NEWSBRIEFS

See BRIEFS, Page 4

People whose main concern is their ownhappiness seldom find it.

— Quips & Quotes

SEPTEMBER 10, 2009VOL. 36, No. 37 SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO

1973

2009

63Years

Health carnivalSan Elizario Independent School Districtwill hold its annual health fair on Septem-ber 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. atBorrego Elementary School; 13300Chicken Ranch Rd. Over 30 health andsocial services agencies and organizationswill participate in the event. There will bevision, hearing, dental, glucose, choles-terol, spinal, bone density, and BMI healthscreenings available. Immunizations forchildren will also be provided at $10.00dollars for one or more shots as well asflu shots for $25.00 per shot (Medicaid,CHIP and Medicare will be accepted). TheSan Elizario ISD Carnival of Health willalso include entertainment, kids’ games,door prizes, and lunch for the first 700 par-ticipants. Don’t miss out on this valuablecommunity event. For more informationcontact Rebecca Madrid at 872-3970.

— Cynthia P. Marentes

UTEP game day busMiner football fans tired of battling traf-fic and hunting for a parking space cansave time, money and hassle by parkingat the Union Plaza Transit Terminal(UPTT), 400 W. San Antonio, and board-ing Sun Metro’s SMART 101. Fans canarrive to the game in style by parking atthe UPTT for $5 and buy a round-trip buspass for $2.50 (per person). Children 5 andunder ride free, and must be accompaniedby an adult. You must have exact changeto ride the SMART 101 because the SunMetro drivers do not have access tochange. Sun Metro will begin taking fansto each UTEP home game from the UPTTtwo hours before kickoff. Miner fans willbe dropped off at Sun Metro’s football busstop located near the intersection ofRobinson Avenue and Randolph Drive,adjacent to Memorial Gym. Return tripswill begin at the end of the 3rd quarter.Before boarding the bus, riders are re-minded of the following tips and policies:• Make sure you have your game ticketsbefore you get on board;• Food or beverages are not permitted onthe bus; and• Boarding for return trips will be at thesame dropped-off location near MemorialGym.For more information about Sun Metro,visit www.elpasotexas.gov/sunmetro orcall (915) 533-3333.

— Laura Cruz-Acosta

KidnappedEarly Thursday afternoon (Sept. 3) atapproximately 2:40 p.m., Horizon CityPolice Officers were dispatched to aresidence in the 14237 Desert Sunset,Horizon City in reference to a kidnap-ping that had just occurred at the resi-dence. Officers arrived and met with thefemale resident who told authorities thather husband was forcibly taken from the

CANUTILLO — Antonio Montes, aCanutillo sophomore attending the NorthwestEarly College High School (NECHS) campus,won first place recently in extemporaneousspeaking, during the Big Bend Great Debateas part of the National Hispanic Institute YouthLeadership Conference. The conference washosted by Sul Ross University. Montes willnow advance to the National Great Debate,which will be held at the University of Texasat Austin in November.

Montes beat out fifty other students from theBig Bend Region and surrounding areas duringa weeklong stay in Alpine. He finished the com-petition undefeated. As a participant, he was alsoable to live the real life university experience bystaying in the college dorms, as he progressedthrough the multiple rounds of debate.

The National Hispanic Institute is an orga-nization that values the talent of Latino youth,the potential they represent for the future ofthe Latino community and the extended sec-tors of American society. Furthermore, the or-ganization provides students with the environ-ment through which they may become intel-lectually, culturally, and socially engaged indetermining the role they wish to play in shap-ing tomorrow’s world.

Montes advances to national debate competitionBy Kim Guzman

Special to the Courier

— Photo courtesy Canutillo ISD

Antonio Montes

TEXAS — The Texas Department of StateHealth Services is encouraging people to gettheir seasonal flu vaccination now.

“Don’t wait. Get your seasonal flu vaccina-tion now,” said Dr. David Lakey, DSHS Com-missioner. “It’s one of the best ways to protectyourself and others from seasonal flu.”

Seasonal flu vaccine, available in shot andnasal spray forms, is recommended forpeople ages 6 months and older. The shottakes about two weeks to become effective.A separate 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine is notexpected until mid-October.

“Get the seasonal flu vaccine now. Then,be prepared get the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccinelater. One vaccine isn’t a substitute for theother,” Lakey said.

People at high risk of having serious flucomplications are especially encouraged toget their seasonal flu shot as soon as pos-sible. This includes children ages 6 monthsthrough 18 years, those 50 and older, peoplewith chronic medical conditions, residentsof long-term care facilities and pregnant

Texas officials sayget flu shot now

Special to the CourierBy Doug McBride

See FLU, Page 4

HORIZON CITY — Your oddson seeing Dr. Edward Gabaldon,the new superintendent of the ClintIndependent School District, aremuch better if you make an ap-pointment first.

If you don’t, there is a very goodchance he won’t be there.

Why?He’d rather be in the classroom

than in the boardroom.He’d rather be at an athletic

event cheering on a district teamthan sitting behind his desk in theClint ISD administrative buildingin Horizon City. As he puts it:

“I believe in being out there. Ibelieve in being visible.

“I believe in being in the class-rooms. These are my favoriteplaces.”

He visits his “favorite places” ona daily basis — whether it’s to talkto teachers and students in theclassroom or to talk to departmentheads or to chat with the campuscustodians or kitchen personnel.

“They appreciate it. They get toknow you personally.”

Gabaldon, 54, took over June 1as head of CISD. He is the 20thsuperintendent of the districtwhich dates back to 1924. LillianHuggett was the first to head thedistrict, according to Sandy Burr,executive secretary to Gabaldon.

“He is a God-send to the district,and that comes from the heart,”

says Burr who has worked with 10superintendents since she beganwork in CISD in 1977.

Beginning his 32nd year in thefield of education, Gabaldoncomes to Clint from El Paso ISDwhere he served as chief of staffto its current superintendent, Dr.Lorenzo Garcia.

Gabaldon’s predecessor, the lateRicardo Estrada, died of cancer inMarch of this year. Ricardo EstradaMiddle School is beingreconfigured and will become a jun-ior high for the 2010-11 school year.

“I’ve had the opportunity towork in some fine school districtsunder fine leadership,” the newdistrict leader says. He has alsoserved in various teaching and ad-ministrative positions in the Ysletaand Socorro school districts.

“All has prepared me (for this),”he adds, referring to his new roleas superintendent.

Moving from the largest schooldistrict in area to the fourth largesthas been an adjustment, he candidlyadmits. Many of the administrativeand academic matters usuallyhandled by support staff in largerdistricts go, instead, to the superin-tendent of a smaller school district.

“(But) I like that,” he quicklyadds. “This has been a learning op-portunity for me; I have learned alot of interesting things.”

Gabaldon is at home in theLower Valley. He was born andreared in Fabens.

“I knew it would be a great fit,”the superintendent says when

Gabaldon takes charge in Clint ISDBy Don WoodyardCourier Staff Writer

asked why he made the jump toClint. “It has always had a reputa-tion as a great district — not onlyacademically, but in other areas aswell. And it has maintained thatreputation.

“We have great kids; we haveexcellent teachers.”

