"Thank you, God, for letting me have another day." "I'm not even sick!" "You don't look so hot to me." " You get yourself outta here!" " Take it easy, viejo." "You should have a little more respect for your elders." "How do you know I didn't come here to help?" "Well, nobody around here needs your help." "Ah?" "Relax, amigo." "Relax." "It's your town that's dying." "Lupita." "Lupita!" "Lupita!" "Don Amarante de Milagro," "I see windmills on your horizon." "Lupita!" "Lupita!" "Ay, Lupita!" "La camisa de Mario!" "Lupita!" "Goddamn pig!" "Go on!" "Get outta here, Lupita!" "Go on!" "I told you you wouldn't like it." "Okay, we're open." "Let's go to work." "Listos?" "Where you gonna drive to, anyway?" "Did you say good-bye to Lisa?" "Yeah." "Esperate un momento." "Esperate un momento. here, hon." "There's something about this day." "Oh, come on, hon." "Let a smile be your umbrella." "Oye, Ramon." "Ven por aqui." "Hola, muchachos." "Como estan?" "Muy bien, gracias." "Bueno." "It's a pretty day." "Yeah." "So far." "Perro!" "Heads Up!" "Swing wide!" "We need a flat bar over here!" " What?" "A flat bar!" "Hey." "Look at that." " Hey, Shorty!" " Yo, Joe!" "You got any work for me?" "Can't help ya." "Sorry, Joe." "I can run a backhoe." "I can lay pipe." "I'm a good finish carpenter." "What can I tell ya?" "What the hell is this?" "That's the future, amigo." "You can see it." "Hi!" "The views will just knock your eyes out." "Ladd, is this development gonna be as big as the Dancing Trout?" "No." "Miracle Valley, in fact, is gonna go far beyond what we've done at the Dancing Trout." "It's going to be the largest leisure-time development in the history of New Mexico." "This is the greatest thing that has ever happened, and the city of Milagro and the people of Milagro are behind this project 100%." "Here's the water, and I can't use it." "You can't do this." "You can't have that." "Dios!" "What's the use?" "Lupita, vete por alli." "Andale!" " Shit." " Que hace aqui?" "Vayase de aqui!" "Quien le dio permiso para entrar?" " Jose!" " Buenas tardes, Amarante." "Buenas tardes, Jose." "I was talking to your father the other day." "He was telling me he was going to have the squash all near the house..." "My father's dead." "And the corn all over along the chicken coop." "Amarante!" "Yeah?" "Amarante, my father's been dead for six years." "Yes." "I know." "What are you doing here?" "I'm gonna sell the place." "It's not good for anything anymore." "This field's dying of thirst." "Everybody else has sold out." "Did they say you could use the water?" "Aw, shit." "It must've come loose when I kicked it." "I ought to shut it off, huh?" "Maybe I'll sleep on it." " Hi." " Hi." "I'm gonna get a new motor for that dryer." " Is something wrong?" " Hijita!" "Estan bien, Papa." "How come we don't pick raspberries anymore?" "When I was a kid, my dad used to take us up to the hills every August." "We'd pick raspberries." "Sometimes on summer nights, he'd take me out to shoot baskets." "How come I never get to do that with our kids?" "I'm always too tired, too busy, too broke." "Jesus, it's always something." "Cuidado." "No!" "Ay, ay, ay!" "Good morning, Amarante." "How are you?" "Still living, thanks to God." "Do you know what I know?" "What I saw?" "The devil riding a white horse through town?" "A white horse, the devil." "Jose Mondragon let water into his father's bean field." "Ay, chihuahua!" "I'm not saying it's good, and I'm not saying it's bad." "Ay, vieja loca!" "You know, the Mexican was slurping on the soup." "And he kept saying, "how do you likey your soupy, Lupe?"" "The Mexican got hot, man!" "He said, "Hey, man." "Don't be calling me Lupe. '"" "Your mother hit me with another rock." "They're just pebbles." "I hid all the rocks." "Jose Mondragon is irrigating his old man's field over by the highway." ""How you likey my speechy, son of a bitchy?"" "Joe Mondragon... is irrigating his old man's bean field over by the highway!" "What?" "He can't do that." "Did you know Jose Mondragon was watering his father's bean field?" "Que?" "Sammy!" "Is the mayor in?" "Joe Mondragon is irrigating..." "I don't know what you do to your cars." "I think it's the alternator." "How much is that gonna cost me?" " Hey!" "Where in the hell have you been?" " Slow down, Sammy." "Have you heard yet?" "You gonna be on The Price is Right?" "Joe Mondragon is cutting water into his dad's old field over on the west side." "Why would he wanna do something like that for?" "What about when Devine finds out?" "Relax." "You didn't do it." "No, but I'm the mayor!" "What?" "Yeah." "What does that half-pint son of a bitch wanna cause so much trouble for?" "I knew Jose Mondragon couldn't go through his entire life... without attempting at least one great thing." "How come you kids are watching TV?" "Mom said we could!" "I'm gonna have this damn thing repossessed." "I didn't raise my kids to be lapping up that garbage!" "Now get out!" "Get out." "All of you!" "I never watched TV when I was a kid." "You never had a television." "Tobias called." "He wants you to fix his refrigerator." "Nobody can fix that refrigerator." "What do you say you and I take a nap?" "Aren't you gonna answer that?" " I don't need to." " You know already?" "Everybody knows already." "I heard it from Stella Armijo and Betty Apodaca... and Lucy hernandez and Gloria Martinez... and everybody else who has a telephone!" "Good." "We don't have nothin' to talk about." " Maybe you should have talked to somebody before you did it." " If I had," "I'd still be talking;" "it's done now!" " How could you keep this from