Sara Hates Laredo - Is She Wrong

Check out the U Tube Video:
Sara Hates Laredo. Is She Wrong?
I did not post her picture......my choice.

Check out the video, then let's talk.

Is Laredo a crime ridden town that is racist towards white people?  Is Laredo filthy, and a large 250,000 person ghetto?

The real answer lies somewhere in between what Sara says and what her "haters" say.

I have lived in Laredo for over 20 years.  I have grown to like Laredo.  But, when I first moved here is was total culture shock.  The idea that people could, or would not speak English in the United States took a lot of getting used to.  It still does after 20 years.  How would you like it if your food order at a restaurant would be screwed up on a regular basis, or you can't get a plumber or repair man to fix a problem because they don't speak English.  Yep, that took some getting used to.

Now Sara is wrong in her diagnosis of the language issue, as Laredo, unlike any other large border town I have been to, still has very strong ties to Mexico.  So, being a retail oriented town, it caters to Mexican shoppers.  It is almost impossible for a non-Spanish speaker to shop downtown, other than pointing a handing over money.  However, Laredo is 99% or so, Hispanic, and Spanish is what seems to be spoken at home with the kids.  I will not get into the educational aspects the language issues cause, but they are immense.

Real crime is not a big problem in Laredo, other than auto theft, and because of new techniques at the border, that crime statistic is falling some.  Laredo is as safe, and in some cases safer, than most cities of it's size throughout the US. 

Traffic and drivers are a problem in Laredo, and are NOT comparable to most cities in the US.  People do STOP at stoplights in other cities.  Laredo is the worst.  Also, the idea, that "My Time Is More Valuable Than Yours" seems to be what motivates Laredoans to have to be the first one in line at the next stop light.  Nobody, and I mean nobody, slows down to get in behind another driver, even if they are going to have to make a turn that would cause the other person to have to stop.  Yep, I must be first, because I am in a hurry, and the hell with you.  This is not normal.  Also, this is the only town I have ever lived in that does not turn stoplights to flashing yellow during slow/no traffic times.  Like Loop 20, why do the traffic lights need to turn red at the entrance to TAMIU at 3 a.m., or on Sunday early in the morning.  We spend millions on technology, but don't use it.

Trash....Sorry Laredo, Sara is right on.  There is an enormous amount of trash in Laredo and it is the people who don't care.  The litter just does not appear out of no where.

Is Laredo racist.  As a whole no, Laredo is not a racist town.  But, think about this, if you are standing in line at the grocery store and speak no Spanish, and the people in line are looking at you, and seem to be talking about you or your child in Spanish, and you hear a phrase you think is derogatory, you might come away and think folks are racist.  Sara is right, the little nicknames Hispanics use to designate whites can be misunderstood as being a slur.  Yep, end the wetta, wetto (SP) comments.  They are not taken well. 

Even the Laredo city council, when approving the "Hispanic Medal of Honor Monument", responded to a question as to what would happen is a white person from Laredo was awarded the Medal of Honor by saying, "Well in that case, we would build them another monument."

On the positive side, Laredo has some very good and unique attributes.  I love the food, and most of the culture.  I again, realize where I am, and what this town is.  It is not mid-America, nor, east or west coast.  It is a US/Mexico border town.  The habits and culture are different.  They will not change. 

However, driving, being kind and nice, and picking up trash are not cultural issues, but are issues of respect.  We can use a little more respect for each other in Laredo.

That being said, Sara, in my opinion, you are off base on most of your comments.  You really need to get some local friends who can help you understand more of the cultural differences you talked about. 

Does President Obama Really Care About You?

Late yesterday, the Obama administration announced they would not authorize construction of the Keystone pipeline project.  There are several, purley political, reasons the president took this action. 

But  issue is this, plain and simple.  The president, along with the environmental elite, do not want you, the normal US citizen,  to have access to any energy source that is not  "GREEN."  This president embraces GREEN energy as the power of the future.   Wind and solar power are some the technoligies he believes will make up our energy future.  Those technoligies have been used and tested for over 50 years, and are STILL not, cost efficient, energy sources that can be relied upon to power this counrty.

So, in declining to build the pipeline, the president has further sentenced the American consumer, power user, and vehicle operators to higher energy cost.  Simpley speaking, he is taking money out of your pocket to appease his environmental friends on the west coast. 

Thank goodness for the upcoming election.

LEA Packed Again

For all you out there that say the Laredo Energy Arena is a white elephant.  Well there were anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 people at the LEA today visiting the Job Fair put on by Texas Workforce Commision.  No where else in Laredo could have hosted such a large event.

