The post "Howard Dean to embarass self August 5 2005" discussed how the Democratic Party in Texas' Hidalgo County invited racists to speak at one of their meetings and even make threats against the Minuteman Project.

I recently noticed this August 2 post, which says it's an article that appeared in the Rio Grande Guardian:

Hidalgo County Democratic Party Chair Juan Maldonado has turned down the chance to appear on Fox News' O'Reilly Factor and CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight show. Fox and CNN wanted Maldonado to talk about plans by the Brown Berets to use physical force against supporters of the Minutemen Project, should the controversial border watch group decide to patrol in the Rio Grande Valley this October.

Maldonado said he would not appear on national TV because he believed talk about taking up armed struggle against the Minutemen was a ruse by Republican operatives designed to damage the image of the Democratic Party.

"I have rejected all offers to appear on national TV for now," Maldonado told the Guardian. "I think the whole thing with the Brown Berets was a plan by Republicans to get me to support or be linked with armed struggle. I have made it abundantly clear that I do not promote or condone violence and nor does my party."

Honestly, the last thing I was expecting was to have him call it a COINTELPRO-type attempt. I didn't buy his attempts to downplay this after the meeting, and I don't buy this rather creative attempt. It's too bad that (apparently) no one asked Mad Howie about this at the time.