of doom, marshes of reeking miasma. Such is the dark symbolism of the gothic in all its brooding, melancholic glory. Director James Watkins’s The Woman in Black is an atmospheric, often very scary haunted house film (aka gothic) that delivers a chilling perspective on madness and vengeance. The film is based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Susan Hill; it has also been successfully adapted into a stage play. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe (aka “Harry Potter”) as Arthur Kipps, a bereaved young husband whose mission is to search a decrepit old mansion for the papers of its late occupant, Alice Drab-
low. Kipps is a turn-of-the 20th-century English lawyer in north England with a young son; the man remains haunted by the death of his wife who died four years earlier in childbirth. Even before Kipps arrives at the depraved-looking house, he is met with the disapproval and dismissal of the nearby townspeople — it seems much of the town as well as the old house on Eel Marsh is cursed. With the help of Sam Daily (Ciarán Hinds), a wealthy landowner from the township, Kipps is finally able to confine himself to the house and get to work. At high tide, Eel Marsh is completely cut off from the mainland with only the surrounding marshes for company. As we wander with Kipps through the ghostly corridors of the creepy house once lived in by Alice Drablow, her husband, their son, Nathaniel, and Alice’s sister, Jennet Humfrye (aka “The Woman in Black”), we are drawn into a world of increasingly terrifying noises and horrifying images. In time we begin to understand the nature of this particular haunting, and we are shocked by the visceral horror of the tragic story that has the nearby town convinced of the Woman in Black’s presence. It seems that seeing her ghastly, ghostly
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shape foreshadows the death of the town’s children. Kipps sees the Woman in Black on several occasions. In a haunted house story like The Woman in Black, the eerie and disturbed house is generally a reflection of the interior state of mind of one or more of the protagonists. It’s an old formula that’s been around for centuries, and it gets reworked again and again because it is terrifically malleable and oh-so effective. The Haunted House is an old device in gothic fiction, a genre that dates to 18th century England and Horace Walpole’s classic, The Castle Of Otranto (1764), which is generally regarded as the first gothic novel. Gothic novels, of course, have never gone out of style, and the Haunted House as a literary device has been successfully taken up by authors as diverse as Edgar Allan Poe (The Fall of the House of Usher, 1875); Richard Matheson (Hell House, 1971); and Stephen King (The Shining, 1977). Historic and contemporary examples abound. There is the Southern Gothic of William Faulkner (A Rose for Emily, 1930)
and Toni Morrison (Beloved, 1987); there is the Horror Gothic of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818); and there is even the Female Gothic of Charlotte Brontë (Jane Eyre, 1847), and Daphne Du Maurier (Rebecca, 1938). It’s no coincidence that so many ghostly gothics have all been made into very successful films. The star of any gothic is ALWAYS the house—the more creepy, creaky, architecturally vaulted, pointed, majestically arched and tented, the better. Gothics embody — and greatly respect — the joys of extreme emotion coupled with the weird pleasure of terror, fear, and awe inherent in the supernaturally, often preternaturally sublime. Successful gothics share the quest for things that might be said to brood. There is a quality — the depth and sense of a vault — that plagues anyone and anything near the place — the site — where something so ghastly, so sinister, so nefarious and twisted once occurred. For all of these reasons, The Woman in Black does not disappoint; the film is an exercise in the power of a deliberately debilitating storyline and an exquisitely
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Notes from LaLa Land BY DR. NEO GUTIERREZ
Dr. Neo Gutierrez is a Ph.D. in Dance and Fine Arts, Meritorious Award in Laredo Fine Arts recipient 2009 from Webb Co. Heritage Foundation, Laredo Sr. Int’l 2008, Laredo MHS Tiger Legend 2002, and Sr. Int’l de Beverly Hills, 1997. Contact neodance@aol.com.