Underscoring his contention thatCISD is a great district, he proudlyadds that, at more than $44,000 ayear, the district has the highest en-try level teacher salaries in thearea. This is coupled with a board-approved 2 percent across-the-board pay hike for employees.

With a student population of morethan 11,300 spread among 12 schoolcampuses, Gabaldon notes thatCISD is ranked 92nd out of 1,229districts statewide. Of the 12, sixearned Recognized status by theTexas Education Agency. FrankMacias Elementary earned the high-est honor — Exemplary status.

Student growth has been“steady” at a little more than 3 per-cent. There are between 400 and500 new students this year.

A new Clint High School willopen in 2011.

While proud of the district’spresent accomplishments, the newsuperintendent is looking to thefuture. In his view, enabling thestudents merely to graduate fromhigh school is not enough. He feelsa responsibility for the studentsbeyond high school graduation.

He is approaching this task ontwo fronts. The first is “near anddear to his heart.”

“We need to focus on post sec-ondary initiatives,” he says. Hewants to make sure that CISD isdoing everything it can to help itsgraduates make a successful tran-sition into college.

“Kids need to be college ready,college prepared,” he points out.“We want them to be successful.”

He cites statistics which showthat 35 percent of all high schoolgraduates statewide must pass re-medial, non-credit, courses beforethey can take a university’s regu-lar academic curriculum.

Some who fail these coursesbecome discouraged and drop outall together.

His second approach to this

See GABALDON, Page 2

— Photo courtesy Clint ISD

Edward Gabaldon

Page 2 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER September 10, 2009

Por la Gente By State Rep. Chente Quintanilla

PUBLISHED:Published each Thursday byHomesteader News, Inc. Appreciationto our many contributors. Office openMonday through Thursday.

COPYRIGHT:Entire contents © 2009 HomesteaderNews, Inc. Individual authors retain allrights. Pictures, drawings and writtenmaterial appearing in the West TexasCounty Courier may not be used orreproduced without written permissionof Homesteader News, Inc.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:Letter must not be more than 250words in length. They should bedated, must be signed and have anaddress and daytime phone number.Only the name and city will be printedwith the letter. The Courier reservesthe right not to print letters to theeditor or other submitted materials itconsiders inappropriate.

AD DEADLINE:Monday 4 p.m. for Thursdaypublication.

CLASSIFIED RATES$10 for 25 words, $15 for 40 words.Ad must be in writing and pre-paid.The Courier reserves the right not toprint classified advertising it considersinappropriate.

DISPLAY RATES:Open rate — $25 per column inch.Call for more information or to set anappointment. The Courier reservesthe right not to print advertising itconsiders inappropriate.

MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS:52 issues for $35.Delivery via 1st class mail.

MAIL:15344 Werling Ct.Horizon City, TX 79928

Phone: 852-3235Fax: 852-0123

E-mail: wtxcc@wtxcc.comWebsite: wtxcc.com

PublisherRick Shrum

ContributorsDon WoodyardSteve Escajeda

Jan Engels

�

Member Texas CommunityNewspaper Association News, Inc.

HomesteaderEst. 1973

SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO

1973

2009

63Years

Hola, migente. OnMonday Sep-tember 7, wec e l e b r a t e d

the Labor Day holiday. This day wasdedicated for the purpose of honor-ing hard working Americans. Many,but obviously not all, El Pasoanswere given a day off.

The great majority of residents inour county are workers; that is, notself employed or business owners. Itis the workers who make businesshappen and the dedication of a holi-day in their name is warranted.

Labor Day is also the day thatoriginally was dedicated in recogni-tion of the union movement. Thishappened well over a hundred yearsago. Just as businesses organized intolarger and more powerful conglom-erates, workers organized in order tohave a stronger say in how workerswere compensated. Both are impor-

tant parts to a free market system.Many of the work related things we

take for granted came about as a re-sult of the dynamics between busi-ness and labor. The most obviousbenchmark is the 40 hour work week.The most important victory by labororganizations was the attention paidto work place safety.

Whether one agrees or disagreeswith the labor movement, we mustrecognize that unions have benefit-ted the workers in our country.

Labor Day is also the signal thatsummer is behind us. We begin theshortening of daylight and the onsetof cooler and colder temperatures.

Labor Day is also the traditionalstart of the political season. This yearthere is no election for office hold-ers. But there has been a flurry of an-nouncements by individuals who in-tend to run for a variety of offices.Those elections will start with theMarch 2010 primary and culminate

with the November 2010 gubernato-rial election.

My official announcement for re-election will be forthcoming in thenext weeks.

This year, there is an election butonly for proposed constitutionalamendments. I will provide you withinformation about the eleven issuesto be on the November 2009 ballot.

Two of the issues deal with ap-praisals and eminent domain. I shalldedicate one entire article for each.The others will be grouped in articlesbefore the early voting period whichcommences in five weeks. I shall startthose articles in two weeks.

I realize that constitutional amend-ments do not stir the emotions forvoters. They are, however, very im-portant elections and I encourage allof you to educate yourselves aboutthe issues and vote. Gracias, migente, and I remain your friend andpublic servant, Chente por la gente.

Issues fill November ballot

View from here By Victor Morawski

An argument used in many currentbusiness ethics textbooks today tomorally justify the intrusion of BigGovernment into corporate and smallbusiness decisions turns on the notionthat we now are in the process of re-writing the understood social contractbetween business and society.

So, let’s take a quick look at thisconvenient fallacy and see if we canfigure out why the left contrived it inthe first place.

The abrogation of the social contractIn the nineteenth and early twenti-

eth centuries what Americans mostwanted from business was rapid eco-nomic growth and job creation. Backthen, we were willing to overlookmany negative consequences of busi-ness activity on the environment tosee business achieve this end.

Now, the argument goes, societyhas concerns other than simple eco-nomic growth — specifically, qual-ity of life and environmental con-

cerns — that mean that it can nolonger absorb costs associated withthese side effects.

The argument claims that society,largely through government regula-tions, is now justified in forcing busi-ness (especially large corporations)to internalize these costs, even if do-ing so will have a negative impacton their bottom line. Not satisfied

Veterans Post By Freddy Groves

The newest version of the veter-ans’ education program, called thePost-9/11 GI Bill, is now up andrunning. The package of benefitsis better than ever. If you’vethought about going back to schoolor getting training, this could be thetime.

To qualify, a veteran must haveat least 90 days of service on orafter Sept. 11, 2001, and an honor-able discharge. Those with service-connected disabilities only need 30days of service. The percentage ofbenefits you receive depends onthe time you served after that date.Three years gets you the maximumbenefit.

The new program covers:• Tuition and school fees paid di-

rectly to the school (the amount iscapped at the level of maximum in-state tuition).

• Up to $1,000 for books.• A housing allowance with the

amount dependent on the cost ofliving where you live.

Not all training is covered un-der the new program. For example,flight training and entrepreneur-ship training are not covered un-less they’re being given at one ofthe authorized Institutions of

Higher Learning.Your first stop should be the De-

partment of Veterans Affairs site:http://www.gibill.va.gov. Thereyou’ll find links to a list of the in-state maximum tuition and fees bystates, the housing allowance byZIP code, as well as a page of ben-efit comparisons between the newPost-9/11 program and the oldMontgomery program, which isstill operating.

