suecoop's Blog

I have to say that watching the report this morning about the owner of the donut shop recovering from what would have been her second robbery, I was impressed by two things.  The neighbor who didn't hesitate when he heard her calls for help, and her work ethic stood out in this story.  So many just turn a blind eye or think they just don't want to get involved when something is happening, but this man grabbed his shotgun and went to her aid.  I'm just hoping he isn't charged since the would be robber had a fake gun instead of a real one.  It sounded like he wouldn't be on the report.  Then this lady fought off the robber and has vivible scratches on her arm.  After fighting him off and going through this ordeal, she went back to work because she says she has people depending on her delivery of their orders.  Two people stand out this morning and make my optimism bloom today!

Such nice people visiting us with the President of Mexico.  This guy isn't one of the poor oppressed just dying to get out of Mexico and to America for a better life that we hear about. What's his excuse for stealing American officials' BlackBerryies?

Sources with knowledge of the incident said the official, Rafael Quintero Curiel, served as the lead press advance person for the Mexican Delegation and was responsible for handling logistics and guiding the Mexican media around at the conference.

Mexican Embassy spokesman Ricardo Alday said Thursday he was asked to tender his resignation once he arrived back in Mexico City.

"Mr. Quintero will be responsible for explaining his actions to the American authorities conducting an investigation. The Mexican Government deeply regrets this incident," he said.

Quintero Curiel took six or seven of the handheld devices from a table outside a special room in the hotel where the Mexican delegation was meeting with President Bush earlier this week.  Everyone entering the room was required to leave his or her cell phone, BlackBerry and other such devices on the table, a common practice when high-level meetings are held. American officials discovered their missing belongings when they were leaving the session.

It didn't take long before Secret Service officials reviewed videotape taken by a surveillance camera and found footage showing Quintero Curiel absconding with the BlackBerries.  Sources said Quintero Curiel made it all the way to the airport before Secret Service officers caught up with him. He initially denied taking the devices, but after agents showed him the DVD, Quintero Curiel said it was purely accidental, gave them back, claimed diplomatic immunity and left New Orleans with the Mexican delegation.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino refused to discuss the incident, telling FOX News, "We are aware of the situation, but as it's under investigation by law enforcement officials, we will decline to comment."

FOX News' James Rosen and Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.

In debate in the Dallas City Council is inacting an ordinance to tow vehicles without insurance.  They already tow those involved in accidents, but want to extend it to tow anyone stopped and unable to show proof of insurance.  It seems simple enough and makes complete sense to me.  If you don't have insurance, you have a higher chance of having your car towed and having to pay those charges on top of the ticket for no insurance.  If this prompts just half of those who do not have insurance to go get some, then I'm all for this!

BUT....according to one of the member of the city council, councilwoman Davis....it's targeting poor, Hispanic and especially young black male drivers.  (Her words in the interview)  So is she saying that if you are poor, Hispanic or black there's an escuse to not live up to the responsibility that comes with the priviledge of driving a vehicle?  These folks can always take public transportation, walk, or ride a bicycle if they can't afford the total expense of car ownership.  Isn't that part of the reasoning behind public transportation to provide transportation for those who can not afford vehicle ownership?  What is so ridiculous is the camera crew focused in on some of the cars that had been towed....and it's really the sad kind of funny that those who can't afford insurance can afford fancy wheels and tires.  I think it comes down to something called personal responsibility.  If you can't afford the basics, then you most certainly can't afford the luxuries!   So will it also be ok for poor, Hispanic and poor black males to commit other crimes because of their socioeconomic status? Yes, I'm exaggerating, but this mentality makes me cringe.  It's like saying they can't be responsible because of who they are.

Just my thought for the morning!

With everything in the new lately about our second ammendment rights, language in the work place, and federal courts trying to make decisions about what happens in Farmers Branch, I just had to question if we would be better off being a Republic and deciding our own way of life.  This is just me thinking out loud and wondering. 

Collectively we believe that when you come to this state, you should want to become a Texan and embrace our culture and customs. If you think they way they did it in ________ was better, then leave. The Interstate highway that comes in to Texas has a lane going back out.

