DECISIONS, 2024:...Why Cascos Needed To Run...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

BROWNSVILLE, Texas | It gave Mayra Flores the only Republican Primary win she needed. She will be the GOP's nominee in that race against Democrat Vicente Gonzalez in November, 2024. Miss Flores will thank her God, as is her way, but she should also thank fellow Republican Carlos Cascos, who bowed out of the race late last week.

We still say all it would have taken for Cascos to beat her would have been one debate.

A battle between Cascos and Gonzalez would have been the one for the 34th Congressional District's constituency. There is, we dare say, a miles-wide difference between Cascos, a former Cameron County Judge and ex-Texas Secretary of State, and any of the declared Republican candidates for that post.

But he decided against it.

As much as we grudgingly accepted his decision (for selfish Journalism reasons), we must say that Mr. Cascos absolutely knows he could have defeated Miss Flores. It is the Republican Party's national candidate apparatus that felled him, as he readily acknowledges that Miss Flores would be the one getting the millions in campaign funds needed to challenge for the post.

Mayra Flores became the darling of the Republican National Committee after beating Democrat Dan Sanchez for the job once held by Congressman Fil Vela in that Special Election in the Summer of 2022.

I mean, The New York Times and other major publications noted the historical significance of her victory in what was correctly characterized as "Democrat Country". Her term was short-lived: six months in which she fell into the job and fully believed she'd have a while. It was over when the November General Election came around and Democrat Vicente Gonzalez took her seat her by more than 10,000 votes.

It's, of course, a Big Sky from which candidates reach for and grab reasons for seeking a political post. Often, it is all about money. In his case, Carlos Cascos had the name recognition and the political cache to seriously go after not just Mayra Flores but also the incumbent. We'll never know how it all would have unfolded, but, from a journalist's perspective, it would have been a wildly-contested push & shove, edge & nudge, lead & follow horse race around the oval track.

In the world of news, we always like to say that some stories have legs; that is, they stick around for longer than one or two or three news cycles. This is one of those stories. We've never been big fans of Mayra Flores and her hothead style of politicking. Her manner of public discourse is rough and elementary, cliches and platitudes being her strength. Mr. Cascos would have unmasked her in any debate, early-on even. She's zirconia-in-the-rough, a fakery-favoring public servant in tight jeans and knee-high leather boots.

The contrast between them would have been readily discernible.

We'll await the calling of the horses to the gate as the year ends. Somehow, a contest pitting candidates Flores, unknown Mauro Garza of Raymondville and even more-unknown Laura E. Cisneros of Brownsville doesn't register on the political Richter Scale. No, Virginia, the needle isn't moving.

What's left for us is to find out whether Mr. Cascos will endorse and support his party's nominee against entrenched Gonzalez.

Something tells us his answer would not surprise many...

-30-

SUNSPOTS:...Where Do We Go Now?...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | Every now and then while driving, well, you come up to a point in the street or open road when something else beckons. It could be a lonely side street, an alluring alley or a time-carved dirt path off the crowded Interstate.

Yogi Berra, the always-erudite catcher for the NY Yankees of the Bronx Bombers Era, once said: "If you come to a fork in the road, take it."

That's whimsical, but often fitting.

Daring to change the screen stuff on your Life's existential window does something special for the mind. For one, it throws you up against something totally new, and that is always a treat. And two, yeah, every action has a reaction, so who knows what you may find when you do change the scenery?

You're no ant; yes, go ahead and take a different route to work, to the store, to the bar or to the restaurant. That's the best day-to-day activities menu, a willing stare down of what's actually - really - available for you. Life is short, shorter than any 60 or 70 years on the planet may indicate. Live them and see for yourself.

A truism: There's no one way to anywhere, except maybe the last three or four yards to a cemetery gravesite...

-30-

NATIONAL AFFAIRS:...Biden Dropping Out Of 2024 Race?...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | He's up there, as they say in age. So, the question of whether President Joe Biden sticks to his announced plan to run for reelection next year is a legitimate question. He's 80 years old, old by any measure of human biology.

They (and this is mainly Republicans) have noted his slowed speech, his seeming momentary losses of where exactly he is, especially when onstage, his aloofness, his manner of walking and his difficulty with climbing or descending stairs.

Would Joe Biden withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, the one most see as pitting him against oft-indicted Donald J. Trump, who is only three years younger?

This from thehill.com: [ A biographer of President Biden said that while it would be a surprise, it "wouldn’t be a total shock" if the president drops out of the 2024 race by the end of the calendar year.

NBC’s Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press" asked biographer Franklin Foer, whose book about Biden’s first two years in office will be released this week, how surprised he would be if Biden decided to not pursue a second term in office.

"I would say it would, it would be a surprise to me. But it wouldn’t be a total surprise," Foer said, adding that "it wouldn’t be a total shock."

"When he talks about his life, he uses this word, fate, constantly," he said. "Joe Biden is a very religious guy, and fate is a word loaded with religious meaning. And he always talks about, 'He can’t say where fate goes.' And so I always, when I hear that, to me, it’s the ellipses in the sentence when he’s talking about his own future."

Biden announced his reelection campaign earlier this year and has not signaled that he was considering dropping out of the race. Foer said his book, titled "The Last Politician," describes how Biden was "underestimated" and how he used that to his advantage. He also said it delves into Biden’s career in policymaking and what techniques he uses to get things done.

