Sympathy for the Devil

Criminal alien Olga Franco

I have just finished reading an AP story titled "Bus crash suspect left Guatemala seeking better life" and I am positively sick to my stomach. It is nothing but a sympathy piece for illegal immigration.

You know the story. Never forget it. On February 19, 2008, illegal alien Olga Franco, who was initially identified as Alianiss Nunez Morales, rushed through a stop sign in her boyfriend's minivan and hit the back of a Lakeview school bus carrying 28 children. Four of the children died and 15 were reported injured.

Franco did not have a driver's license. She had been caught driving without one by law enforcement before and was driven home. A slap on the wrist followed by a $182 fine and she was free to continue breaking immigration and traffic laws with impunity. Until she killed four children, that is.

You can read the A-P story if you want. I would encourage you to do it. Be forewarned, however, that there is very little information about Franco's murder victims. Instead, you will be told of how poor and destitute her parents are, how Franco worked as a cleaning lady for "pennies," how half of Franco's Guatemala is steeped in poverty, and how she grew up "without malice in her heart."

Only two paragraphs (75 out of 644 words) of the story are dedicated to the real victims of Franco's crime:

"Franco, 24, is charged in Lyon Count District Court with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide in the Feb. 19 crash near Cottonwood, in which four students ages 9 to 13 were killed and 15 other people were injured."

and

"Killed in the accident were brothers Hunter Javens, 9, and Jesse Javens, 13, of Cottonwood; Emilee Olson, 9, of Cottonwood; and Reed Stevens, 12, of Marshall."

Will either the AP or the Rochester Post-Bulletin, who published the story locally, interview the parents, relatives and friends of brothers Hunter (who would have been 10 the day he was buried) and Jesse Javens, Emilee Johnson and Reed Stevens? Will we ever learn as much about these children who were senselessly killed as we have learned about the criminal alien whose actions took their lives? What about the 15 other children who were hurt? What is the extent of their injuries? Are any of them permanently disabled? Do pro-illegal immigration advocates and local legislators who favor "sanctuary cities" care?

How about assigning Christina Killion-Valdez and other staff who worked so hard on the P-B's award-winning "Broken Border" series stories on the victims of Ms. Franco's crime and the impact of all her criminal actions, including her immigration status, on the lives of their surviving relatives? Here's a head start:



Javens Brothers Laid To Rest
By Leslie Rupiper

Hundreds of people packed the Lakeview Public School Gymnasium to mourn the loss of the Javens brothers. But this day wasn't only about sorrow. It was about remembering the boys for who they were.

Pastor Gloria Anderson with Christ Lutheran Church says, "Jesse will be remembered as a young man who loved family members and friends an was always ready to give a hug." And then there's his little brother. Pastor Anderson says, "Hunter was an animal lover. He enjoyed his horse, Toby, zoos and reading about animals."

Hunter has a twin sister, and on the day of her brothers' funeral, she is celebrating a birthday. Pastor Anderson said the boys would not want this day to pass without remembering their sister, Sasha. So Pastor Anderson, led the congregation in a rendition of "Happy Birthday".