If you missed the BB Upholstery LLC Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting on April 30, you missed seeing the top quality workmanship of their products, also good food and fellowship. Take time to stop in and visit Becky and Bubba.
-Photo by Bill Tigrett

AA meets each Saturday night at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Port O’Connor.

AA Meetings are held each Monday at 7:30 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 4th & Cleveland, in Seadrift. Fellowship begins at 7:00.

Friday Night Youth meets each Friday, except the first Friday of the month, at Fisherman’s Chapel in Port O’Connor from 7:00 until 10:00 p.m.

POC Sports Association meets the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at POC Community Center.

POC Lions Club meets the second Wednesday of each month, 12 Noon, at Cathy’s Restaurant

Commissioner’s Court meets the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at 10 a.m., 1st Floor of the Court House, Port Lavaca.

Crossroads Astronomy Club meets at 7:00 p.m., third Mondays, at U of H, Victoria, Room 223 info: wes81461@yahoo.com 935-2016

Reading Hour for 3rd & 4th Graders at the Port O’Connor Library is held each Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (N.A.M.I.) meets 3rd Monday each month from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Parkway Church, Victoria. Support group meets at Laurent Towers fountain from 6-8 p.m., 2nd and 4th Tuesdays each month.

Calhoun County Quilt Guild meets the first Wednesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. at the Fairgrounds Exhibit Building.

Open Arms (Families Surviving Infant Loss) meets every third Tuesday at Central Church of Christ, 801 E. Airline, Victoria, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Sat., May 14 Prayer Walk
11:00-4:00
New Beginnings Church, Hwy 35, Point Comfort

Sat., May 14 Ice Cream Social & Bingo Party
6:30 p.m. Port O’Connor School

Sun., May 15 Blood Drive
12:00-3:00 First Baptist Church, Port Lavaca

Wed., May 18 Blood Drive
12:00-2:15 Wal-Mart

Wed., May 18 Blood Drive
4:30-7:00 First United Methodist Church, Port Lavaca

Thurs., May 19 Blood Drive
8:00-11:30 Calhoun ISD, 525 N. Commerce, Port Lavaca

Thurs., May 19 Cuero Country Opry
7:00 p.m. Cuero V.F.W. Hall (Dinner 5:30-6:45)

Fri., May 20 Blood Drive
8:30-4:00 Calhoun High School

Sat., May 21 Armed Forces Day

Sat., May 21 Warrior’s Weekend
Greet Warriors at Froggie’s Bait Dock approx. 9:00 a.m.
Exhibits at POC Community Center all day.

Sat., May 21 Open House
9:00-3:00 Coast Guard Station, Port O’Connor

Sat., May 21 Benefit Fish Fry for Margaret Chatham
11:00 -2:00 (Auction at 3:00) Seadrift School

Sat., May 21 Texana Outdoor Expo
10:00-6:00 Brackenridge Main Event Center, Edna

Sun., May 22 Egg Roll and Rice Sale
11:00 a.m. St. Patrick Church, Seadrift

Mon., May 23 Charlie Rose DVD Brain Chemistry Disorders
6:30 p.m. Community Room, Memorial Medical Center, Port Lavaca

Fri., May 27 Retirement Party, Mary Covarrubias and Brenda Smith
2:00-4:00 (Come & Go) POC School Cafeteria

Sat., May 28 Kids Fishing Tournament
9:00-11:00 King Fisher Beach, Port O’Connor

Sat. May 28 Kite Flying Contest
1:00 p.m. King Fisher Beach, Port O’Connor

Sat., May 28 POCSA Barbecue Cook-Off
serving starts 11:00 a.m. at King Fisher Beach

My two cents worth by G.B.:

All my life I’ve been told that its not the tires that need to be balanced it’s the wheels on your car, truck etc. This Scotsman will bet you his last dollar that if you buy a new automobile and right away you decide that you want a better set of tires on it. You have the money for the best. So you take it to one of the best known tire dealers to buy the best. You will be told that they need to be balanced.

