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Discussion about political statements and the accuracy of information dominated this week’s public forum. Other contributions addressed opportunities and compensation for women in the workplace, the importance of history, the unique educational opportunity offered by the upcoming solar eclipse and who deserves credit for social and economic improvements, among other topics.
As always, we thank those who have shared their views with their fellow readers, and invite everyone to join the discussions.
Simple message
The message is simple.
Four score and 1,015 days ago roughly speaking, the 45th president (Donald J. Trump) left office in dramatic fashion as the nation witnessed and reconciled with Jan. 6, 2021.
Many political pundits proclaimed that the Trump presidency would be a footnote in the annuals of U.S. history. Moreover, the twice-impeached, one-term president with 91 criminal charges managed to clinch the Republican presidential nomination yet again.
Why? If you ask Trump he’d say, “This is one of the finest run campaigns that anybody has ever seen.” The truth is less complex than most people think.
Trump’s strength rests on communicating his message in simple terms. For example, when Trump says, “We are going to take back our country,” this signals to his base “immigration issues.” When he said, “Our country is weak,” he means Joe Biden is the problem.
Therefore, if the Democrats do not bring their A game in the general election. Trump will undeniably go down in history as more than just a mere footnote.
Alberto Rodriguez Jr.
Brownsville
Sports groups draw criticism
I am writing to express my concerns regarding the lack of oversight and regulation within the Harlingen Parks and Recreation Department, specifically in relation to the activities of external organizations and freelancers utilizing public facilities. While the department has implemented numerous policies and rules for individuals using public amenities such as parks, dog parks, baseball fields and tennis courts, there appears to be a significant gap in addressing the activities of those seeking to profit from these spaces.
This oversight has led to instances of community members being misled and taken advantage of by organizations operating on public property. For example, recent incidents involving the Arroyo Youth Soccer Club and the Harlingen Area Tennis Association highlight the need for stricter regulation and enforcement. The Arroyo Youth Soccer Club, despite operating on public soccer fields, failed to deliver on promised services and ultimately faced public scrutiny for their deceptive practices.
Similarly, the Harlingen Area Tennis Association has caused confusion among community members by offering subpar and overpriced classes at the H-E-B Tennis Center without proper affiliation or oversight.
It is imperative that the Harlingen Parks and Recreation Department takes proactive measures to protect community members from such exploitation. Clear and visible policies must be established to govern the activities of freelancers and non-profit organizations operating on city property. These entities should undergo thorough vetting and be subject to ongoing oversight and enforcement by the department to ensure compliance with standards of professionalism and integrity. I urge city officials, including the mayor, to prioritize this issue and work with the Parks and Recreation Department to implement necessary reforms.
By taking decisive action, we can safeguard the interests of our community and preserve the integrity of our public spaces for generations to come.
Daniel Barrientos
Harlingen
Complex history
In early America, parents got up before dawn to feed the animals and prepare the farm equipment. They got the kids up, saw they did their chores and fed them a scratch hot breakfast before sending them off on a two-mile walk to school. After taking a moment to read a portion of Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, parents then headed off to irrigation and cultivation duties or to prepare loaves of homemade bread for dinner. They looked forward to a late afternoon family horse and buggy ride to the dry goods store in town.
Today from my dining room window, a retired man watches public school kids assemble at the bus stop like birds on a wire. They stand apart from one another in surly poses. They don’t talk with one another; they don’t walk with one another.
My married-without-kids next door neighbor drives to the mall to buy a few of the newest spring fashion offerings on her credit card. She then rushes home to catch TMZ featuring a video clip of Ben Affleck and JLo getting out of their seats at a movie theater. Ben picks up food waste containers from off the floor, but shouldn’t he just leave the job to the theater staff who are paid to do such stuff? Doesn’t matter. Whatever celebrities do is brilliant and right and inspires our own lives.
America has lost the knowledge base necessary to understand the complex history and requirements of democracy. As long as we vote every four years, we’re good. What Tocqueville saw in America nearly 200 years ago is no longer a part of our social fabric today.
On my phone, I catch an article about several great Irish bars to choose from for a St. Paddy’s Day visit. Game on!
