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33 YEARS AGO MATAMOROS WAS BURNING
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<span style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic26w41eImEY27_GH3vL8FtxHU5EvW3p8bkEqwdBjLf0Ihl3kGzJghBy44lN0t7mxOfteeoEWra5kzDJmKhJyizbC2VIf02gc308JZxfjgFlCQqF99rM-6234NTIhTDPbqOpoMSSanjEY/s1600/MATA.jpg" style="font-style: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic26w41eImEY27_GH3vL8FtxHU5EvW3p8bkEqwdBjLf0Ihl3kGzJghBy44lN0t7mxOfteeoEWra5kzDJmKhJyizbC2VIf02gc308JZxfjgFlCQqF99rM-6234NTIhTDPbqOpoMSSanjEY/s400/MATA.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729124251215171618" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvLGT43fHSMsdoCj5w0oL-yfhOb3uJRS5o4nyU8-wde_4Ehb3rfg0zI4CwQ8XMEnnNlRNXx7jbqHbK9LETxw3_A29avG4Inr96fa3U_VxU7geIOdYwUiIWpd4H4mGrdnmzqmTaTHFbWs/s1600/jerry.jpg" style="font-style: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 287px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvLGT43fHSMsdoCj5w0oL-yfhOb3uJRS5o4nyU8-wde_4Ehb3rfg0zI4CwQ8XMEnnNlRNXx7jbqHbK9LETxw3_A29avG4Inr96fa3U_VxU7geIOdYwUiIWpd4H4mGrdnmzqmTaTHFbWs/s400/jerry.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729121203265504162" /></a>By </span><b>Juan Montoya</b><div style="font-weight: normal; ">We were combing though our files looking for an old article from the <i>Brownsville Herald</i> when we stumbled into the coverage of a deadly riot in Matamoros June 26, 1978.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">Given the current state of affairs on that side of the border, the event that developed through the night of June 26 and into June 27 of that year now seem almost tame. Yet, at the time, Brownsville residents could see clouds of smoke rising from the center of their sister city. It wasn't until the next day that media reports (including ours) brought home the full impact of the violence that gripped the city, its municipal building and the jail.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">The events started out as a student demonstration at city hall after one of their companions was beaten by local police. After the mayor refused to at on their demands to bring the culprits to justice, hundreds of students sacked the city hall building and set it on fire, forcing the mayor to seek refuge from armed guards.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">The students then moved on to the jail where they believed their companions were held and torched it, too. At least two people died and another 30 were hurt during the fracas. In time, the mayor was replaced and for the next few days the city was under martial law with truckloads of soldiers patrolling the streets.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-style: normal; ">Newsmen from all over the state flocked to the city and used the </span><i>Herald</i> as their base of operations. Legends such as Ken Herman, of the Associated Press and & the UPI's Mack Sisk showed us rookies what being wire reporters was all about. The old manual typewriters fairly sang as they sat down and poured out impeccable copy with nary a typo or backwards glance. </div><div style="font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">Dave Crowder and I drove across the bridge and gathered some quotes and photos for the next day's story (above).</div><div style="font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">And, lo, of you look closely at the bottom photo, the guy with the cowboy hat looking over a desk at the burned out jail where a charred body was discovered is none other than Jerry McHale, then a sports writer with the Herald.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">The paper's coverage earned the staff a handful of AP awards and hooked me forever to newspaper work.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; "> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-229895917931131102?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/04/33-years-ago-matamoros-was-burning.html
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CHAIRMAN COWEN COMING TO A PORT NEAR YOU AT OUR EXPENSE?