PS, WWE wrestling was packed with over 6,000 people earlier this week.

White elephant, me thinks not.

Stupid Farmers, You Hate Your Kids, You Make Them Work in Unsafe Environments

Well, well, some northeastern liberal working for the NCLC cares more about the children of farmers than the farmer and his family does.  This is what you get in a nanny state, people who know more about your life and desires than you do.  They know what is better for you, safer for you, and as such want to tell you how to live your life.

Yes, the National Child Labor Committee has persuaded  President Obama and his gang in Washington to implement a new set of “Child Labor Laws” that will affect the family farm, and I’ll bet if you dig deep enough, that you will find it may affect your own non-farm home.  Especially if your kids use tools or machines in yard work or work on the house.

Here is a portion of the KC Star article concerning the new nanny state laws being implemented. 

I suggest you read the whole Kansas City Star story here.

The proposed rules — the first to address youth labor in more than four decades — have stirred alarm and confusion among family farms, where children have been pitching in since mankind’s earliest h• Paid workers age 15 and younger would be barred from operating tractors, combines, ATVs and almost all power-driven equipment, unless they obtain special certification.

• Youths under the age of 18 would not be allowed to work at grain elevators, silos, feed lots, livestock auctions or in the transporting of raw farm materials.

• Tobacco fields would be off-limits to workers under age 16 due to concerns about a problem called green-tobacco sickness, caused by the exposure to nicotine.

• Children in both agricultural and non-farm work would be restricted from using personal electronic devices, including walkie-talkies, while operating equipment.

“While we understand with some families there’s a history of having children work on the farm, that doesn’t make it safe,” said Jeff Newman of the National Child Labor Committee, a non-governmental advocacy group based in New York.

“The fact is, kids are at risk when driving a tractor,” Newman said. “I’ve been president of the NCLC since 1974, and this has been a simmering issue since about that time.”

So Mr. Newman, I guess your kids stay indoors, in a sterile environment, reading books and getting smarter so they too can someday tell others how to live their lives.  Why I’ll even bet you don’t allow your kids to operate a broom or vacuum, let alone a lawn mower.  I would bet you have that work hired out.

 This simple set of rules describes the entire liberal agenda.  It is about controlling you and your lifestyle in order to make you more like them.  They cannot stand it that most Americans believe in hard work, fair play, and the right to succeed and earn as much money, or status as they wish.  And that if you don’t work hard and try to succeed you will be a failure and should bear that burden yourself.  The liberals also cannot believe that Americans do not want to be constrained by the lowest common denominators of society.  We do not want to lower the bar in school so every one passes, even with failing grades,  no matter their socio-economic, immigration, or physical/mental status.  We, conservatives, believe in helping those who have a hard time succeeding, but do not want to lower expectations for everyone in doing so.

So, when these rules come to light (rules, not law passed by congress) it is pretty obvious that there is a major disconnect in our society.  Those that want to manage your life for you, versus, those that want to be left alone to prosper and pass down life lessons that have been learned through hard work and experience.

2011 Top Ten Events in Laredo, Or as I like to call it, the list of things most discussed by my coffee group at Starbucks last year.

Del Mar and McPherson Starbucks (Photo by TW)

Honorable mentions:  Rick Perry crashing and burning so far in the presidential race.  Loud music in too many places.  Why Republicans are better than Democrats.  Why Democrats are better than Republicans.  Why people from New York city should not shoot guns.  Obama (enough said). 


10  Consumer Prices/UT Network/A&M Leaves Big 12  (Three-way tie)

        Discussed how everything is going up in price.  Food, fuel and utilities.  No breaks in the near future.  UT has it’s own network, UT Alums love, non-alums hate.  A&M leaves Big 12, UT Alums love, non-alums hate.

9    Very Little Rainfall

        A dry year to say the least.

8    Baseball Team Named Lemurs

        I never knew what a Lemur was until I came to Laredo.  Go figure?  There should be a rule:  No monkeys in baseball.

7    Crazy City Ordinances

        Crime surely has been decreased by the implementation of the “Beer Run Ordinance,”  you       know, no more skimpy clothing to be worn by those advertising beer sales.  So, no more Miller Lite, or Bud Light girls, right?  Of course not, another un-enforceable (able to get a conviction to                hold up in appellate court if tested) law, like the texting ban.  Time wasters for the police               department.

6    Murder/Suicide at Welfare Office

        This is number 5 only because it just occurred.  Did lead to lots of discussion on welfare in general and who needs help.

