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SHERIFF’S OFFICE
WAR ON DRUGS
Five arrested, charged with drug possession Daniel Berehulak / NYT
Carlos Saldana reaches to adjust the small shrine created in memory of his and Vicky Delgadillo's missing children, in the bedroom of their home in Xalapa, Mexico, Nov. 4, 2017. In Mexico, where the drug wars disappeared number in the tens of thousands, some families take up the search for loved ones on their own.
‘The entire state is a mass grave’ Courtesy photo / Zapata County Sheriff’s Office
A search warrant executed on Nov. 17 at a home in the Siesta Shores Subdivision yielded the items shown in this photo. Investigators found 6.29 ounces of hydroponic marijuana, 35 Clonazepam pills, one e-cigarette cartridge that contained cannabis oil and a .25-caliber pistol.
ro Avenue in the Medina Addition Subdivision. After obtaining a consent to search, investigators said they discovered about 5.17 ounces of hydroponic marijuana and an undetermined amount of cash. The suspect, Joan Zuñiga, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana. A third case occurred Nov. 14 in the 1500 block of Roma Avenue. The execution of a search warrant yielded 67.87 pounds of marijuana. Sheriff’s Arrests continues on A11
Search continues on A11
By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S Courtesy photo / Zapata County Sheriff’s Office
Authorities said they seized the narcotics and cash shown in this photo after raiding a home on Nov. 20 in the 1600 block of Guerrero Avenue in the Medina Addition.
6.29 ounces of hydroponic marijuana, 35 Clonazepam pills weighing approximately 11.1 grams, one e-cigarette cartridge that contained cannabis oil and a .25-caliber pistol. Eduardo Javier Gonzalez Jr. and Liliana Guadalupe Espinoza were arrested in connection with the case on Tuesday. Each was charged with possession of marijuana and two counts of possession of a controlled substance. A second case unfolded Nov. 20 in the 1600 block of Guerre-
THE NEW YORK TIME S
XALAPA, Mexico — At 5 a.m., the couple stirred to the buzz of a cellphone alarm. They had hardly slept — Carlos Saldaña had been in the hospital the night before, betrayed by his fragile stomach. He had prayed that the pain would subside, that God would give him strength. Today was the raid, the culmination of years of tracking the cartels, of lonely reconnaissance missions to find where they had discarded his daughter. For so long, he had begged officials to do something, anything. Now, he wondered if he could even walk. “Why tonight, God?” he had murmured in the hospital, doubled over. He had spent the last six years searching for his daughter Karla, charging through every obstacle with an obsession that bordered on lunacy — cartel threats, government indifference, declining health, even his other children, who feared that his reckless hunt had put them in danger. Vicky Delgadillo watched as he eased out of bed and grabbed a cane. She had a missing girl as well, Yunery, whom Saldaña now thought of as his own. For the last two years, the couple had shared a home, a life and a love born of loss. She understood the raw fixation that defined his life. It defined hers too. Before dawn, their prayers were answered. If not fully recovered, Saldaña was at least well enough to go on the raid of the ranch where he knew, deep down, both girls were buried — two bodies among the thousands lost in Veracruz state, among the tens of thousands nationwide. They left before sunrise that humid June morning. Officially, the Mexican government acknowledges the disappearances of more than 30,000 people — men, women and children trapped in a liminal abyss — neither dead nor alive, silent victims of the drug war. But the truth is no one knows how many people are missing in Mexico.
Pot, pills and gun among items seized The Zapata County Sheriff’s Office narcotics unit has arrested five people and seized drugs in separate inciGonzalez dents over the last couple of weeks, officials said. In one case, authorities executed a search warrant on Nov. 17 in the 5100 Espinoza block of Grande Lane in the Siesta Shores Subdivision. There, investigators found
By Azam Ahmed
FEDERAL COURT
Federal judge blocks ban of common abortion procedure A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
AUSTIN — A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a new Texas law seeking to ban a commonly used abortion method, the latest in a string of court defeats to the Legislature's attempts to make getting an abortion as difficult as possible in America's second most-populous state.
Austin-based U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel extended indefinitely a temporary ban he'd previously issued before the law was set to take effect Sept. 1. That overturns — at least for now — a law that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed in June banning a second-trimester abortion procedure known as dilation and evacuation. Texas is set to
appeal, but federal courts in at least four other states already had blocked similar laws. Yeakel's ruling followed a trial early this fall where the judge heard arguments from Texas, which defended the law, and from abortion rights groups who argue it unconstitutionally burdens women seeking abortions. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
filed an immediate notice of appeal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. "A five-day trial in district court allowed us to build a record like no other in exposing the truth about the barbaric practice of dismemberment abortions. We are eager to present that extensive record before the 5th Circuit. No just
society should tolerate the tearing of living human beings to pieces," Paxton said in a statement. Federal judges have already ruled against past Texas efforts to change the disposal of fetal remains and deny Medicaid funding to abortion provider Planned Parenthood over videos secretly recorded Abortion continues on A11
Zin brief A2 | Saturday, November 25, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, NOV. 25
A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S
FamilySearch.org Workshop (Genealogy): Research your family history. 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. All ages. Free event.
TUESDAY, NOV. 28 A family night event. St. Patrick Church Men's Club bowling tournament fundraiser. 5:30 p.m. Jett Bowl North for scholarships and other parish needs. $125 per team of five. Lane sponsorships are $500, $300, $200. Information call Dennis Eveland 286-2118 or Narciso Castro 740-2226. Knit with Us: Learn to Knit. For adults. Free and open to the public. 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. For more information, call 956-795-2400, ext. 2403. LEGO Night. 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Play with LEGOs and LEGO robotics. All ages. Free and open to the public. Borderwall as Architecture: A Manifesto for the U.S.-México Boundary. 7:30 p.m. TAMIU Student Center Ballroom, 5201 University Blvd. International Bank of Commerce Keynote Speaker Series presentation featuring Ronald Rael, author and associate professor of architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. The event is free and open to the public. The author will be available for book signing following the lecture.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions. Teen Volunteers Weekly Meeting. 6:15 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Middle school and high school students can earn community hours.
THURSDAY, NOV. 30 Preschool Books & Boogie: Songs and crafts for toddlers. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Free event.
SATURDAY, DEC. 2 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
AFP/Getty Images
Egyptians carry victims on stretchers following a gun and bombing attack on the Rawda mosque near the North Sinai provincial capital of El-Arish on Friday.
OVER 200 DEAD IN MOSQUE ATTACK By Declan Walsh and Nour Youssef THE NEW YORK TIME S
CAIRO — Militants detonated a bomb inside a crowded mosque Friday and then sprayed gunfire on panicked worshippers as they fled the building, killing at least 235 people and wounding at least 109 others. Officials called it the deadliest terrorist attack in Egypt’s modern history. The attack, in an area of the Sinai Peninsula racked by an Islamic insurgency, injected a new element into Egypt’s struggle with militants because most of the
‘Gunfire’ sparks panic in London, police find nothing LONDON — Shoppers scattered in panic and police flooded one of London's busiest areas Friday after multiple reports of shots being fired at Oxford Circus subway station. But an hour later police said they had found no sign of any gunshots, suspects or casualties. The panic erupted on one of the busiest shopping days of
victims were Sufi Muslims, who practice a mystical form of Islam that the Islamic State and other Sunni extremist groups deem heretical. A Sinai police officer said the dead included at least 15 children. A witness put the toll even higher, saying he had helped gather the bodies of 25 children. The attack started midday during Friday prayers when a bomb — most likely set off by a suicide bomber, according to security officials — ripped through Al Rawda mosque in Bir al-Abd, a small town 125 miles northeast of Cairo.
the year, in a jittery city that has been hit by four violent attacks this year. Amid reports of several shots being fired, commuters and shoppers ran from Oxford Circus station and took shelter in nearby stores. Police said they were responding "as if the incident is terrorist related," sending armed officers to the scene, cordoning off several blocks and telling people to avoid the area. Some stores filled with people taking shelter; others were
evacuated. At upmarket department store Selfridges, shoppers were ordered to leave. At least three heavily armed men believed to be police could be seen on the escalators inside. After declaring the incident over, the Metropolitan Police said that "given the nature of the information received, the Met responded in line with our existing operation as if the incident was terrorism, including the deployment of armed officers." — Compiled from AP reports
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
SATURDAY, DEC. 16 8th annual Birdies on the Rio golf tourney. 7 a.m. registration at the Max Mandel Municipal Golf Course. Join the Rio Grande International Study Center for the biggest, baddest golf tournament in town. $150 per golfer (all-inclusive). Register at www.rgisc.org.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 20 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 27 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
SATURDAY, JAN. 6 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
SATURDAY, FEB. 3 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
SATURDAY, MARCH 3 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
AROUND TEXAS State trooper killed during traffic stop; suspect in custody FAIRFIELD — A Texas state trooper was shot and killed during a traffic stop in East Texas on Thanksgiving. The Texas Department of Public Safety released a statement on its Twitter account Thursday night identifying the trooper as Damon Allen, 41. DPS said Allen joined the department in 2002 and was married with three children. The agency also said it will file capital murder charges against Dabrett Black, 32, of Lindale, Texas. Allen was shot and killed before 4 p.m. Thursday during a traffic stop on Interstate 45 near Fairfield, about 90 miles south of Dallas, according to DPS. The department said Allen was shot with a rifle and died at the scene. The suspect then fled.
Texas Department of Public Safety/Courtesy
Undated DPS photo of Trooper Damon Allen, killed Thanksgiving Day 2017 in Fairfield., Texas
Hours after the shooting, the Waller County Sheriff's Office said the suspect's vehicle was spotted in Hempstead, about 110 miles south of Fairfield. The sheriff's office said on its Facebook page that shots were fired, but did not indicate who opened fire. Black was apprehended a short time later.
