Silencing the guns of the Alamo

Alamo reenactment in 2015.

Is this that last battle of the Alamo?
On March 5, costumed reenactors with their muskets and cannons will play out scenes from the Battle of the Alamo at the shrine in downtown San Antonio. Though they’ve been doing it for decades, this may well be the last time they get to do it on sacred ground.
Although nothing is definite yet and no decisions have been made, the word I’m getting from reliable sources is that the new Battle of the Alamo is being waged across a political landscape.
This year marks the 180th anniversary since Mexican forces under Santa Anna defeated William Travis, Jim Bowie, David Crocket and the other brave defenders of the Alamo in one of the most historic and revered chapters in Texas and American history. For many years the occasion has been marked by trained volunteers who have acted out the battle in the Alamo Plaza to the education and entertainment of thousands of onlookers.
Each year more and more restrictions and controls have been placed on the reenactors, making it increasingly difficult for them to do their job. The performances are put on by members of the San Antonio Living History Association, the Texas Army and other reenactment groups. Last year one of the reenactments was delayed because someone called the authorities to complain about the cannons. After a careful inspection, the show went on.
Since that time, the Alamo has come under control of the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Plans are under way to restore the compound to its original footprint.
Because of this, concerns about growing crowds and growth in the area and unconfirmed rumors I’ve heard about the booms from the cannons and guns being detrimental to the structures, the city and the GLO want to relocate the reenactments away from the Alamo. Even as I write this SALHA is still negotiating with the city to conduct its reenactment at the Alamo. From what I hear, so many restrictions are being placed that it will be very difficult to do a credible performance.
A similar battle is being waged in Houston at San Jacinto, the battlefield where the Texian Army under Sam Houston defeated the Mexican Army and captured Santa Anna. Very few realize how close the Texas Army came to moving the reenactment away from the site because of interference by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The TPWD operates the site and was trying to tell the reenactors how to operate their cannons. The instructions they were giving placed the cannon operators at risk. (I know; I have the pictures to prove it.) The TPWD wisely relented and the reenactment will go on as planned.
What these governmental agencies need to know and understand is that these reenactment groups are not a bunch of carefree, gun-happy rednecks running around doing whatever they want. Just to join the groups members must carefully study and train how to use the weapons and prove their marksmanship. Safety comes first. Just because they are unpaid volunteers does not mean that they don’t know what they are doing.
I’ve attended a cannon school before and I’ve seen how they are taught and drilled. These people take their jobs seriously and know what they are doing. I trust them a lot more than I trust an ivory tower bureaucrat.
All of this aside, this is the 180th anniversary of the War for Texas Independence. Huge celebrations are planned at all the major sites. Beginning with the Alamo and Washington-on-the-Brazos the weekend of March 5-6 and going on to Presidio La Bahia in Goliad on April 2-3, the Runaway Scrape at George Ranch Historical Park on April 9 and finally San Jacinto on April 23, there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate Texas History.
Closer to home, San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site will celebrate Texas Independence on March 2. Included in activities will be the arrival of Scott McMahon, who is reenacting the ride of the Travis letters from the Alamo to Washington-on-the-Brazos.
Come on out and join the celebration. You’ll be glad you did. Besides, this may be your last chance before remembering the Alamo becomes more of a memory than a commemoration.

Credit pubic notices for alerting us to solid waste composting facility

If you have not heard yet, SouthWaste Disposal, LLC, based in Houston wants to build a municipal solid waste composting facility just off Interstate 10 east of Sealy between San Felipe and Brazos Country.
Located at the eastern gateway to Austin County, visitors and residents alike will be greeted by the sights and smells of a facility that will process grease trap waste, septic, sewage and sludge, dairy and food including meat and fish, and bulk material like chipped and shredded wood and vegetation, according to a permit application filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Public officials area already lining up to oppose the permit and to battle construction of the facility. Many of them had just learned about it last week when approached by The Sealy News for comment. The only reason they or any of us are aware of it today is because of required public notices they had to publish in this newspaper. The only other public notice was placed in the library in Bellville roughly 18 miles away and out of sight.
Although most people tend to glaze over or completely ignore public notices in the newspaper, they do serve a very important function. This is proof. Had we not known of the proposal by SouthWaste Disposal and its application to the TCEQ, it could have gone on very quietly and without opposition.
Yet newspapers must continuously battle governments to keep publishing these notices. There are continual efforts to try and move the notices online only or to eliminate them altogether. It’s a huge headache each time the state Legislature meets. So far we have been successful, and that is to your benefit.
We encourage you to take the time to read these notices and to stand with us in the fight to keep government open, transparent and honest. And it’s not just the government but big business as well. If you don’t want to see and smell this facility, now is your time to be heard. You can address your comments to: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, TX 78711-3087, or leave them online (your name and email address will become a part of the public record) at www.tceq.texas.gov/about/comments.html.
For the time being, the permit notice advises any displeased residents to request a public meeting to submit comments and concerns, but warns that it is not a contested case hearing. Anyone who believes they may be affected by the facility can request a contested hearing from the commission, which is a legal proceeding similar to a civil trial.
And while you’re at it, be sure to remember where you heard about it first and keep it in mind when your government officials and lawmakers make moves to remove public notices from newspapers. You don’t want that to happen.

