Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 169, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 4, 2009 Page: 4 of 10
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' V •
Viewpoints
Page 4 ■ Thursday, June 4, 2009
Sweetwater Reporter
if
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 18H1
t-v Sweetwater j
Reporter
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
325/236-6677
Fax: 325/2354967
Website:
www, sweetwaterreporter.com
E-mail addresses:
publisher@sweetwaterreporter.com
business@sweetwaterreporter.com
advertising@sweetwaterreporter com
circulation@sweetwaterreporter.com
editor@sweetwaterreporter. com
composing@sweetwateneporter com
Sharon LFriedlander
publisher
Danica Hickson
business mgr
advertising mgr.
circulation mgr.
Tatiana Rodriguei
managing editor
Fable Rodriguei
ceapesag agr.
Rite Reyes
EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
those labeled “Editorials" reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I am
Ordinance.
writing to express my disg
ice. I was recently charged
g out is minutes after tne l
GUEST COLUMN
A gift for mom
Amanda
Moreno
ust with the Curfew
with a $257.00 fine
for being out 15 minutes after the 11 p.m. curfew. 1 was
cited the evening before the final day of school and
graduation, and exactly 12 days before my 17th birthday,
which will excuse me from the ordinance. Had the fol-
lowing day, Friday, been a flex day or a holiday, I would
not have been charged since the ordinance only refers to
"school nights." I understand that all laws and rules can
be looked at from an angle so as to excuse the offender,
but shouldn’t a past record come into play? 1 saw chil-
dren both younger and older than myself, children with
well known records, get their tickets dismissed; offenses
committed by kids who have no respect for the law or
authority. 1 have never been in any legal trouble, as this
was my absolute first ticket, and a ridiculous one at that.
As a hopeful future-lawyer, 1 am bold to say that 1 wish
city officials and locals would have thought harder about
the ridiculous ordinance they approved. More so. I wish
that the officers of Sweetwater Police Department were
better informed, since the officer who cited me for the
violation informed that my ticket would most likely be
dismissed, which 1 was later told by the judge is against
policy. Why doesn’t local government stand up for
something that is obviously not fair?
Matt Graff
Sweetwater
Dear Editor,
I believe as a adult who still skateboards that
Sweetwater has too many rules against skaters, much
more than Dallas does. Why not build rails and boxes j
in the park? Would it be so bad to let the kids in town
have a little fun? Most of the police are very rude to the
skaters. My brother and his friends get the run around
all the time. They are very smart and good kids, but walk
down the street with a skateboard. Be scared you might
get handcuffed and hauled off. They helped build the
Rock but it’s nice to be outside, too. Just give the kids a
break. It’s not the 50s anymore.
Dusty Martin
Sweetwater
GUEST COLUMN
ITs youngest son to succeed him
HOLLYWOOD-God bless America, and how's even-
body?
North Korea's Kim Jong 11 revealed Tuesday his hard-
partying youngest son Kim Jong Un will succeed him on
death. It could he the end of North Korea.
* Handing off national leadership to the son
1: who drinks the most nearly destroyed the
l'i United States.
General Motors sold its Hummer divi-
" sion to a plasties manufacturer in China
■ A on Tuesday. It makes sense for China to
H i ovvn Hummer. For years they've been
V looking for a smaller, lighter, more furl
■ ^ eltii H'lil t.iiil. to nil o\ 01 I hr 11 ■ demon \
IjKdlflHMI protesters.
flume LA. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was
HlgUS reported Monday to be having an extra-
11 >■• marital affair with a second female news
Hamilton anchor. He came close to being a national
figure. Had Hillary Clinton been elected
president he would have been Bill Clinton's stunt double.
The Los Angeles Lakers host game one of the NBA Finals
Thursday at tbe Staples Center. The city has really changed
since its last NBA title. All the neighborhoods which used
to riot when the Lakers won would only riot today if
Sotomayor loses.
Sonia Sotomayor met with Senate Republicans Tuesday.
They said she's a delight but they don't know if they'll vote
for her. They don't have the richness of her experience as
a wise Latina woman so they make decisions by examining
all the evidence.
Susan Boyle was taken to a London asylum crying for
her pet cat after she lost Britain’s Got Talent Saturday. No
wonder the show is so popular. Putting amateurs on televi-
sion is just a more sophisticated way of frying ants with a
magnifying glass.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was forced to rent his
New York suburban home Monday after he was unable to
sell it for more than he owed on it. It could have bankrupt-
ed him. Thank God at the last minute the Chinese agreed
to buy the guest house.