Kimball Shinkoskey
Woods Cross, Utah
Cults noted
This is in response to Arnoldo Gonzalez’s letter to the editor dated March 9.
I find it interesting that Mr. Gonzalez compared the cult leader Jim Jones to the Republicans. Jim Jones convinced hundreds of people to commit mass suicide. A quick Google search says San Francisco Democrat Jim Jones was highly regarded by popular Democrats like Harvey Milk, Willie Brown, Walter Mondale and Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
Jim Jones was a Marxist like so many left-wingers are today. Karl Marx was the “Father of Communism.” Jones’ wife Marcie Boswell said his hero was the communist leader Mao Zedong. She said Jones’ goal to achieve social change was via religion. In a New York Times article she said, “Jim used religion to try to get some people out of the opiate of religion,” adding that he had once slammed a Bible on a table and said, “I’ve got to destroy this paper idol!”
Mr. Gonzalez’s description of cultists sounds to me like so many Democrats of today: “Typical cultists are gullible, lack individualism, are easily persuaded, have low self-esteem, no curiosity and want to be led. They follow the leader no matter what, no questions asked or suffer the consequences.” Yes, a great many Democrats today believe in George Orwell’s “groupthink.”
And no, I am not a Republican. The Republican Party of today is “all hat and no cattle.” I am an Independent. I hope President Donald Trump will get the Republican Party back on track to help run America with our Constitution just like our Founding Fathers intended.
Darrell Williams Sr.
McAllen
Trump’s speeches
Donald Trump’s campaign speeches are always filled with lies. On March 5 he told his audience that America is a Third World country at our elections, that America is a tragedy and a joke, our cites are choking to death, that our states are dying, that our country is dying.
As a Texan, I don’t believe Texans, Republicans or Democrats believe Texas is dying. Just one more lie Trump is telling his supporters.
He also said America is a Third World country at our borders. While he is responsible for killing a bill worked out by both Republicans and Democrats that would have helped address the problem more than any legislative in history, he has to tell this lie over and over to fool his supporters. Unfortunately many will believe him.
Talking about losing the election, he also said, “Other leaders in the world can’t believe what happened to us.” Still peddling the lie that the election was stolen. In reality, leaders of our allies in the free world are very worried he might be elected again, because of his support for Vladimir Putin, his admiration of China’s Xi Jinping and his opposition to NATO.
Trump is lying about America, tearing down our country over and over again at his campaign rallies, because in his mind, America needs him to rescue us. It’s all a con game as far as he’s concerned. He doesn’t love America, or he wouldn’t lie about our country like he does. Trump loves himself more than anything else.
The reality in America is that the country under President Biden is doing great. The unemployment rate is at 3.7%, jobs added 10% more, wages are up 10%, the stock market is up 24%. Crime is at a 50-year low. Locally, just look around at thousands of new homes and apartments being built all over the Valley. Look at all the new cars and trucks on the highways; restaurants are packed all over the place.
All this was accomplished after the president inherited a country devastated by COVID after a disastrous reaction to it by Trump. We had the greatest and fastest recovery from COVID of any country.
America is doing great under President Biden. Let’s look at this reality and keep it going.
Beto Conde
Rancho Viejo
Selling off America
Are radical corrupt Democrats and leftist media selling off America to China, the globalists, the diabolical domineering World Health Organization, illegal voter-bribing propagandas, corruptive international trade agendas for monetary self-enrichment, unproven new green deals, oppressive government power, all these, only for their hungry self-political survival?
Observe the censored manipulatively silenced news we’re given every day, written or verbal. How traitorous is that? Is that their faux democracy?
America needs to ethically and bravely stand up for plain integrity and decency, even if it is with small voices that desperately plead for real liberty and justice. Stop the aggrandizement of boldfaced, fake persecutions and demonic government corruption to destroy liberty and freedom. We all owe America to truthfully, courageously and decently stand up against all odds, in respect and honor of those veterans and law enforcement who selflessly fight valiantly daily, and who are willing to give their lives for the saving of America and its freedom. America is well worth fighting for, forever.
