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Contributors this week shared their opinions on the political parties and candidates, the attack on Donald Trump and how rocket launches might affect the environment. Others addressed the deportation of needed workers and the idea of a single global government.
As always, we invite you to share your thoughts with our readers, and thank those who have done so.
Comments about letters
Basically, what Jamey Honaker said in his recent letter to the editor was that America was doing well under Donald Trump’s tenure. More money in our pockets, gas was affordable, we could go on vacations, buy homes and not worry about border invasions. Trump, so says Jamey, created the greatest economy since the ’60s, lowered unemployment levels, U.S. energy independence, Middle East peace, successful foreign relations and kept us out of war. This sounds pretty good for a guy who spent most of his time playing golf and defending himself in courts from serious allegations.
Yes, Trump was a bad boy, Jamey admits, but then he rationalizes that Bill Clinton was much worse! As if this is supposed to minimize Trump’s “moral indiscretions.” Hoo-boy.
And the only incentives Democrats have to offer, Jamey says, are “unlimited abortion and the one that says, ‘You’re an oppressed minority, powerless to ascend that bondage without Big Government controlling your destiny’.” Ouch! What does this even mean? But, as Joe Biden would nicely say, “It’s a bunch of malarky!”
And for the icing on the cake, Jamey tells us that the tactics Democrats use are outrageous! Hmm — compared to what the MAGA GOPers use, I say they are pretty reasonable.
On July 11, Mr. Jim Tweed’s letter to the editor was a jewel worth reading and repeating. Here’s a sample of what he writes about, what Jamey calls the MAGA “movement”:
“They still call themselves something they are not, ‘Conservatives.’ True conservatives value character, civility and intelligence. Trump-pets reward arrogance, anger and self-delusion. … Using partial truths is not just a way to fool others. It’s how we fool ourselves. If you embrace Donald, you embrace his lies and self-delusions. You become what he is: a fraud. You’ll make excuses, find scapegoats and rationalizations. But in the end, you will be a mere follower of a pathetic, narcissistic bully. If you are one of those silent conservatives standing on the sidelines who still respects the Constitution, democracy and the rule of law, but allow yourself to be intimidated by Trump trolls, the death of our democracy will be on you.”
To Mr. Tweed’s comments I say, “Amen!”
Italo J. Zarate
Brownsville
Shooting euphoria
For the party of shock and awe, what transpired in Butler, Pa., left them in a state of euphoria, while the country looked on in shock and sadness. It was in their faces, in their shouts of rapture and ecstasy, in their triumphant jubilation as a fisted arm raised up from ashes of his burning rhetoric of hate, violence and vengeance. They sowed the winds of chaos, distrust and and hate, and so they reap the whirlwind to their delight. Their prayers and thoughts answered. Their martyr rises. The celebration begins.
How sad to think this way. To feel this way. After having lived through Kennedy, King and Reagan, and having felt the pain and sorrow of betrayal and treachery deep inside my soul. And now, to believe the impossible, the incredible, the inexcusable — just one more fabricated, manufactured, manipulated moment in a campaign of lies, deceit, deception and chicanery.
I wish it were not so. I wish it had not happened. But devious minds work in mysterious ways. And how many times must one keep yelling “wolf” and “witch hunt,” before it becomes self-evident, self-serving, and a marker of what lurks in a cunning mind that only knows the art of deceit?
The events of July 13, a page out of the counterfeit martyr handbook — complete with blood, gore and shock — that fascinates and infuriates the hearts and minds of patriots of every kind and every stripe, as it should. As it did.
But the unhinged speeches calling for revenge, vengeance, retribution and violence — too caustic and too blatant to ignore, or to dismiss, as the trigger to the spectacle that crowned a martyr and certified as acceptable and desirable — a life of lies, deceit and arrogance.
The new normal in America: lies, duplicity and violence. America no longer the leader of the pack of nations, but simply a straggler following in the footsteps left behind by Iran, Iraq, North Korea, China, Russia, and countless Middle Eastern and African nations.
We will learn soon enough what it feels like to experience the insolence of power and of the powerful — something already begun, even before the votes are in.
Euphoria — like all sensations — fades and wears out, leaving behind only the shock and awe of promises never kept, and pledges never meant.
Al Garcia-Wiltse
San Juan
Hearings slated on Space flights
SpaceX plans to increase its Super Heavy starship orbital launches of up to 25 annual launches and landings. The Federal Aviation Administration will hold public meetings on the draft environmental assessment and to address vehicle upgrades.
Recall that the original SpaceX EA was for the Falcon rocket, which is lighter and the intended recipient, but the FAA issued a mitigated finding of no significant impact and allowed SpaceX to modify/substitute its existing Falcon rocket operating license to Starship/Super Heavy rockets.
If you have concerns about the development of SpaceX Super Heavy rocket launches that are now to include landings, and their effects on you and your property, then you should attend the FAA public hearings in South Padre Island or Port Isabel.