Dick Cheney backed gay marriage Tuesday, saying that
Americans ought to be free to enter into any kind of union
they want, lie's nothing if not consistent. For years he's
believed that Americans should he free to enter into any
country they want.
President Obama speaks in Cairo today on U.S.-Muslim
relations over Arab TV. He plans to discuss his Muslim
roots. One day Barack Obama will have to watch the tape of
this speech the way Bill Buckner watches that ground ball
rolling through his legs.
Ary us Hamilton is the host comedian at The Comedy
Store in Hollywood. He eon he reached for speakiny
The parents are the ones worried. This just wasn't
that are supposed to
make the children's
dreams come true,
but what a feeling it
is to know that you
as a child, can make
the parent's dreams
come true.
Mv mother grew
up in a not so good
childhood. She, in
a way, was the out-
cast of the family.
It always seemed as
if she was forgotten.
There are times that
she would tell me
stories of things that she
wanted, but never got.
One wish that she has
had, for a few years now,
is to see George Strait or
Alan Jackson in concert.
Last time George Strait
was in Texas, I tried so
hard to get her tickets, but
just wasn't able to. I felt so
bad, but then, last month,
I stumbled upon Alan
Jackson tickets. By chance,
1 just happened to hear
on the radio that he was
coming to Lubbock. Here
was my chance, I could
make one of my mom's
dreams come true. This
was something I knew she
wanted, and 1 was going to
try my hardest to make it
happen. I was able to get
tickets and took my mom
to see Alan Jackson.
My mom has never been
one to show emotions. If
she's sad or upset, she
keeps it bottled up. 1 think
that is where 1 get my way
of dealing with emotions.
At the same time, when
she is enjoying something,
she holds herself back and
doesn't fully show how
much she is enjoying it.
We got to the concert
and I admit, 1 was a little
my mom's scene.
She didn't like
to be around
a lot of people,
but she actually
seemed like she
was enjoying
herself. Me on
the other hand,
drew the unlucky
straw and had
the dreaded per-
son sitting next
to me. Just like
when you get on
the plane, there's
that one person
that you don't want sit-
ting next to you, so you
try your hardest to avoid
them. Well, I tried, but
the avoiding didn't work.
Through the entire con-
cert 1 was sharing my seat,
or so it seemed I was, with
the person next to me.
Throughout the concert,
I could tell that my mom
was having fun, but trying
not to show it. She just
sat there, listening and
waiting patiently, as Josh
Turner sang his songs. 1
kept looking at her and
she looked like a child
that was waiting for their
birthday cake to be placed
in front of them, so that
they could tear into it and
get on with opening the
presents. She was enjoy-
ing herself, but she was
waiting for what was to
come.
Alan Jackson finally
made it out on stage, after
what seemed like an eter-
nity and I kept waiting for
my mom to jump up and
scream, but she didn't.
I was worried that she
wasn't enjoying it as much
as I had hoped. Then, as
the songs started, my mom
began to loosen up.
After the concert, the
fun she had came out.
She was like a little kid
who had just woken up on
Christmas morning. She
was acting like she had
received tne present that
she had waited all year-
long for. She couldn't stop
talking about the concert
and tbe way Alan Jackson
walked out on stage.
"He looked like a little
chicken when he walked
out. He walked out so slow
and calm, without a care
in the world." She kept
going on about how she
couldn't believe it was him
when he walked out on
stage. It was obviously,
something that made my
mom smile.
"I will never forget when
he walked on that stage,"
my mom said.
During the concert,
1 focused on taking pic-
tures and video so that
she could relive the expe-
rience and remember it. 1
wanted to make sure that
she had a reminder of this
event. When we looked
through the pictures, her
excitement was showing
through, again. It was so
cute to see how much fun
she had. I could tell that it
was an experience that she
would never forget.
I know that it's not
George Strait, and I'm
sure that she still wishes
to see him, but it's nice to
know that one thing my
mom wanted, I was able to
give her. It was nice to be
able to share that experi-
ence with her also.
Throughout my life,
even if 1 don’t admit it,
my mom has always given
me what 1 wanted. She
always made it a point to
make sure that 1 had what
I asked for. 1 never really
thanked her for that, but
I hope she knows that I
appreciate it. Everything
sne does for me, is impor-
tant and means a lot. I
hope that this experience
showed her, even if just
a little bit, how much she
means to me.