5    Bordertown Laredo - Laredo Bigtime TV Show

        Has to be the biggest joke ever played on the city leaders (?) who approved the venture.  It       makes Laredo and it’s police department look like some banana republic.  However, one episode did pretty much describe the Laredo I know.  That is the one where the officer showed up for                work 2 hours late because he had to stop for breakfast.  Can’t get any better than that.

4    CAA Fraud Border

        Still waiting for indictments to come down.  This brought all the reasons to surface why we need to limit government and the waste that excessive spending causes.

3    School Funding Complaints

        Still waiting to see the downside to the school spending cuts.  Teachers and administrators still got a raise and maybe a bonus to boot, plus kids still will not pass the STARs, so where is the     impact?

2    Eagleford Shale Play and Frack-A-Phobia

        The local “Safe Fracking Coalition” is doing everything they can, as are the big US Environmental lobbyist to kill/downplay/stop/interfere with anything not solar or wind.  The Frack-A-Phobes will not look at real facts and real science that proves fracking is safe and a means to help the US reduce it’s dependency on foreign sources of energy.  They even got the EPA to release an error filled report on water well contamination from Utah in an attempt to halt the process of     hydraulic fracturing.  How sad.  PS, the Eagleford Shale thing may tie back to school funding as   the windfall taxes will make the Texas state budget look much better next year.

1        Violence in Nuevo Laredo

Again, the top discussion item at Starbucks….and in Laredo.  When will Mexico wake up and end the corruption that has lead to this situation?  PS, Operation Fast and Furious, while not a Laredo issue garnered a lot of discussion under this headline, as did Homeland Security’s attempt to make the United States a police state (And yes, I agree this one is/has been caused by Republicans.

Please feel free to add to this list.

Stop the Insanity-----Quit Arresting Parents

Over the last few months it seems that several parents have been arrested and charged with a form of child abandonment.  Some of the arrest may have been warrented, but I doubt they all are actual abandonment cases.  I remember one, a grandmother was charged when her, I believe it was also a three year old, grandchild wander off from the home, and a passerby called police.  When the police arrived, the grandmother came down the street and told officers the child was missing.  It was then when the officer arrested grandma and charged her with child abandonment.

You will see that in Missouri, it is not a crime for a small child to escape from their parents and wander off.  In Laredo it is a crime that will get the parent(s) arrested and stuck with a criminal record.  At least the police there are allowed to use common sense and make judgment calls on these types of issues. 

If only Laredo was as advanced.

Part of the story from the Kansas City Star:

The 3-year-old made it two blocks at about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday before an alert passerby put an end to his madcap.

 “He had good identification,” said Liberty Police Lieutenant Andy Hedrick. “They used the dog tag and mother’s purse to determine where the little boy lived.”

The situation — sure to be a legendary family story for years to come — could have turned out much worse. He had already made it two blocks, but still needed to cover another three blocks before arriving at his grandmother’s, Hedrick said.

The passerby cared enough to pull over and call police.

“She didn’t think that looked right,” he said. “She lived nearby and was driving by and saw him walking with the purse and the dog.”

When the officers located the boy’s home they were greeted at the door by a distraught mother.

“Mom had the phone in her hand and was about to frantically call police,” Hedrick said. “She was thankful to have him returned.”

The officers left the boy with his mother after they were assured it had all been an isolated incident.

“The officers talked to the mom and they didn’t find anything else at the home to cause concern,” he said.

His mother told police she had stayed up late. He was gone when she woke up.

“Three-year-olds are tough because they’re old enough to be mobile and really make some good time,” Hedrick said.

It really is time to end this nanny state idea that a child who is not in the immediate area of the parent is an abandoned child.  Kids are kids and thank God they are curious.  So Laredo, if you agree, let your city council person know how you feel.

I'm Back....

With the new year almost upon us, I have decided to resume the blog.  So, I start with a story that has driven me crazy everytime I read one of these...


Happy New Year, and a belated Merry Christmas to all

Penske in Laredo

A couple of weeks ago I posted a story about Penske losing a contract to Excel, both logistics managment companies.  The Penske client that was mentioned was not correct.  I have withdrawn the post.

I was given bad information by a source that has never proven wrong for me in the past.  Wakeuplaredo.com, the blog apologizes for any issue that post may have caused.

Gerrymandering

Time to stop the political insanity.  Let's go back to the voting district boundries being drawn on geographical terms, not political terms.

And for those of you that say, well, what about racial lines, are you telling me I must vote for a white person as only they can represent me?

Kind of racist don't you think?

Simple: If you still believe that man is causing global warming, you are uninformed.

