Archive for October, 2007
It’s been a while…
October 30, 2007But I have a few new podcasts up with UTSA’s The Independent. James Gill, the President of the College Democrats joins me for a debate.
Protesters Chided This Time Around.
October 30, 2007From Jim Forsyth at WOAI:
A noisy group described as ‘fascists’ managed to interrupt a speech by Minuteman Civil Defense Project founder Chris Simcox at UTSA, but they were quickly ushered out of the auditorium and, unlike Simcox’s last appearance at UTSA, the controversial border security advocate was able to continue his remarks.
The protesters, several of whom were wearing t-shirts honoring the anarchist butcher Che Guevara, stood up about five minutes into Simcox’s remarks and started yelling, ‘Minutemen, Nazis, KKK, racist Fascists go away!’ Many shouted obscenities as they were led out of the room by uniformed police, prompting Young Conservatives of Texas President Laura Elizabeth Morales to say mockingly, ‘Have a nice night!’
Moon bats in San Antonio!
October 25, 2007From the San Antonio Express News…
A hint of truth
Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., spoke the truth (“Dem says GIs dying in Iraq ‘for president’s amusement,’” Friday).
As a kid, friends have said, George W. Bush stuffed firecrackers into frogs and blew them up for his amusement. As governor, he cackled at the thought of a woman whom he could pardon asking not to be put to death.
He may not hope Americans die in Iraq, but I’m convinced he gets a kick out of how he thinks he is “kicking ass” in Iraq.
Dr. David Grant
This comes after Stark apologized for his outrageous comments.
Progress for Collegian Gun Rights…
October 25, 2007It’s been a great week full of remarkable progress for the issue of concealed handguns on college campuses for license holders.
A fantastic op-ed from Scott Lewis of the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus in the Washington Times makes known the importance of the issue:
On the morning of Aug. 1, 1966, few people had ever considered the possibility that they might die in an indiscriminate shooting spree. But shortly before noon on that fateful day, a 25-year-old former Marine climbed to the top of the University of Texas bell tower and created a worldwide reference point for such fears.
As police rushed to the scene, officers already on the UT campus struggled to formulate a plan. At that time, the Austin Police Department had no SWAT team. Officers were armed only with service revolvers and shotguns, both useless against a sniper firing from a fortified position high above the ground.
Seeing that something had to be done, students quickly retrieved hunting rifles from dorm rooms and fraternity houses, took up defensive positions throughout the campus and returned fire. In the August 2006 edition of Texas Monthly magazine, Bill Helmer, a graduate student at UT during the shooting, recalled the experience to journalist Pamela Colloff: He said he remembered thinking, “All we need is a bunch of idiots running around with rifles.” But what they did turned out to be brilliant. Once the shooter could no longer lean over the edge and fire, he was much more limited in what he could do. That’s why he did most of his damage in the first 20 minutes.
I’ve done a few radio shows this week about the topic and my YCT chapter has participated in the empty holster protest of the national group.
We’re looking forward to working to change the policies at UTSA to allow CHL holding students to carry their handguns on campus.
What Does Rep. Gonzalez think of earmarks?
October 23, 2007Well, I asked him.
“The abuses of several members of Congress have given earmarks are very bad name of late. But that is not the whole story. Our Congress is set up the way it is because I know a great deal more about Texas’s 20th District than any of my peers do, and they know more about their districts than I do. Earmarks can allow a Member of Congress to provide the funds his or her district truly needs which might otherwise go unnoticed. We in the 20th District have benefited from earmarks for project like the recent the 36th Street extension. What we must stop, however, are the hidden earmarks. When funds are set apart for a legitimate reason, we can be proud of them and let anyone know about it who wants to. That is the only kind of earmark I support.”
I contacted him through Americans for Prosperity out of Texas. This is what he had to say about that:
“As to the status of HR 479, let me assure you that I understand the impatience and motivation of its supporters. The idea of never being called at dinner by a stranger who represents a cause we don’t support is an easy one to get behind. Unfortunately, the matter is much more complicated than that. Once government starts controlling the right of political groups to contact the citizens, we have created a dangerous precedent. Maybe today they are stopping people whose opinions you hate, but tomorrow they might try to silence people you support. I assure you that I will give HR 479 the full and proper scrutiny that so important a measure deserves, and I will not hurry it along until I have done my full job in this regard.”
I wish Jeb Hensarling was my Congressman. 
