NPT: Sunday Under the Tree
Commentary, analysis and essays from the center of North America.
================
Opinion
Union Plaza Bus Hub "A Monumental Mistake"
by Mike Churchman
Let's be very clear. We support the Downtown plan, while many of our neighbors do not. But moving all the buses into one city block makes no sense whatsoever, and by the time the city learns what a monumental mistake it has made, many businesses will be driven out, including us.
---
Is ICE racist? It certainly seems so
By Joe Olvera
Is it bad judgment for high-ranking ICE officials to make fun of people who are so desperate to improve their lot in life that they risk everything to come to the U.S.? Or is it racist? Yes, it is bad judgment. But, it’s also racist, and racism is one element of U.S. life with which minorities have been struggling for centuries.
---
Plan on it: On the Road to Santa Teresa
by Wayne Grinnell
Some say El Paso should not build roads for New Mexicans to drive here to work. Quite the contrary, in the long term. El Pasoans very likely will be driving to New Mexico to work. Until they move there.
---
Regarding Spanglish
by Felipe de Ortego y Gasca
As a native speaker of Spanish and a professor of English for more than five decades, I speak Spanglish –- and that’s not a sign of bad English and bad Spanish mixed together. It’s what happens with languages in contact with each other, enriching the discourse of expression.
---
No Swimming
by Kyle Gabbard
Comic commentary.
================
Features
Now, That Was an Election!
by Paul Geneson
The story of two conventions, the March 4 primary night caucuses and the March 29 county convention, from the perspective of a Democratic Party regular on the ground.
---
El Paso Smorgasbord
by Rich Wright
I went to the show looking for, besides the food, the easy imagery, allegories to the social fabric, or rents in the time-space continuum. Instead, I found allusions to identity. And that's probably what El Paso has more of than most other cities.
---
The Teddy Bear Man
by Alejandra Gomez
His name is Jose Rios Escandon. He is 92 years old and has been working as a merchant since he was a child. He says everything he knows he learned from his father.
================
Culture
An Open Letter to the El Paso Arts Community
By Tim Holt
If we can afford to keep Starbucks running, we can afford to buy some art. The trouble is, El Paso as a whole does not seem to understand the importance of art, and I think it is incumbent on us to educate the community.
