Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Help support Grits coverage with contribution

I'm headed to Houston today, primarily to attend a House Corrections Committee hearing tomorrow morning on reentry services, but also to take up Alan Bernstein from the Harris County Sheriff's Office on his offer of a jail tour, in which he will make the case why Harris County needs to expand their facilities. Obviously Grits for Breakfast readers will get a full report from both events upon my return, if not sooner (depending on my schedule and wifi access). I'm only able to cover out-of-town events, purchase resource materials, pay for open records requests, etc., because of donations from generous readers, including several who make $8 monthly 'subscription' contributions and whoever else hits the donate button in the right-hand column.

I've not done a contribution request for the blog in quite a while, but after travel costs, hotel room, etc., for this trip, Grits' resources for such extras are running a little low. What's more, there are several more events in the near future I'd hoped to attend: In particular, I've been invited by the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee to testify on the Driver Responsibility surcharge at an upcoming hearing in Plano, and there's a conference I'd hoped to attend to develop some specific, blog-related skills.

So if you're a regular Grits reader who thinks what's going on here is valuable - particularly if you want to help support this blog's efforts on the Driver Responsibility surcharge - use the buttons below to make a one-time donation to Grits (Paypal payment) or donate $8 monthly (Paypal subscribe).


Regrettably, Grits is not a non-profit so the system will charge sales tax. Several people in recent months have encouraged me to formally organize the blog as a non-profit to be able to take tax-deductible contributions, and perhaps that needs to happen. But for now, this is what we've got to work with and I'd appreciate any help readers can provide. Thanks a lot, folks.

17 comments:

John said...

Hey grits. I will donate $8.00 for you. I am one of the people chomping at the bit for any more news on the Driver Resposiblitiy Program. I have been checking day after day looking for more info but have noticed a lack of updates, not doubt, because you have no new info. So any and all new info on this matter will help ease my mind until all is said and done. $8.00 is a hell of a lot less than the $7500.00 the DPS wants to milk me for! LOL!

Anonymous said...

While vising scenic Harris County, be sure and visit the County Jail's Inmate Processing Center, and see what a goat screw that place is.
Talk to the inmates and see what they were arrested for.

TDCJEX said...

Scott Thanks creating Grits for Breakfast. You have said a lot of things that needs saying . . The Non profit Idea is a great one not only does the tax deduction help but You will have More “Official Credibility 'as in a press pass where needed . You can also do more with Grits . The driver responsibility Surcharge is just another small thing that states do to infringe on our rights and take our money a lot of states have some version of this revenue enhancement program.

MKat said...

I've wondered how you paid for the things you do. I've signed up for a subscription for 24 months.

While I don't agree with everything you say, it's good to find someone who can make a good arguement without sounding like a ranting ultra-biased fool. Sometimes it gives me food for thought. Which, I believe, is the whole point.

Anonymous said...

I am a bail bondsman in Houston. I agree and disagree with you on many issues Scott and really do appreciate the fact that you do keep an open forum for discussion even when the responses are in total disagreement with your own opinion; and yes even when you purposely offer up your always eloquently written negative and sometimes sarcastic responses directly to me.

It is your blog and you could certainly choose to censor those responses. I have tried on many occasions to provide enough information when our views are at odds with each other and in most cases you have remained un-persuaded, yet always open to discussion.

Your efforts are very much appreciated and the only way for citizens to draw their own opinions on important subject matter such as the criminal justice system or any other controversial issues is to be able to sift through opposing views.

Mainstream media reporters simply do not have the ability to properly research and tend to be subjective rather than objective in their reporting. Deadlines and their own views typically dictate the tempo of the article and because it is the mainstream it is often digested as fact.

Because of the hours and efforts of those like you the blog has become a regular newsworthy entity and your input is missed as much as the coffee would be at the breakfast table when you take a break.

You are actually coming to our jail and I would so love to offer up suggestion, but not today. Today I would simply like to encourage others to donate to your blog. My eight bucks was well spent this morning.

Thank you for the consistency, your concern, and your insight.

Anonymous said...

Hey Grits, have you seen this article in today's news:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7087082.html

Now that's some real criminal justice reform! I think we should get a PayPal account set up to buy this kid some more ammo!

Anonymous said...

03:58

Home invasion is a popular thing these days. Here is one sample of what people listen to - wonder if that has any effect on their attitudes and behavior.

Home Invasion
All right! When we go up in this goddamn house
all I want is the motherfuckin' kids!
As far as pops I don't give a fuck what you do...
Bust him in his motherfuckin' head!
If he got any money, take it!
If there is money there, rob the motherfuckin' joint!
As far as moms bust her in her goddamn head!
Dumb bitch, that's the reason we're going up in there!
She don't know what the fuck she's talkin' about!

Everyone get back, this is a rap jack
I'm takin' your kids' brains, you aint gettin'em back
With a move of perfection, my dissection
Some call it lethal injection
I'm gonna fill'em with hard drums
Big drums, bitches, hoes and death, come on and get some
I'm not the nigga that you want to leave your kids alone
Cause I got my own opening-dome kit
And once again I'm gonna put them under my fuckin' spell
They might start givin' you fuckin' hell
Start changin' the way they walk
They talk, they act, now, whose fuckin' fault is that?
The home invader...