Imelda Coronado
Mission
Donald Trump: A Russian doll
Russia interfered with an American election. A year later a Republican-controlled Congress passed sanctions on Russia for interference in the 2016 election, 419-3 in the House, 98-2 in the Senate. Bipartisan votes. Donald Trump was apoplectic and threatened a veto, but decided it would make him look “weak.” From that time on Trump’s sympathy and Vladimir Putin endearment never wavered. How did this Putin love cloud currently morph into his base?
Jonathan Chait writes, “Trump spent his presidency prying apart the western alliance” (“The National Interest, Russian Dolls,” in New York). Staffers had advised against coziness with Putin. In 2015 Michael Flynn (remember him?) had a seat at a banquet in Moscow practically sitting on Putin’s lap. He was forced to resign his position as national security adviser because he lied to the FBI about a meeting with a Russian ambassador.
“The first Trump impeachment concerned his efforts to out maneuver (GOP) hawks by holding up aid to Ukraine. The Republican base processes every political event as a contest of tribal loyalty. Once Trump signaled that friendliness to Russia was a form of fealty to himself, his voters began demanding that their elected leaders and media personalities follow suit,” Chait wrote. That is how the metamorphosis came about.
Since Harry Truman, U.S. policy has been partisan-based containment of Russia. Before Trump became the official GOP presidential candidate, he held no office. He still holds no office as he posts and whispers in the House speaker’s ear to hold back any bipartisan bills from the floor for a vote.
“Putin has made clear that his aim is to strip Ukraine of its sovereignty and restore it to a puppet state … a goal Republicans won’t endorse but seem intent on letting him fulfill. After eight years of Trump and Putin working hand in hand they have chosen a side, and they plan to see it through to victory,” Chait wrote.
Shirley Rickett
Alamo
Ugly junk
I’m too old to be president. So, I’ll stick to just doing what I usually do: house chores, write letters to the editor and on Facebook, play sudoku, solitaire and poker. And, of course, enjoy the photos of folks having a good time and young mothers showing off their babies. Wildlife and nature videos are my favorites.
And yes, we have the yes, we have the ugly junk, too. Like the one probably posted by a Russian operative, hoping American “useful idiots” will pass it on: “Joe Biden isn’t stupid. He just has dementia. People who vote for Joe Biden are stupid!” Ouch!
And one posted by the Donald himself, supposedly: “I grab women by the you know what and you love it. I’m a tax fraud and you love it. I don’t pay those who work for me and you love it. I encourage you to act violent on my behalf and you love it. I’m the biggest liar in the world and you love it. Good Golly man! You are stupid!” Ouch!
I know, I know, Trump might not be shy when it comes to saying stuff like this, but posting it on social media? Surely, he wouldn’t be that stupid, or would he? Hoo-boy.
Italo J. Zarate
Brownsville
Our eclipse opportunity
Open letter to the various school districts in the RGV:
In the middle of the day on April 8, our area will experience a remarkable annular solar eclipse. I hope each of your leadership personnel have planned for the students and teachers to have access to viewing this rare opportunity.
Solar eclipse glasses are an option, but there are several other ways to observe a solar eclipse safely indirectly. Many online sites have suggestions, and of course so does NASA. NASA will also be providing real-time video that can be shown in any classroom with internet access.
During the last solar eclipse that occurred during the school year our local district principals did not allow their adult personnel to go outside and observe that eclipse in 2017 — and most of them had proper safety equipment to protect their eyes! What a lost opportunity.
Please wake up and realize adults do have minds and intelligence to make decisions; perhaps this is one reason so many classroom teachers are disenchanted with their administration. I do hope there is no STAAR test or practice test scheduled for that day! Those practice days are a bane of every teacher’s existence.
Happy solar eclipse! I hope you do get the opportunity to view it safely. I know some school districts in the path of totality of this annular eclipse will not be in session because of the expected thousands of folks visiting the towns and cities along the path from DFW, Waco, Fredericksburg, San Antonio and down through Mexico Please consider making the viewing possible — at least during the peak few minutes. There are several Solar System Ambassadors who volunteer for JPL/NASA to share how to safely view it and inform classrooms and the general public with space-related informational programs at the San Benito Public Library and the two public libraries in Brownsville. Prior to the eclipse they might be able to share information with you.