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rnesto Uribe’s The Unforgiving is set in the Dominican Republic during the heyday of direct U.S. military intervention in the Caribbean. There’s military action, betrayals, intrigue, and romantic encounters between an American Marine captain and the beautiful daughter of the wealthiest Dominican on the island. The novel takes place immediately after the end of World War I, and it depicts the impact of an occupying military force of Americans in the affairs of a small nation. At issue is the conflict between the
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Ernesto Uribe’s The Unforgiving: U.S. policy in post WWI Dominican Republic rights of small farmers and powerful landowners. Marine officers and men find themselves in a critical position between the peasants lending support to guerrilla insurgents and ruthless sugar barons. This insightful book examines the unwelcome and unexpected role of American Marines trying to resolve an age-old problem of exploitation of the weak and helpless by the right and powerful. Ernesto is a perfect example of the academic researcher, when he prepares his books. While serving as counselor for public affairs with the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo from 1984 to 1988, he researched the U.S. Marine
occupation of the island, an occupation that lasted from 1916 until 1924. During his stay in that part of the world, he traveled throughout the country and visited many sites that U.S. Marine troops had actually occupied. And he listened to accounts by local residents who had memory of the events. Ernesto now lives in Northern Virginia and makes ample use of the Library of Congress and the National Archives in Washington, D.C., for material and documentation for his creative writing. If interested, you can find out about all his books at amazon.com So, what are the beginnings of such a creative mind? Born in nearby Hebbronville, he grew up in Laredo where he attended St. Peter’s Elementary, St. Augustine School, and Martin High School. At Texas A&M College he received a B.S. degree in agricultural education in 1960, a second B.S. in journalism in 1961, and a Masters in sociology in 1962. He entered the U.S. Foreign Service with the U.S. Information Agency in 1962. He spent an entire 33-year career serving full tours in seven different Latin American countries, as well as three tours in Washington, D.C., where he had the opportunity to attend the
National War College at Fort McNair. He served as a member of the U.S. Mission to the OAS as Advisor for Cultural, Scientific and Educational Affairs. For two years he was loaned by his agency to be Executive Director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. His final overseas assignment was as the Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy, were he served also as president of the A rgentine/ U.S. Fulbright Commission. He has worked in Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia, Honduras, Bolivia, and Argentina. He retired from foreign service in 1995, lives in Virginia with his wife ex-Laredoan and beautiful classical singer Sarah Meade, Ernesto and wife have one daughter, two sons, and six grandchildren, some already in high school now. Of his youth in South Texas Ernesto recalled, “I spent a large part of my time working with my grandfather, Carlos Ortiz, at his little ranch some six miles northeast of Laredo, and on the Uribe family ranch in Zapata, where I spent a lot of time on horseback and doing ranch work in the summers. I still own part of that land.” And on that note, it’s time for--as Norma Adamo says: TAN TAN ! ◆ LareDOS I FEB RUA RY 2012 I
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Seguro Que Sí
BY HENRI KAHN
Contact Henri D. Kahn with your insurance questions at (956) 725-3936, or by fax at (956) 791-0627, or by email at hkahn@ kahnins.com
Health insurance for all of us, not ObamaCare
BY HENRI KAHN
D
uring his run for the office of President of the United States of America Barack Hussein Obama attracted thousands of votes by pledging better quality hospital and medical care for all Americans at a cost lower than what the private sector was charging. He also vilified insurance companies by frequently inferring that insurance companies were making huge profits by overcharging and cheating the public via underpaying or delaying payment of claims to take advantage of cash flow advantages in interest. I have been an insurance agent for 50 years and will readily swear on the
Bible that the absolute majority of insurance companies comply with the provisions of the policies they issue that include fair and timely payment of claims. These company practices are regulated by the state insurance departments of every state in the union to protect policy owners. From the date of Obama’s election until March, 2010 when ObamaCare was enacted into law, nobody, yes, nobody, knew enough about the specific details the promised benefits of ObamaCare to inform the public. As a matter of fact, when ObamaCare was passed, the speaker of the House at the time, Nancy Pelosi publicly stated that the details of benefits were included in a 2,400 page printed bill, so “read it if you want to know what its all about.”
