The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 86, No. 34, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 26, 1998 Page: 4 of 18
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Page 4 — The Mercedes Enterprise
Mercedes, Texas 78570 Wednesday, August 26, 1998
Calendar lists
Flag football...
season’s events
Let’s face it — fall can’t arrive a good food, you’ll want to get out and
•. minute too soon this year. enjoy some great entertainment. If you
: With the leaves to soon turn colors enjoy live music and livestock shows,
.and the weather to soon turn cool, consider one of our large regional fairs
„Texans are ready to get outdoors and such as the Panhandle South Plains
enjoy the great sights, sounds and Fair in Lubbock September 26-Octo-
smells of autumn. ber 3, the East Texas State Fair in
Fall usually brings more events Tyler September 24-October 3 and
!than any other season for listing in the don’t forget the State Fair of Texas
Texas Events Calendar, published September 25-October 19 in Dallas,
{quarterly by the Texas Department of this year featuring the musical classic
(Transportation, with more than 1,500 Showboat.
^events for fall travelers. Texans are comprised of many eth-
. If you get hungry for chili while nic groups and there are several events
[looking at the cover of this issue, might which highlight these cultural distinc-
.We suggest a fewworld-class cookoffs? tions. One very popular gathering is the
.Some of these include Chilympiad in National Championship Indian Powwow
San Marcos on September 18-1'9; the in GrandPrairie September 18-20. Salado
'Original International Tolbert/Fowler celebrates the Scottish Gathering of the
‘Memorial Cookoff in Terlingua on Clans November 6-8. And there are cel-
November 6-7; and Czhilispiel in ebrations of Hispanic heritage including
iFlatonia on October 23-25. There are Diez y Seis events, beginning the second
Clots more. weekend in September.
r Other food-related events include The Texas Events Calendar is free
aWestfest (featuring great kolaches) in for the asking by calling 1-800-452-
-the town of West on September 5-6, 9292. Trained professional travel coun-
the Texas Rice Festival in Winnie on selors can help plan your next Texas
'October 1-4, Wurstfest in New trip. They have an abundance of other
Braunfels October 30-November 8, the free travel literature and counselors
East Texas Yamboree in Gilmer on are on call daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
October 14-17, and yes, there is a CDT. Or, you can get more informa-
Punkin’ Days celebration in Floydada tion from one of our websites at
on October 31. www.traveltex.com or www.dot.-
After you’ve filled up on all this state.tx.us.
Members of Mercedes American Legion J.A. Garcia Post 172
invite all Legionnaire and fellow veterans, and their guests
to visit its new lounge
LEGIONPOST
LOUNGE
• Pool • Television
• Music • Comradeship
[Continued from Page 1.]
the team to handle the ball.
Flag football is regarded by pro-
fessional football coaches as the best
“first step” into the game of football.
Players have the opportunity to learn
the rules and gain experience in learn-
ing how to become a “team player.”
Teams are formed using the Zone
or Neighborhood method. Players liv-
ing near each other are put on the same
team.
Among other rules:
• Teams are formed into three divi-
sions: first and second grades, third
and fourth, and fifth and sixth.
• Each team has nine to 12 players
on the team.
• The game is divided into four 10
minute quarters.
• The team on the field is com-
posed of eight players, five linemen in
a balanced line and three backfield
players.
• The eight players on the field
play the entire quarter, both offense
and defense.
• A new player plays quarterback
during each quarter and during the
season every player on the team must
play quarterback for one full quarter.
He can line up under the center or in a
shotgun formation.
• No player can play in the backfield
more than two combined quarters dur-
ing the game.
• Substitution during the quarter is
not allowed except for an injury.
• The quarterback handles all kick-
ing duties, punting, kickoffs and extra
points. All kicks are “free kicks” with
other special provisions.
• Every player must play a mini-
mum of two full quarters.
AMIGOS CONDUCT FUNDRAISERS —
Fundraisers now being conducted by
members of the Mercedes Amigos del Valle
are helping pay for the purchase of memorial
wreaths, fruit baskets and get-well cards
being sent by the group. Latest project was
the raffle of a basket of perfumes, soaps and
other toiletries, which was won by Angelita
Gracia, in center. Presenting the basket is
staff member Alonzo Calvillo, while looking
on are Volunteer Office Secretary Elida Gracia,
left, and at right, Treasurer Juanita Ledesma
and Secretary Herminia Mares. (Enterprise
Photo.)
Letters ...TO THE EDITOR
Legion Hall, 321 S. Ohio, Mercedes
565-2362
Open 4:30 p.m. to midnight, Thursday and Friday
Noon to midnight on weekends
Legion meetings are the second and fourth Monday of every
month. Social and happy hours are on the fourth Monday.
Consolation
He knows, he loves, he cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice with
him.
—Author unknown
Jesus “Jesse” Contreras
Attorney at Law/Abogado
ALMN AT LAW’
No charge for
initial
consultation.
Pastor Don Brynteson
welcomes you to the
Mercedes
Christian Church
612 South Texas
Mercedes
565-1509
Sunday School: 9 a.m.
