CITY | STATE

INSIDE

Diplomacy, business
and fun get a
boost at Japanese
food festival.
Page B2
Houston Chronicle

@HoustonChron

EDITORIAL

To make Obamas
order unnecessary,
Congress needs to
pass a bill.
Page B12

Houston Chronicle | Sunday, November 23, 2014 | HoustonChronicle.com and Chron.com

Section B xxx

Immigration order leaves some behind

Overlooked in plan,
dreamers hope for
a time when families
can be together

For millions of people who have been living

in shadows, the future looks a bit brighter
LISA FALKENBERG
Commentary

By Monica Rhor
As Norma Ramirez awaited
the announcement that could lead
millions of immigrant families out
of the shadows, she gently clasped
her mothers hand and held her
breath.
For weeks, the rumors about
President Barack Obamas executive order had been churning.
For weeks, Ramirezs prayers had
been growing stronger, her hopes
rising, her dreams inching closer.
Now, seated between her parents,
she waited for answers.
Would her family, divided by
distance and legal status, nally
be reunited? Would her mother,
who lives in this country illegally,
nally be free of fear and able to
visit the two sons who had stayed
behind in El Salvador?
During the presidents speech,
those boys bombarded Ramirez

Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle

Norma Ramirez, left, a Dreamer, hoped President Barack

Obama would extend the programs privileges to her mother,
Iris Ramirez, who is living in the country illegally.

and her parents, Manuel and Iris,

with anxious messages on Facebook and Tango, a video call app.
What did he say? they asked again
and again. What did he say?
Just wait, their sister replied,
holding onto her optimism. Be

COURTS

patient.
Then came the words they had
all been waiting for:
So were going to offer the
following deal, Obama said. If
youve been in America for more
Family continues on B9

Maria came to clean the house

on Saturday, just as she had
several times before.
She came to change the sheets,
to unearth lost shoes, to scrub
dried food off the stove burners,
to make the bathtub shine.
She wore the same blue janitors smock that must be left over
from years of cleaning office
buildings. Her curly dark hair
was pulled back in the same
tight ponytail. She brought the
same plastic basket of rags. The
same wide smile.
But there was a lightness in

her eyes I hadnt seen before.

We talked more than we ever
had she, while scrubbing the
oors and me while folding the
kids clothes on the couch and
occasionally seeking Spanish assistance from the Google Translate app. We talked children,
holidays, tamales.
And for the rst time, I
brought up the future.
When and where would she
apply? How long would it take?
What does it mean for her family?
The fear, for me, it continues, she told me. I want to
see if the announcement will
become reality.
Before this week, I had never
asked the question, as I had
when we were hiring a full-time
nanny years back: do you have
papers? In Marias case, it didnt
really matter. She comes every
couple of weeks. We pay her

Falkenberg continues on B9

ART AND RELIGION

Legislator
maintains
legal woes
do not
define him
By Theodore Schleifer

To hear Ron Reynolds tell it,

the embattled state representative is just plain misunderstood.
Over the past decade, Reynolds has been sanctioned twice
by the state bar, ned $10,000 by
the Texas Ethics Commission,
sued a half-dozen times and investigated twice for ambulance
chasing though he is quick to
note he was indicted only once.
Three days after being reelected to a third term earlier this
month, the Missouri City legislator found himself facing possible
jail time after a jury convicted
him on the second of those lesser
barratry charges. Three days later, the judge ruled
it a mistrial. He is
due back in court
in January.
It doesnt dene my character.
It doesnt dene
my work ethic.
It doesnt dene Reynolds
my dedication to
serving as a state representative, Reynolds said with deance in an interview last week.
Ive made mistakes that I regret.
Im not a perfect person.
Reynolds current ignominy
is the latest in a record of ethics
troubles that have plagued him
since he rst ran for office in
2008. Reynolds and his supporters contend those marks should
not mar his reputation. Instead,
they say, consider the job fairs
hes helped plan and the voters
hes helped register.
Reynolds, who rose to leadership on the shoulders of Fort
Bends surging African-Amer-

Billy Smith II photos / Houston Chronicle

Andrew Mann says Sundays dedication at St. Timothys Anglican Church in Spring will fulll a duty to his ancestors.

