The U.S. Capitol is seen at sunset in Washington, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)
The devils of despotism have come out of the closet in America.
We now know that many Americans have only been pretending to love representative government, always referring with pride to “our democracy” and to our wonderful “liberties,” and praising veterans who serve and even die to protect and defend them.
We see clearly that many of these people secretly have longed for a very different system of government — a despotism, a dictatorship, an autocracy, an authoritarian system that aims to take away those same cherished freedoms of speech, assembly, press, civil rights and religion.
It is true that the evil system they seek has been championed by means of the base emotions channeled by their political party leader. However, the disturbing truth inside these folks has always been lurking there, ready to explode into hate and violence as it has done before in American history.
We have seen it during and after our Civil War and our two world wars in the racial superiority expressed relative to African Americans, Chinese, Germans, Japanese, and today against Central and South Americans.
Today this new party of divisiveness and hate does not want to just subtract from what many Americans currently have, but to add materially to what they themselves have. They would take away a much larger chunk of the earned income of working Americans in order to support the unearned income and fabulously luxurious lifestyles of the wealthy and super-wealthy.
This faction of the population will not hesitate to go to civil war to install the degeneracy they seek, once again on the wrong side of right. They have been hoarding not just ordinary guns for self-defense, but military guns for domestic use in order to be in a better position to impose their will.
When these hypocrites go to church on the Sabbath day, they just pretend to love the neighbor sitting next to them in the pew. They pretend to love God and Jesus Christ, whose views about the inherent strengths and abilities of all human beings have been made well known in the scripture. None of that matters to them. They are just fine extolling what is good while at the same time saying and doing what is evil.
These so-called Americans now see a clear pathway to installing themselves as local rulers over their neighbors and enforcers of brute strength in their communities and states.
On the other hand, those who have true hearts for good living and good government turn out to know little about how to maintain such a system. They have seriously fumbled the ball and now live in panic from day to day, some running hither and some running thither, all in great alarm and all with little knowledge and little resolve about how to restore ethics and balance and good will in government. They are clearly losing to those who have less intellect, less conscience and less heart than they do.
Some of the champions of despotism, perhaps, have been tricked into their present posture by a poser, a promiser, an amoral evil genius who is skilled in organizing not only the errant minds of supposedly educated high school graduates but also their feeble bodies. Some of these merely fear for their own futures should they stand-up as true and courageous champions of American political tradition. They could be true and courageous Christians, Jews, freedom lovers and believers in opportunity and free expression for all, but they fear wrongly that such a stance will bring ruin to themselves and their families.
They would do better to correct their course of action and do what is right. That will bring everlasting benefit to all those they love and will help elevate those they are too afraid to love.
The Santa Maria offensive line runs through drills at their Midnight Madness practice on Aug. 5, 2024 at Santa Maria High School in Santa Maria. Photo by Bryan Ramos.
The Santa Maria running backs go through drills at their Midnight Madness practice on Aug. 5, 2024 at Santa Maria High School in Santa Maria. Photo by Bryan Ramos.
Brownsville St. Joseph head coach Tino Villarreal speaks with his team at practice in the early Monday morning hours in Brownsville. (Courtesy of Brownsville St. Joseph)
Optimism is plentiful for the Valley’s lone TAPPS team, Brownsville St. Joseph, as they hosted their 10th annual midnight practice.
Bloodhounds head coach Tino Villarreal has seen the practice evolve into the shindig it is now after adopting the tradition when he took over as head coach.
“I am just so happy it has become a community event,” Villarreal said. “Ten years ago there was no music, no fans, it was just a bunch of guys excited to hit the football field. Now, we get to share it as family with the cross country team, the cheerleaders, their peers and their parents. It is a pretty good experience. We have a lot of alums that played for me that are out here as well. I couldn’t be more to proud to coach St. Joe and a community like that.”
The Bloodhounds have high expectations for themselves in TAPPS 5A DII, not just their district. Brownsville St. Joseph has one DI talent for sure in Diego De la Cruz. The senior lineman has offers from UTRGV, Incarnate Word and UTEP.
Brownsville St. Joseph also has arguably the best receiver in the Valley with Claudio Torres and Gavin Cisneros, a returning quarterback that showed real promise last season, and a host of other talented Brownsville athletes.