me, Joe?" " I didn't wanna worry you." "Bueno, bueno!" "My husband wants to get himself shot... without giving his wife a chance to worry?" " It's my bean field, Nancy!" " It's not your water!" "I'm scared, Jose." "I'm trembling, I'm so scared." "I'm gonna plant that bean field, Nancy." "Good." "The children and I'll decorate your tombstone with beans instead of flowers." "Would you like a punch in the mouth?" "Go ahead." "I'll hit you so hard, they'll arrest you in El Paso for speeding." "Nobody gives a damn about a lousy bean field, Nancy." "He's irrigating parcel 1477, which is... right here." "It's in the middle of what's going to be the 13th fairway." "That's the only piece of property on the west side we don't own." "Then why don't you go tell him to stop, Bernie?" "Because he'll tell me to go sit on a chile and go right on irrigating." "Well, then, arrest him." "I don't think that is such a good idea." "Oh, I see." "We just let lawbreakers go in Milagro, is that it?" "Why don't we see if he needs anything out there?" "Anybody here need anything?" " Okay." "Bye." " Mr. Devine, I think that people will get very upset..." "Aw, come on, Bernie." "Nobody's gonna go off half-cocked... just becauseJoe Mondragon gets arrested." "I know this town." "These are my people." "Jerry, your own people would like to see you strung up by your nuts." "You're a Forest Service cop." "I'm surprised that fat, green truck of yours... doesn't blow up every morning when you step on the gas." "Look, the man cannot keep running water off, and that's it." "I wouldn't even know what to arrest him for." "Nobody even understands the water laws." " State engineer." " What?" "State engineer." "It's really their problem, and the governor's." "We can't keep stalling Williams." "I promised him an okay for three test wells." "You gotta put some kind of limit on drilling permits that close to Santa Fe." "Too damn visible." "Oh, shit." "You want cutbacks." "Did you know Commerce just lowered our ranking again in terms of per capita income?" "They did?" "Yes, they did." "There's a call for you." "You know, Clark, you think small." "You brayed like a goddamn mule when they put in that Mesa Verde reactor!" "Mesa Verde!" "We've already got Los Alamos, White Sands, Sandias." "Who the fuck is Joe Mondragon?" "Charlie Bloom?" "Bloom?" "Yeah?" " I'm Ruby Archuleta." " Yeah, I know." "I wanna find out..." "What do you know?" "Oh, nothing, nothing." "I, uh..." "Just spendin' the afternoon, uh, tryin' to keep old Amarante's pig out of my garden." "A good-sized rat could knock this over." " Is there a paper coming out next week?" "Probably." "You takin'out an ad?" "You gonna write an article aboutJoe's bean field?" "Mmm." "Well, I don't know if I am or not, Ruby." "That's..." "That's kind of a touchy situation, don't you think?" "Don't you think this new recreation area is a touchy situation?" "And what's the new recreation area got to do with Joe Mondragon?" "Nothing, if you don't write anything about it." "Joe's bean field could draw some attention to this whole Miracle Valley project." "You know what I think?" "I think that'll just work people up." "I think they'll get all worked up, and maybe somebody'll get hurt." "ProbablyJoe." "In the end, I don't think anything will change." "I thought you were supposed to be some big, progressive lawyer." "Hmm, big?" "Big?" "Never." "No." "But my clients couldn't pay, so I guess, uh, progressive." "So you're retired?" "I don't have to defend my lifestyle to you or anybody." "I've been representing guys likeJoe most of my life." "I know a lost cause when I see one." "So do I. I'll write the article myself, and I'll pay you to print it." "Let's face it, Bloom." "You're just not up to it." "Where does she get off talkin' to us like that, huh, daisy?" "Plus cinco?" "Siete!" "Right." "Cinco plus cuatro?" "Nueve!" "Esta Milagro." "Okay, yeah." "Bye." "Bye!" "Appreciate it." "Hi." "Excuse me." "Do you know where I can find Mr. Cantu?" "Sammy Cantu?" "Billy Cantu?" "Meliton Cantu?" "Felipe?" "Amarante?" "Chemo?" "Which one?" "Well, uh, let me take a look here." "I got, uh..." "Agh!" "Say, excuse me." "Okay." "Excuse me." "Would you be able to tell me where Mayor Cantu is?" "Alli esta." " "Alli esta'"." " How's your leg?" " Oh, okay." "Ah!" "Mr..." "Mr. Cantu?" "Mr. Cantu." "Hi." "Hi." "Herbie Platt." "Department of Sociology, N.Y. U?" "Yeah?" "Wait." "Wait a second." "Herbert Platt." "Department of Sociology." "I'm doin' research." "I'm writin' a thesis." "Yeah." "Mm-hmm." "Oh." "I'm..." "I'm supposed to be here six months." "I've got a grant to stay here." "Hey, cut it out, woman!" "I want you to help me with these." "Can I have a Popsicle first?" "I want you to help me with this." "Yeah, but can I have a Popsicle first?" "Okay." "Put these on my bill, huh?" "So, you gonna eat these beans?" "No, I'm gonna grow 'em." "Then you're out of credit." "You already owe 96 bucks." "How much for the beans?" "Nine dollars and eighty cents." " Put 'em back." " But you said..." " Put 'em back!" "Okay, okay!" "Cuando te digo, hazlo, me entiendes?" "Ahora." "Recoge esos y vayanse al carro." "And no one told you I was coming, huh?" "Nobody told me." "That doesn't mean nobody told nobody." "Maybe somebody told somebody." "But nobody told me." " I don't have a place to stay?" " We have to get you a house?" "Well, no, no." "But I..." "I need a place to stay." "Look, I..." "I'm not lookin' for a handout here." "I'm gonna work." "I'm plannin' on workin'." "I wanna help out!" "Maybe... teach." "Look, if we don't know it already, chances are