Much improvement at women's lockup

Editor:

The public should know about some recent positive changes at the Cameron County jail for women. The letter by Diana Claitor of the Texas Jail Project, printed on Jan. 27, painted a bleak picture of our local jails and began a surge of community interest and concern for the incarcerated women.

Now, just five months later, thanks to the leadership of Lt. Hilda Treviño (placed in charge of Detention Center 2 on March 28) and the support of Mike Leinart, chief jail administrator, the Cameron County women's jail has the beginnings of a real rehabilitation program.

A GED class is now offered through BISD. A parenting class is being offered through Tip of Texas Family Outreach Center, complete with PowerPoint presentations, clever videos and handouts. A class in anger management is being taught by Mary Salinas, recently retired director of counseling for BISD. Way to Happiness is a basic life-skills class offered once a week. Sessions on drug abuse have begun, with more being planned using volunteers from the community. Cable TV programs heavy on sex and violence have been replaced with a high-tech program that broadcasts appropriate educational programs and inspirational movies.

All of these improvements have been implemented with no extra cost to the county. And as women are released, they receive information that will help them continue the programs they began in jail.

The number and scope of the programs and volunteers will soon increase and be extended to the men.

Lt. Treviño has a laundry list of ideas for interventions to provide treatment and training for inmates. She says that for the last 25 years, the system has been very punitive. Allowing inmates access to educational and rehabilitation programs can change that. Almost all of those incarcerated will one day return to the community, and it is well known that needed intervention can reduce their return to criminal activity and jail.

I have observed the classes and am convinced they will make a difference in the lives of these women. It is exciting and encouraging to see that so many are highly motivated and seem to realize that they are being offered the tools they need to make necessary changes in their behavior.

Our sheriff and jail staff are to be commended for allowing access to community-based programs and volunteers seeking to help the inmates turn their lives around. Religious-based programs sponsored by various churches have long been a source of intervention. It is heartening to see so many other community groups willing to provide needed services.

Jean Krause

Pax Christi Brownsville

Brownsville

Via the Internet

Question Obama's love for America

Editor:

"I have found, for the first time, my patriotism challenged - at times as a result of my own carelessness, more often as a result of the desire by some to score political points and raise fears about who I am and what I stand for," as stated by Barack Obama in June in a local newspaper.

What surprises me is why no one would question his patriotism when year after year he attended church along with his wife and family and sat year after year listening to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright beat down the United States and "God damn America," and not think maybe, just maybe, he was not being patriotic. Maybe, just maybe, his preacher was badmouthing the United States of America?

Obama's statement had a familiar sound when his wife stated that "for the first time in my life I am proud to be an American."

In other words, if her husband had not been nominated the Democratic presidential candidate, she would still not be proud to be an American. How could she be proud after listening to the preacher who married her and her husband and baptized their children talk negatively about the United States year after year for 20 years?

I have never seen such obvious disdain for the American public and voters. Do not ask about the Rev. Wright and his obvious hatred of America. Do not ask about his wife and children being exposed to the Wright hatred of the Anglo race for 20 years. Do not ask about whether Obama is Muslim, why he only recently chose to wear an American flag on his lapel, why he once chose to not salute the American flag.

Remember the American flag on the Iwo Jima memorial. Recall how important it is to keep the flag off the ground. Think about the significance of our dead warriors and the American flags handed to their widows, mothers, fathers and children.

Tell them why you, Mr. Obama, would ignore saluting our flag even once. Tell the hundreds of veterans, disabled and not, about how you have no regard for our flag, and then in the same breath ask those same people to vote for you.

I am appalled at the public lapping up all the Hollywood actors who suddenly become political experts and begin to share their newfound genius with the public at large. They know about the war, who is right and who is wrong, and how the Democrats are the only true Americans.

How can a person be so narrow minded as to think that one party is the answer? I look at the individual.

Look at what the Democrats did right here in Cameron County, when they got together and voted for Conrado Cantu.

I wonder what Hollywood thespians would think about helping Conrado out of jail; not even his best friend and admirer our new Democratic chairman Gilbert Hinojosa has done that.

Cameron County, do the right thing, vote what you think is right, not what the party (Hinojosa) dictates.

David Garcia

Harlingen

Name school for Menchaca

Editor:

Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca as a national heroic figure would be a fitting and honorable name for our new Brownsville high school. Dedicating this new school to a former Brownsville student would serve as a role model for our high school students as well as honor our hero.

As a young man not much older than our students, Pfc. Menchaca paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country and he would continue to provide an example of commitment, courage, teamwork and above all sacrifice. These personal character traits are some of the core items our young people should be taught and ingrained with during their character building in our Brownsville school system.

Honoring him with this dedication would honor his family who have endured and are coping with the loss of someone dear to them. The naming of the high school after Pfc. Kristian Menchaca would also serve as a commitment by our community to never forget someone who has given so much, for all of us.

I ask that the Brownsville school board please name our new high school after Pfc. Kristian Menchaca.

