Earlier this week the Supreme Court, hot on the heels of a long-overdue decision in against partial birth abortions, took a step backwards by overturning the death penalty sentences in three Texas murder cases. The rulings in the cases of LaRoyce Smith, Brent Brewer and Jalil Abdul-Kabir said the New Orleans-based U.S. 5th Circuit Court…
Author: marc
Marc is a software developer, writer, and part-time political know-it-all who currently resides in Texas in the good ol' U.S.A.
Bush to Congress: We Need Immigration Reform
From the Houston Chronicle: President Bush urged lawmakers today to come together on the complex and emotional issue of immigration, calling it “a critical challenge” now before the nation. “We need a system where our laws are respected. We need a system that meets the legitimate needs of our economy. And we need a system…
HPD Loses Guns, Evidence
Earlier this week the Houston Police Department admitted that 21 guns were missing from their property room, two of which surfaced again in the hands of criminals. This is not good news for a department that recently received one heck of a stinger of a black eye when faulty DNA testing procedures tainted hundreds, possibly…
Abortion Debate: We’re All Wrong
Russell Miller has been thinking about the exchange I had with the Kos-ite earlier this week and he’s written about what I think are some very powerful insights. Read the whole post – it’s so good I wish I’d written it myself. Some choice quotes: I’m also finding myself a little concerned with the “pro-choice”…
The Great Divide
With thanks to Eric Gunnerson, I want take a break today to talk about something real and good and worthy, unlike so much in the media and the world at the moment and, in all likelihood, in all moments. The subject is the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race, as documented by one of the riders….
Rebel Without a Kos
Yesterday I decided to have spot of fun with the “progressives” over at the Daily Kos by responding to this Kos post about the framing of the case against partial birth abortion. Sadly my comment was deleted by the mighty Kos censors (or at least cannot be seen by mere mortals such as the author)….
Fixing No Child Left Behind
George Bush’s most positive contribution to American society may be the No Child Left Behind Act. This is not saying much given that NCLB is a train wreck that one simply can’t look away from. I mean that quite literally – we can’t look away. We can’t afford to. Most Americans have absolutely no choice…
Partial Victory on Abortion, Bad Pun Intended
By a 5-4 margin the US Supreme Court made the right decision Wednesday by upholding President Bush’s Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. From the Houston Chronice: Bush said that it affirms the progress his administration has made to uphold the “sanctity of life.” “I am pleased that the Supreme Court has upheld a law that…
Assimilating Islam
I recently wrote about the need for foreign nationals to assimilate when they make the U.S. their home. In the light of the horror perpetrated by a foreign student at Virginia Tech University this week I think that the need for assimilation is more obvious than ever. Sadly, there is no indication that Muslims are willing…
Kids and Violence
In the wake of yesterday’s slaughter at Virginia Tech the questions “why did this happen?” and “how can we stop it from happening again?” are on everyone’s lips. I think that the two questions are closely related, but perhaps not for the same reasons as others who might agree. I think events like these have…