Melissa Huckaby, suspect of the murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu

When small children go missing, television news channels inundate the airwaves with their stories. Most people are glued to these stories with hope that the child will appear unharmed and healthy both physically and psychologically but that is usually not the case. Any form of violence or abuse towards children is unspeakable. The murder of a child is especially senseless and shocking. When children, especially young girls, go missing we typically have our own theory. We tend to automatically suspect male sexual predators. Some of us can even visualize that predator. We picture a lower class, middle-aged, unattractive, and unkempt male.

The body of eight-year-old Sandra Cantu was found in a suitcase at the bottom of any irrigation pond, earlier this month. More shocking is the gender of the suspect. Melissa Huckaby, 28-year-old Sunday school teacher and mother of one, is being charged with kidnapping and murdering Sandra Cantu. She is not our image of a child predator. Charges against Huckaby could also include rape with foreign object, lewd and lascivious conduct with a child.

The crime seems much more ghastly because it was committed by a female. People are less wary of females as murders or predators. In society women play the role of the nurturer. We are inclined to trust women, especially with children. According to the Justice Department, approximately 1 in 10 murders are committed by females. Women are more likely to murder intimate partners and family members.

Notorious examples include the Andrea Yates and Casey Anthony cases. Yates murdered all five of her children. Anthony murdered her 4-year-old daughter.

A female’s motivation for murder is often different from a male’s motivation. When women commit murder it usually reflects mental illness or involves self-defense. Women usually know their victims and use less violence for the murder.

What is most shocking about the Sandra Cantu murder case is that she was sexually abused by a female. According to ScienceDaily, women who sexually abuse children are likely to have mental issues or drug addictions. Most commonly when women are labeled child molesters it is because they allowed the sexual abuse of a child by a male.

Because female sex offenders are rare could serve to further obscure the idea that a woman could sexually abuse a child.Most parents do not want to give up the idea that there are still people they can trust. If a child were to claim abuse by a female, would the parents be more likely to assume the claim is a fabrication because it is rare. Huckaby was not only a Sunday teacher but a mother of a young girl, as well.

Because of the lack of studies done on the female sex offender, these deviants are that more difficult to identify. What are the characteristics of these women? Were the abused themselves?

According to Times Online, Melissa Huckaby suffered from depression for years and also attempted suicide in the past.

This new case may hopefully prompt research on the subject of the female sex predator and do away with the idea that child molestation committed by a female is not possible because it is not in society’s definition of femininity.

-Diane Sanchez

50 years later Professor John Koestler, played by Nicolas Cage, and his son Caleb are trying to create some normalcy for their lives after the death of Koestler’s wife. Caleb is a student were the time capsule is about to be exhumed. Once unearthed, the drawing are passed out to the new students. By chance (or not) Caleb, played by Chandler Canterbury,receives Lucinda’s message. Koestler, grappling with his personal beliefs on death and the afterlife since his wife’s passing, soon finds the mysterious note and begins solving the puzzle.

After disappointing films such as Wickerman and Ghostrider, Cage may scare you off from this film but Knowing is a genuine thriller. The film has a PG13 rating but some scenes are brutally gruesome, at one point you literally see people burn. I thought it would be okay to take my 4-year-old niece but I had to cover her eyes at points, even I cringed at some scenes but any movie that can keep her to sit still for two hours is definitely one worth watching. The special effects are excellent and the suspense keeps you glued even though the film was a lengthy 121 minutes.The plane and train crash was scarily realistic, you feel as if you’re in the scene. Cage performance is dull but that is to be expected. His performance was hallow. The plot’s twists and turns are exciting but the over the top Sci-Fi ending is disappointing. Some of the small details of the film go explained which was also disappointing. The film includes Rose Byrne and Nadia Townsend.

- Diane Sanchez

“Monsters vs. Aliens” is the new 3D Dreamworks Animation starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Will Arnet and Hugh Laurie. The film is directed by Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman.

The monsters are the main source of laughs in the film. The always hilarious Seth Rogen is the mentally challenged one-eyed blob named B.O.B. who literally doesn’t have a brain. (“Turns out, you don‘t need one!”)Rogen is the funniest of the monsters with his infectious laugh and stoner-style of comedy. The other monsters include Hugh Laurie as the mad-scientist Dr. Cockroach and Will Arnet as the Missing Link.

The film is a funny simple tale, even adults will enjoy themselves(I think I laughed more that the kids!) but it lacks the heart of other animated films like Wall-E or Monsters Inc. The 3D visuals certainly heighten the action and keeps the kids glued but at moments may be too scary for some. My 4-year-old niece definitely seemed entertained but more so by the effects than the comedy itself. Some of the comedy may not be understood by kids either, for instance the references to classic films such as “The Blob” or “The Fly”. The most hilarious reference is when the President of the United States voiced by Stephen Colbert plays the theme song to “Beverly Hills Cop” as a friendly greeting for the aliens. Overall the film has a dull story line but is funny and has great action sequences.