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After Pelosi’s ridiculous remark in March, slowly, threads of complicated information began to appear in newspapers and TV. I was obviously interested in the details and kept scratching my head trying to determine why Ohama’s people had designed such a complicated mess that frankly highlighted the infamous political carrot temptation ploy. I wrote an article in LareDOS stating what, in my opinion, was a simple alternative solution to the complicated benefits of ObamaCare.. Keep the system that makes healthcare in the USA the envy of the world. Make it available to Americans and charge “all of us taxpayers” to pay the bill along with redesigning plans to provide hospital and medical service
for benefits to cure us when we are in need of care due to sickness or accident with emphasis on preventive care. Further, create regional private sector panels of healthcare providers to continually monitor and assess healthcare necessity and procedures. Simple and effective? Not for proponents of ObamaCare who haven’t the foggiest idea of implementing a logical, simple, effective healthcare plan.ObamaCare is nothing more than another step to control as many aspects as possible of our lives. We must fight every continuing attempt by Obama and his cohorts to weaken our resolve to have the individual freedom in a country of the people, for the people. and by the people. ◆
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Laredo Community College
New financial aid guidelines to benefit students
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eginning this spring, students who apply for either state or federal financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will now find it simpler than ever before to fill out the online form. All new applicants who fill out the
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FAFSA for the 2012-2013 school year will see a new feature, called “Link to IRS,” within the FAFSA application process. “As part of a federal mandate, anyone who applies for state or federal monies using this application is strongly urged to use the ‘link’ feature
that allows transferring income tax information from the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) directly to the students’ FAFSA application,” Dr. Vincent Solis, Vice-President for Student Services, said. “By linking the IRS information with the FAFSA, it will not only drastically cut time to process, but avoid potential fraud, and human error on the application.” According to Solis, approximately 2,000 new, incoming freshman and 85 percent of current students who apply for financial aid will benefit from this new feature. “For both of these groups, the sooner they (new and current students) file their forms, the sooner they can receive their awards for the next school year, and also have first dibs at tapping on not just federal monies, but state aid as well. This helps cover costs for tuition, books, fees, and have extra cash on hand for educational expenses,” Solis added.Students are encouraged to submit their individual or parent’s income tax return, “and wait 2 to 3 weeks for that information to be processed by the IRS,” Solis added. “Once that is complete, students should then fill out their
FAFSA. During the final step of the application process, students should click on the ‘Link to IRS’ feature to link the income tax return data they did a few weeks before to the new FAFSA application.” For the best chance to receive the maximum amount of federal aid, students should file their tax returns by mid-February and submit their FAFSA application by Thursday, March 1. “Students who forgo using this linking feature will automatically be picked to submit an IRS tax return receipt from the IRS to complete the verification process,” Steven Aguilar, Financial Aid Center Director, said. “Due to a new federal regulation, our center can no longer accept any income tax returns for verification purposes and students must wait approximately four to six weeks to obtain their tax return receipts from the IRS, and pay a fee to do so, potentially missing out on the March 1 maximum cash award deadline.” For more information, contact the Financial Aid Center at the Fort McIntosh Campus at 721-5361 or 794-4360 at the South Campus. ◆
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Social Security LESLIE L. YOUNG
Is a Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Laredo.)
BY LESLIE L. YOUNG Social Security Public Affairs Specialist
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n Groundhog Day, the world’s furriest weather reporter, Punxsutawney Phil, popped out of his home to forecast one of two possibilities: an early spring or six more weeks of winter. Regardless of what Punxsutawney Phil predicted, there’s no reason for you to wait six weeks to do business with Social Security. Whatever the weather, you can visit our online office from the con-
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Don’t wait six weeks; go online today venience and comfort of your warm and cozy home or office. Just go to www.socialsecurity.gov. You can do so many things online. And it’s so easy, even a groundhog could do it … if eligible. Below are a few of the things you can do at www.socialsecurity.gov. • Get an instant, personalized estimate of future retirement benefits with the Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator; • Apply for Social Security retirement, spouse’s, or disability benefits at www.socialsecurity. gov/applyonline; • Apply for Medicare at www.
socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly; • Request a replacement Medicare card at www.socialsecurity. gov/medicarecard/, and • Learn about Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug costs at www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp, where you can find a link to apply. Punxsutawney Phil has called
for six more weeks of winter 87 percent of the time. We suspect that’s because he just likes to stay in his comfortable home. You can too, on Groundhog Day or any day, by going online. Whatever the weather, learn all about the things you can do online at www.socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices. ◆
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Maria Eugenia Guerra/LareDOS
Claiming territory If you sit still a moment there is much to be seen on the natural setting of the ranch lands. Under the branches of an old ebony tree in San Ygnacio, pyrrhuloxia and house finch shared a quiet moment at the birdfeeder, only to be chased off by an angry, territorial Green Jay.
David Almaraz
David Almaraz graduated from St. Mary’s School of Law in 1977. He received his B.A. and his M.A. from the University of Texas in 1972. In 1980, he was appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Laredo Divi sion where he was the federal prosecutor from 19801985. As a solo practitioner for 26 years, he has gained recognition for his passion rep resenting clients all over Texas and the United States. As ACLU Chapter President, he reminds jurors and judges at every opportunity that the Bill of Rights must be defended in spite of over zealous prosecutors who tend to overlook the 4th, 5th and 6th Amendments. He is a member of NACDL and TCDLA.
Almaraz Bldg., 1802 Houston Laredo, Tx. 78040 P.O. Box 6875 Email: almaraz@netscorp.net Tel. (956) 7273828 Fax (956) 7253639
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to the sponsors who made the 2012 Noche de Agave a resounding success.
