Taking the First

I went to a viewing of the film "Taking the First" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164530/ tonight.  After the viewing, we had a discussion facilitated by a professor at the local law school. The film was very interesting.  We were asked to think about, as we viewed the film, if the case went to appeal, and we could influence a judge on the appeals panel, how would we influence the judge.

The point was about the first amendment, the right to free speech, as we think of it in an inexact and not legal sense. And, it is a story about the consequences of speech.

Before I went to work in the prison, I was very careless with my speech.  I made statements that I probably did not mean.  We have all heard them:  "I could have shot someone."  "I could have slapped someone."  We really do not mean we would do that.  We are expressing a desire to take an action that hopefully indicates the level of our emotion, with no actual intent to take the action.   Well, I do not do that anymore.  I will not say "I would do anything for..."  I might say "I could spit nails."  I suppose someone could accuse me of harming them by my spitting nails, but more power to them, if they can. Frankly, I can not imagine spitting nails...It sounds very painful to the spitter. 

Speech is important. Words do hurt. We can not take them back. We need to be aware of how our words impact and influence others. It is not that we should not be direct, upfront and honest.  But tact, sincerity, respect and dignity go a long way....

MSNBC Lockup

It might sound strange, but I frequently watch MSNBC Lockup http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27118605/ns/msnbc_tv-documentaries.  Those of you who know me well, know that I work in a psychiatric prison in Texas.  So, why would I want to watch a television documentary about prison?

I do not know... I see a lot of my day to day work situations on TV. Validated. Explained. And, I learn from how other people handle these situations.

I think prisoners are the forgotten Americans: depending on the jurisdiction in which they are incarcerated, their rights and privileges vary, but they are Americans who have few personal freedoms.  Their criminal behavior has put them in this situation. 

Incarceration is to keep them away from society.  Hopefully to give them the time to think about
the error of their ways. And, while they are incarcerated, to keep them from committing additional crimes during that time. And, if they are in a situation that offers it, giving them the opportunity to learn new ways...

Because, unless they have a life sentence or a death penalty, the people who are in prison are going to be out in our society again.  And, if we do not help them while they are in prison, they are certainly going to continue their criminal behavior when they leave prison.

It would do society well to decide that we can invest in some of these people, and try to give them education, information, and habilitation to teach them about being pro-social....  The cost is high, but for every person reached, the return is even higher. 

Remember to Vote Early

Remember to vote early.  In the State of Texas, in 2010 voting early is easy. http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/pamphlets/earlyvote.shtml  It is so amazingly easy, voting early in Texas includes "curbside voting."  Wow!

Voting early in Texas is not related to absentee balloting, which is still a part of the voting early option. Voting early may involve someone who is going to be absent during election time, someone who is elderly, disabled, in the Armed Services, or otherwise confined but eligible to vote.

There are lots of options, exceptions and aids to allow for voting.  Isn't this wonderful! 

What are the advantages of voting early: 

Many sights have early and late hours, including weekend hours, so voting can be accomplished around work/school schedules.

Many voting early sights are convenient: where you shop, go to school, go to church, or conduct government business.

County wide voting early means you can find a voting sight convenient for you, the voter, not necessarily the designated sight for your precinct, which, because of voting times on election day, may not actually be convenient for the voter.

If the voter will be otherwise unavailable on election day, voting early allows this civic duty to be accomplished.

Early voting, by reporting interest, can influence people to turn out.



However, voting early can be problematic:

Early voting requires the voter to make a decision before all the campaign information is in... Sometimes, there are last minute campaign activities that can reverse voters' decisions.

Early voting, by reporting interest and numbers, make voters assume that their one vote will not count nor influence an election.

Voting was not always an option for all the citizens of this country.  http://www.crmvet.org/info/votehist.htm

Texas has it's own timeline regarding voting:
http://www.google.com/search?q=The+history+of+voting+in+Texas&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7ADBF#q=The+history+of+voting+in+Texas&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&rlz=1I7ADBF&prmd=iv&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=q0bGTNL0LIG8lQfGhYWaAg&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=11&ved=0CEwQ5wIwCg&fp=966e4c99a803535a

The point is, voting access has changed, and citizens are encouraged to get out and vote!