Contempo Magazine Blog

By Dr. Tony Magana

Many Texans including Texas Democratic Chairman, Boyd Richie, point with pride that a fellow Texan, President Lyndon Johnson, signed into law in 1964 the Civil Rights Act which was created to stop discrimination against minority voters in registering or carrying out their right to vote. Yet, according to LULAC attorney, Luis Roberto Vera Jr., this same Texas Democratic party now finds itself in his words “challenging the constitutionality of the Civil Right’s Act itself”. Mr. Vera was interviewed by this writer for this report.

For decades the Texas Democratic party has held presidential primaries and caucuses whose rules were controlled by a few elite members of the party. The process traditionally happened so late in the national election cycle that it had little effect on who would be the ultimate party candidate. In 1988 the process was changed to a “hybrid” that replaced the old fashioned caucus process with a combination open primary election and local caucuses.

Writing in the Democratic blog, The Texas Blue, Texas Democratic party chairman, Boyd Richie, on the eve of the primary defended the “Texas Two step” as it has come to be named.  Even though he admitted that several writers and prominent Texans had called for a “simplified “ delegate selection plan he defended the status quo saying that it would give a “greater voice to the grassroots”.

In 2008, the Texas Democratic primary came sooner and right on the heels of a contested multi-state Super Tuesday primary event then ever before. For the first time in recent history, the Texas Democratic primary could have an effect on the national election. Although then Senator Barack Obama was riding a national populist wave, Senator Hillary Clinton had close ties with and the support of many in the Mexican-American community which makes up the majority in South Texas.

Texas’s fastest growing ethnic group which makes up almost a third of the eligible voting population and are overwhelmingly registered Democrats expected that their vote would be more then significant but instead experienced confusion, misinformation, and betrayal reminiscent of the days of the poll tax and Jim Crow. Most Latino Democratic voters were under the impression that they had one vote which would be cast in an open primary held on March 4, 2008  but they did not know that there were “conventions” held after the primary closed to select additional delegates. In the end, although Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, Barack Obama won more delegates because his organizers dominated the post-election conventions.

Following the election, the Texas Democratic party was embarrassed by revelations that no formal documentation of not only how the delegates where ultimately chosen but even who was officially chosen were made. In hearings held by the Democratic party, the late Jim Mattox testified about the utter chaos that occurred that lead to a universal agreement among the majority of Democratic voters that delegates should only be selected by the primary vote and not caucuses, however, the leaders of the Texas Democratic party have not accepted this conclusion.

On behalf of Texas voters, the League of United Latin American Citizens filed a suit in Federal Court alleging the so-called “Texas Two-Step” process was a violation of voter’s civil rights. Initially U.S. District Court Judge Fred Biery ruled that the case was not relevant because the law did not apply to political parties but LULAC appealed to the higher Court of Appeals in New Orleans which reversed Judge Biery and remanded the case back.

This past week the three judge panel of the Texas Western District Federal Court ruled against the Texas Democratic party. According to Vera, the stage is now set for the court to issue a summary judgment against the Texas Democratic party for violating the rights of not only Latino voters but possibly the elderly and disabled. As a result of the inequity of the “Texas Two Step” process, the Democratic party violated Hispanic voters rights in at least the seven state senatorial districts which have major Hispanic populations he adds.

One cannot help but wonder why this issue even went to court? Why has the Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, Boyd Richie, and the executive committee not acted strongly and decisively to correct this problem but instead chosen to fight against the rights of Latino voters in court? Mr. Richie falsely claimed that Latin0 voters were informed about the late night caucuses.

Why has not Attorney General, Eric Holder, and the Justice Department under the Obama administration stepped in to file  an amicus curae brief in defense of Texas Latino, elderly, and handicapped voters?

Mr. Vera states categorically that he believes the leadership in the Democratic party of Texas does not want to relinquish control by the old white party establishment. He sees the continuing opposition of the Democratic party leadership to change to a newer fairer system as a continuation of the old Texas ways and called the recent naming of a Latino executive director for the Texas Democratic party “window dressing” because in  reality he notes that position has “no power.”

Mr. Vera says the Texas Democratic party has ten days to answer the recent court ruling. A key issue still to be decided is whether a new Democratic party primary rule will have to be approved by either the Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, or the District Court in Washington DC. So far the court has urged this as a voluntary measure but could make it mandatory.

