"With Santa Anna in Texas: a personal narrative"
By José Enrique de la Peña . (Editor) Carmen Perry + introduction by Llerena Friend.
Fantastic reading, like a sort of alternative history novel ... :)
Hint: Do you think the British Army's medical service was el su*ko in the Crimean War?
Think again: Try Santa Anna's malign neglect of even the most elementary medical care for his hundreds of Mexican wounded after the Alamo.
A callous view would be that -- thanks to Santa Anna! -- the Texans at the Alamo didn't have any wounded to care for.
Including the six (6) or seven (7) survivors taken alive, all Texans were summarily dispatched.
Among them "the American naturalist" Davy Crockett -- whose death under torture immediately after the battle won him the respect and admiration of eye - witness Don José Enrique - - who felt obliged to turn his head from the grisly sight...
June 5. Feast Day of Saint Boniface.
Eddie Solis 'ole Number 24: "Still go'in strong at the KCL + Spofford, Texas!"
"The only one that made All - State Defensive Back for the Brackett Tigers in the Fall of 1972."
Gilbert Castro was a Defensive Tackle at that same time...
Eddie went on to place 9 out of 81 at Del Rio's Roosevelt Park's tryout for Center Field with the Cleveland Indians, as well, in his senior year...
Last Monday's round-up by elite Mexican combat troops of the "Fuerzas Armadas de la Marina" netted 43 illegals from Central America.
In Piedras Negras, across from Eagle Pass, Texas...
Except for one Costa Rican, the rest were either Hondurans or Guatemalans.
Source: Radio station XEMU ♫La Rancherita del Aire♪
Monday, May 28, 2012.
June 1. First Friday. Feast Day of Saint Justin.
June 2. First Saturday. Feast Day of Saint Marcellinus & Saint Peter.
June 3. The Most Holy Trinity Sunday.
Pentecost Sunday's Spanish Mass well served!
Saint Mary Magdalene's Catholic Church
Brackettville, Texas 78832.
Sunday, May 27, 2012. 8:00 a.m. Spanish - language Mass. Altar Server TEAM Ms. Brianna Flores & Mr. Alex DeHoyos.
Way to go great people! :)
Alex, you may become a priest yourself someday...
Texas' "Super Tuesday 2012" is over and done!
Good luck to all candidates and their political aspirations... :)
June 1. The Release of the Cristero War block - buster For Greater Glory ...!
May 31. Feast Day of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Yesterday's attack by Drug Cartel Armed Commando...
...on Mexican Army patrol in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico??!!
Big mistake!
Soldiers shot back -- to kill...
Army 3 -- Hoods 0
Source is:
Radio XEMU ♪La Rancherita del Aire♫ Piedras Negras, Coahuila, México.
"How the Chicken Conquered the World"
Snippet from the Smithsonian magazine, June 2012. By Jerry Adler and Andrew Lawler.
"The chickens that saved Western civilization were discovered according to legend, by the side of a road in Greece in the first decade of the fifth century B.C.
"The Athenian general Themistocles, on his way to confront the invading Persian troops, stopped to watch two cocks fighting and summoned his troops, saying ....."
Quite a lot, actually! Those fighting cocks gave his men a heroic example!
"But history records that the Greeks, thus heartened, went on to repel the invaders, preserving the civilization that today honors those same creatures by breading, frying and dipping them into one's choice of sauce.
"The descendants of those roosters might well think -- if they were capable of such profound thought -- that their ancient forebears have a lot to answer for ..."
Good point! :)
May 28. Memorial Day 2012.
May 27. Pentecost Sunday 2012.
Pentecost Sunday-- when the San Antonio, Texas ACTS RETREAT Movement had its spiritual foundation -- "a totally unbiased and impartial opinion?"
Well, yeah, kind of ....! :)
May 26. Feast Day of Saint Philip Neri.
May 25. Feast Day of Saint Bede the Venerable.
