Supreme Court has tough decision between baker, gay couple

Jack Phillips of Lakewood, Colo., is caught up in one of the biggest legal conundrums to ever go before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Phillips is a Christian baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. Charlie Craig and David Mullins came into his Masterpiece Cakeshop in 2012 and Phillips declined to make a cake for a ceremony that he believes is in contradiction to his faith. The spurned couple cried discrimination and their case has been crawling through the courts ever since. This month it arrived at the doorstep of the nation’s highest court.

This case is unique in that it deals with conflicting freedoms and rights. Phillips maintains his right to free association and his freedoms of religion and expression allow him to decide with whom he will conduct business. Craig and Mullins contend that as a businessman in the public sector that Phillips has violated their civil rights by discriminating against them.

The case is indicative of the social war that has been waging between Christians and the Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community for decades. From the Christian perspective, all sexual activity outside the bonds of heterosexual marriage is a sin. The Bible very specifically singles out same-sex relationships.

As the LGBT community fought for and won rights – specifically the right to marry – Christians were the ones to stand for our beliefs and to defend traditional marriage. The more the LGBT community pushed for equality the more we Christians felt our freedom of religion and our rights were being trampled.

As same-sex marriage became the law of the land, the gay community further pushed its agenda onto sacred ground. Through lawsuits and other means, they have been forcing bakers, florists, photographers, wedding planners, and even some churches to violate their deep-held religious beliefs or face harsh, legal consequences.

To me it’s wrong for the U.S. government to tell anyone of any religion they have to violate core tenants of their faith in order to do business in this country. That’s tantamount to religious persecution. That’s why our pilgrim forefathers left England to settle here. Freedom of religion is at the very heart of the U.S. Constitution.

Under no circumstances should the government be forcing Christians to provide services to the gay community. Christians should be voluntarily doing it of their own free will.

Anyone professing to be a Christian who refuses to serve homosexuals is clearly violating the commands of Jesus and is making a mockery of our faith. I know that statement may seem contradictory and harsh, but it’s true. I’ve been re-reading the four gospels of the New Testament and have come to the realization that I and many of my brothers and sisters in Christ have been misinterpreting the scriptures. We cling to the verses that tell us to be set apart from sin and the things of this world. We are in – not of – this world.

As I read the words of Jesus and see his example, I’m reminded that he did not sit in the temples preaching the Good News and calling sinners to him. He met the sinners where they were. He stayed at the homes of tax collectors, befriended prostitutes, and aided oppressive Roman soldiers.

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” Jesus said in Luke 5: 31-32.

In his teachings, Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God and love others. (Mark 12:29-31) You can’t love someone you’re pushing away.

The really convicting scripture is in Luke 6:27-31, “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Jesus essentially says the same thing in the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the story, a man is beaten and robbed by thieves and left for dead on a road. A priest and a Levite (religious leader) pass by the man, ignoring him. Then a Samaritan (sworn enemy of the Israelites) comes by and not only helps the man, but takes him to an inn an pays the innkeeper to take care of him. (Luke 10:30-37)

I think when Christians refuse service to LGBT people we are behaving more like the priest and Levite and in opposition to the Samaritan. This is wrong. We can be compassionate and fair and demonstrate the love of God without passing judgment or condoning the sin.

Baking a cake for a gay couple does not make you gay or in any way make you complicit in their relationship or lifestyle. It does open the door for you to reach out to them with the truth of the scriptures. That’s an opportunity that’s lost if you don’t help them.

By refusing to bake a cake, take photographs or arrange flowers, Christians not only alienate themselves from the people they should be reaching, but they further enhance the public perception of Christians being judgmental hypocrites.

I could go on, but I will leave this here and eagerly await the ruling from the Supreme Court. It’s not a decision I’d like to have to make because of all the legal and constitutional implications that accompany it. It would be an easy decision for me to make, however, based on faith and behavior.

(Note: This column was not published in the newspaper.)

Trump hater delivers distasteful message about free speech

As a journalist and lifelong defender of the First Amendment, I find this column to be excruciatingly difficult to write.

