Justice Served? Jury Rules in Favor of Gonzalez

A jury of his peers found that Jose Gonzalez had every right to shoot 13 year-old Francisco Anguiano in his property for breaking and entering.  The public is now concerned that the message delivered here is that it is OK to take the law into your own hands when someone enters your home, whether you feel your life is threatened or not.  Conversely, one can say that the message was delivered to would-be criminals, too.  If you break into a home and are killed, your murderer will be let loose.  Good riddance.  Either way you look at it, the jury was perhaps too lax in letting Gonzalez walk away free.  Every case must be treated accordingly, and the facts in this case were somewhat blurred.  It is unclear whether Gonzalez or the surviving friends of Anguiano are telling the truth, but we know who the jury believed.  Was this jury perhaps biased in favor of the adult who since that night found himself on the wrong side of the law too?

Future Law Enforcement Officers Not Making the Grade

I’ve somehow lost track of time, but it has not been that long since the man that we for years respected and admired as our police chief was caught in the web of deceit and corruption that we used to only read about in newspapers elsewhere. Consequently, public opinion about local law enforcement is not necessarily at its peak these days. The public was truly hurt by the decisions our formerly esteemed chief and a few members of his staff made. They were not exactly crucified by the media, but we sure did feast on the news for a while. These men were supported mainly by those who knew them personally, but deemed criminals by most of the public…So is it fair for the citizens of Laredo to complain about lies, deceit, and corruption if we do not learn by example?

Recent news have related that almost 10 constable and deputy candidates at the South Texas Border Regional Police Academy were caught cheating. Candidates are typically sponsored by already established law enforcement officers or agencies and their academy hosted at the LCC South Campus. They are required to maintain at least a B-average in their coursework in order to remain in the program, regardless of who is sponsoring them. Whether it was this pressure to maintain the grade or if they were simply looking for an easy way out, these law enforcement candidates are alleged to have been caught cheating on a test. Whatever reason they had for doing so, is cheating ever justified? In recent days, emotions are stirred about the cheating accusations against these students.

One just has to read the article published in the Laredo Morning Times on Thursday to view the differences of opinions the public has in this case. Far from impartial, the public is seemingly pretty split on this matter. While one commenter jokes that constables are not real law enforcement officers, others are vehemently defending the cadets. There are some supporters of these students who agree with LCC’s decision to reinstate the students, provided that the law enforcement candidates comply with various sanctions, though it is unclear what these sanctions are. It appears to be mostly people who know the cadets personally as friends, family, or business contacts.

Those not in favor of LCC’s decision to reinstate argue that a simple slap on the wrist will not suffice to restore integrity to the college campus. They are worried about the message our local college is imparting to future cadets and students: that cheating is not a serious offense enough to merit expulsion. These members of the public note that cheating is never OK. These cadets are vying for a spot on the law enforcement roster and enlist to protect and to serve, so the public needs to trust them. If we cannot trust our law enforcement officers, we are bound for an unruly and corrupt system of checks and balances in which the checks do not add up to the balances. Doesn’t make sense, does it?  Neither does reinstatement, some argue.

Cheating is rarely tolerated at any institution of learning, much less one of higher learning. All universities in the country currently have sanctions for cheating, notably the threat of expulsion. Should LCC be different because it is situated in Laredo? Or does the committee deciding upon this matter need to consider the more serious sanction for cheating: removal from the school? LCC is in a damn rough spot, because the spotlight is shining hot on them.

Self-defense or Murder?

Laredoans have recently been drawn into the buzz surrounding a very unique case of self-defense in our city.  Jose Luis Gonzalez, 63, is charged with murder after having shot 13-year old Francisco Anguiano in the back, but is currently pleading self-defense.  It sounds like the nightmarish episode of a twised drama, I know, but at least two families have had to endure this drama since the incident. 

If you are not familiar with the case, the 13-year old victim, along with a few of his friends, broke into Mr. Gonzalez’s home as part of a mischievious scheme to secure munchies. The Laredo Morning Times reported yesterday that Mr. Gonzalez found the juveniles and cornered them inside his home while taunting with the threat of use of deadly force. Only the surviving juveniles, Mr. Gonzalez, and the victim know for sure what happened that fateful night, and one of them can no longer testify on anyone’s behalf because he is silenced forever. 

The public is pretty split on what they feel should be the sentence for Mr. Gonzalez, since he is on trial for murder.  Some feel that he had absolutely no right to shoot the boy, since the act of breaking into his home did not merit losing a life over a few munchies.  They defend the victim by noting that he was just a boy who was unarmed and probably did not try to attack the owner of the property when he saw his life was threatened. 

The partial culprit in this case may be the legal terminology.  The term self-defense is loosely defined as “the act of defending oneself, one’s property, or the well-being of another from physical harm.” Because the boys were unarmed and claim that they did not attempt to attack Mr. Gonzalez, many will argue that this act was not committed in self-defense.