A vision comes true

By Allan Turner
When the boxes nally arrived from his native South
Africa, Andrew Mann held his
breath and kept holding it.
Three months elapsed before The Woodlands optometrist could work up the nerve
to pry open the crates containing six stained-glass windows from Durbans Aliwal
Street Congregational Church.
Would the acid-etched panels,
crafted by English artisans
more than a century ago, still
shimmer with beauty? Or, after their 9,000-mile trip, would
he nd only shards, bitter remnants of his mission to bring a
family treasure to suburban
Houston?
I just left them on the back
veranda, Mann said. When I
nally opened them, they were
as pristine as when they left
Durban. Praise God!
The windows depicting St.

Anglican church in Spring becomes

new home for familys stained glass

The panels Andrew Mann donated date to 1912 in Durban,

South Africa, and honored his great-great-grandparents.

Seeing in a new light

See more photos of the century-old windows that were donated

from a South African church at Chron.com/stainedglass

Reynolds continues on B2

I-10 at Dairy Ashford

Created on Adobe Document Server 2.0

All-New ATS Coupe

John, St. Barnabas and other

religious gures now repaired and brilliantly lit in a
graceful carved-wood setting
will be dedicated Sunday at
Springs St. Timothys Anglican Church, where Mann and
his family are members.
They are a treasure for
us, said the Rev. Stan Gerber,
pastor of the church, which
typically draws 350 worshippers to Sunday services. They
certainly enhance the beauty
of the church. They are a little
spark of heaven.
For the 46-year-old Mann,
drawn to Texas 23 years ago by
the professional community
centered on the University of
Houstons College of Optometry, the dedication will be the
culmination of an intense and
costly effort to rescue the windows from an uncertain fate.
The panels rst were installed in Durbans CongreHistoric continues on B5

xxx

Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com and chron.com | Sunday, November 23, 2014 |

B9

CITY | STATE

LIFE TRIBUTES

Ruben Anthony CeRvAntes

1979-2008
Its been 6yrs since you
suddenly left us, but it still
feels like it was just yesterday.
Not a day goes by that you are
not thought of. When were all
together we never fail to talk
about things you said and did.
Your memory will forever live
on in all of us. We will forever
continue to love and miss
you. Love, Dad, Mom, Lisa,
Ham, Jay, Bird, Nephews and
Nieces.

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How Do I know if Cremation

is the Right Choice?
Cremation has become an increasingly popular choice
when considering decisions made in the end-of-life
planning process. One of the reasons for this is based on
the fact that cremation is oftentimes less expensive than
a traditional burial service. Nevertheless, the topic of
cremation versus burial is a personal decision. Here are
some points to reflect on as you consider your options:

A Bichon named Colton waits to give kisses at the Preppy Dog Boutique booth
Saturday during the 7th annual Kingwood Barkfest at Kingwood Town Center.
The event was created to raise awareness of the importance of rescue, adoption
and responsible pet ownership.

Falkenberg from page B1

cash.
Maria never brought it
up, either, although her
broken English offered a
clue.
A friend had told me
about her, how she was
friendly, hard-working
and looking for more
houses to clean because
she desperately wanted
to quit her low-paying job
cleaning offices at night so
she could be home when
her children got home
from school and help them
with their homework.
Wed been trying to
make do without outside
help, but with both my
husband and me working long hours, the dust
was collecting, as were the
fights over housework.
We needed Maria. Maria
needed us.
This week, she told me,
with a smile, that she quit
the office-cleaning job.
Watching President
Barack Obamas speech
the other night, I thought
about her and others I
know who could benefit
from a plan to let them
come out of the shadows
and get right with the
law.
The next morning, I
texted Maria and asked

Family from page B1

than five years; if you have

children who are American
citizens or legal residents ...
youll be able to apply to stay
in this country temporarily,
without fear of deportation.
You can come out of the
shadows and get right with
the law.
Ramirez, who received
a temporary work permit
but not permanent residency under Obamas
Dreamer program, felt
her heart plummet. Her
mothers hand tightened its
grip around her fingers.
Am I understanding
this? the older woman
worried aloud. It is what
Im thinking, right?
It was.