If you sitll believe in man made global warming you are uninformed.  It is that simple.  You can still try to spout the "consensus" line, or maybe repeat the Nobel Prize winner Al Gore mantra.  But the realitiy is this, the AGW story is losing supporters by the day and they cannot stand it.

Fact (not a model, but a fact):  The earth's tempature has cooled for the last 10 years, while C02 levels have increased.  This is an undisputed fact, not theory.
      Note:  some AGW folks reported that the extra heat was absorbed by the ocean and that AGW is still occuring.  So, let me see, the earth was warming, but Mother Earth fixed the problem.  Ahhhh...these people are unbelievable.

If only the media would report the facts.  Too bad.

UARS - Where will it land???????

Not a very good picture, but who cares, it is going to crash anyway

With the re-entry (NASA name for crash landing) of UARS coming soon to a town to be named, I thought you mike like an update on my first experience with crashing satellites.

For those of us that were around in 1979 we remember the worry that the earth bound Skylab caused us all.  I was living in Kansas City at the time and I remember attending a couple of Skylab parties in which the patrons stood outside wearing whatever head protection they could come up with.  Also, large quantities of alcohol were involved to deaden the pain of getting hit by Skylab. 

You could actually see Skylab with the naked eye on two evenings in KC before the thing crashed.  It was one of the few fun events of the late 70’s as I remember.  Jimmy Carter was President, and gas prices were all the way up to $ .75 per gallon, along with long gas lines in some cities.

There were bets and rewards for guessing when and where Skylab would crash, as well as money to be earned if the thing actually hit you.

The thing finally crashed in Australia and they actually fined the United States $400 US for littering.  This is a fact.  The US did not pay until 30 years later when a radio show host raised the money and sent it to Australia.

Here is the drink recipe for the Skylab….it may help you with eventual crashing of UAR.

The SKYLAB drink

•1 oz. Brandy, apricot

•1 oz. Curacao, blue

•1 oz. Rum, white

•1 oz. Vodka

•1 splash Orange Juice

•1 oz. Pineapple Juice

•1 whole Cherries/Maraschinos

•1 slice Oranges

Mixing Instructions

Mix ingredients and pour over ice into a highball glass. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

 Really folks how about a better name for the satellite….like the OPoNum….you know the Obama Poll Numbers, they are crashing almost as fast as UARS.

Obama-Buffet Tax - Mr. Speaker, please say you will pass it....

The Obama-Buffet Tax is really nothing more than a political ploy (note, I did not say stunt, as ploys are allowed in politics) that is designed to breathe life back into the liberal base of the Democratic Party.  It really would be funny if the republicans were to say, go ahead Mr. President, we will vote for Obama-Buffet.  Then just watch the president back track, jump through hoops and take a long vacation.

This Wall Street Journal analysis (Wall Street Journal Story) of the proposed bill is the best I have read yet.  Here is a piece of the story:

There's one small problem: The entire Buffett Rule premise is false, as the nearby table shows. In 2008, the last year for which such data are available, the IRS reports that those who made more than $1 million in adjusted gross income paid an average income tax rate of 23.3%.

That's slightly lower than the 24.1% rate paid by those making between $500,000 and $1 million, probably because the richest are like Mr. Buffett and earn more from capital gains and dividends. The rate for a relative handful of the rich—400 people—fell to 18%, the modern equivalent of Barr's Gang of 21. But nearly all millionaires still paid a rate that is more than twice the 8.9% average rate paid by those earning between $50,000 and $100,000, and more than three times the 7.2% average rate paid by those earning less than $50,000. The larger point is that the claim that CEOs are routinely paying lower tax rates than their secretaries is Omaha hokum.

So, the real deal with this proposed tax increase on the supposed rich is nothing but a liberal tax rate increase.  Just what the president spoke against in 2009.  Again, the speaker should tell the president, yep, we will pass your bill.  Then we will see whose taxes really will go up under this political ploy and which democrats would be first to vote against the bill.

I AM BACK

I took a little time off from the blogging sphere to clear the brain...and do some listening vs. talking.  A good idea for anyone.

Where are the imaginations, the dreams?

Last week I was kayaking down the Rio Grande with the Critters and Crayons blogger, and Eric of Big River Outfitters.  One of the great things about the trip was the peaceful time just floating thinking of nothing but the flowing river and the people who first set eyes on the area.  I used my imagination to see the native North Americans who must have seen Laredo for what it would become, a very good place to cross the river for decades to come.  I wondered if those native pioneers could have ever versioned that over 1,000 motor driven carts and trailers hauling billions of dollars of freight would be crossings a manmade bridge every day.  Maybe one of the did have that imagination, and he/she passed that vision on down to the tribe, and that is how Laredo became what it is today.