The Department of Public Safety said he's being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. KYTX-TV reported in July that Black was charged with evading arrest, reckless driving and aggravated assault against a public servant following a police chase in Smith County. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Man on death row will get to argue for new trial A man on death row for killing three elderly siblings in Pennsylvania more than three decades ago will get a chance to argue that his latest conviction was based on a flawed hair analysis. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that 62-year-old David Chmiel will have the opportunity to raise
questions about the reliability of the forensic tests that led to his 2002 conviction, the third guilty verdict in a case first decided in 1984. The basis of the high court's ruling, a justice wrote, stems from a 2015 admission from the FBI that said testimony given by its microscopic hair examiners had been wrong in a vast majority of cases. The FBI has also said that they've given trainings to several hundred of local authorities who used the same "scientifi-
Today is Saturday, Nov. 25, the 329th day of 2017. There are 36 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Nov. 25, 2016, Fidel Castro, who led his rebels to victorious revolution in 1959, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half-century of rule in Cuba, died at age 90. On this date: In 1783, the British evacuated New York during the Revolutionary War. In 1864, during the Civil War, Confederate agents set a series of arson fires in New York; the blazes were quickly extinguished. In 1915, a new version of the Ku Klux Klan, targeting blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants, was founded by William Joseph Simmons. In 1947, movie studio executives meeting in New York agreed to blacklist the "Hollywood Ten" who'd been cited for contempt of Congress the day before. In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a slight stroke. In 1963, the body of President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery; his widow, Jacqueline, lighted an "eternal flame" at the gravesite. In 1987, Harold Washington, the first black mayor of Chicago, died in office at age 65. In 1992, the movie "The Bodyguard," starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, was released by Warner Bros. In 1999, Elian Gonzalez, a 5-yearold Cuban boy, was rescued by a pair of sport fishermen off the coast of Florida, setting off an international custody battle. In 2002, President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security, and appointed Tom Ridge to be its head. Ten years ago: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned from exile to an ecstatic welcome from thousands of supporters and immediately stepped up the pressure on U.S.-backed military ruler Pervez Musharraf to end emergency rule. Kevin Dubrow, lead singer for the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, was found dead in his Las Vegas home; he was 52. Actor Neil Hope died in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada at age 35. Five years ago: Rioters stormed a Muslim Brotherhood headquarters building in northern Egypt on the third day of street battles following a power grab by President Mohammed Morsi. YouTube announced that "Gangnam Style" by South Korean rapper PSY had become the site's most viewed video to that time, with more than 805 million viewings. One year ago: President-elect Donald Trump pressed forward with two more administration picks: Fox News analyst Kathleen Troia "KT" McFarland to serve as deputy national security adviser and campaign attorney Donald McGahn as White House counsel. Actor Ron Glass, best known for his role as the gregarious, sometimes sardonic detective Ron Harris in the long-running cop comedy "Barney Miller," died in Los Angeles at age 71. Today's Birthdays: Playwright Murray Schisgal is 91. Actress Kathryn Crosby is 84. Actor Christopher Riordan is 80. Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs is 77. Singer Bob Lind is 75. Author, actor and economist Ben Stein is 73. Actor John Larroquette is 70. Actor Tracey Walter is 70. Movie director Jonathan Kaplan is 70. Author Charlaine Harris is 66. Retired MLB All-Star Bucky Dent is 66. Dance judge Bruno Tonioli (TV: "Dancing with the Stars") is 62. Singer Amy Grant is 57. Former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar is 54. Rock musician Eric Grossman (K's Choice) is 53. Rock singer Mark Lanegan is 53. Rock singer-musician Tim Armstrong is 52. Actor Steve Harris is 52. Actor Billy Burke is 51. Singer Stacy Lattisaw is 51. Rock musician Rodney Sheppard (Sugar Ray) is 51. Rapperproducer Erick Sermon is 49. Actress Jill Hennessy is 48. Actress Christina Applegate is 46. Actor Eddie Steeples is 44. Actress Kristian Nairn is 42. Former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb is 41. Actress Jill Flint is 40. Actor Jerry Ferrara is 38. Actor Joel Kinnaman is 38. Actress Valerie Azlynn is 37. Former first daughter Barbara Pierce Bush is 36. Former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager is 36. Actress Katie Cassidy is 31. Neo-soul musician Ben Griner (St. Paul & the Broken Bones) is 27. Contemporary Christian singer Jamie Grace is 26. Thought for Today: "Self is the only prison that can ever bind the soul." — Henry van Dyke, American clergyman (1852-1933).
CONTACT US cally flawed language" employed by its federal examiners during criminal trials. Chmiel's 2002 conviction featured the testimony of a state police forensic examiner who "opined that hair found at the crime scene was microscopically similar to Chmiel's hair," the Supreme Court decision read. An attorney for Chmiel did not immediately return a voicemail message seeking comment. — Compiled from AP reports
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, November 25, 2017 |
A3
STATE
Woman accused of mailing Barton reportedly seeking legal action against ex-lover bombs to Obama, Abbott By Emily Schmall A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
FORT WORTH — A woman accused of mailing potentially deadly homemade bombs to then-President Barack Obama and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in 2016 was arrested, in part, due to cat hair, a cigarette box and an almost-destroyed shipping label bearing her address. Julia Poff, 46, mailed the devices in October 2016, along with a third package that she sent to the Social Security Administration, near Baltimore, according to an indictment. Of the three packages, only Abbott opened his. It did not detonate because "he did not open it as designed," court documents said. A grand jury indicted her this month on six counts, including mailing injurious articles and transporting explosives with the intent to kill and injure, according to documents filed this week in district court in Houston. Federal investigators said the improvised explosive device sent to Abbott contained a cellphone, a cigarette packet
and a salad dressing cap, according to a court document from a Nov. 17 detention hearing. It says a similar device was sent to Obama and that "the same" device was sent to the Social Security Administration. The device sent to Abbott came in a package still bearing an "obliterated shipping label" addressed to Poff, the court document said. The cigarette box used in the device bore a Texas tobacco stamp that identifies the store where the cigarettes were bought. Poff's bank card records showed a purchase of cigarettes at that store. The two incendiary powders in the box matched materials found in Poff's home, federal court documents showed. Investigators traced Poff to the package sent to Obama because of cat hair found under an address label, according to the detention hearing court document. An FBI crime lab compared the hair to some from two of Poff's cats and found it "microscopically consistent" with the hair of one of those animals, according to the court filing. At the hearing, a feder-
al agent testified that Poff was angry with Abbott because she did not receive support from her ex-husband when Abbott served as Texas Attorney General, before he was elected governor in 2014. According to court documents, Poff's application for social security benefits was denied. The agent also testified that Poff said she just didn't like Obama. Katie Hill, a spokeswoman with the former president's private office, declined to comment Friday. A call by The Associated Press to Abbott's public affairs office in Austin was not returned. Poff is being held at the Houston federal detention center. Poff's attorney, Ashley Kaper, declined to comment except to say she had been unable to keep her client out of custody. A criminal background check shows Poff has a misdemeanor conviction for theft. She was also convicted for state felony fraud. In both cases, she was given probation. A pretrial conference in the case is scheduled for early next year.
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
DALLAS — U.S. Rep. Joe Barton told a woman that he would complain to U.S. Capitol Police if sexually explicit photographs of Barton him and other material from their relationship were to be exposed publicly, according to a published report. The Washington Post reported the threat Wednesday after Barton, a North Texas Republican, apologized for a nude photo of him that circulated on social media. The photo of Barton appeared on an anonymous Twitter account. It was not immediately known who posted the photo or when it was taken. Barton issued a statement saying that while separated from his second wife, prior to their divorce in 2015, he had sexual relationships "with other mature adult women." The 68-year-old Republican said each relationship was consensual and has since ended. "I am sorry I did not
use better judgment during those days. I am sorry that I let my constituents down," said Barton, the longest-serving member of Congress from Texas. However, a woman whom the Post did not identify told the newspaper of Barton's threat over the sexually explicit photographs, videos and messages he had sent to her. The woman described sexual encounters and contact extending over five years, beginning with her posting of a message on Barton's Facebook page in 2011. She also shared with the Post a secretly recorded telephone conversation with Barton in 2015 in which he warned her against using the material "in a way that would negatively affect my career." The Post reported the woman, who is not married, spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her privacy. A message left by The Associated Press at Barton's district office in Arlington, Texas, was not returned. The voicemail for his office in Washington was full. In a statement to the Post, Barton said a transcript of the telephone
conversation provided by the newspaper may be "evidence" of a "potential crime against me." He also said that Capitol Police had informed him Wednesday that they were opening an inquiry. Capitol Police did not respond to a request by the AP for comment late Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Barton's spokeswoman told The Dallas Morning News that the congressman has no plans to step down. Barton, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, announced his re-election bid this month. His district includes several counties in the DallasFort Worth area. Barton was a consultant in the oil and gas industry before he joined the U.S. House in 1985. He is currently the vice chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce committee. He was the committee's chairman from 2004 to 2007. Barton has also been the longtime manager of the GOP congressional baseball team. He was taking part in a team practice in June when a gunman opened fire, injuring another congressman and others.
Border agent injured in West Texas released from hospital A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
EL PASO — A Border Patrol agent injured in an incident that left a fellow agent dead was discharged Wednesday from an El Paso hospital. The agent was discharged Wednesday from the University Medical Center in El Paso, said Doug Mosier, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Pro-
tection in El Paso. He declined to identify the agent and referred to the FBI all questions about the status of the investigation into Saturday night's incident near Van Horn that left agent Rogelio Martinez dead. A message left with an FBI spokeswoman Wednesday wasn't returned. Speculation about the incident has run rampant with
several politicians calling it an attack and promoting the building of wall on the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr. in the FBI's El Paso office had said Tuesday that investigators were treating the incident as a "potential assault," but they could not rule out other scenarios. Representatives from the
border patrol's union were also insistent from the accounts of other agents who responded to the scene that the incident was an attack. Chris Cabrera, a spokesman for the National Border Patrol Council, told The Associated Press that agents responding to the scene called it "grisly." However, a U.S. official with knowledge of the investigation
told The Associated Press on Monday that the agents may have fallen, and that the surviving agent had no memory of his duty-shift. The official spoke on condition of anonymity and is not authorized to speak publicly. Border Patrol officials hoped to have answers for Martinez's family as they planned his visitation and funeral, set for Friday and Saturday in El Paso.
