Pubdate: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 Source: Moore County News Press, The (TX) Copyright: 2006 Moore News Contact: http://www.moorenews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3051 Author: Shaela Francis ILLEGAL DRUGS AN ISSUE IN GUBERNATORIAL RACE In my last column, I wrote about the governor's race which is up for a vote Nov. 7. My column today will share a few more developments regarding this upcoming election. I am still suggesting that voters go to the polls and cast their ballot for Republican Gov. Rick Perry. I do think it is important to vote for Perry, and by so doing send a message that conservative family values are what we as Texans want for those in positions of decision-making that affects our lives. I think that my suggesting support of Perry will offend very few in Moore County, due to the current situation showing that the county is heavily Republican. For governor, there is one Republican choice, and that is Perry. Polls show that Perry should win, yet it is best to go vote and not rely on polls. Running against him are Democrat Chris Bell, two Independent candidates--Carole Strayhorn and Richard Friedman-- and a Libertarian candidate. In my last column, I mentioned that Friedman wishes country western singer Willie Nelson to be in charge of energy if Friedman should happen to be elected. I think this is meant both as a joke and also as Friedman's real choice. Nelson, in the Aug. 7 issue of Time magazine, commented that he is actively involved in marijuana use. In my last column I wrote about my puzzlement as to how Nelson can get by with mentions of his active marijuana use within the United States without his being closely watched and arrested. I also speculated that if Nelson is so casually mentioning his illegal drug habit, maybe he is traveling out of the country to smoke marijuana. The answer to that is "No.". I am delighted to report that between my last column and this column, Nelson was given a citation for possession of marijuana and narcotic mushrooms. That ends speculation about where Nelson is indulging his illegal habit: he was given the citation in Louisiana after his tour bus was stopped. The newspaper account gave Nelson's age as 73 years old. Among Nelson's actual Time comments: "I guess if it (marijuana) were harder to find on the illegal market, there would be more people out there voting to make it legal. But you can grow a little here or have a little there from a friend, and the next thing you know, you don't care whether it's legal or not." With a Louisiana trooper issuing him a citation, I wonder if he now cares that marijuana is not legal? I won't even guess, having no idea how many times he's been charged with possession. However, he's still running around loose, so I venture a guess he has not been cited too many times or he'd be in prison. Also occurring since my last column was my own research through 30 days of records within the sheriff's office files. Of the 15 people arrested on drug-related charges in Moore County during a 30-day period ending Sept. 10, five were 18 years old and one was 19. I find this very sad for the young people who were arrested. I very much do not support decriminalization of drugs. What I find sad is that 18-year-olds in Moore County are on the edge of ruining their lives over drugs. My hope is that adults near at-risk teenagers will become more assertive in guiding teens away from these bad choices. How that relates to the gubernatorial race is this: we do not need a candidate for governor advocating illegal drug use, which is what Friedman is doing by selecting Nelson as someone to be "in charge of energy." I cannot imagine why the Texas gubernatorial race attracts this odd type of candidacy, which actually just seems self-destructive on Friedman's part. I recommend that all go to the polls and vote against this. On a more upbeat note, the New York Times on Sept. 21 published what seemed a balanced and objective assessment of the five Texas candidates for governor. The Times' opinion predicted a win for Perry, and referred to Perry's "unusual cast of rivals". The editorial referred to Bell as "former Representative Bell, who lost his seat after the 2003 redistricting." Strayhorn is characterized as someone who "switched from being a Democrat to a Republican and then, rather than challenge Mr. Perry in the March primary, to an independent." The Times writer, Ralph Blumenthal, refers to Friedman as a "gadfly country singer and humorist" who produces "barbed witticisms". Blumenthal did not bother with the Libertarian, omitting any comment except that he is a sales and software consultant. Border Security Bill Wins House Approval As Moore County is experiencing the impact of illegal immigration (some very reliable local estimates have estimated that the population of Cactus consists of approximately 60 percent illegal residents) the following information may be of interest. The United States House of Representatives has just passed legislation addressing border security. The legislation addresses deporting gang members, imprisoning tunnelers and empowering local police to arrest illegal immigrants. The Houston Chronicle carried the story on Sept. 21. The three House bills would: Impose prison terms of up to 20 years for those who knowingly construct or finance an unauthorized tunnel under a U. S. border. Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner said that 50 tunnels, used to smuggle narcotics and illegal immigrants, have been discovered along the Mexican border since 1990, with 36 tunnels found in the last five years. Allow the Department of Homeland Security to hold illegal immigrants detained for crimes or as threats to national security beyond the current limit of six months, and set up expedited procedures for deporting these people. Reaffirm the authority of state and local law enforcement to arrest, detain and transfer to federal custody illegal immigrants. It would ask the Justice Department to increase the number of attorneys prosecuting immigrant smuggling cases. It also would close loopholes that have led to "catch and release" policies in which illegal immigrants, mainly non-Mexicans, are released because they cannot be immediately deported. The news on immigration reform is that the House also passed legislation last December that concentrated on enforcement of laws banning employment of undocumented workers. The Senate in May passed a broader bill that included provisions for a guest worker program. So far, there is no progress in efforts to reconcile the two bills. The three border security bills the House addressed currently were in large part already included in the bill passed last December. Signing off 'till next time! - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine