The LionStar Blog has moved!!!

Dear Readers:

We have finally finished enough of the site to launch it. Our new blog can be found at www.TheLionStarBlog.com starting today.

The new site will allow for posting of source documents and audio clips in addition to video and pics. We are also pleased to announce that we will now also have a podcast on the new site and that will also soon be available.

We are still working on the site and making some layout changes, so bear with us. But head on over when you have a chance. There is one post up and we will be migrating the old content from this site over there so that you can catch up on some of the old stuff as well.

Thanks for reading and your continued support!!!

Boxing Weekend

One of the things I am most passionate about in life is the sport of boxing. I have an obsession with the Sweet Science that started the very first time I stepped into a boxing gym in Phoenix when I was about 8 or so. Like most fight fans, I have been disappointed with all the dirty parts of the fight business that seems to have clouded the sport over the years, but I just can’t help but to love the sport.

 

Like all the major sports, the amateur ranks represent the purest form of the game. Boxing is the humblest of all sports and is something that is usually dominated by kids that grew up on the wrong side of town, whether it was Hell’s Kitchen, Boston, South Philadelphia, East LA, Segundo Barrio, South Phoenix, Quezon City, Managua, Mexico City, or Culiacan. A true blue collar sport. At the amateur level there are no high-priced camps for the rich kids to go to, no edge in equipment, no personal trainers and sports psychologists. All you need to two hands, a set of gloves, a strong heart, and the ability to get back up when you get knocked down. A lot like life it self.

 

So this weekend was a pretty decent weekend for fight fans. Johnny Tapia was in town for a fight on Friday and Oscar De La Hoya was on HBO.

 

Johnny Tapia

 

This fight was to take place at the Barn, El Paso County Coliseum. But remember all the dirty parts of the fight business that disappoint fight fans; well I was talking about stuff like this. The fight was canceled at the last minute. There was a dispute over the contract; or rather if one in fact existed. 

 

 

Johnny Tapia said that he’d come to fight, but apparently he meant his lawyers. KVIA’s website has some video of the lawyers and promoter discussing what the issue was, so you can check it out here, http://www.kvia.com/Global/category.asp?C=28317&nav=menu193_4.

 

His career has been a train wreck at times, mostly due to his drug problem. But like the family of all addicts, we fight fans always want to believe that this is the last time, and that it’ll never happen again. And then it usually does happen again.

 

The attorney that does all of the talking in the video for Team Tapia is clearly in damage control mode, mostly because it appears that he may have been the one to drop the ball. Tapia participated in promotional events including public workouts and the weigh-in. Tapia, who’s wife has been his business manager for years, never should’ve let things get as far as fight night if there was in fact no contract as they allege.

 

Not saying that this had anything to do with his long struggle with drugs, but it is yet another disappointment for his fans and fans of the game. It was disastrous for him when you factor in the fact that it happened here in El Paso. This town is one of the great fight towns and fans here are extremely educated fight fans. Don’t think he’ll come off the canvas after this one.

 

 

 

Oscar De La Hoya

 

Oscar De La Hoya fought Steve Forbes, a former runner-up on The Contender. While most people think he looked good against a fighter who’s made a career out of being a sparring partner, I saw some things that concern me if he’s going to be able to finalize a deal and get in the ring with “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. for a scheduled September rematch. 

 

 

Oscar clearly won the fight, 120-108, 119-109, 119-109 on the judges score cards. I scored the fight 119-109 as well. For the casual observer, that means that he two of the judges thought De La Hoya won all but one round. The other judge thought he pitched a shut-out and won every round.

 

So let’s start with what Oscar did right. For the first time in a long time, Oscar did not give up his height advantage. Oscar is a tall fighter, especially for whenever he’s fighting at a weight below 156lbs. He notoriously gives this advantage away by bending at the waist during a fight. This is a big deal because when a shorter fighter has to fight a taller fighter, it makes things more difficult. You are punching upwards, so you lose a little zip and fatigue faster. Another reason this is important is because the taller fighter is usually the fighter with the greater reach advantage. What this means is that if both fighters through a punch at the same time, the fighter with the longer reach will land first and harder.

 

Oscar seemed much more committed to the jab, which is nice to see again. He spent a little more time up on his toes and that was also GREAT to see again. I’d still like to see him up on his toes a little more because he’d be more mobile, but hopefully its something they are going to work on in camp.

 

He didn’t fade down the home stretch so it looks like he’s gotten a handle on that. The fading is not a matter of his conditioning. He’s always come into fights in great shape. His walking around weight is 160-165lbs, so he never has to struggle much to make weight. The fading down the end was always a matter for tactics, not his corner, his own internal thought process. He wasn’t tired; he just had a bad habit of taking his foot off the gas when he thought he was ahead in the fight.

 

I was pretty disappointed in a few things though. He fought a career sparring partner and the fight looked like sparring but De La Hoya was clearly marked up by the fourth round. He seemed to have a problem with Forbes’ hand speed. Oscar got hit by punches that he never got hit with before. That’s mostly because he’s on the down slope. Don’t get me wrong, his skills are still good enough to keep him in big fights, but they may not be enough to help him win fights. Don’t believe me? Check out his record, he’s 2-3 in his last five fights.

 

I also saw him back off Forbes when he had him in trouble without Forbes throwing a punch back or moving off the ropes. Oscar cannot afford to let people off the hook. The old Oscar would’ve gone in for the kill at the first sign of weakness. The sight of blood used to enrage the old De La Hoya and encourage him to go in for the knockout.

 

Boxing is about opportunities. Patience is key and it’s important to avoid head-hunting but when an opponent is in trouble, you have to execute and finish them off. We’ve all seen fights that the tide changed several times and if De La Hoya doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity to finish him off, he might be next.

 

Mayweather is a special fighter. His hands are as fast as his mouth. I can’t stand his attitude and wish someone would knock his head off, but I have to respect his ability. Oscar has a problem with hand speed and Mayweather has plenty of that.

 

Still rooting for De La Hoya, but it will be an uphill battle. I saw diminished hand speed, limited defensive skills against a fighter with ZERO power, and a little problem with execution. Hopefully the slightly diminished skills will make him a smarter fighter and better tactician in the ring.

 

Better tactics, plus the skills he still has, might be enough to make it a competitive fight with Mayweather. But De La Hoya better stay the hell away from Miguel Cotto. That guy will put him in a wheel chair if he gets in the ring with him.

 

Note to Readers!!!!

Dear Readers:

I am out of commission for a few days. My computer was infected by a virus and so I have been banging my head trying to fix it myself. I have been unable to do so. I know when I am whooped, so I took it to a pro. I will be back up with lots more to say (some of it may be a day or two too stale) asap.

I am using a computer at the public library write now to let you all know the deal, but will not post anything from here, you know, Big Brother and all.

Thanks for reading and if you’d like me to shoot you an email and let you know when I am back in the jungle, feel free to email me at lionstar75@gmail.com.

Pope Benedict XVI Meets with Victims of Clergy Abuse

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI went off the script and met privately with a group of victims of sexual abuse by priests during his first visit to the United States.

 

The meeting marked a crucial first step in beginning the healing process for Catholics who’ve been abused, and those of us who haven’t been abused but are tired of the Church trying to cover-up the scandal.

 

As a Roman Catholic and former Alter Boy, I was raised to respect the cloth. But like many people, I learned along the way that clergy are people and therefore capable of making mistakes and sometimes horrible deeds. Is it all of them that are guilty of abuse? No, of course not. Its only a very small minority, but the Church has made a monumental mistake in how they chose to deal with the situation.

 

The Church should’ve engaged the issue immediately and made an example of the offending priests to show that it would not be tolerated. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because a Sheppard has a duty to protect his flock!

 

Bishop Ochoa should be a proactive leader of his flock and deal with the issue head-on. El Paso has thousands of faithful and devout Catholics. Dealing with the issue won’t turn away the faithful, it will galvanize us. It will let us know that our faith in the Church and it’s hierarchy is not misplaced.

 

Here are the numbers on sexual abuse (according to NBC Nightly News):

 

11,000 allegations of abuse by 4,400 priests over a 50 year span. So far, the Church has paid billions in monetary damages.

Speaking of Religion…

Am I the only one that is a little bothered by the government going in to Eldorado, Texas and snatching up all those kids so clumsily?