No, this post is not about what Laredo is today, but about how people use their imagination and are our kids being robbed of the need to use their imagination.

I am not sure that all the technology that three and four year olds are exposed to today are really helpful in their ability to use their imaginations.  Reading a book, without illustration, requires the full use of your imagination.  You must base the objects and subjects in the books on places, things and people you are familiar with and yet at the same time you also will use your imagination to create a combined picture the author paints with their words.

How can kids today do that if they are reading only from the internet, or e-books that offer interactive connectivity?  And how often do parents just send their kid outside to be alone with no formal activity assigned, so the youngster can look at the sky and see people and things in the clouds.  Where a kid can look at a leaf floating down the stream and wonder if it will make it to the ocean?  When do today’s kids have the time to just sit alone and dream of things we as adults cannot imagine?

I was lucky.  I grew up when television was first coming of age.  I had parents who both worked and allowed me lots of free time (as they were too tired to play with me) to dream and imagine.  I hope that kids still have this time to themselves.

It bothers me to see kids under 10 years old with cell phones texting their friends.  Texting, now that the cost is almost nothing, consume what I see as an enormous amount of time and energy. As does surfing the internet.  Now don’t get me wrong, I think the internet is great for kids and adults.  Yet, like any good thing, it needs to be used in moderation.

So, I ask you, the parents of kids today; Do kids still imagine, and dream?  If you don’t know, you better find out and fix it, or we may never put another man on the moon, or see another new fangled Frisbee.  

Perry, The Simplistic Politician with a Small Intellect - A liberals view

Here is an example of an anti-Texas/Perry article which appeared in today’s San Antonio Express News.  The article is in black, italics, and my comments appear in red.  Add your own comments below.

Governor Rick Perry

Intellectually suspect but politically brilliant

By O. Ricardo Pimentel/o.ricardo.pimentel@express-news.net

Updated 12:34 a.m., Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Gov. Rick Perry might have confined his remarks to a critique of the Fed's policy of quantitative easing, buying bad assets by printing more money.

He might have just expressed a fear that putting more money into circulation can cause inflation.

He might have just said that such election-year infusion will mire the Fed in politics.

But our newest presidential candidate doesn't do wonk. He does Texas plain talk. Good, a plain talker is what we need now. And now, upon formal introduction to coyote-shooting Perry, much of the national electorate is mulling which is scarier: That Perry believes what he says or that there is calculated purpose afoot.

Both.

Perry said last week in Iowa that if Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke were to print more money before the election, it would be “almost treasonous” and that Texas “would treat him pretty ugly.”

This was pounced upon as everything from a rookie mistake to rich irony. Perry had suggested earlier that Texas might secede from the union. Suggested, of course, without actually proposing it.

And this points to a cool calculation that merges belief and cynical purpose. He knows he espouses outlier views and figures he gets more points by espousing them with folksy flourish than by politicking around them. He certainly can't hide from them. There's a matter of the public record.

Underestimate Perry as a hick if you want. He isn't. There is more than a bit of preacher in him but mostly he knows what's worked. Brash talk sells. It marks him, he believes, as the American everyman.

So, climate change is “a scientific theory that has not been proven and ... is more and more being put into question.”  Rick Perry nailed this one.  And since man made climate change legislation is a multi-billion dollar sump pump on the US economy and lifestyle, it makes Perry one of my top picks for President.  He is the first to come out and expose the bad science for what it is.  PS, for those that don’t know, the ice is not melting any more than normal, the temperature is not going up to a point that we will all be burning and the world as we know it will end, and carbon dioxide IS NOT A POLLUTANT.

Evolution is just a theory “that's out there.”  Ah, Ricardo, evolution is a theory.  That is a fact.  And Ricardo, here’s a question for you, how was the universe created?  What came first, and how?  There are no simple answers and to make fun of, and despise, those who have religious beliefs shows how small an intellect you and the secularist really possess.   

Handlers might even now be trying to rein him in. But here's the Perry calculation. Taking on inconvenient science — and the Fed — plays well. It does in this state, where contrarianism and notions of Texas exceptionalism have long homesteaded along the Brazos.  Is Rick Perry a politician, yes, and a good one as you point out.  But he is only repeating what millions of Americans believe.  Yes Ricardo, millions of people can’t wait to see the current intellectual president unemployed Jan. 20^th 2013.    And Texas is an exceptional state, well most of it anyway.  Run the metrics without the areas controlled by democrats and see what you get.  One day, the downtrodden will figure out that government is not their savior and learn that hard work and independence are what lead to the American Dream.  I think you need to look at what shape the other big states are in and do a real side by side comparison.  Then report.

Perry, more than Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann are able, will put to the test whether what sounds true sells better than what is true. Simply, Texas' economy makes him more marketable. Mitt Romney is his GOP competition.

Perry is banking on the right wing's discomfort with Romney and that Texas, home to a long and unbroken string of Perry election successes, is more a microcosm of the country than is Massachusetts.  Texas is much more mainstream than Massachusetts will ever be.

Not everyone, of course, even in plain-talking Texas, likens a difference of opinion on monetary policy and election-year timing to treason. But, hey, he's taking on the federal government. That's what counts.

Ricardo, I would love to hear you opinion on this man.
He most likely would be the smartest man in the world,
well at least in your world.

Perry isn't a hick. Neither is he an everyman. He is an ambitious politician campaigning with a tried-and-true playbook — one who is betting that Texas' economic “miracle” will bring all the non-believers on these other issues along for the ride.

But faith — not fact — drives belief in creationism and intelligent design. Denial is all that is required to dispense with inconvenient climate change science.  Ricardo, here you show your lack of intellect.  You say that climate change (I have to assume here you mean man-made climate change) is a fact.  Man made climate change is not a fact, and is a much weakened theory at best.  Everyday more evidence is revealed that reduces the validity of the man made global warming theory.  And the fact that you fail to see that defines you as the one lacking in intellect.

Perry cannot rely on either to convince the skeptics that low taxes and light regulation are responsible for Texas job growth. It's just not that simple.  Newspapers and the media are ones who deal in simplicity.  Your papers rarely tell whole stories.  The main stream media deal in snippets of information usually providing the reader with only a view that is reflective of the person writing the story.  Gone are the days of hard news only.  Now, reporters are mere columnist.  Hence,  the love of the internet.

And, still, no one should count Perry out. Sadly, what might be intellectually suspect can still perhaps be politically brilliant.  You closing hear can only mean that anyone who votes for Perry must be a simpleton.   Well good for you Ricardo…keep that up, it sells papers in some circles.

o.ricardo.pimentel@express-news.net

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/news_columnists/article/Intellectually-suspect-but-politically-brilliant-2136657.php#ixzz1VriWJkTP

Democrats Refuse to Stand Up for Texas.....Why?

It’s that time of the year again when national politics start to take shape.  And just to show you how much history repeats itself, (kids, this is why we teach history), the national news media and the national Democratic Party have started another anti-Texas campaign.

All of these attack news articles and comments (In 3 days I counted 15 anti-Perry/Texas articles in the SA Express News and Laredo Morning Times) are happening because Texas Governor Rick Perry entered the race and took the early lead in the polls.  Now, I have nothing against these types of articles if they are truthful (topic for another blog) as this is politics.  There will be plenty more to come.

What I do find offensive is that NO Democrats are questioning any of the statements being made by the national news media, or the Presidents political team.  This is reminiscent of the campaign in 2000 when national Democrats attacked Texas and the local Democrats just sat on their hands and took it.  No pride, no desire at all to defend the home front.  They pulled their heads back into their shells. 

Kind of like when things got tough in 2003 and instead of staying in the state to fight legislation proposed by the Republicans, they fled the state to hide in Oklahoma.  Later, they again fled the state, this time to hide in Arizona.   Cowards?  You decide.

Now this hiding in the shell might be understandable if the attacks on Texas weren’t an attack on the areas managed by Democrats.  Yep, you heard it right.  Most of the poverty and poor education results come from the areas where Democrats have been in charge for well over 20 years. 

When the Secretary of Education states that too few Texas kids are ready to go to college, he is talking about the high percentage of minority kids who cannot pass the entrance exams.  The majority of these minority kids go to schools in districts that have been controlled by Democratic political office holders (machines) for decades.  The border region comes to mind.  Now you can whine and complain that the Republicans are responsible for these results, but the fact is local Democratic politics that decide on how schools operate along the border.   They decide to pay administrators and what programs to implement.  They decide on the day to day operation of the education system. 

Take the news this week that LISD is giving teachers a raise (good for them, I am always for teachers, versus administrators getting more) and the new additions to UISD, a brand new $ 1 million IT studio and LISD spending millions on a new food preparation center, football stadium and the moving of a magnet school.  Democrats you should be boasting that Laredo is doing these things and paying for it with local money. 

Yet, because you would rather sit on your hands and support your political party and it’s attacks on Texas, you say nothing.

Pretty weak if you ask me.  Are there any real Texans left in the Democratic Party?