“We are very excited, it is going to be a good season,” De la Cruz said. “There are rankings, projections and stuff like that, but we do not look at it, we just focus on ourselves, on the team and what the coaches have told us.”
Villarreal and De la Cruz said the team had a good offseason together and they were out there Sunday night preparing for the long football season that can last into December if you are lucky.
OtherteamstakingthefieldduringMonday’sreturntopracticeincluded Santa Rosa, SanBenito,amongseveralothers.
Benigno Galvan, a TSTC Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology student, climbs a pole that is intended to conquer a fear of heights during a recent lab session. (Courtesy: Texas State Technical College/TSTC)
Benigno Galvan is a first-semester student in the Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program at TSTC’s Harlingen campus. (Courtesy: Texas State Technical College/TSTC)
HARLINGEN — After working in quality control for 10 years, Benigno Galvan was ready for a challenging new career.
Fate stepped in when he talked to his wife’s cousin who is not only employed with an area utility company, but also a graduate of the Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program at Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus.
“He told me that he enjoyed his experience learning what an electrical lineworker does,” Galvan, who is now in his first semester of TSTC’s lineworker certificate of completion program, said.
Being older than most of the other students is not a problem for Galvan.
“We motivate each other,” he said. “It’s great to be out in the sun and climb the pole. I feel that it’s about mind over matter while learning how to be safe. Our instructor Troy (Vasquez) is a great motivator.”
Vasquez said Galvan has adapted well to the program’s physical demands.
“Benigno experienced a major challenge when he transitioned from a different industry to being in the heat in our program,” he said. “His maturity has benefited him because he understands the hands-on assignments. I look forward to seeing his growth.”
Galvan said he has one goal in particular that he is determined to accomplish.
“I’m giving it my all because I want to complete the program — and especially find a high-paying job,” he said.
TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and a certificate of completion in Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology at its Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall and Waco campuses.
The program is part of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee, which refunds a participating graduate’s tuition if he or she has not found a job in their field within six months after graduation.
Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.
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.
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.
SpaceX’s mega rocket Starship lifts off in a heavy haze for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)
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.
“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.
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
Supporters of former President Donald Trump wait for Trump’s arrival for the California Republican Convention in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. (Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo)
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
The GOP convention, summarized… “We love you, godfather!”
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?
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents as he is helped off the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo)
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.
“This one’s flat.” “This one’s flatter.”
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].
The city of Brownsville’s Department of Engineering and Public Works conducted road maintenance on Russell Drive. (Courtesy: City of Brownsville/Facebook)
The city of Brownsville’s Department of Engineering and Public Works conducted road maintenance on Warren Avenue. (Courtesy: City of Brownsville/Facebook)
The city of Brownsville said it has been working to enhance its infrastructure, more recently with the completion of milling and paving projects on the west side.
The city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works completed milling and paving of Warren Avenue on Thursday, in addition to similar work recently completed on Russell Drive.
“The recent work on Warren Avenue and Russell Drive is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to maintain and improve the quality and safety of its roadways,” the city said in a press release. “Local residents can expect a noticeable improvement in driving conditions as a result of these upgrades.”
The city said milling and paving are essential components of road maintenance and construction. Milling involves removing the top layer of a road that can have cracks, potholes or other forms of wear and tear. The process prepares the road surface for paving, in which a new layer of asphalt is laid down to provide a smoother, safer and longer-lasting roadway.
“Stay tuned for more updates on street maintenance as we continue to make upgrades to our city’s infrastructure,” the city posted on its Facebook.
Lt. Amanda Ely is seen Monday, July 29, 2024, in Brownsville. Ely is the first woman to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Brownsville Fire Department's 150-year history. (Courtesy: Brownsville Fire Department/Facebook)
Lt. Amanda Ely is seen Monday, July 29, 2024, in Brownsville. Ely is the first woman to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Brownsville Fire Department’s 150-year history. (Courtesy: Brownsville Fire Department/Facebook)
For the first time in more than a century, the Brownsville Fire Department promoted a woman to the rank of lieutenant.
The department, along with the city of Brownsville, proudly celebrated Lt. Amanda Ely’s historic promotion on July 29. The achievement is groundbreaking due to the fact that Ely’s promotion is the first of its kind in the fire department’s 150-year history.