"It doesn’t take Bob Woodward to understand that Joe Biden is old, and I’m not a gerontologist and I can’t predict how the next couple of years will age Joe Biden," he said. "I think what my book does is shows that he is somebody who, for whom - he’s buried in details. He’s somebody who is very technocratic, obsessed with the intricacies of policy. He’s a very activist president in that he micromanages a lot of the dealings in the White House." ]

I say Biden would drop out if Trump is NOT the Republican Party's nominee. Biden's calmer stewardship of the country after Trump's volatile term has been to his credit, and various writers for various publications have said as much.

But, yeah, there is still a long way to go before November 2024 rolls around. This is politics, and, in that unstable world, well, so much can happen between now and then.

Anything, really...

-30-

LAW:...Texas A.G. Ken Paxton On Trial This Tuesday...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | Kenny's going to court. The Republican Texas Attorney General who's lived a charmed life in Austin will walk into his impeachment trial courtroom on Tuesday. Paxton's the name.

Ken Paxton.

You've seen all the TV news reporting and the newspaper write-ups about the royal mess 60-year-old Paxton created to find himself a vote from being removed.

This from the Associated Press: [ Billionaires, burner phones, alleged bribes: The impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is going to test the will of Republican senators to oust not only one of their own, but a firebrand who has helped drive the state’s hard turn to the right for years.

The historic proceedings set to start in the state Senate Tuesday are the most serious threat yet to one of Texas’ most powerful figures after nine years engulfed by criminal charges, scandal and accusations of corruption. If convicted, Paxton - just the third official in Texas’ nearly 200-year history to be impeached - could be removed from office.

Witnesses called to testify could include Paxton and a woman with whom he has acknowledged having an extramarital affair. Members of the public hoping to watch from the gallery will have to line up for passes. And conservative activists have already bought up TV airtime and billboards, pressuring senators to acquit one of Donald Trump’s biggest defenders.

"It’s a very serious event but it’s a big-time show," said Bill Miller, a longtime Austin lobbyist and a friend of Paxton. "Any way you cut it, it’s going to have the attention of anyone and everyone."

The build-up to the trial has widened divisions among Texas Republicans that reflect the wider fissures roiling the party nationally heading into the 2024 election. ]

In the courtroom's gallery will likely be Paxton's wife, Angela. She is a state senator representing a district just north of Dallas. Angela Paxton, shown in photo above, has been barred from voting in the yes or no ouster of her husband.

The trial has drawn interest from the major networks and the country's largest, more-influential newspapers.

It should be a wild one, as Paxton has said he will defend himself vigorously.

Does that mean he'll dish dirt on his high-ranking GOP pals?

This is what he said about the upcoming trial during a speech just yesterday: [ "I can talk about something that I think has become maybe the leading issue that we need to deal with as a county, and the state needs to deal with it, and that is something known as the Texas House of Representatives and the leadership in the Texas House of Representatives," Paxton told the audience at a Collin County GOP picnic.

"We all know the name (Texas House Speaker) Dade Phelan, we saw the videos of what happened, and we see his leadership," Paxton said, referring to a video of Phelan slurring his words on the House floor the evening before the House announced its investigation into Paxton. Some Phelan critics suggested Phelan was drunk. ]

Paxton followed that by saying, "Let's clean house."

Since the House voted to impeach him, Paxton has been suspended without pay.

He could get his old job back if he is cleared of the allegations. A conviction would strip Paxton of his title. However, he could run for another term as attorney general in the future. The Texas Senate would have to conduct a second vote if it wished to block him from seeking office in the state again.

Yeah, let's clean house. Well, first the trial...

-30-

FORT WORTH:...Colorado Shocks TCU, 45-42...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | Can we say, "They're baaaaaaaaack!" Those once-reliable patsies Colorado Buffaloes used to being whipped by more than four touchdowns per game last season actually came to Fort Worth, Texas and whipped the favored Horned Frogs, 45-42.

Favored! Like by 20.5 points, according to Vegas bookies.

It is the electric story moving across college football like no other in recent years. Colorado has its history of winning, but not lately. No, this year's squad was taking the field after last year's team went 1-11. One and eleven. How do you get motivated to play when you're losing every weekend?

The University of Colorado hired itself one helluva motivator - NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, old # 21 for the Dallas Cowboys. The pre-season talk was of Sanders being in the coaching hotseat, about how he had walked into a loser's den, about how it would be tough to win a mere three games.

Uh, those naysayers were the game's loudest voices after Saturday's game. ESPN, the big boombox of college football, devoted so much time to the Colorado win that scores from other games literally got little coverage. Prime Time was on TV all over the place, including his post-game press conference, which ESPN featured prominently.

Coach Prime has now served noticed that he has banded a tough squad to be reckoned with. Next week, the high-scoring Buffaloes host once-mighty Nebraska, now an also-ran. The Huskers lost their first game to Minnesota this week. It'll be one hot time along restaurant and bar-heavy Pearl Street in Boulder, a favorite haunt of mine when I worked for The Associated Press in Denver.

Those were the good years, when Coach Bill "Wings" McCartney fielded a team in 1994 that went 11-1 behind the running of back Rashaan Salaam, who would win the coveted Heisman Trophy that year. Some of you may remember the name of that team's quarterback - one Kordell Stewart, who went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Buffaloes beat Texas that year (34-31), losing only to eventual NCAA champion Nebraska by a score of 24-7.