Your most difficult decision mightbe which program to go with —Post-9/11 or Montgomery. With thelatter, you’d receive a set monthlypayment that has nothing to do withyour actual expenses. Take penciland paper to the numbers and seewhich works best for you.

Once you decide, it’s never tooearly to apply and get the paper-work started. You can apply onlineor have the forms sent to you bycalling 1-888-GI BILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).______________________________________________________Write to Freddy Groves in care of

King Features Weekly Service,P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475, or send e-mail tocolumnreply@gmail.com. (c)

2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

The new GI Bill

See CONTRACT, Page 4

problem is through the early collegehigh school program where studentscan earn dual credit for communitycollege courses while still attendinghigh school.

Gabaldon is in discussion with ElPaso Community College aboutstarting the program “in the nearfuture.” The program is already inplace in other school districts, in-cluding Canutillo. Fabens ISD is

GabaldonFrom Page 1______________________

also developing an early collegehigh school program.

Looking back at more than threedecades in the academic arena, hesays his guiding principle has alwaysbeen “to treat people fairly, consis-tently with courtesy and respect.”

He is very proud of the fact thathe has “touched the lives of so manypeople — that he has had an impacton those lives.”

Gabaldon and his wife Angela of27 years are the parents of two boys,Adam, 23; and Michael 17.

His hobbies include running,reading, traveling, sports and music.

September 10, 2009 Page 3WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

Make no bones about it, superbugs willinherit the earth, or at least our hospitals, forthe time being. There is no escaping them.Go into the hospital for one thing, and comeout with something entirely different, if notin a pine box. So, those hallowed halls ofhealing are slowly but surely becoming moreknown for what ails them, than for what ailsus. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcusaureus (MRSA), an antibiotic-resistant bac-terium, has passed from the exception to therule in the 1970s to a predominant “moverand shaker” on the Ten Most Wanted list ofour nation’s hospitals. The organism livesharmlessly on the skin, but just grant it ac-cess to and safe passage through a portal intoour bodies, and all hell breaks loose. Its closecompanion and fellow hit man, Clostridiumdifficile, an intestinal bacterium, is no lesstroublesome, and is a force to be reckonedwith that even that age-old “bug slayer,” al-cohol, cannot neutralize.

There you have it. It’s bad enough that theout-of-the-ordinary causes your hospitaliza-tion, without being further insulted by a to-tally unexpected bug brigade. Unexpectedis a poor choice of words, however, as eachyear 90,000 Americans pick up hospital-ac-quired infections that kill them, and manymore suffer the ravages of diarrhea and otherunpleasantries so severe that evenMontezuma’s heirs would most likely dis-own them. It has been estimated that in 2008,on an average day, 7,200 hospitalized pa-tients or 13 of every 1,000 were colonizedor infected with Clostridium difficile, and300 did not survive it. Add those numbers tothe toll of MRSA infections in patients withweakened immune systems, or those requir-ing catheters, intravenous lines, or ventila-tors, and we become witness to amathematician’s worst nightmare, that be-ing the formula for a lethal one-two punch.

And to think, in many cases we broughtthis on ourselves! While the young and veryold are often the first and foremost to be“bugged” in the hospital setting, whoeverdreamed that the very antibiotics conceivedof and developed to thwart any number ofserious infectious maladies might boomer-ang, strip our guts of friendly, protective or-ganisms, and, as a consequence, fertilize theterrain for florid Clostridium difficile growthand proliferation thereafter. MRSA, on theother hand, being a normal inhabitant of theskin, has a tendency to congregate aroundcuts and scrapes, where it is held in checkby a healthy immune system. Impairment ofthe latter is an open invitation to bloodstreamincursion, with resulting sepsis a formidable

foe to even the most heavily reinforced ar-senal of antibiotics and antimicrobials. Thedeath toll and morbidity rates generated byMRSA and Clostridium difficile come at astiff price in greenbacks also, to the tune ofan estimated $250 billion a year.

The story doesn’t end there, however. Theprofuse diarrhea incited by Clostridiumdifficile is the vehicle of a riot or a wildfire,if you’ll allow for literary license, facilitat-ing spread of the bacterium onto hands, bedrails, sheets, IV poles, and uniforms. Person-to-person transmission, from patients ormedical equipment to the hands of healthcare workers and then onwards to other un-suspecting souls, is the name of the game.In short, the bug is spread everywhere.MRSA, for its part, while far removed in itsmechanism of action from a potential enroll-ment in a “defecatory duo” spearheaded byClostridium difficile, is nonetheless anythingbut innocuous. In fact, about 250,000 Ameri-cans a year receive a nasty surprise whencatheters inserted into their large veins toprovide fluids or medications become thesources of bloodstream infection withMRSA. One in four of these unlucky soulsmeets his or her Maker, and just for havingbeen in the wrong place at the wrong time.

So, what’s the solution? How do we stopsuperbugs in their tracks? What measures canbe taken against an MRSA adversary resis-tant to penicillin and other antibiotics? Is di-arrhea lasting longer than 24 hours and accom-panied by weakness, a racing heart, or bloodin the stool a sign of something as sinister asClostridium difficile infection or just symbolicof a bad night on the town and a cheap Chi-nese restaurant? Frequent hand washing, lim-ited use of antibiotics to only cases absolutelynecessary, the wearing of sterile gloves andgowns by medical personnel, the use of anti-septics and sterile drapes and dressings to pro-tect patients, and even a probiotic, helpfulyeast called Saccharomyces boulardii (orcommonly Florastor™) taken orally can gofar to checking the advance, if not extermi-nating entirely, the superbugs. Governmentand state oversight, public scrutiny, and statelaws requiring hospitals to report infectionrates to the public can also be strong deter-rents to harmful laissez-faire attitudes on thepart of health facilities. Case in point,preventives measures, both voluntary andimposed, were instrumental in reducing therate of MRSA bloodstream infections byabout 50 percent from 1997 to 2007.

Superbugs may one day inherit the earth,but not on our watch, as long as actions speaklouder than our collective “Don’t bug me!”______________________________________________________

© 2009, Albert M. Balesh, M.D.All rights reserved.

What’s up, doc? By Albert Balesh, M.D.

Don’t bug me

Page 4 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER September 10, 2009

$8,000Rebate*

(915) 630-4369Javier Ortega / Broker

* First Time Home BuyersMust Close by Nov. 30, 2009

• $0 Down / $0 Closing CostsOn Special Financing Programs

Villa Victoria CommunityOn Socorro Rd. just past the San Elizario Mission

• Low PricedHomes

Starting in the

$90s Maldonado’s Heating & Cooling

(915) 252-9164Se Habla Español

• Sheet MetalFabrication& Installation

• Name Brands

• Commercial• Residential• Refrigeration• Heating

TACLB21751E

£ L&S CONSTRUCTION SERVICESCOSTUMER SATISFACTION IS JOB ONE

915-219-0305LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED — SE HABLA ESPAÑOL

➣ COMMERCIAL ➣ CUSTOM RESIDENTIALWelding Structural Steel Oriental Steel

Concrete Metal Studs Drywall Painting

Fax: 915-849-1172Email: lpena8@elp.rr.com

Notice of TaxRevenue Increase

The TOWN OF HORIZON CITYconducted public hearings on September 4,2009 and September 11, 2009 on a pro-posal to increase the total tax revenues ofthe TOWN OF HORIZON CITY fromproperties on the tax roll in the precedingyear by 1.80 percent.