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5t16pdg5HXhq0dx7_2-LSHHk2HMJyq1uJT0vDjJ6bthAk25XQO6DglaS_CjOeqTYGWOfTDyMG77r-Z2WVihunnVVsZpV6ABubyAj02Rfe4vCf_MiJftaCZgIZz8V8mgYs_UxWG4Miho/s1600/cowen270.jpg" style="font-style: normal; "><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5t16pdg5HXhq0dx7_2-LSHHk2HMJyq1uJT0vDjJ6bthAk25XQO6DglaS_CjOeqTYGWOfTDyMG77r-Z2WVihunnVVsZpV6ABubyAj02Rfe4vCf_MiJftaCZgIZz8V8mgYs_UxWG4Miho/s400/cowen270.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729107116474715858" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">By </span><b style="font-style: normal; ">Juan Montoya</b><br /><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; ">He is the self-appointed Ambassador of Goodwill for the City of Brownsville.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; ">He has single-handedly hijacked the annual Charro Days<i> grito </i>and is jockeying to have his nephew take over the role after his ample vocal chords and lung power diminishes.</span><br /><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; ">You know him. He's the portly </span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; "><i>gabacho i</i></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; ">n the suffering </span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; "><i>mariachi </i></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; ">pants struggling to keep back his overflowing paunch. If you tune in to the televised meeting sat the Brownsville Navigation District, he will be the amiable fellow with the thinning graying shock of hair who's everybody's friend.</span><br /><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; ">Those of us who know the Cowens know they're ingratiating folk who claim their roots back to Rip Ford, the slavery-loving Confederate doctor who battled it out with Mexican caudillo Juan Cortina and made battle against the dreaded Yankees.</span><br /><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; ">But if you can point out a more self-promoting fellow than old Ralph, you'll<br />get a Liberty dollar.</span><br /><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; ">Mariano "Bean" Ayala isn't eligible for the competition because Ayala does make a semblance of actually working for his paycheck.</span><br /><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; ">During the last Port elections, no one bothered to challenge vice-chair Cowen or chairman John Reed for their position, even though we know that Reed's brother-in-law is Mark Hosking, the manager of the Gulf Stream Marine stevedore company that single-handedly lowered the wages at the port for longshoremen to the lowest of all along the Gulf Coast with their union-busting using their confederates on the BND board.</span><br /><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; ">And no one bothered to announce against Cowen, even though we know he has a brother and nephew at Roser & Cowen Logistical Customs Services, who specialize in moving cargoes and merchandise across the border for port customers.</span><br /><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; ">More than once Ralph has elbowed his way to visiting dignitaries from other countries and brazenly offered his relatives' services to the embarrassment of those present. But than again, that's just Ralph.</span><br /><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">Now we understand that since there will be no contested elections at the port, Cowen is politicking to take over the helm of the Golden Ditch after Reed gives up the gavel, the normal rotation of control on the board. But even is Cowen has somehow managed to be named vice-chair, the fact of the matter is that the board names its chairman by seniority on the board, and Ralph's turn hasn't quite come up yet. </div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">He is hoping to knock off Tito Lopez to become head honcho on the board of</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "> directors.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">And, if you have been following our coverage of the port, you will doubtless be aware that compared to other entities, the administration out there is rife with political incest and unjustified bloated salaries at the top.</div>Starting at the top with Eduardo Campirano, Director and CEO, the salaries just keep on coming. Eddie â€" at $175,618 plus $8,400 (700 a month) auto allowance â€" has been hopscotching all over the world on the port's nickel and Cowen has often been there with him.<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">Donna Eymard, the assistant Port Director takes in â€" $125,756 plus $8,400 (700 a month) auto allowance â€"although some of her defenders some of her defenders say that in the past the port had two assistant port directors and that Eymar now performs the work of two assistants.<br />Ariel Chavez, Director of Engineering, $98,529 and $8,400 ($700 a month) auto allowance. The port has never had a legitimate marine engineer, instead opting to hire civil engineers like Chavez, a Brownsville native. He is followed by Jose G. Garza Jr., Director of Maintenance, at $90,875. We know of no other director of maintenance for such a small e</div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZi5JbSeoq-mgjuCmHNF1TvJKD3NvN29YxONKVl9w1sFoGgo3MecMC8z7hD_1BRjfk5-zGvCRGVnKYzVE98TWwSHPszp1qzTVJyOvB0s6GqYTUVmH8AAZXZ3kcWfsEazO1uRRsnqG4Ew/s400/at-the-helm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729110077614554514" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 314px; " /><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">ntity as the Port of Brownsville who earns this much.<br />Following Chavez is Carlos Garcia, Port Security, Chief of Police, who anded the top cop job at the port at $85,000 plus $8,400 ($700 a month) auto allowance.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">While Garcia was responsible for about 250 police officers in a city of almost 200,000, he is now the head of a formidable seven-officer force and rides herd on a dwindling port force that has steadily decreased from a high of almost 6,000 workers in the different port leasees to a number estimated to hover between 2,000 to 3,000. </div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">If you compare his duties with those of BISD Police Chief Oscar Garcia (no relation, we hope), it is readily obvious that Carlos is grossly overpaid. BISD pays Garcia $89,000 plus benefits but he has to oversee 53 campuses, 7,000-plus BISD employees and has 158 employees under him, including 33 police officers and 115 security guards.<br /><span style="font-size: 100%; ">The gravy train doesn't stop there.</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Last year, 92 port employees received a $200 bonus and a $50 gift card for Christmas.</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">If Ralph somehow gets his fellow commissioners to vote him chairman, we can rest assured that the junkets and the free trips will continue unabated as will the unbridled use (abuse) of the entity's credit cards.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">Charging one of these cards more than $1,600 and $1,800 for two single meals on separate nights between the executive director and a couple of port commissioners in China will probably become the norm. And even though experts in the cruise industry have said that the port of Brownsville is probably the least desired destination among cruise-ship enthusiasts, this hasn't deterred Ralph from forging ahead and committing the port's resources in his quixotic quest to bring them here.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">With him at the helm, it could only get worse.<br /><div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-5103820627787623914?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/04/chairman-cowen-coming-to-port-near-you.html
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