In that year's Fiesta Bowl, the Buffaloes routed Notre Dame, 41-24.

It is that mood that likely has already captured fans in the entire state. The Denver Post had several nice write-ups about Coach Prime's first victory, gushing that TCU was ranked and hosting the young and untested Buffaloes on its home field.

45-42.

A shootout, yes, but one the Buffaloes handled well. It was Colorado that broke into the scoring column first, that held the lead at halftime and that weathered a surge from the Horned Frogs to eventually grab the win.

Standout players: Colorado's QB Shedeur Sanders, son of Coach Prime and shown in photo above, passed for 510 yards - a school record. That's impressive. Yeah, he had similar numbers at Jackson State, when he and his dad played and coached for the Tigers, but he wasn't facing Big Time teams there. TCU was ranked #17 going into its game against the Buffaloes. Freshman running back Dylan Edwards scored four touchdowns! And four different Buffaloes had at least 100 yards receiving, another school record.

This was not mere showing up to play a game; this was coming out to win. Colorado's players were clearly ready. Much more than were the TCU players. That prediction by sportswriters that the best Colorado would do this season was win three games?

They won't be writing that anymore...

-30-

SUN STORIES:..."The Pico De Gallo Murder"...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas | Everyone knew her as Connie. Connie, the snitch. What did she know about this, Detective Luis Perez asked himself as he drove to her place. A former bartender now too jaded to ply that gig, Connie Cavazos still cut a wild path across the Mexican border nightlife scene.

It was said that if anyone had dated every man in town, well, it had to be Connie.

Her name and physical attributes were talked about in bars across the county. Gossip and facts came to her like steel balls to a magnet. Yes, her record at Rio Grande City PeeDee was a rather long one, but this was the Mexican border, home to the most creative criminals on the planet.

More creative than the best of drug traffickers. For sure.

Bodies were being seen floating over in the Rio Grande and a local reporter had been stabbed to death here recently. Connie had known the latter's name before the cops and the press had it. How she made her living was nobody's business, Connie would say, although any of her nosey neighbors would have told you that cars pulled up to her place at all hours of the night and rhythmic moaning & groaning was the music they always heard coming from her aging ranch house.

Perez knew at least seven cops who had been, shall we say, overly friendly with Connie.

Once she had been attractive, but that was years back, when Elvis was still alive. Detective Perez also knew she had some wild wits about her.

"Gotta stay a step ahead of her, Luis," he said aloud as he pulled up to her house...

-30-

AUSTIN:...Horns vs. Cupcake Rice In Season Opener...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

AUSTIN, Texas | Just a bit past noon today. That's the starting time for the Texas Longhorns and this much-awaited 2023 college football season. The Big 12 Conference squad takes on lowly Rice University at Darrell K. Royal Stadium coming off an 8-5 season last year.

Much more is expected from this year's team.

Back behind center is Quarterback Quinn Ewers, the 6'2", 194 pounds signal-caller who transferred in after a brief stint with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ewers played high school football at powerhouse Southlake Carroll near Dallas.

Rice was 5-8 last year, finishing 7th in Conference USA.

Ranked 11th in the preseason AP Top 25, Texas has a decent shot at winning the Big 12 title before they depart for the stronger Southeastern Conference (SEC) next season. Last time they faced Rice was in 2021, when the Longhorns won handily 58-0. The last time the Owls got a win vs. Texas was back in 1994, when they squeaked out a 19-17 win.

It'll get interesting if Texas runs up the score and fans get to see backup Arch Manning in action. Manning is the grandson of Ole Miss and New Orleans Saints QB Archie Manning and the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, both National Football League starters at QB.

The game will be broadcast by FOX Sports.

Time: 2:30 p.m. CST...

-30-

FASHION:...Men Who Can No Longer Wear Jeans...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

BROWNSVILLE, Texas | So, you're in your mid-to-late 70s and life is getting tougher by the day. Those body aches and pains have you grouchy, feeling left out and envious. Look at yourself in the mirror and then ask the magic question:

Can I still wear blue jeans in public?

If you no longer can wear jeans, you're no longer with the hip crowd, no longer one to be admired, no longer seen as being alive.

There are plenty of those men in the Rio Grande Valley, from here to Starr County to the west. It is easily visible. There is no need to start jogging or going to the gym. Your body is your body and if you find it's physically-eccentric, well, that's where you are.

Do you know any elderly dude out there who you never see in blue jeans? They're always in loose-fitting slacks, their bulging gut unable to hide even under that flowing shirt. I see them. I know some.

I'm sure you do, too. And we're not simply being mean here; we're just reporting on what we observe out there. Indeed, it is a sad sight, for it then becomes another clue that you're no longer part of the in-shape crowd.

You're 73, 74 or 75?

What are you wearing? Those same loose-fitting gray or black slacks you wore at age 68 and on and on and on until you hit your present advanced age?

Well, yes, he said.

And we're not even talking about the bulbous face or balding head in this one. When you're there, you're there, and, of course, we all know that our hurry-up/throwaway society has no time for the elderly. Not in this country, not in this Rio Grande Valley. They will laugh and point at you at the grocery store, at the restaurant and when you're merely hanging out with your friends at a local bar.