The truth is that the alliance between Texas Mexican-American community and the Democratic party has always been rough. For this writer what is most shocking if not unfortunately most surprising is that the leadership in the Democratic party would be so resistant to changing an obviously discriminatory practice. Following the post election hearings I would have expected the Democratic party to issue an apology to the Hispanic community and rapidly change the process, not lawyers representing the Democratic party in court arguing that loopholes exist in the Civil Rights Act which they can exploit.

The Texas Democratic party must show Hispanic voters not only the respect but also the dignity they deserve. In the general election, they supported Barack Obama by an almost 70 percent to 30 percent margin. They seem to have forgotten the old saying “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”. However, this loyalty can only be tested so far. The right thing for the Texas Democratic party and especially the Chairman, Boyd Richie, is to issue an apology to Texas voters and to immediately denounce any continuation of the Texas Two Step. The Texas Democrat Party should immediately agree to fully adhere to the spirit and the letter of the law in the Civil Rights Act without hesitation or compromise. This remnant of the old Texas has no place in the future of Texas.

Thanks for reading Contempo Magazine blog which discusses issues for McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley, and America from a conservative Hispanic point of view. Tony Magaña grew up in McAllen Texas, attended Texas A&M University, served as an officer in Army Reserve, and holds a doctorate from Harvard University. The co-founder of Contempo Magazine has participated in Valley business for over 20 years. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and also writes for the American Daily Review. Follow him on twitter http://twitter.com/contempomagazin

Copyright 2009, Dr. Tony Magana. Some rights reserved.
To reproduce or distribute, visit: drtonymagana.icopyright.com

by Shaine Mata

photos copyrighted by Contempo Magazine

The Democratic U.S. Representative representing a majority Hispanic and Democratic constituency along the Texas-Mexican border clearly backtracked on his earlier support of the Democratic House plan saying he could not vote for it in its current form.

Yesterday, Congressman Henry Cuellar held a Town Hall Meeting at the McAllen Convention Center. The event was organized by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce. They expected around 400 people to attend. This quickly swelled to 700. An overflow room was opened up to allow the additional attendees to observe the meeting.

Attendees were required to register and pass a security check prior to entering the ballroom. No weapons, signs, banners, publications, flyers, noise-makers, sound amplifiers, or food were allowed. The Chamber wanted to ensure civil discourse between the Congressman and the audience. There were some protesters at the entrance of the convention center; but not a large quantity of them. The weather was probably too hot.

Prior to this event, representatives of the Rio Grande Valley have been hesitant to have a town hall meeting in the region, claiming that they often hold town hall meetings in other locations. Congressman Cuellar deserves credit for taking the plunge by having a meeting in South Texas. Previously, he had a Teletown Hall Meeting in which he fielded questions from throughout his district. There was no way of knowing how such an event would turn out. The Rio Grande Valley is generally a democrat-controlled area; however, there has been a growing movement by the tea parties in South Texas.

Prior to the event, I expected to see the factions turn out to skew the perception of the community. If the Democrat groups could pack the house; then the questions would seem to favor health care reform. If the conservative groups could pack the house; then the community would seem to disfavor health care reform. Given the volume of people who showed up and the predominant age group, the turnout may very well have been representative of the community with respect to political bias.

From my point of view, many of the questions seemed to come from a conservative standpoint. The questions were often very direct, like how the Congressman would vote. He answered that he would not vote on the bill the way it is now; he would like to see some changes made.

Congressman Cuellar did get some tough questions from the crowd. To his credit, the Congressman was able to skillfully address those questions by giving the four criteria that form the basis of his decision. There were a couple of occasions where the crowd expressed dissatisfaction with his answers; but they let him know and he clarified his position. Cuellar often expressed his values, which he uses to make decisions on how to vote.

Walking around the room during the town hall, you could feel the energy in the crowd. They were there to have questions answered. The audience had a mix of people of different ages; however, the majority were clearly older people, who typically are more interested in politics and are more likely to vote. It did seem that many of the people selected to ask questions came from Mission, Texas. After a while it was a bit of a joke where we would chuckle every time somebody identified themselves as being from Mission. The moderators made it a point to make random selections of those wishing to ask a question.

The entire event was very well executed by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce. They were well organized and kept everything under control. If you really, really had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find something objectionable, it would be the time. Most families, had to attend to their children on their first day of school. Many older people already have some medical coverage through Medicare or Medicaid to various extents. What is in question is healthcare for those of us who are younger and have children; presumably we have more at stake being the ones who will be affected by the legislation and burdened by the taxes for a much longer time. However, if a better time were chosen, we could have possibly had too many people show up; meaning the Chamber would have been criticized for that, instead. The key is that we at least had an opportunity to speak to our Representative, whereas there were no opportunities before this.