Worship Services 10:10 a.m.
Editor,
The Enterprise;
It hasn’t happened, probably won’t,
but it might.
My chief would call me in, saying
the Justice Department had faxed a
request. Would we participate in brain-
storming to identify and apprehend
the bombers of our embassies in Dar
es Salaam and Nairobi. Nothing glam-
ourous involved, no hopping a plane
to Washington, no big time confer-
ences with charted blackboard strate-
gies, just here in the leaned-back chair,
feet on the desk, eyes on the wall, and
thought.
Brainstorming is, in essence, de-
ductive reasoning in the formation of
logical suppositions, a series of what
could and could not be. As a detective,
with no physical evidence, and all I
know about the incidents having been
learned from newspaper and televi-
sion reports, I would have only the
tools of my trade — What, Where,
When, Who and Why—to work with.
tectable only by sophisticated scan-
ners, and with simple ignition, C4 and
xai ca heng are ideal terrorist explo-
sives. China is a munitions source to a
number of Islamic political and ideo-
logical dissidents, as are several former
Soviet bloc countries.
Semtex has traceable batch char-
acteristics, and is limited in effect as a
shaped charge, unlike C4. Xai ca heng
has C4 capabilities, is identifiable, but
batch and plant factors have not yet
been established.
Right or left hand drives are im-
portant clues in tracing efforts. Left
hand drive, the bomb vehicle was of
Kenyan origin, right hand, 90 percent
probability of Somalian or Tanzanian
registry. Scene investigators will es-
tablish and pursue similar clues in the
area.
No se cobra
por la primera
consulta.
• Personal Injury Law • Criminal Law
• Family Law"
(Medical Malpractice • Wrongful Death • Vehicle
Accidents • DWIs • Divorces)
Law Offices of
Contreras-Pacheco
524West 2nd Street
(210) 565-5915 Mercedes, Texas
Licensed by the Texas Supreme Court
Not certified by Texas Board of Legal Specialization
upon ■■ MM me MM anm mm emo 8
PACO’S
Beauty Palace
166 N. Vermont
"For the best service on
your hair, you need time
and expertise...
Paco's has both!"
Open 9 a.m.to 8 p.m.
EVERYDAY!
Francisco Aldape
Owner & Stylist
565-9776
What happened? Two of our em-
bassies in Africa were car-bombed.
= Think with me and stay with the physi-
« cal aspects of the matter for the mo-
I ment. Evidence technicians on the
scene will establish at least two basic
■ facts in determining the course of in-
I quiry. Chemical analysis of their
scrapings of explosive residue will
show not only the type, but possibly
the origin; and whether the bomb ve-
hicles had right or left hand drives.
Start with the probabilities of bomb
components; fuel oil and agricultural
I fertilizer, dynamite, TNT, nitro glyc-
erine, C4, Cordite, Semtex, or the new
Chinese xai ca heng. Each will require
■ a require a particular interpretation so
■ we can assign a probability of use on a
MM - scale of 10.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
THE MERCEDES INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT is
currently accepting applications for the following position(s):
WELDER
Qualifications:
Education:
High School diploma or GED
Welder license or certification preferred
Valid Texas driver’s license
Special Knowledge/Skills:
Knowledge of welding, welding repairs
Knowledge of fencing, fencing repairs, and installation
Ability to follow written and verbal instructions
Ability to diagnose and resolve problems
Ability to use hand and power tools
Ability to work independently
Experience:
Three (3) years experience in welding field preferred
CONSTRUCTION
• Residential
• Commercial
‘Specializing in ADA
compliance for business
and institutional facilities.’
FREE ESTIMATES
Contact Tony Mendez
565-3616
Fuel oil and fertilizer have a mili-
tary terminology as field expedients;
acquisition requires two language ca-
pabilities in staffs, two assembly
points, local knowledge of suppliers
and provides two trails to be followed.
About a 3 in probability.
Dynamite, TNT and nitro are avail-
able through mining usages, as well as
the gas and oil explorations onging in
both Kenya and Tanzania, but sup-
plies are tightly controlled because of
the iffy political climate in those coun-
tries. Some of the same factors men-
tioned above apply. Less than 3 as a
probable.
Wuoh Copic
2 00 Cen
plauding our efforts to capture Soma-
lia leadership. Both countries were a
likely targets for Islamic retribution,
particularly since they have a small
and rural Arab constituency. Bombing
the capital cities made terrorist sense.
When what happened, the particu-
lar hourly time, could be a fruitful
investigative clue. There was an obvi-
ous effort at coordination; telephone
records in that time frame between
Nairobi and Dar es Salaam are very
important factors. Had to be telephonic
— tropical static makes short wave
radio unintelligible in morning hours.
The lag in occurrence is interesting,
too, when the go signal was given, the
All applications should be submitted to:
Mr. Eduardo Infante
Director of Personnel & Student Services
Mercedes ISD - 206 East Sixth Street
P.O. Box 419
Mercedes, Texas 78570-0419
Copies
Fax
deadline TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS:
Wednesday, September 2,1998
The Mercedes ISD Does Not Discriminate on the Basis of Race,
Color, National Origin, Sex, Age, or Handicap.