We all should from time to time stop and observe ourselves.

There are certain losses we don't share, but which are there just the same. I know, I know. Old men rarely care about their appearance, whether goofin' at home or out in public. But this is Texas, and -

What male wants to say he can no longer wear blue jeans?...

-30-

NATIONAL:...Mike Pence Blows It, Next To Drop Out...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | It's late in the summer and much of the politicking in Iowa has slowed down markedly, almost to a crawl. Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, left the state to tend to the merciless whipping his Sunshine State was about to get from Hurricane Idalia.

Surprising Vivek Ramaswamy went on the talk show circuit, as did Nikki Haley. Tim Scott just moseyed about Iowa and then returned to his home state of South Carolina. Who knows where Asa Hutchinson went, but he's from Arkansas, so look for him there. Also gone was Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, who isn't doing well. Ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sat down for a myriad of TV interviews and chats.

Former Veep Mike Pence?

He stuck around and held "Meet The Candidate" gatherings, but got few attendees. His goose is cooked. Boring never sells on any campaign's trail.

We're going out on a very thick limb here by saying that Hutchinson, Burgum and Pence are the next Republican presidential candidates to drop out of the race for the party's 2024 nomination.

Donald J. Trump, it says here, has that sewn-up.

Pence's fall has been steady and rather intriguing. He wavered between supporting Trump in his current legal travails and blasting hm for instigating the Jan.6, 2021 riot in the nation's capital. Pence seemed to strike a nerve with his attacks on his old boss, but he never took it another step farther.

Attendance at his speeches across the state have not gotten him the roaring crowd he wanted. The photo atop this posting is a prime example of that. He literally spoke to less than eight people at this particular stop.

And that's a damned shame, as Mike Pence, more than any other Republican candidate, had the goods on the former president to set himself apart from his opponents. He was the "I've-Been-There" candidate, and he kept that in his back pocket. He never used it.

Pence placed all his marbles in the anti-abortion basket and fully believed that would be enough.

Not when every other candidate also says they also are against abortion...

-30-

COLORADO:...Buffaloes Hanging With Deion...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | It is perhaps the most intriguing part of the coming college football season. How will NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders work out as head coach of the University of Colorado?

The Buffalos were 1-11 last year.

Sanders, the greatest Dallas Cowboys defensive back ever, is starting his first year in Boulder, Colorado - a spectacularly-cool city at the front-range base of the Rocky Mountains. To say that an entire state's expectations are sky-high is to downplay the mood in bars, living rooms and fan clubs.

Deion can beat 1-11, goes the conversation line. Easily.

This from espn.com: [ The Buffs weren't just one of the worst teams in college football last season, they were one of the worst teams in recent memory. Coach Karl Dorrell was fired after an 0-5 start in just his third season, and the team finished 1-11. Colorado lost games by an average margin of 29.1 points last year, the worst in the country and the fourth-worst among Power 5 programs in the past 30 years.

When the Buffaloes take the field in Fort Worth, Texas, against No. 17 TCU on Saturday (noon, Fox), the only resemblance to last year's team will be the uniforms. Only 10 scholarship players from the 2022 roster remain with the team. The team's 86 new players come from all over - from high school to junior college to the SEC - including nine who followed Sanders from Jackson State, led by Shedeur Sanders, Deion's son and CU's starting QB, and Travis Hunter, the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2022 class. According to ESPN Stats & Information data, it's the most incoming players to an FBS roster since the inception of the transfer portal in 2018.

"I know it's a huge overhaul," Sanders said. "But it had to be done." ]

TCU will not be an easy game. The Horned Frogs made it to the NCAA championship game, where, yeah, they were blown out by Number 1 Georgia.

All of Deion's ways are under a microscope. Will the team get off to a good start or a bad one, and how will the players and fans react to either of those possibilities?

Colorado is a slacker state where few issues ever really rile-up the population. I mean, the Buffs were 1-11 last year! Plus, this year the pro team in town - Denver Broncos - also have a new coach and new dreams under Sean Payton, the former field guru of the New Orleans Saints.

When I wrote for the Associated Press in Denver, the football season opened and closed with the Broncos. This year, with Prime Time Deion in town, it's the Colorado Buffalos drawing attention like little else.

Beat #14 TCU on its home field, always a tough task for any team, and the sky's the limit for Coach Sanders. Up after TCU for the Buffs is Nebraska, which lost its opener yesterday to the Minnesota Gophers.

The two other ranked teams on Colorado's 2023 schedule are #18 Oregon State on Nov. 4 and #14 Utah on Nov. 25.

Deion is not used to losing. But lose a few for the Boulder faithful and it's back to the drawing board.

That, too, is Big Time college ball...

-30-

BROWNSVILLE:...Cascos Out Of 34th Cong. District Brawl...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

BROWNSVILLE, Texas | It's a "No go" for Carlos Cascos in that much-anticipated down-to-the-mat brawl with fellow Republican Mayra Flores. The former Cameron County Judge and ex-Texas Secretary of State has decided this fight's not for him.

In a note to The McAllen Sun, Mr. Cascos said this: "I've decided to sit this one out. Thank you to those with words of encouragement. I will be supporting those candidates that I believe will best represent our community while providing viable & sustainable platforms focusing on sound public policy. Stay well all."

It was not that big of a surprise.

This far out from the 2024 election, well, you'd really have to have wanted it.

