Never Alone With Your Mind

My fellow classmate Iris Johnson posted Isolation, mental illness and a call for legislation, which covers an article written by Scott Henson. Henson's article, Isolation, mental illness and a call for legislation oversight of Texas ad seg, discusses "administrative segregation", more commonly known as solitary confinement. 

I agree with Johnson that this is an important issue. The criminal justice system, including the rehabilitation of criminals, needs major reform. Johnson points out "segregation policies and practices are costing Americans a lot of money", but fails to provide any data to back up this claim. However it makes sense that putting prisoners in in solitary confinement, would take more rooms and a larger building, therefore costing more money. 

Johnson also states administrative segregation undermines public safety, although I agree with Johnson, I am unable to pinpoint the causes from reading this article. "Almost all of these inmates are locked in their cells 22-23 hours a day." I know I go crazy if I am in my apartment or car too long, and we are forcing people to stay in this tiny cells for days at a time; not to go off the map, but this is a legitimate form of torture used by our government at Gitmo. I know that sometimes people need to be punished, but is this how we want to treat our fellow human beings.

Unfortunately a majority or prisoners that are placed in solitary confinement suffer from mental illness and/ or are elderly. Many people being released after administrative segregation show signs of being mentally unstable, wouldn't you after being deprived of human contact for long periods of time. "We don’t need to contribute to the number of mentally ill."  -- Johnson   I completely agree with my classmate on this one. People are sent to institutions in order to be rehabilitated so they are able to function in society, not to diminish what is left of them.

Johnson talks about legislation that has been put forth in Texas to help reform these problems facing our society, but unfortunately does not cite the bills.  I believe the two pieces of legislation that Johnson was talking about was House Bill 1266 and Senate Bill 1003, These are a step to fixing the problem, but not a permanent solution.

Someone Else Will Take Care of That

Homelessness is a major problem facing the United States and more importantly Travis County, partly because of the recession the war, but a major factor is mental health. Out of all fifty states Texas was 44th in per capita spending for health care and 47th in mental health care, as well as having the highest number of people without insurance in 2002. The Austin Chronicle released at least six articles about the mental health care system in the past ten years, sadly they all tell the same story, just with different names. The recent event that took place Tuesday evening on April 23, 2013, when Herbert Babelay was shot dead by four police officers in Southeast Austin, brought my attention to the issue that has been presiding in Texas for more than forty years.

The police were reporting to calls of a suicidal man and found Babelay, a 54-year-old male who had a history of mental illness, standing outside. The situation escalated quickly as Babelay got a shotgun from a shed nearby, all officers fired at the suspect. Jim Harrington, executive director of the Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP), reported that “no techniques were used to de-escalate the confrontation.” There has been other instances in recent years with humans with mental disabilities ending in tragedy. Reginald Demps, a 47-year-old male who had a history of schizophrenia, was complaining of hearing voices. His brother drove him to Austin State Hospital where he was turned away because a lack of beds. The following night Demps called the police reporting suicidal thoughts. He was taken to be evaluated the hospital saw no major signs of threat and was released. Shortly after being released Demps hung himself in the stairwell at a hotel in North Central Austin.  

This “Mental Meltdown” started when John F. Kennedy pushed for the deinstitutionalized the system for the treatment of the mentally ill. Unfortunately this new process had negatives effects on how we care for the population suffering from these mental diseases. Not place in Texas is failing in the treatment for these people, but Austin is definitely not leading the way. There is not a psychiatric center in Austin dedicated to assessing people in need of medical assistance. There are 63 beds for these types of patients in Travis County and 23 beds located at private facilities, where Tarrant County has over 270 beds. A majority of people are not provided the proper care, including medicine and follow up care. Deinstitutionalizing mental health care took away funding for the organizations providing service for these people, and as the funds dwindled so did the necessary care. When the funding of the mental care declined, there was an increase in funding for the criminal justice system. Now years later we have found ourselves in a pressing situation where police find it easier to take a person to jail, instead of getting people the help they need.

Steps have been taken to improve the flawed conditions in the mental health care system; Police officers have to go through training on dealing with the mentally disabled. However this does not make up for the lack of resources set aside for this issue. "A mentally healthy community treats all individuals with dignity and respect." We need to help every person as if they were our family or friends, these people out suffering and somebody needs to step up; the state and/ or local government, along with the people within the community. If we let this problem continue it will only get worse for all of us.

What Will Bring You Closure?