we're not interested in learning' it." "Wh-Wh-Wh..." "What am I supposed to do?" "Join the army." "Hey." "You know that help you were offering back there?" "Is that for free?" "Yeah." "Hop in." "I know a place you could stay, if you're not too particular." "I'm... hey, thanks!" "Great." "Move over, kids." "Hey, thank you." "I'm herb." "Nice to meet you." "Joe." "Hi." "Who are you?" "Mario." "Hi, Mario." "Hello." "Aah." "Gonna have to get that fixed." "Okay, here you go." "You're sure I'm not gonna be puttin' anybody out?" "A few snakes, maybe." "I'll get you a cot and a heater." "You'll be all set." "Yeah, this'll be fine." "This was used as grazing land by old man Devine." "Then what we did was, we put in the Ribald Ditch... to irrigate the land for the small farmer." "Who's that?" "Detective." "Conducted an evaluation to determine whether to continue this program." " We found out it wouldn't be very feasible." "So, as a result of the Interstate Water Compact of'73, these people lost their irrigation rights." "The farms dried up." "Most sold out to Devine." "Why is this gettin' dumped on me?" "Because, Governor, we approved the dam and the conservancy district... in order to make the development possible." "This will open up the north to economic opportunities." " That sounds good to me." " Except the people living there now... will find taxes so high, they'll have to sell out or lose their land." " They know about that?" " That's the point." "We don't want to wake these folks up." "We have to do something." "That son of a bitch is breakin' the law!" "Gentlemen, exactly what is the problem?" "If we arrest him, we could end up in a hornet's nest." "It could turn violent." "It would certainly have racial overtones." " Very hard to keep that quiet." " Generate publicity we don't want." " Why should there be any publicity?" " Wait a minute." "There's an attorney up there by the name of Charlie Bloom." "He's an activist." "He runs a small, bimonthly paper that covers all of San Juan County." "We sure as hell don't want him turning Mondragon into a folk hero." "So y-you just want to stop "Mandrigen"..." "Mondragon... without an arrest." " Yes." " Mm-hmm." " Exactly." "All right." "Here you go, sir." "I asked for something used." "That's all we've got." "Andale!" "Vete, Lupita!" "Hey, Jose." "What are you up to, cousin?" "Lookin' around." "Keepin' an eye on things." "What are you planting?" "Beans." "Pintos." "Beans, huh?" "What's the matter, Bernie?" "You afraid this thing will keep you from getting reelected?" "Nah, nah." "Got a heavy majority in this town." "Come on." "You beat Luis Armijo by two votes." "That's because Domingo and Gustave were out of town." " So you would have won by four." " Hell, no." "Those guys vote six, seven times apiece." "Joe." "Think about this thing before it gets out of hand." "I'm asking you as a friend, someone you used to run with." "Why don't you think about running with me now?" " Run where?" "Where are you running to?" " I don't know!" "All I know is I'm not gonna go north like my dad... and pick somebody else's beans for two fucking dollars an hour." "Joe." "So you're not gonna stop." "I'll stop when I think I'm doing the wrong thing." "It's beautiful, isn't it?" "Yes, it is." "I don't think your boy knows what he's in for." "Nobody would do anything if they knew what they were in for." "Maybe so, but the bogeyman just came to town." "Cop." "Gotta be." "Yeah." "He wants dinero." "Here's the article." "How much?" "Uh, we don't need it." "I just wrote your article." "I'm almost finished." "Is it any good?" "Well, it's not bad." "Better keep this one anyway, in case yours isn't strong enough." "This is, uh..." "Hey, wait a minute." "You can't write this." "This one doesn't even mention the meeting we're going to have about the recreation area." "Well, this one will get us both sued for libel." "Say, since you're a lawyer, why don't you go and talk to the people?" "Give them an idea, an explanation what's going to be happening to this valley." "Talk to the people?" "No, I don't think so." "Why not?" "Well, it's very hard to get people to agree in this town." "First there'd be an argument." "Then there'd be a fight..." "Okay." "I don't think..." "That's okay." "I don't want to argue." "I'm happy you wrote the article." "Will you at least go to the meeting?" "How could it hurt you?" "I don't know yet." "Probably in a way that I'm overlooking right now." "You can cover it for your paper." "Yeah." "Yeah, I could cover it for the paper." " But you won't talk?" " No, I won't talk." "Okay." "It's a deal." "What's a deal?" "You?" "Posible." "How's your research coming?" "Shouldn't you be taking notes or something?" "Yeah, I am." "I am." "Hey, uh, who's the old guy over there?" "Hmm?" "Amarante Cordova." "He's the oldest man in Milagro." "Oh." "Well, is he, uh..." "You know, is he okay?" "I meant, with his head." "Last night I heard him shouting' or something." "I think it was to himself." "I thought he was alone." "He was probably talking to a saint or an angel." "A what?" "Hey, don't worry about it." "They've never seen a college guy planting a bean field before." "Oh." "Hola!" "Bernie." "This is Kyril Montana." "This is our sheriff, Bernie Montoya." "Mr. Montana's from the capital." "I know." "How do you know?" "My cleaning lady told me." "This was found in my driveway this morning." "It's probably some kind of a joke." "I don't think it's funny." "What does "zopilote'" mean?" "Vulture." "Buzzard." "And who is "El Brazo Onofre'"?" "That's Onofre Martinez's arm." "He lost it in an accident some