May 25. Feast Day of Pope Saint Gregory the VII.
May 25. Feast Day of Saint Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi.
¡Calabacitas y/o Calabazotas!
Any way you say it, Squash Season has arrived in Southwest Texas, U.S.A.
Brackettville 78832
"Se reunirá candidato al Senado del PAN con representantes de iglesias"
Por Alma Proa. El Zócalo de Ciudad Acuña. Martes 15 de mayo de 2012.
Y más:
"[O]tras de las actividades a realizar por parte del abanderado albiazul es la pega de calcas en los cruceros de la ciudad..."
"Lo Que No Se Puede Decir"
Por Angel García Castillo. El Zócalo de Ciudad Acuña. Martes 15 de mayo de 2012.
"Se puede decir ... Que una hermana de [la PANISTA] Josefina Vázquez Mota trabajaba en la PGR.
"Pero no se puede decir ... Que en cuanto la descubieron renunció. Como muchos otros políticos, la candidata también tiene una hermana incómoda, quien sin ser abogada estuvo ocupando una plaza en dicha institución, manchando la trayectoria de su hermana Josefina, a quien de por sí, últimamente le ha estado lloviendo en su milpita, y ahora con hermana así, sus enemigos se lo van a restregar, porque su renuncia debió haber sido hace tiempo, y no en este momento.
"¡Qué bonita familia!" :)
Lloviendo en su milpita -- Raining on her party
May 22. Feast Day of Saint Rita of Cascia.
'"La Patrona de Morelos, Coahuila, México"
Southwest Texas U.S.A.
Brackettville Zip 78832
Two Gran Mitotes scheduled for Saturday, May 26, 2012:
1) B.I.S.D. Junior - Senior Prom.
2) The "Meet your Independent Candidate for Kinney County Commissioner -- Pct 3 -- Mr. Martín Garcia Jr. ' s Bar - B - Cue!"
Good luck and great fun, everyone...! :)
"Revolution for the h*ll of it, 2012??!!"
¡Andres Manuel López Obrador!
¡Estar contigo es un honor!
A fine spirit of free - wheeling anarchism is sweeping colleges and universities across Mexico as society moves from 'ole Karl Marx's "Pre - revolutionary state" to the real thing!
Question:
If everyone is sending signals via the media to the Drug Cartels: "Hey guys, the war is over!"
And the candidates most certainly are; we listen to their adds five nights a week....
What is the Mexican Army going to do?
Go home and sulk in their barracks?
Don't count on it!! :)
Oops! Election Day May 29, 2012 will be a Tuesday!! :)
May 21. Feast Day of Saint Christopher Magallanes and his Companions.
May 20. Seventh Sunday of Easter.
May 20. Feast Day of the Ascension of the Lord (observed)
May 18. Feast Day of Pope Saint John I.
Jesus' impact on sin!
"Which Is Easier: Forgiveness or Healing??"
Snippet from the Word Among Us Catholic magazine. June 2012. No byline! Psst: Maybe it is the editor, Mr. Joe Difato, huh??
"At some point between the writing of this article and its printing, the world's population passed the 7 billion mark. So let's do some math. If we imagine that, on an average, each person commits 10 sins a day, a total of 70 billion sins are committed each day. Now, multiply that by 365, and you get over 25 trillion sins every year. If you multiply 25 trillion by by the current life expectancy of 68, you come up with over 1.7 quadrillion.
"This figure does not include those 6 billion people who lived on the earth before us. Of course, there is no way of truly estimating how many sins are committed each day, but just looking at calculations like these gives us a sense of the immense number of sins committed against the Lord and other people..."
Yet!!
"And Jesus died for each and every one of them ..."
Amen to that, brother! :)
Southwest Texas, U.S.A.
Zip Code 78832.
Democratic Party's Election Campaign for Kinney County $$$$ Tax Assessor - Collector $$$$ waxing hot!