The total tax revenue raised last year at lastyear’s tax rate of $0.294019 for each $100of taxable value was $1,776,825.

The total tax revenue proposed to be raisedthis year at the proposed tax rate of$0.294019 for each $100 of taxable value,excluding tax revenue to be raised from newproperty added to the tax roll this year, is$1,804,066.

The total tax revenue proposed to be raisedthis year at the proposed tax rate of$0.294019 for each $100 of taxable value,including tax revenue to be raised from newproperty added to the tax roll this year, is$1,871,572.

The City Council of TOWN OFHORIZON CITY is scheduled to vote onthe tax rate that will result in that taxincrease at a public meeting to be held onSeptember 22, 2009 at City Hall, 14999Darrington Rd., Horizon City, Texas 79928at 6:30 pm.

WTCC: 09/10/09 & 09/17/09

PUBLIC NOTICEVillage of Vinton, TexasA PUBLIC HEARING will be held at 6:00 p.m.on Thursday, September 17, 2009 during a Planningand Zoning Commission Meeting at the Vinton VillageHall, 436 E. Vinton Rd., Vinton, Texas. Purpose of thepublic hearing is to allow any interested persons to appearand testify regarding the following proposed item(s):

1) A request to Re-Zone Tracts 4B2, 5B3, 5A3 ofthe Laura E. Mundy Survey #233, Village ofVinton, El Paso County, Texas (also known as I-10 & Westway).

2) A request to Re-Zone Tracts 11B and 18 of theAurelio Delgado Survey #175, Village of Vinton,El Paso, County Texas (also known as 7810Doniphan).

3) A request for a Special Permit for Tracts 11Band 18 of the Aurelio Delgado Survey #175, Vil-lage of Vinton, El Paso, County Texas (also knownas 7810 Doniphan) for the purpose of a commer-cial establishment.

4) Proposed Ordinance # 2009-10-6-1, Requir-ing the submission of an application for a permitfor all types of construction, re-construction, re-modeling or site development within the territo-rial limit of the Village of Vinton, Texas; estab-lishing fees for the Building Services Department;and penalty for the violation.

5) Proposed Ordinance # 2009-10-6-2, Creatingan Enhanced Economic Development Zone toprovide for attractive and efficient retail shoppingand personal service facilities of integrated designin appropriate locations to serve residential neigh-borhoods and providing for a tax exemption.

Those who are unable to attend may submit their viewsin writing to the Village Clerk at 436 E. Vinton Road,Vinton, Texas 79821. Persons with disabilities that wishto attend this meeting should contact City Hall at(915)886-5104 to arrange for assistance. Individuals whorequire auxiliary aids or services for this meeting shouldcontact City Hall at least two days before the meeting sothat appropriate arrangements can be made.

Jessica GarzaVillage Clerk

WTCC: 09/10/09

with imposing such Big Governmentdictates merely on U.S. corporations,

the Obama Administration wants allgovernments worldwide to imposesuch job-destroying directives.

You’ll notice, of course, that thisargument gets no traction whatsoeverwhen used against a developing na-tion, which is clearly why Hillary

Clinton did not bother to bring it upherself during her recent trip abroad.Unfortunately for Ms. Clinton, herChinese and Indian counterparts didbring it up as a reason why theyshould not sign on to the US-backed,UN emissions guidelines.

They, in effect, pointed out that we

ContractFrom Page 2______________________

did not levy similar constraints on our-selves during our own nation’s earlydevelopment, so why should they stifletheir own rapid economic growth byputting such strict constraints on theirindustries? All Hillary had left was tofall back on was voodoo science andthe Global Warming Doomsday Sce-

nario as tools to use to persuade themto come on board. And they wiselyweren’t biting, just as they did not bitewhen her boss pitched the same argu-ment to them and other members ofthe G8 earlier.

Now, if the bill really is based onvoodoo science, then there is no goodscientific reason for its enactment.But what of the moral argument thatour own society’s understood socialcontract with business is changing?

First of all, who is saying that oursociety is modifying its understoodsocial contract with business if notthe same liberal academics and poli-ticians who have, for the past 30years or so, been calling for ever-in-creasing, anti-productive and burden-some environmental regulations byBig Government on business? Writ-ing on this issue, Jesuit scholar Ed-ward W. Younkins insightfully ob-serves, “It is interesting to note thatwhen corporate critics refer to thepublic interest or the common good,they are frequently referring to thegood of some individual or group ofindividuals intent on imposing theirown views or goals upon others.”

Have ordinary Americans — whoafter all are society, with no particularenvironmental axe to grind and whoare most affected by their loss — re-ally been in favor of seeing hundredsof US factories close and millions ofAmerican jobs shipped overseas dur-ing the last few decades because everincreasing environmental regulations?Did they really want the contract modi-fied in spite of these consequences?

Those who ardently advocate BigGovernment corporate regulationview businesses essentially as cre-ations of government — -on society’sbehalf — which exist solely to servepublic needs. Whatever assets theyhave they possess as a matter of privi-lege granted by government conces-sion, not as a right.

Defenders of liberty, on the otherhand, view corporations as created notby government, but by the voluntaryactions of private individuals. As suchthey are private property, not publicproperty. And they exist primarily forthe financial benefit of their owners.

So, if and when government abro-gates its social contract with business— for whatever reason — it not onlydestroys jobs and stifles initiative, itviolates the most basic precepts of free-dom in the process. For, as ThomasJefferson wrote, “The true foundationof republican government is the equalright of every citizen in his person andproperty and in their management.”______________________________________________________Victor Morawski is a contributing

writer for ALG News (getliberty.org)and a professor of philosophy.

women. People who have close con-tact with those at high risk alsoshould get vaccinated.

People wanting the seasonal flu vac-cine should call their health care pro-vider, local public health department,2-1-1 or check online atwww.211Texas.org for availability.

Lakey also urged people to followstandard illness-prevention steps:

• Wash hands frequently with soap andwater or alcohol-based hand sanitizer;

• Cover coughs and sneezes; and• Stay home if sick.For more information about flu,

visit DSHS at www.TexasFlu.org.

FluFrom Page 1______________________

September 10, 2009 Page 5WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

Notice of TaxRevenue Increase

The TOWN OF ANTHONY conductedpublic hearings on August 27, 2009 andSeptember 8, 2009 on a proposal to in-crease the total tax revenues of the TOWNOF ANTHONY from properties on thetax roll in the preceding year by 20.62percent.

The total tax revenue raised last year at lastyear’s tax rate of $0.398817 for each $100of taxable value was $522,213.

The total tax revenue proposed to be raisedthis year at the proposed tax rate of$0.450721 for each $100 of taxable value,excluding tax revenue to be raised from newproperty added to the tax roll this year, is$628,509.

The total tax revenue proposed to be raisedthis year at the proposed tax rate of$0.450721 for each $100 of taxable value,including tax revenue to be raised from newproperty added to the tax roll this year, is$657,068.

