Being hot is no fun when you're covered in fur

I completely agree with Aaron Bonnette's stance on leaving pets in cars. Texas is know for its insane heat and dry climate so what goes through people's minds when they think it would be okay to leave their dog in the car for any amount of time? We all know dogs are incredibly loyal and attached to their owners. So being in such a small, confined space with no way out, watching their beloved owner walk away without any idea of whether or not they will return, must be pretty nerve racking in the first place. Add on the intense heat and stress that might cause, it's no wonder the dog looses the battle.  Our government needs to have stricter laws when it comes to this kind of animal abuse. Whether the owner believes it or not, or whether they agree with it or not, this IS A FORM OF ABUSE and it should not be tolerated or taken lightly. Suffering from brain damage, heat exhaustion, stress, and suffocation does not sound like a fair or pleasant way to go. So, if an owner is found guilty of putting their dogs through it until they died, their punishment should not be light or pleasant either. 

She deserves it.

 A little over a week ago, governer Rick Perry was the subject of an indictment as a result of 

his efforts to force Rosemary Lehmberg to resign as Travis county's district attorney after she 

was arrested due to drunk driving charges in April 2013. Perry has been served by the Travis 

grand jury after he allegedly threatened to interfere with funding to Lehmberg's anti-corruption 

office. Currently, Rick Perry has hired a total of 5 lawyers who are trying to get the charges 

against the governor dropped Claiming the indictment "seeks to criminalize the governor's 

veto powers". Personally, I'm not so much concerned with the fact that Perry is trying to get 

Lehmberg resigned as I am with the fact that she has not been reprimanded by anyone else 

for her irresponsible and inappropriate behavior. As a distract attorney, you are some what in 

a position of power and status. Meaning people look up to you for guidance and put their trust 

in you. Drinking and driving is a terrible thing in the first place, and someone who is so 

involved with the law should know the consequences. Now, although she did serve time in jail 

for her wrong doing, she refuses to step down from her job, a position she clearly is not 

responsible or serious enough about. I feel like she almost threw everything back into the face 

of our community, like she felt too invincible. No matter what status of power or what position 

is held, laws are laws. As district attorney, you should respect your community more. You 

should take responsibility for your actions and step down from the position someone can do 

better. I don't believe Governor Perry was in the wrong to try to get her resigned. Maybe it 

was against some political rule or governor law, but as a citizen of Travis county, I think 

Lehmberg should stop fighting it and do the right thing. But she probably won't given 
her recent track record. 


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/26/us/rick-perrys-lawyers-try-to-get-charges-thrown-out.html?_r=0

Vote for Charlie Baird!

​ While reading Mean Rachel's post "An Endorsement: On Problem Solving and Criminal Justice", I couldn't help but agree with everything she says. Geared towards the people who simply refuse to recognize the flaws in our criminal justice system and/or accept that these problems are also our own, this article does an excellent job of making people realize that we need to work together and vote for Charlie Baird for Travis County's new district attorney. She is definitely someone with intentions to work towards putting a stop to the problems going on in our criminal justice system. Considering that these issues have begun to trickle their way into our neighborhoods and every day lives, this needs to be taken care of. These issues can be seen having a huge impact in low income neighborhoods and even those in the middle of transitioning into nicer ones. Such as drug dealing, theft, illegal immigrants residing there and much much more. In every aspect of our home lives, there is the potential for disturbance due to problems in the neighborhood involving criminals and flaws in our justice system. So I believe that voting for Charlie Baird will help us to solve these problems, by involving people and making them recognize they are affected by them more than we might realize. I believe having someone dedicated to help solve these issues will prove to be a really good thing for Travis County. Having lived in a transitioning neighborhood for the past 6 years, I have seen some of these issues first and and I agree that it is time for us to come together and help end them. 

No bags, no problems.

I agree with Lily’s views on the plastic bag ban in Austin. The environment is in danger due to pollution, overpopulation, and resource exhaustion. So, every chance we get to make a difference we should take it. Especially considering our landfills are overflowing into environments. Lily makes many valid points, one being how plastic bags are getting into water sources and leading to the death of fish, birds, and many other animals who rely on the water sources for survival. Once the plastic bags and other articles of trash get into their environment, many times the animals think that it is something they can eat. This happens a lot in the ocean, when animals see the trash floating from below and think it is a dead fish or another form of food. After they try to eat the trash, it gets lodged in their intestines or stuck in their throat often leading to a long, and painful death. Eliminating the use of plastic bags eliminates any chance of them getting into the environment and causing damage. So I think Austin’s ban is a very good idea and a very good big step towards ending pollution. We should be taking every chance we have to improve the condition of our Earth, and make sure that we don’t cause any further damage to our atmosphere and ecosystem.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/opinion/ci_26138800/anti-terrorism-efforts-sometimes-trump-publics-right-know

This article seems to be geared to people living in areas where sensitive chemicals are stored. The author seems to be pretty credible due to the fact that he wrote his article for a major Texas news site: El Paso Times. Concerned about the fact that the “Texas Legislature has chosen to allow the location of chemicals… to be withheld from the general public to reduce the chance of that information falling into the wrong hands”, Greg Abbott argues that the general public has the right to know what chemicals are being stored in their hometowns. I have to agree with him due to the fact that knowing this information, could help towns prepare for disasters like the explosion that happened in West, Texas. This could prevent chaos, and could help cities develop evacuation plans and disaster plans in case anything were to happen. Abbott uses the disaster in West and terrorist attacks to prove how this information is valuable for American citizens to know in order to prepare for disaster. This is a good way to appeal to his audience because he makes valid points that people living in sensitive areas could agree with. Texas Legislature claims that after 9/11, the risk of having information about chemicals that could potentially be used to make bombs released, was too great. However, he makes a point to agree with the fact that the release of this information could also be valuable. Because he is the attorney general of Texas, he is pushing for a computer program that would allow citizens to input their address to find areas storing ammonium nitrate. He is also pushing for the information to be released to fire stations, so that way they would have the knowledge to at least know where a disaster could happen. With this information released, at least to the qualified people in cities, citizens would feel more protected and prepared in the event that something might happen.

Red, White & Rainbow - Inequality in Texas

     According to a recent article by Mary Tuma published in the Austin Chronicle, Texas Republicans are supporting a GOP draft which "granted 'legitimacy and value' to the reparative therapy" of homosexuals. In response, Democrats are calling for a ban on what world health organizations have proven to be an outdated and invalid practice. I personally feel Republican actions make Texans look ignorant but I want the world to know their actions do not speak for all of Texas. We've already established civil rights for different groups in America, what makes homosexuals any less deserving of these rights? They too have been discriminated and suffered for reasons they cannot change. In Austin, diversity is the lifeblood of our ecosystem and that variety is what makes Austin, Austin. So, why are Texas Republicans lagging so far behind in their views toward people with different sexual orientations? People from all walks of life should be celebrated and accepted not only in Austin, but all of Texas and from sea to shining sea.

Read Mary Tuma's full article here.