This is America people! Didn’t the Pilgrims come here to ESCAPE religious persecution? And where the hell is the religious right on this one? They don’t seem to want to touch this with a ten-foot Bible.

 

Here’s my take on it. Sexual abuse should not be tolerated…ever. Forcing someone to marry when they should be worrying about finishing the 7^th grade, who’s going to be voted off American Idol, bugging about a new cell phone, or bootlegging music off the internet behind their parents’ back, is completely wrong! Let them be kids. Prosecute the scum bags to the fullest!

 

BUT, if there are consenting adults that CHOOSE to enter a polygamist marriage in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I think they should be allowed to.

 

It’s their funeral. Personally I can’t understand why a guy would want more than one wife. That’s too many people telling me what to do. Can you imaging that guys “Honey-Do” list? Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Birthdays alone would be enough to drive a man insane.

 

But there should be a couple of requirements. First, all parties have to consent to the marriage in writing. Second, if they CHOOSE to be in a polygamist marriage, then they should not be able to receive public assistance. If you can’t afford the lifestyle, we shouldn’t have to foot the bill.

 

Just my two cents.

KenG spots Zaragoza/Zaragosa spelling glitch!

KenG posted a thread on the strelz forum (http://strelzbacktalk.proboards19.com/index.c.cgi?action=display&board=EP&thread=1208037839&page=1) about the fact that on El Paso’s eastside, the street name Zaragoza is spelled two different ways depending on the streat sign.

So, since I live in the neighborhood (or drive through it daily) I thought I’d snap a couple of pics for you all (and maybe someone in charge of street signs) to see.

This is on the corner of Saul Kleinfeld and Zaragoza/Zaragosa. Right near Senator Shapleigh’s office.

One sign spells it like this:

The other side of the street, at the same intersection, spells it like this:

Weren’t we on one of those crazy lists like “Top Illiterate Cities in America” or something? I can’t make up my mind on whether I think this is sad or funny.

Maybe I should send this into Headlines on the Jay Leno Show?

 

Light Rail in El Paso? Let’s Do it!!!

El Paso Mayor John Cook and City Representative Susie Byrd would like to see light rail systems come to El Paso for mass transit. I think a light rail system in town would be a great addition to El Paso’s public transit system.

I’ve actually used public transit fairly regularly throughout my time here in the Sun City. I know a lot of people complain about it, but I’ve seen much worse. Buses break down in the heat all the time in Phoenix. The Valley of the Sun is now moving to light rail (something they’ve talked about for YEARS!) and many of the rail stops are already being built and some are completed.

The difference is this is one of the first times, in a long time, that El Paso is moving ahead. Phoenix is a giant metropolis with a well-developed business community, attractions, resorts, stadiums, malls, and a massive freeway system. Phoenix’s Achille’s Heal has always been its mass transit system. Only now is the light rail system becoming reality there.

I’m glad to see a progressive move like that being done here in El Paso. A rail system, if it’s done right, will go a long way to easing traffic, encouraging mass transit as a viable option, and help out our air quality.

But be prepared for the headaches. It’s not going to please everyone. The traffic will get worse before the benefit is seen. Be patient folks and give it a chance to work.

Mayor Cook summed up the requirements of a good rapid transit system by saying it had to be three things, fast, clean, and comfortable. I would add two other adjectives to his list. Reliable & tech-friendly.

If you want more people to use the system, you have to give them a reason. Internet connectivity will encourage working people and young people to hop on the rail and get out of their one-occupant pick-up truck.

Barbara Perez Leaves KHRO 1650am

Barbara Perez, sometimes controversial host of Me Against the World had her last show yesterday. She said she was leaving of her own will because she wanted to do some other things in her life. Perez also pointed to contentious relationships with old friends due to the Obama-Clinton battle and a negative campaign season for local officials.

Perez was a person that you either loved or hated. She was a fervent Hillary supporter and was the only radio personality to land an interview with Hillary on Election Day.

Perez also gained notarity for raising some controversial issues during the election season including the sexuality of sheriff candidate Richard Wiles and Barack Obama’s race.

It was a tearful good-bye as Perez broke down a couple of times when her supporters and even some of her detracktors (including yours truly) called to say that she would be missed.

On a personal level, I rarely (if ever) agreed with her. I’ve had some fun with her on my blog about some of her stances on issues or statements she’s made. I don’t back down from them, but I will genuinely miss her on the radio.

I used to be an amateur boxer when I was in the Army. When you are in the ring, you fight. The point is to hurt your opponent and win. Alot like politics. Perez was never afraid to mix it up with the best of them.

But just like politics, at the end of a great fight, your opponent would often earn your respect. The best compliment I can pay her is to say that..

She was always a worthy adversary. She’ll be missed.

Open Casting Call for Ankle-Biters & Hell Raisers!

I want to write a piece on local political activists and hell raisers. I think they play and important role in our system and admire their personal courage to say what others are afraid to, question authority, and to speak truth to power. If you know of someone that should be featured, or are someone that should be featured, please send me their name and contact info to my email address at lionstar75@gmail.com or if you have just their name, feel free to post it here.

The plan is to do a short interview with them, outline their hot-button issues, and maybe do some video depending on the person and situation.

Thanks everyone!

The LionStar Answers FAQ’s

My blog is only a couple of months old (started it in February) and has received quite a bit of attention thanks to you, my valued and loyal readers. I receive a lot of feedback through emails, phone calls, and conversations on the street. Surprisingly most of it is good and very little is negative. They way I write, I counted on a lot more blow back, not that I am complaining!

One thing that surprised me the most was how many readers had similar questions about me or the blog, so I thought I’d answer as many of them that I can. Here they are in the order most-asked.

1.       Are you running for office or planning on it? No! Not now, not ever. No one writes the way I write expecting a future as an elected official. Plus I feel more empowered as a private citizen and community activist. I can say what ever I want without worrying about a political payback in the future that will jeopardize a candidacy. I can talk about or advocate for any issue I please, whether it’s local, state, or federal without having to be concerned if it’s in my scope of responsibility. Now that I think about it, I probably still have to worry about payback though…

 

2.       Do you work for an elected official or powerful figure? Nope, I work for myself. Like I said before, I don’t kiss anyone’s ring or bow to any party boss. I am my own man.

 

3.       Don’t you have anything better to do than blog all day / What do you do for a living that you have some much time to write? This is the same question, just asked a different way depending if the person asking me is pissed at me or not. No, I don’t have anything better to do, lol. I try to keep the content new and fresh because I value you as a reader and want you to have something new to read when you visit my site. I make the time to collect content and write.

 

4.       What are you going to write about after the elections are over? I have no idea! Just kidding, I have plenty of things in mind. Plus, if you know me well, you know I never run out of things to talk about.

 

5.       Why don’t you reveal your real name? Mostly because it’s now common knowledge. Someone accidentally outed me a while back. At first, I tried to keep my real name a bit of a secret because I wanted to feel free to write the way I think, with no filter. But like I said, my cover was blown and it really hasn’t changed anything much…yet.

So there you have it, the five most commonly-asked questions I get from people. If you were ever wondering the same things you see listed, you now have your answer. If you have any other queries, let me know and I’ll be happy to answer, unless it’s too personal, lol.

“Because that’s what family does” – A Family’s Struggle with Crystal Meth

(Note to reader: This is the most personal piece I have ever done on this blog and I debated with myself on whether or not to write it. There is some strong language in this piece so please be forewarned. My intent is not to offend anyone, but I hope the telling of this story is some how helpful to anyone else who’s experienced the ravages of drugs in their lives.)

 

KVIA and the CW aired a program about the dangers of using crystal meth last night. Sadly I know first hand about how crystal meth can destroy a life and cause havoc in a family.

 

I want to share a story with you. It’s a story that is unfortunately becoming more and more common; the story of wasted talent and lost potential. It’s a story about my best friend when we were growing up.

 

His dad was involved in politics and community activism, but his passion was baseball. He played Triple A baseball in the Giants organization before a tragic accident that broke his pelvis and ended his dreams of playing professionally. He had eight sons and never lost his passion for America’s past time.

 

Almost at birth, my friend’s dad made his sons play baseball. It was a lot of pressure being the son of a talented ball player, but my friend seemed to revel in it. While his brothers hated the endless drills and practice, my friend loved it. At night, he’d be outside tossing a racquetball against the wall so that he could practice fielding grounders. He liked using the racquetball because it bounced more than a real baseball and was harder to catch. He said if you can field a racquetball, a baseball seems easy. Even at age ten in Little League, he was serious about baseball.