Last night, Incumbent Ms. Martha P. Padron was already going door to door, soliciting votes.
And in both languages!
However, Challenger Ms. Mary V. Flores is herself a veteran Brackettville City politician of the so - called Old Democratic Party!
And their average members' ages vary from 73 to 104...
On the other hand, the still - youthful Ms. Padron handily represents the "Three Wise Latinas Party's" up and coming generation.
And so we assured Martha that the Riordan Street Odds Makers were already giving the final election results as:
Incumbent Ms. Martha P. Padron -- 217 votes.
Challenger Ms. Mary V. Flores -- 132 votes.
But!
It's not over yet.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 will be the final go - around...
And these odds presuppose a typical last - minute surge in favor of the incumbent... :)
May 17.Feast Day of the Ascension of the Lord (actual date!)
Southwest Texas, U.S.A.
Zip Code 78832.
Up and coming young self - described Independent Democrat in race for Kinney County Commissioner of Precinct Three!
Perhaps inspired by the courageous Three Wise Latinas Party win, Mr. Martín Garcia is now going around soliciting support all over Brackettville.
Way to go, Martín!
Yet!
Sorry, but personally, I could never vote for anyone whose party ballot sheet endorses President Obama and thus his Obamacare, so the Republicans are guaranteed my vote!
Especially la gente, whether men or women GOP candidates!
Both now and later!
Even more, when 181 Catholic Bishops are on on the attack! :)
"They can't ALL be wrong, now, can they??!!"
Altar Servers a great help at Sunday Masses ..
in Saint Mary Magdalene's Catholic Church...
in Brackettville, Texas 78832.
Sunday. May 13, 2012. 8:00 a.m. Spanish - language Mothers' Day Mass. Altar Server Team: Mr. Dante Luna.
Great way to go, Dante! :)
Southwest Texas, U.S.A.
In a still - developing part of the Third World! :)
The "Three Wise Latinas Party" wins handily in Brackettville, Texas --
in zip code 78832 -- in both City & School Board Elections.
Voters smacked down opponents!
Mayor Ms. Zandra Negrete, Alderwoman Ms. Francesca "Chica" Hernandez and School Board candidate Ms. Theresa Quiroz.
Congratulations, ladies!
First time in my life!
A bet on three candidates in a row paid - off, big time! :)
♪Cuando aparezcan los hilos de plata, en su juventud ♫
♫Como la luna, cuando se retrata en un lago azule ... ♪
♪Nadie, puede borrar me, de su cariño ... ♫
¿Tal vez esta canción es de Daniel Santos? :)
"... Nacido en la República Dominicana, pero en residencia en la República Venezloana por muchos años .... etc... "
Another inch or so of rain hit Southwest Texas Wednesday, took all day to do it, too! :)
JWs to Señor Raymond De Souza, KM Part III
Final snippets from The Wanderer Catholic newspaper.
Thursday, May 3, 2012.
Question:
"The next thing you'll tell me is that Jesus prayed the rosary Himself!"
Answer:
"No, not the rosary as we know it, but He made up His own rosary or prayers, saying the same thing over and over again. Yes, at one of the most crucial moments, if not the most crucial, of His life, He repeated the selfsame prayer in the Garden when He said, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me, nevertheless not as I will but as Thou wilt. That is Matthew 26:39.
"Verse 42 reads: Again the second time, He went away and prayed, My Father, if this chalice cannot pass away unless I drink it, Thy will be done.
"And verse 44 says, So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words over..."
Pretty cool exercise in what we might call applied apologetics, huh? :)
May 12. Feast Day of Saint Nereus.
May 12. Feast Day of Saint Achilleus.
May 12. Feast Day of Saint Pancras.
May 13. Sixth Sunday of Easter.
Mothers' Day 2012
May 14. Feast Day of Saint Matthias.
Hey, UTEP! ¡'Ey, Familia!