It's a disappointment for us, because we feel Mayra Flores would have been put to a test she has not faced before in in-house competition.

Looks like incumbent Democrat Vicente Gonzalez vs. Mayra Flores in that 34th Congressional District contest one more time...

-0-

Our reply to Mr. Cascos: . . .I really believe you would have tested Mayra's mettle. That would have been good for voters. Her behavior in any sort of give & take with you would have been key. Against Democrat Vicente Gonzalez, she will be the usual hothead Mayra Flores - a repeat of that cheap 2022 act that raised eyebrows but never threatened Vicente... 

-30-

TRUMP:...Georgia Trial To be Televised...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | Get your Coke and microwave popcorn ready. And plan on settling into the couch for a few days, weeks maybe. Donald J. Trump's trial is on the horizon and the presiding judge says it'll be televised. Whoa, Nelly!

Are you ready?

ARE YOU READY?!!

Not since the Trial of O.J. Simpson captivated America has a trial been this anticipated. Trump on the stick. There in court. Fighting like a sumbitch to stay out of prison.

This from ajc.com: [ . . .Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee has confirmed that Trump's Georgia felony trial will be streamed via the county court's YouTube channel and that a press pool will be arranged, allowing the trial to be televised. That news comes to us via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Each of the 19 indicted defendants’ trials will be televised, in fact; current legal wrangling has yet to determine which of the defendants will have their trials split off from Trump's, but a number of his co-defendants have already broken with Trump to request that their own trials happen much, much sooner than Trump's current (non-indicted) lawyers are pushing for. Attorney Kenneth Chesebro was the first to request a speedy trial, receiving an Oct. 23 trial date from Judge McAfee. Trump's trial is currently scheduled for next March. ]

Right about March Madness time, eh?

Cool.

Or, as one Rick Perry might say about here, "Bring it."

There has been no response to this from Trump or his lawyers, but a judge's ruling on matters such as this one usually stands.

And, who knows, maybe Trump will even take the stand. We say that knowing that he seems to blow it every chance he gets with the legal system.

Anyway, it should be for good television during our cooler days...

-30-

WASHINGTON, D.C.:...Rioter Gets 17 years In Prison...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | Another malcontent got the big shaft. Proud Boy Joe Biggs, shown in photo above, will not be home for a while. He's been sentenced to prison for his part in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

This from dailybeast.com: [ Biggs was "an instigator and leader" of the riot, according to prosecutors. Now he’ll serve 17 years behind bars after being sentenced for seditious conspiracy on Thursday.

It’s a lengthy jail term compared to the other Capitol rioters - only a year shorter than the longest sentence given for Jan. 6-related crimes. That belongs to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who got an 18-year sentence for the same crime.

Biggs is a veteran of the U.S. Army and sustained a head injury during his service in Iraq. He later joined right-wing conspiracy website Infowars as a correspondent. When he stormed the Capitol with his fellow Proud Boys on Jan. 6, Biggs was a “vocal leader and influential proponent of the group’s shift toward political violence,” prosecutors argued.

But Biggs claimed that couldn’t be farther from the truth. He pleaded with the judge to go light during his sentencing, saying he wanted to be around for his daughter and ailing mother.

"I know that I have to be punished and I understand," he said, according to CNN, but added, "please give me the chance, I beg you, to take my daughter to school and pick her up."

"I’m not a terrorist," he said. "I’m one of the nicest people in the world." ]

Well, be nice behind bars.

That's our best advice for this guy - yet another insurrectionist who wishes to portray himself differently when in court. You went nuts. Now, you go to jail.

Crime still does not pay...

-30-

McALLEN:...Mayor's Mexico Tour Continues...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | He threatens to become the Rio Grande Valley's ambassador to Mexico. We speak of Mayor Javier Villalobos, who keeps mining our southern neighbor for business.

This from the McAllen mayor about his latest effort: [ Visiting with Mayor of Mier y Noriega.  Our Mexican partners play a vital part of the RGV’s economy. We must keep on building our relationships with our Nuevo León communities. A majority of companies coming from China are relocating in the northern part of Mexico and our area complements the necessary trade and commerce for the benefit of both Mexico and the U.S. ]

Sounds like the effort is worth all it could bring to The City of Palms.

Villalobos seems to have made seeking new commerce with Mexico a signature venture of his administration.

Nothing wrong with that.

Earlier, the mayor visited Tampico on Mexico's Gulf Coast and Monterrey inland.

Trade with Mexico has long been a part of the Valley's existence...

-30-

HURRICANE BRIEFS:...Day Of Utter Misery...

 

STAFF REPORT

PERRY, Florida | It appears that Hurricane Idalia claimed only two lives as it made its way across northern Florida and into Georgia and South Carolina.

By comparison, the last big hurricane to strike the Sunshine State - Ian - took 144 lives to the grave.

Not that Idalia was a nice visitor.

This from an online report: [ As Hurricane Idalia blasted through the Carolinas and out into the Atlantic Ocean, flood-stricken and wind-blasted residents in Florida and Georgia were picking through the debris to see what remains of their homes and possessions. ]

That's Tom Lanier, 78, in photo above. Not a happy camper, no. He lost a chunk of his home.

But that's hurricanes, isn't it?...

