On Monday, September 8 of this year, Andres Vargas of San Antonio, Texas, opened fire with an assault rifle on patrol officers who had arrived at his home looking to arrest him. Minutes later two officers lay seriously wounded. Vargas kept police at bay for approximately six hours firing hundreds of rounds, the S.A. Express- News reported. Eventually, the violent stand off came to an end when the gunman reportedly took his own life. Ask any police officer and he or she will tell you that family disturbance calls often may pose more of a danger than other types of disturbances. So, in that sense, the Vargas incident, as dangerous and as chaotic as it turned out, very much followed the norm. What goes unanswered is the fact that Andres Vargas had a history of domestic violence and failure to stop him earlier led to the shootout of September 8. Two days before the incident, Vargas used the same assault rifle on an attempt on his ex-wife. That, in fact, led to the issue of the arrest order. The S.A. Express-News reports, however, that the signs of violence were there long before the shootings occurred. Vargas violated protective orders a number of times -- three times in a period of two weeks -- and reports by ex-wife Bonnie, although recorded, did not lead to arrests. It was only the fourth report, where an attempt was literally made on her life, that the case took a turn. Understandably, it is difficult to make a call as to when an individual is infringing on someone else’s rights or welfare. But, protective orders are issued specifically for the protection of people given threats or a history preceding the order. But want to hear one even better. Just take the case of a woman, any woman, trying to make a case for a protective order on an abusive former spouse or partner. Slashed tires, phone calls in the middle of the night, stalking -- none of it seems to matter as long as the spouse denies it. It’s literally her word against his. And corroborating witnesses don’t seem to matter. Too many times I have seen women terrorized by former abusive partners and simply feel powerless given the response (or lack of) from the judicial system. A former employee of mine confided that in seeking a restraining order she informed the officer of the court of threats made against her, but was told that nothing could be done unless some act of physical harm actually occurred. Poor consolation. The state of Texas passed a law against stalking in 1993. This was later amended after it was declared unconstitutional by the State Supreme Court. Yet, to date, proving harassment or an act of stalking very much falls on the victim. And this is unfortunate. We should not wait until a tragedy occurs, as it did in San Antonio, before we offer protection from an abusive spouse. If the signs are there the law should act. Waiting for the proof may just prove too late.
What do you do when you come in second? A car rental company a few years back ran a very successful campaign with the slogan -- "When you’re number 2 you try harder." Implying that you’d get better service from them than from the company with the higher sales figures. I’ve often thought of that jingle particularly in relation to our local retail industry. For years, during the decades of the 60’s and 70’s Laredo was the leader in retail sales along the Texas- Mexico border. Thousands of visitors from throughout Mexico rained down on Laredo’s downtown sector every weekend and shopped for every product imaginable. Mexican movie stars were a common sight in high- end stores, while families of different income levels raided Laredo’s "5-cent" stores and locally-owned shops. No doubt about it, Laredo had the corner on the market.
But other communities were closely watching. And as the slogan said, they tried harder. Border cities began luring national retail developers and investing in stronger marketing campaigns. Major cities, like San Antonio and Houston, realized the purchasing power of the Mexican shopper and began focusing on that market. Even smaller communities in Central Texas figured they could take a share of the market and tried new innovative concepts -- outlet malls. Their efforts proved successful. Gradually these communities were able to gain a share of the market.
Today, in a more competitive market, Laredo still holds its own. Retail sales in in this city still rival and surpass those of most communities the same size. The local retail industry generates thousands of jobs and sales tax rebates are a major contributor to the local general fund. Laredo’s retail industry does well, but it must maintain a constant guard to keep its share.
Yet, it seems we haven’t learned our lesson. Not content with the ways things are or how better they could become, some of our own feel that the retail industry is the culprit in generating litter for the community. And, they have reasoned that government must step in and regulate the type of packaging and bags used by local stores. The sad part is that some within government agree and have considered an ordinance to eliminate the use of plastic bags (at least those that are thinner than 4-mil). No one reasoned that there are other options -- like recycling campaigns.
I agree that the sight of plastic bags on the street is unseemly and that, as litter, they may prove a hazard. But a review on the Internet of similar initiatives by other cities quickly informs one that only a handful of cities have attempted programs this drastic.... and some have quickly recanted. One must also realize that imposing a rule on retailers requiring them to purchase costlier bags, will result in higher prices for the consumer. This will affect not only local consumers, many of them trying to make ends meet with the rising cost of fuel, but the Mexican shopper, who may very well choose to go to other markets.
It is important that we be good stewards of our environment and that we work to beautify our city. But we must be careful not to shoot ourselves in the foot. Our organization is ready to partner with the public sector to institute a recycling program and work to educate the public. We can make it work.. After all, we didn’t ban the use of aluminum cans just because they proved a public nuisance at times.