 

Ten years old was also the age that my friend first tried marijuana with his other friend Jonas. At first it was only every once in a while. He kept it a secret from everyone, even me. But eventually he started smoking weed more and more until it was no longer an unspoken secret.

 

Even his dad just started to look the other way, as he had with his grades, because my friend was a good athlete.

 

We grew apart after high school. I joined the Army and only talked with him every once in a while and tried to catch up with him when I’d come home on leave. But it was never like it was when we were kids. He’d grown closer to his friend Jonas who was pretty much a loser in every sense of the word.

 

My friend developed into a great athlete and star baseball player. He was never as good as his dad (how many of us ever are) but he had a chance to try out with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox.

 

He did well at the try-outs. I went, along with his family, to support him and cheer him on. The scouts said that he did a great job, but he was just too small. At 5’4, a future in the Big Leagues just wasn’t in his future. He was devastated.

 

His life began to spiral out of control. The marijuana use evolved into harder drugs. His wife left him. He could rarely hold a job and when he did manage to hold on to one it was fast food and lasted only a couple of months.

 

Eventually my friend started hanging out with characters that were right out of cholo movies like American Me or Blood In / Blood Out. We’d grown up in a rough area, but these guys were bad even for that neighborhood.

 

He was first a mule and went on to become a small time dealer. I know for a fact that he’d seen Scarface, but apparently he didn’t remember the scene where the rules of the game are laid out, like don’t get high off of your own supply.

 

He was busted in Oklahoma for transporting two pounds of marijuana. His dad called in as many favors from his political friends as he could and my friend got off with a couple of years of probation since it was his first offense.

 

He was clean for a while, but went back to his old ways once he no longer had to provide his probation officer with urine samples.

 

I was hanging out with my old friend and his brothers at a bar in west Phoenix a few years ago, just shooting some pool and having some beers. A woman came in and sent the bartender over to me with a pitcher of beer. The bartender told me it was from the woman sitting at the bar. I went over to thank her, but I was not the least bit interested in her.

 

She was a tramp. There’s no nice way to put it. She was the type of woman that my parents spent a life-time telling me to avoid. I could see her lower-back tramp stamp tattoo just above her thong that was showing above her jeans. A real classy lady.

 

She wore clothing that was two sizes too small for her. She had on too much make-up with stereotypical chola-blue eye shadow, thick eye liner, and even thicker and darker lip liner that drew attention to her bad teeth. Her face was slightly pock-marked, like she used to have bad acne. Her eyes where blood-shot and wide open.

 

I thanked her and made pointless conversation out of bar room etiquette, but the first chance I had, I pawned her off on my friend. They seemed to hit it off well and he took her home that night. I went back to my game of pool.

 

At first, I was relieved my friend was stuck with her, as long as it wasn’t me. After all, is that what a wing man is for? I figured it was just a one-night stand with a skanky bar fly. But as it turns out, he ended up staying with that bar fly. They ended up with a son before he could get out of the relationship. The tramp’s mother was raising her other four kids.

 

She’s the one who introduced my friend to crystal meth. He went from a pot head to a strung-out junkie seemingly overnight. They would go on binges for weeks at a time. My friend’s poor mother was worried sick about her son and his father was ashamed of what his son had become.

 

Like all drug users, he became a user of people, bumming money from everyone he knew, and burning all of his loved ones. Tramp ended up pregnant again. By this time my friend’s parents were basically raising the first child. Tramp was using meth throughout her pregnancy and even did a “puddle” the day she went into labor.

 

Tramp gave birth to a baby girl. The baby was born addicted to meth. The state of Arizona immediately started the process to take the child away from her parents.

 

When people would tell my friend’s parents to stop giving him money or a place to stay, his parents’ anguish turned into anger. Their pain was deep and raw. Like a festering, infected wound.

 

The Inevitable

 

The inevitable happened about a year and a half ago. I received a call from one of his younger brothers telling me that he’d overdosed and was in a detox center. Apparently my friend and Tramp were at some drug house. God only knows what she did for money, but they were at the end of another binge.

 

My friend had over-dosed at the drug house and Tramp just left him there while he was convulsing and drifting in and out of consciousness. Someone there at least cared enough to drive him to a hospital and push him out of the vehicle and onto the sidewalk in front of the emergency room. As soon as he was medically stable, he was sent to a detox facility.

 

I left work right away and came home to pick-up my daughter. We drove to Phoenix right away to pick up my friend from detox. If you’re wondering why I took my daughter it was for two reasons. First, I wanted her to see first-hand what drugs could do to a person. She was eleven and at the age where she could be exposed to drugs (live gives us plenty of teaching moments). The other reason I took her was more personal. You see, my “friend” is also my little brother and my daughter’s padrino.

 

My brother and I as kids (with my mom)

 

Along the way I explained to her what was going on and tried to prepare her for what she might expect to see. The truth was that I didn’t know what to expect myself. When we arrived in Phoenix a few hours later, my brother was ready to be released from the facility. He was a complete zombie. He recognized me but it took him a couple of minutes to remember that I wasn’t in the Army anymore and now lived in Texas.

 

I told him that his hijada was in the car and to shape his ass up and get his shit together. It was like talking to a wall, only the wall would probably comprehend more.

 

He was trembling and twitching. He kept fidgeting and picking at his skin. I had a family-size bag of chips that he devoured before we got to one of my other brother’s house. There was no way we were going to allow my parents to see him like that, but they insisted and came over. We couldn’t get him into a rehab facility until the following Monday, so that meant we had to keep him around for a couple of days.

 

We didn’t know how long we’d be able to keep him around, so I decided to watch over him in a hotel room near my brother’s house. I didn’t want to mess up my brother’s house or expose any of the younger nieces and nephews to an addict detoxing. Plus, we boys wanted to be alone with him when he was finally coherent. The plan was to have him to stay with us until the rehab facility opened on Monday. Plan “B” was to kick his ass if he refused and force him to go to rehab on Monday. Either way, he was going to rehab.

 

It was a long weekend and that first night was the worst. I took the first shift baby sitting him and at first all he did was sleep. But then he’d shiver, moan, and eventually scream. He’d wake up every couple of hours freaking out. For some reason he wanted to take a leak in the closet of the hotel room. Problem was, there was no closet!

 

Things got physical a couple of times, but we managed to keep him at the hotel. We had the tough-love talk with him, along with out parents and it was a painful day for our family. He went outside to talk with our mother and he suddenly took off running. He managed to get away and it was several months before anyone heard from him again.

 

I never found out how or why, but he cleaned up eventually. He now has a job in a warehouse and is in a steady relationship.

 

The Baby

 

There was no way we could allow the baby my brother and Tramp had to end up in the state system, so my sister stepped up and started the process of gaining custody of the baby. She’d already taken in their son and was quickly officially named the foster mother of the newborn.

 

My sister had three kids of her own along with two step kids. It’s funny, but when we were kids, we were so mean to her. One of my brothers pushed her out of a tree once and broke her arm. Another brother busted her on the head with a brick giving her a few stitches, and I tried to light her Cabbage Patch doll on fire because she lost some of my GI Joes. Yet though all of that, and with a gang of kids of her own, she stepped up to the plate.

 

The rest of us boys along with our other sister, help her out with money and stuff for the kids. My sister gave my brother and Tramp a chance to be parents if they cleaned up and got their lives together but it didn’t work out. Tramp was only around a short time after the baby was born and she eventually was on the run. She got into some more trouble and the last I heard, she was locked up.

 

My brother’s ex-wife (she’s still close to our family) asked my mother why we even bothered to take the baby in and my mother answered, “Because that’s what family does”.

 

In March of this year, the adoption was finalized and the children official belong to my sister. Both are doing well and are healthy. The pediatrician says there doesn’t appear to be any major damage to the baby because of the meth, but they will have to monitor her for many years to come.

 

(My sister & kids the day adoption was final)

 

The Moral of the Story

 

Drugs don’t discriminate and it can happen to the best of us. My brother and I were raised by the same parents and came out totally different. He has no one to blame but his own poor judgment.

 

You can’t completely shelter your children from everything life throws at them, but there is some truth to the old Mexican saying my mother used to say, “Dime con quien andas, y te dire quien eres”.