            My view on the death penalty has always been a mystery, even to me. Sometimes I feel that we should not kill people, what if they did not do it; On the other hand I wonder if someone close to me was killed, would I want them to die also. I remember in my debate class after a girl gave a speech on abolishing capital punishment, on the basis that no one should have that kind of power where they "play god", the teacher asked her if she believe in life support. Prolonging life is just as powerful as ending life; CRAZY.

Back to the subject at hand, capital punishment or better known as the death penalty, my fellow bloggers Jake and York support this kind if punishment for guilty people. York makes the point that money is a factor in supporting the death penalty in her post 'The Infamous Texas Death Penalty', unfortunately does not provide a link and does not cite her sources.  "Upwards of a million dollars per case" for capital punishment, this includes appeals, witnesses, juries, etc., and around 50 dollars a day to house and feed an inmate. After doing the math if a guilty inmate is housed for fifty years it would cost around 912,500 dollars. This makes me think of all the minor (drug) offenders that are in prison and the money and resources that go to put those people away and keep them there could be use for bigger fish, i.e. murderous crimes.

          York also presents the information of a new bill put forth to ensure all possible DNA testing is done prior to starting the trial, but once again fails to provide a source. This bill would decrease the number of people wrongfully convicted; I believe this is a good idea and do not understand why we have not securing DNA test for those accused to begin with. I was able to find a recent article from the Austin Chronicle written last month on this issue, ‘LawmakersUrge Pretrial DNA Testing in Death Penalty Cases’.

          Whenever capital punishment is brought up it makes me think of a cover story on the front page of the Austin Chronicle ‘Perry the Executioner’, interesting article and a good read, full of information. I get the since that York feels very strongly about avenging the wrong doings, but let me leave you with this,  Gandhi once said “an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”

Bags in a Pickle

At the beginning of March this year the city of Austin started banning the use of plastic bags. This ban includes all plastic bags that are not used for trash, wet items, and freshly baked and/ or cooked items. Some  people say this law impedes on our individual freedom, while others state it is better for the environment. Is the government taking a step in the right direction, or is it overstepping its boundaries? Texas Representative Drew Springer has filed his new bill, "Shopping Bag Freedom Act", that would allow businesses and restaurants the ability to offer a customer a bag, made of any material, at the point of sale. I can remember the days of being asked if I would like paper or plastic, but now there is no question; Does this ban on plastic bags really infringe on individuals' right to choose?
Yes the ban would help the environment, by reducing the amount of litter caused by the bags, but there are other ways to reduce the waste; reusing the bags for little trash cans or picking up dog poop. Target used to put the "Top Ten Ways to Reuse Your Bag" on their plastic bags. Now pet owners may be forced to go spend money on special bags made for picking up waste, and people may have to find smaller trash bags at the store, when they would have received a free bag when the purchased there items. However not every person will reuse or recycle their plastic bags, which is why we should offer options, paper, reusable bags, or ask if the person needs a bags. There have been too many times when I go to the store for one or two things that I carried all throughout the store and the cashier automatically puts it in a bag that I do not need. This ban against plastic bags has risen awareness about the waste issue caused by unnecessary use and/ or littering of bags and the affect they have on the environment. But I still do not believe that the government should be able to tell us what we can and cannot put our things in.
I work in a store that has been affected by this ban and now the paper bags we are forced to use are heavier, take up more dry storage, have less in a case, and rip more easily because they  are weaker than the plastic. Paper bags also use more paper than plastic bags, so do not start complaining when more trees are being cut down to provide all these paper bags, that cannot be reused for trash bags, because anything wet would destroy the bag. I believe the people should be given the facts about different bags, the affects of littering these bags as well as an option to choose which one they feel works best for them.

Twisted Views

In Eileen Smith's blog "In the Pink" she shines a light on Texas' slanted view on gun rights. Her blog "Under the Texan Gun" Smith comments on a news segment Piers Morgan did, back in early February of this year.  She has a way of pointing out the opposing side’s reasons, which tend to contradict common sense. Greg Abbott's reason for not supporting universal background checks when purchasing a firearm is, if you want to sell your friend a gun you should not have to humiliate them by having them complete a background check. Smith uses this example as well as many others to frame the unflattering picture of what a majority of people think the population of Texas believes.  According to the interview by Morgan, there are many people who favor anti- gun control for silly, and what seem to be irrational reasons. One of the persons interviewed by Morgan was Ted Nugent, who said, “You don’t understand that it’s a simple inanimate tool that tens of millions of American families own that have never caused a problem, never had an accident and will never commit a crime.”  After reading statement I cannot help but side with the Pink Lady on this issue. Eileen Smith keeps up with the current news; local, national, and international, in order to grasp a more developed response to the topics facing the state of Texas. Ms. Smith and her blog has been recognized by the Austin Chronicle, along with the Dallas Morning News and the San Antonio Current. She is not a novice to this blogging world, in fact she has been dedicating time to be the editor of this engaging political blog since 2005.