Tuesday, Aug. 13, 1-3 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m., City of SPI Convention Center.
Thursday, Aug. 15, 1-3 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m., Port Isabel Event and Cultural Center.
Diane Teter
Edinburg
Deporting workers
There were a multitude of “Mass Deportation Now!” signs at the Republican National Convention.
Yet at the CNN debate, when former president Donald Trump was asked how he would carry out all of these deportations, he refused to answer.
In her Wisconsin Examiner article, “Getting past toxic partisanship: Dairy farmers and undocumented workers,” Ruth Coniff writes:
“Dairy farmers in Wisconsin know that their immigrant workers aren’t replacing anybody. They’ve tried hard, without success, to find U.S-born workers who want to shovel manure and milk cows every day starting at 4 a.m.”
Every politician with rural constituents who backs Donald Trump should be asked: “Do you support deporting all undocumented workers on the dairy farms in your district?”
Terry Hansen
Milwaukee, Wis.
Cartoon critiqued
After the assassination attempt on candidate President Donald Trump, what were your editors thinking when you published a cartoon on the opinion page showing Trump on the roof of the White House with a gun, showing bloodied victims lying on the ground? So much for lowering the temperature of the rhetoric in the 2024 presidential campaign.
You should apologize to the readership for this and publish a retraction as well. I know it is the media’s end game to demonize candidate President Trump, but this in no way is a move forward to calm the tone, but instead incite more negativity by showing a candidate in this light.
As a nation we are a better country because we have always chosen ballots or bullets, and I hope will do your part to lower the temperature of campaign rhetoric, whether visual or in print.
Jake Longoria
Mission
Letter writer draws praise
Love, love, love Mr. Ned Sheats’s letters! His letters are always spot on! His facts are always correct and his information is timely. His letter to Gov. Greg Abbott was so well written and well said. I couldn’t agree more.
There have been many times in the past that Mr. Sheats’ letters have been so good I actually wanted to jump up and thank him for his time and input. In fact, it’s the biggest reason I read your newspaper — well, one of the biggest reasons. So, Ned, my hat is off to you and please keep the conversation and letters flowing. You are my hero.
Jane A. Anderson
Grove, Okla.
Commentary garners reply
This is in response to Imelda Coronado’s commentary of July 17.
Democrats are what they believe, just like Republicans.
Abraham Lincoln was not a Republican; that party came later. He was a National Unionist. But no matter, his actions of freeing the slaves, promoting national unity and equality for all differ greatly from today’s Republican emphasis on hate, division and privilege. John Wilkes Booth was not a “leftist”; he had been a member of the Know-Nothing Party.
1. Ms. Coronado accuses the left of “duplicity.” Imelda, you shouldn’t throw out accusations without citing examples. President Joe Biden has done everything he could do considering the obstructionism of the Republican House.
2. The left is not offended by guns. It is offended by the right’s preventing laws that would lessen the carnage created by AR-style weapons in the hands of unstable or misguided people.
3. Imelda, you are exhibiting duplicity. Please don’t criticize Barack Obama for the wall, a lot of deportations, injuries. Remember, it and the buoys and the razor wire were started, and still supported by Donald Trump, Greg Abbott and MAGAs.
4. Ms. Coronado, does a knowledgeable (but gravely misinformed) woman such as yourself believe that an abortion involves anything other than a fetus?
5. Whose blood and sweat is paying for our compassion for the poor? Are you sure none of it is given by the Bidens or the Obamas? Check out the Obama Foundation. Bloomberg puts Biden’s donations at 3.5% of his income. Do you give that much?
6. Bringing up Nancy Pelosi. Ms. Pelosi may have been responsible in some amount for not having more protection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, but Trump is responsible for the deaths and injuries. According Snopes and the U.S. Government Accountability Office, there were five deaths and 114 police officers injured. It was Trump’s support of MAGA Republicans that brought it about.
Finally, according to Wikipedia: “The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, regardless of the name, was a far right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism.” Is that what you want for us?
As an ex-Republican, now Independent voter still with some loyalty to real Republican ideals, I am concerned about how bad your MAGAs make the real Republicans look and their danger to America.
Ned Sheats
Mission
Border games
On July 18, Ted Cruz and Monica De La Cruz made news from the Republican convention. Their speeches were replete with misinformation. All Republican politicians are spreading lies about the border crisis blaming Biden and the democrats. Republicans are good at messaging misinformation. They have repeated this lie over and over to the point that many have forgotten the truth.
The truth is that in May a bipartisan bill filed jointly by Republican Sen. James Lankford and Democrat Senator Chris Murphy was introduced in the Senate. The bill was the strongest border protection bill in history.
The bipartisan border security legislation would have provided resources for more than 1,500 additional U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel, more than 1,200 additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, more than 4,300 additional asylum officers and 100 additional immigration judges.