Another Thousand Words…

Another contribution from the good folks over at Freeway Carpets. If I ever get sponsorship for my blog, I think I am going to hit them up first!

Even though I consider myself a strong political activist, I own a business and I don’t think even someone as outspoken and politically active as I consider myself to be, would be willing to give up advertising space for a political message.

All the more reason I admire these folks. They could easily use the space to advertise their latest deal on carpets, a sale, or catchy slogan. Glad to see they use it for political commentary. That’s what freedom of speech is all about.

I think I’ll stop in one day to interview the owner and ask him more about his billboard and pass it on to you Dear Reader.

 

Here’s the other side of the sign.

Gotta love the humor, gotta love the moxie (cajones for those of you not familiar with the term).

Don’t think they’ll be asked to carpet Rachel Quintana’s office anytime soon! May have them do my offices though…

El Paso’s Youth Movement in Politics

If you’ve been paying attention to elections over the last couple of years, you’ve probably noticed El Paso is going through a change in leadership. There is a definite youth movement going on. The 40 and under crowd is starting to make up a large portion of the elected officials here in town and I think it represents an important transition in El Paso politics.

 

The “Old Guard” has done a lot of good for El Paso but its great to see so many young leaders in our community emerge. Hopefully the emerging youth movement in the leadership will also represent some progression in how business is done.

 

On Commissioners Court there is Veronica Escobar who will soon be joined by the energetic duo of Willie Gandara, Jr and Anna Perez. (I think Judge Cobos may be in the 40 and under crowd too, but I am not sure with all the hair he’s losing. Plus there is the likely probability that he will not be there much longer depending on how this whole FBI public corruption investigation pans out.)

 

 

The great thing about most of the newly elected youth in office is that they are well-qualified professionals who still have that youthful idealism that hasn’t been worn away into cynisism.

 

In city government there are several Gen Xers leading the way like Beto O’rourke, Susie Byrd, Steve Ortega, and Eddie Holguin.

 

At the state level, El Paso recently decided to send Marissa Marquez to Austin.

Of course there are a few Gen Xers that probably went into office a little too early, namely Rachel “Wanna Get Away?” Quintana, and Melina “Candyland” Castro. They seem to follow rather than lead.

 

Power is the subject of constant struggle. Those that have it don’t want to let it go, and those that don’t have it, struggle to get it. My hope is that our other elected officials will not be threatened by the youth movement and serve as mentors to the younger leaders, taking advantage of the wealth of political and legislative experience we have in our other elected officials.

 

The interesting thing to me, as a Gen Xer is whether the youth movement will follow the lead of the “Old Guard” or blaze their own trail. It will also be interesting to see when/if/how the “Old Guard” relinquish their power.

Chicano Politics

KHRO 1650am added some new voices to their line-up last weekend and now offer almost a full day’s programming on Saturday. A testament to the fact that they have developed a strong audience for their talk-radio format.

 

The guest during the 3:00pm hour was County Attorney Jose Rodriguez who talked about Chicano politics. It was great to hear about a topic I care so deeply about.

 

I’m not from El Paso originally, as I’ve mentioned several times. One of the first things I noticed when I moved here was the fact that there aren’t many Chicanos in El Paso. There are a whole lot of Hispanics, but not a lot of Chicanos. In fact, I was walking around downtown when I had family in from out of town in February and I saw a help wanted sign at one of the shops. I was really surprised to see it say, No Chicanos.

 

The sign bothered me and I steered my parents away from the store with the sign because I didn’t want them to see the sign. I was afraid it would not only hurt their feelings, but I also knew full well that my dad would go in to the store and raise hell. He’s in ill health, so I decided I would (and did) go back and raise hell about it later.

 

But I was also embarrassed by the sign. I was embarrassed because I have embraced this town as my own and I felt rejected by my adopted home when I read the sign. You see, where I come from, being Chicano is something to aspire to, not to shy away from or be embarrassed by. We are born brown, but becoming a Chicano is almost something you should have to earn. It means you aren’t just a sheep going along with the flow, but that you are an activist who cares about the community and back up good sentiment with action and deeds. That to me, is being Chicano.

 

Where We Are

 

I got to thinking about the discussion of the state of Chicano politics and my observation is that the state of Chicano politics is very complex and differs depending on what part of the country you live in. For example, Chicano politics is different in southern California and the border regions of Texas, than it is in more polarized communities like Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Tucson, and Las Vegas.

 

My father came to visit me a couple of years ago during an election cycle. My father was so happy to see so many candidates and incumbents with Spanish surnames. You almost never see that level of political participation and power back home in Phoenix. I even remarked to him that I noticed in El Paso, people trip over themselves to show they have a Latino heritage if their names don’t sound Spanish, like Maria Guadalupe Dempsey. El Paso even has people ride the Spanish last name in hopes of getting elected even if they aren’t Latino, like Lyda Garcia. She’s divorced from her ex-husband but kept the Garcia name during the campaign. Only in El Paso!

 

The events that transpired at the Democratic County Caucus have a negative impact on Chicano politics in El Paso, no matter what your stand is on the issues debated or the candidate you support. The bottom line is that instead of finding a way to make our voting block stronger and a better for our community, the only thing we accomplished as the creation of a deep rift in the Chicano leadership and community as a whole. Ignoring this fundamental truth doesn’t make it go away. We fell victim to our perennial Achilles’ heel; division instead of unity. We have to find a way to rise above division or we will fail. In the words of Cesar Chavez, “The people united will never be defeated.”

 

What We are Missing

 

Border communities have long been a fruitful laboratory for the development of Chicano politics and leaders. El Paso has lead the way in the production of Chicano leaders. But what is missing in Chicano / Latino politics is the presence of a national leader. Since the passing of the great Cesar Chavez, there has not been a national voice for the Chicano / Latino cause. It may not seem like it, but Cesar Chavez has been gone for 15 years!

 

“Chicano” Issues

 

There are several issues that become prominent in Chicano / Latino politics. Indeed the border security, immigration, poverty, and social justice issues have a bigger impact on our community than others, but all issues are Chicano issues! The mistake is that people, and even out own community, tend to try to indentify the Chicano / Latino causa by that narrow definition. What is important to our community cannot be wrapped up in a convenient little box with a pretty bow on it.

 

The Battle to be “Enough”

 

We are Americans, just like everyone else. We just have subtle differences that enhance the American experience, not compromise what it means to be American. It’s okay that we love mom’s apple pie and abuelita’s empanadas!

 

So all issues are important to us. Lower taxes, national defense, the economy, jobs, and education are as important to us as the border and social justice issues. Our story is the American story; our history is part of American history. The challenge for our community is and will continue to be the battle to be “enough”.

 

We seem to be caught in a never-ending struggle to be “enough” for everyone else. But alas, we will never meet that unattainable goal. Nor should we continue to try. We will never be “Mexican” enough for some, and we will never be “American” enough for others. That’s the dichotomy of being Chicano. No matter how much we fight to protect the rights of immigrants, or how much we fight to protect our country. And that’s okay, it’s a beautiful thing. Like I said before, we don’t fit neatly into a little box.

 

The Future

 

At the end of the discussion, lies the central question. Where do you go from here and who will lead us there? We need more Chicanos is classrooms than jail cells. More Chicanos in board rooms instead of unemployment lines. We need more Chicano soldiers on the battle lines of La Causa rather than casualties of a failed economy.

 

Viva La Causa!

 

Keeping Score

For those of you keeping score, I am batting a thousand on my predictions for the races last night.

How Does Sariñana Sleep Well at Night?

“I sleep well at night.” That’s the standard answer you get from Luis Sariñana whenever the question of the public corruption investigation by the FBI comes up.

 

Coupled with his answer to the question of what is the most important issue facing County Commissioners Court Precinct 1, the Sports Park if you can believe that, demonstrates that Sariñana is completely out of touch with the rest of his district.

 

But one has to wonder how he sleeps well at night. This, the public corruption investigation, is a major issue affecting our community, and even if he is innocent (which I doubt), I don’t understand how he thinks it’s no big deal. It should worry him because it affects the Commissioners Court. He should be up at night worrying about it.

 

Remember this issue dealing with his wife and contract issues from a couple of years ago? http://www.newspapertree.com/politics/37-anatomy-of-a-contract-venegas-sun-circle-perez

Contracting and procurement issues seem to float around this couple like a piece of toilet paper caught on a shoe.

 

I want a Commissioner who cares, not one who “sleeps well at night”.

