Recently in Politics Category

How often do you make a difference in other people's lives? I often feel I don't make much of a difference in anyone's lives, mostly because I often seem to be on auto-pilot, tending to my own affairs and minding my own business. Some people, on the other hand, make it their life's work to help others in need.

I'm not suggesting that we should all beat ourselves up for not being more charitable or supportive, but I would like to share something I did that I know will help someone out who is a tough spot. The good news is that you can do the same exact thing!

Monica Ramos and Patty Compean

I don't think many people have heard the story of Monica Ramos and Patty Compean. Their husbands are serving time in prison, currently in solitary confinement. I believe they were unfairly convicted and sentenced for crimes they did not commit.

I first heard about this story on the radio and Glenn Beck has talked a lot about it. However, don't be misled into believing this is a conservative or Republican issue. No, this is an American issue and a case where the government has conspired against its own people.

You can read the story that landed Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean in jail on Wikipedia or a number of other sites. The short version of the story is this: Ramos and Compean were border guards working the US-Mexico border in Texas. In 2005, they were in pursuit of a drug smuggler who fled after they stopped his van (which was full of drugs). There was a shot fired, and the smuggler ran away. While it appeared no one got hurt, the smuggler was apparently struck in the buttock with the bullet. Later, the US government granted the smuggler immunity for his testimony against Compean and Ramos on charges they covered up the shooting and acted out of order. The immunity included a border crossing pass and while the trial was underway, the smuggler was apprehended again with a another load of drugs, but let go because he had immunity. In addition, it appears the US government paid for medical treatment for his gunshot wound.

After Ramos and Compean were sentenced to prison, their attorneys, of course, filed appeals. Meanwhile, members of congress, talk radio personalities, and concerned individuals in Texas and around the country, started digging up as much information as they could about the case. It was revealed the US district attorney that prosecuted the case lied repeatedly about the evidence and the circumstances surrounding the case. During the trial, he requested and was granted that information about the drug smuggler would be sealed so that the jury would not discover he had been caught smuggling a second load of drugs since the original incident.

The appeal was finally read by a panel of the 5th circuit court of appeals about five months ago. Those in attendance of the hearings said the judges were very concerned that the case was mishandled and chastised the prosecuting attorneys for prosecuting on ridiculous charges, and generally bungling the case so badly. However, five months later, just a week or two ago, the court upheld the sentences and only dropped minor charges against the men.

Many believe these men are political prisoners and that the fault goes clear to the White House. The US attorney general has longtime ties with Alberto Gonzales and President George W. Bush. Congress and others have asked President Bush to commute or pardon these men who were just trying to do their jobs as border guards, but he has done nothing and has said nothing.

Others believe the Mexican government is involved as well. Why? I don't know.

It is terrible that these men are in prison, but many don't realize the suffering their families have been going through. Both men are married and have children. These families no longer have a primary breadwinner and must deal with the stress and emotional trauma of having a loved unjustly imprisoned.

It probably goes without saying, Monica Ramos and Patty Compean are hurting-- financially, mentally, emotionally, and otherwise.

A local talk radio host in Houston set up a fundraiser to help these families and word got to Glenn Beck. He had both women on his radio show last week and asked one how much her rent was that she was struggling to pay. She told him it was $11,000 or so for the year. Glenn told her he would be writing her a personal check for $11,000 and would write one in the same amount for the other family.

I've followed this story for months and was heartbroken to hear that the families were struggling. One of the women said her son had been persecuted at school and that is one of the reasons they had moved. I was ready to donate some money myself even before Glenn announced his donation.

So, today, I wrote two checks. One to Patty Compean and one to Monica Ramos. I don't have the kind of money Glenn Beck does, but I sent fifty dollars and I'm sure it will help with something. Hopefully, I can make this a regular thing, sending a little money every month. I hope many others are doing the same thing. These families will suffer regardless of how much money people send because they can't be with the husbands/fathers they love, but the money will help make it just a little easier.

If you are touched as I have been, you can send a donation as well. Edd Henndee, one of the talk radio hosts in Houston, is collecting the donations and delivering them to the families. He asks that people make out two separate checks, one to Monica Ramos, one to Patty Compean, and mail them to:

Edd Henndee
Taste of Texas
10505 Katy Freeway
Houston, Texas 77024

I purchased a copy of "John Adams" by David McCullough at a local grocery store a couple months ago and finally finished it this last week. The book was first released in 2001 but, since then, the HBO television network has produced an award-winning mini-series based on the book and a repackaged reissue of the book was released..

I was very intrigued by John Adams after reading about him in the Joseph Ellis history narrative "Founding Brothers." What intrigued me most was his steadfast relationship with his wife Abigail and his on-again, off-again friendship with Thomas Jefferson.

"John Adams" peels away another layer and reveals an incredible amount of detail about the man and his roles in the early years of our country.

