You say: letters to the editor
Gun laws? Simple
Re: Dec. 15 commentary, “Serious talk about guns tragically long overdue.”
One day after the Sandy Hook shootings, Ken Herman declared it’s “simple.” Citizens who are “law-abiding” should have access to guns; “nuts” and “criminals” should not. But human beings are the opposite of simple. We are complex. We fall into and out of rage, despair, panic, mental illness, and (in some cases) criminal behavior, for a multitude of reasons. Guns, legally and illegally obtained, offer a quick solution to a person who loses control. In 2008 the U.S., which has the loosest gun laws in the developed world, suffered 12,000 gun-related homicides. Japan, which has the strictest gun laws, lost 11 citizens that way. Simple.
Dodging bullets
Re: Dec. article, “Unspeakable pain, but no answers.”
Is it our right to be slaughtered? It seems so — absent any attempt to control even military-grade weapons, all we can do is revel in our rights, mourn the dead, and hope we’re not next. It’s a big country, so the odds are in our favor.
It’s what the Founding Fathers intended, right?
Don’t fear NRA
Re: Dec. 15 article, “Our hearts are broken today.”
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence extends its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all the victims of the Connecticut shootings. The media and our leaders express their horror that such a tragedy could happen again. What do we expect? Politicians know what to do but will not for fear of the NRA. Why fear them? They are impotent in elections.
The NRA’s ad on TV says they are waiting for the facts to come out before they comment. Really? I don’t think so. I think it is obvious the NRA wants to wait to see just how much they will have to push back this time against the public reaction. The NRA stands in the way. Ask the NRA why they stand in the way. The answer they will not give is “gun profits.” The answer they always give is the Second Amendment. Contact the White House.
Herman wrong
Re: Dec. 15 commentary, “Serious talk about guns tragically long overdue.”
On Saturday, following the shooting in Connecticut, Ken Herman wrote an article reiterating a position he took in his column on Friday — that the “simple” solution to gun control is to keep licenses out of the hands of the mentally ill. But the mentally ill aren’t identified until their illness causes them to commit a crime. When we visit the shooter’s childhood, we hear of a quiet, introverted soul in high school — on the honor roll, pushed by a strict mother. Adam Lanza was thought of as an ordinary, anonymous person before this crime, which may have been a catalyst for his actions. His mother, to whom the guns were legally registered, was a law-abiding citizen. Before Herman leapt to reprise his position on gun control, he should have found out where the guns came from. Perhaps then he would have hesitated before drawing a quick line between the “citizens” and the “nuts,” and calling it a wellpoliticized day.
Muskets only
Let’s do as our Founding Fathers intended with the Second Amendment and allow every household to have a musket. No assault rifles, no semiautomatic handguns, only muskets.
Assault-weapons ban
Re: Dec. 15 commentary, “Serious talk about guns tragically long overdue.”
I completely agree with Ken Herman’s stance on gun control. I support the Second Amendment for people who are not mentally ill or criminals to own guns as long as every gun purchaser undergoes a thorough background check. What is incomprehensible to me is why the federal assault-weapons ban was ever rescinded.
The only persons who have any right to have these weapons should be law enforcement personnel and the military. How many more innocent lives must be lost before the law is reinstated and stringently enforced?
Gaggle of twelves
Re: Dec. 12 article, “Time to celebrate 12/12/12.”
In 12 words: enjoyable story by writer whose name has ... 12 letters.
Down with cedars
Re: Dec. 17 letter to the editor, “Personal property rights.”
There has been one obvious water conservation effort that has been known about for decades, but nothing has ever been proposed to enact it. Texas A&M has said that mature cedar trees drink 30 gallons of water a day, while oak trees only need 20. Our species of cedar tree is not native to Texas and is a trash tree good for nothing except bad allergies and wood chips.
Solution: Encourage landowners to eliminate as many cedar trees as possible off their property. Yes, some are beneficial, but there are millions that can be cut down and never missed ... and in the process will conserve Texas’ precious water. By eliminating the cedar more native grasses will propagate, further conserving water. So simple, relatively easy, no taxpayer funded grand projects, and effective. The Austin American-Statesman encourages email and faxes from readers. Please include a full name, address and daytime and evening phone numbers.We edit letters for brevity, grammar, style and clarity. Edited letters address a single idea and do not exceed 150 words.Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters become property of the Austin AmericanStatesman. Send emails to letters@ statesman.com. Mail to: Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 670,Austin,TX 78767. Electric
power. Who would think to put that on their Christmas wish list? Some people in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley would. Although the valley is bustling with an expanding economy and above-average job growth, this 28-county area of South Texas harbors more than 2,300 unincorporated neighborhoods (colonias) where more than 500,000 people live, some in conditions that rival developing and third-world countries. What you and I take for granted — basic water services and access to electricity — is a dream for some of these residents. In our sentinel energy state, that’s hard to believe. And had 10 graduate students from Texas A&M, Texas Tech and the University of Texas not traveled to South Texas to see it for themselves, they wouldn’t have believed it either.
That’s why Power Across Texas, a nonprofit whose mission is to be a learning center for Texas energy issues, has engaged graduate students from schools of business, policy, law and engineering from our three leading Texas universities to not only assess the situation in these impoverished neighborhoods, but to help make a difference. These future leaders have been tasked with a daunting challenge: to find new business models, policy work-arounds and energy technology solutions that can enable residents in colonias to gain access to power without continued dependence on philanthropy or government. The goal is to think of new ways to attract private capital that is interested in impacting people’s lives first, and gaining monetary returns second.
The graduate student teams are not alone in addressing this complex problem. As part of the solution, they are working with Magic Valley Electric Cooperative, Electric Transmission of Texas, American Electric Power, Lincoln Renewable Energy and SunEdison, each of which has stepped up to be not only scholarship sponsors for these students, but also experienced mentors. Together, the students, their faculty supervisors, and the power coops and companies are working to make a difference.
Texas energy resources are abundant, yet pockets of families in the colonias suffer the consequences from having little or no access to power and electricity, among other basic services. In early November, the students spoke to colonia residents who either didn’t have electricity in their home or had suffered years with unreliable and uneconomic propane gas tanks. The students were visibly struck to see how lack of reliable, affordable energy can stymie economic development, suppress opportunities for education excellence, impair health and dampen individual human dignity.
Although the colonias are not unique, they certainly provide a representative universe for new and innovative solutions that ensure fellow Texans can benefit from “a clean, robust and reliable energy supply.” Under the auspices of Sen. Eddie Lucio’s office and the Texas secretary of state, this Power Across Texas initiative is sure to make a difference in the lives of both colonia residents and the graduate students working on the project.
The challenging situation in the colonias provides a unique opportunity to develop forward-thinking technology designs, financial models and policy changes to bring electricity to all of Texas. The graduate student teams from our three flagship universities convene in February to compete for scholarship awards but more importantly to showcase how private sector can change communities while also earning more than a concessionary return. That’s where money and meaning collide. And that’s a gift that keeps on giving.