LionStar Endorsements

This might not be the most sought after endorsement in town, but here is my humble offering. Actually, given the amount of people I’ve pissed off with my blog, my endorsement may be the kiss of death. But here goes:

 

Anna Perez

Regina Arditti

Yara Lisa Gutierrez

 

I am not giving an endorsement for sheriff because I actually didn’t make up my mind until the last minute and don’t feel strongly enough about either candidate to issue an endorsement. They are both well-qualified and would make great sheriffs.

Luis Sariñana is a Big Cry Baby

Challenger Anna Perez (www.AnnaPerez2008.com) and incumbent Luis Sariñana squared off in a debate aired on Saturday on KVIA in their bid for the County Commissioner’s Seat for Precinct 1 representing El Paso’s east side. The debate was short, lasting only a few minutes, but there was one development not recently seen, at least by me, during the campaign. 

 

It appears that the incumbent, Luis Sariñana, is feeling the heat and is now trying to position himself as a victim or martyr. When asked what were the biggest issues facing the Commissioners Court, Sariñana replied that it was the sports park! I’m not sure what planet he’s been living on, but apparently they don’t have any news from El Paso there.

 

Maybe Sariñana forgot about the guys in blue coats with the giant yellow letters FBI stamped on the back that went through his office. That’s entirely possible given that Mr. Sariñana swears all that was taken was a few pens. C’mon, who’s he kidding? Why would the FBI only take a few pens? I’ve been to county offices, trust me when I tell you that there is nothing special about their pens!

 

When the challenger, Anna Perez was asked the same question, Ms. Perez mentioned a couple of issues and among them, the on-going public corruption investigation. She made no specific allegation against Sariñana, only mentioning that the investigation was a concern to voters and a distraction to county business.

 

This is when Sariñana decided to show his new strategy. He said that Perez had “attacked” him! Talk about playing the pobre sito! That’s what he calls an attack? Did he not see another challenger’s signs, Tomas Rey (that’s right, the guy who owns a town!) who failed to make the run-off? In case you live in another part of town or didn’t see the signs, check it out. Do you see the big letters FBI?

 

Or how about this other version of the same sign?

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a sidebar, for a guy who owns a town, he had the cheapest, ugliest signs of any candidate in any race this season! And trust me, that’s saying something when he had Maria Guadalupe Dempsey’s and Alejandro Lozano’s signage to compete against for the title.

 

Though I think it’s hilarious, it’s not an attack, and neither was Perez’s answer to the question. This is a clear effort by Sariñana to position himself as a victim. Clearly he’s hoping for some amount of sympathy from voters.

 

Pathetic if you ask me.

 

Since he obviously doesn’t know what an attack is, I thought I’d demonstrate one to him. An attack would be if the opponent mentioned the on-going investigation by the FBI every chance they had. Or if they reminded the voters of his press-conference he called to profess his innocence and then refused to take questions. If he were under attack, someone might say, “If you didn’t do anything wrong Luis, why not take a couple of questions?” Or heck, they might say that the most recent person to make a deal stated that two sitting members of Commissioners court took bribes. They might remind the public that the only members of the court that were around then and are still sitting members are Anthony Cobos, Dan Haggerty, and that’s right, you guessed it…Luis Sariñana. Haggerty never met a camera crew he didn’t like and the other two refuse to comment.

 

An attack might also remind the public that no one that has fallen under suspicion in this investigation has walked away from the scandal without some sort of prison sentence. Plus, what is going to be the cost to the taxpayers for a special election to replace Luis if he goes down? That’s what an attack sounds like Luis, since you obviously don’t know what one sounds like.

 

Perez hasn’t gone after him on the public corruption scandal, as some, including me, think she should. She’s only mentioned the obvious distraction it has caused the county. Voters tend to have a short memory and I would hate to see him skate by because people have forgotten about the FBI investigation. Even though I think Anna Perez should go after Sariñana more strongly, the fact that she hasn’t says a lot about her character and her ethics draw a sharp comparison with those of her opponent.

 

I am urging all fellow east-siders to send Luis Sariñana packing. It’s time we improve the east side and get rid of at least one of the areas elected officials that are involved with an ethics investigation!

 

Then we can focus on giving Rachel Quintana that change of venue she wants so bad.

 

 

 

 

Twelve Minutes with Richard Wiles

In all the chaos over the last week about the Democratic Party County Convention, and my run-in with Carlos Leon’s daughter, I forgot to mention my interview with Richard Wiles, candidate for sheriff of El Paso County.

 

Mr. Wiles was gracious enough to spend some time answering some questions for me at the convention during a lunch break. As I’ve said before, it says a lot about a candidate when they choose to spend time answering the questions of a constituent (hear that Luis Sariñana?).

 

Our conversation really revolved around three questions. One was about Leon’s change in message to “family values”, the other about Leon pushing the fact that he’s bilingual and Wiles is not, and about an allegation made by Leon on the Barbara Perez show.

 

I asked Wiles what he thought about Leon’s new message of family values and if he felt that it was code for bringing up Wiles’ sexuality. Wiles told me that he wasn’t going to discuss his personal life but went one to tell me about his own family values, that fact that he’s a divorced father of two, and that he was a Christian. He stated that he hoped that the message wasn’t insinuating that Leon was the only candidate that had strong family values. I finished up that line of conversation with a question about how relevant he thought the family values issue was to the sheriff’s race. He answered by stating that he didn’t feel it was all that relevant and that experience and qualifications were more important.

 

We then talked about being bilingual. Wiles said the he does understand Spanish and is learning everyday, but doesn’t feel comfortable enough with the language to try to speak it in public. He cut right to the chase and said that the main issues is whether or not he’s able to communicate with his staff and the people of the community. To that, he stated that he’s been doing that over his entire career and feels that he is very capable of communicating with constituents. He also mentioned that communications means more than just knowing Spanish because there are several languages spoken in El Paso and utilizes interpreters of various languages, and American Sign, when the need arises.

 

Our conversation ended with a discussion about the allegation made by Leon on the Barbara Perez Show a couple of weeks back. He alleged (see previous posting for details) that Leon reassigned the Internal Affairs Unit to fall under his friends, insinuating that Wiles had something to hide. When asked to clarify, Leon stated that he could so no reason for doing so other than personal benefit. Wiles was unaware of the allegation and stated that I was the first person to bring it to his attention or ask the question. Wiles explained that he made the move as a cost-saving initiative and to “flatten” the organization. Wiles stated that he initiated the changes but left the specifics of the various reassignments to the incoming interim-Chief.

 

Wiles told me that the move eliminated a couple of positions, increased efficiency, and saved the city about $70,000.

 

So there you have it. Time to make your decision on who to support. All I know is it’s getting late in the game and I still haven’t made up my mind.

 

It seems to me that the race will come down to a battle for east El Paso. From the data I’ve seen so far, it appears that Wile’s strength is in the Northeast and Westside, Leon’s is central and the valley. Looks like who ever wins the east side may end up being the next sheriff.

 

At least we have the option of choosing between two well-qualified candidates instead of two jokers. Who ever wins has big shoes to fill.

Jerome Tighlman Has Some ‘Splainin’ to do!

Jerome doesn’t answer or return phone calls or emails. I have tried to track him down, literally for months. At first, I was going to help him out. Not because I thought Reyes was doing a bad job, but I have the uncontrollable urge to root for the underdog. After everything I’ve learned over the last few days, I can no longer hold my breath for a returned call nor support his candidacy. Between you and me dear readers, I doubt he gets the signatures necessary to make it on the ballot. In fact, I’d be surprised if he’s able to get more than 100 signatures.

 

And underdog he is. Jerome’s never won a public election in El Paso. Not for anything, ever. Even when he was in the run-off and had the chance to win against a political novice with questionable residency in the district, he still lost.

 

So with that tradition of losing (and problems like this from the last time he ran: http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/sworncomp/2005/250461.pdf), I can’t understand what makes him want to take on arguably the most popular, and definitely the most powerful, Congressman to ever represent El Paso.

 

Living here only a few years sometimes puts me at a disadvantage because I don’t always know some of the back story of stuff that transpires here in town. When Jerome filed to run for Congress as an Independent, I naively thought it was because he really was an Independent, or someone who’d recently become disillusioned with the Democratic Party.