 

 

We believe in the right to protect ourselves and our property using guns if necessary.  We feel that we need to protect our state’s ability to make that decision, not hand it over to the federal government to decide in their court.  The Supreme Court now is handling a case involving the individual’s right to bear arms. If the federal government wants to over-ride the state’s wishes, we need to consider leaving the union of the United States and be the Republic of Texas again.

 

 

Texas was established by fiercely independent people who were not afraid of hard work and would have considered government hand-outs the same as charity and would have been demeaning.  If people want to live off of Lone Star Cards, Medicaid, HUD housing, and freebies offered by the government, then they should leave, or Texans should pass laws to stop those who would live like leeches off of our resources.  As a Republic, we would only offer benefits to those who are legal citizens who have hit a hard time and just need a hand up not a perpetual hand out.

 

 

Employment is reserved for citizens and legal immigrants.  If a company wants to hire illegal aliens at a reduced salary cheating our citizens and legal immigrants out of a fair wage, then be ready to face dire consequences.  No jobs, no freebies, then most of the immigration problems are solved.     

 

 

A person coming illegally into this country is not acceptable.  If our federal government will not build a wall and enforce immigration laws, then cities like Farmers Branch should be able to enforce them without federal courts interfering.  As a Republic, the borders on all sides should be walled and guarded.  You want to come in, then show our militia your papers.

 

 

People from many different countries settled Texas, leaving their countries and cultures behind to be Americans.  We don’t speak the German, Gaelic, French, Russian, or other languages of our ancestors.  We speak English, although it has a twang called a Texas accent.  If you don’t want to learn English and be a Texan, then you might consider leaving.  As a Republic we could mandate that all business be transacted in English and if you need a translator, then you need to provide one.  If you can’t learn the language within a year, then you need to return from wherever you came. We need to save the taxpayers’ money and not providing translators and information printed in languages other than English would save money.

 

 

 

Two interesting stories in different areas of our county, but related by one factor....ILLEGAL ALIENS.  Here in our area, Coppell police have raided a home in Carrollton where an illegal alien was running drugs and a prostitution ring.  He may have a better life through the illegal money he was making, but what about his neighbors and our society in general?  This is a far cry from the statements of LULAC and the ACLU about these poor people coming here just to work and make a better life.  The shooter of students up north is a Peruvian illegal alien who raped a 5 year-old before this latest incident.  I don't know how we can explain him still being here in the country after the rape of an innocent child.   Hopefully these incidents will wake a few up about the cost of illegal immigration to our safety, the deterioration of our neighborhoods, and the mindset of following our laws.  This has me so mad, I'm seeing red!

I'm not always sure where to post a blog comment, but I'll try sports for this one.  John Hamarly should be touting this in his spots!  If you are looking for a great way to excercise try biking.  Not the Harley kind, but the two or even three-wheeled kind.  There are bike rallies just about every weekend during the spring, summer and fall with routes for just about any rider.  I didn't see this on the news, but there was a great ride this past weekend in Mesquite.

At this ride there were upright/diamond frame riders on two wheels, recumbent riders on two or three wheels, tandems (both upright and recumbent), and handcycles.  Riders varied in age and ability from tots to old folks and from the really physically fit to those just starting.  The routes were varied with low miles for beginning riders or those out to ride with their family, 20 miles, 40 miles, and 56 miles, all leaving from the rodeo grounds.  The routes were all well marked and intersections were manned by the very friendly Mesquite Police.  There were rest stops along the way manned by volunteers offering cold beverages, fruit, protien bars, cookies, and all kinds of snacks to energize the riders for the next leg.  The Mesquite Fire Department was there in full force.  At the end of the ride, cyclists were treated to lunch and Blue Bell ice cream.  The folks in Mesquite do this every year.  Get on your bike and start riding. 

Next week is the Collin County Classic.

It seems that Colorado is the state to live. They have enacted the toughest laws yet to deal with illegal immigration. No services to illegals and they are actually rounding up and deporting them. Now they face a labor shortage to pick crops. To fix the problem, they are considering having inmates do the labor at $10.00 per hour. The inmate actually only gets pennies on the dollar, but the state gets to use the rest of the money to house, feed, and clothe the inmates. Seems like a win-win situation to me. Maybe we could do that in Texas....I've always thought that inmates should have to work to pay for their upkeep.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17502827/

The story of the young man who suffered a spinal cord injury in Arlington last week has truly demonstrated the "silver lining in a cloud" theory.

