Still in Dry-dock

       Submissions must necessarily be short, due to the fact that I am using a library computer....which is actually quite good....but nowhere near the facility of my old computer.   My old one was lighting fast and actually read my mind at times.   But this is adequate for the purpose.    The new one should be here in a week or so.

     I am informed that the work of slathering the cane ceiling with linseed oil is proceeding to completion and that other projects are being done by Alvaro during my delay up here.   We should be returning to the Quinta Tesoro de la Sierra Madre in the next few days....and then heading back up to Central Texas in mid-December to visit the children, grandchildren, and that happy gang of folks up there.

     There is now a place in the Santa Engracia area where I can easily send and receive email, make submissions to the blog, and take reservations.   A twice weekly visit is what we are programming into the old, between-the-ears computer....so my submissions will not be so long absent during my stays in Mexico.

     And yes, Virginia, we have wi-fi, etc. all around us....but my place, the Quinta Tesoro de la Sierra Madre....is in a "black hole" of perhaps as little as 300 yards in diameter where the signal does not reach....and the ''copper connection" stops about 3/4's of a mile from our place.    So near, but yet so far.

More Later!

El Gringo Viejo

Trouble in Paradise

For those who might be trying to communicate with The Old Gringo, my home computer died a couple of days ago.   We have another one coming in from DELL, but it will not be here until late November.   One feels a bit isolated.   But is is as is is, as William Jefferson Blythe would say.   If you all will wait on me, I shall labour to have everything back up and running as quickly as possible.
Thanks for you attention
El Gringo Viego

A couple of temporary postings for your information

These previous two postings will be temporary, probably taken down tomorrow.   They are here so that you all will know that I am not delusional about our personal situation in Mexico.   The thing is, (1) They are the same to not much better here at home on the Texas side, and (2) When O'Reilly and others of my right-wing brothers say that "the Mexicans are doing absolutely nothing about this problem" they are wrong.   This is a Colombia situation....the Colombians won their war, they have probably won their peace.   The forces of order in Mexico are winning the war and in three years, these affairs will be a sad but noble episode that the world will regard as one of Mexico's finest hours, albeit one of great cost.   It is safe to say that 90% of all Mexicans recognize there is no way out of this mess except to fight it .   To yield means to become slaves to savages.   That same 90% laments the deaths of innocents, of  military personnel, of children in the way or related to families involved in this Satanic trade, of honest to somewhat honest police and elected/appointed civilian officials.    But that same 90% has come to detest throuroughly the idea of lamenting the loss of 98% of the casualties who are composed primarily of those within the business killing each other.

       This is a simple geo-political reality.   The world's 10th biggest economic power, adjacent to the world's 1st largest economic power, in turn adjacent to the world's 11th largest economic power cannot allow this rot to continue.   It will putrify our children, grandchildren, and all generations beyond.    It will turn all of North America into a kind of marxist Sicilian floating dictatorship controlled by the whims and caprice of the sons of Satan.    The stand being made by some 300,000 Army and Navy personnel at all levels in Mexico is a well-performing ally against this force. 

An Encounter

The early part of the matter here is a confrontation between two different cartel groups in a residential area adjacent to the center of the town of Valle Hermoso, Tamaulipas.   The firing is inefficient on both sides.   It continues for several minutes, until you will notice towards the end of the film the entry of Mexican Naval Infantry.   They take on both sides with effective fire, including a recoilless rifle, which is very devastating to motor vehicles and which can also fire a projectile which carries a small impact-explosive charge.   You will notice that upon arrival of the Naval Infantry, members of the opposition units either flee like rabbits or ......they didn't.     Later in the day, many of those who took flight were encountered near Reynosa where, once again, they were dealt with very severely. 

A Salute

Successful operation by 1,000 light infantry in Poza Rica, Vera Cruz.    It should be pointed out that when the soldiers conclude their operations in a given locale the people there normally exhort, beg, beseech, and whatever else to try to keep the military presence in their community.    This particular action was extended because certain prisoners were turned over to civilian prosecutors for "interrogation" and the Army stayed behind to guarantee security during the "questioning process".   The overall action was directed at "organized criminal elements"  who were collecting shake-down money from long-distance truck drivers and local bus-drivers....They were not so tough when encountering the Army.   Score:  criminal elements - 6 dead, 8 wounded, 12 detained and arrested   Army:  0 dead, 1 slightly wounded.    

Some Recommended Reading

    In that your humble writer is an arrogant cuss, it is difficult for him to take recommendations about what to do, what to eat, what to read, etc.    Also, as a card-carrying, right-wing retrograde, he tends to disregard anything found between the pages of the Texas Monthly magazine, notwithstanding the fact that it is a fine and glossy magazine that generally tries not to be too overly offensive while positioning itself in the ranks of the snobbish pinko elite intellectual class of Texas liberals. 

     One always has the lurking shadow of realization about anything good they might say about "us"  is only because "they" happen to be trapped in this next-door-to-the-Beverly-Hillbillies (Texas)  place, and "they'' might hads't well make the best of it.

      That said....one must give credit to the obvious.   It is a fine publication, makes money, guides a reader to good facts, and generally serves its calling well.   My Compadre, who can be found by scrolling down a ways on this blog, sitting around with friends and family on his patio....recommended an article in Texas Monthly's November, 2010 issue which deals with immigration from many, many points of view.   Most of the points of view are flawed, some are salient, all are given voice.

     My Compadre (the father-in-law of my daughter) and I share a  frightening number of agreements on a frightening number of issues.    We both read WSJ, watch FOX-News, and other such predictable things.   We both have lived and/or worked in Mexico for a major part of our lives.   We both have lived and/or worked in Texas either for a long, long time or since birth.  

       While I might be forced to admit, if required under oath, that I occasionally might read a few lines in the New York Times, he knows that my only contact with the Texas Monthly is reading a couple of articles every few years in Seaton Hospital in Austin where my daughter goes to meet the stork frequently....So, it was with a bit of trepidation that he urged my attention towards this particular issue and its treatment of matters concerning immigration.

         The series of articles-within-the-article are worth a full review and consideration.    My positions are irrevocable in certain parameters.

       For instance  (but not limited to):    There is no "right" to enter this country, or any other, without adhering to the rules of entry as established by the country being entered.   Religious leaders, pinko community organisers & activists, dumboes, bleeding hearts, and especially those communist, Soros-types who want to flood the United States with people whom they themselves think are not qualified or capable of ''Americanizing",  for the purpose of destroying America by loading up the producers with an avalanche of consumers.....  they can take a leap...

       But....all things considered....this article should be read and contemplated by all Texans.   It is depressing in a way...some of the right-brain way of thinking some folks have...but there are a lot of people out there who have a right-side of the brain.   We just have to work though that birth-defect.   My Compadre served me well in calling my attention to this article.  He and I probably have the same or very similar opinions of the article and its elements.   My time was well-spent with it and I recommend that you all find yourselves a copy of the November 2010 Texas Monthly and soak up "The Truth About Immigration" segment.

More later, and thanks for your time, comments, and patience.

The Old Gringo