 

But after attending the convention and listening to him on the radio during the following week, I started to snoop around to find out more about him. What piqued my curiosity was the fact that he even attended the Democratic event in the first place, but also the language he used on the radio in the following week. He kept referring to “we”… as in “we” need to focus on what’s most important to us, “we” need to stop all the in-fighting, and “we” discussed this and that in our caucus.

 

We????? I thought he was an Independent?!?!

 

So I did some poking around and found out he has a deep and rich history in the party. Actually, it wasn’t all that hard to find out, he was bragging about it on the air. It’s the one election, albeit only within the party, that he’s won.

 

Dave from Downtown, aka Dirty Downtown Dave, aka Dave from the Darkside, formerly known as Dave from Chaparral, had called into question Jerome’s character last summer. He said that Jerome had invited Dave and another Dave to have lunch to talk about issues. The other Dave in question was the famous All-Talk, No Action-Car Washing-Shoe Shinning-Drunkard from the Lower Valley. DDD said that it was nothing more than a recruiting ploy on Jerome’s part.

 

Jerome is very beguiling. He does his best to come across humble, intellectual, and studious. The guy lays it on reaaaalll thick.

 

Oh, and did I mention the fact that he loves the thesaurus and cheesy, overly-complex metaphors? This guy could over-complicate a trip to the bathroom. I’ve heard several people talk about how he’s a great speaker and I must say that he never struck me as a good speaker. He knows a few big words, so what? There used to be a skit on the show In Living Color of a guy that misused big five-dollar words because he was trying to sound smarter than he was. Reminds me a lot of Jerome.

 

A good speaker doesn’t take all day to make his point. A good speaker is easily understood by his audience. This guy overshoots his audience and half the time you are left wondering what the hell he just said.

 

He must bore his students to tears.

 

The part that I don’t get is why he’s running as an Independent. Actually, I do know. He’s running as an Independent because he didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell (see, I can use clichés and metaphors too) of beating Reyes in the primary. He doesn’t have one in the general either, so it makes no difference.

 

I suspect what he’s going to do is take a stab at getting the signatures and then drop out and make another stab at the city council. Here’s the problem that he’s facing. He has no constituency and has no large, steady flow of money to mount and effective race for Congress, city council, or anything else.

 

He hasn’t figured out the reason he gets beat, aside from the metaphors and flowery language, he gets out-worked. He hasn’t figured out that the key to winning a race in El Paso is to knock on every door of every regular voter in the area. No amount of money can change that. Just ask Joe Wardy.

 

There are a couple of people I know that are eyeing a run for city council to oust the very vulnerable Melina “Candyland” Castro. At least one of them has a real shot at beating her. Jerome has already lost that battle and if he enters he will only hurt the chances of a challenger.

 

As a veteran, I can’t get passed a major (no pun intended) point of contention that I have. He’s not a true Independent and therefore his candidacy is based on deception. There is no honor in that. Honor still means something to a lot of people, especially veterans.

 

So, taking a page out of Jerome’s playbook, a leopard doesn’t change his spots. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, the grass is always greener on the other side, many hands make light work, he who laughs last, it ain’t over til it’s over, and read my lips. Oops, sorry. All this talk of Jerome gave me the sudden compulsion to spout out metaphors. You get robbed by gun point or by ball point, if you can’t take the heat, don’t worry, be happy, life is like a box of chocolates, that dog won’t hunt.

 

Help, I can’t stop! I’ve been possessed by Jerome’s metaphors.

But seriously, I hope people who sign his petition realize the words of another famous cliché from another world-class slick talker, “there’s a sucker born every minute.”

 

 

 

A Thousand Words

You’ve all heard the expression, a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, I drive by Freeway Carpets every few days and if you’ve ever driven by, then you know that they frequently use their billboard to post political and humerous comment on a range of issues.

I will take pictures of some of their signs and post them here periodically just to give you all a taste of what they do. This one is from a couple of months ago, but I thought I’d share it. Says alot about how I feel…

More on Anchondo/Press Credentials & Barbara Perez “Love Fest”

I got to thinking about something Susie, a rabid Hillary supporter, asked about while Anchondo was on the Barbara Perez show. God definitely has a sense of humor because Susie happens to be the name of my ex-wife! Tough to figure out which of the two I like better.

Anyway, when they were discussing the video being shot of the committee proceedings and Susie asked if the man taking the video for the Obama camp was issued press credentials.

At first, I didn’t think anything of it, but then I remembered something. I had a conversation with Ken Sutherland about an unrelated issue during the convention. I had asked him where I could find Chief Wiles because I wanted to interview him (for this blog, I am not a reporter or anything) and I knew he was a big supporter of Wiles. He told me where I could find him and then stopped me as I was walking off. He handed me a yellow card that looked exactly like me delegate credential except it said “MEDIA”. He said “Here take this, use it as you please.” He knew full well it was for my blog because I made sure I told him that’s what it was for, not that he asked.

So, for once, Susie and I are in complete agreement. It would be nice to know what the process is to issue press credentials to people. From my experience with Mr. Sutherland, there didn’t seem to be one, but I would really love to know if there were rules governing the issuance of media credentials because that situation didn’t appear to be subject to any rules or process.

And people wonder why the Obama camp worries about rules being circumvented and manipulated?

City Council Passes Pool Fence Ordinance

For some reason, this ordinance has a lot of people upset. I expected the local pool companies and builders to be upset because it’s more work and may eat into their profit or have a mild impact on their business. I was surprised that a good friend of mine and I disagree on this issue though.

Paul Strelzin is a friend of mine and I consider him a mentor. However, he’s completely wrong on this one.

I applaud the move of the city council to mandate pool fencing in the city of El Paso. It’s a small step that will save lives.

Will it cost more for someone wanting to build a pool, yes. Will it save every life, no. People will continue to die in back yard pools, the bath tub, lakes, rivers, streams, and in the case of Ira Hayes, just a few inches of water.

The ordinance isn’t about stopping all deaths, but it is about adding an additional layer or protection to help save some lives. This is a lot better than watching deaths of children happen every year that could be prevented. I’m sorry, but this isn’t JUST about parents being responsible, this is about a safer community as a whole.

As usual, the usual geniuses voted against the measure, Melina Castro and Rachel Quintana. Eddie Holguin also voted against the measure, but the El Paso Times reports that he did so because he didn’t think one foot would make that much difference and he proposed a stricter measure.

I talked with my friend Paul about this issue and Paul went Biblical with “…Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:9). According to the Bible…yes, we are our brother’s keeper. By the way, in the next line of the Bible, the Almighty pretty much answers the question, “…Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the soil!..” (Gen 4:10)

The City of Phoenix passed an ordinance for pool fencing years ago. Has it prevented all deaths from drowning in pools? Nope. But it has cut the number of deaths drastically.

Government steps in for safety all the time. Cigarette warnings, seat belts, speed limits, DWI laws, car seats, building codes, immunizations, OSHA, some states require seniors to renew their license more often, no-burn legislation, firework bans/regulations, etc, I could go on and on.

This isn’t an example of Big Brother. This is an example when government does the right thing to protect it’s citizens. And let’s not get too upset over the ordinance, it only affects families with children under six years old and existing pools are grandfathered. Additionally, it will be waived if you have a pool cover or secondary fence.

This isn’t a lot to ask to save a life. Aren’t all of our children and grandchildren’s lives worth it?

I’m sure that Paul with think about it and change his mind. I know he’s changed my mind on a few things.

Ken Sutherland Disputes Anchodo’s Video Claim

Danny Anchondo chose the cozy confines of the Barbara Perez Show on KHRO 1650am to discuss issues and controversy relating to the El Paso County Democratic Convention. Perez, as I have previously written is literally a cheerleader for the Clinton Campaign. Anchondo couldn’t avoid questions from the callers though and was asked several questions about his conduct and the manipulation of rules to take advantage of the minority at the convention.

Anchondo discussed the controversy over the recording of the proceedings on video and stated that the reason it was not allowed was because the person that was recording the video was impersonating a member of the media.

When asked by a caller to substantiate such a serious (and potentially libelous) allegation, Anchondo did/would not substantiate the claim. The caller also explained to Mr. Anchondo that his explanation was very different from that of the Nominations Committee Chair, and big-time Wiles supporter, Ken Sutherland. Sutherland was quoted in Newspaper Tree as stating that the reason he had the recording stopped was because of the fact that he wanted the committee members to be “candid”.