Weren’t the wheels on the brand new car balanced? Who is getting to Who?

Just a point to think about.

G.B. Robertson

Gasoline Prices:

If President Obama’s new task force formed to investigate speculation and fraud in the oil market sounds familiar, that’s because it should. In 2005 and then again in 2006, Congress directed the Federal Trade Commission to investigate “price gouging”. The results concluded that there wasn’t any conspiracy to raise gasoline prices; higher costs were simply the result of supply and demand. In 2008, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission conducted a similar investigation and only uncovered one minor infraction. In 2009, a Federal Reserve study concluded that there was no correlation between speculation and commodity prices, and went on to say “commodity spot price changes are driven by world economic activity and financial investors are merely responding to these price changes”.

Speaking of commodities and the Federal Reserve, shouldn’t somebody look into the effects of the Fed’s loose money policy? Many experts attribute at least part of the rise in oil prices to the decline in value of the dollar versus global currencies. It’s not a mere coincidence that the price of oil is up almost exactly the same as gold, about 40% over the past year. But, take a look at silver – its doubled in price. What about wheat and corn – that’s right, doubled in the past year. Are speculators running rampant throughout all of our markets? Of course not. Global demand for commodities is up and the increased prices are exacerbated by the weak dollar.

The fact is that speculators, and the major oil companies, are easy targets for the President as he begins his re-election campaign. It may sound good to blame oil companies for high gas prices, and he may think its popular to suggest higher taxes on those companies. But, while the election rhetoric heats up, the facts show that major oil companies already pay 41% of their gross revenue to the federal government, compared to only 25% for the S&P 500 on average.

Seriously, politics aside, everybody should realize by now that gasoline is refined from crude oil, and we have to import almost 70% of our supply from foreign sources. We don’t set the price. How does anybody really think that tinkering with the U. S. tax code will have any effect on world oil prices? Shouldn’t it be obvious that we need to increase domestic supply? Does it make sense to take away tax incentives for companies trying to expand production here in the U. S.? Meanwhile, the President’s new task force along with his agenda to use taxpayer money to subsidize uneconomic sources of fuel and transportation won’t do anything to offset the high price of gasoline.

King Tomlinson
Port Lavaca

Quote Of The Century, Maybe Even The Millennium:

I can not positively identify the source. But it is from the Czech Republic. It has been attributed to High government officials and/or a newspaper editorial or “Letter to the Editor”:

“The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president.”

Who better than the Czechs to recognize an Elitist using Socialism to consolidate Totalitarian Power? Not only did they have their own home-grown Marxists after WWI, but they received the “Blessings of Socialism” from the German National Socialists under Adolf Hitler 1939 – 1945 and then a half-century of terror and tyranny in the name of world communism under the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, starting with “Uncle Joe” Stalin! I see a very frightening truth here. Our Democrat Party has been highjacked by the most radical elements of the Progressive/Liberal/Socialist/Communist (or whatever they want to call themselves today) Far-Left wing of American politics. They may pretend to be Democrats, but are Marxists and Alinskyites determined to destroy our Constitution, our industrial capitalist economy, and the US Dollar and install an International Socialist Totalitarianism based on theory and ideology that has failed repeatedly!

Bill Brayshaw, Seadrift

Actions behind the Community Center:

I would like to know which parents are bringing their kids out to the community center and then not supervising them. Last Sunday afternoon I went out there to hit some golf balls at the driving range and some kids had turned over the bucket of balls and scattered them about. I picked up over 200 balls. I know these kids had been brought out there by parents because most kids here in POC are to lazy to ride their bikes that far.

We put those balls out there for responsible people to use. If some youngster is serious about learning to hit golf balls and get interested in the game I will be glad to bring clubs and come out and help them. Until then parents please keep your children under control.