“Congratulations to Lt. Amanda Ely on her well-deserved promotion,” Chief Jarrett Sheldon said in a press release. “Her dedication, resilience, and leadership have set a new standard for our department.”
Lt. Amanda Ely is seen Monday, July 29, 2024, in Brownsville. Ely is the first woman to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Brownsville Fire Department’s 150-year history. (Courtesy: Brownsville Fire Department/Facebook)
The city of Brownsville noted in the release Ely’s promotion marks a monumental step forward for the fire department and the city, adding that the lieutenant is inspiring future generations to pursue their dreams with confidence and determination by breaking barriers and setting new standards.
“Lt. Ely’s achievement is not only a personal milestone but also a significant advancement for our community,” Sheldon said in the release. “She is a true inspiration to all of us.”
This photo shows the ambulance stolen in Brownsville stopped in Matamoros on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (Courtesy: Enrique Lerma)
Jesus Gilberto Hernandez
UPDATE (4:36 p.m.):
Brownsville police on Monday has identified 31-year-old Jesus Gilberto Hernandez as the suspect who stole an ambulance Sunday morning.
Hernandez has an active arrest warrant for theft of property, a 2nd degree felony, and could possibly face federal charges, according to an update on published to Facebook.
Police say Hernandez is currently in Mexico and is deemed dangerous.
This photo shows the ambulance stolen in Brownsville stopped in Matamoros on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (Courtesy: Enrique Lerma)
ORIGINAL STORY:
Brownsville police are investigating after someone stole an ambulance Sunday morning before crashing into barriers at an international bridge.
In a Facebook post, police said they responded to an establishment in the 2000 block of International Boulevard at approximately 7:05 a.m.
“An individual, who later became a suspect, had complained of abdominal pain and requested to be transported to the hospital,” the post stated. “The suspect unexpectedly jumped into the driver’s seat of the ambulance and sped away from the scene.”
The suspect then drove the ambulance toward the border where he crashed into barriers before crashing into Matamoros.
“No injuries to emergency personnel or bystanders have been reported at this time,” the post stated. “The incident is under investigation, and further details will be provided as soon as they become available.”
At 3:17 p.m. Sunday, Brownsville police said the stolen ambulance has been recovered and returned to the U.S.
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to our outstanding local, state, federal, and international partners for their invaluable assistance in this matter,” the police department said on Facebook, adding that the investigation remains active.
In late 2022, an Alton woman who displayed erratic behavior,stole a Pharr EMS ambulance from Mission Regional Medical Center before leading police on a lunch-hour chase through the Upper Valley.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information from the Brownsville Police Department.
Former Congressman Larry McDonald, D-Ga.: “The drive of the Rockefellers and their allies is to create a one-world government combining super capitalism and Communism under the same tent, all under their control. … Do I mean conspiracy? Yes I do. I am convinced there is such a plot, international in scope, generations old in planning, and incredibly evil in intent.”
Because the same cabal that will do whatever it takes to achieve their one-world government goal also own and control roughly 90% of what you see, hear or read, few people know about that fascinating quote. In my opinion, it’s one of the most telling statements of what’s transpired in America over the last 100 years. Super capitalism for the elites and American-style communism for the masses has resulted in the top 1% having more wealth than the 90% combined.
It’s intriguing that Congressman McDonald was aboard KAL Flight 007 when it was shot down by a Russian fighter on Sept. 1, 1983? The airliner crashed into the Sea of Japan near Moneron Island, killing all 269 passengers and crew members. By getting the Russians to do the dirty work, it was easy enough for the oligarchy that runs America and the world to get rid of a whistleblower like Congressman McDonald.
The following quote by James Warburg during a Feb. 17, 1950, Senate hearing is just one of many that confirm what Congressman McDonald said: “We shall have world government, whether or not we like it. The question is only whether world government will be achieved by consent or conquest.” Warburg had been one of Franklin Roosevelt’s top advisers and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
The North American Free Trade Agreement and the creation of the World Trade Organization were essential in achieving a global economy and to advance our overlords’ ultimate goal of a one-world government. NAFTA and the creation of the WTO resulted in more than 70,000 U.S. manufacturing facilities closing their doors and the loss of more than 5 million manufacturing jobs.