time ago and nobody ever found it." "People around here think it leads a life of its own." "Yeah." "Something turns up missing in Milagro, people feel El Brazo stole it." "Young girls returning home at night from their date... without their underwear usually blame him." "Well, that looks like a death threat to me." "I'd say a prank, Mr. Devine." "You got surveillance on Charlie Bloom?" "What for?" "He's a professional agitator." "He's organized demonstrations, disrupted courtrooms, defended every leftist he could." "Been in jail several times." "Bloom?" "Mondragon didn't come up with this by himself." "When does Bloom's paper come out?" " Couple of days." " You know the routes of his trucks?" "He delivers them himself." "I don't think there's a problem." "I want some copies of La Voz." "Sure, Mr. Capps." "How many would you like?" "All of'em." "Este estara bueno?" "No, that's no good." "Try the other one." "Hey, Nick?" "Has Bloom delivered the papers yet?" "He sure has." "Where are they?" "Sold out." " What are you talking about?" " They're all bought." "Nick." "Where are the papers?" "Ruby, I-I'm sold out." "My friends, my cousins." "Do you remember when we were not rich, but when our poverty was different... not a thing to be ashamed of." "There was a time when our children stayed home... and raised their children in Milagro." "Think about that." "We could become a town of old men and old women." "We are a family, and I love you very much." "But I must tell you, sometimes when I wake up in Milagro, I wanna cry." "I think of Ladd Devine and the development, and I know, if it comes, it means the end for most of us." "I've spent too much of my life watching bad things happen to my people." "But... if we want to fight the recreation area, we have to understand it." "I know." "It is very complicated." "That's why I asked our friend, Charlie Bloom, to talk to us tonight and explain things." "Charlie?" "Thank you, Ruby." "Uh, good evening." "See, once wealthier people from out of state move in, they want things." "They want..." "They want new schools for their children... not necessarily yours, for theirs." "They want new roads, new sewage systems... for cleaner water for their shiny new faucets." "And for all of these things, they are able to pay." "But at the same time, you also are gonna have to pay." "Your taxes are gonna go sky high." "And it is doubtful..." "very, very doubtful... that any of you will be holding the new, higher-paying jobs." "Unless, of course, you happen to be a golf pro." " So my guess is that most of you... will be forced to sell out and to move elsewhere." "Are there any questions?" "Yes?" "We ought to go out and irrigate the whole west side!" "Estas loco?" "They would set up a machine gun and kill the bunch of us." "Are we gonna let an outsider tell us how to run our lives?" " Jerry, just let him talk." "This could make us all rich." "It could make you rich." "Come on, Jerry G. It's a trap, man." "Don't you know that?" "They build that dam, and the next morning we'll all wake up in El Chuco, Texas, like a bunch of mojados." " Benny, think, man." "Think!" " Sit down, Jerry!" "Joe, maybe you shouldn't irrigate." "A lot of innocent people can get hurt." "Over what, amigo?" "One little bean field and a couple of gallons of water?" "That's no little bean field." "That's trouble." "Nick, hold it!" "I was hoping we could form ourselves into a group." "Something like the "Milagro Land and Water Protection Association. "" " No way, Ruby!" "No way!" " I nominateJoe Mondragon to be president... of the Milagro Land, uh, whatever." " No." "Not me." "I ain't no president." " You started this, Joe." "If the chota puts a bullet in my ear, it's because of your bean field!" "I didn't call for this meeting." "Joe." "I didn't ask for help." "No!" "If that's the way you feel, I'm gonna plow this thing under." " The hell you will!" " I nominate myself president." " I nominate Ruby Archuleta for president." " You can't have a woman." "Why not?" " Let's form a committee." " I didn't grow this thing for you to form a committee." "And I don't wanna be nobody's president!" " Aw, who wants you?" " You nominated him." "Cousins, please!" "I feel that I could get good work in a recreation area." "As a busboy?" " Come on!" "Come on, people!" "We're all growing donkey ears here." "Let's go home." " Let's vote first." " Vote on what?" " Whatever we're gonna do." " And what are we gonna do?" " I don't need their money." " Like hell." "You still owe me 40 bucks!" " I paid you that." "Bullshit!" "This was a good idea." "All you're gonna do is scrub dishes, that's all." " I can get any damn job I want, Benny!" " Yeah?" "Who's gonna hire you?" "I got a skill, pendejo." "Yeah?" "Bending over every time you see a gringo dollar?" "I don't kiss nobody's ass!" "You're under arrest!" "What for?" "For creating a disturbance." "Oh." " And they threw Bloom's ass in jail." "Idiots!" "Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." "What a start for a revolution, eh, viejo?" "Milagro will wake up." "You'll see." "The people will fight Devine." "Hello?" "Oh." "Will they fight their feared enemies?" " Hello?" " Who the fuck is that?" "For that pitiful bean field that can't grow one weed?" "What do you mean?" "These fields have been growing beans... since the Treaty of Guadalupe hidalgo." "Hell, you don't know anything about it." "Hi." "I'm sorry." "Am I interrupting you?" "Well, I'm..." "I'm herbie Platt." "I live..." "Yes, I know." "You work forJose." " Right." "Well, I'm also a sociologist." " What?" "I'm doing a study on indigenous