Spring Semester 2012 is now history.
Maymester is due to start pronto.
Summer I is only a few weeks away.
Good luck, everybody..
¡Ora, UTEP!
¡Ora, MEChA!
¡Adelante, DESTINO!
Yet another snippet!
From:
"LIVE YOUR FAITH
"Is The Rosary A Prayer Of Vain Repetitions?
"Part 2.
JWs vs. Raymond De Souza, KM
The Catholic newspaper The Wanderer. Thursday, May 3, 2012.
JWs' Question:
"So, are you saying that your rosary is inspired in the Bible?"
Señor De Souza's Answer:
"Actually, yes. The rosary is simply a way of keeping order, dividing the prayers in distinct sections. Let me give you another example, straight from the Bible. Take Psalm 119 (119, depending on the version). It is the longest psalm in the Bible, having 176 verses. On the whole, the psalm is a persistent repetition of the main theme, that is, of the excellence of keeping the law of God. It makes an excellent meditation and prayer of repetition -- like the rosary -- beautiful, pious, and thoroughly biblical ..."
May 10. Feast Day of Saint Damien Joseph de Veuster.
"The Leper of Moloka'i"
UPDATED!!
Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) vs.
Roman Catholic Raymond De Souza, KM
Snippet from The Wanderer Catholic newspaper. Thursday May 3, 2012.
General theme evolves around the question of repetition in prayer:
Is there is a Scriptural foundation for it?
JWs say NO -- Roman Catholics say YES!
JW Question:
"And do you, by chance, know how prayer is done in Heaven?"
Answer:
"Actually, I do. I happen to know how they pray in Heaven. If you open your Bible, I'll show you.
"Here it is: The book of the Apocalypse -- or Revelation -- tells us that in Heaven the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, just like the seraphim cited in Isaiah 6:3, continually indulge in repetitive prayer: And they have no rest day and night as they say Holy, Holy, Holy, is Jehovah God, the Almighty, who was and who is coming (4:8).
"Fancy that! Prayer of repetition in Heaven! Those seraphim must be Roman Catholic!" ...
"To be continued ..." :)
But!
A little preliminary homework - preparation:
"Just to see if my own feeble memory is functioning ..."
Isaiah 3:6 -- maybe??
Revelations (or Apocalypse) 4:8 -- maybe??
Psalm 119 (176 "repetitive versus!!" )
Matthew 26:39, 42 & 44 ...?
And, oh yeah!
How many times has the Lord's Prayer been "repeated," going on two thousand years now, and for sure THAT'S in most everyone's Bible, too!
Southwest Texas U.S.A.
Kinney County
Brackettville 78832.
Up to an inch and a half of rain makes a big difference to farmers, ranchers and gardeners, too! :)
Brackett Squash Networking 2012 Season off to a great start this past Sunday!
Now, in the Sixth Consecutive Year.
We started in August 2007 with a tightly - knit group of fellow Catholic Charismatics...
.
Bishop Daniel Jenky, CSC, of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois!
These snippets are from Paul Likoudis' front page article in The Wanderer Catholic newspaper. Thursday, May 3, 2012.
"Bishop Jenky addressed a rally of 500 Catholic men on April 14, exhorting them to a heroic Catholicism, not casual Catholicism in the face of growing state and federal threats to the Church's frredom.
"The bishop criticized President Obama by name three times in his homily, charging the president is in clear violation of our First Amendment rights ... [and] ... seems intent on following a similar path taken by other tyrants.
"Jenky also criticized Catholic politicians who pretend to be Catholic in church, but [who] in their public lives, rather like Judas Iscariot, betray Jesus Christ by how they vote and how they willingly cooperate with intrinsic evil..."
Way to go, Bishop Jenky! :)
Archbishop Gustavo has been to Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Brackettville, Texas 78832.
And gone...
But was he so unwise as to already tie the hands of our incoming pastor Padre Moreno?
