tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post4020479566252318931..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Misplaced criminal-justice budget prioritiesGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-50238694658082458922015-05-31T19:32:16.022-05:002015-05-31T19:32:16.022-05:00They are a complete joke. They are a complete joke. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-31985043046222618412015-05-31T11:53:16.852-05:002015-05-31T11:53:16.852-05:00How did the lege ever get into such a mess? We, th...How did the lege ever get into such a mess? We, the People, request legislation from our "representatives" and expect each and every bill to have a chance for a vote, good bill or bad. How did individuals, special interest groups, and self-serving legislative rules get such power over us? Filibusters, calendar committees, cronyism, individuals not allowing a bill to be heard or voted on, and all the other shenanigans have nothing to do with We, the People. After 64 years on this planet this staunch conservative is beginning to believe the radical mantra that we are in an unrecoverable downward spiral. Even common sense has long since left the room. Compassion? Well compassion left the room even earlier. <br />There is a man, Robert Strother, buried in a cemetery near my house in Texas.<br />Born in 1786, <br />- 10 years after the signing of our Declaration of Independence,<br />- 14 years before George Washington died<br />- 3 years after the end of the American Revolution, <br />- The same year Davy Crockett was born. Can you say Alamo?<br />- Lived through the Franco-American Naval War<br />- Lived through the Barbary Wars<br />- Lived through War of 1812<br />- Lived through the Creek War<br />- Lived through the War of Texas Independence when Davy Crockett died at the Alamo<br />- And died in 1861, 4 days after the 6th battle of the Civil War.<br /> <br />There is another man, Albert Woolson, Duluth, Minnesota<br />born 1848 and , <br />- Was 13 when Robert Strother above died, <br />- Was the last surviving Union veteran of the Civil War, <br />- Died in on August 2, 1956, at age 109<br /> <br />I was 5 years old in 1956!!!! So I could have known a man who saw a man who saw George Washington!!<br /><br />We are such a young country to have fallen so far so fast. Bear with me in the following:<br /><br />In Cleveland two unarmed Americans in a car were killed when 60 squad cars and 100 officers fired 137 bullets in the direction of their stopped vehicle. Forty-seven bullets hit their bodies killing them. After all officers ceased firing one officer stood on their hood and fired at least 15 additional shots downward into the windshield. The passenger’s crime? Their car backfired. The officers? Well, 65 were found guilty of violating orders, nothing more, and a few were suspended for 10 days.<br /><br />A pizzeria and a bakery were heavily fined by the government for refusing to cater a gay wedding. (Please trolls, I am not anti-gay nor pro-gay, it is the individuals business and I support protection of their right to be gay. I do despise racism though). Would the businesses be in trouble if they refused to cater a wedding in a nudist colony? It seems to be okay to say "No shirt, no shoes, no service". Why? Can't I walk barefoot if I want? The First Amendment prevents the government from prohibiting the free exercise of religion. In 1956 the US Congress adopted "In God We Trust" as our official Motto. Why is a person's refusal to support or participate in a ceremony that flies in the face of their religious beliefs a finable offense? Would a Muslim butcher be fined for refusing to cater a pork barbecue for a Texas wedding?<br /><br />Why do I bring up these two incidents? Because nobody is watching the chicken coop while legislators spend all their time picking each other’s nose.<br />tiapanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-2997688895690494542015-05-31T11:37:49.569-05:002015-05-31T11:37:49.569-05:00Amen to that. Once a Republican, now a Democrat af...Amen to that. Once a Republican, now a Democrat after this session. We have to thank Bob Hall and Ellis for their efforts in the Senate to get the DRP bill passed in their chamber. However, to hell with Flynn who did a whole lot of nothing, and the calendar's committee chair for putting the bill behind campus open carry.... screw the hell out of The Speaker of the House... "it didn't germane" - whoever that answered that call to his office (poor lady) heard my wrath because what he did was demonstrate what a piece of shit he really is and she heard that loud and clear. I agree with the former comment and do believe we need federal intervention and oversight in Texas.... and to not even allow ban the box to get a vote? Pathetic. We need to find the incumbents that did nothing with these reforms and vote for the other candidate this next election. Sincerely - a New Democrat. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-32330116404351696942015-05-31T05:34:58.860-05:002015-05-31T05:34:58.860-05:00Screw every single one of them for not getting the...Screw every single one of them for not getting the reform bills passed. Too bad all elected offices don't have term limits. You have to wonder if the reform bills were ever seriously considered or if they were just pretending to care. It stands to reason that if our elected representatives really cared about their constituents, they would have found a way to pass all of the reform bills. Texas incarcerates more people than any other state and statistics say that 1 out of every 100 adults in America is in prison. Even worse, 1 out of 32 is on probation, parole or in prison. We really need to vote our worthless congress people out, while we still have the right to vote.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-39458430904453179352015-05-31T00:45:14.665-05:002015-05-31T00:45:14.665-05:00Scott, do you think there is an unspoken intention...Scott, do you think there is an unspoken intention to "make" the Feds step in and clear things up in Texas?sunray's wenchhttp://lookingforthecabinbythelake.blogspot.co.uk/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-19248405792633499772015-05-30T20:53:49.568-05:002015-05-30T20:53:49.568-05:00WSJ May 29, 2015
The nation’s two-decades-long c...WSJ May 29, 2015 <br /><br />The nation’s two-decades-long crime decline may be over. Gun violence in particular is spiraling upward in cities across America. In Baltimore, the most pressing question every morning is how many people were shot the previous night. Gun violence is up more than 60% compared with this time last year, according to Baltimore police, with 32 shootings over Memorial Day weekend. May has been the most violent month the city has seen in 15 years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-71869990139751046082015-05-30T17:08:59.006-05:002015-05-30T17:08:59.006-05:00Good summary Grits. Disappointing session for us ...Good summary Grits. Disappointing session for us reformers to be sure. <br /><br />Prison DocAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-86657791566252229722015-05-30T13:53:24.239-05:002015-05-30T13:53:24.239-05:00There were many hidden forces at play this legisla...There were many hidden forces at play this legislative session. Before going into session I picked up sentencing reforms were going to be minimal. The private prisons industry was quietly at play this sessions killing off reforms to keep their foot in the door after an embarrassing 83rd session. <br /><br />There needs to be Interim charges on sentencing reforms and medical parole. TDCJ Managed Care has come to point of being unconstitutional. TDCJ needs to set up a medical parole facilty to seek Federal reimbursements. With the 3G sentences, a larger sicker baby boomer population, and lack of investment in proper medical facilities, TDCJ is in serious trouble. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com