cultures in the Southwest." "If you had time..." " What is that?" "What are you doing?" " It's a tape recorder." "What, uh, what does Milagro mean?" "Miracle." "Like the town." "Ah." "Oh, thank you." "Oh, this looks good." "What is it?" "Lizard tail tea." "Ohh." "Been in the family for generations, I bet." "No, I found it on the highway this morning." "Ah." "Hey, uh, wh-what..." "What was that little statue I saw out there on the altar?" "Ah." "Mmm." "Mmm." "SaintJude." "He's the patron saint of desperate causes." "Pulled me through six operations." "I would be long dead except for him." "Really?" "How did he do that?" "He's a saint." "Yeah, I know." "But..." "But..." "I mean..." "No, no, no, no." "You have to put out for him a nice meal." "Some tamales, some salsa." "Maybe a little beer." "And then you talk to him and ask him for help." "People now..." "I don't know." "They have forgotten how to act with saints... or talk to angels." "Angels." "Now, now, angels." "I mean, do you mean..." "Yes." "They are around here." "They've been dead a while." "But you actually talk to the angels?" "Those are the only ones around... get time to spare." "I'll give you a lift home." "Get in." "Thanks, Ruby, for bailing me out." "Look, I'd be a hell of a lot more grateful... if you hadn't gotten me in in the first place." "Or at least if you had bailed me out sooner!" "I had no cash." "I had to wait for the bank to open." "Oh, I see!" "So I got no reason to be sore?" "No." "You had all night to get over it." "You were right." "They weren't ready for a meeting like that." "That's why I think it's best to circulate a petition." "Line them up..." "one at a time." "Petition?" "Nobody writes petitions anymore." "Mostly because nobody reads 'em." "I don't care if they read it." "What's important, Charlie, is people get together to sign it." "People in this town have been burned too many times signing' papers, Ruby." "You're gonna get their hopes up." "They're gonna come crashing down." "Then they're gonna blame you." "I've seen it a hundred times." "I don't know where you come from, but things must turn out shitty there." "Wake up, Ruby!" "It's not the '60s." "Nobody gives a shit anymore." "I do!" "What do you know about people here?" "You're a tourist." "You write your sympathetic articles, but when it gets rough, you run away to someplace more comfortable." "My people have been here for 300 years." "I have a right to stay." "Great." "Stay." "Your garage business will triple." "I don't fix those kind of cars." "Well... you better start." "What good is a hometown, if everyone you know is gone?" " Buenas tardes, Senor Platt." " Oh, hello, Amarante." "I brought you Saint Ignacio." "He helps smart people." "Wh..." "Thank you." "Maybe you could use a couple of other saints too." "Osha." "Osha?" "It keeps the rattlesnakes away." "Good night, neighbor." "Thank you." "Mmm!" "Oh." "If you sleep with your bed pointed west, you're just asking for stomach trouble." "The scorpions will make nests in your shoes if you leave them there." "And be sure not to lean too far back on the seat in the outhouse... or let your testicles swing up under the wood." "Black widows." "Who were your parents?" "Do you have your parents still living?" "Oh, yeah." "They live in..." "I grew up in New York." "New York." "That is so far away." "I saw that on a map." "A couple times?" "Yeah, yeah." "Sure." "Two." "You been around the block twice." "You don't get out much." "No, not very much." "What are you laughing at?" "You think it's..." "Well, I mean..." "No, "around the block" means, uh..." "Never mind." "Okay, let me see if I got this right." "Over there is the lake." "And up there, the ski lodge?" "Yeah." "And the condos." "Uh-huh." "And the golf course." "That's it!" "You've got it." " What's that over there?" "Those shiny lines over there?" "That is Joe Mondragon's bean field, and it looks like he's watered it again." "Son of a gun." "Sure got some huevos on him." "Huevos?" "Eggs." "Eggs?" "You know, balls." "Huevos." "I like that." "That's cute." "Joe can't afford a grazing permit, so he keeps his cow in Sammy Cantu's field." "It's right by the forest line." "It's cheaper, 'cause there's not much grass." "What do you do if you find a cow grazing on federal land without a permit?" "We impound it." "There's a fine?" "Yeah, it costs a hundred bucks to get it back." "So Mondragon's cow somehow wanders into a national forest." "Excuse me, gentlemen." "I didn't hear this." "Okay." "Come on!" "Come on, cow." "Come on." "What are you looking at?" "Get behind her." "Come on!" "Jesus!" "Come on." "What's her name?" " I don't know what her name is." " Come on, you goddamn cow." " Come on." " That's it." "That's it." "Don't let her stop." " They got your cow." " Joe, they got your cow." "In the Floresta pen." "What?" " They got your cow in the Floresta pen." " Son of a bitch!" "Si." "Joe?" "Cow broke out of Cantu's field." "The Floresta's got her." "They're gonna yank my permit." "I'm gonna get my cow!" "What are you gonna do, shoot it?" "I'm gonna shoot Cantu for not keeping up his fences!" "Oh, great!" "Kill!" "Kill!" "Remember the time I asked you to kill a turkey for dinner?" "Did you use an axe?" "No, notJoe!" "You take a pistol and shoot it." "Only, you don't aim so good." "I aim good; it didn't die right away." "It didn't die at all." "It just flopped around." "Hey!" "What the hell do you think you're doing?" "Taking my cow." " You got the hundred bucks for the fine?" " I'll take her and pay later." "Joe, you come back here!" "Hold it right there!" "You're under