The Town Council of TOWN OFANTHONY is scheduled to vote on thetax rate that will result in that tax increaseat a public meeting to be held on September22, 2009 at Town Hall, 401 Wildcat Dr.,Anthony, Texas 79821 at 7:00 pm.

WTCC: 09/03/09 09/10/09

Notice of TaxRevenue Increase

The EL PASO COUNTY EMERGENCYSERVICES DISTRICT #2 conducted pub-lic hearings on August 20, 2009 and Septem-ber 8, 2009 on a proposal to increase the to-tal tax revenues of the EL PASO COUNTYEMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICT #2from properties on the tax roll in the preced-ing year by 2.77 percent.

The total tax revenue raised last year at lastyear’s tax rate of $0.100000 for each $100 oftaxable value was $2,462,056.

The total tax revenue proposed to be raisedthis year at the proposed tax rate of$0.100000 for each $100 of taxable value,excluding tax revenue to be raised from newproperty added to the tax roll this year, is$2,524,863.

The total tax revenue proposed to be raisedthis year at the proposed tax rate of$0.100000 for each $100 of taxable value,including tax revenue to be raised from newproperty added to the tax roll this year, is$2,602,555.

The Board of Commissioners of EL PASOCOUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICESDISTRICT #2 is scheduled to vote on thetax rate that will result in that tax increase ata public meeting to be held on September22, 2009 at Fabens Fire Department, 219 W.Main, Fabens, Texas at 7:00 pm.WTCC: 08/27/09 09/10/09

home. Apparently three Hispanicmales made entry into the home

and pro-ceeded to tiethe Victimup with ducttape wherehe was car-ried carriedthrough theback resi-dence doorby two ofthe suspects.The case

was immediately handed over tothe Sheriff ’s Office who re-sponded within minutes. CrimeAgainst Persons Detectives werealso summoned to the scene. Ap-parently several individuals whowitnessed the abduction heard agunshot and also heard the vic-tim struggling and yelling forhelp. According to witnesses, thevictim was placed into a dark

Coaches must pass a backgroundcheck. Please call (915) 252-3180if you would like to coach.

Landfill passesThe Clint Landfill passed its an-nual inspection by the Texas Com-mission on Environmental Quality(TCEQ), according to the City ofEl Paso Environmental ServicesDepartment. TCEQ officials in-spected the landfill, located at 2300Darrington Road, in July for com-pliance with municipal solid wasteregulations and in August for com-pliance with air permit require-ments. The state regulatory agencyinformed the city’s EnvironmentalService Department via lettersdated July 17 and August 31, thatit did not find any violations dur-ing its inspection of the landfill. In-spectors evaluated all of thelandfill’s operations from landfillgas monitoring compliance torecord keeping to signage. On amonthly basis about 40,000 tons ofwaste is deposited at the landfill,which services El Paso residentsand businesses.

— Tammy Fonce-Olivas

Crime Stoppers

Crime Stoppers of El Paso is as-sisting agents from the FederalBureau of Investigation and DrugEnforcement AdministrationStrike Force in locating an indi-vidual who managed the day-to-day operations of a major drug traf-ficking organization in our area,making this the Crime Stoppers“Crime of the Week.” Beginningin February, 2009, it has been de-termined that Gualberto Marquez,a.k.a. “Bird,” is a confirmed mem-ber of the Barrio Azteca criminalenterprise and runs the MarquezDrug Trafficking Organization(MDTO). Several undercover nar-cotic purchases were conducted bythe El Paso Sheriff’s Office MetroNarcotics unit and the El Paso Po-lice Department Narcotics unit,both of which assisted in identify-ing Marquez’s drug runners andthe vehicles utilized to deliver thenarcotics. The MDTO has beenidentified as a well-organized drugtrafficking organization operatingin El Paso, Texas. Marquez hadseveral drug runners working for

him, who operated a 24/7 cocaine/crack distribution cell in the north-east part of town. Marquez wasalso shipping cocaine and bulkmarijuana to Midland, Texas. InApril, 2009, it was confirmed thatthe supplier of drugs to the MDTO

was import-ing the co-caine fromJ u a r e z ,Mexico. OnMay 1, 2009,G u a l b e r t oMarquez andthree otherswere arrestedand chargedwith con-spiracy to

possess with intent to distribute 5kilograms or more of cocaine. TheGrand Jury returned an indictmentagainst 16 subjects in the MDTOand, shortly afterwards, six of themwere arrested and one more turnedhimself in. Of the 16 subjects iden-tified as members of the MDTO,15 are already in custody exceptone, 23-year-old Michael Torres,who is still a fugitive. Torres is con-

sidered to be Marquez’s right-hand-man who ran the day-to-dayoperations and managed the drugrunners. If you have any informa-tion at all about the location ofsuspect Michael Torres, callCrime Stoppers of El Paso imme-diately at 566-TIPS (8477) orsubmit your tip online atwww.crimestoppersofelpaso.org.You will remain anonymous and, ifyour tip leads to an arrest, you mayearn a cash reward up to $1,000.

— James Klaes

In the NavyNavy Reserve Seaman ApprenticeJose F. Garcia, son of Rosa M. andJose F. Robles of El Paso recentlycompleted U.S. Navy basic train-ing at Recruit Training Command,Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Garcia completed avariety of training which includedclassroom study and practical instruc-tion on naval customs, first aid,firefighting, water safety and survival,and shipboard and aircraft safety. Anemphasis was also placed on physi-cal fitness. Garcia is a 2000 graduateof Socorro High School.

Maroon Ford Expedition SUVwith dark tinted windows, blackfenders around the wheel wellsand chrome aftermarket wheels.The SUV was not displaying anylicense plates. and was last seentravelling Eastbound on DesertWind St. According to severalwitnesses, the incident was wit-nessed by school children beingtransported on a school bus.Sheriff’s Office officials in co-ordination with school officialsare providing counseling for thechildren who witnessed the in-cident. The victim was identifiedas 30-year-old Sergio Saucedo.Saucedo was last seen wearinga black t-shirt with a Budweiserlogo, blue jeans and gray andblack Nike tennis shoes. Thethree suspects are described asfollows:• 5’08” /thin build/mustache;• 5’08” /thin build/mustache; and• 5’02” /thin build/mustache.All were wearing black baseballcaps/black t-shirts/blue jeanshorts/black tennis shoes/blackgloves. The suspects displayedhandguns during the abduction.Saucedo is 5’7" tall and weighs180 pounds. He has brown hairand eyes. He has “Isaiah” /“Yolanda” tattooed on his upperright arm. He has a Buddha, aheart and “Leslie” on his chest.The Sheriff’s Office is the leadagency in this investigation be-ing assisted by the FBI. CrimeAgainst Persons Detectives areactively working this case andare following several leads.Sheriff’s Detectives are urginganyone who has any informationregarding this kidnapping toplease contact Sheriff’s Officedispatch at (915) 546-2280 orCrime Stoppers at (915) 566-TIPS (8477).

— Deputy Jesse Tovar

Coaches wantedCoaches are wanted county widefor AAU youth sports leagues.Categories include Boys andGirls Basketball, ages 10 to 18;Girls Softball, ages 12 to 18; andBoys and Girls Soccer, ages 10to18. All athletes are AAU reg-istered and insured members.