The Rio Grande Kayak Trip...I saw the river as our founders did.

Small rapids





Saturday morning I did what I promised to do last fall, take a trip down the Rio Grande on a kayak with Eric Ellman and Stephanie Dolanskey-Mathahey from Big River Outfitters based at the Rio Grande Plaza hotel.  You know the big round hotel on the banks of the Rio just down from bridge one.

I went with a fellow blogger, Patricia Driscoll, whom I met last year when she came to the Laredo Rifle and Pistol Club with a group wives who wanted their husbands, who are avid shooters, to teach them how to shoot.  Trish is a fellow blogger who has the very popular Critters and Crayons blog.   Anyway, Trish’s husband had the kids and we headed for the river after a short pre-float meeting at Starbucks.  Nope, they had no whiskey for courage, and I don’t drink anyway, so it was cold turkey bravery that we relied upon to get us on the river.

In case of drowning, just stand up

After a training session on how to paddle  and make the kayak respond to your every command. Kayaking is not just pulling a paddle, but you actually use a pushing motion which is more efficient and easier.  Then Eric trotted (actually a slow walk) us to the river bank for instructions on how to board a kayak. 

Now I have lived here 19 plus years and have been to the river banks many times at many different places.  But never have I been on or in the waters of the Rio Grande.    I explained to Eric though I appear to be very buoyant, that looks are deceiving and I sink like a bag of wet cement. 

Eric then proceeded to jump in the river and show me the best way to save yourself in you fall overboard.  JUST STAND UP.  Yep, it really is that simple.  Right now the river is not very deep which the photo illustrates very well.  There are some deep parts, but not many at least at this flow level. 

No wonder Laredo became the town it is today.  A running river that has plenty of shallow areas for fording commerce was a great place to settle.  In fact the original crossing, "El Paso de los Indios,” is located near LCC.  I am not sure of the exact location as the City of Laredo has a very poor reputation for noting and celebrating their landmarks.  This crossing point was the basis for Tomas Sanchez to establish Laredo on May 15, 1755.  And now, 256 years later, Laredo is one of the largest commercial crossing points in the country.  So, when you see the line of 1,000 trucks a day, hauling billions in commerce, crossing between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, just remember it all started with cattle crossing in 1755.

So, city, community, and retail leaders in this city, why isn’t the original crossing point well defined and accessible to all Laredoans?  At least there should be some sort of historical marker.  Oh well, off my soapbox, and back to the trip.  Update:  Eric has told me there is a marker for the El Paso de los Indios located behind the environmental center at LCC.  I will hunt that down and post the photo later this week.

Heading towards CPL power plant

Once in the river we moved at a very leisurely pace and took in the sights along the river.  The current is not very strong right now, yet it was enough to keep you moving down stream with very little physical effort.  You will see lots of wildlife and even some domesticated animals, such as horses and cows drinking from the river.  There were lots of varieties of birds crossing the river all along the 2 ½ hour trip. 

One thing I didn’t even think about was that we were traveling along an international border.  Except when US Border Patrol came by on the fan boat, we were traveling on a nice quiet river, the only sounds being water passing over the rapids, birds, and the distant noise from trains crossing the bridge.

Snowy Egert at Casablanca, but they are on the river also

Kingfisher I saw on river late last year

Scissor Tailed Flycatcher, They were also seen by us on the river

Eric even took the time to take us up Manadas Creek (crosses Mines Road ¼ mile west of I-35.  We paddled up about a ¼ mile and saw the carved out bluff that is the south side of the creek.  There are some interesting features that would require a geologist to explain.  There is some rare moss located here according to Eric.  Not sure if those are the ones in my photo.   I did not take my best camera, only a pocket shooter as I figured I would fall in the river a few times during my excursion.  I never did, even though I did get stuck in one of the rapids.  Go figure.

Manadas Creek, Eric and Trish

And if any rumors surface saying that I had some back issues, well just remember, I am getting old, and after 19 years of consuming every Mexican food ever made, not in the best of shape.  But I made it and am 100% this morning.

 If you want to escape the hectic day to day business of Laredo, and maybe even the hectic outings at a park or the lake, a river kayaking excursion is just the thing.  You will see Laredo like our forefathers did.  You will see the banks, bluffs, and tree/cane lined shores.  You will see the flat rock spots, the small rapids that are prevalent along the river.

We put in at Father McNaboe Park and exited the river about 4 ½ miles downstream.  It took about 2 ½ hours to complete the trip.  Trish and Eric discussed the idea of having some activities on the big flat rock, such as early morning yoga, or maybe even a wine tasting event.  Yoga, wine tasting, not on my list, but if there is a chili dog day, sign me up.