arrest for stealing government property." "Holy shit!" "Hold it, please!" "Please." "What's the trouble?" "Joe's trying to steal government property." "How can I steal something that belongs..." "She ate on federal grounds!" "Whoa!" "Whoa!" "Jerry, holster the gun before somebody gets hurt." "If I do, they'll shoot my nuts off." "LfJerry holsters his gun, are you gonna shoot his nuts off?" "Jerry, when did you find that cow?" "About 10:00 this morning." "When you do reckon she escaped from Sammy's field?" "She was fine last night." "There." "See?" "You guys probably found the cow before she ate any government property, so she's stillJoe's." "Bernie, you don't know your ass from the law on this case." "It's your ass that's got a bull's-eye on it right now, Jerry G." "Fuck the cow!" "He's trying to save our lives!" "Maybe you're right." "Maybe the cow didn't eat enough grass." "I wasn't gonna shoot anybody." "You people know that." "Right?" "Right." "Right." "Right." "We showed them that the Forest Service can be flexible." "How 'bout a little snack, fellas?" "Huh?" "What are you gonna do, Bernie?" "What do you want me to do?" "Check it for fingerprints?" "Yeah, so when the Spaniards brought in Christianity, they tried to wipe out all the pagan rituals of the American Indian." "Yeah, but everybody around here is Catholic." "That's true." "But you see, they worship to the carved statues of saints." "They don't worship to God." "We believe in God." "Yeah, but it's still a form of idolatry, except now those idols represent Christian heroes, like saints, instead of pagan gods." " The rituals themselves..." " Agh!" "Did you get any kind of look at them?" "No!" "Pssst!" "Bed!" "Get your head up." "Aah!" "What happened?" "The Zopilote sent them." " Ow!" " This whole thing is getting out of hand." "Did you get to where he says, "This does not mean nothing"?" "No." "Are you expecting somebody?" "No." "Wait a minute." "Just a minute." "Did ya hear?" "Did ya hear what happened toJoe?" "Uh, yes." "You don't look like you're writing about it." "The paper doesn't come out for three days." "Could we talk tomorrow?" "What's the matter?" "Got a girlfriend?" "Ruby." "Okay, listen." "I don't want to ruin your evening, but things are heating up." "You'd like to see 'em fried." "We're going to have a harvesting party when the beans are ready." "Who's that?" "Sylvia Lopez?" "No." "Have you cleared this harvesting thing with Joe?" "No!" "He'd never agree to something like that." "I want you to print an announcement in your paper." "Okay." "Good!" "No!" "You can't!" "Let me rent your machines." "Do you know how to work them?" "No!" "I'll do the flyers tomorrow, but nothing in the paper." "Okay." "Wait." "The petition." "You want to be first to sign?" "Jesus Christ, woman!" "Don't you ever let up?" "Gloria Martinez." "Ay." "Ah, Jesus!" "Hola, chamaco!" "Pistolero, eh?" "Get out of my way." "I see." "Desperate times... call for desperate measures, eh?" "Bullshit!" "Ay, pobrecito." "Pero que cojones!" "What kind of bullets does this take?" "I forget." ".45s. Why?" "How much?" "Well, let me see." "7.95." "Hey, what are you doing?" "You can't buy bullets with food stamps, Grandpa." "It is the same as money." "It's not the same!" "You can't buy beer; you can't buy cigarettes." "Where you going?" "Gracias." "Que pasa?" "Do you think you are Pancho Villa?" "How do you know you can pull the trigger?" "Don't encourage him." "Leave him alone." "Fuck him." "Sinverguenza!" "Me la vas a pagar!" "Vuelve a la cocina a limpiar los platos!" "Do something!" "Start a forest fire." "Oh." "What?" "Put everybody to work on the fire line." "Get their minds off that damn bean field." "Shorty, you're crazy." "Build some more cabins out there behind the tennis courts." "I don't need any more cabins, Shorty." "Ladd, Joe Mondragon needs three months' pay as crew boss." "You buy all your plumbing from Ruby, all the fixtures..." "She's off your back too." "That's pretty good thinkin' for an old mule." "Well, if you pay 'em, they ain't gonna slit your throat." "Que no, Bernie?" "Three cabins?" "Yes!" "I head the crew." "You supply the plumbing." "And do you know for what price?" "Fourteen dollars an hour!" "That's three months' work guaranteed." "Just a bribe, Jose." "So what?" "As long as you're being overpaid, see if you can get some work at the condos too." "You know what I could do with $ I4.00 an hour?" "I could pay off the refrigerator, that stupid TV." "Buy yourself a new truck." "And in return, you give up the bean field, right?" "What bean field?" "I'll make more in one day than on all those beans." "Four-wheel drive." "AM-FM." "They want to buy you!" " She's right, Jose." " Oh!" "Now you want me growing the bean field?" "I don't know!" "At first I was scared." "Now they make me mad!" " I gotta look out for this family, right?" " What about everybody else?" "If you quit now, you let a lot of people down!" "Who?" "Name five people who have signed that petition." "Nobody's gonna miss that field." "How about the guys who saved your ass at the Floresta?" "They're so old, they'll all be dead by the time I get those cabins built." " So you gonna take the job?" " I don't know!" "I don't know!" "You know, we could use that money." "I hate that fucking bean field!" "Joe, no!" "Joe!" "Two boxes of 30-30s." "Put it on my bill." "Hey!" "You still owe me 96 bucks!" " Toma!" " 12-gauge. - 12-gauge, high-power." " Huh?" " 30-30 Winchester." "What?" "30-30 Winchester!" "30-06, high velocity." "Remington,.22" "long." "30-30 Winchesters." "A can of beef stew." "And a box of 16-gauge