Has anyone noticed the grace of the family dealing with this? No one is wild-eyed screaming at the camera about the unfairness of it all. No one is pointing fingers of blame. No one is threatening to sue anyone.

Instead we have seen a family pull together to face this together. The brothers and sisters maintain a web-site with pictures and updates of the condition of their brother. The mother has made it a point to not point the finger at the young man he was wrestling when it happened, but to reiterate that he is not to blame, there is no blame there, just a terrible accident. The community is supporting this family in ways that people used to support a community member in need. I had to cry when the mother said she had turned this over to God, because He was the one in control here. Watching this family has made me realize that not everyone out there is looking to sue for money, and that not everyone has to blame someone else for bad things. Such grace and civility I have not seen in some time in reporting bad things.

Despite the stormclouds in this story, I see such hope.

LULAC said all they wanted was to put the ordinances to a vote and let the people decide. What liars they are! It was decided to take it to the people, and they have hit the courts with a lawsuit for the Hispanic business owners. Someone please make this make sense!!!

At the first of the Farmers Branch controversy, the Hispanic leaders got their face in every TV camera they could to instruct the Hispanics to boycott Farmers Branch. It must have been on every news station and in every Spanish newspaper. BOYCOTT FARMERS BRANCH!

Now LULAC, ACLU, and the Hispanic business owners have filed a lawsuit for Hispanic business owners who say their businesses are suffering because of the boycott. The way I see it is that they are now suffering the consequences of what their own "leaders" told the Hispanic population to do. So, if someone boycotts the businesses in a town doesn't it stand to reason that business will be lost?

Can someone tell me why they are surprised that business is off or why the city of Farmers Branch is to blame? Looks like they just shot themselves in the foot and expect to blame it on someone else. What next!! This Dallas judge is a complete idiot for stepping in to this mess. This judge and LULAC have lost all credibility to me....although LULAC didn't have far to go.

Here it is in the news again, the misuse of what were called P-Cards in DISD. They were called procurement cards and they were intended to use the money in the budget to buy things. Teachers and others are budgeted so much for supplies, so much for software, and etc each year. Believe me it was not enough to go out and splurge at the teacher/counselor/librarian level! Many of them would have the principal move their budgeted money into the p-card account so they could use it like a credit card when making an order over the phone to Office Depot or one of the supply catalogs. Even when handling someone else's money, most teachers always try get the most for the money! The vast majority of DISD folks with p-cards used them wisely, but the actions of a small minority have ruined what was an easy process to order items for the schools and classrooms. Now it's back to them having to jump through hoops to purchase even the smallest item!
I hope they get everyone who misused their p-cards, not just the ones who grossly mis-used them with Ipods and expensive items, but EVERYONE. Even if all they bought was one Starbuck's latte, they misused money intended for the school and in turn the students. Because of their actions the rest of the teachers and administrators have to suffer the consequences.

I spent 10 days with my Navy son on Pearl Harbor over the holidays. On Christmas Eve night I stumbled from security to the terminal through tears with the sound of my son's voice yelling "I love you Mom!" He is leaving for Bahrain the 12th on his destroyer. I felt so heartbroken leaving my son with tears in his eyes. I found myself, as I often do, where God most likely has put me for a reason. I witnessed the hand of God twice that night. First, the only place to sit in the terminal waiting for my flight back to DFW was by an Army soldier. I saw the red-rimmed eyes and he saw mine. We talked and I found out that he is going back for his second tour in Iraq. His wife had just left to go back to base to take care of their two children. They had celebrated Christmas two days earlier so he could be with his children. We comforted eachother. Second, as we got ready to board it was announced that we would be carrying soldiers who were being deployed to Iraq and everyone clapped their hands in support. After a while the flight attendant was scurrying up and down the aisles and the soldier I was talking to followed her up front. It was later announced that a couple had given up their first-class seats for two soldiers, and he was one of them. His last name is Wagner. My son's last name is Roland. Please keep these two in your prayers along with all the others who are out there away from their families and comforts of home.