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TX Citizen Volume 4 • Issue 14 • April 2, 2015
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VOLUME FOURI S S U E 1 404 .02 .15
VOLUME FOURI S S U E 1 404 .02 .15
No Rush on Those Documents | Old People Allowed to Live at Canyon Lake | Ask a Mexican
"My
mom
use
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say
tha
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reek
Eas
ter
was
lat
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ecau
se t
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you
get
stuf
f ch
eape
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Am
y Se
dari
s
$2,
458,
957.
76
P LUS : 7 DAY NEW BRAUNFELS L IVE MUS IC GU IDEP LUS : 7 DAY NEW BRAUNFELS L IVE MUS IC GU IDE
A Farberer EasterOn Occasion,
Page 11
A Farberer EasterOn Occasion,
Page 11
V O T E N O W !ACCESS THE SURVEY AT
txcitizen.ROCKS
2 AD SALES 830.358.2493
table of contents
11 On OccasionEd vs Easter
8CitizenSoundcheckThe ONLY guide of i ts kindfor the NB/SM Metroplex!
12
31st Word
Hey, no hurry on thoseCity Hall contracts.
We have all day.
4County BeatCanyon Lake's getting a placefor old guys to live, despite theprotests of other old guys.
15Best of the WurstSample BallotFinally. Your vote counts for SOMEthing.
6Around & About
The Comal County FairChili-Cook Off
Last WordColby and this whole
gay thing again.14
The County sMost WantedLook Daddy!Mommys in the paper!
Ask a MexicanGustavo of fends intwo languages.
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TAVERN
TX C
ITIZ
EN11
11 N
. Wal
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fels,
TX
7813
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BAD DESIGN IS
YOUR BUSINESSCall now. You cant afford not to.logos business cards brochures photo editing web design advertisements
CITIZEN
830.542.9134 [email protected]
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Fun fact: Easter is the third biest wine holiday of the year. Whether that's because of the holiday itself, or simply because most people have a long wkend, is anybody's gue; but that is neither here nor there. No maer what your religious background is, it's easy to areciate anyone who has the ability to turn water into wine. A friend with wine is a friend of mine. That's what I've always said. Or at least that's what I have just started saying as of right now. Come by the tasting rm and enjoy some sunshine this holiday wkend with a gla of wine in our expanded outdr seating. Or get your Biy Joel on with a bole of red and a bole of white, if that's how you prefer to celebrate. That's what we're here for, folks. Make Longshot Wine Bar and Tasting Rm your holiday wine destination. - Josh McFarling
HOURS:Mon-urs: 6-10pm
Fri: 6-11pm Sat: 5-11pmSun: 10am-4pm
(brunch: 10am-2pm)
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Doc Watch: 2015As you probably know,
were waiting on a juicy
bunch of documents from
City Hall - namely, every
4-A/4-B contract the City
has ever entered into, along
with all the Citys contracts with the
Chamber of Commerce since 1995. The
way this Freedom of Information Act thing
works is Party A (in this case, us) requests
documents from Party B (in this case, City
Hall). Party B then gets ten business days
(which is 12 to 15 actual days, depending
on holidays) to come up with the goods.
Sometimes, Party B wont want to hand
over the stuff, and theyll get their respective
states Attorney General involved with a
request to not give the paperwork to Party A.
The AG thing can take another 45 business
days to resolve, (too many actual days to
figure out), and theres a chance the AG will
rule in favor of Party B. We hate that.
In other instances, rather than the docs,
well get an estimated bill for what said
docs will cost us to get. Sure, its called the
Freedom of Information Act, but as Fox News
constantly reminds us, freedom isnt free. At
that point the timer begins running on Party
A to come up with the cash. Party A has ten
business days (12 to 15 actual days) to pay,
or lose its chance to handle those tender,
juicy, single-spaced morsels of truth. In an
example of technical horror, if Party A cant
come up with the money, Party B can refuse
further requests for the same information in
the future. So its important to get the money
in during the ten business day window. Might
not get another shot.
The docs we requested came to nearly
$500. We held a quick fundraiser via our
Facebook page, and all kinds of people
got in line to get a piece of that
action. We raised the money
just in time and delivered the
funds to City Hall. At which
time the clock reset AGAIN.
Ten more business days until
we would get the contracts. Ugh.