BriefsFrom Page 1______________________

Michael TorresSergio Saucedo

Page 6 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER September 10, 2009

Classified Ads

By Steve EscajedaSpecial to the Courier

• Place Your Classified •1: Fill out the form;2: Write a check; then

3: Send both to us.

�✍✉

CLASSIFIED AD FORM25 words - $10 per week; 40 words - $15 per week

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

Deadline: MondaysPlease print.Send form and

payment (no cash) to:

West Texas County Courier15344 Werling Ct.

Horizon City, TX 79928

Contact Information:

Name: ________________________

Phone: ________________________

SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28

29 30 31 32

33 34 35 36

37 38 39 40

1973

2009

63Years

CryptoQuipAnswer

I never liked that crazyold lizard. He gave mea creepy feeling right

from the gecko!

LEGALS

NOTICE OFAPPLICATION

TOIMPLEMENTAN INTERIM

FUEL REFUNDAND

SURCHARGE

On September 1,2009, El Paso Elec-tric Company (EPEor Company) filedan Application withthe Public UtilityCommission ofTexas (PUC orCommission) toimplement an in-terim refund of a netover-recovery offuel costs billed un-der its fuel factorsthrough July 2009.The docket numberassigned to thisproceeding is PUCDocket No 37433.This filing wasmade under P.U.C.Subst. R.25.237(a)(3)(B).The filing impactsonly the fuel portionof the rates chargedby EPE for electric-ity in Texas and hasno effect on EPEísnon-fuel base rates.This application, ifgranted, will affectall Texas retail cus-tomers who takeservice under a tar-iff that has fixed fuelfactors.

The total amount ofthe net over-recov-ery balance to berefunded throughthe proposed re-fund is$12,172,750, ex-clusive of interest,through July 31,2009. The effect ofthe refund oncustomersí bills willvary depending onthe rate scheduleunder which theytake service. Somenon-residential cus-tomers will receivea surcharge.

EPE proposes a re-fund period of onemonth and re-quests that the pro-posed refund be ef-fective with the firstbilling cycle for theOctober 2009 bill-ing month. Forthose customersreceiving a sur-charge, EPE pro-poses to spread thesurcharge over athree month period,beginning with thefirst billing cycle forthe October 2009billing month.These changes willbe subject to finalreview by the Com-mission in EPEísnext reconciliation.

Persons with ques-tions or who wantmore informationon this petition maycontact El PasoElectric Companyat 100 N. Stanton,El Paso, Texas79901 or call toll-free at 1-(800) 592-1634 (when in-structed, press 7,then four-digit ex-tension 5970 plus#) during normalbusiness hours. Acomplete copy ofthe petition is alsoavailable for in-spection at the ad-dress listed above.Persons who wishto formally partici-pate in this pro-ceeding, or whowish to expresstheir commentsconcerning this pe-tition, should con-tact the Public Util-ity Commission ofTexas, Office ofCustomer Protec-tion, P.O. Box13326, Austin,Texas 78711-3326,or call (512) 936-7120 or toll-free at(888) 782-8477.Hearing andspeech-impairedindividuals with texttelephones (TTY)

may call (512) 936-7136 or use RelayTexas (toll-free) 1-800-735-2989.

WTCC: 09/10/09& 09/17/09_______________________

AVISO DESOLICITUD

PARAIMPLEMENTARPROVISIONALMENTE

UNREEMBOLSO Y

UN CARGOADICIONAL

PORCOMBUSTIBLE

El 1 de Septiembrede 2009, El PasoElectric Company(EPE ó Compañía)presentó unasolicitud ante laComisión deServicios Públicosde Texas (PUC óComisión) paraimplementar unreembolso provi-sional por unarecuperación netaen exceso de loscostos de combus-tible facturados enlos factores decombustible hastaJulio de 2009. Elnúmero asignado aeste procedimientoen la agenda deldía es el No. 37433.Esta solicitud serealizó en base aP.U.C. Subst. R.25.237(a)(3)(B).Esta solicitudafecta solamente laparte de combus-tible de las tarifasde electricidadcobradas en Texaspor EPE y no afectalas tarifas base norelacionadas concombustible deEPE. Esta solicitud,de ser autorizada,afectará a todos losclientes demenudeo de Texasque recibenservicio con unatarifa que incluyefactores fijos de

combustible.

Al 31 de Julio de2009, el importe to-tal de larecuperación netaen exceso a serreembolsada através delr e e m b o l s opropuesto era$12,172,750 sinincluir intereses. Elefecto delreembolso en losrecibos de losclientes serád i f e r e n t edependiendo de latarifa bajo la cualreciban servicio.Algunos clientes nor e s i d e n c i a l e srecibirán un cargoadicional.EPE ha propuestoun período dereembolso de unmes y ha solicitadoque el reembolsopropuesto seaefectivo con elprimer ciclo defacturación del mesOctubre de 2009.Para aquellosclientes querecibirán un cargoadicional, EPEpropone repartir elcargo adicional enun período de tresmeses iniciandocon el primer ciclode facturación delmes de Octubre de2009. Estos cargosestán sujetos a sera u t o r i z a d o sfinalmente por laComisión en las i g u i e n t ereconciliación deEPE.

Las personas quetengan preguntas oque deseen mayorinformación acercade esta solicitud,p u e d e ncomunicarse con ElPaso Electric Com-pany en la dirección100 N. Stanton, ElPaso, Texas 79901ó pueden llamar sincosto al 1-(800)

592-1634 (cuandose les solicite,oprima el número 7,seguido por laextensión 5970,seguido por la tecla#) en horasnormales deoficina. Una copiacompleta de lasolicitud seencuentra tambiéndisponible para suconsulta en ladirección arribamencionada. Laspersonas quedeseen participarformalmente eneste proceso o quedeseen expresarsus comentarios enrelación a estasolicitud deberáncomunicarse a laOficina deProtección alConsumidor de laComisión deServicios Públicosde Texas al P.O.Box 13326, Austin,Texas 78711-3326,ó pueden llamar al(512) 936-7120 óllamar sin costo al(888) 782-8477.Las personas conimpedimento delhabla o del oídoque cuenten conteléfonos de texto(TTY) puedenllamar al (512) 936-7136 ó utilizar Re-lay Texas (sincosto) 1-800-735-2989.

WTCC: 09/10/09& 09/17/09_______________________

HELPWANTED

Drivers -CDL, Sign-up Bonus! FT/PT, 1year experienceMotor Coach. Train-ing Provided. 915-

751-4220. benji@allaboardamerica.com________________________

HOMES

12748 Quijano,$87,600 reducedto $84,000. CarlosAguilar, (915) 269-1251. Broker.________________________

New homes avail-able in Horizon,Anthony and SanElizario. Pricesstarting from the90s. USDA pro-gram available forZERO down pay-ment and ZEROpercent closingcost. New homesalso available inother areas. CallPete at 633-6179.________________________

SELF-HELP

Persons who havea problem with al-cohol are offered afree source of helplocally. AlcoholicsAnonymous - call562-4081 for infor-mation.

Tiene problemascon el alcohol? Hayuna solucíon.Informacion: 838-6264.________________________

STORAGE

National SelfStorage

BRAND NEWUNITS

Specials - ClimateControl Units: 5x5and 5x10 just $1first month. Regular5x10 and 12x30units just $1 firstmonth. Call Blanca- 852-8300.