The bill attempted to close loopholes in the asylum process, limit the use of parole for migrants at the border and give the president new authority to effectively shut down the border to migrants when attempted crossings are high. Many Republican lawmakers were in favor of this bipartisan bill. It contained many issues they were calling for for years. Even the National Border Patrol Council supported the bill.
The bill would have resolved many problems we are having at the border. But it all came tumbling down when cult leader Donald Trump ordered Republican senators to kill the bill. Trump said it was “a great gift to the Democrats, and a death wish for the Republican Party” if the bill passed.
This rejection of the border bill proves that Republicans care more about politics and staying in power than resolving national problems including the “border crisis.” The Republicans are to blame for what they are calling open borders today, not President Joe Biden.
Fact: There was no immigration border bill passed by the Trump administration when Republicans had control of the presidency, the Senate and and the House. It’s all about lies and deception with the MAGA Republican Party.
Trump and the Republican Party are masters at misinformation. They repeat open borders, open borders over and over and over when it’s a big propaganda lie. If the borders are open, who is deporting thousands every month? They are not being honest with U.S. citizens.
Electing a convicted felon, a man convicted of sexual assault for our president is morally wrong. We can do better.
Beto Conde
Rancho Viejo
Biden? Trump?
Whom should America vote for — Joe Biden or Donald Trump? Simple and short answer: anyone but a convicted felon. Remember always: True patriots do not storm the Capitol, nor do they support Russia-Vladimir Putin.
Joe Villarreal
Edinburg
Republican hypocrites
I see the hypocrites were out for the Republican convention. Hypocrite J.D. Vance, supposedly a “never Trumper,” gave up his moral courage to be a vice presidential candidate. Hypocrite Nikki Haley, who supposedly saw Trump as a threat to democracy, decided to lack moral courage and fall in goose step. (Too bad, as I really liked her.) I am just surprised that hypocrite Lindsey Graham didn’t speak, as he said he was done with Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Unfortunately, the Republican Party has turned its back on those who have real courage: Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. They had the intestinal fortitude to prove that their country came first, not a bully and dictator.
Gerard Pahl
Edinburg
Trump a hero?
During the week after the assassination attempt on Former President Trump I heard him described as a hero. During the Republican convention, speaker after speaker hailed him as a great hero. Their attitude was almost adoration.
May I put the event in some perspective?
Former President Trump was a man standing on stage giving a speech. He had no idea he was at risk. For those who see him as a hero, did he storm an enemy beach under fire? Did he confront an armed gunman face to face as do many law enforcement offices are called to do? Did he pull an injured person from a burning car?
Trump, on realizing he was being shot at, dropped down behind the podium, a wise, self-preserving action that nearly any of us would do. A hero knowingly confronts danger even though he or she knows they are at risk. Let’s save the hero label.
David Mellinger
Harlingen
Harris bashed
While district attorney in California in 2004, Kamala Harris announced three days after the murder of young Hispanic California police officer Isaac Espinoza that she would not pursue the death penalty, without even contacting his family.
She’s been the embarrassing force behind the “defunding the police movement,” open borders, allowing millions of illegals to pour into our country. Her radical stands on abortion have recklessly caused the horrific annihilation of unborn innocent babies.
She would be a detrimental danger to America’s safety, freedom and pursuit of happiness if she ever became president. We can’t afford any more evil against our country.
Imelda Coronado
Mission
SpaceX blasted
This is in response to your editorial on SpaceX benefit to the Valley (July 19), which is certainly biased toward the economic value of SpaceX and disregards the local workers and contractors affected by their operations. Consider the jobs SpaceX brings:
1. In a November 2023 Reuter’s article, SpaceX 2022 injury rate at the company’s manufacturing and launch facility near Brownsville was six times higher than the space industry average of 0.8.
2. In May 2024, Reuters reported that SpaceX is not promptly paying its contractors in Texas as more than two dozen companies have filed at least 72 liens against SpaceX properties since 2019, seeking payments totaling more than $2.5 million.
In contrast to local environmental destruction:
1. SpaceX has applied for a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality permit to release an average of up to 200,000 gallons of treated wastewater per day into South Bay at Boca Chica.
2. SpaceX has not yet obtained a permit from TCEQ for its water deluge system that is spewing its launch products onto the local waters, wetlands and wildlife areas.
3. SpaceX is planning to increase its footprint and plans additional heavy booster launches if approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. Recently, Save RGV and other environmental and indigenous groups sent a letter to the FAA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Interior demanding cessation of future SpaceX Launches at Boca Chica due to unlawful violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act resulting from the June 6, 2024, launch.
So, is there an economic boon and for whom?
Or is it a matter of our poor area being exploited because the locals and their environmental watchdogs don’t have the aerospace/industrial and military complexes’ political and monetary powers to resist the hostile takeover of SpaceX?
Diane Teter
Edinburg
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].
