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LIMAS PUTS 'DEDO' ON POKER BUDDIES, DEALS FEDS WINNING HAND
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By Juan Montoya They say every dog shall have his day, and disgraced 404th District Judge Abel Limas is making the most of of his. On Monday, his testimony and tapes from wiretaps on his phone and on his body resulted in the conviction of his former "friend" and friendly lender Port Isabel Attorney Ray Marchan. Waiting in the wings to take their turn on the federal scaffold is Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos, Austin attorney Marc Rosenthal, and a whole alphabet soup of local and outside lawyers who crossed him, or shall we say, crossed his path while doing business in local courts. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_3_1WCC7jnkRfCtHqO1NWSjizT54Ud_xzxh8EJHdicK_GttsF1SXx5nCxChpF4YodGe0YgvsTpvo97yXfSd-XnEi56Wv4dd38Tf0dql17z7OtU27aOJTjgyFnK5r3cYpeyb9zCZvbWs/s1600/dogz.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_3_1WCC7jnkRfCtHqO1NWSjizT54Ud_xzxh8EJHdicK_GttsF1SXx5nCxChpF4YodGe0YgvsTpvo97yXfSd-XnEi56Wv4dd38Tf0dql17z7OtU27aOJTjgyFnK5r3cYpeyb9zCZvbWs/s400/dogz.gif" width="400" /></a>Already, his testimony is known to include several district judges who he said committed unspeakable "crooked" and unethical acts. Limas, in his attempt to save his skin, his wife's, and his son's freedom, has spilled his guts to the federal government. Those judges â€" 138th District Judge Arturo C. Nelson, 444th District Judge David Sanchez, 357th District Judge Leonel Alejandro and 404th District Judge Elia Cornejo-Lopez â€" can only guess what's contained in the folders waved by federal prosecutors before the jury that convicted Marchan, except that Limas claims the allegations contained therein are true. Now, this is from a man who has admitted he lied to the government, to his "friends," to other judges, to other attorneys, and we're sure, to anyone who would believe him. Andrew Hanen, the federal judge in the case, has pretty much shown that just about everything the prosecution asks will be given them, and even wants to sanction the statements of Marchan's attorney Noe Garza for even suggesting that the prosecution of Marchan (a hugely successful Mexican-American attorney) was selective prosecution by the feds when other actors  â€" among them Charles Willette, Michael Young, both (dare we say it?) were white as was the lead prosecutor â€"  were not. Despite Judge Hanen's and prosecutor's Michael J. Wynne demand that Garza forfeit his attorney's fees or pay $50,000 "in order to send a message" to (other Mexicans?), the perception out in the community is that the federal judiciary and the prosecutors are playing on the same side. "We have a crooked elected official (Limas) who is getting even with those that he has something against," said a local elected official. "The only reason they went after Marchan was because he chose to defend himself in court instead of lying down and playing along with the feds. Now Limas is turning on everyone he doesn't like." That perception â€"justified or not â€" is one widely held in the Brownsville area. Getting Marchan, who has been immensely successful in maritime cases and against insurance companies even before the Limas fiasco, would send a message to other like him to learn their place and cooperate, the thinking goes. The brown vs. white scenario has been one that local defense attorneys have pointed out when it was learned that Jodi Young, the federal prosecutor involved in convicting former Cameron County Sheriff Conrado Cantu, had worn a KKK hood and a Mexican peon sombrero in front of a large audience that included scores of active and retired federal employees with the Border Patrol, ICE and the federal court employees. Affidavits submitted to the courts and the Department of Justice also charge that Young and other prosecutors reneged on a verbal plea agreement with the former sheriff that would have lessened his incarceration in return for his cooperation with their investigation. "Now the government wants to sanction Garza for pointing out what seems obvious to a lot of people here," said a local court observer. "Isn't what Young did more egregious and points to a mindset on the part of federal prosecutors? Was Young sanctioned like they want to do with Garza? What's the difference between one and the other?"<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-8539387298298792804?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/06/limas-puts-dedo-on-poker-buddies-deals.html