In the violent world of football you are taughtto be aggressive from the time you are a young-ster in a helmet that is clearly too big for yourstill-growing scull.

But coaches all around the country teachtheir players that it’s a controlled aggressionthey have to play.

“Controlled aggression” as in being tough,being strong, being unrelenting, while beingsmart. Players are taught never to let their ag-gression take control of them.

And thankfully, the vast majority of playerskeep their emotions in check.

But on rare occasions you get a player whocomes to a game with his helmet, shoulder padsand chin-strap but absolutely no memory of

what his coaches had taught him over the yearsabout controlled aggression.

And that brings us to the antics of Oregon’sLeGarrett Blount and his itty-bitty ability tocontrol himself.

I’m sure most of you have seen the video ofBlount losing his underdeveloped mind at theend of his team’s loss to Boise State last Thurs-day.

And I’m sure most of you have heard thathe was suspended from the team for the rest ofthe season.

I have to admit that when I first heard thathe was going to be suspended I figured the teamwould fold under the pressure and just give thetalented senior running back a one or two-gameslap on the wrist.

But when I heard he wouldn’t be allowed toplay another game this season I was shockedand pleasantly surprised.

A lot of people are making a big deal ofBlount’s sucker punch of Boise State’s ByronHout, but that’s not what got him suspendedfor the year.

A lot of players lose it for a second and punchan opponent. They are usually thrown out ofthe game and could miss the next game, butthat’s usually it.

But this guy didn’t stop at a simple punch.He went on to punch one of his own playerswho was trying to calm him down, he shovedhis own coaches over and over, shoved a po-lice officer andwent after somefans in the stands.

I’m out of breath just thinking bout all thatcommotion.

I guess he figured if he was going to get in troublehe might as well earn it. And earn it he did.

Some reporters and fans have blamed Houtfor the punch because he was the one who con-fronted Blount after the game with a few choicewords.

But let’s set the record straight. There’s noth-ing like the truth to settle a dispute.

If everyone will remember, it was Blountwho was flapping his mouth all week beforethe game and even during the contest. He saidBoise State deserved an [explitive] whoopingbecause they beat Oregon last year.

After the game Hout tapped Blount on theshoulder and said something to him in obvi-ous retaliation for Blount’s previous comments.

Now the way I look at it, Blount opened hismouth and showed his immaturity and Houtopened his mouth and showed his immaturity.

That makes the score dummy-1 to dummy-1. If nothing else happened both schools wouldhave claimed a dummy but there would havebeen no suspension and no turmoil.

But all that changed when Blount lost theability to control himself and threw a punch atHout’s chin. Believe it or not, that was Blount’smost passive moment.

The guy went postal on everything in front

Lessons in life

See LESSONS, Page 8

September 10, 2009 Page 7WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

King Super Crossword

ComixOUT ON A LIMB By Gary Kopervas

AMBER WAVES By Dave T. Phipps

THE SPATS By Jeff Pickering

R.F.D. By Mike Marland

Your good health By Paul G. Donahue, M.D.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 47,and my doctor tells me I haveasthma. Is that possible? I thoughtit was a children’s disease. One ofthe medicines the doctor put me onis a cortisone-type inhaler. This hasme scared silly. I don’t want to stayon a cortisone medicine for life. Ihave heard it does too many badthings. What do you have to sayabout this? — M.L.

ANSWER: Asthma can make anappearance at any age. The inci-dence of it peaks between the agesof 4 and 10, and again in the 40s.It’s not only a childhood illness.During an asthma attack, the air-ways (bronchi) narrow because themuscles wrapped around them gointo spasm. That makes it hard forair to get into and out of the lungs.Added to the airway constrictionis an outpouring of thick mucuswithin the airways, another ob-struction to the flow of air throughthese passages.For an acute asthma attack, medi-cines that relax the muscleswrapped around the airways areused, most often delivered via aninhaler. The onset of action of thesemedicines is quick, but their dura-tion is only about four to six hours.So it is also important to adminis-ter to asthmatics medicines that lastlonger.Inhaled cortisone medicines aresuch drugs, and they’re essentialfor asthma control. They soothe ir-ritated airways and prevent thecontraction of airway muscles.They also prevent the productionof thick mucus. It can take up tofour weeks before the effect ofthese medicines is appreciated.Inhaled cortisone doesn’t cause theserious side effects that prolongeduse of oral and injectable cortisonecan. Your health isn’t going to bein danger from its use. Your healthis going to improve with its use.You might not have to use it forlife.The asthma booklet gives a de-

tailed explanation of this commoncondition and its treatment. Read-ers can obtain a copy by writing:Dr. Donohue — No. 602W, Box536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.Enclose a check or money order(no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Canadawith the recipient’s printed nameand address. Please allow fourweeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Enclosedis an ad for vitamin B-4. Is it asgood as the ad says? — L.F.

ANSWER: Sometime in the past,scientists thought there was a vita-min B-4 whose lack was respon-sible for slow growth in animals.It was called adenine. Adenine isreal, but it’s not a vitamin. It’s thebuilding material for DNA andRNA. It’s found in many foods.You don’t need a supplement of it.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: When my68-year-old husband exercises, hesmells like rotten onions. He claimsthat deodorants and antiperspi-rants are harmful. He says youneed to let your armpits breathe. Isay he’s wrong. — Anon.

ANSWER: Many people believethat deodorants and antiperspirantsare harmful. I’m not one of them.Armpits don’t breathe. The lungs do.Your husband can wash under thearms before and after exercising.Skin bacteria cause the odor, notsweating.______________________________________________________

Dr. Donohue regrets that he isunable to answer individual

letters, but he will incorporatethem in his column whenever

possible. Readers may write himor request an order form of

available health newsletters atP.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL

32853-6475. Health newslettersalso may be ordered from

www.rbmamall.com. (c) 2009North America Synd., Inc.

All Rights Reserved

CAREER CHOICESACROSS

1 From the top 5 Pride of thepumped-up 9 St. Louis team 13 Dirty 19 118 Across’mistress 20 Way off base? 21 Director Kazan 22 Agenda item 23 Emcee’s site 24 MelodiousMcEntire 25 Monastery dweller 26 Kindle 27 He became aRealtor because… 31 Form a cylinder 32 Broad st. 33 Savage sorts 34 Alarm 38 It may bestrapless 39 Emulates Simon 41 Hibiscus garland 44 She became apharmacist because… 48 _ squash 50 Tropical tree 51 Wrinkly dog 52 Diva Destinn 53 Halloweenhappening 54 Raptor feature 57 Texas landmark 59 Out of gas

60 _ Na Na 63 Scold and scold 64 Bolted the beans 65 Formerly 67 Dispel 70 He became anexplorer because… 75 Get wind of 76 Cad 77 Watchingmachines? 78 Season firewood 79 Rock’s _ Leppard 80 Formal ceremony 82 Backslide 84 Exhausted 86 Euripideantragedy 88 Lhasa _ 89 Clarke or West 90 Model Carre 94 Simpson offashion 95 She became abaker because…100 Horde ofhumpbacks101 Not that102 Oil apparatus103 Least lighthearted104 Wet blanket106 Address abbr.107 _ vu109 He became anelectrician because…116 _ out (aided)118 Hammett hound119 Small business-

man?120 Vociferate122 Elevated123 Author Uris124 “_ She Sweet” (’27song)125 Cooper’s tool126 Size up127 Drops the ball128 Family members,to many129 Part of Q.E.D.