Realize that the respect level is the same as it relates

to cremation or burial. Crematories are operated by
funeral industry professionals who have the utmost
respect for the living and dying process and they
take into consideration the delicacy of the situation.
Cremation is a delicate decision, but of course, a
decision that will need to be faced by any individual
focused on making end-of-life arrangements. While this
process might not be for every person, it is important to
discuss your options with your family and funeral home
provider. Learn about what is available to you and make
your decision based on your personal preferences,
budget, and beliefs.

If you have a question about funerals,

please email me at:

AskTripp@BradshawCarter.com
BRADSHAW CARTER

M E M o R I A l & F u n E R A l S E RV I C E S
1734 W. Alabama Houston 713.521.0066

BradshawCarter.com

gently whether Obamas

announcement applied to
her.
American children
Yes, she replied. She
came to Texas 13 years
ago from Michoacan. In
the living room of a twobedroom apartment on
the southeast side that she
shares with her children,
her sister and her niece,
she had watched Obamas
speech with her 9-year-old
daughter and her 11-yearold son both born in
Houston.
You cannot imagine
my son and daughter, how
excited and happy they
were, she said. My son
said, Mama, now you
can study and get a better
job.
She dreams of being
a nurse, but she knows
shell have to improve her
English first.
I was elated for her and
her family and quickly
texted a family member
who had recently stayed at
our house and met Maria.
The family member, who
shall remain nameless, is a
Fox News devotee, but one
with a big heart.
I know you guys may
be upset about Obamas
announcement last night,
I wrote. But I just wanted

you to know that Maria,

the woman who cleans my
house, will finally be able
to get papers!
Well good for her,
read the reply. But they
should have secured the
border first!!
For some people, the
heart is no match for the
trite slogans of fearmongers.
Yes, we should secure
the border whatever
that means. Billions of
dollars of fencing and
militarization and technology to secure an imagined
border that God fashioned
as penetrable.
Yes, we should protect ourselves as best we
can, but let us not set the
pompous, unattainable
goal of sealing Gods creation like a Ziploc bag.
Nameless and faceless
And as we battle porous
terrain and the drive of
our fellow humans to seek
refuge and better lives
what in the meantime?
Are we content to leave
the mothers and fathers
of American children
languishing in shadows
and fear?
As Obama asked: Are
we a nation that accepts
the cruelty of ripping children from their parents

arms?
Yes. I think that some of
us are that nation. Maybe
they didnt get there on
purpose. Maybe the fog of
political rancor has made
it so they can no longer see
the faces of the children
and the parents in this
debate.
For them, the mob of 5
million is nameless and
faceless. Its easier that
way. Its easier to demonize the president for doing
what Republican presidents before him have
done. Its easier to let fear
make us blind.
As for me, I choose to
see. I choose to look out
my car window and see
the road workers building
our highways in 100-degree heat. To see the waitress serving my enchiladas
and the Spanish-speaking
cooks grilling my burger.
To see the woman who
comes to empty the trash
bin at work in the evening,
and to ask her how shes
doing.
I choose to see the
Marias. And to support
the presidents prerogative
to bestow on her the same
gift America has always
bestowed on newcomers:
a chance.
lisa.falkenberg@chron.com

Family will hold on to dream of reuniting

Cremation is a much simpler process as it relates to

end-of-life arrangements and also preserves ground
space required in a traditional burial.