Yo, moms you can basically just suck my dick!
This is a home invasion...
Yo, pops that shit you talkin' is noise! Word! You full of shit!

Check this out, moms, I said time bomb
And they sit in your house and remain calm
Till you feed'em lies and the flip
Start talkin' crazy shit (Fuck you!)
Might call you and pops a fool
Tell ya that's why they hate school
Been offensive and askin' questions
Give your brain indigestion
Why? Why? Because I have indoctrinated the youth
Yhey're mentally intoxicated with truth
So they know the noise you talk are lies
Pretty damn soon they'll be by (I'm outta here)
They listen to me and i give'em the real
And every night caps get peeled
And every night a ho gets smacked
A fool gets jacked
Now, whose fuckin' fault was that?
The home invaders...

Yo! Yo! Yo!
All that shit you taught me, mom, was full of shit!
Know what I'm sayin'?
How the fuck you gonna tell me to run my motherfuckin' life?
Bitch! You dont even know who the fuck you are!
You talkin' about you don't like rap, you don't like how I dress!
Yo! Fuck you and pops! I'm outta here!
Both of y'all can kiss my ass...

All cops want me, so does the F.B.I.
Because my rhymes are fly
They still tryin' to stop m,e shut me down block me
Make motherfuckas boycott me
But that will never happen, it's impossible
I move straight through all obstacles
They say I'm fuckin' up the minds of little kids
But half of my fans are in college
P.M.R.C. suck my dick, please
You can kiss my ass while you're on your knees
Word! You're listening to the verbal assassinator
E's the crossfader, your factual updater
Until your cranium grows like uranium
Hard as titanium, parents, I'm blamin'em
For teachin' you lies about life, racist viewpoints
And other trite bullshit they learned back in the day
While I learned about death from an A.K.
But they'll never quite understand
Bam, bam, bam, no gat is the Walkman
Boom, bash, yeah, yo, it's goin' down
Me and Ice Cube are in town
But the fuckin' pigs cancelled the concert
They're just scared of some niggers that do work
What they do? What did I do?
Just say truth motherfucka and it's comin' through
I tell you what we did: we stole your fuckin' kids
The home invader...

All right! we got the motherfuckin' kids!
We outta here! C'mon...

Anonymous said...

amen to that 3:58. How much you willing to bet either of the two intruders were former or currently involved with Texas juvenile joke authorities?

Lets all hug those thugs, shall we? Lets ask how they were feeling before they committed this offense. I mean, screw victims. These two thugs need hugs and here's where they come to get it.

Anonymous said...

Amen to 3:58

What if this had happened in a liberal state? The progressives in the east coast states would be screaming to file charges against the kid who protected his 12 year old sister. They would be arguing that the home invaders were the victims. Go figure.

Gritsforbreakfast said...

John, the reason for a dearth of DRP updates is that we're waiting for the next DPS rule draft to come out and nothing's happening much. Honestly, it appears they're headed in a positive direction, but we'll know more in the next month. The draft rules should be published in the Register this month, according to the last timeline I heard, and there are two legislative committee hearings on the topic in early August.

3:58/others, since I supported Texas' castle doctrine law on this blog, I'm not sure how you think that example, much less the song lyrics, indict any positions I've taken on Grits.

To all others, thanks a lot for the kind words and contributions!

Anonymous said...

"I supported Texas' castle doctrine law on this blog."

Glad you broke with the pack on this issue. You have been solid in most of the other agenda items though.

Anonymous said...

You know those middle class kids who rush out and buy all the latest gangsta rap? Some say the kids who as teens were infatuated with "Cop Killer", "Home Invasion", etc. spend their 20s and 30s defending the real killers. Its another way to express the infatuation that dominated their teen years.

I have seen that these politically active smitten ones remain musical fans of the foul mouthed promoters of violence throughout their 20s, 30s and 40s. Have you ever wondered what they listen to as they drive to the house and senate hearings on corrections? Nothing feels so good as to defend a death row killer. Nothing is so fun as to help mainstream that type of vile. You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem.

Gritsforbreakfast said...

9:13, I didn't break with any pack because I wasn't running with one. I think and speak for myself alone, espousing no one party or creed. There are many (always anonymous) commenters on this blog who'd like to attribute to me every opinion they've ever disagreed with, as you and others have here, regardless of what I actually wrote on the topic. IMO that says a lot more about y'all than your false presumptions say about me.

10:45, I'm not actually anti-death penalty so, like these others above, you're just arguing against some culture-war stereotype you carry around in your head, not anything I've written on this blog. As for the musical preferences of reform activists, in my house we listen to both kinds of music ... county AND western. How does that fit into your anthropological theories?

Anonymous said...

On most issues this blog would line up with the ACLU, the New York Times and Berkley activist professors.

Gritsforbreakfast said...

If you say so, 1:10, though IMO it'd be more constructive if you'd argue against what's actually written here instead of just flaming against the hackneyed stereotypes you've ginned up in your mind.

Anonymous said...

I'm in for a tenski.

Anonymous said...

...and you people (the various wingnut annies) sure do love to run your mouths, don't you? This is about the unholy mess so ironically called the DRP, not a rap song from 1993. Stay on topic, keep taking your meds, and at least complain about the right decade.