And the Valley newspapers carry an astronomy-related column each week as well with information about the eclipse.
Carol Lutsinger
Brownsville
Credit Obama
This is in response to Mr. Uhrmacher’s letter of March 11. Nearly everything he attributes to Donald Trump was in fact accomplished by President Barack Obama and handed to Donny on a golden platter. He likes those.
Trump showers money on his “rich folk only tax cuts.” Real history, not the Republican kind, shows that after receiving a booming economy, low unemployment and plenty of jobs to go around, Donny then deregulated banking, allowing their late fees to have no reasonable cap.
Trump caused America to lose the respect of the world. Joe is fixing those and others.
Then if that wasn’t enough, Trump orchestrated a government takeover that failed and a claimed the election was stolen, which has been proven wrong dozens of times by Democrats and Republicans alike.
The final example of Uhrmacher’s version of truth is his statement that inflation today is at least 12%, when in fact it is only 3.2%.
Ned Sheats
Mission
Republicans draw attack
Nothing old or grand about it: The “new and improved” Republican Party is now totally unrecognizable to anyone pre-Trump:
Gone is Ronald Reagan’s demand to “tear down this wall” as the Representatives cozy up to Vladimir Putin and threaten NATO.
Gone is George H.W. Bush’s “big tent,” as ever-more-restrictive red state laws attempt to hinder minority access to the ballot, especially in big cities (think Houston).
Gone is the personal autonomy of the last 50 years as cruel reproductive limits are forced on women and girls in many states where even life-saving medical care can be criminalized.
A pertinent aside: According to a six-month investigation by NPR and ProPublica, the U.S. now has the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world.
Republicans also seem to have lost all common sense and must think their opponents are stupid, not mention the electorate at large.
Democrats will run against the Republican stand on gun control, as 80% or even more Americans favor reasonable, national controls, including more than 60% who think assault weapons should be banned outright.
Democrats will run against the Republican aim for a national ban on reproductive choice, as 60% or more Americans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Those bans lose wherever they show up on any ballot, even in the reddest of states.
Democrats will enjoy decrying the “chaos on the border” as the frivolous attempts to impeach Home Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas falter in the Senate and the representatives vote against the very bill that would bring some order to the mess, because Trump wants to run on the chaos rather than on any solution (especially anything bipartisan).
Democrats will work to get out the vote where increased restrictions make voting harder in red states. especially the west (think Utah, Idaho, the Dakotas), and the Deep South, Florida to Texas. But to win nationally, Republicans also will need Black, brown and independent voters. They can’t suppress them all, everywhere.
The Republican House indulges in vicious in-fighting to the point that they have literally become a “can-do nothing” Congress, with about the least legislation passed ever.
In blind obeisance to their “orange Jesus,” in appeasement to his base, they don’t seem to notice they are continually shooting themselves in the foot. They have nothing positive to run on, and all the things they won’t do are a gift to every Democrat running for office, from local sheriff to president.
Lost honor, integrity, loyalty to allies or any notion of fealty to the Constitution, every day, Republicans hand Joe Biden and the Democrats more ammunition “agin ’em” that will surely help turn the country Blue this November.
P.V. Lee
Brownsville
Travel plans
Today, nations are closer than ever in history. We now can be in another nation an hour away by air. Nations today have become neighbors; we can visit our neighbors any time we wish.
So my wife and I decided to visit our neighbors across the Atlantic by air. We are trying a different route this time: fly London, and take ground transportation from there to visit a number of European nations for two days each.
Our main priority is to meet people and enjoy their company. That way we can tell our family that we have been to Europe and met the people and how much we enjoyed it.
Memories are precious. I am taking a diary to write every step of the way to later read and relive that experience.
Rafael Madrigal
Pharr
Editor’s note: We welcome your letters and commentary. Submissions must include the writer’s full name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters of 200 words or fewer will be given preference. Submissions may be edited for length, grammar and clarity. Letters may be mailed to P.O Box 3267, McAllen, Texas 78502-3267, or emailed to [email protected].