Cremated remains can be memorialized in a

memorial garden or alternative green space or
nature park. Additionally, cremated remains can
be spread in a variety of places per the decedents
request. There is much more flexibility in where
cremated remains can be interred or memorialized
when compared to the options experienced by a
traditional burial.

Check out more pictures at

Chron.com/barkfest

Falkenberg: Are we moved

by blind fear or empathy?

Direct cremation as opposed to a burial is costeffective, as a cremation does not require embalming.

As many families and loved ones live scattered across

the country and the world, cremation provides more
flexibility in the memorial process compared to
having to buy space in a cemetery plot. Cremated
remains can be stored in a decorative urn and kept
by a loved one.

Day goes
to the dogs

Stunned disbelief
Obamas plan would not
extend benefits to families
like theirs, with children
who are Dreamers and
parents who are here illegally. Iris Ramirez would
not be able to get a work
permit or be shielded from
deportation.
Norma Ramirez sank
into stunned disbelief. Her
father grew red with frustration and disappointment. Her mother sat silent
and stoic.
I just wish I could give
relief to my mother, said
the 25-year-old San Jacinto
college student. I couldnt
believe Dreamer parents
were not included.

Under Obamas plan, expected to benefit 5 million

immigrants, the parents of
U.S. citizen and legal resident children will be eligible for work permits and a
reprieve from deportation
as long as theyve lived here
more than five years and
have no serious criminal
record. In addition, hell
expand his 2-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals. An estimated
600,000 young immigrants
have already received temporary legal status under
that Dreamer program.
Many Dreamers were
hoping the president would
take their parents into account, said Cesar Espinosa, executive director of
FIEL, which advocates for
young immigrants.
It has been 14 years since
the entire Ramirez family has been together and
nearly a decade since Iris
Ramirez last saw her sons,
who were 10 and 13 when
she left her homeland to join
her husband and daughter
in the United States. Manuel
Ramirez had come in 2000;
Norma followed three years
later. The separation was
supposed to be temporary,
until the boys could also
make the journey to Houston.
But days turned to
months, then years, as 1,200
miles away from their parents and their sister, the
boys grew into young men.
For a long time, I put

my feelings about not being

with them aside. It was just
too painful, said Ramirez,
who cannot talk about her
brothers without collapsing into tears. As men, they
have times in their lives
when they feel let down,
and we couldnt be there for
them.
Hope that wait ends
Manuel Ramirez, who
has a temporary legal status
awarded to war refugees,
can travel to El Salvador
to visit his sons. And, last
year, after qualifying for the
Dreamer program, Norma
Ramirez was able to visit
her brothers for the first
time in almost a decade.
But Iris Ramirez, who
cant leave the country because of her legal status, has
to rely on video chats and
phone calls to maintain a
relationship with her sons.
Now 20 and 23 years old,
they still call their mother
five to six times a day.
The distance takes its toll.
Often, Ramirez said, her
mother cries after the phone
calls, reminded of how far
away her sons really are.
For Iris Ramirez, for the
entire family, the dreams of
a reunion were pinned on
Obamas executive order.
The night before his
announcement, Norma
Ramirez posted a message
in Spanish on Facebook,
along with photos of her
family taken long ago, when
they were all still together in

El Salvador. In the photos,

Iris Ramirez beams proudly, as her children mug for
the camera.
Tomorrows announcement brings hope for my
family. Weve been kept going by faith and my dream
of having my family together for a meal, the post
reads. I hope that this wait
of 14 years ends tomorrow.
As it turned out, their
wait will continue.
Yet, even in the midst of
their disappointment, they
did not give up faith.
Instead, Norma Ramirez
replayed video of the speech
over and over, for hours after it ended. She parsed each
phrase, dissected every
paragraph, hoping to find a
splinter of promise.
And she was happy for
those who will benefit from
Obamas action.
Its all of us together,
she said. I have friends
who have been there for me
when I needed them, so I
have to be there for them in
their celebration.
After the announcement,
Ramirez and her parents
shared a quiet prayer and
gave thanks that so many
other families will not be
separated.
We will just keep
dreaming, she said. We
just hope that someday we
will be able to be at one table
having dinner together.
monica.rhor@chron.com
twitter.com/monicarhor

