The Brownsville Beacon

By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon Today is a solemn day dedicated to remembering and honoring those who answered our nation's call during time of war and never came home.  It is important to honor those who have died for their country properly and honestly. In these modern times of "alternative facts" and people making up their own narrative and choosing to believe lies, it is important to get things right. Today is the day the Bixby Letter makes the rounds on social media and the internet tugging at the heartstrings of those who feel the loss of a service member. The Bixby Letter is a letter allegedly written by Abraham Lincoln to a lady who lost all five of her sons in combat during the Civil War. The letter is a beautifully written piece of prose expressing the president's condolences. The letter was published in a Massachusetts newspaper and made famous in recent years after it was used in the  Steven Spielberg war epic Saving Pri...

Photo of Kowalski House ©Brownsville Station By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon Brownsville may be known as a homogeneous community, but nothing could be further from the truth. While census numbers put the number of Brownsville's Hispanic population at 94%, there is a kaleidoscope of cultures that intersect at the crossroads of the hemisphere. In the recent days, the American (and the global) Jewish community has come under attack. Everything from the conflict between Israel and Palestine to the inappropriate and vomit-inducing comments neo-Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has made comparing wearing a mask during Covid to the Nazis forcing Jews to wear the identifying Star of David during the Holocaust, anti-Semitic sentiment and hate crimes have increased across the country. The Jewish community and the Jewish people have endured arguably one of the most horrific tragedies in the annals of world history. The Holocaust has to be at t...

By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon We don't live in a true democracy. We live in a representative republic. Now, before the over-educated blow a gasket and start calling me an idiot as they have in the past, allow me to explain. Democracy in its purest form means each person has an equal say in implementing rules and policy in their respective community. Imagine, if you will, a city commission with thousands of people sitting on it recommending policy rather than the 7 members who currently sit on the dais at city hall. That isn't practical. Instead the people vote for representatives; trustees who have pledged to represent the people and listen to their wishes. These representatives are supposed to try and fix the issues their constituents want them to fix. That's how it's supposed to work. You find a candidate whose platform and ideas closely align with yours, and that's who you cast your vote for. Once that candidate is in office,...

By Diego Garcia III |Editor of The Brownsville Beacon After the CDC's announcement relaxing mask and social distancing restrictions for fully vaccinated people this past Thursday, Major League Baseball released a statement saying all Minor League Baseball teams no longer had to have plexiglass barriers in place between the players and the fans and they could now go back to selling premium seats that are closer to the players. These seats had been off limits to the fans during COVID restrictions. They also said the mask requirement would be lifted and the respective teams should follow local guidelines on mask wearing. Reaction was swift. I love baseball. I follow several teams on social media, including the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Minor League Baseball teams are famous for their quirky mascots), a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels located in Madison, Alabama released the following statement on their Facebook page: "Effective immediately, Major League ...

By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon CDC officials made changes to their COVID-19 safety guidelines as they held a press conference earlier today. Fully vaccinated people can now end social distancing practices. They can also stop wearing masks indoors. News officials on mainstream media rejoiced as they reported the news. CNN's Alisyn Camerota held back tears as she said, "I feel like this is over."  The CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, cited COVID cases dropping by one third, the increasing availability of the vaccine, and the fact that the vaccine is now recommend for children 12 and older. It is important to keep in mind these new guidelines apply to fully vaccinated people only.  Some medical experts are agreeing with this decision, while others are not so quick to sing the CDC's praises. Some medical experts were shocked to hear about the new guidelines. They thought today's announcement was going to deal with outdoor mask u...

By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon A few articles ago, I wrote about a source inside Cameron County's law enforcement system letting me know Sheriff Garza planned to take over the Cameron County Courthouse, which was the Cameron County Precinct 2 Constable's turf. While some people decided to call me out as an idiot because the constable's physical office; the place where his desk sat was no longer at the courthouse on Harrison Street, my critics failed to read further along in my article. The point wasn't where his desk was. The point of my article was Eric Garza wanted to take control of his old stomping grounds at the courthouse and wrest control of it and courthouse security away from Precinct 2 Constable Abel Gomez. After I published the article, the blogosphere exploded with more detailed and in-depth articles from Juan Montoya, Jerry McHale, and even other bloggers who ridiculed me for being wrong about the location of a physical o...