We have never real-
ly spent time together
or snared anything, but
that night was kind of a
bonding experience. After
the concert, we stayed
in Lubbock and rented a
hotel room. It was kind
of a small vacation, some-
thing my mom needed.
1 have to admit that
going to the Alan Jackson
concert and having that
time together was some-
thing that I will never for-
get. It was the first time
that we spent twenty-
four hours together and
didn't argue. It was nice.
In a way, we went from
mother-daughter to being
friends, even if it was just
for a day.
We still have our dis-
agreements and we don't
always see eye to eye, but
that day I was able to see
my mom as a person, not
just as my mom.
1 know that my mom
has a lot to do and a lot
to deal with. I hope that
in some way I was able to
give her something that
she wanted and hopeful-
ly, this experience will be
something that she trea-
sures just like I do.
Amanda Moreno
is a staff writer at the
Sweetwater Reporter.
Comments about this eol-
umn may be e-mailed to
edit or (a] sweetwater re-
porter.com.
"4LL IS LOCAL”
P(*c'Cn*7 &/?erif «h«i»w.w<
Tip o'NE ill
GUEST COLUMN
Moving company scam
Summer is the busiest
time of year for moving
companies. While most
legitimate movers comply
with the law, unfortunately
a few unscrupulous opera-
tors employ a range
of practices that take
advantage of their
customers.
Some unscrupu-
lous movers give
customers an artifi-
cially low estimate
for their services.
Then, on moving
day, they revise their
estimate and pro-
vide a much higher
price. By that time,
customers have no
time to find another
mover and have little
choice but to go along with
the increased rate.
Another type of mov-
ing scam is perpetrated
after a customer s belong-
ings have been loaded up
and hauled away. With
the customers’ property
in the movers' possession,
the company refuses to
deliver or unload the cus-
tomer’s property unless
the customer agrees to pay
a higher fee.
Knowledge is always
a valuable weapon, so
Texans in the market for
a moving company should
research several options
and secure written esti-
mates before moving day.
Care also should be taken
to ensure that movers
are properly licensed and
insured. Texans can look
Greg
Abbott
up a moving company's
rating and complaint his-
tory at the Better Business
Bureau s Web site, www.
bbb.org.
Moving scam warning
signs include:
• Movers that
offer advance
estimates with-
out seeing their
customers home
or belongings.
Estimates based
on cubic footage
are also red flags.
•Movers that fail
to provide a copy
of “Your Rights and
Responsibilities
When You Move.”
This booklet must
be provided to
all customers who plan
an interstate move. The
federally mandated pam-
phlet contains instructions
about how to respond if
goods are lost or damaged
during a move.
• Movers that require a
large deposit or payment
in cash.
• Movers that lack a
local address and do not
provide licensing informa-
tion on their Web site. To
check motor carrier regis-
tration status, consumers
can visit www.txdot.gov
(in-state) and www.pro-
tectyourmove.gov (inter-
state).
Movers are required
by law to deliver a cus-
tomer's goods for no more
than 10 percent above
the price of a nonbind-
ing estimate. Customers
are not required to pay
any amount above a bind-
ing estimate. The mover is
required to bill customers
for any additional charges
within 30 days of delivery.
Texans can file com-
plaints against moving
companies with either
the Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT)or
the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration
(FMCSA). TxDOT accepts
complaints against mov-
ers that carry goods within
the state of Texas. FMCSA
takes complaints against
movers that cross state
lines.
Common complaints
include:
• Overcharging;
• Holding shipments
hostage for more money
than originally quoted;
• No license, registration
or insurance;
• Failure to acknowledge,
process and settle loss and
damage claim within 120
days of receipt; and
• Failure to honor agreed
pick-up or delivery dates
without proper notice.
Texans who want more
information about mov-
ing scams or wish to file a
complaint against a mov-
ing company can contact
the GAG at (Boo) 252-
Bo 11 or online at www.
texasattorneygeneral.gov.
Grey Abbott is the
Attorney General of Texas.
Comments about this col-
umn may be e-mailed to
edit a r (0sweet water re -
porter.com.
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Editorial;
As a matter of policy, the
Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
The corrections will be
made as soon as possible
after the error has been
brought to the attention of
the newspaper’s editor at
236-6677.
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Rodriguez, Tatiana. Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 169, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 4, 2009, newspaper, June 4, 2009; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth562036/m1/4/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.