Express." "Yeah." "The worse-case scenario, we'll have 80% of these units sold..." "Mr. Devine." "We could actually be showing a profit while we're still in construction." "Yeah?" "There's a problem with your sign." "I want to know who the dumb-ass was... that shot at Mondragon's house." "Well, don't look at me." "I don't think Joe did this." " Then who did?" " I don't know." "Maybe it was El Brazo Onofre." "That guy don't like anybody." "Jesus!" "Yeah, maybe it was his arm, Shorty." "Christ!" "This valley's turned into a goddamn war zone!" "Somebody sure got a lot of time on their hands." "Hi, honey." "When did you start carrying a gun?" "I won already, okay?" "You got nothin' right now." "Now you got a pair..." "Tonight, President Reagan will make a special address to the American people..." "Yeah." "From the Oval Office." "What time he'll make his speech tonight, we're uncertain at this point." "As soon as the White house tells us..." "Did you hear anything?" "Mm-mmm." "Oh, it's probably Mondragon pouring gasoline on all the cottages." "You know something, honey?" "When we were first married, it was different." "Oh, it's that goddamn bean field!" "I should've come down hard on it right at the start." "I thought I was really doin' something' good for this town." "You were, honey." "I just don't know if the world really needs another golf course." "That bean field don't look so bad." "I've seen worse." "No thanks to you." "I thought you were going to help." "When are you going to do something?" "I don't do things;" "I give advice." "You have some advice?" "You're gonna need a big sacrifice here." "You get down from there." "Back off, old man!" "This bean field business has gone far enough!" "You get down or I'll blow a hole in your chest big enough for an owl to nest in." "Jesus Christ!" "Don't be pointing that thing at me!" "Get out of the way!" "Shit!" "Okay!" "Okay!" "All right." "Now get out of here." "Hey, hey, that's Devine's." "You better not be doing that." "Crazy old bastard!" "We'll be back!" "Butterflies ate your arm?" "Yes." "I had fallen asleep on a very warm spring day." "It was cold the night before." "One thousand butterflies took it, and I haven't been able to find it since." "It has to be somewhere..." "Hola!" "Que pasa?" "Getting groceries for your friend." "Hey, hope you didn't buy any beans!" "We'll have our own in a few days." "Ay, Dios mio!" "You fucking..." "Hija de su chingada!" "Vete!" "No vas a chingar mas!" "Whoa!" " Jesus, Joe, you hit him." " Oh, Jesus." "No!" "Wait!" "Don't shoot!" "Oh, my God!" " My God!" "Oh, no!" " Oh, Jesus." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry!" "Oh, my God!" "Get a doctor!" "Let's get him outta here." "Get him a doctor!" "Come on!" "Hold on, viejito." "Hold on!" "You better get out of here, Joe." "Let's get him to the clinic." "You gotta get out of here, Joe." "But he didn't mean to." " Nobody's gonna believe that." " Joe, you gotta get out of here." "Let's go!" "I just can't leave him." "Get away from here, Joe." "Vete, Joe, vete!" "Why is it... every time we're mad at one of them, we end up hurting one of us?" "You've got to defend him, Charlie!" "Ruby, will you just lay off." "Don't push!" "I'm trying to get it together so we can at least get printing material." "We can't even get up a spirit master." "I do not know if I want to represent somebody." "Why not?" "In the first place, I do not have all the facts." "What facts?" "Charlie, what facts?" "It was self-defense." "Let's hope so, Ruby." "I don't know if he wants or needs representation." "I've been away from this stuff, and I don't know if I'm good anymore." "And besides, I've told ya... or maybe I didn't tell you..." "I lost a lot of my cases." "Come in." "Both of you know thatJoe Mondragon is a fugitive from justice." "He's a fugitive anyway." "If you have any idea where he is or any information that might be helpful in finding him," "I suggest that now's the time to speak." "How 'bout yourself?" "I have no idea." "I remind you that withholding information is a felony." "So is harboring a fugitive." "If I discover that either of you is involved like that," "I'll have you prosecuted to the full extent of the law." "Hold it!" "I am Joe Mondragon's lawyer." "And he has certain rights... with which I'm sure you are familiar." "And if you go after him and shoot him down like a dog, or even manhandle him in the least little bit," "I'll hang you by your balls, even if I have to go to the Supreme Court to do it!" "Hmm." "How many men you got, Bernie?" " Around 20 or 30." " I mean exactly." "Twenty-six." "Did you count 'em?" " No." " Count 'em." "Don't sing." "Hey." "This posse couldn't find itself." "Unless it wanted to." "We're wasting our time." "Take the men back down before it gets dark." "What are you gonna do?" "Take a look around." "By myself." "I doubt you'll ever find him." "Maybe not." "If I thought you had a chance," "I wouldn't go back." "♪ Ay-yi-yi-yi ♪" "♪ Canta y no llores ♪" "♪ Porque cantando se alegran ♪" "♪ Cielito lindo los corazones ♪" "♪ Ay-yi-yi-yi ♪" "♪ Canta y no llores ♪" "He's not gonna die." "He should have been dead a long time ago, but he never quits." "Hey." "Hmm." "Let me see here." "Here." "Here." "Let me open that for ya." "Uh, no tamales." "I hope, uh, that the tacos are okay." "Sorry if I'm not doing this right." "I mean, I don't want to insult you or anything, but, uh," "I'd really appreciate it if you could help my friend Amarante." "He's a good man." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Bloom?" "Yeah?" "Did you open the gate?" "Somebody had to." "Be a shame to let it all die now." "Okay, Bloom." "Do you hear that?" "What?" "You don't hear anything?" "Uh-uh." "Ahh." "What are you all doing here?" " Buenas tardes, viejo." " Where's my pistola?" "I don't know where your gun is, Amarante." "I wish I did know." "But I found one of your bullets... in Joe Mondragon's wall." ".45 Peacemaker?" "You wouldn't know anything about who burned Devine's sign, would you?" "No." "What about the rest of you?" "How about the crosses?" "Dead fish?" "Flaming arrow?" "I didn't think so." "I hate climbing rocks." "Madre!" "Son of a bitch." "Right here." "Son of a bitch!" "Don't run!" "It's over, Joe." "You won't get hurt if you come out with your hands above your head." " Come on out now!" " I got a pistol." "No, you don't!" "How can you be sure?" "If you did, you'd have used it by now." "I've been saving my last bullet." "I don't believe ya." " Why not?" "It's possible." " I'm comin', Joe." "I should have built those cabins." "Joe." "Shorty?" "Headed up to Baldy Bear Creek?" "Yeah." "Be some big rainbows up there." "Oh!" "Looks like Amarante's gonna make it." "Thanks, Shorty." "It'd be a shame for it to end like that." "I'm gettin' kind of interested in what's gonna happen next." "Be seein' ya." "Hey, Shorty." "How 'bout a ride down the hill?" "Well, I wouldn't push it, Joe." "That's the message, because..." "You cannot get it from books." "I'm hungry." "I am so hungry!" "Luisa!" "Maria!" "Papa!" " Joe." " How's Amarante?" " Joe!" " The doctor says he's okay." "At least he's awake." " Joe, what happened?" " I came back!" " You still got that petition?" " Yeah." " I want to sign it." "Joe, there's things that you and I have to talk about." "Sure." "Later." "Later?" "Let's go." "Wait a minute." "Where ya goin'?" " Pick beans." " We're gonna pick beans." "We're gonna pick beans, beans, beans!" "Vamos corriendo!" "Come on!" "Joe?" "Hey, Joe!" "Mario, go get the baskets." "Hey, sign this!" "Everybody, come sign the petition!" "Come sign the petition." "You want that first pot of beans?" "Then you start picking." "The pintos, eh?" "Glad to see you." "There you go." "Taste it." "Here." "Put them all in the basket for me." "Gracias, amigo." "What now?" "Mondragon, you're under arrest." "Cuff him." " Wait a minute." "What's he charged with?" " Attempted murder." "Unlawful flight to avoid prosecution." "Let's go." "I hope none of these people cause trouble for your sake." "Montana, the key." "I don't have the authority to do that." "You'd better get somebody who's got the authority right now." " What's the problem?" " Because we're about to have a fucking war!" "I'm warning you people, don't try to interfere." "Maybe we shouldn't push this." "Quiet!" "Hold it!" "Montana." "Hold it!" "Hold it right there." "Nobody move." "Put those guns down." "I think we better slow down here." "Tell these people to back off!" "I'm takin' him in." " No, you're not." " What?" "Amarante's feeling much better." "He refuses to press charges." "So, there's no attempted murder;" "there's no unlawful flight." "And unless he has a warrant to arrest Joe for taking water, he's outside his jurisdiction!" "Get out of my way." "I'm deputizing everybody in this crowd for crowd control duty." " You gotta be jokin'." " Mr. Montana!" " There's a call for you on the radio." " Not now!" "Sir." "Sir." "It's important." "Can I speak to you?" "Don't let him move!" " Governor's on the phone." "He needs to talk to you." " Bruno, the name Custer ring a bell?" "Kyril?" "Yeah." "You got Mondragon with ya?" "Yes." "Stop the arrest procedures." "Come back to the office and bring the men with you." "What?" "You can't do that to me." "He's... he's already under arrest." "I'm..." "I'm takin' him in." "Don't arrest him." "Get the men back in." "I'll explain it later." "Do you follow?" "Right." "Let him go." "Yeah." " You can undeputize your crowd, Bernie." "Maybe I'll be back." "If not, I'll send you a sack of beans." "Montana." "The key." "You're a pain in the ass!" "La-La-Ladd?" "Yeah, uh, yeah, it's harry." "The governor." "Yeah, how you doin'?" "Yeah, listen, uh, there's a little somethin' we gotta talk about." "I don't believe it!" ""Let's put it on the back burner"!" "I gave money to that chicken-shit!" "Son of a bitch!" "I even voted for him!" "Look at all these signatures." "Yeah." "You know, they're all gonna have hangovers tomorrow, and they're gonna come begging and crying to take their names off that list." "But right now, at this moment, isn't it wonderful?" "It sure is." "Ruby." "Give me that petition." "You're gonna lose your job." "If I'm lucky." "Nice." "♪ Ypor eso los grandes amores ♪" "♪ De muchos colores me gustan a mi ♪" "♪ Por eso los grandes amores ♪" "♪ De muchos colores me gustan a mi ♪" "♪ Ypor eso los grandes amores ♪" "♪ De muchos colores me gustan a mi ♪" "Hey, compadre, where you going?" "I've got to get to the bean field." "Ah, yes." "There's one hell of a party going on." "Come on." "Come on." "I know a shortcut." "Shortcut?" "Yes, my feet are killing me." "Come on!" "Sometimes you do not act like an angel." "I want to tell you something." "I don't want to know anything." "I hate beans." "What?" "You are a disgrace!" "I'd rather have steak." "Oh, sometimes I think you're just making fun of me." "Cuidado!" "Whoa!" "Not bad." "Not bad." "Mira." "Estas un atleta." "Nunca habia caminado tanto en mi vida." "Ay, pobrecito." "Pero no falta mucho ahora." "En un ratito, creo que vamos a oir la musica." " M Musica?" "Si, hombre." "Musica de la fiesta, naturalmente." "The fiesta." "There's a fiesta."