July 22, 2016: Del Rio News-Herald * OPINION * Letter to the Editor * Hondo iconic road sign threatened

Letter to the Editor,

Hondo iconic road sign threatened

Mr. Cristiano: Did you hear the Freedom From Religion Foundation wants Hondo to remove its famous sign on Highway 90, the one that reads: “This is God’s country; please don’t drive through it like hell.”

Mrs. Cristiano: Really! I’ve always loved reading that road sign out loud, ever since I was a little girl.  If I was awake when we passed through Hondo, I was always on the lookout for that sign as we drove by, so I could have the pleasure of reading it. If I was somehow distracted my Dad would always remind me that the sign was up ahead so that I would be sure not to miss it. And when I was going to college in San Antonio all my friends knew that I just had to read it out loud and they would always make fun of me for doing that. And you know I’ve kept up that tradition and now Missy and Junior read it out loud along with me whenever we drive through Hondo.

Mr. Cristiano: Well now they want to take it down because two unidentified Texans complained about the sign which is on public property and it references God.

Mrs. Cristiano: That’s terrible. I hope the city of Hondo stands up to them. I would really miss not seeing that sign anymore. I think it’s a great sign with a very poignant and powerful message; I especially love the play on words, meaning that we need to drive safely and obey the speed limits because Hondo is like a slice of heaven and reckless driving is like a crazy demon wrecking paradise and turning it into a hell hole.

Mr. Cristiano: It sounds like they’re going to fight it because the mayor is quoted as saying: “There’s no way in hell that sign is coming down.” And all the people that were interviewed in Hondo felt passionately about that sign, which they said was so much a part of the city and their life.

Mrs. Cristiano: Well good for them and I hope they win because I would hate to see that sign gone; another treasured tradition trashed and part of our collective past taken away because it is not “politically correct” to reference, much less, to reverence God.

Marian Casillas, Ed.D.