What impressed me most in the book was how relatively "solid" Adams was in his beliefs and his philosophies. Around the time he was elected the second president of the United States, there was a great amount of fervor within those involved in politics them to rally around political parties. Adams' political philosophy probably made him more of a federalist than a republican, but he refused to affiliate with either of the predominant movements at that time. This made him both popular and unpopular with both parties, but gave him a tremendous amount of freedom as president to do what he felt was right. Reading about this demonstrated to me just how counterproductive a two-party system can be, especially for executive-branch candidates.

So much of Adams' political beliefs are needed today. He was a frugal, sensible man who didn't see politics and public service as a life of celebrity or extravagance. He never felt he was above anyone else as was demonstrated by his pitching in to help fight fires when they broke out while he was in office. It's amazing to me to imagine the president of the United States standing in a chain line passing buckets of water down so that a burning building could be extinguished. Today it would be called a "publicity event" or some such nonsense.

When I finished the last chapter of the book, which covered Adams' death and the services and recognition paid to him afterwards, I couldn't help but cry for a couple of minutes. After reading the book, which contains hundreds of excerpts of letters and speeches from Adams, I felt I had made some progress toward knowing the man. While I knew from the beginning he had died almost 200 years ago, reaching that part of the book and realizing everything he had done, said, and influenced in the 89 years of his life hit me like a pile of bricks. We owe a large debt of gratitude to this man.

In related news, the HBO miniseries (which I have not seen) is coming out on DVD this Tuesday, June 10, 2008. You can get it from Amazon.com.

Herein lies an update.

Working on family DVDs

I've been trying to spend some time working on some DVDs of family videos. Previously, I had some made up of the years before Maya was born and shortly after Maya was born. Lucy was feeling a bit left out and asked if I'd make a DVD that included footage of her, so I jumped ahead to a few months before Lucy was born.

I just finished that DVD. June 2000 - Dec 20, 2000: 4.1 GB of DVD video. I separate each event into its own title on the DVD and produce a menu that lets you skip to a specific event/title or play all. Each event is preceded by a CG title sequence.

Most of the time, I don't really edit much out of the video, but some of the longer ones, I cut up extensively. For example, there was a trip to the zoo in this DVD I just finished. I think my edits make it a lot more fun to watch.

It seems the only time I ever have to work on any of this stuff is on the weekends... so I try to do as much as I can.

Home improvements and basement

Now that Autumn is fully upon us, I have begun transfering my limited home improvement skills from the yard to the interior of the house.

A couple weekends ago, I put low-voltage boxes and keystone jacks in the walls of our family room to make the installation of our home theater system more attractive and professional. I also have three network cables coming up behind the TV. One is for a videophone Christine brings home from work. I'm thinking about building a media PC so I can watch video I download on the TV.

We've been doing some planning in the basement as well. We decided to cover up one of the doorways for my office, so I got that framed this weekend and I've got a sheet of wallboard ready to go up there.

I messed something electrical up in the lighting circuit for the office -- only two of the four recessed can lights would come on when I turned the circuit on. I finally got a tester and figured out where the problem was. I had to cut a hole in the ceiling and get into the junction box by the second light and re-connect the leads going into one of the wire nuts and wrap it good.

I don't know if it's possible, but I'm hoping we can at least have two bedrooms done in the basement by Christmas. Right now, it's looking like we're going to move the plumbing for the bathroom in the basement and that means cutting up the cement floor: not fun. The way it's plumbed right now, however, imposes some very undesireable limitations on what we can do. For one thing, we have to install a shower if we keep the current plumbing. There just simply isn't enough room for a tub. By relocating the drains, we'll be able to have a tub, a bigger bathroom, and more.

Trailering

Because we knew we were going to be doing more construction work in the basement, we'd been thinking of either picking up a beat-up pickup truck or a trailer to pull behind the Subaru. About two months ago, someone was selling a small utility trailer nearby and I bought it. Since then, I've been gathering all the necessary hardware to hitch it up to the car. It's been quite a learning experience for me.

I pulled the trailer down to my parents' today without the electrical hooked up to it. I still need to replace the trailer-side connector for that and finish connecting the wiring harness on the car side.

Too busy for politics?

I have been so busy the last couple of weeks, I haven't had much time to listen to talk radio or download and listen to MP3s of the Rush Limbaugh show (I'm a Rush 24/7 member). I don't feel too bad about it, though. From what I have gathered, most of the chatter has been about the Harriet Miers nomination, which I don't really care that much about. I'd be fine if she had gone through and was confirmed. I'm fine with Bush nominating someone else. It seemed to me the people on the right who didn't like her were all Ivy League legal snobs (i.e. Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, etc.) Rush Limbaugh didn't have anything bad to say about Miers, specifically. He only thought the president did an unnecessary thing by nominating a stealth candidate for the Supreme Court when the GOP is in so much power -- that it makes the administration look weak.

It's all moot now, though, right?

I did, however, buy a somewhat politically-oriented book: Millionaire Republican : Why Rich Republicans Get Rich--and How You Can Too!. I'm about halfway through it and enjoying it. It's very easy reading and despite the fact the author is quite obnoxious, it contains some very compelling information.