One thing Congressman Cuellar mentioned is that he has had town hall meetings in the past; but they never turned out such a large crowd. He expressed surprise that the issue of health care reform has generated such an interest by the public. This is significant because it demonstrates the level of apathy the public generally shows when it comes to Washington, D.C. It takes something major and unsettling as health care reform to get people motivated enough to go talk to their Congressman. And they did.

As citizens, we are motivated to action when there is something historic to support; we are also motivated when there is something life changing to oppose. In a Legislature and Executive office completely controlled by the Democrats, health care reform should have been a slam dunk before the public knew what hit them. The pause in pushing the reform through may be indicative of the public’s reaction to the proposed legislation. Whether you think that health care reform is merited or not, it is important for our leaders to listen to the public. Congressman Cuellar has likely increased the respect from his constituents for coming out to listen to their concerns. Who knows, the experience may even serve him to better represent us when the bill comes to vote.

Thank you for reading Contempo Magazine blog with Shaine Mata who writes about politics, technology, and social media for McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley, Texas and America. He is a co-founder of Advantj Media Consortium

photos copyrighted by Contempo Magazine

 By Dr. Tony Magana

The cold blooded killer of Pan Am 103 in 1998 was released from prison by Scotland and awaits a hero’s welcome in Libya. Americans are rightfully outraged and should demand not only a Scottish boycott and sanctions for Libya unless al Megrahi is placed in prison. Future crimes against Americans should only be tried in American courts.

The families of 259 passengers and crew of Pan American World Airways Flight 103 who suffered an incalculable loss when the Libyan government sanctioned the mass killing of their loved ones were dealt a second perhaps even greater blow today when the Scottish government decided to release Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, an admitted agent of the Libyan government, who was convicted of involvement with the bombing. Scottish officials say that the rule of law allows compassionate release of prisoners who have less than 3 months to live and claim that medical experts have determined that al-Megrahi meets that criteria by suffering with advanced prostate cancer. However initial reports indicate that the application of this specific law is discretionary with at least a third of applicants being refused.

The 1998 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland has been controversial in many ways. Although the crime occurred on American sovereign territory, an American owned airliner, the Clinton administration decided to let Scottish authorities prosecute the case. Many liberals have sought for the United States to surrender its sovereignty to “world courts” or other nations. It now appears this decision has come with a heavy price. Early reports are coming in that the British government may have been acting with self-interest because it wants access to the oil fields off the Libyan coast in the Gulf of Sidra.

Many vague incriminations have been made that various law enforcement or intelligence agencies may have missed warnings that could have prevented the tragedy but little doubt now remains about the veracity of the involvement of al-Megrahi in the bombing and the complicity of the Libyan government. In 1993, the Libyan government sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council in which they admitted the actions of officials of the Libyan government were to blame for the terrorist act.

The world was shocked to watch the terrorist treated like royalty as he was driven in an limousine to a jet waiting at the airport. He was greeted by the son of Libya’s longtime leader, Gaddafi who will accompany him to a hero’s welcome and celebration in Libya. Clearly this event had been planned some time ago, yet the Obama administration is pretending that they are surprised. Secretary of Hillary Clinton has been quoted as saying she was only “deeply concerned “

Americans should be more than concerned, they should be outraged that the country that many consider our closest ally would sell out justice for cheap oil. Never again should we compromise justice by allowing another country to try a case of terrorism against American citizens on American territory be it a ship, a plane, or an embassy.

Americans must demand an immediate boycott of all British products and travel to British territories. The President of the United States must immediately demand that Congress pass legislation mandating American justice for crimes against Americans on American territory. Any and all diplomatic relations, aid, and/or trade with Libya must cease until Libya places al-Megrahi in a prison.

Thanks for reading Contempo Magazine blog which discusses issues for McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley, and America from a conservative Hispanic point of view. Tony Magaña grew up in McAllen Texas, attended Texas A&M University, served as an officer in Army Reserve, and holds a doctorate from Harvard University. The co-founder of Contempo Magazine has participated in Valley business for over 20 years. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and also writes for the American Daily Review. Follow him on twitter http://twitter.com/contempomagazin

Copyright 2009, Dr. Tony Magana. Some rights reserved.
To reproduce or distribute, visit: drtonymagana.icopyright.com