- Diane Sanchez

The City of Nuevo Laredo

The city of Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas, Mexico was once a bustling border town that would lure American tourists to cross every weekend and relieve the stresses of their daily life. Many visited to shop or just soak up the culture and have a margarita. For younger American tourists it was a place to score cheap drugs and drink alcohol without age restrictions. Today streets like Guerrero, which was once the heart of the nightlife in Nuevo Laredo, now has military soldiers holding large automatic weapons at every corner. The streets are now empty after dusk. Not many residents or tourists want to be caught on the streets at night.

With talk that Mexico is on the path to becoming a failed state because of the drug cartels and government corruption, It makes one wonder what is this situation like for the citizens of Mexico. In an interview with The Associated Press, The President of Mexico Felipe Calderon responded to U.S. reports that Mexico is a failed state. Calderon called the account that Mexico is losing the fight against corruption, “absolutely false” .

Mexico may still have a loyal army and is not in danger of a coup but it has failed its citizens According to AP , Attorney General of Mexico Eduardo Medina Mora stated that drug killing totaled 6,900 people in 2008.

When I was a child my mother rented a small one bedroom apartment on Calle Dr. Mier in Nuevo Laredo. We visited so often that it was actually cheaper to rent an apartment then pay for a hotel. My family and I would go to shop and vacation like any other tourists. I remember being able to walk down the street at night without the immense fear that local citizens suffer now. My mother no longer rents that apartment because of the serious warning to American citizens to avoid the dangerous border town. The constant fear and violence the drug cartels have caused in Mexico is something us Americans in the U.S can easily escape.

The people of Mexico can only protest against the bloodshed. The town of Nuevo Laredo and other town along the border have become something like an old western movie were outlaws rule. The people of Mexico are the ones who are actually suffering and witness to the violence the drug cartels have unleashed on their country.

The blame for the country’s crisis is constantly disputed. The people look to their government and the United States to rectify the country’s issue with the drug cartels.

Calderon say that Mexico is not a failed state but he does not see how the country has failed its citizens. Enrique Contreras, 42 year salesman from Mexico, told the Associated Press that “We can no longer live, we can’t be safe anywhere…I hope those in government do their jobs. Otherwise, they should resign.”

If the people of Mexico must live in fear the way they have in the past decade the country is not a success but a failure. As long as there is a market for the product for the cartels the violence will continue. Mexico is not a “failed state” but it has failed its people.

-Diane Sanchez

President Barack Obama once stated “America has nothing to fear from illegal immigrants” and that, “Like the waves that came before them…immigrants will only enrich our country” With the country on economic hard times that statement has its opposition. Has the enormous wave of illegal immigration benefited the United States?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 8.7 million know illegal aliens. Estimates show that 60 percent of aliens enter the country illegally and 40 percent of aliens ,such as students and tourists ,overstay their visas. The census bureau also reports that annual deportation rate is 125,000 per year but immigration increases by 700,000 per year. It seems the country is losing the war on its borders.

With the increase in population of the U.S. our society was bound to feel the effects of the influx. According to National Public Radio, with the costs of displacing American workers, welfare, and general services the price of the influx has risen to $20 billion a year. But some economists argue that illegal immigration actually has a small net positive. Global trade and automated manufacturing actually has more of a negative effect on the economy than immigrations impact on wages.

Even though immigration does not bear the weight of the economic crisis, many Americans believe it negatively impacts our society. According to the U of H center of Public Policy, 48 percent found that immigration “threatens America’s culture” Is illegal immigration really “threatening”? What is more threatening is that over 70 percent Americans, according to a Rasmussen Report poll, feel illegals should not be given drivers license and should not qualify for in-state tuition. Someone who does not speak the language or understand our roadways should especially be required to attend driving courses and obtain a drivers license.

“It is wrong to condone illegal immigration that flouts our laws, strains our tolerance, taxes our resources. Even a nation of immigrants must have rules and conditions and limits when they are disregarded, public support for immigration erodes in ways that are destructive to those who are newly arrived and those who are still waiting patiently to come” stated Former President Bill Clinton. 

Those people who are waiting “patiently” , as Clinton said  may wait up to ten years to be reviewed for citizenship without any assistance. The way we can reduce the influx of illegals is to reform the laws that govern our border and its issues. Immigration reform is the best to reduce the previous statistics. But because of the fruits of cheap labor, immigration laws will not be reformed. With the cheap labor and the willingness by illegal aliens to perform less attractive jobs, employers would lose money if illegals became less available. Most of all, the politicians have become aware that the Latino vote can greatly impact a campaign.

