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, September 15, 2010

In Harlingen, A Melancholic Mood Settles Over MyLeaderNews.Com - The City's Number 2 Blog...

By JUNIOR BONNER
Staff Writer

HARLINGEN, Texas - A rare calm moved across this noisy city's Old Guard sector all afternoon yesterday, hours after MyLeaderNews.com - Harlingen's uber-conservative Blog - lost to its chief rival, MyHarlingenNews.com, in The Tribune's Best Blog in Town poll.

"It's a graveyard scene over there, is what I hear," said one wag who'd supported Tony Chapa's MyHarlingenNews.com. "You can almost hear the life-sapping guttural swallows of Maalox on that side of town..."

On his Blog, MyLeaderNews.com's editor Jerry Deal posted this sobering note: "I am surprised that I received 60-plus votes since many of my readers did not know of the poll (I did not either until someone wrote me about it) and I did not ask them to vote for Myleadernews as Tony Chapa did for Myharlingennews."

The final tally was 85 to 63 in favor of Tony Chapa's blog.

"It's huge!" added another resident. "Tony's taken a lingering beating from the crazy neo-cons.  MyHarlingenNews.com is doing the people's bidding, while Jerry Deal works for the Old Guard in town, that small group of self-serving politicians and business suits who have run this community into the ground. The time has come for Jerry to dance his last waltz..."

Deal was not saying much more. Instead, as he often does when criticized, he buried his head in abstract stories he posted following release of the poll results. Indeed, his best journalistic efforts of late have been a Twilight Zone-angled story about mutilated cats and something about how business is done in McAllen - fluff pieces extraordinaire, as his readers might say.

How Deal rebounds from this mind-numbing defeat is what readers now await. There is no Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings game tonight and no Freak Show that was disgraced baseball player Jose Canseco to bail him out. There is no hurricane headed his way to write about. There is nothing new on new City Manager Carlos Yerena or controversial Police Chief Danny Castillo.

No, about all Jerry Deal can hope for is a new assault by Tony Chapa on his pet City Commissioner Kori Marra. When that happens, Deal will bolt from his doldrums like a crazed banshee in her defense, eyes ablaze, arms flailing, feet hoofing it to the computer, mind spinning tales of all-out support and thinning fingers ready to play the only song he knows to play when her name pops up on MyHarlingenNews.com - "You Are My Sunshine."

For the moment, his tires are flat and the only sound being emitted by MyLeaderNews.com readers is a cow-killing symphony of haunting, barnyard sobbing. Cue the battered wagon train pulling out of Tombstone...

- 30 -

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jr. the myleadernews.com crowd act sophisticated, but they are not. I have seen plenty of rejects from this blog and Tony's Blog. Some guy, name Jake, some character name Ren, plus a bunch of others, too many to list.
Just today, Mr. Deal wrote a list of assingments he has worked on. There have beens so many heroes and fakes out there, I have problems believing anything.

Gladys Morganfield said...

But dear Annony, you now seem to have arrived at the right destination. Dear child.

Patrick Alcatraz said...

Gladys:...What brings you here? In town for supplies? My, my. Another lost Old Guarder... - Editor

Gladys Morganfield said...

I've lived in Olmito for about 5 years, now. I'm 78 years old, but I manage to walk 2-3 miles everyday. With no days off. I recently went to the doctor who told me that he wouldn't be surprised if I lived to 100. So I have some time left, so old guarder is right. I hope to visit this blog every now and again. Oh, I'm originally from Belton, Tx.

Patrick Alcatraz said...

GLADYS:...Well, okay. Come as often as you'd like. Hey, what's the name of that famous park in Olmito? Do you know?... - Editor

Gladys Morganfield said...

Well, there are several parks in the surrounding area. But yourself being the young man that I assume that you are, you are probably referring to CC park. Also known as Canabis Commons park. Also known as John Lennon park. A haven for the young who gather for drug parties as well as open fornication.