G.B. Robertson

Thank you:

Thank You to everyone that joined us in our Grand Opening Celebration. We had a great time, spent time with friends, family and made lots of new friends. A special Thank you to Donnie of Port O’Connor Rods for the great pigs and to all of you for the messages of well wishes for our success. If you were not able to join us we hope you can stop by for a visit real soon. We are open Tuesday through Saturday 8am to 5pm. Rose Stringo was the lucky winner of the Ice Chest and Cushion.

Thanks Again,
BB Upholstery LLC aka Becky & Bubba

People of Port O’Connor,

Thank you for the kindness your community showed my husband and myself while we visited the last week of March, 2011.

My husband was on his two week RNR from Basra, Iraq where he is stationed as a combat medic.

We spent three precious days in your town – falling in love with it and each other.

Please know how kind, considerate, warm and safe your community was to us.

We will always treasure those memories. We hope that when my husband returns from his tour this fall we may return. Until then, please know the peace and happiness you gave a soldier and his wife while we go through the hardest year of our 13 year relationship.

Warmly,
SGT & Mrs. James Kettner

The Dolphin welcomes letters from our readers on any subject that is of general interest to our audience. Letters should be 300 words or less (with exceptions at the Dolphin’s discretion). Letters reflect the opinion of the writer, and not that of Dolphin Talk staff, and we retain the right to determine suitability for publication. It is the policy of this newspaper to promote area interests: therefore, complaints against local businesses should be directed elsewhere. Letters must be signed and include day and evening phone numbers, which will not be published. Your name will be withheld upon request, but anonymous material will not be considered for publication.

Letters to the Dolphin:
Dolphin Talk P.O. Box 777
Port O’Connor, TX 77982
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Mike Clifton and sons Alex and Ric Clifton of Port O’Connor were inducted into the Karankawa Lodge Order of the Arrow at a ceremony on May 7 at Camp Karankawa.
The Order of the Arrow is Scouting’s National Honor Society.

At a volunteers’ meeting last night (April 25) Ron Kocian, Chairman of Warrior’s Weekend, the event held annually to show appreciation to those wounded soldiers who have been fighting the War on Terror, thanked those who were there, but wondered aloud why the meeting room at Cathy’s Restaurant wasn’t filled to overflowing.

“These guys love coming to Port O’Connor; they look forward to it. It would be so great if more of the locals here would take a bigger part in making their visit as special as we feel they deserve,” Ron said.

Warrior’s Weekend is thought to be the biggest event of its kind in the U.S., and 300 soldiers are expected to participate this year. They will be coming from as far away as New York, and from as near as right here in our area, with 20 to 30 Crossroads Area wounded soldiers participating.

There are opportunities of all kind for our local citizens to contribute to the success of this event, held this year on May 20-21. Wednesday, May 18, will be the “Big Work Day” at the Community Center. Things to do include setting out around 6,000 flags, (one for each soldier who has died in the War on Terror), stuffing gift bags and decorating the big tent. On Thursday, help is needed to rig rods and reels for pier fishing and the Tournament that will be held at the Sanctuary. A lot of help is needed for the pier fishing, a very important part of the weekend for many of the soldiers. Although most get to go out on the Bay on Saturday, some cannot, because of their injuries, and others just want to get in as much fishing as they possibly can. Kelly Parks reports that although 99 boats have been promised for Saturday’s bay fishing, 75 more are needed.

Another thing that the soldiers love is to see the flags and decorations displayed to welcome them. The Warrior’s Weekend Committee is encouraging residents to decorate their homes and businesses and to install flags along the highway coming into town and all the way to the Fishing Center.

If you can help in any way, please attend the next Volunteers’ Meeting. It will be held on Monday, May 9, at 6:00 p.m. at Fisherman’s Chapel. Since it will be at dinnertime, you are encouraged to bring finger-foods/snacks to share with those at the meeting.

To learn more about Warrior’s Weekend, check their web site: warriorsweekend.org – and please attend the meeting on May 9th.