INSIDE

New records show gas

aring in the oil patch
continues to grow in
the Eagle Ford Shale.
Page B3
Houston Chronicle

@HoustonChron

CITY | STATE

EDITORIAL

Texas lawmakers can

address the income
gap that divides us by
funding education.
Page B13

Houston Chronicle | Sunday, December 21, 2014 | HoustonChronicle.com and Chron.com

Section B xx

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Evidence mounts that wrong man could be retried in cop killing

LISA FALKENBERG
Commentary

decides whether to retry Alfred

Dewayne Brown for the slaying
of a Houston police officer.
Shes got a dead cop on her
hands, Charles R. Clark, a 20year veteran, beloved husband
and brother, who was gunned
down as he tried to stop a threeman robbery of an ACE checkcashing place in April 2003.
Somebody must pay.
Im sure Anderson would
prefer that a guilty person pay.
But in the absence of another
suspect, the district attorney

COMMENTARY

may feel pressure from the

public, from law enforcement,
from the victims family, from
political advisers to go after
Brown a second time, even
though the states case against
him has unraveled to mere
shreds.
Last month, an appellate
court threw out Browns conviction and death sentence because
the DAs office withheld key
evidence at trial that supports
Browns contention that he was
home the morning of the rob-

bery. No physical evidence ever

tied Brown to the crime. Nearly
every witness who ngered him
has recanted.
But what if there were
another suspect, a legitimate
suspect that mounting evidence
suggested could have committed the crime instead of Brown?
Wouldnt we expect the district
attorney to take a hard look
before pursuing another weak
case against Brown?
Of course. And records show
there is such a suspect. His

name is Jero Dorty. And the district attorneys office has been
aware of his potential role in
Clarks death for at least seven
years.
In 2007, Browns writ attorneys with the rm K&L Gates
named Dorty as a critical suspect and spent nearly 10 pages
of an appeal laying out the
reasons why. In 2008, Browns
attorneys led an emergency
motion to test Dortys DNA. But
prosecutors dragged their feet.

Immigration order leaves

some behind
Lets face it. Potential innocence isnt the only thing Harris
County District Attorney Devon
Anderson is considering as she

Falkenberg continues on B10

For millions of people who have been living in

KATY
shadows, the future looks a bit brighter

Family
ties raise
By Lisa Falkenberg
red flags
Maria came to clean the house on Saturday, just as she had several times before.
no-bid
She came to change the sheets, to unearth lost shoes, to scrub dried food offon
the stove
burners, to
make the bathtub shine.
contracts
She wore the same blue janitors smock that must be left over from years of cleaning office buildings.