Others sympathize with the perpetrator, because they feel that Mr. Gonzalez had every right to protect his life and property by using the deadly weapon and go as far as claiming that instead of one dead teenager, there would be several.   

So was it self-defense or not? Did Mr. Gonzalez misinterpret his right to protect his interests, or is he simply now pleading ignorance because like those kids who made a bad choice that night he, too, was possessed by a criminal mind?  Who is to say that just because he was over 60 he had better judgment than a 13-year old boy?

Our paper reported today that prosecution has rested its case, and so the jury for this case will soon deliberate on the verdict and sentence, if any.  I trust that they will do what is just for both families.  I predict that they will arrive at a neutral verdict.  The best verdicts in cases like this are those in which no side is a victor, really.  Mr. Gonzalez will be found guilty of a lesser charge than murder and will be sentenced to a few years in prison for misinterpreting his right to self-defense. The court will call it voluntary manslaughter or something to that effect, but the victim’s family will not feel that Mr. Gonzalez got years enough to pay for having taken the life of their 13-year old who was merely a boy, after all.

http://www.lmtonline.com/articles/2008/09/25/front/news/doc48dbdde89c602364633070.txt

Did Borderplex Say Pizza Party?

Tree huggers, rejoice! The City of Laredo together with Borderplex has kicked off its annual phonebook recycling drive.

If you are as adamant as I am about your child turning into a responsible and competitive adult, you will surely want to urge your youngsters to participate in their school’s recycling efforts. All area schools, including the private sector, are presently being encouraged to participate in the annual drive.  Phonebooks, no matter how old or battered, can be donated to your child’s school between now and October 16, 2008. There is no downside. Aside from competing for the $600 prize which will be awarded to one LISD, one UISD, and one private school, a pizza party will be raffled at the three winning campuses’ awards ceremonies from among the list of the classrooms with the most phonebooks collected.

The pizza party is inconsequential compared to the benefits for your child’s upbringing. Children watch us far closer that we think, and if we cultivate an environment which embraces salvation of our natural resources, the world might just be more livable for them when we are gone than is projected by many experts today. And who said competition is not healthy? Competitiveness is a quality that is observed in the most successful people in the world.  Sure, the competition here is rather minute, but an often quoted wise man once said that “even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” (Comment, if you know who!)

Imagine how successful your child will feel if he/she understands that the difference they are making is a drastic one. It is noted that recycling saves tons (literally) of landfill space, collectively decreases consumption of fuel it takes to transport garbage from one point to another, and of course, saves hundreds (if not more) of trees per year.  In Laredo alone, students have figured that they contributed to saving the lives of more than 300 trees in recent years. I don’t know about you, but it sounds to me like recycling is a pretty rewarding experience for our children, so get up and find them! If nothing else, they do love pizza parties!

Race to the White House

In Laredo, Hispanics are the majority, and it is beyond realistic to fathom that in the nation, we are still a minority.  So, what better year, Laredo, than this to participate in the historic presidential election whose theme appears to be “Minorities”? The Democrats’ picks would surely yield a minority candidate with Hillary’s gender and Obama’s race.  The Republicans ensued pursuit by surprising everyone with their female vice-presidential candiate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who more than anything has stirred up (and with just cause) much controversial discourse about her qualifications to step up to the plate if need be.  After all, John McCain is not the youngest pea in the pod, and no matter how look he goods for his age, we all know that his health is not in the greatest state at the moment.

All the circus and drama aside, Obama being the Democratic candidate, it is no secret that race is definitely an issue in the upcoming presidential election.

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Senator Clinton Set to Visit Laredo October 3rd

Hillary has scheduled her return to Laredo on October 3rd in support of a fundraiser for our very own pride of Laredo: Congressman Dr. Cuellar.  It is unclear what the fundraiser will consist of, but Senator Clinton seems to be returning to Webb county in appreciation ofthe support Congressman Cuellar garnered for her in our border town.  Apparently, Webb county gave her the most votes in the state of Texas! Way to go, Webb! You put us on the map.  It is always pleasant to have such high-profile visitors in town.  Our nation’s politicians are beginning to realize that we are a power city and by coming to Laredo, they acknowledge how much they need us.  So far on our list: George W. Bush, our president; Bill Clinton, a former favorite president in spite of the scandal in office; Ted Kennedy, the brother of a former favorite president; Hillary, a historic Democratic nominee for president who is set to return to Laredo once more. Read more

Walgreens in Laredo Now Open

Walgreens is making Laredo its newest home in a long chain of success across the nation.  Watch out, H.E.B. and Wal-Mart! – Walgreens boasts of quality service in the pharmacy department and works diligently to one-up other companies in customer service and sales.  Read more

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