In conclusion, if you want to do something that very few Laredoans have ever done, contact Big River Outfitters (956-209-1879) and make reservations for a kayaking trip.  Talk with Eric and Stephanie beforehand and understand the physical requirements on making the trip.  They are great people who really appreciate (unlike some of our local leaders) the Rio Grande and what it means to our community.  They will do everything they can to make your trip an experience you will share for a long time.

Thanks Trish, Steph, and Eric for a fun day.

More photos on my Facebook Page, see Tom Wade Laredo.

Race Relation Poll Results from USA Today

It always bothers me when I write a story about race relations (see below) in this country that I am going to be labeled a racist no matter what I said because I am a Republican member of the Tea Party.  But, what the heck, Richard Raymond, Henry Cuellar, here I go.

Why do politicians and the government work so hard at trying to label Americans based on race?  Is this in itself not causing some of the racial tension that still exists in this country?

 

The United States Federal Government is the worst at race relations.  They want to label us by race when they count Americans; they want to label Americans by race when they apply for anything the government provides.  Why?  Will the government not serve me if I am white?  I thought all the welfare type programs were based on economic condition.  I thought the same on qualifying for student loans or any other program that passed out money. 

The politicians (and media) have done everything in their power to promote the idea that a specific race must be represented in politics by a person of the same race.  Why?  What is difference between a black, white or Hispanic issue?  Is immigration not important to all races of Americans?  Aren’t taxes and deficits important to all?  Aren’t we all concerned about the welfare of America. 

Why shouldn't I be allowed to pick the best candidate no matter what color his/her skin?  Why must I be represented by whites?

Poll respondents chart racial progress since MLK

By Susan Page, and Carly Mallenbaum

Updated 16h 46m ago

WASHINGTON — On this, blacks and whites overwhelmingly agree: Martin Luther King Jr. changed America, and for the better.

"When I went to work in the government in 1958, they didn't have black and white signs on the toilets, but they had one toilet that was unlocked and the other toilet you had to have the key for. The only ones who had the key were the white supervisors," recalls Carl Allen, 70, of Washington, D.C., who is black. He worked as a landscape gardener for the city's highway department. "There weren't black supervisors."

Over time, "all of it changed," says Allen, who was among those called for the survey. "Before I retired, we had full representation, black supervisors. We had everything we should have had years before."

Benjamin Cardenas, 42, of Santa Clara, Calif., a distribution manager for a pharmaceutical company, says interracial couples are now the norm in his community. With California's diversity, he says, "people have a tendency to look beyond the race of the person and look at the person."

A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of more than 1,300 people nationwide finds that about nine of 10, black and white, say civil rights for African Americans have improved in their lifetimes.

Read Full USA Today Story

Tea Party at it Again?

President on Vacation

DOW PLUNGES ANOTHER 419 POINTSJOBLESS CLAIMS UP...

Inflation rising fast...

GOLD BOLTS ABOVE $1,800...

European Shares Closing With Biggest One-Day Decline in Three Years.....

US, EU 'DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO RECESSION'...

These were some of the headlines on the Drudge Report.  I am trying to figure out how to blame the Tea Party for this.  Never mind, some left winger or RINO will find a way I am sure.  I don’t think the guy in the photo cares.  Opps, I forgot, none of the above is his fault.  In fact, nothing is his, or his administrations fault.  Just ask them.

I wonder who will be first to put the blame on those that only want to fix this mess and not those that are causing our economic problems.

Mr. President, here is your chance……..

I love this story.  I took it off Facebook and am sharing it with you.  It is a post by my friends over at Big River Outfitters.

If you don't know about them, check out their website and take a trip down the Rio with them.

Big River Outfitters Webpage

Current joke people are emailing, and which explains just why we created Big River Outfitters:

"This happened on a flight getting ready to depart for Laredo. Jim was sitting on the plane when a guy took the seat beside him. The guy was an emotional wreck, pale, hands shaking, moaning in fear.


..."What's the matter?" Jim asked.

"I've been transferred to Laredo, there are crazy people there. They've got lots of shootings, gangs, race riots, drugs, poor public schools, and the highest crime rate in the nation."


Jim replied, "I've lived in Laredo all my life. It's not as bad as the media says. Find a nice home, go to work, mind your own business, and enroll your kids in a nice private school. It's as safe a place as anywhere in the world."


The guy relaxed and stopped shaking and said, "Oh, thank you. I've been worried to death. But if you live there and say it's OK, I'll take your word for it. What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a tail gunner on a Budweiser truck."