Moisses Gonzalez

Brownsville

Via the Internet

Cell phone ban given support

Editor:

What is wrong with this mental picture: our mayor is trying to alert Brownsville that cell phones create a constant danger to us the general public. He is not wrong, the number of people on cell phones is growing every day; driving any street in our city you see public officials, government employees, police officers, county employees from the top down to the custodians driving with their cells attached to their ears.

These people do not care about the other people who at a blink of an earlobe could create a major accident.

I support our mayor; his concern is legitimate and understandable.

Jose Benavides

Brownsville

Via the Internet

Individual achievement made BHS reunion a memorable success

Editor:

In June of 2007 1 pulled out my 1963 Brownsville High School Palmetto yearbook after realizing that we were rapidly approaching our 50th year since graduation. I could not avoid the documentation I had kept throughout the years that identified 41 members of our class we had already lost. I pondered how many more of us would not reach the 2013 reunion.

My question, "Why wait until the 50th?" was legitimate since in the nine months of planning, we lost three more classmates, bringing the total to 44.

I started planning our 45th reunion but realized that I first needed to develop a strategic vision that would make it reunion a success. I diligently developed a list of my old classmates who would have a strong "esprit de corps" to help me accomplish this vision.

The first one I placed on the list was Pete Gonzalez, the financial officer for the city of Brownsville. We needed him to keep us within a sound financial budget and he proved to be our major asset in our plans. I approached my good friend Luke Fruia Jr., another classmate, for support and encouragement. His response was, "Make it special!"

I compiled a list of 30 local classmates and contacted them. They agreed to help out with their collective judgment and decision-making. On Oct. 17, 2007, the first committee meeting was held at Antonio's, owned by Joe Campos, another classmate. We got the ball rolling and put our plan in action.

Some of us had not seen each other for 45 years but as we met for the next nine months at Luke Fruia Motors, we quickly caught up with each other and rejoiced generously and sincerely in our accomplishment. We became curious about all our classmates and Sammy Merrill, our membership chairman, made every possible and impossible effort to locate and invite them to our reunion on June 27-29.

After much work and planning, our BHS Class of ‘63 had a wonderful and successful three-day event. Even though many of our classmates claimed to be experiencing "senior moments or power surges" and could not recall the alma mater, the entire group stood and sang it when Mr. and Mrs. Robert Buchanan directed us. Mr. Buchanan proudly stood in front directing us just as energetically as he did when he was our choir director. Some of us could not sing the entire song because of the lump that formed in our throats, just like it did on May 29, 1963, our graduation day.

Another highlight of our events was the presence of nine of our beloved teachers at our dinner-dance. A very special and honored guest, Mrs. Homer Hanna Sr., accompanied her daughter, one of our teachers, Mrs. Jo Ann Stovall. Mr. Buchanan, Mrs. Belia Cruz, Mr. Fernando de Pena, Mr. Eddie Hernandez, Mr. Frank Maldonado, Mr. Leonel Rojas, Mr. Tomas Saenz and Mr. Robert Vezzett were escorted by class members on the first dance of the night to the music of "Wind Beneath My Wings."

Our classmate, Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., welcomed everyone to our reunion and offered a salute to our class veterans, followed by the reading of Senate Proclamation 782, commending the Class of 1963 of Brownsville High School for their many accomplishments as leaders and productive members of our community. The Rev. Paul Glenn, another classmate, offered a memorial service for the 44 classmates who passed on before us, followed by a song, "No More Nights," sung by another classmate, Princy Brooks Griffin.

Toward the end of the evening a very special, surprise feature was introduced to the group by our classmate, Robert Cerrillo. With the lights turned off and a spotlight on him, Steve Tullos walked in and proved to his classmates that the King is alive, by impersonating Elvis in full costume, with all the ladies fighting to claim one of his scarves.

I was lucky; "Elvis" placed one around my neck. Wow!

Sunday morning, a group of 107 class members met for breakfast at the Valley International Country Club indicating that the group did not want the event to end. That Sunday night, after everyone said their farewells, we were all able to go to sleep knowing that our talents and abilities had been used in a manner that allowed us to accomplish our goal. We reunited a special group of 236 classmates. We shared our ups and downs, enjoyed the events and made many more memories. "We made it!" the slogan on our tee shirts read. We made it in life and we made it through the reunion events.

I am extremely grateful to those within the community who helped make this a successful event, such as the Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Holiday Inn, Ringgold Civic Pavilion, and the many gracious business establishments that contributed so many door prizes. What would I have done without the 30 beautiful members who worked so hard to help me develop that vision I had a year ago? It would not have been accomplished without their participation, cooperation, expertise, and most of all their friendship.