U.S. job losses due to “free trade” continue to this day. John Deere recently laid off more than 1,000 employees and the jobs were relocated to Mexico. Like many other prominent U.S. companies that have moved abroad or folded, John Deere has deep American roots. It was founded in Grand Detour, Il., in 1837.
To complete the one-word government process, it’s also essential to eliminate anyone who wants to make America great again or to even make America a sovereign nation again.
Amanda Cardenas credits TSTC and its Health Information Technology instructors for her career success at Valley Regional Medical Center. (Courtesy: Amanda Cardenas via Texas State Technical College/TSTC)
Amanda Cardenas credits TSTC and its Health Information Technology instructors for her career success at Valley Regional Medical Center. (Courtesy: Amanda Cardenas via Texas State Technical College/TSTC)
SWEETWATER — Amanda Cardenas credits Texas State Technical College for a successful career.
Cardenas, of San Benito, graduated from TSTC in 2023 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Health Information Technology and is currently the interim health information manager at Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville.
“The Health Information Technology program was everything I expected and even more,” she said, adding that she was able to earn her degree from her home while also caring for her family.
TSTC’s Health Information Technology program is offered completely online and teaches students health data content, legal and ethical aspects of health information, and advanced medical coding.
“While the program is online, I did have to meet certain dates to have assignments completed,” Cardenas said. “During my final semester, it was more self-paced than normal because we had to pass each section before we could move on.”
Finding time for school assignments was usually centered around the downtime of Cardenas’ two children. But sometimes studying coincided with a major family event. Cardenas said she was in the hospital giving birth to her second daughter while studying for the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) exam.
“Despite facing challenges, Amanda consistently persevered and successfully completed her studies, showcasing her determination and resilience,” Jenny Delgado, a Health Information Technology instructor, said.
Cardenas said having the support of the college’s instructors, no matter the situation, inspired her to do her best.
“I did not pass (the RHIT) on my first attempt and reached out to Sarah Brooks (program team lead for Health Information Technology),” she said. “She told me everything would be OK and reassured me I would pass. She is amazing and a big reason why I passed the exam.”
Katrina Stotts, another Health Information Technology instructor, said Cardenas wanted to be successful in the program.
“Amanda worked well with the staff during her internship at a local health care facility,” Stotts said. “She was a kind student, and in my interactions with her, she was respectful and diligent in completing the program.”
Cardenas said she always wanted to work in the health care field. At first, she thought of being a nurse but noticed that her hands were shaky. Then, while pregnant with her first child, Cardenas saw a poster on her doctor’s office wall.
“I saw information about medical billing and coding and thought it was interesting,” she said. “I had a friend tell me that her mother did that kind of work and studied at TSTC. That is when I first thought it could be something I could do.”
After graduating, Cardenas began working at Valley Regional Medical Center as a medical coder and recently was named to her interim management position.
“Because of what I have learned at TSTC, I came into my job well prepared,” she said.
According to onetonline.org, health information technologists and medical registrars earn an average of $77,610 a year in Texas. The website predicted that the number of such jobs in the state would grow 22% from 2020 to 2030.
In addition to the associate degree, the program offers certificates of completion in Medical Coding and Billing Specialist and Medical Office Specialist.
Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is underway. Learn more at tstc.edu.
A member of the National Guard riot squad patrols a street from an armored vehicle in Chacao neighborhood as opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro take part in a demonstration, in Caracas on July 30, 2024. Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters and an NGO said 11 people have been killed. (Juan Calero/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)
The turmoil surrounding Sunday’s presidential election in Venezuela show us why election integrity is so important. It also can help us understand why many Latin Americans continue to flee to the United States — and won’t stop, regardless of the measures we take to discourage and deter them.
Nicolas Maduro, who has held power since 2013, on Monday announced he had won another term with 51.2% of the vote. However, opposition leaders say they have proof that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia defeated Maturo, and by a wide margin. They say they have verified copies of vote tallies that are automatically produced during the voting process for 80% of the polling sites, and that Gonzalez received 67% percent of the votes on them. Even if Maduro had gotten every vote in the remaining 20% of the precincts, they say, he still couldn’t make up the difference.
Maduro, challenged to produce evidence of his declared win, said he couldn’t because the government’s computer system had been hacked.
The Carter Center, an international organization that sends officials to monitor elections where the possibility of voter fraud exists or has happened in the past, reported that Venezuela’s election “did not meet international standards of voter integrity and cannot be considered democratic.”
