Kino Flores, Que no Sabe?

That he just isn't as well liked as he believes himself to be?

After an overwhelming response on my blogger polls, support for State Rep. Kino Flores is at a low. Alright so I'm not just going on the polls posted here but observations and talk around the valley.

It's not just the valley, Texas Monthly recently gave Kino a "Dishonorable Mention" among TX Legislators. Stating that:

Kino Flores is one of the least trusted members. When he presented his bill to provide tax breaks for RV trailers in Hidalgo County, he represented that local officials supported his bill and that no other county was affected. Neither was true.

Flores has even got sly in his campaign tactics by posting a few billboards marketing our state capitol. A political ad in disguise indeed.

There is hope for District 36, for the first time in years, el KFC will have an opponent in Sandra Rodriguez.

Start gearing up Kino, Robert Jackson's $360,000 can't fund your whole campaign, he's up for re-election in La Joya and also needs to pay salaries to Board members' daughters.

This certainly promises to be a very interesting race.

The Jury is Out and So Is Omar

It was the front page header for what seemed like years, but after a 2 week trial and spending over 4 months in jail, Omar Guerrero is a free man. Yesterday a jury found him not guilty on all 7 counts of sexually assaulting a teenager.

Public opinions have varied in this matter, but the prosecution and the evidence they presented must not have been convincing to a jury. After more that four hours of deliberating, the jury consisting of 7 women and 5 men, decided to acquit Guerrero on all charges.

There is no doubt Guerrero has had his own trials and tribulations since the charge that led to his political downfall. Here was a young man viewed by many as someone with great potential and in one incident threw it all away. Not an uncommon tale.

Could Omar's acquittal be his saving grace? Or will his family and valley be tainted by another front page header about Omar?

I sure hope not.

A Look at Some Numbers

March 9, 2003. Bush, in office for a little over 2 years, sends American troops into Iraq to search for weapons of destruction. What began as a search for the mysterious WMD has now turned into a mission to secure democracy in Iraq, protect the U.S. against terrorists, and who knows what else, I lost track.

Below are some numbers in relation to the war that began in 2003.

3634- American troops killed in Iraq

25- Rio Grande Valley soldiers who have given their lives to President G.W. Bush’s failed plan.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/body_3623___article.html/funeral_army.html

30- Average age of the 3,000+ soldiers killed in Iraq.
American Blog

110- Journalists killed while on duty in Iraq
40 media support workers killed

288- Coalition forces representing 20 different countries have been killed in Iraq.
Of those soldiers:

160 from UK , 32 Italy, 20 Poland, 18 Ukraine, 13 Bulgaria, 11 Spain, 7 Denmark, 5 El Salvador, 4 Slovakia , 3 Latvia , 2 Romania, 2 Estonia 2 Netherlands , 2 Thailand , 2 Australia , 1 Canada , 1 South Korea , 1 from Hungary , 1 from Kazakhistan , 1 from Fiji.

Vacation's All I Ever Wanted, Vacation Had to Get Away

63- Visits Dubya Bush has made to his rancho in Crawford since taking office in Jan. 2001.
405- Vacation days Dubya has taken since the Supreme Court made him president.
ABC News, April 2007

We hear about soldiers every day, but lest we forget Iraqi civilians? How many have people have been killed since war began? Iraq Body Count gives those details.

The Drama Continues in Valley Schools

The fate of Donna I.S.D. administrators may finally be decided at a special called meeting this afternoon.

Donna School Board Meeting Agenda

On the agenda, possible suspension of Superintendent Joe Gonzalez and the termination of Donna ISD's General Counsel Jacques Trevino.

Andale.....

The Donna school district has been under intense scrutiny following a TEA investigation last summer upon allegations of wrong-doing by someone in Donna.

TEA Report on Donna ISD Made Public

The Monitor

Ironically, Donna School Board President George Hernandez, who may have called the special meeting, is currently facing charges of 11 counts of conspiracy and extortion in a federal indictment unsealed June 5 as part of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district bribery scandal. Hernandez's charges are not related to his school board position in Donna.