Ten business days later, instead
of the docs, we got this letter from City
Secretary, Patrick Stonewall Aten:
This email is in response to your Public Information Request [ORR 2015-059] submitted on February 6, 2015. In your request you ask the City to provide the following:
1. Copies of any and all contracts entered into by the City of New Braunfels, involving the 4A and/or 4B tax, from October 1, 1995 through March 31, 2001.
2. Copies of any and all contracts entered into by the NBIDC from April 1, 2001 through the date of this request [February 6, 2015].
Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 552.221(d) I am informing you that the City will require more time to collect the responsive documents to your request, as many of these documents are stored off site and will require additional time to retrieve. The City Secretarys Office anticipates completion of your request in ten (10) business days from the date of this letter. Should we complete your request before April 6, 2015, we will inform you via email that the documents are available.
Sincerely,Patrick AtenCity SecretaryCity of New Braunfels
Continued on page 5.
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COUNTY BEATCOUNTY BEATWITH NICK ROGERSWITH NICK ROGERS
Senior Facility Gets Thumbs-Up from CommissionersDespite some boisterous opposition from a
contingent of Canyon Lake residents, County
Commissioners voted 4-1 in favor of giving
the Courts consent to a government assisted
senior living facility there.
The Terrace at Canyon Lake would
be a 62-unit complex for economically
struggling seniors aged 55 and over,
which is the government definition of a
senior. Those qualifying for residency
would have to make $12,360-$28,260
per year. The facility would be located at
FM 3424 and FM 306.
In his proposal for Commissioners
Court, Rainer Andrews, president of Blue
Sky Communities Texas, stated that there are,
Zero affordable apartments units for senior
citizens in the Canyon Lake area, but that
analysis shows a need for more than 1,000
such units and that as the senior population
increases, so will the need.
Commissioners Court cannot approve or
deny a building project in an unincorporated
area. The Courts vote only shows its consent
to the Section 42 project, which translates
into two points for the proposal. Such
proposals are a competition within a region
and the proposal with the most points gets the
government contract.
The resolution doesnt approve or
disapprove it, said Precinct 4 Commissioner
Jen Crownover, whose area covers Canyon
Lake. The developer, ultimately, is the one
who makes it go forward and he wouldnt
even need so much as a driveway permit from
us to be able to do this. Nor would anyone
else who had the money to buy the property.
One of the major complaints from
those opposed to the project is that it would
bring unwanted development into the area,
but the facility takes up a relatively small
footprint. As well, land not used for the
apartments cant be developed on for at
least 30 years.
There is a need in the County for
this type of facility, and the use of only six
acres of a 30 acre tract made it attractive
to me, said Precinct 3 Commissioner
Kevin Webb, whose precinct also covers
Canyon Lake.
Commissioners Court rarely gets an
opportunity to have a voice in land use
and what we generally hear from our
constituents is to try to preserve more open
space and the Hill Country, he said. Most
people dont understand that we really
dont have much land use authority at all.
This development will keep four fifths of this
tract in green space if it proceeds. Given
the choice of this tract possibly being 20
acres of parking lots and strip malls, or this
development that keeps 80 percent of the
land open for the next 30 years, I prefer
this development.
Crownover said that such a senior living
facility has become crucial for the Canyon
Lake area.
This will benefit a large number of
seniors in Canyon Lake who are financially
strapped and challenged, she said. When
you drive out to Canyon Lake, you will see all
of these nice homes but you dont often see
the homes where those who are struggling
live. They are out there in large numbers.
While opponents have been particularly
verbal about their concerns, Crownover said
that they are the minority.
I have received an angry call and a
couple of angry emails, but I have received
dozens of emails from people who support
this, she said. Some of them have elderly
parents and would love to have such a place
for their loved ones, she said.
Crownover said the project doesnt just
fill a need, but it makes sense.
I never promised to agree with
everybody, but I did promise to take in all
of the facts and separate them from the
emotion, and make the best decision I could
based on those facts, she said. While
I know there was a lot of opposition and
resistance to this project, I think most of that
was based upon emotion and speculation.
But, the facts showed there was a need out
there in the community.
The lone dissenting vote came from
County Judge Sherman Krause.
