Lots to talk about as we mount the end of the week and get ready for the weekend. Nationally, Washington DC is a mess. What else is new, you might ask?
Let’s start with recent events in District Court. Kinney County Attorney Brent Smith has been much more active of late on Facebook— tracking and posting judicial developments that may or may not be getting all of the attention they deserve.
Below, find a glance at words written after a Court ruled against activist attorneys trying to tear Operation Lone Star down— arguing that it was a sexist program.
In so many words, the court ruled that Public Safety trumped their arguments re: sexism.
Seems bonkers that there would be any question— but here we are, front-row seats in bonkerstown.
Most recently, he’s highlighting a recent victory in District Court, where an 18-year-old man from Tomball refused plea bargains and maintained a not guilty plea all the way to trial.
In the end, however, Jurors moved quickly to convict him on 4 counts of smuggling and 1 count of evading arrest. The case dates back to last November. He’s now sentenced to 10 years in prison. We’re not sure of the details of whatever plea deals he may’ve been offered, but we find it likely that a guilty plea would’ve probably resulted in not much more than a fine and time served.
Observers around the state, including Governor Greg Abbott, might argue that such plea arrangements are much too generous, and penalties need to be stiffer. We’d agree— but it’s arguable that area courts and administrators are doing their best to cope with a lack of budget and other logistical issues that have been complicating their efforts to move cases through. And, at the end of the day, any amount of jail or prison time is a burden to those serving it. Flexibility in sentencing and plea offers allows attorneys and judges more latitude to find that sometimes invisible middle ground between the letter of the law and justice. Is it a perfect situation? Of course not, but that’s life in general— perfection is always out of reach.
If you haven’t been keeping track— Border Patrol’s been catching a lot of folks from some squirrelly places.
It may seem a little ‘all of a sudden’ but that’s because no one’s been reporting it much. The reality is people have been hopping back and forth across the river from squirrelly places all along throughout this crisis.
The thing few seem willing to discuss is the fact that DHS and ICE are in such disarray, their ability to effectively address any kind of subtle terrorist effort would seem to be nil and non-viable, with all this other chaos.
Sources tell us that members of Homeland Security’s investigative arm have been kept busy driving vanloads of migrants to and from processing centers, instead of actually doing the jobs they’ve been trained to do— ferreting out actual threats. Big if true. We believe it is.
In general, it seems that these days Homeland Security just gets lucky and latches onto easy fish like the Syrian pictured above, who is probably not a terrorist at all, and everyone crosses their fingers (or their legs) and hopes some real bad actors didn’t slip through while everyone’s busy processing asylum seekers.
We’ve been hearing a lot lately from folks in Del Rio and elsewhere— upset as hell, they say, to learn that Val Verde County is *not* receiving any Operation Lone Star funding for 2024.
Not only that, but we’re also told the state may require Val Verde County to repay funds that were used to purchase County vehicles.
If this is accurate, it would seem to be a rebuke— possibly the result of a dearth of Operation Lone Star prosecutions in Val Verde County.
We are of course not as familiar with the local politics in Val Verde County and Del Rio as we are with Kinney County. But it has seemed to us that one could possibly argue that Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez and his brother, County Attorney David Martinez, have had a more realpolitikal stance on the border and border security than folks in neighboring Kinney County.
Indeed— one could even argue that Kinney County has been impossibly idealistic and uncompromising by comparison.
It does seem to us that folks in Val Verde County may have had a more realistic apprehension of the costs and trials that would be associated with an enthusiastic partnership with the State and Operation Lone Star. After all— even though the State is spending a lot of money on Operation Lone Star, it is inevitable that Counties will incur costs that are not covered by the State— costs that are unforeseen— costs that the bean counters won’t approve, as well as costs that will persist once Operation Lone Star necessarily ends.
