The Senate Nominations Committee will consider Perkins' nomination at a meeting this aftenoon at 1 pm. or 30 minutes after the Senate adjourns in the Senate chamber.Yesterday, the nomination of Dr. Bryan Shaw came up, to continue as one of three commissioners over the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Most of the Senate Democrats opposed the confirmation, based on the silly notion that the state agency charged with protecting the environment should...well, you know...do a little of that from time to time.
During the course of that debate, Republican Senator Mike Jackson, who chairs the Senate Nominations Committee, the first stop for all these appointees, remarked in defense of Dr. Shaw that the Senate needs to look beyond policy differences, and instead cast their votes based on a particular appointee's qualifications, experience, and expertise.
Fair enough, Chairman Jackson. Let's talk about Shanda Perkins . Ms. Perkins is pending in Jackson 's Nominations Committee, as a Perry appointee to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Her committee hearing is today.
What are Shanda Perkins' qualifications? Well, she led a revolt against sex toys .
Her holy quest to rid Planet Earth of the scourge of people doing whatever they want in the privacy of their own homes landed one woman in jail, and the whole mess ended up in Federal Court. The courts eventually ruled that Ms. Perkins' goal, and the law that goes with it, is unconstitutionally illegal.
Perkins' only other qualification for appointment by Perry seems to be that she was caught passing out anonymous fliers attacking Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison at Republican events.
So what's it gonna be, Mr. Chairman? Is the talent bar in Texas so low these days that we're going to entrust decisions, regarding who remains in prison and who is set free, to a political hack anti sex toy crusader who is unconcerned with the U.S. Constitution?
The appointment is an embarrassment .
UPDATE: The Senate Nominations Committee approved Perkins' nomination on a 4-1 vote, with Sen. Elliott Shapleigh the lone opponent. Unfair Park broke the news of the committee vote; see also brief coverage from AP.
MORE (5/7): From the Dallas News' Trail Blazers Blog:
When Shapleigh quizzed Perkins and three other Perry appointees to the board about their credentials, the other three cited advanced degrees, years of prison work and experience in state and local government. Perkins cited her experience as a Sunday school teacher and a church youth counselor.AND MORE: Best coverage yet of the hearing from Jim Vertuno at AP who reports:
The ACLU sent Perry's office a letter Wednesday saying Perkins' has "no relevant qualifications for the position and no identifiable experience in the area of corrections policy" and her nomination should be withdrawn.
Perkins' approval "will fail to promote fairness on the parole board or confidence in the criminal justice system," the letter said.
and also this tidbit:
Shapleigh also asked how she would vote if there was new evidence that could show a death row inmate may be mentally disabled, which would prevent them from being executed.
"I would vote against," execution, Perkins said.
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32 comments:
Grits: I could not agree with you more. The only time she has obviously spent out of the beauty shop having her hair done and nails polished and near any law books was having this particular picture taken! What an absolute fiasco!
Ms. Perkins quest brings up a whole bunch of malapropism's such as "I'll give up my sex toy when they pry my cold, dead but very satisfied fingers from around it" and "When sex toys are outlawed, only outlaws will have sex toys".
You would think that there should be some other reason she would sit on this board besides this and political reliability. Maybe since Ricko wants to secede the new Texas constitution would not have that pesky right to privacy stuff.
I had to find out what all the fuss was about and have just been giggling through this report about how the whole Shanda thing started:
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2004-04-08/news/sex-toy-story/
This appointment is a disgrace. How Perry does this without any shame is beyond me. This woman has absolutely no qualifications whatsoever to sit on the Board of Pardons and Parole. None.
I guess we will find out soon that Ms. Perkins was also a big supporter of all young women getting the HPV vaccine. There has to be something more to this.
No 2:00, there doesn't have to be more to it. Passing out anti-Kay Bailey flyers will get her there in Perry's mind.
This WOMAN looks the part. Typical Texas loser admired by our idiot Governor because she can stir conservatives to vote for his re-election. God help Texas!
This is a typical Rick Perry appointment. Crony and good-ole-gal. She would not bring one bit of experience or talent to her role other than being a Perry hack!
She was confirmed by the committee 4-1.
Well, I guess we have to welcome Ms. Perkins to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. If she so against sex toys, maybe she will have the same view towards sex offenders.
Yes Gary, if all else fails just play the "tuff on sex offenders" card. Are not the laws and social stigma against sex offenders tuff enuff as it is? I would have thought politicians had used up all the "sex offender" capitol by now.
duaneh1 - Well, I sill have an issue with repeat sex offenders and the fact that the county I live in has a big problem with child molesters. More is being done about the issue at this time than ever before in my county. I realize all offenders are not the same, but I have little remorse for true pedofiles and repeat rapist. I believe for some we need to throw away the key to keep our communities safe. I am well aware there are many views regarding this issue and I respect that.