DOWN 1 Clause connector 2 Wordy Webster 3 Part of HOMES 4 Cleanse 5 Excuses 6 Tom of “Baretta” 7 Computerlanguage 8 Thin strip 9 Dislodgment 10 Isolated 11 Ho Chi _ 12 Literary pen name 13 Poet Heaney 14 Senator Hatch 15 Jeremy of“Waterland” 16 Praise 17 USNA grad 18 HST’s successor 28 Schipa solo 29 Writer Paretsky 30 With diffidence 34 “For shame!”

35 Palindromic cry 36 “Fantasia” frame 37 Nab a gnat 38 Plead 39 Exercise expertRichard 40 Cashew kin 41 Couldn’t stand 42 Directional suffix 43 Calligraphy supply 45 Highest point 46 Pantyhoseproblem 47 Soup veggie 48 Gibbon or gorilla 49 Vulgar 55 Comic Sothern 56 Woodworking tool 57 From _ Z 58 Boxing blows 59 Neutral tone 60 “Quiet!” 61 TV’s “_ Haw” 62 Bestowed 64 Referencevolumes 66 “_ of Love” (’64smash) 68 Grand _ Opry 69 Mistaken 71 Historian Durant 72 Oracle site 73 “_ had it!” 74 Rock’s _ at Work 81 _ kwon do 83 Neighbor of Ger. 84 Dejected 85 Soybean product

86 Traveler’s aid 87 Maestro de Waart 88 Grate stuff 89 Ryan or Foster 91 Knot it! 92 _ and outs 93 NCO 96 Dondi and Annie 97 “Ars longa, _brevis” 98 Protests 99 “There oughta be_!”101 Exchanges104 Contradict105 61 Down host106 Play boy?107 D.D. Emmett tune108 Happening109 They’resometimes hugged?110 Auction111 _ -friendly112 Act like anantelope113 Basra’s locale114 Pianist Lupu115 Signor Ferrari116 Herd word117 Oerter and Unser121 TV’s “Father _”

Answer Page 6

Page 8 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER September 10, 2009

Social Security Q&A By Ray Vigil

of him.After the game Blount said he was

sorry but then doesn’t everybody?Every player who ever did drugs

or beat up a girlfriend or flippedoff the fans or was caught speed-ing or gambled on games orcheated on taxes or punched anopposing player gave us a tearfulsorry in front of the TV cameras.

Is it sad that Blount will miss hissenior season? Of course it is. Butword is that Blount is no strangerto trouble and that this was the laststraw in Ducksville.

Suffering this kind of humilia-tion is probably what Blount needsif he is going to live a positive life.

Look at Michael Vick andPacman Jones and Plaxico Burrisand Donte Stallworth and TravisHenry and Ryan Leaf — I’ll betthey wish they had some event intheir past that would have changedtheir behavior patterns.

LessonsFrom Page 6______________________

Last year around this time, I wasbanging the keys about Brett Favre’sreturn to football. This season, here Iam again, tracking down No. 4.

Either you’re completely boredof the story by now, or you’re in-trigued by the possibilities. There’sthat Monday Night Football mash-up between the Vikings and Pack-ers, and there’s the question aboutFavre’s ability to put up the sametype of numbers that sent him to10 Pro Bowls. And how would thatmatch with running back AdrianPeterson — easily the biggest im-pact player in the NFL today.

Still, seeing Favre in a Vikings

uniform is akin to Derek Jeter retir-ing from the Yankees, having theYankees retire his number (one hopesthey honor Tony Lazzeri, who alsodonned No. 2, once they do), thencoming back to play for the Red Soxthe next year.

It’s little secret that Favre felt hewas wrongly pushed aside by thePackers because the franchise wantedto protect its investment in AaronRodgers, its first-round pick in 2005who was, by all accounts, getting abit antsy on the sidelines. And, insome respects, Rodgers proved thatits investment wasn’t a risky gambleby having — arguably — a better sta-

tistical year than Favre did with theNew York Jets. Rodgers passed formore yards (4,038 to 3,472), moretouchdowns (28 to 22) and fewer in-terceptions (15 to 22).

But Favre nearly took the Jets tothe playoffs, winning nine gamesto Rodgers’ six and that, as theysay, is all that really matters. In his18 years as field general, Favre hashad only one losing season, threeMVP awards, a Super Bowl ringand he’s beaten all 31 NFL teamsin the process.

And now he’s wearing the horns— both literally and, in Green Bay,figuratively. Packer backers haveexcoriated Favre in the media. Petti-ness and pride, they argue, are at theroot of his decision. The argument,of course, is irrelevant: Every manhas a right to make his living, nomatter what his motivation might be.

“This is not about revenge or any-

Tracking down No. 4

thing like that, believe me,” he toldUSA Today, a statement that nobodybelieved. “You can’t take away the16 years I had in Green Bay. They’vemoved on. I’ve moved on. I think it’sgreat for football.”

It’s also pretty great for BrettFavre, who has again stolen the NFLspotlight for his offseason dramatics,and signed for two years and $25million.

With an outstanding defensive line,the league’s best running back and aliving legend calling the signals, ev-ery team has to legitimately fear theVikings. It’s not an easy thing tryingto track down No. 4.______________________________________________________

Mark Vasto is a veteran sports-writer and publisher of The Kansas

City Luminary. (c) 2009 KingFeatures Synd., Inc.

Answer Page 6

Answer Page 6

Answer Page 6

A sporting view By Mark Vasto

Q: Is there a time limit on how long Ican continue receiving Social Secu-rity disability benefits?

A: No. Your disability benefits willcontinue as long as your medicalcondition has not improved andyou cannot work. Your case will bereviewed at regular intervals to

make sure you still have a disabil-ity that makes you unable to work.If you are still receiving disabilitybenefits when you reach full retire-ment age, we will automaticallyconvert them to retirement ben-efits. For all your disability ques-tions, read our online publication,What You Need To Know When

You Get Social Security DisabilityBenefits, atwww.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10153.html.

Q: I receive Supplemental SecurityIncome (SSI) benefits. How do I no-tify Social Security that I havechanged my address?

A: Someone who gets SSI needs toreport any change in living arrange-ments, income, or resources by call-

ing our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), or byvisiting a local office within 10 daysafter the month the change occurs. Ifyou call, you can speak to a repre-sentative from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. onbusiness days. If you don’t notify usin a timely manner, you could endup receiving an incorrect paymentand have to pay it back. To learn moreabout SSI and reporting responsibili-ties, read our online fact sheet, WhatYou Need To Know When You Get

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/11011.html.______________________________________________________For more information on any of thequestions listed above, visit ourwebsite at www.socialsecurity.gov orcall us at 1-800-772-1213. If youhave any questions that you wouldlike to have answered, please mailthem to the Social Security Office,11111 Gateway West, Attn: Ray Vigil,El Paso, Texas 79935.