One could argue that by taking a more ‘wait-and-see’ approach, Val Verde County officials have avoided many of the headaches and lawsuits that Kinney County has been beset by, while reaping more than a few of the benefits generated by same. There is also the additional headache that comes of increased oversight from the state.
If this seems a cynical train of thought, that’s because it is. But the alternative is much worse, as their actions have now invited all kinds of speculation and heat from incandescently upset Val Verde County taxpayers who share many of the same frustrations, fears, and potential dangers that Kinney County residents have, but with less support to show for it.
Indeed— Ranchers in the western reaches of Val Verde County have been told by at least one County official that they and their property are not a priority for local law enforcement— leading to a gentleman’s agreement of sorts with the neighboring County Sheriff that if they call— he’ll answer. Bonkers, given the fact that Terrell County has a fraction of the manpower and resources Val Verde County maintains.
Rather shameful don’t you think? If true, anyway— though we’re quite confident that it is.
Time and time again, we’ve told anyone who’d listen— that the main reason we think area residents have kept their senses and avoided any kind of truly violent acts against trespassers has been the visible and muscular efforts by State Troopers and Sheriff’s Deputies in trying to police things.
Only now, it’s seeming to some Val Verde County residents that their local Sheriff’s Office and County Attorney’s Office haven’t been doing all they might.
One imagines there are additional reasons for these actions or lack thereof in Val Verde County, that are unknown to us here at the Dispatch. Reasons beyond those we’ve imagined while speaking of realpolitikal cynicism vs. the idealism we’ve also imagined in Kinney County. In the end— one supposes that this is what voting is for— if Val Verde officials are unwilling to square things with their constituents.
For what it’s worth— Val Verde County is not the only border county to get cut off by the Governor’s Office.
There’s also Zapata County. The article is here. Reading not-so-in-between the lines one finds a pattern of local infighting and disputes over just how to distribute the funding in 2023 leading to the bulk of it going unspent— a particularly avoidable failure that has resulted in unnecessary potential hardship for Zapata County residents as 2024 approaches.
Is it at all possible that some kind of infighting might also be a factor in Val Verde County? Of course it is.
For them too, the ultimate relief lies within their local ballot box.
And finally, this morning a small confession. We’ve been distracted for much of the week and all of last week, presiding over the decline and departure of the best dog ever. Our best friend ever.
Folks monitoring our personal Facebook page have already seen the words we’re about to reproduce here, and may choose to check out, rather than endure our grief a second time.
These words may also serve notice to those who’d rather not read such to go ahead and direct their browsers elsewhere.
So, let us note our usual disclaimer: Though we are presently employed by Kinney County to field Public Information requests— no one should confuse this humble newsletter for any sort of an official communication. Its genesis predates our employment, and it continues publication without oversight. Any errors, mistakes, or misdeeds are entirely our own. We note all of this in compliance with County policies regarding social media.
Thanks for reading. Here follows the story of Miss Dolly Parton, esq.
Miss Dolly Parton, esq. Soon after her initial arrival in Brackettville, 15 years ago
Friends and family and neighbors may be saddened by the news that the best dog in Kinney County, and perhaps the State of Texas, has passed over the Rainbow Bridge.
Dolly Parton, named after you-know-who, because of an obvious shared "unsinkability" of spirit and love, was an estimated 15-years-old and not in the best of health at the time of her departure.
The end came Saturday. She is now about 5-feet in the ground in the backyard where other past four-legged friends now rest. Each was amazing in their own way, but most anyone that ever met Dolly agrees that she was something special.
We're not sure how old she actually was, because like nearly all of the family pets she was a rescue. Yours truly was self-employed in San Antonio-- remodeling a home in what's called the Government Hill neighborhood, near Broadway and Fort Sam Houston.
At the time, this was a rough neighborhood-- with its share of open drug users and crackheads wandering about looking for things to steal. Unbeknownst to me, but later learned, Dolly was in a crate on the other side of a privacy fence. Her owner at the time probably had notions of breeding her and selling Staffordshire-Terrier puppies. The only clue I'd had she was there, was the fact that corner of the yard seemed to have the worst flea issues. The dog never made a sound-- never barking, never fussing, even though she must've been getting devoured by the fleas.