I never want to see anyone’s right to free speech or free expression infringed, especially by the government. At the same time, I find my moral values of decency, honor, and respect to be violated whenever anyone flagrantly abuses that right. This is the case with Fort Bend County resident Karen Fonseca and her infamous white pickup truck with the vulgar “F--- Trump” window sticker.

I don’t know Fonseca and to the best of my knowledge have never met her or her husband Mike Fonseca. Nor have I seen their truck in anything other than photographs. Those photographs, however, are hard to miss, especially on social media.

I have an extremely low tolerance of vulgarities (swear words, cuss words or whatever you want to call them), which is ironic because as a youngster I had quite the potty mouth. Obviously I have outgrown that and have learned to tame my tongue.

I find that people who will not or cannot communicate without swearing are generally people lacking in self-control and/or have inept communication skills. I do not think more of those who cuss but less – a lot less. This is especially the case when the vulgarity is printed in such a way that the message is one-directional. In Fonseca’s case, she is boldly displaying her message to the world around her without receiving immediate response in return.

A few weeks ago she received a response. Numerous people complained to the sheriff’s office about it and Sheriff Troy Nehls took action. He posted a submitted photo of the offending truck on his Facebook page asking if anyone knew the owner.

“If you know who owns this truck or it is yours, I would like to discuss it with you,” he wrote. “Our Prosecutor has informed us she would accept Disorderly Conduct charges regarding it, but I feel we could come to an agreement regarding a modification.”

The sheriff’s post ignited a firestorm of protest about the sheriff attempting to violate Fonseca’s right to free speech (which I believe he was). Shortly after she was identified to the sheriff, Fonseca was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant in an unrelated case. Her supporters continued to cry foul, saying she never would have been arrested if it were not for the sticker.

(It’s my thought that if you have a warrant out for your arrest, the last thing you’d want to do is attract attention to yourself. That and with a warrant she would have eventually been arrested anyway. All this did was expedite the process.)

The giant window decal that started this mess reads “Yeah … F--- Trump and F--- you for voting for him.” It included the drawing of an upraised middle finger. Although the discussion Nehls wanted did not appear to take place, Fonseca did make a modification. Next to her first sticker she put a smaller identical one that exchanged Trump’s name with Troy Nehls.

There were many who speculated that the only reason Nehls went after Fonseca was to create some publicity for a potential run for Congress. Not only did Nehls deny that, he opted not to run. In the meantime, Fonseca has been trading on her 15 minutes of fame (or infamy) by selling stickers and shirts with her vulgar, profane message of hate. She is the one who is capitalizing on the incident and has been enjoying the status of an Internet celebrity.

All kinds of people have been cheering her on and posing for photos with her and the truck, including State Rep. Ron Reynolds. She has become a poster child for free speech. Fonseca has given voice to those who are tired of living under the perception of an oppressive police state.

While it’s hard to argue that, in my book she is a villain. She has taken so much of what is wrong in this world today and flaunted it as if it were something glorious to behold. It’s disgusting and disheartening.

Set aside the free speech issue for a moment and look at what she has accomplished. She has further eroded levels of decency. She encourages the use of profanity, which benefits no one and just stirs negative passions in people. She encourages disrespect for authority. She is aiding significantly to the moral decline in society. She is further dividing a country that is in desperate need of unity. She is driving a wedge between citizens and law enforcement, vilifying police at a time when there needs to be more communication with and compassion for our uniformed protectors.

Lost in all of this is any reason for her dislike of President Trump. Her real message is not being delivered, or is it? Maybe her message isn’t so much targeted at Trump as it is at all of her neighbors who voted for him and even those of us who didn’t vote for him but must still be subjected to her vulgar message of hate.

Let’s be clear, her message is one of hate and disrespect. Personally, I can’t stand for that. So that is why I find this column so hard to write. I should be cheering her for championing free speech, but my moral compass won’t allow me to do that when the message is so vile and repulsive. I can only hope and pray that she will someday see the error of her ways and find a positive message that will help solve problems, not cause them.