Zopinion
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A4 | Saturday, November 25, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Muslims are often first victims of Muslim terrorists wars in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen have increasingly pitted Islamist The terror in Egypt on extremists against one Friday is only the latest another. grim reminder that MusThis is important for a lims are often the first few reasons. To start it victims of Muslim fanatputs the lie to the mantra ics. of the Islamic State, alThe massacre of at Qaida and other Islamic least 235 people attendterrorists that they are ing a Sufi mosque in Bir protecting the faith from al-Abd on the Sinai coast the West. These groups is being attributed to a are responsible for turnlocal affiliate of the Ising their battlefields into lamic State, known as abattoirs. They slaughter Ansar Beit al-Maqdis. the group they claim to This slaughter was parprotect. ticularly venal. Gunmen But it’s also a remindwaited for ambulances er of the short-sightedand first responders to ness of President Donald come to the mosque after Trump, who has at times an initial detonation and tried to frame the war on sprayed bullets into the terror as a contest besurvivors and those distween Islam and the patched to save them. West. It’s true that fiends An anonymous Muslike the Islamic State lim cleric told the New have targeted religious minorities in the Middle East like Christians and Yazidis, but this has not stopped them from killThese groups ing so many of their own are responsible religion too. The West’s quarrel is with the exfor turning tremists of political Islam, or the sect of the their faith that seeks to imIslamic law on othbattlefields into pose ers — not the entire reliabattoirs. They gion. Indeed, our military relies on local Musslaughter the lims fighting alongside it in the war on terror. It’s group they a strategy Trump himself has pursued in Syria and claim to Iraq. Many of the regimes in protect. the Islamic world have internalized this lesson. Today Saudi Arabia, York Times that he was Egypt, Jordan and the shocked the killers would United Arab Emirates attack a mosque. Prior are no longer trying to targets for the terrorists in buy off jihadis or remain the Sinai included Coptic neutral. They seek to Christian churches and a confront both the Sunni Russian airliner in 2013. and the Shiite extremBut the killing of Musists. lims should surprise no And while this is a one. Just look at the trail good sign, it’s also not a of blood in Iraq. Sunni cure-all. This gets us terrorists attacked the back to Egypt. The cural-Aksari mosque in both rent leader, Abdel Fattah 2006 and 2007 in Samarra. el-Sisi, has tried to crush The site is one of the holithe radicals in his own est in Shiite Islam and was country with an iron fist known for its golden since assuming power in dome. While it was rebuilt a coup that unseated in 2009, the attack Egypt’s elected and Issparked pledges of sectarilamist leader, Mohaman reprisals. Al Qaeda and med Mursi. His crackthe Islamic State perfected down on Islamists, hucar bomb attacks that man rights groups and detonated inside crowded moderate opposition, markets in Baghdad, killhowever, has not stopped ing Muslims. Shiite milithe terror. And as long tias responded to these as the terror continues, attacks by meting out Muslim civilians will random terror on the Sunsuffer. ni minorities in Iraq with death squads, at times Eli Lake is a Bloomberg abetted by the state’s inte- View columnist. rior ministry. The killing is not limited to Iraq. Civil Eli Lake
B L OOM BE RG NEWS
COLUMN
Socialism and capitalism tend to work best together By Noah Smith BL OOMBERG NEWS
In a recent article, I gave free markets much of the credit for the explosion of human well-being that has occurred during the past three or four decades. To some, this sounds like a story of socialism’s failure. And indeed, the kinds of socialism that China tried to implement during the reign of Mao Zedong, and India before 1991, held back economic growth in those country. And more recently, revolutionary socialist experiments like the one in Venezuela haven’t turned out well. But it would be a big mistake to write off socialism. Even as free markets and technological progress have combined to increase the total amount of wealth in the world, a third trend has been extremely important for making sure that that prosperity is widely shared. Governments in many countries have been more assertive about spreading the wealth around -- and the results have been good. One big act of egalitarianism was decolonization itself, which allowed countries around the world to keep the wealth they produced instead of sending it overseas, and freed them to implement both better industrial policies and more redistribution. If India, for example, had remained under British control, there’s a good chance it would have continued to be vulnerable to disasters like the Bengal Famine of 1943. And only once the threat of conquest by Western powers had
receded could Mao’s leadership give way to the more pragmatic, reformist impulses of Deng Xiaoping. A graph of the total number of people in absolute poverty in the world shows that the trend has reversed since colonialism ended: The poverty decline has taken place all over the world, not just in China and India. In the past two decades, global inequality has also begun to decline, as poor countries have finally managed to sustain faster growth than rich ones. Pessimists often point out that this global progress has been marred by a trend of increasing inequality within many countries. But government redistribution has played an important role in insulating society’s poorest and most vulnerable people from the negatives of concentrated wealth. For example, consider child poverty in the U.S. Before taxes, the share of children below the poverty line has stayed roughly constant since 1970. But after government assistance is included, the share in poverty has fallen steadily since the early 1990s: Another example is homelessness. Government programs under the George W. Bush administration managed to reduce chronic homelessness in the U.S. by about 30 percent. The Barack Obama administration extended these programs and added new owns. In recent years, the nationwide homelessness rate has continued to fall. The U.S. experience is
far from unique. Recent work by University of California-Davis economist Peter Lindert shows that governments in rich countries around the world have been redistributing more and more. Before the World War I, redistribution was minimal; since then, there has been an almost universal, unbroken trend toward a more progressive fiscal system. Now, moving income from the rich to the poor has become one of the primary jobs of governments in the developed world: Rich countries are using their governments to redistribute enormous amounts of their total national income, through health care, pensions, poverty assistance and other measures. Sometimes, this doesn’t do much to equalize income distribution -- for example, in the U.S., Social Security payments are roughly proportional to how much people pay into the system. But as Lindert shows, these social transfers are doing a lot to equalize incomes, generally cutting the Gini coefficient -- a common measure of income or wealth inequality -- by between a fifth and a third. Even in the U.S., Lindert finds, progressive redistribution has been steadily climbing. Tax cuts during the early years of the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush administrations force the trend downward for a few years, but each time the climb resumed. And even in Latin America, where market liberalization is widely considered to have had
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deleterious effects in the 1990s, inequality is beginning to fall: A big part of the reason, economists have found, is an increase in government transfers and higher spending on education. This successful, effective redistribution might not be what the original socialists had in mind -government doesn’t generally own the means of production in most industries in advanced countries. But there’s no denying that national health insurance, poverty assistance and other redistributive efforts were motivated by the ideas and efforts of socialists. So even as free markets were allowed to work their magic in China and India, much of the world was moving toward a more redistributive, socialistic approach. Eventually, as China and India get rich, there is little doubt that they too will start increasing their efforts to provide for their less prosperous citizens. In other words, it’s wrong to think of neoliberalism and socialism as polar opposites or inveterate enemies. The world’s recent experience shows that free markets and government redistribution can co-exist to create rich societies where no one starves. Wealth hasn’t trickled down from the rich to the poor as much as many free-marketers had hoped, but government has been effective in channeling wealth down. Chalk this up as a victory of sorts for socialism. Noah Smith is a Bloomberg View columnist.
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A6 | Saturday, November 25, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL
FBI report on black ‘extremists’ raises new monitoring fears By Sadie Gurman and Russell Contreras A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — An FBI report on the rise of black "extremists" is stirring fears of a return to practices used during the civil rights movement, when the bureau spied on activist groups without evidence they had broken any laws. The FBI said it doesn't target specific groups, and the report is one of many its intelligence analysts produce to make law enforcement aware of what they see as emerging trends. A similar bulletin on white supremacists, for example, came out about the same time. The 12-page report, issued in August, says "black identity extremists" are increasingly targeting law enforcement after police killings of black men, especially since the shooting of Michael Brown roiled Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. The report describes cases in which "extremists" had "acted in retaliation for perceived past police brutality incidents." It warned that such violence was likely to continue. Black leaders and activists were outraged after Foreign Policy revealed the existence of the report last month. The Congressional Black Caucus, in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, said the report "conflates black political activists with dangerous domestic terrorist organizations" and would further erode the frayed relationship between police and minority communities. "I have never met a black extremist. I don't know what the FBI is talking about," said
Chris Phillips, a filmmaker in Ferguson. Before the Trump administration, the report might not have caused such alarm. The FBI noted it issued a similar bulletin warning of retaliatory violence by "black separatist extremists" in March 2016, when the country had a black president, Barack Obama, and black attorney general, Loretta Lynch. But black voters overwhelmingly opposed Donald Trump. And they are suspicious of his administration, which has been criticized as insensitive on racial issues, including when Trump was slow to condemn white nationalist protesters following a deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former Alabama senator whose career has been dogged by questions about race and his commitment to civil rights, did not ease lawmakers' concerns when he was unable to answer questions about the report or its origins during a congressional hearing this past week. Sessions said he was aware of "groups that do have an extraordinary commitment to their racial identity, and some have transformed themselves even into violent activists." He struggled to answer the same question about white extremists. It wouldn't be unusual for an attorney general not to have seen such an FBI assessment, which the FBI creates on its own to circulate internally among law enforcement agencies. But the exchange with Rep. Karen Bass, a Los Angeles Democrat, presented an uncomfortable moment. "What worries me about this terribly is that this is that
Jon Elswick / AP
In this Nov. 17, 2017, photo, the cover page of a FBI report on the rise of black “extremists” is photographed in Washington. The report is stirring fears of a return to practices of the Civil Rights era, when the agency notoriously spied on activist groups without evidence they had broken any laws. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former Alabama senator whose career has been dogged by questions about race and his commitment to civil rights, did not ease lawmakers’ concerns when he was unable to answer questions about the report or its origins during a congressional hearing on Nov. 14.
it is a flashback to the past," Bass said after the hearing. She said she was especially concerned after receiving complaints from members of Black Lives Matter, who said they were being monitored and harassed by police in her district. The group rallies after racially charged encounters with police, but it is not mentioned in the FBI's intelligence assessment. Even so, Bass said she worried the report will send a message to police that it's OK to crack down on groups critical of law enforcement. The FBI does not comment on its intelligence bulletins, which usually are not public. In a statement, the FBI said it cannot and will not open an investigation based solely on a person's race or exercise of free speech rights. "Our focus is not on membership in particular groups but on individuals who commit violence and other criminal acts," the FBI said. "Furthermore, the FBI does not and will not police ideology. When an individual takes violent action based on belief
or ideology and breaks the law, the FBI will enforce the rule of law." The assessments are designed to help law enforcement agencies stay ahead of emerging problems and should not be seen as a sign of a broader enforcement strategy, said Jeffrey Ringel, a former FBI agent and Joint Terrorism Task force member who now works for the Soufan Group, a private security firm. Agencies can decide for themselves whether the assessment reflects a real problem, he said. Still, some veterans of the black and Latino civil rights movement said the FBI assessment reminded them of the bureau's now-defunct COINTELPRO, a covert and often illegal operation under Director J. Edgar Hoover in the 1950s and 1960s. Agents were assigned to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, or otherwise neutralize the activities of black nationalists," Hoover said in a once-classified memo to field agents. David Correia, an American Studies professor at the University of New Mexico, said the new memo carries a similar
message. "It's part of their playbook," he said. "They try to characterize legitimate concerns about something like police violence as somehow a danger so they can disrupt protests." The FBI used a similar tactic to try to cause confusion among New Mexico Hispanic land grant activists in the 1960s, he said. The cases listed in the new bulletin include that of a sniper who said he was upset about police treatment of minorities before killing five officers during a protest in Dallas, and a man who wrote of the need to inflict violence on "bad cops" before killing three in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In each of the cases, the FBI alleges the suspects were connected to radical ideologies linked to black nationalism. Phillips, who is set to release a film about the shooting of Brown and its aftermath, said if the FBI were really worried about unrest, it should turn its focus to the concerns of the people "who are protesting in the streets" instead of targeting people who face discrimination daily.
