“Former First Lady of El Paso” Adair Margo just won’t let it go.
From a guest column in today’s El Paso Times:
El Paso is the largest bi-national, bi-lingual, bi-cultural region in the Western Hemisphere, with Spanish its first language. My family has lived here for five generations and I think it’s the most interesting place in the world! That’s why taking people on tours of the historic districts of El Paso and Juarez has become my favorite pastime, something President Andrés Manuel López Obrador cited when recognizing me as Mexico’s Promotora del Año at the Tanguis Turistica in Merida a few weeks ago.
. . .
Laura Bush has loved El Paso since visiting her grandparents as a child, saying we’re lucky never to have been so rich we could tear everything down. While many historic buildings in the downtown area are being refurbished by people like Paul and Alejandra Foster, Miguel and Rodrigo Fernandez, Lane Gaddy, the Myers group, Mahdi & Priya Nair, Enrique Guajardo, and Justin Churchman — with people eating, shopping, working, living, and enjoying themselves inside — there is still much to be done.
. . .
But wait — look at the three-block MPC footprint. It doesn’t even have the density to qualify as a “neighborhood.” And, compared to its surroundings, the area has few historic structures. What are we saying? Simply, that El Paso’s rich history lies outside the MPC footprint, not within it. Then why have we been told untruths that the site is the birthplace of El Paso and its’ oldest neighborhood?
Adair Margo is the former first Lady of El Paso who chaired the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and served on the US National Commission for UNESCO under President George W. Bush.
That’s a lot of name-dropping for so few column inches.
Ms. Margo is a nice person. Professionally nice. But in her op-ed, she illustrates her class bias.
“Who cares what the historians say?” she might as well be saying. “Money talks.”
That is, unfortunately, an attitude that permeates politics today. That arrogance has even trickled down to politics at the local level.
You nailed it, Rich!
“Simply, that El Paso’s rich history lies outside the MPC footprint, not within it”. What a fatuous statement! I do not recall any references making such a claim as this, nor do I believe those of us who oppose these tear-down-build-toys-for-rich-people moves we have seen under our City Manager messes have ever made such claims. The fact is that too many Civic Leaders and elected representatives have for too long tried unsuccessfully to put the focus on Downtown, and ignored the real history of El Paso. A vibrant part of that history is right there around the International bridges that link us to what used to be our sister city (Paso del Norte & Stanton St.), but what has the City done for those areas? Ever! All of the area from a few blocks north of I-10 down to the International Border should be considered vital to our history, but it is already too late to take full advantage of that, sadly.
These history-loving leaders would like nothing more than to bulldoze Segundo Barrio as an obstacle to gentrification. Somewhere, there is a very embarrassing video of then City Rep Beto explaining to them that they are going away and doing some shucking-and-jiving about why they were not consulted in the planning. Ans: because his father-in-law didn’t want them to have a say in their future.
This shit happens everywhere and it is the example of real systemic racism that is rarely personal, just business. Like the Indians at Standing Rock and the home owners in Flint. We stopped it here but temporarily. The freeway deck is the next battle.
I ran across her piece this weekend while I was getting my eye balls filled to the brim over the weekend with football. College and NFL. I couldn’t believe her arrogance. First, she was all talk about her being a 3rd generation El Pasoan, to now, her family is a 5th Generation El Pasoan. Who cares! Especially if her Anglo forefathers were/are carpetbaggers who moved to El Paso to take advantage of cheap labor and proximity to Mexico to sell whatever they were peddling. You think they welcomed their “Mexican” neighbors? I still remember being punished for speaking Spanish on the playground in the early 70’s. She name drops ALOT. #1, she is a HUGE Republican, in a city that usually votes Democrat. She makes no apologies. Then she likes to post pictures of herself with the Bushes, 1 and 2. I would be embarrassed to do such a thing. She puts herself right up there with having her pictures posted alongside Old Man Bush. Well, so did Felix Rodriguez. Never heard of him? He was Great buddies with H.W. Bush. Rodriguez was the guy who hacksawed off Che Guevara’s hands and sent them to D.C. Also, he was involved with Oliver North in the illegal Iran-Contra War. Yeah, selling Cocaine for the CIA so the money could fund the Contras, which was Absolutely Prohibited by Congress. But, I digress. Anyone who anoints herself as the “First Lady” is so full of shit that it boggles the mind. Plus, as you said, she can’t let it (The Arena) go….she needs to constantly “one up” whoever wrote the last column. As I commented before, she is so arrogant that she named Dr. Grossman and Dr. Ramos by their last names. So, OK, Margo, name all of the top dogs who are all getting Tax Credits for developing downtown buildings. You know, the usual Anglo suspects + a pair of Indians and Alejandra de La Vega who was born on 3rd base with her Dad, Freddie, owing the Del Rio grocery stores and corner stores. (Part 1).
(Part 2). Margo also bragged how the current President of Mexico named her “Promoter of the Year.” I guess taking gullible or naive tourists to Juarez would get her the designation. Does she not know that under AMLO’s Presidency, murders are still sky high? And AMLO met with El Chapo’s Mom in Badiriguato, Sinaloa? If Badiriguato sounds vaguely familiar, its because it it not only the birthplace of El Chapo, but also such homies as: the Beltran Leyva Brothers, Jose “El Mayo” Zambada, Rafael Caro Quintero (who ordered the kidnap and torture of Kiki Camarena), Ernesto Fonseca Carillo (Uncle of Amado Carillo Fuentes–Juarez Cartel’s Founder), and Juan Esparragoza Moreno (El Azul)….You can see all these guys on Narcos Netflix, or “The Last Narc” on Amazon. Or buy Hector Berrellez’ book “The Last Narc.” AMLO has visited this little hamlet (3,725 people) 3 times in 3 years. AMLO’s policy of “Hugs and Not Bullets” hasn’t done much, other than to increase the murder rate in Mexico and demoralize an already corrupt police force in a Narco State/Country. Not only that, but his inability to address judicial reform, femicide rates and corruption. I want everyone to know that I DO NOT blame Margo for Mexico’s drug problems, but the fact that she would want to have her picture taken with the President of Mexico and brag about her award, shows: a lack of judgement, a huge ego who does not care what a picture with AMLO means. So far in AMLO’s presidency, 104,794 Mexicans have been murdered, or 4 every hour. Why brag about this Mexican President? Her inflated Ego and sense of worth.
Information regarding AMLO meeting with El Chapo’s Mother in Badiriguato, Sinaloa and having received 3 letters from her are available on “Border Report,” April 20, 2021.
Fuck Justin Churchman. He needs his ass kicked.