By tacitly leaving such Parish Cliques as the Liturgical Committee + the Deacons totally in control?
Just as would have been more or less the case in one of the old Albigensian rural enclaves in medieval France like Montaillou -- circa 1312?
In two (2) months we'll know .... :)
Tal vez es un joven dichoso reverendo hermano hombre, el Señor Pete Perez... :)
"You can't say my family is not from Brackettville..."
Because he's the "Grandson of G.C. Talamantes and son of Roger and Zulema Perez..."
But!
His mail addressed to yours truly yesterday asks all of us "Dear Friends and Dear Fellow Citizens" our votes for a mayoral candidate who published front page anonymous attack adds weeks and weeks before publicly admitting authorship, which is not for me.
Sorry folks.
Anytime you've something to say against anyone else who is already working in public service make sure they know you're the enemy.
It's simple fair play and justice!
And, yes!
I (to abuse the vertical pronoun ) do respect Mr. Perez's obvious sincerity and enthusiasm.
But, depending on how things go, Mr. Perez just may find out within a year or so that he has been sucker - punched ...
Big time ... :(
May 4. First Friday.
May 5. First Saturday.
También: ¡Cinco de Mayo!
"Father Cedric Pisegna, O.P. asked those in attendance to hold up their hands ..
"if they believed in the real presence of Jesus ...
"in the consecrated host..
"I saw no more than about a third of of the people to my front hold up their hands;
"and we were mostly adults ... "
Snippets of Sergio R. Perales' letter to the editor -- Today's Catholic, Friday, April 20, 2012.
Good people: this is the payoff for having Archbishop Patrick Flores in charge of the Archdiocese of San Antonio for so many years!
1987 - 2012: 400,000 have attended ACTS Retreats, worldwide!
Source: Mr. Joe Hemmi in phone conversation Monday, April 30, 2012.
Folks, that's an average of 16,000 good brothers and sisters going on retreat every year for 25 years.
For our part?
First, we promised to pledge $100.00 at 4 - times per year to help defray the expenses of the ACTS Quarterly insert in Today's Catholic newspaper.
Secondly, we sent the first $100.00 off this morning, addressing the envelope to:
Mr. Joe Hemmi
ACTS Retreat Foundation
1303 S. Comal --Suite 100
San Antonio, Texas 78207
The PICO's giro internacional was filled out:
"Quarterly" Today's Catholic.
So?
"Now it's your turn!" :)
Call Mr. Joe Hemmi at:
1 - 210 - 913 - 5500.
Give big $$$ bucks.
You'll be glad you did! :)
Thanks ...
May 3. Feast Day of Saint Philip & Saint James.
¿Y, cómo fue nuestro humilde voto libre y secreto -- este pasado lunes el 30 de abril?
¿En Brackettville, Téxas 78832?
Para mí, era tan fácil votar para las candidatas todavía sobre salientes:
Tales candidatas como la famosas Tres Latinas Bien Dispuestas Para Trabajar -- en favor de toda la gente...
Tres candidatas tan desempeñosas.
Tres damas valientes, confiables, y sobre todo -- de muy buena onda:
Doña Zandra Negrete -- como alcaldesa.
Doña Francesca Chica Hernandez -- como consejera de nuestro Gobierno Municipal.
Doña Teresa Quiroz -- como integrante de la Junta Escolar de Padres de Familia...
Y, así lo fue ...:)
Por Alma Proa, El Zócalo de Ciudad Acuña. Martes 1 de mayo de 2012.
"Llaman a apoyar actividades de Aprendiendo a Vivir Ca. M
"Objetivo:
"Reunir 10 mil pesos
"Tener fondos para apoyar a las mujeres con cáncer de seno...
Portavoz "Luz María García Miranda afirmó que se ha programado para finales de este mes la realización de un evento para ofertar al público los artículos que fueron elaborados por las integrantes de esta organización...