Its been a rough year for Superintendents in the valley. Last year Edinburg ISD suspended Superintendent J.L Salinas for violating nepotism rules and La Joya ISD School Board members, shortly after gaining a new majority, dismissed Filomena Leo. The Board never did reveal the reason (although School Board member Fito Salinas did state to the Monitor "It's political. I'm not going to say it's not.") for Leo's suspension or termination, but in another event of irony, Leo was hired earlier this year to serve as Interim Superintendent in Raymondville after School Board members terminated Superintendent Roy Casteneda for putting up signs for challengers of 2 Raymondville ISD Board members.

FBI raids, TEA investigations, election challenges, suspensions, elected officials trying to evade taxes, is there any political stability in this place?
Update: In a 4-3 vote this afternoon, the Donna ISD School Board voted to suspend the supe and terminate the lawyer. Politics has always been crazy, but now our schools are being invaded, couls this be a trend in thevalley?

Is It any Wonder?

Saturday, July, 7, 2007, lucky 7 was it?
7 continents, Former U.S. VP Al Gore and 24 hours of music marked a call for inhabitants of the earth to wake up and change their habits. Ladies and gentlemens: if you were clueless before, then after rocking to Madonna, Enrique Iglesisas, Kanye West and many other bands across the globe, you should now know that Mother Earth is slowly dying thanks to our consumer habits.
The question asked around the globe: Can these rockers get the word out and make a difference in the fight against our 'global crisis'? Maybe, maybe not.

Not to say that all these rockers aren't eco-friendly, but a better question to ask would be: What habits have these rockers undergone to combat the global crisis?

Elsewhere across the globe...
The New 7 Wonders of the World

While millions rocked to the save Mother Earth, others, including Hollywood's Hilary Swank and Jennifer Lopez, gathered in Portugal for the unveiling of the new 7 Wonders of The World.

Over 200 million voted and in the end decided on these 7 wonders.

Chichén Itzá, Mexico
Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
The Great Wall, China
Machu Picchu, Peru
Petra, Jordan
The Roman Colloseum, Italy
The Taj Mahal, India

The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt is the only Ancient Wonder left standing and remains an honorable world wonder.

It is not a suprise that this contest drew criticism from many, including the the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), who said wonders of the world should not be chosen in a popular vote.

Other finalists in this race included: The Acropolis, Greece; Alhambra, Spain; Angkor, Cambodia; Statues of Easter Island, Chile; Eiffel Tower, France; Hagia Sophia, Turkey; Kiyomizu Temple, Japan;Kremlin/St. Basil, Russia; Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany; Stonehenge, United Kingdom; and Timbuktu, Mali.

Other contenders, the Sydney Opera House in Australia and America's Statue of Liberty reportedly were at the bottom of the list. Not to worry America, once we build that great wall against Mexico, we too, shall become a world wonder.

I had hoped that the Acropolis, Alhambra and the Kremlin, because of their beauty and history would make the cut, but ah well, the masses have spoken.

For more info on our new wonders visit: http://www.new7wonders.com
Wanna save our planet? www.liveearth.org

Election Season Underway. Who will Run?

The U.S. Presidential race is heating up. Who will it be for the Democrats- Obama? Hilary? The struggling Edwards? Or, can Bill Richardson be the "little engine that could" and pull it off?

How about them Republicans? McCain and Giuliani aren't big favorites of the traditional conservatives, will Mitt Romney be the party's hope? Or, will Fred Thompson escape the Hollywood dome for a hopeful return to Washington? Guess we'll have to wait it out until Jan or Feb. 2008.

Meanwhile, valley hopefuls are gearing up for the season. While March is a primary for the Dems, in the valley March will be "do or die."

Up for another term are our Texas State Reps. What have we got so far?
The incumbents and possible opponents:
Aaron Pena District 40 vs. Eddie Saenz, Edinburg, TX
Kino Flores Distict 36 vs. Sandra Rodriguez
Veronica Gonzales District 41 vs. ??

In the U.S. Senate race we have 2 guys battling for the chance to oust the 'Bows to all Bush Commands' Senator John Cornyn.

Mega trial lawyer Mikal Watts may just face off with Houston State Rep. Rick Noriega. A MexiCAN senator? That could bring the number up to a whopping 4 Hispanics in the U.S. Senate.

Fundraising and endorsements will be underway soon enough, however candidates have until January to officially file.

Could the Craddick support haunt our Valley reps in 2008?
*this is just buzz received by word of mouth and other political blogs, yes CHISME. Y que?*