So how can we curb the issue of illegal immigration, if this country is afraid to lose the benefits of it? No one seems to have the correct answer and that could be because there is no correct answer. We both need them and don’t want them. Illegal immigration has become a push and pull situation. Americans should learn to accept that illegal immigration is an integral piece of the United States. Illegal immigration is part of our culture, it doesn’t threaten it. Immigration has helped to shape this country since the first European ships landed on the American shore and will continue to do so.

The photograph on the front page on THE DAILY COUGAR has caused some controversy at the University of Houston. The photo displayed in the student publication depicts an unidentified middle-aged white male shot to death at a Metro bus stop on campus. Though the photograph is fairly tame some believe it was wrong to post the photo of the dead man. For others it was too graphic and caused fear for many students.

The reason the photo is considered wrong can be spun different ways. Is it wrong because it was a random act of violence, too harsh of a reality to expose the innocent students of the university to? Or could it be even more frightening because it is a white man? Would there be such an issue if he had been Hispanic or African American?

For me it is frightening because it occurred at the corner on Holman and Cullen were as a freshman I would wait for bus 77 Homestead/Liberty. The bus route runs through both 5^th and 2^nd wards of Houston. Many homeless would ride this bus daily. Most never disembark anywhere near the university, most ride past it.

Many students at the University do not realize the poverty stricken neighborhoods around it, they too ride past it. They do not see the violence and crime of its residence until little spills over. I believe the fear of the students is of not knowing or wanting to know about the “other side of Scott St.” According to HoustonCrimeMaps.com, the top offenses in the area are narcotic drug laws , aggravated assault, and burglary. 

The fact that the shooting was a random act of violence, make the photograph frightening as well. We almost feel safe in knowing when someone is killed for a reason; with motive behind it, we know it could not have been us. A random act of violence gives us no comfort, as awful as it sounds. To think it may have been you unsuspecting and innocently waiting at the bus stop, maybe reading or even studying for an exam while you waited.

The photograph is frightening but a useful reminder. We are human and will die, we should always be cautious of our surroundings, and finally to realize the world is a harsh place and we should be ready for it.

The bloggers argument is that pro-lifers beliefs are flawed because they are not well thought out.  He feels that all anti-abortionists do not truly believe that abortion is murder. He supports his argument with one simple video from YouTube at a demonstration.

The woman being interviewed in the video is asked the questions stated before. She stumbles over her response and does give poorly thought out response. But is this interview with one not so bright person really enough to express how we all feel as pro-lifers.

I have asked myself these very questions before. “Do you think abortion should be illegal?” Yes, I do. I believe it is wrong to think we can kill a fetus at 3 months but somehow becomes wrong at 8 months. The heart, hands, feet, brain and other organs are present at only 11 weeks. How is this not murder?

The punishment for a woman who chooses to have any abortion should obviously not be as severe as a serial killer or capital murderer.  You are robbing a life of a future, just as any other killer. There are so many other ways to avoid such an extreme. I believe it is the selfish, cruel and should-be illegal way out. Not all murderers are put to death; it is not such an extreme notion or “Christian belief” that a woman who has an abortion is requesting the death of a living thing.

A life is not a parasite.

  The Hispanics I have spoken with share a pride similar to that of the African American community. Those with whom I spoke to agree , we as Latinos felt included in Obama’s inaugural speech. “ We are shaped by every language and culture” , Obama stated in his inaugural speech, “For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength not a weakness”

Latinos have also been more involved in the voting process than in the past. The Latino vote increased 25 percent and 63 percent voted for Obama, according to CNN.com.

  Reason for the excitement among Latino voters could be that he is the son of a Kenyan immigrant and can relate to the “American Dream” that lures immigrants to this country. Latinos feel as if they can relate to him more than any other President since John F. Kennedy. Obama states in his pamphlet for the Latino voter on his official campaign website, “I will be a president who remembers that are separate struggle are really one”

  Maria Sanchez, 49 of Houston stated “ I’ve never felt as if they (government officials) were ever talking of me, because I’m a Mexican first then American. Obama does speak to me.”

Reyna Adams, 85 of Houston remembered her previous favorite President, “ I loved Kennedy, I cried when they killed him. He was for our people, all people. I think Obama can change this country, just like JFK”

  Hispanics will be looking for Obama to make the changes necessary that interest them the most like education, proper wages, and immigration reform. I feel the task will be great but with the Latino community support it will be possible.

– Diane Sanchez