Political
Her curly dark hair was pulled back in the same tight ponytail. She brought the
samewatchdogs,
plastic basket of
lawmakers note links
rags. The same wide smile.
in 21CT controversy
By Brian
Rosenthal
But there was a lightness in her eyes I hadnt seen before. We talked more than
weM.ever
had - she,
AUSTIN
When then-Texas
while scrubbing the floors and me while folding the kids clothes on the couchhealth
and
occasionally
official Jack Stick sugearlier this yeartamales.
that a
seeking Spanish assistance from the Google Translate app. We talked children,gested
holidays,
company he had helped land $20
million in no-bid state contracts
And for the first time, I brought up the future.
might get another one through a
sister department, he was referWhen and where would she apply? How long would it take? What does it mean
family?
ring the for
rm toher
a familiar
face:
Frianita Wilson, wife of Doug
The fear, for me, it continues, she told me. I want to see if the announcement
will
become
reality.
Wilson, who
as Sticks
boss was
overseeing the rst project.
From right, Tremel Cooper, 11, Bryan Worthy, 9, Katelyn Washington, 16, and Byron Worthy, 9, play street basketball near
Of course,
Stick then thenanny
theirweek,
homes on theIcorner
andasked
Danover in Katy.
residents call the
areaIaround
Road we
the ghetto.
Before this
hadof Roberts
never
theSome
question,
as
hadRoberts
when
were hiring
a full-time
top lawyer at the state health
might
qualify for Houston
commission
couldcouple
also have
years back: do you have papers? In
Marias
case,
it
didnt
really
matter.
She
comes
every
of
As suburban market skyrockets,
Habitat for Humanitys rst
turned for help to his own wife,
low-cost
options
struggle
to
survive
Erica
Stick,
who
served
as
chief
home
in
the
Katy
area.
But
weeks. We pay her cash.
rising land prices have put
of staff at the mega-agency, which
By Leah Binkovitz
runs all health and human serplanned communities. The that project on hold.
Maria never brought it up, either,
although her
broken English
offered a clue.
soon-to-come, 2,000-home
As the Katy area grows
vices and has a $33 billion annual
budget.
moving to Cane Island touts a trained and prospers, affordable
A friend had told me about her,theFamilies
how
she
friendly,
hard-working
and looking
for his
more
And that wasnt
only fam-houses to
ourishing
Katy was
area golden
Retriever that
will housing seems increasingcan scan real estate list- pose for photographs and ly out of reach, sometimes
ily connection at a state agenclean because she desperately wanted
to quit
cleaning
offices
atbrother,
night
soStick,
she could
ings, walk through
modelher
offerlow-paying
its business card to job
by design
and sometimes
cy. His
Jeremy
homes or visit open hous- potential buyers.
as a reection of a broader
worked at the same department
es. Theyll from
see a $1.2 million
Meanwhile,
in a small
problem
in manytheir
commu- homework.
as Frianita Wilson.
be home when her children got home
school
and help
them
with
ve-bedroom on Brighton strip mall storefront in nities ringing the Houston
The web of family ties at the
downtown
Katy,
families
Sky Lane, a four-bedroom
Texasand
Health me
and Human
Serarea.
Katysmy
city governWed been trying to make do without
outside
help,
but
with
both
husband
working
long
on Crystal Meadow Place attend a different kind of ment lacks any sort of housvices Commission is raising new
open
house,
reviewing
listed
for
$363,000,
or
ing
program,
the
countys
questions
in
a
growing
contract
hours, the dust was collecting, as
were the fights over housework.
We neededcontroversy
Maria.
Maria needed us.
model homes from master- documents to see if they
Housing continues on B5
roiling the Capitol.
State continues on B2
This week, she told me, with a smile, that she quit the office-cleaning job.
Watching
President
Barack
MONTGOMERY
COUNTY
JUDGE Obamas speech the other night, I thought about her and others I know
Rockets
host
party
for Goodfellows
children
who could
benefitleaves
from alegacy
plan to of
let them
come out
of the
shadows
and get right with
the law.
Sadler
The next
morning,
I texted
Maria and asked gently whether Obamas
announcement
applied
to her.
By Michelle
Iracheta
to stop her children,
espefiscal
care amid
growth
Marie D. De Jess / Houston Chronicle

Boom puts
homes for
working
class out
of reach

By Cindy Horswell

gomery Countys government. The county native

concluded at the end of the
two-year study that with
his nance degree from the
University of Texas and 18
years work experience, he
could run a tighter ship by
doing the job himself.
So naively, I jumped
in and ran, and damn if I
didnt win, recalled Sadler
of his rst campaign in
1990. He trounced the incumbent, Al Stahl, garnering over 60 percent of the
vote. By the time he retires
at the end of the month,
Sadler will have six terms