-30-

EDINBURG:...Friday Night Lights Up Mayors...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

EDINBURG, Texas | Well, a bet's a bet. McAllen High beat Edinburg High in their season opener last Friday. Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr, formerly city manager of his hometown, paid up.

Here are his words: [ So our Bobcats came up short last night but fought until the end. I have no doubt they will be back and have a great season! And now, to pay up. I promised that if we would not prevail, that I would wear a McHi Bulldog cap. Well, here it is Javier Villalobos McAllen Mayor! ]

Football is king in the Rio Grande Valley.

Conjunto music freaks can dance around the Mulberry Bush all day and night, and that's fine. But everyone - I mean, everyone - turns out for Friday Night Lights.

McAllen Mayor Villalobos, shown in photo above wearing the purple & gold of McHi, is a native of Carrizo Springs out west a bit. But he's all-Bulldog these days.

There was a time, both of these mayors should know, when both cities had only one high school. The rivalry was hot.

Edinburg's popular mayor likely remembers the student shenanigans.

Ha ha...

-30-

SUN SPORTS:...State Champs - 1961 Donna Redskins...

BROWNSVILLE:...Cascos Readies His Move...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

BROWNSVILLE, Texas | Four days. That's all the time he has before announcing whether he'll run for office in 2024. Republican Carlos Cascos is on the clock.

The former Cameron County Judge and ex-Texas Secretary of State listed Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 4th) as the day he would make his decision known. It'll be a Yes or a No. And it'll be either for county judge or Congress, if he decides to go for it.

Little of note has come from him in the last few weeks, other than an occasional post on his Facebook page. There, he has largely stayed with local issues and passed on national stuff. His latest posting was about ineptitude at the City of Brownsville's two business-seeking entities, BCIC and GBIC. Both have been roundly criticized and pretty much labeled losers at this point.

Cascos will be 71 years old two weeks after Labor Day - on September 18th.

The county judge possibility is the clear longshot here. Cascos lost to incumbent Eddie Trevino last November by 4,000-plus votes. Trevino has the greater portion of four years left in his term, so that may be a reason Cascos seeks the 34th Congressional District seat.

That one is currently by Democrat Vicente Gonzalez.

Our read today is that it is the Congress job Cascos is currently considering, if any.

Gonzalez defeated Republican greenhorn Mayra Flores by almost 10,000 votes in the November, 2022 election. She is a declared candidate for that seat.

The margin of victory seems to indicate a stronger Democratic Party base than that fielded by Republicans.

Cascos would have to whip feisty Miss Flores (shown in file photo above) in the party primary before squaring off against younger, well-funded Gonzalez.

It's all something to consider.

Monday, Monday, yes...

-30-

FROZEN:...Mitch McConnell Goes Zombie Again...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | Now, it's twice that U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has seemed to freeze while speaking at a press conference. This time it happened while addressing reporters in his home state city of Covington.

This about that from Twitter, now known as X: [ When Mitch was asked his thoughts today on running for re-election in 2026, his body responded… he froze up again. This is a problem. I’m sympathetic to health, but we can’t have individuals in office who are clearly unfit to serve due to their health. ]

A month ago, the 81-year-old McConnell suffered a similar incident at a news conference in Washington, D.C. There, he appeared to go full-stone for several seconds before aides grabbed him.

In Covington, an aide also did the quick rescue.

McConnell seemed fine after a few seconds of bailing from this world.

The Republican likely will not run for reelection in three years.

Too bad. He is the unofficial anti-Trump in the party...

-30-

SUN STORIES:..."Last Kiss Of 1949"...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | Drawn to each other three months earlier by the coldest winter in local memory, Delia and Pedro saw their friendship grow from nothing to the ragged edges of love. Unfortunately, the year was coming to an end and the next one seemed more exciting - 1950.

Delia loved gardening; Pedro loved partying.

The old army wool blanket from his days in the military they had shared at his place suddenly found itself in the back of the closet. Their chrysalid relationship had not stood the test of time, as they said in all romance novels.

Pedro had tried, is what he would've said about the unexpected breakup. And he was used to trying, having managed a tire repair shop for almost 10 years, the sort of enterprise that did businesses thanks to the region's cheap automobiles.

Sweet Delia was more forthcoming - she admitted she did not actually ever love Pedro, which rather surprised him, especially after seeing her so physically engrossed in their lovemaking. This he said from the perspective of a seasonal lover, which is what he had been for Delia when the cold rains and sleet came that year.

When she finally told him it was over, Pedro did an about-face and walked toward her restaurant's door, saying not one word but thinking that he wanted to tell Delia she would someday feel the emotional pain he was taking home...

-30-

SAN BENITO:...More Of That Silly Historical Crap...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

SAN BENITO, Texas | Hey, we're hip. Run around the Rio Grande Valley and be told everything is "historic" - even plain ol' downtown streets.

This from waz zappenin' San Benito: [ Picture with San Benito Mayor Ricardo "Rick" Guerra during Market Days on Historic Robertson Street. ]

The mayor is the one in the flowing yellow shirt and faddish tennis shoes in the photo above.

What's historic about Robertson Street? Nothing much, other than that it's been downtown since they laid it down. No, we're not being mean. Just factual, you might say. But we get it: everything can be "historic" in the Valley if we just say so. Weird, but true.

Just because a street or building is old does NOT make it "historic".