Help support quality, local journalism with a donation to the Fort Bend Star

Why should you voluntarily pay for something you get for free?

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Traditionally, whenever anyone subscribes to a print product, the majority of their subscription fee pays for delivery of the product. We give that to our readers at our expense. Unfortunately we are not immune to the affects the economy is having on our industry. Budget-minded advertisers everywhere are diverting a lot of their efforts to the “free” platforms of social media despite readership of newspaper content being at an all-time high.

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Meet Mexico’s biggest fan of the Houston Texans

I want to introduce you to one of the greatest Houston Texans fans in the world.

It’s easy to be a fan of a team when you live in their market area. Not only does Armando Oceguera live 1,000 miles from Houston, he lives in a country where most sports fans would rather watch soccer than football. Armando, 29, lives in Mexico City where he founded and operates Somos Texans Mexico (We Are Texans Mexico), the official fan club of the Texans in Mexico.

I recently had lunch with him at Avalon Diner. He was a guest of our intrepid traveling photographer Max Siker. Max was in town to photograph the Texans for anther newspaper and ended up sharing an Airbnb with Armando. For those who don’t know Max, he lives in Wisconsin but serves as a freelance sports photographer for the Fort Bend Star. He has made it to every Texans road game this year except for one two weeks ago at the Los Angeles Rams.

Armando makes it to a few Texans games each year and desperately wanted to be at NRG Stadium when Andre Johnson was inducted as the first member of the Ring of Fame. Not only did he make it to the game, but the Texans provided him with a VIP pre-game sideline pass. There he got to meet, visit and take pictures with team owner Bob McNair.

Bob McNair and Armando Oceguera

“He was happy to hear about our group and the support in Mexico,” Armando said.

During the day Armando is a senior finance supervisor for the shipping company DHL. Come game day, however, he’s all about the Houston Texans. His man cave at home is decked out in Texans memorabilia. Somos Texans Mexico has about 100 or so members. Half are in Mexico City and half are in Monterrey, Mexico. He even has a Facebook page dedicated to the group.

“When I was 12 or 11 years old I saw a new logo on the NFL website,” he said.

When he was 14, the Texans played their first game. Not only did Armando watch on TV, but he can tell you the opponent and the score off the top of his head (Texans beat the Cowboys 19-10).

“I loved the uniform, colors, logo … so I decided to be a Houston Texans fan,” he said.

At first his family wasn’t convinced he was in his right mind. When it comes to the NFL, they rooted for the Raiders.

“They like the way I support the Texans … it’s healthy, not a bad thing,” he said. “They became Texans fans because of me.”

Last year the Texans played the Raiders in Mexico City. Armando shelled out $400 for tickets and participated in every single game-related event he could.

“I was at the airport when they arrived,” he said, adding that the Texans gave him insider information that also included the hotel they stayed at.

Unfortunately, his best friend was getting married out of town the same weekend as the game. He went to the wedding on Saturday and pulled an all-nighter to be at the game on Sunday.

“Whenever I see an event of the Texans I try to do it,” he said. “I’ve got to be there.”

This year he flew to West Virginia to attend the Texans training camp. Last April he came to Houston for the draft party. He’s met several of the players and has a growing autograph collection. If all goes well, he hopes to go to the game in Jacksonville on Dec. 17. Max also plans to be there.

(I won’t be at the game. It’s my anniversary that day and I’d rather stay married than attend a game. Besides, I’m already in enough hot water for making plans to cover the game against the Steelers on Christmas Day.)

I can relate to a lot of what Armando is going through with Somos Texans Mexico. Although I didn’t mention it to him, at about the same time he was forming his club, I was forming the Lone Ranger Fan Club. I ran it for about nine years before handing over the reins to someone else. It was a lot of fun to run the club, even if the character wasn’t popular and my family and friends thought I was some kind of a nut case for doing it. Armando is still going strong with his club, even if most people in Mexico City would rather watch soccer than the NFL.