Trump denounces Pentagon’s hurricane relief effort in Puerto Rico nearly over attack in Egypt, calls again for travel ban
By Dan Lamothe WA S H INGT ON P O ST
The majority of activeduty U.S. troops involved in hurricane relief in Puerto Rico will return home this week, but power restoration and a few other missions are ongoing, said a U.S. general overseeing the effort. Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan said in an interview Tuesday that charter flights will take troops home to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Benning in Georgia, Joint Base San Antonio in Texas and Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state on Wednesday. As of Monday, there were about 2,200 active-duty and reserve troops, but many are Puerto Ricans who are part of reserve units based on the island, he said. An additional 4,000 members of the National Guard also are on duty, including about 3,000 from the Puerto Rico National Guard, Buchanan said. They continue to distribute supplies, clear roads and transport people by helicopter as needed. “We’re going to be probably down in the neighborhood of 100 or so active-component troops after this weekend,” Buchanan said. The mission will shrink again two months after Hurricane Maria leveled much of the U.S. island territory after making landfall Sept. 20 as a Category 4 storm. A U.S. Navy task force responded afterward and began performing search-and-rescue missions, but the federal government’s overall
By Jill Colvin ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo / NYT
Army personnel unload helicopters carrying relief supplies in Cidra, Puerto Rico, Oct. 12, 2017. A majority of active duty troops assisting with hurricane recovery efforts on the island are expected to return to the U.S. this weekend.
response was widely panned initially for not being fast enough. Buchanan said Tuesday that he had “personal regrets” that the military response was not faster, but said it was difficult to understand the scope of the disaster because communications on the island were destroyed. The military units initially there, he said, “didn’t have a feel for how badly all of the island was impacted.” The Pentagon rapidly scaled up its involvement Sept. 26, after the Federal Emergency Management Agency determined more help was needed. Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson, the chief of U.S. Northern Command, tapped Buchanan to take over the military response in Puerto Rico, and the Pentagon began deploying thousands of
troops to the island. At its peak, there were more than 10,000 service members in Puerto Rico. Aside from members of the National Guard, the remaining U.S. troops on the island will concentrate on power restoration, running Doppler weather radar sites and manning headquarters in San Juan, Buchanan said. A unit of several dozen Army reservists who work as linemen - Delta Company, 249th Engineer Battalion - are involved in efforts to run new power lines on the island. The storm destroyed nearly all of Puerto Rico’s power grid, and about half of it is still down. A Navy hospital ship dispatched to Puerto Rico, the USNS Comfort, returned to Virginia on Monday. No combat ships are involved in hurricane relief, but a 951-foot cargo
ship, the USNS Brittin, delivered supplies to the port of Ponce on Monday, including electrical poles and more generators, Buchanan said. The ship will be loaded in Ponce with equipment no longer being used in the relief mission, including trucks and helicopters. The Coast Guard, initially involved heavily in Puerto Rico relief, also has seen their role wane as immediate crises have disappeared. The sea service is no longer carrying out search-andrescue missions, and has sent its cutters elsewhere. Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Kelley, a spokesman, said Tuesday that the service is still involved in part by assessing the condition of sunken vessels off the coast, both for how they may affect the environment and handled as salvage.
JUPITER, Fla. — President Donald Trump on Friday denounced the deadly mosque attack in Egypt and reached out to its president, asserting the world must crush terrorists by military means — and insisting the U.S. needs a southern border wall and the travel ban tied up in courts. "Need the WALL, need the BAN!" Trump tweeted before his planned call to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah elSissi. "God bless the people of Egypt." That attack's aftermath played out as Trump mixed work and play in sunny Florida, golfing — quickly, he claimed — with pros Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson, speaking with foreign leaders and tweeting briskly. Trump spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, before his attention turned to the attack in Egypt, where at least 235 people were killed when Islamic militants attacked a crowded mosque during prayers in the Sinai Peninsula, setting off explosives and spraying worshippers with gunfire. "The world cannot tolerate terrorism," Trump tweeted in response. He added, "We must defeat them militarily and discredit the extremist ideology that forms the basis of their existence!"
In his call with elSissi, the White House said Trump condemned the attack and "reiterated that the United States will continue to stand with Egypt in the face of terrorism." "The international community cannot tolerate barbaric terrorist groups and must strengthen its efforts to defeat terrorism and extremism in all its forms," the White House said. Trump also used the attack to renew his call for a wall along the southern border with Mexico and his efforts to bar people from certain Muslim-majority countries from coming to the U.S. Trump's original travel ban sought to temporarily suspend the U.S. refugee program and block the entry of nationals from seven majorityMuslim counties into the U.S. The order sparked chaos at airports and a flurry of lawsuits, which led to the order's suspension. The administration has since made several attempts to revise the order to try to better hold up to legal scrutiny. Trump spent more than four hours at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, where he'd earlier tweeted that he would be playing "golf (quickly) with Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson" before returning to his private Mar-aLago club "for talks on bringing even more jobs and companies back to the USA!"
Zfrontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, November 25, 2017 |
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE Feria del libro 1 La escuela secundaria Ramiro Barrera Middle School de Roma, invita a la feria del libro Barnes & Noble Bookfair, donde un porcentaje de las ventas se donará a esta escuela. Para apoyar este evento acuda a Barnes & Noble Palms Crossing, 3300 W. Expressway 83, Suite 1100 en McAllen. La feria se llevará a cabo del 19 al 26 de noviembre.
A7
OFICINA DEL ALGUACIL DEL CONDADO DE ZAPATA
Arrestan a cinco sospechosos
Festividades navideñas 1 La Ciudad de Roma y el distrito escolar Roma Independent School District invitan al arranque de las Festividades Navideñas el jueves 30 de noviembre en la Plaza Guadalupe. Las festividades iniciarán con un desfile a las 6 p.m. Evento gratuito. Foto de cortesía / Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata
Desfile de Navidad 1 El Desfile de Navidad y la iluminacióm de la Plaza del Condado se realizarán el jueves 7 de diciembre, los tres coches alegoricos mejor decorados recibirán trofeos. El desfile comenzará a las 6 p.m. en 17th Ave. detrás de la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Lourdes. Inmediatamente después se encenderán las luces del árbol de Navidad en la Plaza del Condado donde Santa estará repartiendo regalos.
Aviario 1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a visitar el aviario Roma Bluffs World Birding Center en el distrito histórico de Roma. El aviario estará abierto desde el jueves a domingo de 8 a.m. a 4 p.m. hasta enero. Mayores informes al 956849-1411
Botes de basura 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a la comunidad que sólo estará recolectando basura contenida en botes propiedad de la ciudad. Informes al 849-1411
Pago de impuestos 1 Desde diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma, localizado en el 608 N. García St.
La ejecución de una orden de cateo del 17 de noviembre en una casa de la subdivisión Siesta Shores llevó al decomiso de marihuana hidropónica, pastillas de Clonazepam, un cartucho de cigarro electrónico conteniendo aceite de cannabis y una pistola calibre .25.
Decomisan drogas y armas en incidentes separados Por César G. Rodríguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
La unidad de narcóticos de la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata arrestó a cinco personas y decomisó drogas en incidentes separados en las últimas dos semanas, dijeron oficiales. En uno de los casos, las autoridades ejecutaron una orden de cateo el 17 de noviembre en la cuadra 5100 de Grande Lane en la subdivisión Siesta Shores. Ahí, los investigadores encontraron 6,29 onzas de marihuana
González
Espinoza
hidropónica, 35 pastillas de Clonazepam pesando aproximadamente 11,1 gramos, un cartucho de cigarrillos electrónicos que contenían aceite de cannabis y una pistola calibre 025. Eduardo Javier González Jr. y Liliana Guadalupe Espinoza fueron arrestados en
conexión con el caso el martes. Cada uno fue acusado de posesión de marihuana y dos cargos de posesión de una sustancia controlada. El segundo caso empezó a desarrollarse el 20 de noviembre en la cuadra 1600 de la avenida Guerrero en la subdivisión Medina Addition. Después de obtener un consentimiento para registrar, los investigadores dijeron que descubrieron 5,17 onzas de marihuana hidropónica y una cantidad indeterminada de efectivo.
El sospechoso, Joan Zúñiga, fue arrestado y acusado de posesión de marihuana. Un tercer caso ocurrió el 14 de noviembre en la cuadra 1500 de la avenida Roma. La ejecución de una orden de cateo llevó al descubrimiento de 67,87 libras de marihuana. Los oficiales del alguacil arrestaron a tres personas. Prisciliano Saldívar Jr. fue acusado de posesión de marihuana. Oscar Sánchez III y Gilberto Sánchez Jr. fue acusado de un cargo menor de posesión de marihuana.
