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“The truth is an absolute defense to defamation."
Brownsville attorney Michael Cowen said in response to a defamation lawsuit filed against in Feb. 12 by former Cameron County District Attorney candidate Peter Zavaletta. |
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Thursday, July 03, 2008
"If you are reading this, I encourage you to ask yourself what more you would be doing on this issue if you had no fear." - John Moore
 John Moore, pictured above and contributor to the Web site Nonviolent Migration: Opening Borders Through Nonviolent Civil Disobedience, submitted the following comment. Moore is an English teacher at Raul A. Besteiro Middle School who participates in the Teach for America and Americorps programs. Moore begins law school in the fall at the University of Pennsylvania, where he will study immigration law. Moore is a veteran of the U.S. Army who was previously stationed in El Paso, Texas. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Congress has mandated DHS to build 370 miles of fencing before 12/31/2008. Congress has not stipulated which 370 miles, nor has Congress burdened the City of Brownsville with the deadline. The onus is on DHS to get it done on time, not on Brownsville. I truly believe that if we put up the hardest fight, DHS will go somewhere else. And if they don't, DHS will be held responsible, not us. Judge Hanen said this week, "I'm not going to hold DHS in contempt, but..." and we all know what that means. DHS was a hair's breadth away from being held in contempt and they are still walking on thin ice. From the top to the bottom, this fight takes individual courage in whatever sphere of influence we have. Judge Hanen is holding DHS responsible for it's lawlessness (quite a growth since his first rulings), which takes courage. The city commission voted to table the issue, which takes courage. It takes courage for homeowners along the levee to tell the city commission about their homes and families, like the woman from La Moria. And if I can laugh at myself a bit, sometimes it takes courage to walk past the "Beware of Dog" sign in search of a signature on the Texas Border Coalition Affidavit (I was bit by a dog last year and haven't been the same since). If you are reading this, I encourage you to ask yourself what more you would be doing on this issue if you had no fear. And that's only fair, since it takes courage for the monolingual Ohio native who was raised by racist parents to accept the fact that their new dark-skinned, Spanish-speaking neighbors aren't there to do any harm, even if they did overstay a visa or swim across the river (despite what DHS and CNN tells them). I commend the commissioners for allowing public comments prior to voting (regardless of the issue or your position, that is a huge win for democracy), and for tabling the issue even though powerful, monied interests were pushing them hard to make this deal with DHS. -John Moore
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