Sutherland called in to the show twice and on the second call, Perez passed on the question regarding the video taping. Sutherland restated his position about the committee members being able to be candid.

One wonders why Anchondo would deliberately  spread a message that he knew to be untrue.

It was either sensationalism for the sake of controversy or he was clearly spreading chisme.

Either way, it is not actions of a good leader.

The LionStar Answers Critics

Okay, I have been receiving over-whelming support on my blog. But there have been a few people that have been critical of what I write. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read what I write here on my blog. I truly do.

I also realize that sometimes there are people who have a criticism but choose not to voice it. So I will address a few of the criticisms I have received. Actually it’s really only a couple. David K., host of the morning show, The Other Side, on KHRO 1650am was talking with Paul Strelzin and said I say things using a thousand words when the same thing can be said in four hundred words. He’s also said on his own blog, http://refusethejuice.typepad.com/, that my blog sucks. Oh yeah, he thought I was Paul De La Peña too.

So here is my response. First, why are you counting how many words I use? Nothing better to do? If the biggest criticism is how many words I use, then I’m okay with that. It’s actually pretty therapeutic for me to rant here instead of bore people randomly on the street. Plus, I don’t have a radio show, as much as I’d like one, so I have to get my thoughts out on my blog instead of an hour show from 6-7am. I know it sounds like I am being a smart ass about the hour of his show, but I am not. I am jealous and would take 10pm-Midnight on Saturday nights if that was all I could get!

As for whether or not my blog sucks, I guess it’s a matter of opinion. Not sure what is criteria is, but I get anywhere from 20 to 200 unique viewers per day on my blog, including DK! (I doubt everyday, but he’s read it) I have no idea how many regular readers he has on his, but I’ve been told that I have one of the best blogs in town from several sources. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but like I said, all a matter of opinion. I think he also wrote that it’s the same opinion you hear around town and there’s nothing new about it. David, you obviously don’t get the email that I do. I get a lot of people who agree with me, which would support your point, but I get a lot that don’t. As soon as I was “outed” by Newspaper Tree last week, I started getting phone calls, emails, and in-person complaints and kudos. Humbly, I’d like to say that there is something that makes my blog different from others (actually, others are now doing some of the same things I do) and that is I try to share video I collect at forums, meetings, etc. Not bad for a guy with a modest camera and a digital recorder!

I easily write about more stuff than any other blog. By far. But it’s because I have a big mouth and have a lot to say. And finally, I am obviously not Paul De La Peña. We sound NOTHING alike man.

For my readers, I want you all to know that I am a fan of David K’s work. I am answering him here because I don’t get a chance to call into his show. But he’s a great guy and actually pretty fair if you give him a chance. I look forward to having a couple of beers with him someday. We are from the same generation, so I root for him and enjoy the fact that he’s the only other guy around that isn’t afraid to stick it to the man with irreverent humor and insightful analysis…even if he is wrong most of the time. (just kidding DK).

For all the other critics, let me break it down for you like this:

1. At some point while reading my blog, I will say something you don’t like or agree with.
2. If you are an elected official and I think you aren’t doing your job, I will voice my opinion about it. I carry a camera and digital recorder with me everywhere I go, so if you say something you don’t want the public to hear, don’t do it around me because I believe in transparency. Shouldn’t make you nervous because you guys always do what’s right…right?
3. At some point while reading my blog, I will say something that you do like or agree with.
4. I am fair, you might not like it, but I call it like I see it.
5. I don’t kiss the ring of any mafia, party boss, news station, or elected official. Nor am I in the least bit intimidated by them. They should be scared of us, not the other way around.
6. If you don’t like what I have to say, say something about it, or write your own blog, that’s what our country is all about. If you choose not to, then stop reading. Or better yet, keep reading and you will eventually find something you like.
7. Sorry, you can’t plant anything with me. I am fiercely independent, so remember this, “Homie don’t play dat!” But if there is something you’d like to get my take on, by all means feel free to contact me here or at lionstar75@gmail.com.

For everyone else, I’ll keep writing if you keep reading. I am thinking about adding google ads to my page so don’t be surprised if you see that change soon.

Juntos Y Adelante!

More on Convention-Ken Sutherland’s Distorted View of “fair”

“Poll results shall be used by the Nominations Committee and by the Convention as a whole as the basis for nominating and for electing At-Large Delegates so as to ensure the fairest possible representation of the Convention participants as a whole within the total delegation, without disturbing the Precinct Caucus election results.” [(10. Election Procedure in Presidential and in Non-Presidential Years, (d)(4)]

 That’s the rule in question. The bold and italics was something I added to draw your attention to the operative words of this debate.

Ken Sutherland and Danny Anchondo demonstrated a clear disregard for the rules. So listen up Hillary supporters. These guys may end up getting the entire delegation for El Paso tossed out!

Don’t blame Obama supporters if that happens, blame the guys that disregarded the rules because they weren’t happy enough with 3-1 margin and had to go with 9-1 approach. There is little defense for this and I want people that are supporting Hillary to remember this when the delegation gets kicked out.

I also want people to remember it when Anchondo, who lives in Norma Chavez’s district, decides he’s going to run against her. Mark my words, this is going to happen, if not by him personally, by someone he puts up.

Sutherland is arguing that the 9-1 split is somehow more fair to the Hillary supporters. I know for a fact that there was a review of the numbers last night to see how many delegates from each presedential preference went to the caucus to see if the numbers warranted a 9-1 split. Guess what, they don’t.

Guess who will look bad…El Paso Democrats.

The Obama folks weren’t trying to get more than their fair share, they were just trying to get what was coming to them. The rules are made to protect the minority from stuff like that. I bet Danny and Ken would be arguing the same if they weren’t for Hillary.

In an article in NewsPaperTree, http://newspapertree.com/politics/2272, Sutherland stated that he had recording devices in a critical committee meeting turned off because “In the spirit of the meeting I wanted people to be really candid about the proceedings.”

Mr. Sutherland, when things are done in the dark and there is no transparency in the process, people become suspicious and disenfranchised.

 NPT goes on to report, “

And on the key issue of picking at-large delegates, Sutherland said he interpreted the rule differently than the Obama supporters.

He pointed to the word “fairest” in the state rule.

“There were many pending precincts that had a large Hillary outcome but were never counted, which would have given them a higher percentage. It was either shenanigans or incompetence in the precincts, how these people were counted,” Sutherland said.

So where is he coming up with the notion that the county of El Paso, that went 70-30 or so by popular vote for Hillary, had precincts with heavy numbers of Hillary supporters that didn’t get counted? If he can substatiate that claim, fine. Come out with your source for this and redo the math. But if not, then it was nothing but conjecture and he’s trying to deliberatly cheat the Obama camp out of delegates. That doesn’t seem very fair to me Mr. Sutherland.

If his argument was that they weren’t seated as they should’ve, he should’ve followed the rules governing that issue. Instead he chose, along with Anchondo, to ram things down the throat of the party because they had the votes to do it.

The problem with that strategy gentlemen, is that one day, you will inevitably be on the other side of that kind of game.

So like I said perviously, there is no Democrat in Democracy in El Paso.

Ironic Statements I Heard Today!!!

Today is kind of a strange day, but I thought I’d share with you all some IRONIC statements I heard throughout the day.

Ironic Statement #1-Pat Haggerty was commenting on the County having the day off today and today being the first day for early voting. He stated that its an “…expensive proposition to have the court house closed for one day…”!

I almost fell on the floor laughing. This is coming from the man you brought us St. Patrick’s Day as a County holiday! Read my thoughts on that here: http://lionstar75.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/st-patrick%e2%80%99s-day-should-not-be-a-county-holiday/

Ironic Statement #2-Mario Solis Marich played a clip by Joe Lieberman. Now I am no fan of this turncoat DINO, but I almost died laughing again when I heard Mario Solis Marich make fun of Lieberman’s voice! This is coming from the guy who has the most annoying voice on 1650am! Mr. Morning Cup of Cafecito himself!

And Finally…

Ironic Statement #3-Okay this one isn’t really a statement, but it’s still ironic. Among her unpaid campaign bills, Hillary “Health Care Reform” Clinton has a rather large unpaid bill that is still outstanding. She owes…get this…payments for her campaign staffs HEALTH INSURANCE!!!!!

Gotta love irony…

El Paso County Democratic County Convention

DISORGANIZED. That is the best way I can describe the event. Nearly everything that transpired at the convention was contentious, but there was one thing that had almost universal agreement and that is the fact that it was soooooo disorganized.