What I mentioned during the meeting
is that it would be hypocritical for me to
criticize other states and communities for
government subsidized or rent controlled
housing, then cast a vote of support for this
resolution, he said.
Some believe that people are greedy
and/or unsympathetic, so government
needs to give money to charitable causes,
Krause said. However, I believe Americans
are extremely compassionate, caring and
giving. You only need to look at what
happens when there is a natural disaster
anywhere in the world. You will see an
outpouring of food, water, medical supplies,
clothing, money, prayer and support.
Support for charitable causes belongs at the
local level where it is much more effective
and efficient. And, it should start in the
private sector.
thurs & satTHE MAIN KARAOKE MAN JOHNNY V!!!
idayDJKC Crushes the Jam
sundayHAPPY EASTER! Free Darts & Pool
mondayGot the Blahs? Drown them @ The Pear
tuesdayJJ Garrett Band!
dnesdayFree Pool & Darts
thursdayNational KaraOke Day
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Continued from page 3. Well. That was certainly disappointing.
But not nearly as disappointing as the next letter we got:
Re: Public Request for Information [2015-071] Extension
This letter is in response to your Public Information Request [ORR 2015-071] submitted on February 6, 2015. In your request you ask the City to provide copies of any and all contracts written and/or approved and/or entered into and/or granted and/or foreseen between any & all City of New Braunfels entities, (including, but not limited to: departments/subsidiaries/boards/commissions) & the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce; the dates are to include January 1, 1995 through the date of this request [February 12, 2015].
Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 552.221(d) I am informing you that the City will require more time to collect the responsive documents to your request, as many of these documents are stored off site and will require additional time to retrieve. The City Secretarys Office anticipates completion of your request in ten (10) business days from the date of this letter. Should we complete your request before April 6, 2015, we will inform you via email that the documents are available. If you have any questions, or concerns, please do not hesitate
to contact me at (830) 221-4003, or [email protected].
Sincerely,Andrea CunninghamAssistant City Secretary
And thats where stand now. Wed like to know what they were doing during the first ten business days after our initial request in order to set the price - we thought they were actually finding the documents. They were able to provide us with an estimate, so it certainly appears that they knew what they were getting into. We hope they dont come back and tell us that they need even more time, or, worse yet, more money because they mis-estimated. That
would make a great article, though. So to restate that, we hope they do come back and tell us its going to take another three months and $1,000. #forthewin
In News NewsKGNB News Director (and my old news boss) Dave Ferguson has left his decade-and-a-half gig with our local radio station to accept a job as Media Coordinator with the NBPD. This is great move both for Dave and the Department. Of course, it reinforces and justifies everything weve said about New Braunfels media workers being a wee bit too cozy with City Hall, which makes it a win for us, too. Were happy. Daves happy. The Chiefs happy. Everybodys happy. Except for the newsroom at KGNB. That started falling apart Saturday night.
In Other News NewsI didnt write a column last week and youd think the flippin Apocalypse was upon us, what with all the crazy panic-mail I got. Sometimes a man isnt sick or dead, or hasnt quit, and just wants a day off. Or in my case, a half-day off. Keep your pants on, NB. Everythings fine. (Thanks for your concern, however. Its nice to be wanted.)
\m/
Mike ReynoldsPublisher/Editor-in-Chief
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AROUND& ABOUTIt was a big, BIG day out at the Fairgrounds this past Saturday. Between the Comal County Fair Chili Cook-Off, Antique Tractor Pull, Little Miss Chili Pepper, Pig Wranglin', and Calf Scramble contests, the Stick Horse Races, and Bustin' of the Mutton, a dang good time was had by all!
TXCITIZEN.COM 7
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Thu 4.2
Adobe VerdeJosh Holden
6pm
Oma Gruenes Secret GartenJam Night
6pm
Phoenix SaloonDoug Kent
5pm
Rileys TavernTBA
9pm
AJs Ale HouseRock & Roll Sing Along Piano Bar Show
9pm
Gruene HallCLOSED
Hippy GypsyKnotty Grove
6pm
The Pour HausBob Cheevers
8pm
Fri 4.3Adobe Verde
Trace Owen Jr
6:30pm
The Happy CowT-Bone and The Blue Tones
8pm
Oma Gruenes Secret GartenJumboFunk!