TAMAULIPAS
Invitan a primer torneo de caza ‘El gran 8’ TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
CIUDAD VICTORIA, México— El Gobierno del Estado de Tamaulipas, México, a través de la Comisión de Caza y Pesca Deportiva, convoca al Primer Torneo de Caza de Venado “El Gran 8”, con el objetivo corresponder el entusiasmo de cazadores locales, nacionales y extranjeros de volver a la región cinegética del norte de la entidad, incentivar el turismo cinegético y recuperar la confianza en la zona, con una perspectiva de aprovechamiento sustentable de la especie. “El Gran 8” se desarrol-
lará en los municipios de Nuevo Laredo, Guerrero, Mier y Miguel Alemán, del 24 de noviembre de 2017 al 25 de febrero de 2018, la premiación se llevará a cabo el 3 de marzo del mismo año. “Una de las preocupaciones del gobernador es reactivar la cacería y la pesca deportiva, en este caso, la caza, que es una de las actividades que genera una gran derrama en el estado”, señaló Humberto López Gutiérrez, representante del Director General de Caza y Pesca de Tamaulipas, durante una conferencia de prensa celebrada en
Foto de cortesía / Gobierno de Tamaulipas
Miguel Alemán. Al torneo de caza deportiva podrán inscribirse tanto cazadores nacionales como extranjeros, que realicen sus expediciones en Unidades de Manejo para la Conservación de la Vida Silvestre (UMA), debidamente registradas en los munici-
pios arriba descritos. El torneo suma un total de 100.000 pesos en premios que serán repartidos entre los cinco primeros lugares. La inscripción gratuita y es necesario enviar un correo electrónico a caceria.tamalipas@tam.gob.mx, con la siguiente información: nombre completo del participante, identificación oficial, licencia de caza vigente, foto del cintillo cinegético y municipio donde se abatirá el trofeo. En el caso de participantes extranjeros, también deberán presentar su contrato de caza
realizado por un prestador de servicios. Alcaldes de la zona ribereña presentaron de manera conjunta el torneo ante los medios de comunicación. El desarrollo del evento deportivo coincide con el Calendario de Épocas Hábiles para Mamíferos, Aves Canoras y de Ornato y para el Aprovechamiento Extractivo a través de la Caza Deportiva para la Temporada 2017- 2018, publicado por la Dirección General de Vida Silvestre de la Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT).
Pago en línea 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a sus residentes que a partir de ahora el servicio del agua puede pagarse en línea a cualquier hora las 24 horas del día.
Llenado de aplicaciones 1 La Ciudad de Roma ofrece el servicio de llenado de aplicaciones para CHIP, Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, Chip, Prenatal y otros. Contacte a Gaby Rodríguez para una cita en el centro comunitario o en su domicilio al 956246-7177.
Laboratorio computacional 1 La Ciudad de Roma pone a disposición de la comunidad el Laboratorio Computacional de lunes a viernes en horario de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. en Historical Plaza.
COLUMNA
Misterios del peso mexicano Por Raúl Sinencio Chávez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Fresca aún la conquista española de América, nace el peso mexicano. Acerca de cómo surge, nos proporcionan abundantes detalles. Parece en cambio traspapelarse los motivos del nombre que ostenta. Tratemos de averiguarlos. Las culturas prehispánicas de mejor desarrollo conocen la orfebrería. Aunque de técnicas rudimentarias, realizan trabajos admirables. Dan cuenta de ello brazaletes, urnas, penachos, estatuillas y pectorales. Cuando ve a Hernán Cortés aproximarse, lejos de combatirlo Moctezuma II manda pedirle con gran comedimiento que se marche. Tratándolo de
convencer, en varias ocasiones le envía magníficos obsequios. Conforme a datos que recaba fray Bernardino de Sahagún, incluyen “una máscara de serpiente, de hechura de turquesas”, “un capacete de forma cónica, amarillo por el oro, lleno de estrellas” “y también un juego de cascabeles de oro que se atan al tobillo”. Los regalos, claro está, avivan la codicia de Cortés. Al proseguir rumbo al interior del imperio mexica, saquea templos, exige tributos. “Hay en esta tierra –escribe—tanto cuanto en aquella de donde se dice haber llevado Salomón el oro para el templo”. En 1521 toma por fin Tenochtitlan, consumándose la empresa conquistadora. Pero en transacciones
comerciales los pueblos originarios recurrían al intercambio de productos, en cantidades que consideraban equivalentes. O en forma de pago empleaban pequeños objetos, de valor reconocido. Según fray Joseph de Acosta, “para contratar y comprar …trocaban unas cosas con otras... En las provincias de México usan el cacao en lugar de dinero”. Ni tarda ni perezosa la minería genera enormes riquezas. Al calor de ello, por decreto supremo de 1535 en la Ciudad de México abre la Casa de Moneda, única en todo el virreinato. Por mandato expreso, al comienzo sólo puede troquelarse la plata. El turno del oro llega en 1559. Sin embargo, la primera mantiene siempre amplia
ventaja respecto de este último, vistos los montos correspondientes. La Casa de Moneda arranca labores hacia 1537. Produce entonces la pieza de ocho reales. El anverso muestra la efigie de Carlos I, reservándose el reverso al escudo hispano. Con 27 gramos de plata, detona circunstancias de veras únicas. José María Marroquí esclarece: Salidos de centros mineros y sujetos a gravámenes, los metales preciosos “que se llevaban” ante las autoridades “eran … marcados con su peso y valor, tomándose por base la moneda de ocho reales … señalando las veces que el peso de” ésta “cabía en el metal presentado; y para ahorrar tiempo … en las facturas … simplemente se
Foto de cortesía
Antigua Casa de Moneda en México
decía que tenía tantos pesos, de donde vino a llamarse con este nombre la moneda de ocho reales, tomándola al mismo tiempo como unidad monetaria, lo que no es cierto, pues la unidad es el real”. Nace así el peso. Si bien extraoficial, la denominación adquiere rápido arraigo y en 1552 sirve ya de base a la hora de tasar multas. Dicho numerario estaba restringido a la Nueva España. No obstante, debido a su valía intrínseca, circula en distintos puntos del orbe hasta muy avanzado el siglo XIX.
Sports&Outdoors A8 | Saturday, November 25, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
Jones backs off Goodell, supports Garrett By Schuyler Dixon A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
ARLINGTON, Texas — As soon as Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed he is backing off a threat of legal action over the future of Commissioner Roger Goodell, the focus turned to the performance of coach Jason Garrett and his staff. That’s how bad the tailspin is for a team desperately missing suspended star running back Ezekiel Elliott. Jones said after Dallas’ third straight loss by at least 20 points — 28-6 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thanksgiving — that the compensation committee was being responsive to his concerns about a contract extension for Goodell. While denying that his concerns are connected to Goodell’s decision to suspend Elliott for six games over alleged domestic violence, Jones said he wanted all the owners to revisit the commissioner’s performance after voting unanimously in May to let the compensation committee complete a new deal. Jones’ concerns have included the league’s handling of protests involving the national anthem and the disciplinary power of the commissioner in the collective bargaining agreement, which is what Goodell used to punish Elliott after prosecutors in Ohio didn’t pursue charges. The issue turned into an exchange of threatening letters after Jones hired high-profile attorney David Boies. Jones said there will be an owners-only session to discuss Goodell’s contract during the next NFL meetings Dec. 13 in the Dallas area. “I just want to say we really
Gus Ruelas / Associated Press file
With Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, right, no longer pursuing legal action against the NFL regarding an extension for commissioner Roger Goodell, Jones moved on toward defending his coach Jason Garrett after three straight blowout losses.
have had, are having a lot of owner participation,” Jones said. “It doesn’t mean at all that we’re not really pursuing what we want to get done, and that is have the owners in a very positive way give input and make everyone, including ourselves, accountable. “I don’t want to be redundant, but the business of standing down there didn’t necessarily mean that you’re not standing up elsewhere.” Jones’ team is falling apart a year after the dynamic rookie duo of quarterback Dak Prescott and Elliott carried the Cowboys to the best record in the NFC at 13-3.
Dallas (5-6) already has twice as many losses, and Prescott more than double the number of interceptions (nine after four as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year). The Cowboys still have three games left in Elliott’s suspension, after winning the last three before the ban. The slide hasn’t reflected well on the coaches, with the Cowboys outscored 72-6 in the second half of the three losses. That lopsided number leads to questions about halftime adjustments. “We all know that it has to get better, has to get together,” Jones said. “I really think this coaching staff is tops. I think
Jason is able to use everything that he’s learned, as coordinator, as coach over these last years, and we’ve just got to get it together.” The last time Garrett faced questions about his job, the Cowboys were coming off three straight 8-8 seasons that ended with losses in regular-season finales that kept them out of the playoffs. Since then, the fluctuations have been dramatic — NFC East champs at 12-4 in 2014, a first-tolast slide to 4-12 without injured quarterback Tony Romo a year later, followed by last season’s sparkling year when Prescott shocked the NFL after Romo got
hurt again. And while the absence of Elliott and 2016 All-Pro linebacker Sean Lee (hamstring) is a huge part of the current slide, the Cowboys again aren’t handling adversity well. Garrett admitted as much about 2015, and is about to have to do so again if the Cowboys can’t reverse the slide. Dallas plays Washington in the last of three home games Thursday, then starts a seasonending stretch of three out of four on the road at the last-place New York Giants. “Obviously we’ve got to get it right,” Garrett said. “That’s my job. That’s our job as a coaching staff. We just haven’t done enough on either side of the ball or in the kicking game to allow us to compete toward the end of the ballgame.” Jones, who spoke to the team after the game but declined to offer details, tried to say he wasn’t giving the “negative vote of confidence” by continuing to show faith in Garrett, who got a five-year contract after winning the division and his first playoff game in 2014. In his seventh full season, Garrett is 63-52 in the regular season. Only Tom Landry, who led the Cowboys for their first 29 years, has coached the team longer. “I feel about this staff the same way I feel about my mirror — that’s what if there’s some changes made, don’t change what’s in front of the mirror, because I can change what you’re doing that the mirror is seeing,” Jones said. “Candidly, I’m really not shaken. I’m disappointed, but there’s no shake here.” That could change if the blowout losses don’t stop.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS
RAVENS SEEK TO KEEP PLAYOFF PUSH GOING AGAINST TEXANS cluding 7 1⁄2 by 35-yearold Terrell Suggs and five by rapidly improving second-year linebacker Matthew Judon. Judon has three sacks in his last two games, including two last week. “I’m going to throw the credit to the coaches,” Judon said. “I felt like I believed in myself, and then I came in here and showed it. Then everybody started to believe in me as well. Now, I’m just reaping the benefits.”