I Pass the Test

Today, society relies less and less on its own critical thinking skills, and have turned to a life where the answer is right in front of you them. I remember learning how to use my context clues to figure out an answer to a problem, but now a majority of high school and college students, at least some I work with, cannot put two and two together. Can we blame them? Who is responsible? This people are not dumb people, I have seen them use their brains to make connections; However I have watch them make a simple mistake, one would only assume be common sense. When I was growing up I remember doing puzzles with my dad, maybe because television wasn't like it is now, ,maybe that is when I developed my ability to form connections. I do not want to make myself sound too alienated from the youth of today; I graduated in within the past five years. With that being said, I feel like I witnessed the destruction of the educational system in Texas first hand. Not to say it was perfect nothing ever is, but I felt like I learned more when standardized testing was not involved in the curriculum. I understand the need for a form of assessing students’ grades, in order to see how they are developing and learning, but it should not come at the expense of students and teachers. This will only weaken our society and economy in the future because our workforce will not be properly trained. A good education leads to a better life. So why are we robbing our future generations of this incredible ability to use one's head? One could assume that the less amount and less difficult the tests are, could make it easier for a student to pass the assessment. The higher test scores the more money from the government, along with teaching abstinence. Wanting our students to do well is a good goal, but rigging the system to make it look like you do your job is only crippling these kids. Maybe one solution to fixing this increasingly unstable problem is to reset the state's testing system. This issue was briefly discussed early this month in the Austin Statesman and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, after the Senate Bill 135 passed, killing the fifteen percent rule. The "Bill is a step back from rigorous public schools in Texas." When I went to high school we had the "four-by-four" curriculum, meaning four English, four math, four science, and four social studies, but the new bill only calls for four English, three math and social studies, and two sciences. Why these cuts in fundamental courses? I even took five years of math, because I started in middle school. These articles shine light on the topic of standardized tests and target the parents of students in these communities. We need to revisit the educational system and find a solution that better enhances our society. 

Fracking Down the House

  What is "fracking"?  Hydraulic Fracturing, commonly reffered to as "fracking", is one of the most frequently used forms of mining by natural gas companies today.  What I like to call the "secret sauce", is a unknown mixture of water, sand, and undisclosed chemicals, that are shot into the ground, over a mile deep, in order to break up the rock; This causes gases to be released through the new cracks in the rock, and the gas is collected. The secret sauce sometimes mixes with the water wells nearby, contaminating the supply of water for neighboring residents. Other times the waste water seeps back up to the surface, only to be flushed back down into the earth or reused, and also causing bordering lands to start shaking.
   This topic caught my attention when I saw this article, 'Colleyville drill site could be fracked frequently for next year and a half'; Being from Colleyville I have discussed this subject for years. I remember being in high school and my dad had just received a letter in the mail about selling his mineral rights, to this gas companies in order for them to start fracking. When I went back home to visit last September I experienced an earthquake, nothing terribly damaging, around a 3.4. It was not as intense as the after shock of facebook posts about this crazy moment of seismic activity, but still a big deal for a region that does not normally experience earthquakes. Sadly there has been an increase in seismic activity in the Dallas Fort Worth area following the spurring of the hydraulic fracking industry. Fracking Likely Cause Of Weirdly Strong Texas Earthquakes? Dallas Earthquakes May Be Tied To Wastewater Disposal From Fracking Operations, Geophysicist Claims?
  Have there not been studies done? There have been many studies about this form of extracting gases from the ground, but can you really trust everything you read? The University of Texas did a study a couple years ago and found there was no direct link between the use and improper disposal of the secret sauce and contaminated water and earthquakes. However the Huffington Post found a contaminated Director of the U.S. Geological Survey and professor at UT. It turns out the man in charge of the study "sits on the board of Plains Exploration and Production" and was receiving money from this drilling company, which fracks throughout Texas. How is this legal?!!! I can't stop wondering this, especially after reading this article, "U.S. Government Confirms Link Between Earthquakes and Hydraulic Fracturing". This is not breaking news, our own government has known about the affects of fracking for over forty years and has allowed companies to make billions of dollars exploiting a process, even themselves had deemed to be hazardous to the environment.
  Hopefully a light will be shined on this topic sooner. Maybe celebrities can help, I was excited to find an article in my new issue of Rolling Stones about fracking. Anti-fracking celebrities take tour of Marcellus Shale (not a link to the rolling stones article, but about the same people and event)