6:30pm
Phoenix SaloonScott Boddicker
5pm
Hill Country Gentlemen
9pm
Rileys TavernBig John Mills
9pm
Watering Hole SaloonTBA
8pm
AJs Ale HouseRock & Roll Sing Along Piano Bar Show
9pm
Alpine Haus RestaurantOff the Grid Polka Band
6pm
Billys Ice HouseBen Morris & the Great American
Boxcar Chorus
8pm
Gruene HallBo Porter Trio
12:15pm
Bob Schneider
w/ Quiet Company
7pm, $25
The Pour HausJeremy Steding Band
8:30pm
River Road Ice HouseKori Free & the Groovehounds
w/ Yesenia McNett
8pm, $10-$15
Vineyard at GrueneStacy Ann & Kenndred Spirits
7pm
Vino en VerdeTBA
8:30pm
Sat 4.4
Adobe VerdeBru Erdman
6:30pm
The Happy CowAnthony Wright Band
9pm
Oma Gruenes Secret GartenThe Texas Saints
1pm
Luke Adair & the Big Bills
6pm
Phoenix SaloonThe Georges
9pm
YOUR LIVE MUSIC
GUIDE
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Rileys TavernModern Don Juans
9pm
AJs Ale HouseRock & Roll Sing Along Piano Bar Show
9pm
Billys Ice HouseLC Rocks
8pm
Gruene HallThe Bellfuries
1pm
Dirty River Boys
8pm, $15
NB Farm to MarketFallon Campbell
9am
The Pour HausNate Rodriguez Trio
9pm
River Road Ice HouseFolk Family Revival
9pm, $8-$10
Vino en VerdeTBA
9pm
Sun 4.5The Happy Cow
T-Bone and The Blue Tones
4pm
Oma Gruenes Secret GartenKim & Her Bad Habits
2pm
Mothership Connection
7pm
Phoenix SaloonMississhippie
3pm
Ethan Ford
7pm
Geronimo VFW #8456TBA
3pm
Gruene HallBob Livingston
12:30pm
Midnight River Choir
5pm
The Pour HausTBA
8pm
Rileys TavernBilly Dee
4pm
Vineyard at GrueneKyle Reed
3pm
Mon 4.6
Billys Ice HouseAustin Gilliam
8pm
Gruene HallTom Gillam
6pm
The Pour HausMichael Kelton
8pm
River Road Ice HouseSusan Gibson
6pm
Tues 4.7
Watering Hole SaloonTBA
8:30pm
Billys Ice HouseKyle Reed Band
w/ Steven Roloff
8pm
Bonzai Steak & SushiSmooth Jazz
w/ Sam Harriss
6pm
Gruene HallBob Cheevers & Stephen Doster
6pm
The Pour HausOpen Mic
w/ Jon Magill
8pm
Wed 4.8
Phoenix SaloonSwing Dance Night
w/ Celania Quartet
8pm
Rileys TavernTBA
9pm
Billys Ice HouseAaron Stephens
8pm
Gruene HallThe Georges
6pm
The Pour HausKurt Grien
8pm
Vineyard at GrueneZack Walther
6pm
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to get you ready for spring!
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Fri 4.3Cheatham Street Warehouse
Jonny Burke
w/ Halleyanna, Kathleen OKeefe
9pm
The Continental ClubClub Lineup:
The Blues Specialists
6:30pm
Buggaboo
w/ Cody Jasper
10pm, $10
Gallery Lineup:
Robert Kraft Trio, 8:30pm
Mike Flanigin Trio, 10:30pm, $5
Floores Country StoreTexas Jamm Band
7pm, 18+, $12-$15
Luckenbach Dance HallHayden Whittington
1pm
T & C Miller
4pm
Wagon Aces
8pm
Sams Burger JointBleu Edmondson Band
8pm, $12-$50
Stubbs BBQDr Dog
w/ Mewithoutyou
7pm, Outside, $27-$125
Slomo Drags
10pm, Inside
Triple CrownMark Jungers
6pm
The Organics, Spacecorps,
Mr Lewis & the Funeral 5,
Rock Bottom String Band
9pm
Sat 4.4Cheatham Street Warehouse
Mike & the Moonpies
w/ The Merles
9pm
The Continental ClubClub Lineup:
Redd Volkaert, 3:30pm
Roxy Roca
w/ Latashe Lee
10pm, $10
Gallery Lineup:
Hillary York, 8:30pm
Mike Flanigin Trio, 10:30pm, $5
Floores Country StoreCool Like Roy
7pm, 18+
Luckenbach Dance HallKevin Deal
1pm
Cody Jinks
9pm, $15
Sams Burger JointReady Revolution
w/ RMRS, Mayberry
8pm, $10-$30
Stubbs BBQDr Dog
w/ Wild Child
7pm, Outside, $27-$125
Wiretree
10pm, Inside
Triple CrownLocal Soup, Sloe Your Role,
Shaws of Awe, 4orms
9pm
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APRIL 2 @ 6 JAM NIGHT
APRIL 3 @ 6:30 JUMBO FUNK!