By David Ginsburg A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens have 13 players on injured reserve and were without their three best offensive linemen in Green Bay last weekend. Taking advantage of the mistakes of an inexperienced quarterback, the Ravens won easily 23-0. During an NFL season marred by injuries to key players, Baltimore (5-5) has found a way to remain in the middle of the AFC playoff hunt — in part by capitalizing on its opponent’s woes. Miami starting quarterback Jay Cutler, Oakland’s Derek Carr and Green Bay star Aaron Rodgers were all sidelined with injuries in games the Ravens won handily. And now, on Monday night, Baltimore faces a Houston (4-6) team left to depend on its backup quarterback. Rookie Deshaun Watson had the Houston offense humming, throwing for 1,699 yards and 19 touchdowns before a torn ACL abruptly ended his season earlier this month. Backup Tom Savage stumbled through two straight defeats before rebounding last week to help Houston beat Arizona. He’s played in only 10 games; Baltimore starter Joe Flacco has been at it for 10 years.
Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle
Texans quarterback Tom Savage will be tested by one of the best defenses in the league this weekend as Houston squares off with Baltimore.
“He does not have a ton of experience,” Houston coach Bill O’Brien said of Savage. “So every game that he plays, it is really important for him to remember the things that went on during that game, so he can really use that experience to get better.” Savage will be tested by a Baltimore defense that has three shutouts and leads the NFL with 19 interceptions. “They’re a great defense,” Savage said. “We’ve definitely got our work cut out.” Baltimore has remained afloat despite season-ending injuries to guards Marshal Yanda and Alex Lewis, tight ends Dennis Pitta and
Crockett Gillmore, linebacker Albert McClellan and cornerback Tavon Young. In addition, left tackle Ronnie Stanley missed the Packers game with a concussion. “It is very important to adjust to injuries in the National Football League, no doubt,” coach John Harbaugh said. “Probably over the last four years, five years even, we have probably had more than our fair share of practice at it. But our guys don’t flinch, they don’t bat an eye.” It helps that Flacco has started all 10 games for the Ravens despite sitting out the entire preseason with a back injury.
“He’s held up very well,” Harbaugh said. “That has been good for us.” Some things to know about the Ravens-Texans matchup: PRIMED AND READY Baltimore is 11-1 in prime time since Harbaugh took over in 2008 and has won an NFLbest nine straight primetime games. This, however, will be only the second time in that span that the Ravens have been home on Monday night. “That adds to the game a little bit, just because you know how excited your fans and the world can be to watch those games,” Flacco
said. BALL SECURITY The Ravens have forced 23 turnovers. Houston has won its last 13 games with a positive turnover differential. So it’s obvious what the Texans must do. “Against the Ravens, you better make sure you take care of the football,” O’Brien said. “Whoever is carrying the ball, obviously throwing the ball, everything (is important). That is one of the biggest stats in our game today, that turnovertakeaway ratio. We have to do a great job in that area.” SACK HAPPY The Ravens have 28 sacks this season, in-
CLOWNEY ON A ROLL Though the Texans have lost star defensive end J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney has picked up the slack. Clowney has a career-high eight sacks, including at least one in four straight games. He has 15 tackles for a loss, tied with Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones for the NFL lead. PLAYOFF PUSH The Ravens currently own the sixth and final spot in the AFC playoff picture and play four of their final six games at home. With seven teams sitting at 5-5 or 4-6, there is no margin for error. The good news: Baltimore’s remaining schedule is not imposing. There’s a game in Pittsburgh on Dec. 10, but besides that, the Ravens will face winless Cleveland on the road and host Detroit, Indianapolis and Cincinnati.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, November 25, 2017 |
A9
BUSINESS
NAFTA talks have high stakes for bridge owners By Natalie Kitroeff TH E N EW YORK T IME S
RIO GRANDE CITY — Caught quite literally in the middle of the international debate over the way the United States trades with its southern neighbor are two Texans named Sam. Sam Vale and Sam Sparks Jr. own two bridges that stretch across the Rio Grande, connecting farmers on either side with markets on the other, and linking communities in South Texas and northern Mexico that sometimes meet in the middle. The majority of border bridges belong to the government. But the Sams are exceptions, private owners of crossings collecting tolls that can exceed $30 per truck. As cross-border truck volume doubled in the last two decades, those tolls have given rise to a pair of multimilliondollar businesses, a dividend of the traffic ferrying construction materials in both directions, avocados from Mexican fields to U.S. supermarkets, and Midwestern wheat to Mexican breweries. “We used to joke that if you want to own a bridge, you have to be named Sam: Sam or Uncle Sam,” said Vale, who owns a two-lane crossing in Rio Grande City, a bit more than an hour’s drive from Sparks’ four-lane roadway. Both men are second-generation bridge owners.
But now their unique revenue stream could be in jeopardy. The Trump administration wrapped up a fifth round of wrangling over the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, this week in Mexico City. President Donald Trump has pursued an aggressive rewrite, pushing to protect U.S. workers and stem the flow of goods from Mexico. The focus on trade is exposing cracks of tension between the president and a constituency otherwise aligned with his economic instincts. Major retailers and manufacturers are mobilizing to keep the deal alive and to protest rules that could make it more expensive to bring parts and products in from Mexico. For the bridge moguls, anything that stanches the flow of traffic could be costly. Trucks carried $373 billion in cargo across bridges on the southern border last year, accounting for 71 percent of all trade in goods with Mexico, according to the American Trucking Association. “NAFTA benefits this bridge big time,” said Sparks, who voted for Trump. “We kind of want them to leave it alone.” Sparks and his three siblings own the Progreso International Bridge, serving Progreso, Texas, a town blanketed by ranches and farmland. A border wall built on U.S.
George Etheredge / NYT
Sam Sparks stands under the bridge he and his siblings own between Progreso, Texas, and Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, Nov. 10, 2017. The Trump administration’s wrangling over the North American Free Trade Agreement is of particular concern to the owners of two private bridges over the Rio Grande, one-time backwaters that now bring in millions in tolls each year.
soil runs through his property, and he can open it by punching a code into a keypad on its facade. The bridge is a study in a trade deal that has been a boon to some U.S. farmers and hurt others. For U.S. corn, Progreso is one of the busiest exit points in the country. NAFTA was a windfall for U.S. grain producers, who have more efficient operations than their Mexican counterparts. It’s a different story for watermelons and onions, which are trucked in from the depths of Mexico by the hundreds, filling the northbound lanes of Sparks’ bridge on their way to U.S. stores. Fresh fruit and vegetable harvesters in the United States complain about competition from a neighbor that can
grow some crops yearround and pay farmhands much less. Sparks would like to see more trucks going south on his bridge, but he sees the give-and-take as unavoidable. “We export a lot of products through our bridge, and we get paid a toll, and we want that to continue,” Sparks said. “But to do that we need fair trade. Mexico has to benefit from that. Canada has to benefit. If everyone is getting a good deal, it just works.” Beyond the truck traffic, the town of Nuevo Progreso, at the southern end of Sparks’ bridge, has found creative ways of cashing in on its proximity to Americans. There are abundant taco shops, tequila that can be bought and consumed in the streets, and many,
many dental clinics. More than 100 dentists’ offices cater to a U.S. clientele seeking fillings and root canals at a fraction of the cost at home, along with 80 pharmacies offering pills and medical treatments at a cut rate. The attractions draw more than 800,000 pedestrians across Sparks’ roadway every year, at a cost of 50 cents apiece. Trump’s hard line on immigration could eventually slow foot traffic, experts say, by discouraging tourists from Mexico. But proposals on the NAFTA negotiating table would more directly affect trucks and what they carried. The administration has floated the idea of increasing the U.S.-made content in goods traded through the pact and requiring renegotiation every five years. Trump said last month that the United States might end the deal altogether. “Business loves certainty, and they aren’t getting any,” said Raymond Robertson, an economist at Texas A&M University. Border bridges, he said, are “ground zero for NAFTA trade, so if you start reducing the U.S.-Mexico trade, it will hit them first.” If it becomes expensive to send products north, Mexico could turn to one of the 45 countries with which it has free-trade agreements. Long the leading destination for U.S. corn, Mexico has increasingly turned to
suppliers in Brazil to hedge against Trump’s tough talk on trade. “If Mexico diversifies, what are these bridge operators going to do?” Robertson asked. It’s a good bet that Vale will survive. The 74-yearold took the reins of the Starr-Camargo Bridge around 1980, when it was an unremarkable passageway, handling cars and pickups traveling between two impoverished towns. Then NAFTA was signed in 1993, and the number of commercial trucks went from one a week to as many as 300 a day. Vale takes in around $4 million a year in tolls. (Sparks, 63, would not specify his revenue, but it is also in the millions.) Vale has also pursued an array of ventures beyond the bridge. A column of 18-wheelers that were waiting to cross belongs to him, and so does the sand in them. He brought the dolomite limestone from a mine in Mexico, and it will travel to concrete producers and asphalt plants across South Texas, earning Vale millions each year. Vale does not love leaving Texas, but he has made six trips to Washington since the election to make his case to lawmakers. His pitch is simple: “Don’t hurt the country, don’t hurt the businesses that support you, Mr. President. Don’t hurt the people who are critical to the economic survival of the United States.”