JUST VOTE NO TO PERRY! Go Kinky!
Gary, Pretty much everybody hates true pedophiles, there are plenty of laws against them and some are downright over the top. Just because this puritan sex toy crusader is "tuff on sex offenders" adds nothing to her qualifications and to try to link "sex offenders" with "sex toys" is nothing but a cheap shot and pandering to the busybody moralists.
Yeah I hate them pedophiles too, so what else is new?
Gary, do your work for Governor Perry? You do, don't you?
Does anyone else think she looks like Peg Bundy of Married with Children fame? Very Scary!
Be nice: The Dallas News finally got a better photo of her yesterday, where she looked quite respectable at her confirmation hearing.
The fact that Governor Perry gave a $ 100,000.00 donation to Shanda's Church , which he is not a member of , does not bother anyone? Helloooo! If you will listen to the archived Committee Hearing you will find out . She said she had no idea about the donation, wow ! She has belonged to this Church for 20+ years as a counsellor, Sunday School teacher etc. but she had NOOOO idea about the donation ? And NOOOO her appointment is NOT political !
Her testimony was pathetic.
The fact she brought along her own witnesses , long time friends and co-workers must make you think again. The other3 nominees did not feel they needed their "homeboys" to root for them. This whole thing stinks to high heaven!
OK, so who would you rather appoint to the BPP?
While I do not think Mrs Perkins should have the job, if people are sent to prison by their peers on a jury, then maybe they should have their peers sit on the BPP to decide if they get to come home early or not? She would fit that job criteria.
Someone would need to fill the vacant seat if she were now removed, so who would you want to do it? Would any of the above commentors be willing to have the job?
In response to Sunray's question -
Someone with an intellegent, fair and open mind that haven't spent their adult life aligned with a political and religious system that believes they are right and everyone else is wrong and makes it their business to use the government to enforce their way of thinking.
Other than that I think she is fine.
The Evangelicals are the only bunch you are allowed to go after these days. Every other group is off limits. You can be as nasty as ya wanna be when going after them.
The ACLU is very uncomfortable with Christianity, and especially with those Christians who take their religion seriously. They will not go after those who belong to the liberal denominations but they would prefer that even those would finally "get over it."
76.5% (159 million) of Americans identify themselves as Christian. This is a major slide from 86.2% in 1990. This is not fast enough for the ACLU so any serious religious interest must be treated as if it were abnormal and somehow dangerous. The way they undermine religion is sometimes very subtle.
Homegirl lied under oath. She is not on the approved volunteer list at TDCJ. She hasn't seen the inside of a prison!
Hey, maybe this will lead the way for an enhancement for "use of a sex toy in the commission of a felony." I would feel soooooo safe.And if "Homegirl" did lie in the confirmation hearing, she SHOULD see the inside of a prison.
That is a better pic. Looks like she got a Sarah Palin makeover on the hairdo! That may be the answer on why she was picked.
Now that i think of it, that hair bump does create a subliminal illusion of a large brain. We should all try that!
Gary, I am a sex offender, and year after year I hear this same FUD from those of you that like to spread it. Fact is, SO 's are the lowest re-offenders out of all criminal elements barring murderers (but they don;t get much of a chance to do it twice). only 3 to 7 % of offenders will ever re-offend. Most of us are truly sorry for our actions, hyave gone to counciling, and have moved forward in a lawful lifestyle; yet idiots like YOU continue to spread crap. And no, I didn't hit some kid over the head and drag them in the bushes. My victim was in a bar with her sister's ID.
I bet you didn't know that over 90% of all sexual offenses happen in the home by a family member or a trusted friend. The vast majority of us have stated that what we did was wrong, and have made ourselves into better people because of it.
However, as long as stupid people like you exist we will never see any real change in how we are dealt with.
If you have a large population of re-offending sex offenders, then you must be in prison because the ones outside are not doing deviant things any longer.
And to give you a little more information. Not ALL rSO's are convicted. They hold even those that were not convicted on their registry. So dude get educated or get off my planet.
"The Evangelicals are the only bunch you are allowed to go after these days"
No I hate all religious affiliations and go after all of them with equal zeal...
Possession of a sex toy is a felony isn't it? This IS Texas. LOL
Is this Tammy Faye Bakker reincarnated?
Another blog closed down in the defense of free speech.
Someone said:
He can get a facility closed, but he can't get the offenders prosecuted.
This is TYC, you can't touch the bad actors. Forgetaboutit!
Another blog said:
New comments have been disabled for this post by a blog administrator.
You have to say only the right thing.
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