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SPACEX OPPONENT SAYS PROMISED JOBS AREN'T WORTH LOSING BEACH, WILDLIFE
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By C.A. Stevens. (This letter first appeared in the Brownsville Herald. We are reprinting it here with permission from the author.) I am a Brownsville native. However, I spent much of my life away from Brownsville in other countries, other parts of Texas, and a number of years in Portland, Oregon. Having been in Brownsville during my formative years gave me a unique perspective. In the 90s, I watched Portland go from big town to large booming city. Upon my return to Texas, I appreciated anew how fortunate we are to have the wonderful open beaches at the north end of South Padre Island, and the entirety of Boca Chica beach. I recently happened to see Elon Musk on 60 Minutes, then shortly thereafter learned that SpaceX was looking at Brownsville. Let me state for the record that I am not an opponent of SpaceX, I think Elon Musk is brilliant. However, I am opposed to having them set up shop at the edge of Boca Chica beach. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspi7fjR61tPp5CKWMdpXiDhrEUka3BHnUt7H5k4bIjzBhFD6wC0oJNyLrZsHLCUGu05SlOIG8tnAu1Yzsup4pdj0N813pvULst8LngV-AaUkuJE6rQzm2rq_DzCjxd6lD6-ZfxiHl5Qs/s1600/keep-out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspi7fjR61tPp5CKWMdpXiDhrEUka3BHnUt7H5k4bIjzBhFD6wC0oJNyLrZsHLCUGu05SlOIG8tnAu1Yzsup4pdj0N813pvULst8LngV-AaUkuJE6rQzm2rq_DzCjxd6lD6-ZfxiHl5Qs/s400/keep-out.jpg" width="400" /></a>The message is that their presence will bring lots of jobs to the area. In theory that is great, but the reality is quite different. Obviously, there would be the initial construction jobs, but the full-time specialized jobs would largely go to people from outside the area. Out of curiosity I looked at their website. I have a college degree and a variety of work experience, but I did not find a job for which I would qualify. Next was the May 15 Public Scoping Meeting. Coincidentally, my schedule opened up such that I was able to attend. I learned a bit about the company, but not nearly enough about the impact it would have on Boca Chica and all the wildlife. Rather it felt like a huge pep rally. I had numerous concerns, but didn't feel comfortable speaking up in the midst of all the cheerleading. Afterwards I became exceedingly concerned when I realized the short span between the meeting and May 30 submittal deadline for comments. I proceeded to spend every spare minute identifying which environmental groups and/or state agencies to contact, to sort out what, if anything, could be done to stop this project. Among others, I contacted the Texas Audubon Society, the Austin Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy and the Valley Land Trust. My goal was to make them aware of the deadline and ask them to weigh in on the issue. I was able to get a copy of the Sierra Club comments. I assume the other environmental groups had similar concerns. A few days after the meeting, a friend stumbled upon the Texas Open Beaches Act. Upon further investigation I learned that it was created in 1959, and then strengthened in 2009 when the Legislature voted to approve Proposition 9, a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment to the Texas Constitution. It states, in part: "The public, individually and collectively, has an unrestricted right to use and a right of ingress to and egress from a public beach. The right granted by this subsection is dedicated as a permanent easement in favor of the public." On May 30 I stayed up late to finish and ultimately submit my questions. I woke up the next day not sure what to do next. It occurred to me that the General Land Office might have some answers. I called and got right through to a woman in the Beach Access department. She said they had just submitted their comments and offered a condensed version. Apparently the first step in the process is to secure a Beach Dune Permit. However, the GLO will not issue one to SpaceX. The explanation was quite simple. Since Highway 4 is the only road to/from the beach, SpaceX does not have the authority to close the road and therefore, the beach. I questioned what, if anything, SpaceX could possibly do to get a permit. Apparently, the only option would be to request that Cameron County change the local law which would require amendment of the Dune Protection Plan. She seemed to think it was unlikely to happen, but if it could, the process would likely take anywhere from six months to a year.  Later I browsed the plan myself. A quick scan suggests that whatever Cameron County decides would have to be in accordance with the General Land Office, the Texas Attorney General and FEMA. People need jobs, but they also need wide open spaces. Not everything can be put into dollars. How much is taking your kids to the beach worth?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-735462752225630285?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/06/spacex-opponent-says-promised-jobs.html

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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

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