Amazon workers in Germany, Italy stage Black Friday strike By David Rising A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
BERLIN — Workers at a half dozen Amazon distribution centers in Germany and one in Italy walked off the job Friday, in a protest timed to coincide with "Black Friday" to demand better wages from the American online giant. In Germany, Ver.di union spokesman Thomas Voss said some 2,500 workers were on strike at Amazon facilities in Bad Hersfeld, Leipzig, Rheinberg, Werne, Graben and Koblenz. In a warehouse near Piacenza, in northern Italy, some workers walked off the job to demand "dignified salaries." The German union has been leading a push since 2013 for higher pay for some 12,000 workers in Germany, arguing Amazon employees receive
lower wages than others in retail and mail-order jobs. Amazon says its distribution warehouses in Germany are logistics centers and employees earn relatively high wages for that industry. The strikes in Germany are expected to end Saturday. Amazon Germany defended its position, saying it was a "fair and responsible employer" that offers "attractive jobs." "The strikes will not affect us keeping our word to our customers, as the overwhelming majority of our workers are continuing their normal work," the company told The Associated Press. The Italian action, a one-day strike, was hailed by one of the nation's umbrella union leaders, the UIL's Carmelo Barbagallo, as having "enormous symbolic value because it's clear that progress, innovation and mo-
dernity can't come at the expense and the interests of workers." The chief of the CISL umbrella labor syndicate, Annamaria Furlan, called on Amazon to work with unions for "proper industrial relations, employment stability and dignified salaries." The Italian strike at the facility near Piacenza was called for permanent workers. The unions advised workers who are on short-term, work-on-demand contracts to stay on the job, so they wouldn't risk losing future gigs. Amazon says it has created 2,000 full-time jobs in Italy, where unemployment remains stubbornly high. Amazon's head of personnel at the Piacenza-area center, Salvatore Iorio, told Italy's Sky TG24 TV on Friday that despite the strike, the facility was keep-
Sebastian Willnow / AP
Participants of a demonstration during a strike hold up a figure made of cardboard in front of the local site of the online retail company Amazon in Leipzig, Germany on Friday. A labor union says workers at a half dozen Amazon distribution centers in Germany have walked off the job, the latest in a string of walkouts in a long-running wage dispute with the American online retailer at one of its busiest times.
ing "our commitment to serve our clients." Asked about union complaints that workers there did repetitive physical tasks to the point of experiencing health problems, Iorio said the compa-
ny "balances" positions at work areas to avoid any such problems. Frank Jordans in Berlin and Frances D'Emilio in Rome contributed to this report.
A10 | Saturday, November 25, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
ENTERTAINMENT
‘Coco’ actress criticizes ‘machismo’ culture By Michael Cavna WA S H INGT ON P O ST
Natalia Cordova-Buckley is a voice actor in the new Disney/Pixar movie “Coco,” but it was her voice that led her to first experiencef the trauma of sexist taunts. She was bullied because she spoke with a low tone — deeper than her father’s by age 6, she says — that was judged to be less than feminine. “Machismo harmed me deeply,” she says. “It silenced me. It made me feel like my existence was not worthy.” Now, amid the tectonic crack in the culture that has grown as men from Harvey Weinstein to Roy Moore have been accused of a wide range of sexual misconduct, CordovaBuckley believes speaking out is the only way to topple what she calls “the monster of machismo.” “We’ve never had a female awakening of this magnitude,” says CordovaBuckley, whose resume also includes the Disney/ Marvel TV series “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” which begins a new season next month, as well as its Emmy-nominated web spin-
off, “Slingshot.” She cites the historic fights of women’s rights movements in the 1920s and ‘60s and ‘70s, but says: “This is really unstoppable now.” Cordova-Buckley declines to comment on Pixar co-founder John Lasseter, who on Tuesday announced that he is taking a six-month leave of absence in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct. She has met him only once, at a premiere event for “Coco.” Yet as Rashida Jones clarified Tuesday why she and her writing partner left the studio’s “Toy Story 4” - reportedly over differences involving the creative representation of women and people of color at Pixar - CordovaBuckley continues to speak out, including on her social-media accounts, for people who face systemic injustice. “I’ve had my own moments of sexual harassment,” says the Mexicanborn actress, who turns 35 Saturday, speaking by phone from Los Angeles. “Have I had my private parts grabbed without my permission? For sure. Have I had a man older, when I was a child, try to
Valerie Macon / AFP/Getty Images
Actress Natalia Cordova-Buckley attends the Disney Pixar's COCO premiere on November 8, 2017, in Hollywood, California.
get with me? Sure, (though) it’s never gone further than that. So I know what it feels like.” Cordova-Buckley voices the legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in “Coco,” which centers on a 12-year-old’s artistic journey revolving around Day of the Dead ceremonies. The actress feels as if the role was practically spiritually ordained, given the fact that Kahlo helped the actress find her own voice. Cordova-Buckley was raised in Cancun, Mexico - “a ‘Blue Lagoon’ baby,” she says with a laugh. Despite comments about
her voice, she found strength in the story of Frida Kahlo, whose work was such a presence in Cordova-Buckley’s home growing up that the girl practically had personal altars of her. CordovaBuckley would look at images of such paintings as “The Two Fridas” (personally, “that represents the older me reassuring the younger me”) and “The Broken Column” (with Kahlo’s exposed torso) and find strength. Kahlo’s art taught Cordova-Buckley “that it was OK to choose strength over acceptance,” she says.
“To me, that is the choice every woman must make in a very misogynistic world, you either choose to be strong and powerful, or you choose to be loved and accepted. You can’t have both because if you choose to be strong and powerful, then (people) will fear you and then you will be rejected. “Frida chose her strength and was rejected for it - by her husband, by her family, by friends, by society, even by herself,” the actress continues. “Her paintings are a way to connect with the pain that lived inside her. To me, that was such a powerful thing, to be able to forgive myself. ... She just constantly taught me to love myself.” And Kahlo, she says, made it OK to be described by a male-dominated culture as a woman who is “intense, radical, crazy, dramatic.” Cordova-Buckley studied classical dance as a child, but by her teens, she found more freedom for self-expression through theater. She studied acting for three years at Cal Arts - which “is basically Pixar University,” she says — so getting to voice Kahlo for Pixar,
she says, was a surreal dream come true. It was as if her own late grandfather, an acclaimed Mexican actor, was guiding her steps from the hereafter - not unlike aspiring guitarist Miguel in “Coco,” who’s guided by his late ancestors when he crosses to the other side during Day of the Dead, she says. While it was “joyful,” she says, to give voice to the artist who helped her find her voice, exercising that personal voice, when speaking out about the mistreatment of women, has brought pain - especially when even some of the men closest to her have rejected her beliefs. To her, that was worse than being physically harassed at a club. “I got wrecked, berated ... (by men) telling me: ‘Machismo doesn’t exist. You guys have equal rights.’ “ In the wake of the sexual misconduct scandals, Cordova-Buckley sees good that can come from what she calls an unprecedented reckoning. “It is about erasing the culture that created these men - we definitely have to give names to these men,” the actress says. “We have to bring them to justice.”
London bookmaker ends bets on royal engagement A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
LONDON — A major London bookmaker has suspended betting on whether Prince Harry will marry American actress Meghan Markle in 2018 amid rumors an engagement may be announced soon. Jessica Bridge of Ladbrokes said Friday that it seems an engagement announcement "is to be confirmed imminently." The bookmaker has stopped taking bets on a 2018 royal wedding after
Markle was seen shopping in London this week. The British press has reported that Markle has already met in private with Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. The couple has been dating for more than a year and Harry has asked the press to grant them a certain amount of privacy. Markle is believed to be in the process of moving to London. Palace officials say they will not comment on the rumors.
Matt Dunham / Afp/getty Images
Britain's Prince Harry gestures during his visit to the opening of the Terrence Higgins Trust HIV testing pop-up shop in Hackney, east London, to launch National HIV Testing Week on November 15, 2017.
Celebrities reignite fight to free woman in prison By Jonathan Mattise A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Celebrities have reignited the fight to free a Tennessee woman serving a life sentence for fatally shooting a man, saying she was a sex-trafficking victim wronged by the legal system. Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Kim Kardashian West and Lebron James have joined others on social media in supporting Cyntoia Brown, 29, who won't be eligible for parole until she turns 67. Brown was 16 at the time of the 2004 shooting. "Did we somehow change the definition of #JUSTICE along the way??" Rihanna wrote Tuesday about Brown on Instagram, receiving 1.8 million 'likes.' "cause..... Something is horribly wrong when the system enables these rapists and the victim is thrown away for life! To each of you responsible for this child's sentence I hope to God you don't have children, because this could be your daughter being punished for punishing already! #FREECYNTOIABROWN #HowManyMore" Prosecutors said Brown shot 43-year-old Johnny Allen so she could rob him. She took his pants, containing his wallet, and some guns, they said. Brown said at the time she met Allen, she had been staying in motels in Nashville with a 24-year-old man nicknamed Cut-hroat. She said she snorted cocaine
with Cut-hroat and that he sexually abused her and forced her to prostitute herself so they would have money to live. One day Allen picked her up off the street and bought her some fast food, she said. She said he drove her back to his house, which was full of guns, and that he was behaving in a strange manner that made her want to leave. When she couldn't sneak away, she said she wanted to nap. He lay down with her but didn't fall asleep. He kept getting up and standing over her. She became more panicked, convinced something was going to happen to her, she said. She said she shrugged off his advances and, as he rolled over, she took a gun from her purse and shot him once in the head. Brown's attorney, Charles Bone, said he's not sure why the case is drawing celebrity attention right now, although the story was in the news again recently when WZTV-TV in Nashville gave an updated report on the case. There was a previous surge of support for Brown in 2011 when a documentary about her life appeared on public television. Beyond social media posts, some celebrities have also reached out, Bone said. He didn't say who they were or how they got in touch. "We're hopeful that this support can be used constructively, not just for her, but for everybody who's out there fighting
sex traffic and sex slavery," Bone said. Bone says a court appeal over the constitutionality of Brown's sentence is pending and he's petitioning the governor and parole officials for reduced prison time. Some state lawmakers have tried and failed to pass legislation that would allow juveniles sentenced to life to be eligible for parole after 30 years, instead of 51. The prosecutor in Brown's case, Jeff Burks, objects to the recent attention she has been getting. "There has been a group of people who have wanted to make Ms. Brown a victim and a celebrity since this happened," Burks, who now works in Georgia, wrote to WZTV-TV. "She was not 'trafficked,' nor was she a 'sex slave.' It's not fair to the victim and his family that the other side of this case is so seldom heard."
