Leading Off (10/26/2009)
1. Earlier this month, a woman stopped for a traffic violation was ticketed for not having her driver’s license, an illegal u-turn, and her inability to speak English. Ernestina Mondragon, a legal U.S. citizen since 1980, held a press conference yesterday to express how that experience made her feel. (Hint: It wasn’t good.) Chief Kunkle isn’t feeling too great about it either.
2. Forget seven brides for seven brothers. Yesterday, Oak Cliff’s Concord Church hosted 18 brides and grooms who got hitched in a super-size ceremony. It was part of senior pastor’s Bryan L. Carter’s series for couples, “The Real Flava of Love.” Sadly, our favorites from the television series that I assume inspired the name of the event, if not the sentiment–Flavor Flav, Pumpkin, New York, and Deelishis–were not in attendance.
3. Southwest Airlines has more than 775,000 followers on Twitter thanks in part to tweets like this: “To celebrate our new in-flight wine selection, tell us why ‘You’d Rather Be Drinking Wine Than Working.’” I’m confused why that last part is in quotes and capped. And also it’s a dumb question. Obviously, I’d “Rather Be Working.” (Hi Mr. and Mrs. Allison!) Twitter, I’m breaking up with you.
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30 years in the US and she can’t speak English? No driver’s license? $7000.00 med bills for the humiliation of a mistaken traffic citation?
How gracious of them to claim they will not sue.
DMN story says she is a US resident, not a citizen.
I thought one of the prereqs for citizenship was that the applicant had to read and write English. How did she pass the driver’s test?
She has a license. Just forgot it at home since she was in a hurry to get her daughter to school on time. Oh, and last time I went to the emergency room (for a kidney stone- was there a whopping 8 hours, not overnight), I was charged $10,000. I would gladly trade her bills.
Try reading the story.
I can’t believe somebody would actually ticket a person for their inability to speak english.
With that said, I can’t believe somebody caould actually live in the US for nearly 30 years and not be able to speak enough english to carry on a conversation with a police officer.
Both are inexcusable.
If she has lived here for 30 years and doesn’t speak English, the she deserves a
ticket for dumbassery and a harsh lecture from Bethany.
What surprises me is that she’s been here 30 years, and hasn’t taken advantage of one of the Amnesty bills that have been passed during her stay.
@s.e.
Why should it surprise you that after 30 years of living in the US that she would want to be a citizen? Her adult daughter is an anchor baby, affording her lifetime resident alien status without all the hangups of applying for citizenship. When polled, most Mexicans living legally and illegally in the United States would rather remain Mexican citizens than become Americans. The “path to citizenship” we hear about so much in the media is really a non-starter. The overwhelming majority do not want to walk “the path”.
It would take great willpower and determination to avoid learning the basics of a language — one which has the same alphabet as your native tongue — of a country you’ve lived in for three years, let alone thirty.
I wish they show us the cop’s face so we could laugh at him. Remember the blank-eyed hillbilly that was Officer Powell? When somebody does something asinine in traffic, the impulse is to catch a glimpse of their mug, in order that you might apprehend the very visage of stupidity. More often than not, the exercise doesn’t prove gratifying — the person appears to be of average intelligence. No such problem with cops.