Judi "J.Rod" Rodriguez

BHS Class of ‘63 reunion chairwoman

Brownsville

Officials meet regarding Weir

The third binational technical committee meeting on the Brownsville-Matamoros Weir project was held at the Mata-moros Holiday Inn. All interested parties from the United States and Mexico met on technical issues regarding this project, which must be resolved in order to obtain the Mexico presidential permit needed to construct the weir that will provide both Brownsville and Matamoros additional water that will be backed up for 42 miles upstream and widen the river to 300 feet. The Weir Project will increase water reserves for Brownsville from 25 to 45 days and for Matamoros from 2 to 15 days. This project will allow both communities to develop the first world's binational riverwalk from the Los Tomates bridge to the Amigoland area.

My mission as mayor was to bring both the U.S. and Mexico, Brownsville and Matamoros, along with Texas and Tamaulipas together through their federal counterparts, which are the Comisión Internacional de Limites y Aguas and International Boundary and Water Commission, for the purpose of officially introducing the Brownsville-Matamoros Weir as a project worth consideration by Mexico's president, which has been accomplished by the official status of the project and meetings held on the project.

Both the mayor of Matamoros and governor of Tamaulipas have made it known to me that they support this project, providing no disastrous flooding will be caused to Mexico by building the Weir. The module studies performed by the engineering firm Montgomery and Watson clearly indicate no adverse impact will be caused on the population of either country or local municipality along the Rio Grande.

Once this project is approved by Mexico, it will take 18 months to design and build at an estimated cost of $55 million. Brownsville PUB has $18 million to construct the project that has been on the books for 39 years.

At this third binational technical meeting in Matamoros, it was agreed to drill some wells to monitor the water table caused by the river flow and rains. Other technical data will be analyzed further in order to arrive at a conclusion in the very near future on this very important project for Brownsville and Matamoros.

According to discussions held with the governor of Tamaulipas and his assignee to the project, we should have a resolution within the next two weeks from the state of Tamaulipas. The state's approval is needed to petition for a presidential permit with CILA and IBWC's support and assistance.

This project is very important to both countries and sister border cities for the additional water reserves that can be captured before flowing into the Gulf of Mexico; for the potential water recreation and tourist development along the Rio Grande riverbanks. It is also a viable solution to the proposed fence at a reduced cost, which I believe will be more effective as a border security measure than the proposed fence than has been prove.

As mayor, I received much-needed cooperation from Mexico's State Department, Mexican Consul Victor Manuel Treviño, Canangua, CILA, Fondo Nacional de Empresas en Solidaridad, IBWC, state of Tamaulipas and Matamoros, Mexico Water Board, PUB CEO and staff, and other parties to keep this Brownsville-Matamoros Weir project on fast track and taking it to the final stages in order to obtain a Mexico presidential permit.

Pat Ahumada is mayor

of Brownsville.

Solar-thermal energy could save the Valley

On July 15 Mayor Pat Ahumada and the city comissioners heard a presentation on the current energy crisis from Dr. Genaro Lopez of UTB. The presenta-tion demonstrated through historical and theoretical outlines the grim realities of not only the United States, but also the world.

Oil production worldwide peaked in 2005; since then it has declined. Unfortunately demand has not and as China's economy grows, so will its dependency on oil. According to Dr. Lopez, $10 a gallon would shut the economy down. This crash would result in billions of deaths worldwide as the cost to transport and produce anything would jump.

As for alternatives, most look bleak. Ethanol, nuclear and coal shale require transportation costs that will incur the same detriments as anything else when oil prices rise too high.

Dr. Lopez suggested solar thermal power as the best solution. The European Union has expressed its desire to create a solar thermal grid in the Sahara Desert that would cover all of Europe's energy needs. Dr. Lopez gave as an example the futuristic city of Masdar in Abu Dhabi that will be completely solar powered.

Dr. Lopez was then bold enough to suggest a similar solar thermal project here in Brownsville in the salt marshes on the outskirts of the Port of Brownsville. The area is undeveloped and not worth much, but as Dr. Lopez commented "it still gets sun." The site, depending on the effort, could power the port, Brownsville, or even the Rio Grande Valley.

To such a wonderful idea it would be expected that the distinguished officials would be excited, yet they were not. I recall the bored look of Mayor Pat as he hurried the presentation on its last slide. It seemed those in the chamber did not care of the impending doom Dr. Lopez cast upon the city .

If the economy crashes as he says, then who will care for Brownsville? Who would pay the tremendous costs to bring supplies needed for any community to thrive? As Dr. Lopez pointed out, we will need to become self-sufficient as the world reverts to a tight-woven community.

Why should we wait for that day to come in a couple of years (2024 according to Dr. Lopez)? We can do something right now. The Valley receives more than $1 billion in retail revenues as people from all over come to shop here. According to the 2003 Center for Border Economic Studies report titled "The Economic Impact of Mexican Visitors to the Lower Rio Grand Valley," 1.7 billion to be exact.

Could we not tap a fraction of this amount and research the possibility of this potentially life-saving project? We all live in this community and we should all share the fruits of its fortunes, not only a greedy few who fill their pockets while the Valley is still one of the poorest areas in the country.

Sergio Jefferson lives in Brownsville.