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, November 25, 2017 |
A11
FROM THE COVER
Baltimore man receives $15M in wrongful conviction case By David Mcfadden A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
BALTIMORE — Sabein Burgess spent nearly two decades behind bars for a murder he always insisted he had nothing to do with. Now, a federal jury has given final vindication to the wrongfully convicted man by awarding him $15 million in his lawsuit against the Baltimore Police Department and two detectives. But the big award by a federal jury is nearly an afterthought for the 47year-old Burgess, who was released from prison in 2014 after being exonerated and awarded $15 million late Tuesday. "My lawsuit was never about the money. It was about clearing my name and proving that I was used as a scapegoat to close the case," Burgess told The Associated Press on Wednesday at a relative's home in a troubled section of Baltimore. Immediately after the verdict Tuesday, Burgess told reporters gathered outside a courthouse that "justice has been served." A day later, he pondered whether it finally brought him closure after a two-decade personal
tragedy. "I'm very happy for the verdict. But my losses were so severe. I lost my father and my grandma while I was locked up. I had a daughter born within days of my trial, and when I came out she was 19 ½ with two kids. The one thing I had for all those years was the truth. They couldn't take that away from me," he said, bundled up in a jacket inside a toasty living room. Burgess spent nearly two decades in prison after being convicted in 1995 of killing his thengirlfriend, Michelle Dyson. He was sentenced to life plus 20 years in prison for the 1994 slaying. In a civil trial, Burgess accused now-retired homicide detectives Gerald Goldstein and Steven Lehman of pinning the crime on him without pursuing other credible leads. Burgess had found Dyson fatally shot in the basement of the Baltimore home they shared. The lawsuit alleged that the detectives conspired to fabricate gunshot residue evidence used to convict him. In a strange twist, a childhood acquaintance of Burgess who was serv-
Courtesy photo / Zapata County Sheriff’s Office
Shown are about 67 pounds of marijuana seized during a raid reported Nov. 14 in the 1500 block of Roma Avenue.
ARRESTS From page A1 officials arrested three people. Prisciliano Saldivar Jr.
ABORTION From page A1 by an anti-abortion group. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted most of a sweeping, antiabortion law approved in Texas in 2013 which helped force the closure of more than half of the state's abortion clinics. Texas for years approved tight abortion restrictions arguing that they would safeguard the lives of pregnant women. After the Supreme Court defeat, the Legislature this session began backing proposals aimed at protecting fetuses, but always with top Republicans' stated goal of reducing the number of abortions performed in their state to as close to zero as possible. The Texas law Yeakel suspended uses the nonmedical term "dismemberment abortion" to describe a procedure in which forceps and other instruments are used to remove the fetus from the womb. Paxton's office had argued that
was charged with felony possession of marijuana. Oscar Sanchez III and Gilberto Sanchez Jr. were charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
"prohibiting this inhumane procedure does not impose any significant health risks or burdens on women" while citing alternative procedures that abortion providers say are less safe and reliable. However, in a 27-page opinion, Yeakel wrote that the Supreme Court had already weight in on second-trimester abortions twice. In both cases, justices held that "the law imposed an undue burden on a woman seeking a pre-fetal-viability abortion," he wrote. The power to decide to have an abortion "is her right," Yeakel wrote, adding that the right over the interest of the fetus before it becomes viable "is self-evident." "Here the state's interest must give way to the woman's right," Yeakel wrote. Federal courts previously blocked dilation and evacuation bans in Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Texas currently has around 20 abortion clinics, down from 41 in 2012.
Patrick Semansky / AP
Sabein Burgess stands outside his mother's home in Baltimore on Wednesday. A federal jury awarded $15 million to Burgess on Tuesday in his lawsuit against the Baltimore Police Department and two detectives. Burgess, who spent nearly two decades in prison after being wrongfully convicted of killing his girlfriend, was released in 2015 after being exonerated.
ing a lengthy prison term for attempted murder and armed robbery also repeatedly implicated himself in the killing. The National Registry of Exonerations, a law school project that tracks U.S. exonerations, said Charles Dorsey wrote multiple letters to Burgess' trial lawyer in the late 1990s saying he killed Dyson along with another attacker. Burgess was finally freed in 2014, thanks to the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, an advocacy group that started working on Burgess' case
in 2011. Prosecutors eventually dropped charges. His lawsuit said the case was not an isolated event, but rather the result of "policies and practices of pursuing wrongful convictions through reliance on profoundly flawed investigations." Shawn Armbrust, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, said Wednesday that she hoped this week's federal jury verdict will help "prompt Maryland officials to start taking the issue of wrongful convictions seriously."
Baltimore City Solicitor Andre Davis told The Baltimore Sun that authorities planned to appeal the $15 million jury award, which he said would "be a regrettable and unanticipated hit on the budget." "There will be an appeal without question," Davis told the newspaper. "We really thought we had a very strong case on the facts and the law." For Burgess, the grinding years in prison as an innocent man have certainly taken its toll. He said he "came close" to losing his mind
at points during his incarceration and spent lengthy periods in solitary confinement. Although he's been focused on strengthening his relationships with family and friends since getting out in 2014, he also wants to help bring about changes in the criminal justice system. "My hope for the next 10 years is to really try to make a difference in somebody else's life. Maybe help somebody in jail who is innocent find what was so hard for me, which was justice and freedom," he told AP.
SEARCH From page A1
in the possession of an off-duty policeman. Saldaña began combing areas where criminals may have murdered people, organizing free DNA tests and raising money to pay for it all. He and others scouted out suspicious plots of land, looking for signs of slightly upturned earth. When they found one, they hammered long metal crosses 6 feet into the ground, then wrenched them out to sniff for the smell of decay. This is how the poor search for their dead. A friend of Karla’s told Saldaña of a ranch where cartel members were believed to dissolve their victims in acid. He felt, somehow, that this was where their children had been taken.
government believed there to be a total of 25,000 people missing across the country, perhaps the first time any official recognition of the problem surfaced. This year, the tally climbed to nearly 33,000.
the state. But no one had been able to computerize the records, which were drawn from 2010-2013. In notebook form like this, the data was virtually useless. Public pressure after 43 college students vanished in 2014 helped lead to a new law, enacted this month, to combat disappearances. But, “the challenge will be implementing the law,” said Juan Pedro Schaerer, director of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Mexico, who helped shape the legislation. On paper, the Law Against Forced Disappearances creates a national registry of the missing. It should also bring more resources, for forensic investigations and the management of precious DNA information. strong>Raised Hopes, and Dashed Ones/strong> In April, the couple had been scouring the state, as usual, asking to review case files, poring over the descriptions and pictures of missing persons. Suddenly, they got a hit. The girl was short, with the same hair color and complexion as Yunery. Delgadillo begged authorities to exhume the body for a DNA test. “It wasn’t my daughter,” she said, sobbing lightly. “But still I feel a sense of peace, that another family has their daughter back, that they can stop looking.” As a couple, Saldaña and Delgadillo have decided to adopt a new approach to mourning. Instead of learning to live without their children, they are trying to live with them. To celebrate them every day. In a recent dream, Saldaña confronted the men responsible for Karla’s abduction. With an arsenal of automatic weapons, he fought them like an action hero, leaving no survivors. In the dream, he said, it was up to him and no one else. No failing system, numb to his pleas. No crooked cops or courts that so often failed to reach convictions in Mexico. Only justice. “If you kill them,” he said, “at least it’s over.”
Not the government, which does not have a national registry of the missing. Not the families caught in emotional purgatory. Not the authorities in states like Veracruz, where Karla and Yunery disappeared in a single 24-hour stretch. When the new governor of Veracruz began his term in December, the state’s official figure for the number of missing was in the low hundreds. Upon the most basic review, the governor revised it — to nearly 2,600. In the past year alone, the remains of nearly 300 bodies have been unearthed from clandestine graves in Veracruz. In March, Veracruz announced that it didn’t have money to do DNA tests on the remains that had been found, leaving parents like Saldaña to panhandle in the street to raise it themselves. Overwhelmed, the state also decided to temporarily halt all new searches for clandestine graves. There was simply nowhere else to put the bodies. “The entire state is a mass grave,” said Jorge Winckler, the state’s attorney general. For more than a decade, cartels across Mexico have taken out their rivals with utter impunity, tossing their remains into unmarked graves across the country. Soldiers and law enforcement officers often adopt the same approach, leaving many families too terrified to ask for help from a government they see as complicit. It is both highly efficient and cruel: Without a body, there can be no case. “The cruelest thing about a disappearance is that it leaves you with this desperate hope that your child might actually still be alive somewhere,” said Daniel Wilkinson, a managing director at Human Rights Watch. Karla disappeared with one of Saldaña’s estranged children, Jesus. They had gone out together that night, Nov. 28, 2011, to a party. The two were last seen in her car. It was recovered two days later
The Dirty War Then — and Now Mexico amassed some 1,200 disappearances during the 1960s and 1970s at the hands of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which ruled for nearly 70 years and governs again today. Historians call this period of disappearances the dirty war. But unlike other Latin American countries, Mexico never really investigated its atrocities. While truth commissions and exhumations of mass graves sought to exorcise the sins of past regimes elsewhere in the region, government responsibility in Mexico largely stayed buried. Attempts in the early 2000s fell apart, leading to few arrests or prosecutions. The disappearances continued, in a new form. The numbers were small, the cases isolated and the purpose distinct from earlier iterations. It was not political but criminal. This time, the disappearances were carried out by organized crime as it battled for territory in the lucrative drug trade. Along the border with Texas, the numbers slowly ticked higher. The government eventually launched a war against organized crime in 2006. And as the violence mounted, so did the disappearances. In 2012, leaked documents showed that the
The Search at the Ranch The ranch, meandering over expansive terrain, had been abandoned. But only recently. The team — forensic scientists, police officers and investigators — discovered healthy horses, cattle and welltended sheep roaming around when they arrived. The couple stumbled on a large metal bin filled with dirt and random pieces of clothing, perhaps, they thought, the belongings of captives. The next day, they continued searching but came away with more questions than answers. A cinder block room contained a soiled mattress and chains — some grisly torture chamber, the couple imagined. Nearby, a stack of women’s undergarments — bras and panties — tied together. “No one would even hear if someone was screaming at the top of their lungs from here,” Saldaña said. After an hour of digging, a pile of 500 items sat before them: baby outfits, women’s blouses, worn-out jeans and shoes. The clothes only reminded Saldaña how far they were from finding Karla, Jesus and Yunery. Authorities gave the families one more day to search the property, a stretch of land that would take 10 times that many people a week to cover. They found nothing else. A New Law In Veracruz, the missing are also recorded in small black books, where their names and details are lost to the modern age. The state’s forensic laboratory chief, Rita Adriana Licea Cadena, pulled out a ledger. In it, she said, were the names of thousands of individuals who had turned over their DNA in the hope that it might match some of the remains disinterred from mass graves across
A12 | Saturday, November 25, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
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