Memo Archundia had

never been to a basketball
game before Saturday, but
the 8-year-old said he has
always been interested in
sports.
His podiatrist
always said hed
make a great basketball player because
hes so tall, said his
mother, Sonia Archundia. We hope that he
gets excited about it today.
The 45-year-old suffers
from chronic pneumonia
and has to stay tethered to
an electric oxygen pump in
order to breathe. She said
she didnt want her illness

cially Memo, from enjoying

the game.
I have condence in
myself that I can play any
sport, said her son. Maybe basketball for the Rockets.
On
Saturday
night, they were in
a private suite at
Toyota Center that
was joyfully chaotic. Children were
ripping open their packages like it was Christmas
morning, tossing wrapping paper, ribbons and
bows aside to reveal stuffed
animals, Hello Kitty dolls
and Nerf guns.

AmericanMontgomery
children
County
Judge
Alan Sadler, who
is came to Texas 13 years ago from Michoacan. In the living room of a twoYes, she
replied.
She
stepping down after nearly
a quarter of a century in
bedroom office,
apartment
on
never dreamed of
a the southeast side that she shares with her children, her sister and her niece,
career in politics.
she had watched
Obamas
speech with her 9-year-old daughter and her 11-year-old son - both born in
When Sadler married
his wife, Mimi, 34 years
Houston.ago, he was working in
banking and real estate
and she would
tell her my son and daughter, how excited and happy they were, she said. My son
You cannot
imagine
friends, Well, at least hes
not a politician.
said, Mama,
now you can study and get a better job.
But Sadler, now 66, got
the itch toof
run being
for county a nurse, but she knows shell have to improve her English first.
She dreams
judge after being appointed to a committee to study
Noah Edwards gets a pat on the head from Santa
I was elated
for her andSadler
hercontinues
family
and
quickly texted a family member who had
recently stayed at
the efficiency of Monton B2 Clutch during Saturdays event at Toyota Center.
Goodfellows continues on B3
our house and met Maria. The family member, who shall remain nameless, is a Fox News devotee, but
one with a bigHoustons
heart. First Baptist Chur
rch
The Loop Campus
I know you guys may be upset about Obamas announcement last at
night,
4p &
6pI wrote. But I just wanted
you to know that Maria, the woman who cleans my house, will finally be able to get papers!
Cypress Campus
Well good for her, read the reply. But they should have secured
the border
first!!
at historic
Tin Hall
For some people, the heart is no match for the trite slogans of fearmongers.
at 4p & 6p
Yes, we should secure the border
whatever
that
means.
Billions
of
dollars
of fencing and
CANDLELIGHT SERVICES
Sienna
Campus
militarization and technology to secure
an imagined border that God at
fashioned
4p & 6p as penetrable.
Wed, Dec 24
Yes, we should protect ourselves as best we can, but let us not set the pompous, unattainable goal of
sealing Gods creation like a ZiplocHoustonsFirst.org/Christmas
bag.

Christmas Eve

Created on Adobe Document Server 2.0

Dave Rossman

Nameless and faceless

And as we battle porous terrain and the drive of our fellow humans to seek refuge and better lives what in the meantime?
Are we content to leave the mothers and fathers of American children languishing in shadows and
fear?
As Obama asked: Are we a nation that accepts the cruelty of ripping children from their parents
arms?
Yes. I think that some of us are that nation. Maybe they didnt get there on purpose. Maybe the fog of
political rancor has made it so they can no longer see the faces of the children and the parents in this
debate.
For them, the mob of 5 million is nameless and faceless. Its easier that way. Its easier to demonize
the president for doing what Republican presidents before him have done. Its easier to let fear make us
blind.
As for me, I choose to see. I choose to look out my car window and see the road workers building
our highways in 100-degree heat. To see the waitress serving my enchiladas and the Spanish-speaking
cooks grilling my burger. To see the woman who comes to empty the trash bin at work in the evening,
and to ask her how shes doing.
I choose to see the Marias. And to support the presidents prerogative to bestow on her the same gift
America has always bestowed on newcomers: a chance.
lisa.falkenberg@chron.com