“In the 109th Congress, Republicans worked hard to ensure that all earmarks were publicly disclosed and open to debate and discussion during consideration of the bill in which they were included. In the 110th Congress, however, this transparency only extends to some bills, leaving earmarks in most bills closed to debate. That is why I have signed a binding petition to force a vote on H.Res. 479, legislation intended to bring sunlight to the earmark process and ensure that all earmarks are disclosed to the public so that they can be debated on their merits.”
My Latest Letter in the Paisano.
October 23, 2007The United States Constitution guarantees your right to bear arms. Through regulation and control over the years, the concealed carry handgun license was created for those citizens who want to bear arms.
To obtain a license one must pay a large fee, meet requirements and take a class. Not just anyone can get a concealed carry license. Those who do must be responsible and trained.
There is no valid reason that a concealed carry license holder should have his rights restricted based solely on the fact that he or she is on a college campus. The recent incident at Virginia Tech prove that there is an inherent necessity for students to be able to defend themselves in the event of an emergency.
The UTSA Police Department does a great job keeping students safe; however, the police cannot be at every incident and are not able to act with enough time to be able to prevent a tragedy like the one at Virginia Tech. However, a concealed carry handgun license holder can assist in protecting his or her fellow students.
It was Ann Coulter who recently said, “Mass murderers apparently can’t read; they keep shooting up the gun free zones.”
I support legislation that grants full rights to concealed carry handgun license holders to carry their guns on college campuses.
Responsible license holders who have permits and have gone through appropriate training and requirements ought to be allowed to carry their handguns on a college campus.
Stop the Tour de Debt!
October 16, 2007Rep. Ellen Cohen, D-Houston, says she finds the Harris County Republican Party’s opposition to a $3-billion bond proposal for cancer research “shocking and upsetting, especially during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”
Proposition 15 on the Nov. 6 ballot asks voters whether they want to give the state authority to borrow $300 million annually for 10 years to fund cancer research in Texas.
While the proposal has strong bipartisan support at the state Capitol, including backing from Republican Gov. Rick Perry as well as Houston Democrats like Cohen and Rep. Senfronia Thompson, it seems to be raising increasing concerns for fiscal conservatives.
For instance, the Young Conservatives of Texas Coalition said today it plans a tour of college campuses statewide to warn that Proposition 15 will “irresponsibly” raise debt loads that will be borne by today’s young Texans.
“The simple fact is that with passage of Proposition 15, Texas’ future economy as well as the earning potential (of) Texas’ youth will be threatened by a massive credit card debt,” said Christopher Richey, the group’s senior vice chairman.
Toward that end, the group said it will be passing out green wristbands with the message, “Keep Your Green: Vote No on Prop 15.”
I wonder if Representative Cohen is shocked and upset about making fiscally irresponsible decisions for our youth, too. Probably not.
Cancer research is a noble cause that I gladly donate my time and energy to as much as I can, but the more taxes and the more debt that my great state incurs then the less time and money I can donate to private charities that do a much better job than any government program can.
It is pretty easy to say that anytime government gets involved in something the private sector can obviously handle better it’s bad news.
I’ve lost a lot of loved ones to cancer and I’m not about to trust the government to spend money on oversight and bureaucracy to save my loved ones.
Keep your green; vote NO on Prop 15.
YCT at UTSA in the Paisano
October 16, 2007Another front page article…
The Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) is a non-partisan student political group at UTSA focusing on basic conservatism.
The student organization is not aligned with any political affiliation. Yet YCT remains heavily involved in politics, often addressing volatile issues and incorporating controversial figures to enhance their message.
“YCT offers some of the most sought- after endorsements in the state of Texas and have the oldest and most respected legislative ratings in the state. YCT is characterized as an energetic political organization with a goal of electing conservatives and raising awareness on the positions of conservatives in the top state political issues,” YCT president Laura Elizabeth Morales said.
While YCT refrains from stepping into national politics, some topics the organization addresses does not have a clear-cut distinction between state and national orientation.
“Last semester we did a lot on immigration, and, technically, that is a national issue. But immigration strongly affects Texas, being right here along the border,” junior political science major and YCT executive director Kyle Winkler said.
Being non-partisan, however, does not mean YCT is not involved in politics or political parties.
“We spread our message through a combination of activism, political commentary and campaign work,” Morales said. “More recently our members have been featured on local talk radio stations and news networks to give commentary on political issues. We host events that are designed to catch students’ attention and spark discussion.”