Armando is a really nice guy and a dedicated fan. I hope our paths will cross again some day. Even if that never happens, we can both proudly say Somos Texans! 

Broadside of elephants hits just in time for the holidays

(Using my best Joker voice from “The Dark Knight”) And here … we … go!

The dumbstruck expression on his face when nothing happens isn’t unlike the one I now have staring the holidays square in the face. Not only did this season sneak up on me, it blasted me with a broadside that would sink half the Navy.

That old saying that the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time feels kind of obsolete as I have more than one elephant on my plate. The whole herd is sitting there with a couple hippos thrown in for good measure. Not only am I full, but I’m tired of elephant and I need to go on a diet. Those darn critters just seem to keep multiplying like rabbits.

November and December are traditionally busy times in the Southern household. This year it has been complicated by my wife and two oldest sons taking weekend jobs at the Texas Renaissance Festival. I’m glad they’re doing it but it just parades another elephant onto my plate as the burden of more household chores falls on the shoulders of our youngest son and me.

I don’t mind taking on the extra load at home, but with a full schedule some things have got to give. The same thing applies here at work. This edition of the paper was to be ready for press Saturday morning. It normally goes Tuesdays at 10 a.m. I had just a few days notification of this change due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

On top of that, this is the week we publish the Fort Bend/Katy Business Journal. Oh, did I mention we’ve recently had a change of personnel and procedures in our design department? We’ve got good people; they’re just not up to speed yet. Picking up some of that slack is just another elephant on my plate.

At home, my wife just celebrated her birthday. Our youngest son’s birthday is coming up, as is my father-in-law’s birthday, my parent’s anniversary and, oh yeah, my wedding anniversary. All of that comes before Christmas.

Please allow me to introduce you to more of the herd while we’re at it. My car is on its last legs (again) and needs more costly repairs than it’s worth. Our washing machine is acting up, our furnace gave up the ghost and needs to be replaced and our drains for the washer and the bathtub appear to have either collapsed or silted in and need to be replaced. Those are just the big-ticket items. Believe me when I say that each of those elephants have offspring they keep well nourished!

All of this reminds me of an old saying, “When you’re up to your (backside) in alligators, it’s hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp!” Come to think of it, maybe some of those critters aren’t elephants, they’re just big, hungry gators!

Another thing that has been simmering on the backburner of my mind is now boiling over. That is my self-imposed deadline to finally finish writing my book about the Texas Revolution. I’ve been working on it for three years and I made finishing it my top, No. 1 priority for the year. It’s still in the same condition it was back in January when I set the deadline. I know it’s something I can postpone, but that’s what I’ve been doing for three years and it’s killing me to keep putting it off.

Despite all these elephants (and alligators and hippos), I must still count my many blessings. My home did not flood during Hurricane Harvey and I’m not living with the mess of reconstruction. My car is still running (barely) and did not get flooded. We have extra income from the weekend jobs at the Texas Renaissance Festival.

Additionally, this is has been a banner year for me. I’m living out a lifelong dream to be a sports photographer by photographing Texans, Astros and Skeeters games. I got to do some “week of” Super Bowl coverage. My in-laws took my family on a Caribbean cruise last summer (major bucket list item). Our prodigal son returned home! My daughter landed her first real job teaching English in China. My wife completed her master’s degree. I have a job that love and work with people that I like and respect.

All things considered, it’s been a very good year. So why am I feeling crushed under the weight of all those elephants? Most of my problems can be resolved by moving to a new home and buying a new car. Financially, however, the two are not combatable but appear to be necessary. I can also chip away at the birthdays, anniversaries and holidays as they approach. (One bite at a time!). I can set aside time to work on the book and at least let it simmer some more. As much as I’d like to finish it, at least making significant progress by the end of the year would reduce the boiling frustration I feel.

So, here I am with five weeks left in the year facing a broadside of things to do and elephants to eat. I guess it’s time to pick up my knife and fork, stand on the precipice and look back at that swamp full of giant creatures and shout, “bring it on!”

So once again, I say, “And here … we … go!”