APRIL 4 @ 1 THE TEXAS SAINTS
@ 6 LUKE ADAIR AND THE BIG BILLS
APRIL 5 @ 2 KIM AND HER BAD HABITS
@ 7 MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION
APRIL 9 @ 6JAM NIGHT
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KaraokeThursdays, Sundays
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Prickly Pear Lounge
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DJ KCFridays
The Watering Hole Saloon
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10 AD SALES 830.358.2493 TXCITIZEN.COM 11
On Occasion with Ed FarbererOn Occasion with Ed Farbererwith Ed FarbererOn EasterThis is an important point to remember about religious holidays: They are like trawling.
When you fish with a net, you will capture all the fishy goodness you were hoping for but, along with that, you will also nab some inexplicable tentacled weirdness. Thus, like fishing with a net, holidays also pull along practices from their ancient religious forerunners. Yet, we seldom question why there is so much odd, incongruent stuff in our holy days.
This is why we celebrate Jesus birth with trees, hunks of wood, mistletoe and holly.
This is why, once a year, children dress up and threaten destruction of property if they dont get free food.
This is why we shoot raccoons on Presidents Day.
This is why on the vernal equinox, my grandfather would lie naked and facedown on the lawn, moaning in strange tongues.
And, this is why we have eggs, bunnies and confectionary animal totems during Easter.
The word Easter is from Eostre, the Germanic fertility goddess. This is the seemingly odd combination of eggs and a mammal. As was the case in much of Europe, as Christianity pushed forward, the new believers kept the old beliefs, even long after they had forgot why such practices were there in the first place.
Strangely, then, this is why Jesus resurrection is simultaneously marked with girls dressed in white, and children eating candy and finding eggs left behind by a magic rabbit. This is especially so since, for centuries, Easter was Christianitys highest holy day, being replaced by Christmas during the Victorian Era.
Even Jesus resurrection is similar to vegetation, the lifeblood of all things, which die and are reborn in the spring. The cycle
continues. Jesus didnt die just once, but he dies and is resurrected every year at Easter. And will continue to do so for the foreseeable epoch.
I am not sure whether there are pagans out there, cavorting naked around fires while wearing crucifix necklaces. However, the numerous Easters of my long life have been sadly lacking in nakedness. Except for my aforementioned grandfather, that is.
My grandfather would use any holiday as an excuse to run down the street naked. His nude rampages became such a common occurrence that the cops would just park and wait at the end of the street every holiday (even Canadian Thanksgiving) because it wasnt a matter of if my grandfather would run down the street naked, but when and what color he would be painted. The only time he didnt do this was during New Years Eve because that, he said, would be weird.
Granddads romps were in the days when only the Vanderbilts or Gettys had fancy things like calendars, so the neighbors always appreciated the heads up.
This was especially true for Easter.
How the date is set for this high holy day involves secret religious organizations and differential calculus configured with slide rules. Dont ask how its done, they wont tell you. One year, Easter fell on Christmas. When I asked the priest why this was, he acted as if he didnt know what I was talking about, and told me get off the altar and back into the pew.
I was always an inquisitive child and once asked Father Swarthy Muldoon why
we had eggs and rabbits during the celebration of Our Saviors resurrection.
Its three in the morning and Im trying to sleep! he said. How did you get in here?!
One time, in the second grade, I experienced a moment of true altruism during the Easter season.
My elementary schools PE teacher was Coach Burke. Coach Burke was the kind of guy who desperately wanted to be Vince Lombardy, but couldnt because he was an idiot.