Hey, listen up: Something significant and memorable has to be associated with whatever is designated as "historic". We couldn't find any references to Robertson Street reaching that threshold. It's there, like most city and town streets, being used and sort of maintained by local government. Who is it named after - the western actor Dale Robertson? As my old pal Melissa Zamora might about here: "Quien sobby?"

It's just an odd quirk pretty much full-across the RGV.

McAllen has its Cine El Rey on boozy 17th Street. It's been right there seemingly forever. Is it "historic"? Not really. Simply being kept in use and still the scene of popular events does NOT make it "historic". It's nice that someone has decided not to bulldoze it, 'cause the facade is actually cool in its border architectural simplicity.

Harlingen has Las Cazuelas Restaurant (see photo below), a favorite of mine when in Cardinal Country. Its exterior is old and has not exactly been touched-up, but is it "historic"? I say, NO.

Historic for any Valley building would be if some major celebrity, like a president, dropped in and said or did something extraordinary, like if President Franklin D. Roosevelt had made his declaration of war against Japan ahead of World War II, say, at El Jardin Hotel in Brownsville.

Nothing like that has ever happened anywhere in the magic valley.

You could almost hear it, had it happened:

"Oye, Juan, que es eso - infami?"

"Ees how the date will live, ese"

Yeah.

Folks in the RGV should be a bit more conservative when declaring anything "historic," as, well, it does diminish that which actually is...

-30-

BROWNSVILLE:...Where Poverty Is Undefeated...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

BROWNSVILLE, Texas | This falling birdhouse home to some 180,000 residents continues to be the poorest along the Texas-Mexico border. Poverty reigns supreme here, forever over-arching personal drive and ambition. There is some of the former and some say not enough of the latter.

But why is that?

Why is Brownsville so depressed. Its median annual income is $20,326, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 numbers. Yeah, you'd argue that twenty-grand goes a long, long way in a city with such close ties to Mexico. Downtown Matamoros is no more than a well-struck 4-iron south from downtown, across the Mighty Rio Grande.

The symbiotic relationship is key to the local economy. Many local residents do their shopping in Mexico, get haircuts over there, get their vehicles repaired, buy shoes and clothing for their schoolkids and dine at what is just about half-price when compared to Brownsville restaurant prices.

So, maybe an income of $20, 326 isn't all that bad.

But the federal government says too many Brownsvillians live below the poverty line. And like we said, twenty-grand isn't bad for a single person. But there are many families here, and, for a family of 4, the poverty line is $27,750, according to the Feds. A family of 6? You'd need to earn $37,190 annually.

Figures for other on-the-border towns aren't that much better than Brownsville's, although most are a little better.

Laredo comes in with a median income of $23,100

El Paso is at $24,071.

For Texas as a whole, the median income is $31,462.

This from a book I recently finished reading: [ The opening pages of The Other America set out the problem: There was a "familiar America" of postwar prosperity, of televisions and radios and automobiles and suburban homes, and then there was a shadowland - "another America" - of between 40 and 50 million people who lived in poverty. The poor might not be literally starving, as they were in other countries, but they were "maimed in body and spirit," their lives twisted and deformed by material lack, and their existence "invisible" to the broader society. ]

It would be too-easy to say the residents of Brownsville are a defeated lot. A lot of those long faces and slumping shoulders you see out there these days are really the result of summer's oppressive heat, is what we would guess.

But there is some accuracy to that as an observation of Brownsville's residents.

And City Hall does not seem to have the answers. More often than not, it has the problems. Its new mayor, John Cowen, has not exactly come out of the bullpen as some Al Hrabosky, the "Mad Hungarian" who terrorized Major League Baseball hitters in the 1970s and early-1980s.

Cowen has been rather quiet, more introverted than any of the other Rio Grande Valley mayors, some new to the job like him, but much more active.

The current chaos and disarray over at two of the city's economic entities, Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) and Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC), is a prime example of the failures that dog Brownsville. Both city-appointed entities reportedly were designed to bring new business to town, from elsewhere or from within if qualified.

It never happened.

Big money went down the rathole and Brownsville got no jobs or no businesses. Some monies did go to existing businesses, but none that, say, brought better-paying jobs. Both BCIC and GBIC are still in existence. The question is: Why?

Any other city with better leadership would have cut its losses by abolishing both boards, re-framing the mission and starting over from scratch, with a fail-safe administration mission and better-educated boardmembers. As things stand, Brownsville is doing that, in effect insisting on future failures.

Perhaps the poverty thing is so ingrained here that no one gives it much thought. The city at the mouth of the Rio Grande is home to a population that counts 94.7% Hispanics (Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, according to the Census Bureau), and the thinking there likely being that this bloc of people is used to being poor.

Yeah, poor Brownsville...

-30-

MAR-A-LAGO:...Trump Sees Ramaswamy As Veep...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | What's that - he likes the dark-skin dude? Holy moley...me, oh, my...he's the apple of Trump's eye. Shocker. Upset City. Pick a cliche. It'll fit.

Donald J. Trump, the four-times indicted cat seeking the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nomination, says he'd be okay with Indian-American Vivek Ramaswamy as his vice-president. Not that it's going to happen, but that's what he's saying.

There was this today from axios.com: [ Donald Trump showered Vivek Ramaswamy with praise when asked in an interview if he'd considered the 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur for vice president.