“An Equal Opportunity Employer."
Notary Service
Postage Stamps
Private Mailbox
($3.50 monthly)
UPS Pick-up
& Delivery
320 S. Texas 565-6454
C4 or cordite brings new dimen-
sions for consideration. We were re-
cently involved in a losing military
operation in neighboring Somalia, and
in hastily departing, we abandoned
literally tons of equipment, including
stocks of C4 and cordite. The “War
Lords” controlling Somalia share a
mutual hatred of America. Addition-
ally, Somalia has religious and cul-
tural ties to those announcing them-
selves as our enemy. Supplier prob-
ability - 6 plus.
Semtex, now readily available from
chemical plants in impoverished
Slovakia, or Chinese xai ca heng, are
probable agents. Powerful, relatively
cheap, stable, light in weight and eas-
ily transported in bulk or shapes, de-
There is more to what happened
than blood and carnage at the scenes.
The aftermath, our missile strikes, were
weak, foolish and inconsequential.
“Something has to be done” in order to
satisfy an outraged American public.
Strong and critical words? They are.
And for good reason. The justification
for striking the Sudan site, as a nerve
gas component manufacturing facil-
ity, is ludicrous for several reasons.
First, there is no infrastructure for any
meaningful applications, and second,
the Sudan power grid cannot sustain
the required continuous draw for sub-
stantial chemical processors, heat,
pumps and cooling operations.
And there is the embarrassment
factor! Sudan has invited international
inspection to determine the true nature
of the plant. Surely there will be an
interested response, from security con-
cerns and to make a realistic evalua-
tion of CIA credibilty. Indications are
the CIA will equal Presidential stan-
dards.
It was an open international secret
that we knew where the terrorist camps
were in Afghanistan because it was
known we built them for use by terror-
ists — terrorist group financed by the
CIA in our $3 billion undercutting of
the Soviet invasion. Ironic, isn’t it,
that those terrorists were headed in
large part by our now demonized
Osama bin Laden. Little wonder
Yeltsin disagreed with our response,
and rubbing the Soviets’ nose in their
failure may have a future consequence.
Long Russian winters — long Russian
memories.
What happened should bring us to
the realization that we are at war with
an enemy who has already forced vast
changes in Western societal concepts.
Terrorist bombings have caused Brit-
ain to now deny bail, have detention
without counsel, see failure to answer
questions as an admission of guilt and
allow mere identification by police,
not proof as a terrorist, to bring con-
viction. We have to realize we are,
much as Britain is, vulnerable to ter-
rorist bombings of our cities and
people.
Where wn at happened should have
come as no surprise to our “intelli-
gence community.” Kenya and Tan-
zania, both recipients of our foreign
aid in substantial amounts, supported
us in our invasion of Somalia, ap-
Dar es Salaam unit had farther to go.
Circles encompassing traffic patterns
would be helpful in determining start-
ing points.
Who did it? The actual perpetra-
tors are secondary players, and even if
apprehended would probably have a
very limited knowledge of either the
whereabouts or identity of the terrorist
leadership. A clue here is the particu-
lar emphasis of hatred of the Jews and
riddance of Israel as a state entity in
Palestine. Where and who does the
shoe pinch most?
Lebanon. Part of Lebanon is under
Israeli occupation: Lebanon is a Middle
East financial center, and there are
many very wealthy Lebanese. Leba-
nese are known to be intelligent, ag-
gressive and rapacious in business
negotiations, with an innate ability to
successfully plan and manage projects.
We invited ourselves into Leba- O
non some 15 years ago, and stationed
a sizeable force of Marines there.
Shortly thereafter, on October23,1983
terrorists blew up the Marine quarters,
killing 248 Marines. We left, and in
retaliation, President Reagan ordered
the battleship Iowa to shell the Bekka
Valley, some 22 miles inland, result-
ing in the rearrangement of some rocks
and the death of six goats. In Lebanon,
as throughout the Arab world, “The a
friend of my enemy is my enemy,” and "
we are equated with Israel. I would
recommend an investigative focus on
Lebanon.
And finally the Why of this matter.
As a nation, we have tried to do too
much for too many people and coun-
tries and not all in good conscience.
We have used food as a political and
economic weapon, subverted duly U
elected governments, supported,
trained and financed terrorist activi-
ties, invaded sovereign states, con-
doned the murder of heads of state,
and announced we consider assassina-
tion or kidnapping as politically justi-
fiable.
Think not? Grenada, Cuba, Soma-
lia, Panama, Castro, Patrice Lumumba,
Quadaffi, Addid, and more. e
The cry of “Yankee Go Home!”
has a universal connotation, and we '
really are pictured as the Ugly Ameri-
can. Granted, we tried to bring democ-
racy and human rights and a better life,
but the practice of shoving those quali-
ties down throats has left something to
be desired, and it isn’t us.
Bob Groth
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The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 86, No. 34, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 26, 1998, newspaper, August 26, 1998; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1632225/m1/4/: accessed June 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.