The day before Good Friday, Mediocre Thursday, Coach Burke sent all of us on an Easter egg hunt. If anyone found a dozen eggs, they could skip calisthenics on Monday.
I was in the zone, finding Easter eggs like a dude who could find a lot of Easter eggs. I came up with 11. A boy, whom I didnt even know, asked how many I found.
Eleven, I said. How about you?I found one, he said. He then handed
me his egg, giving me a full dozen.On Monday, I sat in the swings and
played on the monkey bars as the rest of my classmates did jumping jacks and push ups.
On Sunday, we went to my grandparents house. My grandfather was traipsing through the neighborhood, naked and tossing jellybeans into peoples yards. It was a good day.
So, this year, lets all strive to put the Eostre back into Easter.
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By Gustavo Arellano
Dear Mexican: Why do so many cholos like the song Im Your Puppet by James & Bobby Purify? Is there something about this song or is it all oldies they like?
Aspiring Puppeteer
Dear Gabacho: It aint just cholos who are down with oldies-but-goodies. Mexican-Americans of all social classes have largely kept alive that particular music genrethe brown-eyed soul of Thee Midniters and Sonny and the Sunliners, long-forgotten r&b artists like The Penguins and Billy Stewart that arent crazy enough for hipsters to worship ala Esquerita and the Five Du-Tones, but still too threatening to oldies fans whose idea of soul is The Crew Cuts doing Sh-Boom. Oldies-but-goodies speak to the softer side of machismomatch up The Town I Live In with Cancin Mixteca, and youll find theyre one and the mismo.
But rather than me trying to explain further to gabachos why Mexicans are so into oldies, lets turn to the man who devoted his life to keeping the genre alive: legendary DJ Art Laboe!
I think it has to do with the lyrics, Laboe told The Mexican, referring to Im Your Puppet. If you listen to the song, it says Ill do funny things if you want me to, Im your puppet, so [that] means Ill do whatever you want me do to, I love you so much Ill do whatever you say. I believe that is why [guys] like that song.
Its actually in the lyrics of the song, Laboe continued. Ill do anything, Im just a puppet and you hold my string, Im your puppet. Guys often have trouble revealing their feelings and this song lets them do that. Through the years, Im Your Puppet has been one of our most requested songs on The Art Laboe Connection (which broadcasts Monday-Friday 7 pm-midnight, and Sunday 6 p.m. Pacific Time on KOKO94.com, on the smartphone Tune In radio app via KDUC,
and check ArtLaboe.com for the many radio stations in the Southwest and times).
WOWArt Laboe in Ask a Mexican! This column has finally hit its zenithand since its all downhill from here, Art, Id like to dedicate The Agony and the Ecstasy to my sad girl: journalism.
Dear Mexican: I was watching your video about why Mexicans hate yellow cheese, and it made me hungry. I found my way to the kitchen and made some burritos out of odds and endsI wasnt going for anything fancy or authentic, just clearing out some soon-to-be questionable food. So, with beans, rice, jalapeos and (sorry, yellow) cheese as a base, I threw in some chicken and some mushrooms. The mushrooms were crazy-good, but it occurred to me that I never see them in Mexican recipes. Why is that? Are all the Mexican mushroom recipes for magic mushrooms?
Seta Medio Oeste
Dear Midwestern Mushroom: Great plug for my semi-weekly Ask a Mexican! video series, which I tweet out every Wednesday and put on my Facebook page! As to your pregunta We do eat mushroomtheyre called hongos, and you can find them in everything from queso fundido to chilango-style quesadillas. But the fungus Mexis like the most is huitlacoche, which you Midwesterners call corn smut and have long thrown in the trash. But with huitlacoche now commanding top dinero in higher-end kitchens, looks like were going to save your corn-bred culos once more. If it wasnt for Mexis moving to small-town America, Kansas would be emptier than the skull of Mexican president Enrique Pendejo Nieto
Ask the Mexican at [email protected],
be his fan on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @gustavoarellano or follow him
on Instagram @gustavo_arellano!
