Training for law enforcement officers

 In her blog, Texas Should Reject An Anti-immigration law, my school colleague has stated Texas should not pass a new immigration law that will probably be introduced in the next legislative session, because law enforcement officers are not trained to recognize a documented from an undocumented alien. However the state and cities do not want to constantly be pulled into court for violating someone’s constitutional rights. I’m sure if this law is past they will get the training to handle the situation.

18 year Olds and the Right to Bear Arms

One of the most powerful lobbyists groups in the country has filed a lawsuit challenging a Texas law, which does not allow anyone under the age of 21 to buy a gun or carry a concealed weapon, as being unconstitutional.  Mike Ward’s article “NRA Opens new front in guns rights battle” appears in the November 25^th 2010, issue of the Austin American Statesman.

According to Ward, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has filed a lawsuit to allow 18-20 year-olds the right to buy guns and then allow those guns to be carried as concealed weapons. He quotes Chris Cox, the executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, as saying, “ The U.S Supreme Court clearly stated that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms for all law-abiding Americans…That right is not limited only to Americans 21 years of age and older.”

Ward also quotes Daniel Vice, senior attorney for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence “This is an unprecedented attempt to arm teenagers … even though most states currently restrict them from carrying a concealed weapon … teen gang members could buy guns if this law is changed.”

Both sides have very good arguments and I’m sure this will end up in the U.S. Supreme court. This fight will have the same argument as the fight for the right to give 18’s the right to vote. If they are old enough to fight for this country then they are old enough to vote or buy guns. Even though I hate to admit it, because if it was up to me nobody but hunters and military would own guns, I think the NRA has a valid point. The age of accountability is 18 in this country and other constitutional rights are protected at this age. If the U.S. Supreme court has stated law abiding citizens have the right to bear arms then I see no reason why that ruling should not apply to all law abiding citizens who can be held accountable for their choices.

The 10-20 rule

In his blog titled “When our Backs are Turned,” jadamsark, reminds us of the veto power invested in Governor Rick Perry.  Because of the 10-20 rule, the Governor can keep a bill from becoming law simply by vetoing it after the regular 140 day legislative session is over and all the legislators have gone home.  They do not have the power to return and try to rally a vote to override the veto, so it stays.

This process seems to disrupt the ideal of checks and balances that our national founding fathers fought so hard to preserve in the U.S Constitution.

Who Should be Endorsing Candidates?

     Every election year the question is brought up of who should be endorsing political candidates. This time around, Gov. Perry started running a television campaign advertisement featuring the widow of slain Houston police officer, Rodney Johnson. Sgt. Josyln Johnson claims White, as mayor of Houston, supported policies involving immigration that made it hard for police officers to safely do their job resulting in the death of her husband. White fought back accusing Gov. Perry, of “shamelessly exploiting the grief of a widow.”

      The fact that White claims Sgt. Johnson is a grieving widow makes it sound like he thinks she is incapable of thinking rationally about who is qualified to be the next governor of the state.  Sgt. Johnson, like her husband, is a member of the Houston police force and should not be challenged on which candidate she supports based on her grief. She knew what the immigration policies were while White was Mayor; she had to follow them every day she went to work.  She has a right to throw her support behind the person she thinks will best support her ideals, especially if she feels those opposing ideals were responsible for her husband’s death.

     There was no coercion used on the republican’s side to receive this endorsement for Gov. Perry. Maybe what bothers the White campaign the most: Sgt. Johnson is an admitted Democrat and chose to cross party lines to endorse Gov. Perry. 

    No matter what is going on in your personal life or what your political party affiliation is, everyone has the right to support the candidate of their choice. It is the American way.

Corpus Christy Drivers Beware

Has the city of Corpus Christy found a solution to bringing in revenue in this down trodden economy or is it just living up to the reputation Texas has of being tuff on Crime? Scott Henson, writes for Grits for Breakfast and is responsible for the article entitled “Corpus Christi will begin insurance checkpoints, auction off uninsured vehicles.” According to Henson, the city council has approved $180,000 from the city’s general fund to help police catch uninsured vehicles.  The plan is to hire two more impound officers, buy one more tow truck, and increase the amount of car auctions from six a year to twelve.  This should bring in around $510,000 for the city’s budget.

First time offenders will get the maximum penalty: a citation which includes a $175 to $350 fine and the car will be impounded. It will cost additional $280 to liberate the car from the impound lot. Citizens who fail to pay the fees could have their car sold off at auction at the end of 30 days.

The police chief also plans to “set up insurance check points and tow uninsured vehicles.”

Henson also brings up the fact that Dallas has similar laws; they are not as severe in their auction policy. However it doesn’t keep drivers from driving without insurance, it only bleeds the violators dry from a financial point. Therefore, it might not be the best solution to keep uninsured drivers off the roads, but it will bring in more revenue to help the city budget.

Guns on Texas College Campuses

A guest speaker was scheduled to appear at the University of Texas and tell why concealed weapons should be allowed on all Texas college campuses. However around 8:30 that morning shots rang out, warning sirens went off and the order came to lock down the school; someone on campus was shooting a gun.

 "Bystanders with Guns Can Prove Deadly ", written by Arthur Markman, was published the next day in The Dallas News.  Markman, who is a professor at the University of Texas and also a psychologist, had some very convincing arguments as to why concealed guns should not be allowed on campuses

He had two reasons for not arming civilians: abstraction and chocking under pressure.  When people think of something that can happen in the future, they look at it abstractly. It is easy to think of what one might do if put in that situation because the brain does not add the chaos into the scene. He compared it to a movie in which it is easy to identify an “armed suspect”, but real life is not like the movies. If you have someone shooting in a crowded area there are going to be people screaming, running around, and it is going to be very chaotic. Now add one more tier to the existing chaos when civilians start pulling out guns from their back packs. Who are they going to shoot at? What if they shoot the wrong person and kill a would - be- hero just like themselves? Police officers go through months of training to learn how to deal with this type of situation, the average civilian with a gun does not.

Is This a Fiscal Crisis for Texas?

Whose fault is it? The Texas budget could top a 20 billion dollar short fall next year and Governor Rick Perry would like us to believe the fault lies completely with Washington.  The article, “Perry skips over state’s role in budget shortfall”, written by Jason Embry for The statesmen, brings up some good points concerning the shortfall. He points out that it is true the current economic down turn which was started in Washington does affect the tax collections in the state, but our own politicians have also played a part in it as well. In 2006, they increased school spending and cut taxes, therefore helping to create the situation. When you combine the two together plus a recession you have the perfect set up for a fiscal crisis. Taxes, whether they are raised or cut, always affect everyone. It is why I took a second look at this article and why I think it is worth reading.