In public polling, both before and after the election, large majorities indicated they were voting for Gonzalez.
Since the vote, Venezuelan citizens have flooded the streets to protest, and Maduro has ordered crackdowns that already have led to more than a dozen deaths and hundreds of arrests.
Sadly, Maduro’s actions are seen far too often in regimes where dictators resort to illegitimate means, and even violence, to stay in power. They’re also the kinds of despotic actions we saw from President Donald Trump when he fought to remain in office after losing the 2020 election, and arguably incited the violent assault on our nation’s Capitol as Congress met to certify the election on Jan. 6, 2021.
It’s why so many Americans have resisted efforts in Trump-friendly states, including Texas, to impose more hurdles and deterrents to our own voting process, ostensibly in the name of election security.
Even many people who prefer Trump to other election options have said they don’t want to allow our country, this international bastion of freedom, to fall under the jackboot of dictatorship — even if it’s Trump.
But it’s also why so many people continue to leave despotic regimes and come to our borders, despite our efforts to deter them.
It doesn’t matter how high we build our walls, how many miles of razor wire and saw blades we hang in the Rio Grande, they will continue to come.
It’s because life under despotic rule is so much worse than any barrier we might place before their hope for a better life — no matter how brutal such a barrier might be.
As we prepare for our own elections in November, let us take note of what has happened in Venezuela, Russia and other countries where the legitimacy of their voting has come under question, and the desperation of the thousands of people who flee regimes where officials purport to be authoritarian leaders rather than public servants.
Commentary: Evil is the new good
The devils of despotism have come out of the closet in America.
We now know that many Americans have only been pretending to love representative government, always referring with pride to “our democracy” and to our wonderful “liberties,” and praising veterans who serve and even die to protect and defend them.
We see clearly that many of these people secretly have longed for a very different system of government — a despotism, a dictatorship, an autocracy, an authoritarian system that aims to take away those same cherished freedoms of speech, assembly, press, civil rights and religion.
It is true that the evil system they seek has been championed by means of the base emotions channeled by their political party leader. However, the disturbing truth inside these folks has always been lurking there, ready to explode into hate and violence as it has done before in American history.
We have seen it during and after our Civil War and our two world wars in the racial superiority expressed relative to African Americans, Chinese, Germans, Japanese, and today against Central and South Americans.
Today this new party of divisiveness and hate does not want to just subtract from what many Americans currently have, but to add materially to what they themselves have. They would take away a much larger chunk of the earned income of working Americans in order to support the unearned income and fabulously luxurious lifestyles of the wealthy and super-wealthy.
This faction of the population will not hesitate to go to civil war to install the degeneracy they seek, once again on the wrong side of right. They have been hoarding not just ordinary guns for self-defense, but military guns for domestic use in order to be in a better position to impose their will.
When these hypocrites go to church on the Sabbath day, they just pretend to love the neighbor sitting next to them in the pew. They pretend to love God and Jesus Christ, whose views about the inherent strengths and abilities of all human beings have been made well known in the scripture. None of that matters to them. They are just fine extolling what is good while at the same time saying and doing what is evil.
These so-called Americans now see a clear pathway to installing themselves as local rulers over their neighbors and enforcers of brute strength in their communities and states.
On the other hand, those who have true hearts for good living and good government turn out to know little about how to maintain such a system. They have seriously fumbled the ball and now live in panic from day to day, some running hither and some running thither, all in great alarm and all with little knowledge and little resolve about how to restore ethics and balance and good will in government. They are clearly losing to those who have less intellect, less conscience and less heart than they do.
Some of the champions of despotism, perhaps, have been tricked into their present posture by a poser, a promiser, an amoral evil genius who is skilled in organizing not only the errant minds of supposedly educated high school graduates but also their feeble bodies. Some of these merely fear for their own futures should they stand-up as true and courageous champions of American political tradition. They could be true and courageous Christians, Jews, freedom lovers and believers in opportunity and free expression for all, but they fear wrongly that such a stance will bring ruin to themselves and their families.
They would do better to correct their course of action and do what is right. That will bring everlasting benefit to all those they love and will help elevate those they are too afraid to love.
Kimball Shinkoskey lives in Woods Cross, Utah.