 

It started from the moment people arrived. We were forced to wait outside in the sun until they signed people in ten-at-a-time. I felt really bad for seniors or people in ill health. Personally, I was fine about it, but a little annoyed. But there were folks who weren’t even able to stay until lunch because the time outside in the sun wore them out. Plus all of the walking and stair climbing was tough on them.

 

The day was so boring, that I actually found Mayor Cook’s singing to be half-way enjoyable. I’ve said it before, but Mayor Cooks singing bit is getting old and is a bit corny.

  

Not sure who’s cornier, the Mayor or the people dancing in the background.

 

But that’s the kind of day it was, BORING.

 

Once the actual business started getting done is when the controversy arose. Danny Anchondo spent most of the day screwing over the Obama camp. Yes I am an Obama supporter, but what I am saying is true. He even made sure he got in a diss to Norma Chavez.

 

He went out of his way to introduce every elected official and candidate present and even Paul Moreno who is an out-going state representative. But he never once recognized state Representative Norma Chavez.

 

The Democratic party establishment was clearly 100% behind Hillary and their let their fervent support for her get in the way of following the rules. I won’t bore you all with the minutia of all the rules, subrules, amendments to rules, procedures, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. See, I fell asleep just thinking about it again.

 

But the end result was that the delegates to the state convention, by party rules, is supposed to be a reflection of the popular vote in El Paso County. That was a 75-25 split according to popular vote. The delegate split that will go to Austin to represent El Paso at the state convention is a 90-10 split for Hillary. This was entirely due to the manipulation of Danny Anchondo and the rest of the Old Guard.

 

The Obama people, like Norma Chavez and Don Williams, tried to fight it out with the party establishment but that clearly wasn’t going to be a fruitful venture. All they were trying to do was get the fair share they were supposed to get according to the rules set forth by the party. No one was trying to get more than their fair share except the Hillary camp as demonstrated by the 90-10 split.

 

Norma Chavez went on air on the Paul Strelzin show on 1650am on Monday to expose what happened at the convention to the rest of the community. I would not be surprised to see Danny Anchondo make a move to have a candidate of the Old Guard’s choosing to run against Norma Chavez in the next election. That’s how ugly things got. Paul Moreno’s sister was even trying to start a physical confrontation with Norma Chavez.

 

And people are trying to say with a straight face that they are going to support the Democratic nominee in the general election? Not by what I saw. Certainly not if the behavior of the party establishment is any indication of the rest of the Hillary supporters.

 

I don’t fault Hillary or most of her supporters who are not militant, but you read this blog because I call it like I see it. And what I saw was the manipulation of power at the expense of the minority.

 

Danny Anchondo took the Democrat out of democracy!

Carlos Leon Booed at El Paso County Democratic Convention

Just when I thought I understood who was supporting who in this race I find myself even more confused. It appears that the power structure of the Democratic Party establishment is behind Leon. But I was really surprised at the amount of support Wiles appeared to have among rank and file Democrats in El Paso County Democratic Convention.

 

Each candidate that was involved in the upcoming run-off was given a chance to address the convention. Wiles spoke first and here’s a look at his speech.

 

The Leon had his chance to address the crowd. He was booed near the end for drawing attention to the fact that Wiles in his speech just stated that he took over a distressed department but when Wiles was first appointed EPPD Chief, he was inheriting one of the best departments around. I have no idea what made the crowd upset with that point, but Leon was right, he did get Wiles in one of those classic GOT’CHA moments. Here is the video of a portion of Leon’s speech.

 

I was surprised that he said it (you can hear me say “oh” on the clip), but I didn’t think it was out of line at all. Leon made a good point and the crowd just didn’t appreciate it.

 

Bet a lot of them probably still went out to Leon’s RV and enjoyed a free hotdog and soda though. Gotta love El Paso politics.

Carlos Leon & Family Talk About “Family Values”

I went to the El Paso County Democratic Convention on Saturday at the Don Haskins Center. I was spending a few minutes talking with a good friend of mine, who knows very well that I write my blog and do my best to maintain my anonymity so that I can write freely without having to worry about retribution.

 

My buddy introduced me to someone he was talking with that was wearing a Leon shirt. It turns out it was Bonnie Leon, wife of candidate Carlos Leon. We made some small talk and mentioned that I was still undecided. Then my buddy (who now owes me big time!!!!) mentioned my Cesar Chavez piece in my blog. I could’ve killed him for that, because it brought up the discussion of my blog.

 

As many of you have read, I have written about the sheriff’s race recently and in particular, Carlos Leon and his stand on a couple of issues. Specifically, I’ve written about the fact that the language in his campaign has shifted gears since the beginning of the run-off cycle. If you missed it, read further down the page and you’ll catch a couple of entries about Leon and the sheriff’s race.

 

I was a little uncomfortable because I write the way I truly feel about things and I call it like I see it. That means I see things differently than some people would like me to see things, especially if they are the subject of one of my entries. But I wouldn’t be me if I changed how I write, so don’t expect to see me write any differently than before.

 

But since the topic of blog came up, Mrs. Leon and I started a discussion about the content of the pieces I’ve written on Leon. I must say, I found Mrs. Leon to be a gracious and interesting person who seemed genuinely interested in my views and line of thinking. I found her to be intelligent and very open-minded. Outside of her husband’s résumé, she’s easily the campaign’s best asset. I must admit, she started to win me over because she listened to my perspective, asked questions, and gave me her feedback and viewpoint. She disagreed with me without being disagreeable. I felt like I understood things a little better because I talked with her. Maybe still didn’t agree, but certainly understood the intentions of the campaign much better.

 

Having said that, let me share a few highlights of the discussion. We primarily discussed my views about Leon’s message of “family values”. I told her that I felt at best it was an implication that their family structure was somehow superior to that of Wiles and that at worst, it appears as an under-handed way of bringing up Wiles’ sexuality.

 

She explained to me that they were advised, she didn’t say by whom, that their original campaign message of Stronger, Safer, Better wasn’t resonating well with voters and that they should focus on what makes Leon different. I explained some of my political experience and shared some suggestions with her and I found it to be an extremely productive conversation. She told me that they felt it was sound advice that they had received and that was the reason for the change in the message of the campaign. I explained that whenever you are trying to sell something to a voter, the sale would be based on the most marketable asset. I explained being bilingual and having family values are important things, but on the grand scale of the election are pretty much peripheral issues.

 

I further explained that the family values thing has gotten out of their control. When their surrogates, like JJ Armes go around trying to send the family values message but pepper the message with their own bigoted views, it ends up reflecting on the campaign. The predominant discussion ends up being based on the trivial and controversial, instead of the candidate’s qualifications. From a strategy standpoint, it just doesn’t make sense to push a message that you will end up having to defend. The idea is to make the other guy go on defense. Controlling your message is key. Mrs. Leon was extremely gracious and seemed to appreciate our discussion. I genuinely like Mrs. Leon and she reminds me a bit of one of my tias. In the beginning of our conversation I mentioned that I felt like both campaigns were fighting to lose my vote instead of win it, but after talking with her, I could envision supporting Leon.

 

Just about the time our conversation was wrapping up, Carlos Leon came over. There’s a video of the last time I talked to Leon in one of the entries on this blog and he came across pretty defensive with me. In fairness to him, I asked a tough question so I can understand the defensive posture. So I was a little apprehensive about how the conversation would go. Mrs. Leon introduced me and told him we were discussing my blog and my views about the family values and bilingual message. Mr. Leon was anxious to discuss it with me and he engaged the issues right away. We had a fruitful discussion and I came away from the conversation convinced by Mr. Leon of one thing. He convinced me 100% that their motives were not negative on the family values message. He was moved by the fact that he explained to that I was sitting with most of his campaign staff which consisted of Leon, his wife, and his daughter Lori who had just joined the discussion. I still think it’s a pointless strategy, but I am convinced that he meant nothing negative by the message.

 

We talked about his experience and accomplishments. It says a lot about Mr. Leon and his campaign that they spent so much time with me and talked candidly with an undecided voter. When I go and cast my ballot in the run-off election, I will try to remember the way I was treated by Carlos and Bonnie Leon (and the fact that they provided free hotdogs and sodas to the delegates).

 

I will also try to forget how I was treated by their daughter Lori.