"Las socias credencializadas de la organización han puesto el mayor empeño en los talleres de bisutería y manualidades...
"Agregó que todos y cada uno de los objetos que se pondrán a la venta llevan un pedacito de alma de estas mujeres que son consideradas como unas auténticas guerraeras, por el esfuerzo que día a día realizan para salir triunfantes en esta batalla...
"Invitó a la comunidad que desee integrarse al proyecto Ca. M. a que las contacten a través del número telefónico 877 - 101 - 6050, ya que la asociación requiere de la ayuda de personas que se solidaricen con quienes hay hacen frente al cáncer ..."
¡Ay, qué damas valientes! :)
May 2. Feast Day of Saint Athanasius.
Monday's First Day of Early Voting for both the City of Brackett 78832 & BISD was off to a good start!
My vote went to the Three Wise Latinas' party:
Theresa Quiroz -- for BISD School Board.
Francisca "Chica" Hernandez -- City Council.
Zandra Negrete -- Mayor.
Good luck, ladies! :)
Legendary ex - Marine Air Wing Marine Tim Staples!
Snippets from his rock'em sock'em article in Catholic Answers Magazine, May - June 2012:
Eucharistic Miracles..
"Around AD 700 at the monastery of St. Longinus in Lanciano, Italy, a priest - monk whose name is unknown to us today was celebrating the Holy Eucharist.
"He had been struggling with his faith in the Real Presence when Our Lord granted to this priest and to the world a miracle that even to this day continues to be visible proof the truth of the Eucharist.
"Shortly after the consecration -- after the bread and wine offered had been transubstantiated into the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ -- the accidents of bread and wine he was holding in his hands were transformed into real human flesh and real human blood.
"[P]erhaps the most thorough of examinations [of this miracle] took place in 1970 under the expert scrutiny of Odoardo Linoli, head physician of the united hospitals of Arezzo, Italy, and Dr. Ruggero Bertelli, professor emeritus of human anatomy at the University of Siena. The findings of their study were incontrovertible:
"The flesh was the muscular tissue from the myocardium of a human heart.
"The blood tested from both the flesh and coagulated blood was AB positive and human in origin.
"The proteins in the coagulated blood were found to be normally fractionated with the same percentage ratio as those found in normal fresh blood. In other words, this blood was not later planted from a cadaver; it came from a living body and maintained properties of fresh blood.
"Though the receptacle containing the miracles were not hermetically sealed, nor did they have any detectable presence of agents, the flesh and blood had been preserved for well over 1,700 years.
"Today tens of thousands of annual pilgrims visit Lanciano, where the Eucharistic miracle is preserved, to view the flesh, which maintains a pinkish hue, blood vessels remaining visible as a sign of the truth of the Real Presence of Christ in the sacrament ..."
Contrast this story -- of a monk - priest celebrating the Eucharist most likely alone or nearly so -- with what we've heard from at least one ordained permanent deacon here in Brackettville, Texas 78832:
That the number of persons present in the Saint Mary Magdalene Church determines whether Father Pius or even Archbishop Gustavo can successfully consecrate the bread and wine! :)
Archbishop Gustavo's visit to Saint Mary Magdalene's Catholic Church in Brackettville, Texas 78832
yesterday afternoon was a memorable one!
Five(5) Altar Servers among those confirmed.
Congratulations to:
Ms. Jackie Pacheco, Ms. Brittany Castilla, Mr. Justin Hidalgo, Mr. John Thomas Rosas & Mr. Roman Rosas!
As well as all the rest ... :)
Congratulations, too, to Altar Server Mr. Patrick Ortiz, who jumped in at the last minute to serve the 8 o'clock Spanish Mass yesterday morning...
Way to go, Patrick!
Who knows but what some day you, Justin and los hermanos Rosas will be celebrating Masses yourselves! :)
May 1. Feast Day of Saint Joseph the Worker.