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All About the GayIm more than a little surprised that gay marriage continues to capture headlines and lure me into writing columns. To me, the issue seems simple, and the rhetoric seems a little hyperbolic. At best, gay marriage affects a fraction of a fraction of the population of the country, and the actions taken by businesses trying to avoid participating in gay marriage represent such a small segment of even that fraction that we are talking about a handful of cases nationwide. And still, we have laws like Indianas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and the firestorm of media that comes with it.
Amusingly enough, a quick look at the polls will really tell you how all this will end up (at least with regards to what most of us care about): public opinion is changing on gay marriage, with people becoming more and more accepting of it with time. Most of what we are seeing now is just political maneuvering or calculated grandstanding. There is no question that the government cannot treat people differently based on their sexual preference. Its actually some of the side issues that are more interesting.
First, I dont understand this insistence on the part of conservatives to say that laws like Indianas RFRA dont allow discrimination. Of course they do. They are carefully crafted to allow people with religious convictions to discriminate in their choice of customers.
Somewhere along the line discrimination garnered such a poor connotation that people are actively trying to redefine it. We all discriminate all the time. I dont much care for Brussels sprouts, and Ill avoid them if I can. (Sure, Ill eat them and turn up the corners of my mouth at Thanksgiving dinner at a friends house, but Id much rather have the asparagus.) The fact that I prefer one vegetable over another doesnt make me a bad person, and it is not necessarily a bad thing for people to make such choices in their lives even when those choices involve our perception of morality.
Second, I cant believe that the reporting on this issue completely ignores the ironic reversal
of fortunes involved. For quite some time social conservatives have attempted to legislate morality while the liberals have generally argued that such legislation is not only wrong, but not possible. Now its the conservatives faced with attempts to legislate morality, and its the liberals who find themselves in the position of trying to dictate social norms.
The actual power in the equation hasnt changed, though. Social shaming is still much more effective than silly government mandates. For years, homosexuals were forced to stay in the closet because of social judgment. Now its Christians who are looking for the closet door. Some of the basic tenets of their religion have become socially unacceptable. (Its ok to be a Christian, as long as you keep it to yourself.)
The most irritating part of this issue is the level of self-righteousness; it seems to drip from pundits on both sides of the argument, leaving a puddle that has you looking for the puppy. I have a certain amount of sympathy for Christians who feel targeted in all this. They are being targeted, and it isnt really fair. That said, this is perhaps a good object lesson for how judgment can hurt. I seem to recall Christ having a thing or two to say on the subject in that big book of his. On the other side, I feel like its important to remind people that this isnt Selma, and that comparisons to the KKK or Nazis are overblown enough to damage their argument. The sixties are over, and weve come a long way since then.
My biggest concern with regards to RFRA-based laws is that they may, in an unintended way, harm everyone. I think the intent is a good one; government should not have the authority to force people to go against their religious principles or even their conscience. But, by enshrining this idea into law, a special dispensation is being given to religious attitudes that should apply more broadly.
People have the right to discriminate regardless of the reason they do so. One does not need to be a member of a formal church to be a racist, sexist or homophobe, nor are
those the only reasons one might discriminate. It isnt any business of government how people interact with one another so long as they do so lawfully. We already have laws that protect people from actual harm from their fellow man, and we dont need to extend that to hurt feelings. Doing so adds a level of power to government that no one will be safe from. If the government can enforce kindness, can they enforce patriotism? How about modesty or industriousness? We might be better off letting society develop at its own pace without legislative goosing.
Lastly, and most importantly, RFRA laws send the message that we need to pass laws to limit the authority of government in the first place. This is entirely backward. The People retain to themselves those things they have not specifically outlined to the government (either local, state or federal). If we need these laws to specifically restrict government action, then we have already accepted that all things are permissible for government unless they expressly forbidden. This is a dangerous precedent.
To some extent we see this coming up because government has already been given too much latitude. In this country, we have taken businesses to be public accommodations. That view has made them susceptible any number of laws that should bind government (a real public institution) but should not bind privately owned businesses. Rolling back this idea may not be possible any more, and doing so would absolutely allow for a possible return to overt and open discrimination. But, discrimination that is out in the open is the least dangerous type. It allows consumers and society to decide how to react to it, and we already see that society is moving in a more accepting direction. This would be a better way of approaching things than allowing government a toe-hold into every aspect of our economic activity.
Last WordWith Kelly Colby
You can read more from Kelly Colby at yourfirstshrug.blogspot.com.
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