Being known to whistle and sing while working, it appears Dolly came to know me on the other side of that fence, even while she was languishing-- abandoned, after her owner was locked up in the Bexar County jail for multiple weeks after a conflict between him and some of his former roommates that ended with splashes of blood all over the side of their domicile.
Someone, I suspect a neighbor-- or the owner's landlord made a humane decision and let her out of her crate but was unable or unwilling to take responsibility for her. So, she wandered the streets alone and abandoned.
At some point in the days that followed, this starving puppy dog turned up at the back door of the house I was camped out inside of-- keeping it secure while remodeling. She heard me singing up a storm while cooking. I went to the backdoor, as one would, and tried feeding her some kibble that we'd been feeding stray cats with for help with rodents.
The silly thing was all skin and bones-- and seemed to be trying to tell me that she didn't want food-- she just wanted her ears rubbed. They were some of the softest ears ever. Had to slip back inside and leave her, just so she'd eat.
To my temporary relief, and longtime shame, she departed after that. Only to return two days later, looking like she'd been hit by a truck.
The poor little dog had gaping, open wounds on her leg and up in her armpit, as well as obvious attempts by someone or something to put holes in her skull. The veterinarian diagnosed it as a dog attack-- probably another older female with territory issues, that knew what she was doing-- going for Dolly's femoral artery and just barely missing it after failing in an attempt to just rip her head off.
It was awful. Despite these gruesome, open wounds-- literally meat hanging open to the air-- a visceral violation of a body's sanctity-- Dolly's unsinkable spirit remained. This time, as before, she seemed to be uninterested in food or even medical care. She just wanted her ears scratched.
By the time Momma Benacci heard the story, first-aid was rendered, but more and better care and a checkbook was on the way. A veterinarian was called. Care and treatment arranged. And Dolly joined the family in Brackettville after that.
Her former owner was eventually out of jail, and it was only after many conversations with others in the neighborhood that we realized what Dolly's backstory was. By then, there was no question of attempting to return her. And, the fact that much of the neighborhood larceny had ended with his imprisonment was not lost upon us. It resumed, of course, but he was soon locked back up again.
In the years that followed, neighbors in Brackettville probably couldn't help but take note of Dolly taking Dad on his nightly drags through the neighborhood. Not that she was bad at going for walks, you understand-- she was great. Barely pulled and tugged at all. But, watching her, one got the sense that walks were all business. A stout affair-- more like a patrol than a pleasure. No looking right, no looking left, and, like a true lady-- she'd be damned if she let anyone see her conduct her private necessaries.
Her ladylike ways extended even to her posture, even in old age. Note the dainty crossing of her forelegs. Dolly was about 13 here, slowed by age and arthritis in her hips.
I was still in San Antonio and elsewhere during this period, but family visits made it plain that she still remembered the stupid guy that used to sing on the other side of that stupid fence.
The family has three other dogs at present-- all rescues. Ms. Dolly Parton was the one that pretty much taught them all how to be dogs-- helping raise two from puppies, and accepting the fourth who has his own special story.
And while they're all special-- and strong contenders for "best dog ever," in their own rights, it is an unescapable fact that Ms. Dolly Parton is the one who taught them all how to be the best dogs-- mostly by example.
Even now, almost 5 days after her departure, it's hard to keep a dry eye. And by hard, I mean impossible.
It's commonly said these days that we, as people, do not deserve dogs. That their love is too special-- too pure, and we are undeserving.
There may be something to that. Can't imagine what manner of saintly figure would be deserving of the kind of love Dolly displayed on a routine basis. She had to love someone, and we were lucky that she loved us.
She was the best dog ever.
Dolly here, mothering Roxanne the Chiweenie, another rescue, about 4 years ago.