It's the most Trump has weighed in on Ramaswamy's presidential candidacy, revealing his openness to a significantly younger and arguably more radical anti-Washington unknown.

Driving the news: Trump called Ramaswamy "smart" and "young" and "full of talent" when asked by conservative talk show host Glenn Beck what he thinks of a "Vice President Ramaswamy."

"He's a very, very, very intelligent person. He's got good energy, and he could be some form of something," Trump said of Ramaswamy. "I tell you, I think he'd be very good." ]

But we all know Trump is a horrible judge of people.

How many of his White House people are under indictment?

Yeah.

This is more like the Kiss of Death for Ramaswamy...

-30-

HARLINGEN:...Gonzalez Brings Home The Bacon...

 

STAFF REPORT

HARLINGEN, Texas | Congressman Vicente Gozalez has been good for this Mid-Valley city. He keeps bringing home the bacon. That's a good thing for the Democrat, as itching Republicans are hot on his heels ahead of the 2024 election.

This from Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda, shown in photo above next to Gonzalez in suit & tie: [ We hosted Congressman Vicente Gonzalez at City Hall and he held a press conference to provide a legislative update for our district. Back in March, we submitted 10 projects to be considered by the Congressman and 2 were funded through earmarks. These included 5th and 7th Streets Storm Sewer Drainage Improvements for roughly $1.4 Million. This project will replace 1.22 miles of 12 to 24-inch reinforced concrete pipes, manholes, and inlets mostly among segments of 5th and 7th Street. This project will help downtown and major thoroughfares known to be flood-prone. Also funded at approximately $650K was our request to update the radio equipment for the Harlingen Police Department. ]

I mean, that's a good deal.

Any way you look at it...

-30- 

SUN RECORDS: Newsroom Jukebox - "Hotel California"...

MAYRA:...That Photo With The Bishop...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

BROWNSVILLE, Texas | Has she been back? Back to visit with Bishop Daniel Flores. The photo you see above is one taken a few months ago, when Republican and 34th Congressional District candidate Mayra Flores was hot, as in front-center in national news.

We always wondered what their conversation consisted of, whether it was a roundhouse chat on all-things-religion or just on the hot-button issue of abortion.

Bishop Flores, head of the Brownsville Diocese, is pro-life, of course.

Mayra Flores, daughter of San Benito by way of Tamaulipas, Mexico, is anti-abortion, so the conversation had to be a pleasant one for both of these homo sapiens.

We tried to get at the bottom of this presumed symbiotic relationship, but were walled back from any direct answer from her camp when Miss Flores blocked all access to her Facebook and other social media accounts. We are persona non grata to the respiratory technician now living in bucolic Los Indios. Oh, well.

And then it hit us that this photo may also have been taken after she won the congressional seat once owned by local favorite son Fil Vela back last summer. Could be, we were told without any sense of definitiveness.

Miss Flores, of course, lost the important race against better-funded and better-educated Democrat Vicente Gonzalez last November.

If she hit up on Bishop Flores after winning the Special Election (and serving a brief six months), well, what could have brought her to his manger? Was she seeking advice (talking points from the cloth) on how to speak to the abortion issue up in Washington, D.C.? Was she interested in carrying news that her district in Deep South Texas was chock-full of anti-abortion Mexicans and Mexican-Americans?

Who knows?

By the way, Mayra Flores isn't saying much these days. She's actually quieted down. At least, publicly, although we're sure her Facebook page and her Twitter (now X) are full of the usual FOX News tripe. You know her cheap spiel: open borders, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's age, pro-gun psalms, the entire Republican Party platform stuff, in other words.

Has she said anything about Congressman Gonzalez?

Oh, for sure. She has him dead-center in her ledger notes of must-do daily utterances.

All that, yes.

We still wonder if she's stayed in touch with Bishop Flores. That's an intriguing friendship, I must say.

And, yeah, what ever happened to religion staying out of our national politics? What a crock, eh? The two are likethis these days. Thisclose!

In any case, I like that photograph. Look at it atop this post. What is Bishop Flores saying to her at the moment the photo was taken?

"I'm gonna need you to lay some Uncle Sam cash on me, child," that's what he's saying...

-30-

TAMPA:...Hurricane Idalia About To Slam Florida...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | Geez, Louise. It was only last September 28th that Hurricane Ian raked its killer 150-miles-per-hour winds full-across central Florida, cutting northeast from Tampa to Lee County off the Atlantic Coast. In all, 144 Floridians died during that hurricane.

This one, say the weatherboys, will also be a monster.

And already, the state led by flaky Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is battening up the hatches and stocking up on essentials such as water, paper products, ice and perhaps even beer.

This comment from a local about that from tampatimes.com: [ "People are worried. This is unusual, even for a hurricane," said cashier Tina Hayes, 57. Some might be more concerned because of Hurricane Ian’s destruction last year, she said. ]

DeSantis earned a bit of silly criticism after Hurricane Ian from Palm Beach resident Donald J. Trump, who noted DeSantis had lapped-up to President Joe Biden (Democrat) perhaps a bit too much when asking for post-hurricane federal aid, which he got.

This time, presidential candidate DeSantis quickly left the campaign trail in Iowa as this hurricane set its sights on defenseless Floridians, a favorite target of these meteorological bastards.

Hurricane Idalia is set to make landfall tomorrow morning, Wednesday.

I do love that name, yes...

-30-