Super Bowl 50
For Houston Texans fans, I can only imagine how it felt to watch their former coach and several other former coaches and players hoist the Lombardi Trophy in triumph – wearing Denver Broncos uniforms.
As the undisputed best Broncos fan in the region, I can tell you that it felt great! I had so many fears that this game would go for the Broncos the way five others have gone before, including their last one two years ago against Seattle. Denver has the No. 1 defense in the NFL and as the saying goes, defense wins Super Bowls.
Watching Cam Newton struggle with the Carolina Panthers reminded me so much of watching John Elway in his first three Super Bowls. Elway carried the team to the title game on his arm strength alone. He and the Denver faithful learned the hard way that a powerful offense isn’t enough.
Peyton Manning has struggled to lead the Denver offense all year. He missed games to injury and just hasn’t been the prolific passer of old. Yet he was good enough to move Denver ahead while the defense kept them from ever falling behind. Manning now has a chance to do what Elway did – walk away a champion. I hope he does. I’d hate to see him struggle through a disastrous season and go out injured or benched.
I have to say that this victory isn’t nearly as emotional as the first one in Super Bowl XXXII when the Broncos punched into the win column by beating the Green Bay Packers. There is nothing like getting the monkey of four Super Bowl losses off your back. Still, it feels great and sure beats losing.
I also can’t help but feel Newton and the Panthers will return to the big game. Of course, the same thing was said of Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins. I just hope that Newton will mature and learn lessons in integrity and leadership by then. He was a sore loser and made no bones about it. He sets an awful example for children and fans and doesn’t deserve to win if he can’t handle losing. It’s all part of the game we call life.

Beware! Valentine’s Day is coming

Attention all husbands, boyfriends and the innocuously twitterpated males of the human species – be forewarned: it’s coming!
Valentine’s Day is just over a week away. Do you know where your romance is?
Mine has understandably been subdued by Broncomania as Super Bowl 50 approaches. Fortunately my wife suffers from the same malady. Unfortunately for me, she will rapidly recover a day or two after the game and her thoughts – unexpressed or otherwise – will turn to Valentine’s Day and what I can do to romance her.
I will either be basking in the glory or lost in the gloom following the big game and it will be difficult to turn my attention to matters of the heart. Personally, I blame the NFL for this. The league purposefully expanded the season with the dreaded bye week and pushed the Super Bowl to the week before Valentines Day.
Football used to end in January and we had a two-week notice before the holiday of love. It was kind of like having a two-minute warning deep in the red zone. Well guys, the two-week warning started a week ago, so get ready for it.
One of the signs that Valentine’s Day is approaching is the gauntlet of roses, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and the Mylar balloons you have to pass by in the grocery and department stores. Many guys tend not to notice these things because they get put up right after the Christmas decorations sometime around the Fourth of July.
One of the things I’ve noticed as I grow older is that the years pass faster and the holidays get sneakier. Sometimes I think the best thing I can do for my wife for Valentines Day is to begin my Christmas shopping. I can guarantee you that Christmas is right around the corner and will be here before you know it.
That being said, I must also keep in mind that Mother’s Day, her birthday and our anniversary fall somewhere in the mix and I dare not forget those. On second thought, maybe the best strategy is to buy her a gift ever other week. When she asks what it’s for, I’ll just say (fill in the blank with the nearest special occasion). If there isn’t a special occasion nearby, I can say it’s just because I’m thinking of you (even though the truth is that I’m thinking about saving my own skin should I forget one of these events).
Actually, the way it works, if a guy gives his gal flowers for no particular reason, it’s because he did something wrong or he wants sex. Usually it’s both, but that’s beside the point.
Him: Here Honey, some flowers!
Her: What did you do?
Him: Nothing, I’m just thinking of you!
Her: You just want to get lucky tonight, don’t you?
Him: No, no, no, that’s not it at all. You see, it’s Flag Day and I want to celebrate with you. But if you’re feeling lucky …
My wife rarely gets flowers from me. It’s not because I’m not romantic, it’s because I can find better things to spend my money on than dead plants. (OK, so maybe I’m not romantic after all.)
When it comes to romance, a woman wants to know she is loved and appreciated. She wants you to spend time with her, converse with her and to openly share your feelings. She wants to be wined and dined, held and caressed. She wants gifts and cards. She wants to have help around the house. She needs to know that you care for her and that she’s the center of your world.
To please a guy, a woman just needs to show up naked and bring beer. Actually, that’s not true. Lingerie helps the mood and wine can be substituted for beer if football season is over.
So there you have it guys. It’s fourth and goal at the two-minute warning. You’re not going to score unless your heart is in the game. You have been warned!