I was watching the Trib streaming of Guv Dude’s press conference to call out the cavalry yesterday and a minute or two into the conference I was struck by the imagery – nothing but older white guys telling us about their call to action on a so called international crisis on our border with Mexico. Who are they talking to, I thought? Then it sadly sunk in. Dude was staging this for the Tea Party folks in Iowa in 2016 – plain and simple. If Dude had up there with him a couple or so border county judges, sheriffs, or legislators of the Latino persuasion, I might have thought differently.
In today’s Chron hard copy, the E-Board’s headline says: Why now? Border troops may have to do with 2016. Here is part of the E-Board take:
Actually, it’s potential presidential candidate Perry who’s deploying the troops to the border, the same combat-ready would-be president who ventured onto the roiling waters of the Rio Grande a few days ago with conservative talk-show host Sean Hannity.
The surge, Perry said, is the result of the federal government’s failure to adequately secure the border.
Sheriffs along the border told reporters they had not been consulted. They also questioned the wisdom of sending in military personnel who have no authority to stop, question or arrest anyone.
“At this time, a lot of people do things for political reasons. I don’t know that it helps,” Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio told the Dallas Morning News.
The good sheriff has that right. “I don’t know what good they can do,” he added. “I need people who I can hire who know the community, the language and who can help.”
If the governor, not necessarily the candidate, were truly interested in helping ease the border crisis, he would follow the moral exemplar of Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who has offered facilities to help shelter the children until their immigration status can be determined. He would offer state assistance to clergy and church groups in the Valley who are doing the best they can to keep the children safe. He would treat the children as desperate refugees, not dangerous lawbreakers bringing disease and danger to this country.
Alas, there’s no political gain in taking a humanitarian approach, particularly when the nativists howling for the children to be deported posthaste will have a lot to say about who’s on the Republican ticket for 2016. Politician Perry is well aware of that fact.
No one believes in ignoring the influx of juveniles at the border, but as state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa told the Chronicle, there’s no need to militarize the border. The McAllen Democrat said the governor should be focused on helping local law enforcement and making resources available to feed, clothe and provide health checkups for the youngsters.
That would be the compassionate thing to do and the sensible thing, but, then again, someone who thinks he ought to be president doesn’t always exhibit good sense.
Come on Dude! You didn’t even consult the locals? The locals ARE boots on the ground. Get their advice! Here is more from a related Chron article.
Starr County Judge Eloy Vera questioned the effort.
“Those DPS people that are down here,” Vera said. “There’s one every mile, or every half a mile. And then every once in a while you’ll see a cluster or three or four of them chatting. They are doing absolutely nothing.”
Vera said he thought the National Guard deployment would not do anything because that is what happened when guardsmen were sent to the border previously, in 2006 and 2010.
Go on ahead and shake your head in disbelief. Hey, look at the bright side – yes, there is a bright side. We only have to put up with Dude for another six months.
Big Papi smacked a couple of dingers last night to move him past Yaz to numero 36 on the all-time dinger list with 453 career dingers. Name the active player sitting at numero 35 with 454 career dingers?
Remember when Sen. Dan Patrick had those ads with him standing by the border promoting his anti-invasion campaign? Check this from the Chron:
Republican lieutenant gubernatorial nominee Dan Patrick has erected his campaign on a foundation of being Mr. Border Security, using tough talk on the issue of illegal immigration to help build a reputation as one of the loudest voices on the issue within the state party.
Yet, as an international humanitarian crisis unfolds along the Texas-Mexico border, Patrick has been noticeably low-key – almost silent on the issue over the last few weeks with the exception of a handful of messages promoted on YouTube, Facebook and in press releases.
And the state senator from Houston favored to win the spot as Texas’ lieutenant governor says that’s been by design.
Patrick, fresh off a relatively non-publicized border tour, said Monday that he’s intentionally stayed in the background the last couple of weeks, keeping away from photo ops and treading carefully with public statements to avoid stepping on the toes of the state leaders who are actually in a position of power to influence the situation.
“I want to be very careful,” he said in an interview. “I don’t want to be looking like I’m out in front, telling our current officeholders what to do. That’s the professional and respectful way to do it.”
What! Maybe this race is closer than most folks think!
Adam Dunn of course and now with the White Sox sits at numero 35 on the all-time career dinger list with 454.
I wonder which ‘Stro team will show up to play the best team in the MLB this evening?
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