Police and High Speed Chases~

Is is really worth your life to get involved in a high speed chase to get away from the police? Do people really think that they can get away from them? Lately, there have been numerous accounts of people making a run for it, and frankly, I am tired of reading about these individuals. What's worse, is that some of these people have children with them in their vehicle, and they are putting those children in harm's way. The children, of course, have no say in the matter, and they are forced to go along in the high speed chase. It's one thing to make a run for it when you are alone. How drunk or high or stupid does one have to be to think that it is in any way okay to do that to a child? Maybe there should be some sort of test to ensure that those types of people would not be able to have children! Then there are those individuals who, after being chased at high speeds, get out of their vehicle and pull a gun. The either shoot someone or get shot themselves. Then there are those who are so full of guilt or are so depressed that when they get out of their vehicle, they commit suicide rather than face the consequences of their actions. Is it really worth taking a life in trade for the punishment that would otherwise await them for their actions? Maybe it's the drugs or alcohol that makes them do these outrageous things. Or, maybe it's their lack of a conscience that allows them to do these types of things. I don't know as I have never been high on drugs as well as having a strong conscience that guides me through life. Maybe the authorities need to have more checkpoints to stop these individuals before a high speed chase is necessary. It might cost more money at first, but the savings would be huge in the end as the amount of human suffering would be greatly reduced. I don't know the right answer, but I do know that driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and running from the police is getting out of control.

Death Row In Texas....

Classmates critique

My classmate, Alexander Stowell, writes in his blog,"I do not think that people need to be on death row for ten plus years. That is ridiculous. People should not have to sit around that long knowing that they are going to be put to death." I disagree with this statement. If people do such a horrific crime that they are going to be put to death, I believe that they need to sit in jail and think about what they have done. I mean, what an easy way out it would be if we were to shorten the appeals process and execute the guilty ones right away. The perpetrator of the crime would have very little time to ponder over his guilt. Also, the prosecution would not have the time to reconsider the case in the off-chance that they made a mistake, and an innocent person might be executed wrongly. I do agree, however, that something needs to be done to the system in order to prevent another case like the Willingham case. We need to use the Willingham case as a lesson and find a way to not let it happen again. Putting people to death more quickly runs the risk of putting innocent people to death, and I think this is too great a gamble to take. I do not know the answer, nor do I think I will ever get a choice in what the answer should be. All I know is that shortening the appeals process is not, in my opinion, the right answer. But, yes, there needs to be better checks and balances in the process.

Should Our Tax Dollars Be Going To Women To Have Abortions?

The Travis County Healthcare District board is considering renewing two contracts with organizations that perform abortions. The contracts are due for renewal in December.

It's not that I'm against abortions in any way, shape or form. I'm not! People have the right to choose what they think is best for them. Personally, I would never choose to have an abortion, but that is my choice and my choice alone. Since it my choice to either have an abortion or carry the baby to full term, it should be my responsibility to pay for that that abortion should I decide to have one.

Property taxes are already very high in our county. The revenue raised from these taxes should be used for those services that the benefit the county population as a whole. Police and fire protection, streets and public health are but a few of these services. Providing for abortions is not one of these services.

Tensions run very high when it comes to abortions, and those who are agains abortions for any reason no matter how they are paid for do not need another reason such as public funding of abortions to feed their frenzy. Public funding of abortions to the tune of a half a million dollars just might push them over the edge. Possibly a better use of this money would be for better sex education programs that would inform the public on the safe sex practices that would ultimately reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and thus reduce the need for abortions, no matter how they were paid for.

Perry “looked like a desperate man."

2:51 PM Fri, Oct 16, 2009
Rodger Jones/Editorial Writer

He looks like Tricky Rick. Rodger Jones said in his blog about Perry and the Willingham case. His decision to dismiss members of the forensics commission and set back the inquiry was wrong. He said that Perry “looked like a desperate man.” Rodger doesn’t think that Willingham was totally innocent, and that everyone should read both the Beyler report and the Corsicana fire chief's tough rebuttal, as requested by the forensics commission. Though part of Beyler‘s report says A finding of arson could not be sustained based on the standard of care expressed by NFP921 or the standard of care expressed by fire investigation texts and papers in the period 1980-92. Therefore he never says it was or was not arson. Jones’s intended audience is “anyone who's wasting time and polluting the internet by memorializing Willingham as though he weren't a bad guy.” Jones has a very strong option on this case. I think that I still need a lot more evidence onto what I think, or now I guess thought, about Willingham and I probably will never have a strong option on him. But I do think that Perry looked like a “Tricky Rick” in his decisions about this situation in a whole.

Editorial: Perry's certainty about execution ignores Science.

02:55 PM CDT on Friday, September 25, 2009

Lately, there have been a lot of problems forming with Governor Perry from things he has said to now his Actions. In the editorial that I chose the question is did Perry execute and innocent man? Perry so certain that Willingham was guilty he delivered his own guilty verdict with out bothering to wait for Forensic Science Commissions conclusions. Perry also states to the Dallas News that the evidence was “overwhelming” against Willingham. I would think that he would stop and think about it what he was saying. Especially, when the arson investigation was rebuked by a nationally respected fire engineer, I have absolutely no clue what Perry was thinking. In this case I do agree with this editorial. But I also don’t know what I would do if I was in Perry’s position I would have wanted a lot more evidence before I put my own accountability at stake and signed off on it and letting it happen. Now, with all that has happened I really don’t blame him for replacing the chairman of the Texas Forensic Science Commission and getting everything set before the case happens.

Should the so called DREAM Act be passed?

Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors....aka DREAM act...Society today wouldn't be anything with out Education. Education breaks the cycle of poverty. So do you think that graduating from high school doing two years in either the Millitary or two of higher education is enough to be a US Citizen? Given the guidelines that have to be followed someone that has been here five years and since they have been 16 years old are probably going to be here forever. Regardless of his or her education or service in the Millitary. Any person who goes in to the US Millitary or an US college in my book have some moral standards, enough that they probably just want a different kind of life. So why not let them be Citizens?