Matching Sponsor
Javier Santos and The Fernando Salinas Charitable Trust
Contributing Sponsor ($10,000+ to Scholarship Endowment)
Bob and Shirley Gonzalez, The Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Foundation
Featured Alcohol Distributor Glazer’s Distributor
Añejo Sponsors ($2500)
Person, Whitworth, Borchers & Morales, LLP. Dean Charles E. Cantu of St. Mary’s Law School, Joe Brand and Seymon Deutsch, Patricia Alvarez.
Reposado Sponsors ($1500)
Goldstein, Goldstein, and Hilley, Kazen, Muerer, and Perez, LLP, Casanova Trans, Inc., Javier Mon‐ temayor, J.O. Alvarez, Escamilla, Poneck, and Cruz, Daniel Lopez, Jr., Law Of+ice of Guillermo Del Barrio, Miguel Flores, Armando Roman, Angie Wu
Silver Sponsors ($1000) Kim Tindall and Associaties,
Washington’s Birthday Celebration Association, Stewart Title, Cigarroa Family, Isidro “Chilo” Alaniz, Law Of+ices of Uriel Druker and Norberto Cardenas, Bob Weathers and Company, Gustavo T. Quintanilla and Friends, Kristina Hale and Company, Flores and Chu Law Firm, Silverio Martinez, and Roque Vela, Antonio Rodriquez, M.D., P.A., International Bank of Commerce, Palenque Grill
Silent Auction Donations
Moore’s Jewelers, Joe Brand, Rega‐ los Tu Y Yo, Embassy Suites, Gusta‐ vo T. Quintanilla, Pout Cosmetics, Polly Adams, Feldman’s, Unlimited Looks, 7th Avenue, PetCo. Snoopy’s Pet Grooming N Boarding,Carlos & Claudia Cantu, Joey & Rachel Salas, Glazer’s Dis‐ tributors, Cosmos Bar and Grill, Portico, Rene Hinojosa, WestLaw, Il Regalo Preferito, Tab’ooh Lingerie, Kelly’s Western Wear, Casa Raul, Danny’s Dining, Inc., Studio 55, Cu‐ ate Santos, Pete Mims, Armando Hinojosa, Sonia Casanova, Jorge Gonzalez, FalconSure Insurance, La Posada Hotel, George J. Atlgelt, A1 Collision Services
Laredo Webb County Bar Association
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Texas A&M International University
FLO and SIFE students help feed children
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exas A&M International University students have redefined the phrase “going with the flow.” A group of over 40 TAMIU student members of TAMIU’s Freshman Leadership Organization (FLO) and Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), opted to give their organization’s names special relevance through a FLO service project that paired them with the Feed My Starving Children Program. Students worked in two shifts to prepare nutritional food packets to be distributed by the Feed My Starving children program. Working in assembly-line fashion over a four-hour period, the TAMIU FLO students created enough packets to feed 217 children. The food packets are delivered to needy areas in the Unit-
ed States and nearly 70 other countries worldwide. Iliana Rodriguez, FLO member, introduced the project to FLO and SIFE and the entire group decided to participate. Rodriguez has previously worked with the Feed My Starving Children project. Students participating in the project included: FLO - Yvonne Perez, Daniel Sanchez, Valeria Nino, Francisco Adame, Danielle Gracia, Elizabeth Green, Cesar Garcia, Jose Veliz, Leslye Cavazos, Leslie Martinez, Andrea Almendarez, Alexandra Gil, Eunice Moncivais, Karina Vidal, Celeste Cantu, Jessica Renteria, Diana Castellanos, Amanda S. Rodriguez, Celina Bernal, Barbara Escamilla, Amber Benavides, Christian Medina, Manuel De La Concha, Jasmin Little, Antonio Moreno, Ricardo Guarne-
ros, Alex Cavazos, Dagoberto Melero, Anaissa Leal, Jennifer Ochoa, Deyanira Rojas, Iliana Rodriguez, Tomas Duarte, Raul Lozano, Luis Hernandez, Aileen Terrazas, and Jacklynne Garza. From SIFE: Roger Garcia, Alejandra Garza, Maryell Cadena, Gina Medrano, Marlinn Chong, Roxanne Saldana, and Jonathan Gutierrez. For more on TAMIU student
clubs and organizations like FLO, contact the TAMIU Office of Student Affairs at 956.326.2282, visit offices in the Student Center, or email studentaffairs@tamiu. edu. More information is also available online at tamiu.edu/studentaffairs/. For information on the Feed My Starving Children program, visit fsmc.org. ◆
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