Category Archives: TYS: Told Ya' So!

I’ve mentioned a little bit on the subject of the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. NewsTaco has a good write-up by Dr. Roberto R. Calderon which speaks to the situation in plain terms:  Short Term Benefits, Long-Term Problems.

Ever since I started reading about all the benefits, which have come in the form of filled up motel/hotel rooms, all-new trailer parks, occupancy of rental homes at capacity; not to mention the oil field jobs and any other jobs that might have been created, I started thinking about any negative effects–because for South Texas, certainly, there would be some. Says Calderon:

The upside in this story is that thousands of workers — including huge numbers of Mexican American workers — are being employed in a variety of jobs. Former Clinton-era Cabinet member and San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros sounds ecstatic in a recent report about the prospects of huge investments coming to South San Antonio; and similar views have been expressed by South Texas Democratic Congressman Rubén Hinojosa.

Both politicians are exemplary of the predominant tendency witnessed to date focused strictly on the jobs end of the deal, particularly those for Mexican American workers in their respective areas. They’re banking on public opinion being on their side by making the case: Who can argue with creating jobs amidst the worst economic depression the nation has experienced since the 1930s? If so, then I would argue that labor unions ought to enter the equation if this is to be the case — surely workers would get a better deal.

But, alas, in a right-to-work state, even the most progressive of elected Mexican American federal or state officials avoid the argument.

Quite true. In a down economy, it becomes so easy to look away when something good is going on; especially in an area with high unemployment rates. And the oil and gas companies have lobbying power, but beyond that, have the power to persuade and appease local politicians to where any environmental effort which may have an interest has received push back, which speaks to Dr. Calderon’s comment that there hasn’t much from those movements.

But the effects of such oil and gas development in the long-term can and will likely be devastating. In areas that experience desperate circumstances, it is difficult to create a movement against something that seems productive. But as a former South Texan, this whole situation is worrisome.

Give Dr. Calderon a read at NewsTaco. I’m sure it will be a continuing series since he’s from my neck of the mesquite, too.

As I suspected yesterday, the story of the killing of a Kingwood man by an off-duty HPD officer is far from over.  Whenever HPD and city officials attempt to make something cut and dried, there’s usually something else to a story.

The fiance of the tow truck driver is now calling out the HPD officer for his actions, and a neighbor is even backing her up.

Barnes pushed the smaller officer off, she said, and then the officer pulled his Taser and pointed it at Barnes.

Being Tasered would have been dangerous for Barnes, she said, because he has a metal plate embedded in his skull, the result of an accident several years ago.

“So (Barnes) slapped the Taser from the officer’s hand, and it flew about 5 feet under the back of his car,” she said.

The two men then backed about 10 feet away from each other. Barnes was leaning against his vehicle with his arms folded, she said, when Gardiner drew his handgun.

“John said, ‘What are you going to do, shoot me?’ The officer didn’t say anything, just started firing,” she said.

With these two sides of the story out, it is safe to say that the alleged cop assaulter should not have fought with the cop. That’s the bottom line.  Nothing would have escalated if he had just allowed the cop to do his job, at least theoretically.  Obviously, the accused proved that he was not going to give up or comply, and the officer acted.

But five shots?

And still, I think there is much more to the story.

Perhaps the City should look into officers who work extra jobs and the effects of the extra time on an officer. Overtime for HPD is one thing, but when you couple that with moonlighting, the effects could be quite negative.  Just a thought.