AMERIQUE:


A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: It is the unspoken statistic, but it is as real as anything to do with the lingering U.S. war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the military, 1,800 American servicemen have killed themselves since the initial invasion of Baghdad. That is in addition to the more than 4,000 who died in battle. This week, families of the soldiers who committed suicide asked President Barack Obama to change the government policy of not forwarding letters of appreciation to mothers and fathers of these servicemen. By week's end, the White House had reversed the policy and agreed that such letters are needed, as well... - Eduardo Paz-Martinez, Editor of The Tribune

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

THE LAST, GREAT FLEAMARKET: Election Night Brings Out Something, Well, Familiar...


By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor-In-Chief

BROWNSVILLE, TX - The portly man in the weathered boots and straw hat put it in these terms: "We voted, and that's all that's expected of us. It's too late to worry about it." Mingling about him was a small crowd of vote-watchers, all craning their necks every few minutes to see the numbers being posted on a screen. Some groaned; others exulted. It was another Tuesday Election Night in town.

The record will show that two contests stood above a few others: the race between former Brownsville City Commissioner Ernie Hernandez and lawyer Ruben Pena. In the tabulation, Hernandez had 2,159 votes to Pena's 2,110, the sort-of-close victory propelling the Democrat Hernandez toward a November general election against himself, or, perhaps,a write-in candidate. There is no Republican seeking the Cameron County Precinct 2 seat Hernandez may now claim.

In the second fray, County Commissioner John Wood walloped opponent Eddie Trevino, a former mayor of Brownsville, with Wood winning 4,958 to 4,536, according to late-night numbers. If either of the two races could be called an upset, then it was Wood's win over Trevino that would fit that characterization. He now gears-up to face incumbent County Judge Carlos Cascos, a Republican.

What should upset the county's populace is the low voter turn-out. The final count would indicate that a miniscule number of county residents thought the contests were of any import. Brownsville, the county seat, alone counts more than 100,000 residents. 

If there is a dialogue for this B-movie's script, it came best from candidate Trevino. He told reporter Emma Perez-Trevino of The Brownsville Herald: "I am disappointed because our supporters committed so much to me and my campaign. I’m sorry I let them down. We gave it our best shot, but in this business, there is only one winner and one loser."

No, the loser was every resident of star-crossed Cameron County. Staying home and not voting carries a heavy price. Say "Hell-o" one more time to Mssr. Hernandez...

- 30 -

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well Brownsville voters got what they deserved a loud mouth, hyper, with a hair do of the 1960s, what a pathetic looking man.
What is wrong with the Brownsville voters. Uneducated, with no common sense. No one should have voted, so that someone else could have been appointed, pena and hernandez, take them to the trash bins.

Patrick Alcatraz said...

ANON: Actually, the entire county got this. Brownsville will just offer the stage for their histrionics... - Editor

Anonymous said...

Good music selection, hadn't heard that song since my dad was alvie.

Patrick Alcatraz said...

ANON: Yes, there are those songs, the soulful ones that bring back the best of memories. Glad to know this one's being enjoyed here...- Editor

Don Pancho said...

Don Patricio, My good compadre,,, from what grave did you pull the music for your juke box, my sister was a teen ager when that music was popular, she is 66. The guy with the hat is Resortes, wow, good, but really old stuff.
Like wine maybe??????????????