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A Second Chance in Texas?
Texas has always been super strict on drinking and driving. The slogan “Don’t Mess With Texas” gets repeatedly applied to these laws. As a Texan, I have always understood and been proud of my state. I’m just as proud today as Texas looks at renovating the law for first-time offenders. Between the court system being backloogged and many prosecutors and defenders being tied up with these cases, an awareness of how not only to help the judicial system but also the public and yes, the defendant, has brought a proposal that even MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) is considering to be a positive change.
What is the new proposal? It is going a little easier on first-time offenders provided that they agree to supervision and treatment. We all make mistakes. We all think we are above getting that first ticket, not being able to handle our liquor, being able to get high whenever without getting addicted. We are wrong, though. Just today I was driving down one of the main streets in town and a brown van kept going over the white line. Drinking? Hmm. So as I decide to pull up and get away from the driver, I see that it is actually a little old lady who looked to be at least 70. Maybe she’s never had a ticket or been a drunk driver but if she keeps driving the way she is, she will end up being pulled over.
The new proposal is going to bring a second chance to the first-time offender in making sure that he or she realizes what could happen if he continues to drink and drive. Innocent lives could be lost. His own could be (which would sadden his family) and if he did live, he would most likely wish for death because of the guilt. But with the new proposal, he can be supervised and he can get the treatment he needs to make sure he does not repeat such a foolish and possibly fatal mistake again.
I’m still proud that Texas is one of the harder places to be legally. I’m also proud that we want the best for all of our citizens and want them to come out of a situation having learned a valuable lesson and striving to improve and be the best that he or she can be.
Don’t mess with Texas. We are seriously willing to give you a second chance because we believe in fairness and forgiveness. Make the best of it and the best of your life and down the road we will pay it forward and tell someone else the same thing so that you and yours are kept safe as well. We want you to live free but we also want all potential innocent victims to live free as well. So don’t blow your second chance, okay? (Because you know what? We think you deserve a second chance. Show us that we’re right.)
Making a Living Selling Drugs?
The economic situation going on in the world today has been socially and seriously compared to that of the Great Depression. People find getting a job harder today than ever in the current three generations. Whether the reasons are, again, the economy, aging, or a mistake from the past showing up in new background checks post 9-11, a lot of people are in the same boat: they are having a hard time making a living. Some turn to drug dealing.
Making a living selling drugs is not making a living. You are behind bars in a prison of your own making. First off, you are going to get caught eventually. If you think differently, think again. We see it in Texas newspapers every day. A traffic stop yields 150 pounds of pot, a million dollars worth of cocaine, $11,000 worth of prescription drugs. It happens all the time.
A raid discovers counterfeit money and drug possession. How? Someone has tipped off the authorities. Either during a drug deal gone wrong, revenge or that kid at the local high school got in trouble with Mom or Dad and decided to come clean in order to offset his or her punishment.
Seriously, how does a person make a living selling drugs? More and more “clients” are students. If you get a Texas Mama finding out you are selling drugs to her junior high son or daughter, you may find yourself picked up and sentenced to more years in prison than you have left to live multiplied by ten or twelve.
Making a living drug dealing is not really living. You cannot share stories over dinner with your parents about a huge sale. You can’t celebrate with the neighbors and tell them the reason you were able to put a pool in is because their high school kids are some of your best customers. You are suspicious of every person you come in contact with. You can get hooked on your own product. You are constantly looking over your shoulder. You live in fear of a drug bust or someone pulling a drive-by shooting, usually hitting the wrong house and injuring some child.
Fast food may not be what some people dreamed of doing but if you are having a rough time financially, knock off the “pride” and try for a job there. It is a lot more respectful than having undercover agents arrest you in front of your kindergarten-aged son or daughter.
Think twice before you make a drug de
al. Then think twice again. Making a living pushing drugs is not making a living. It is a crime that hurts not only the person you are selling to, but their families, your own family and more and more, minor children who are suppose to be protected by adults. We all have a responsibility when it comes to that.
Are you making a living selling drugs? Stop, get out now and rebuild your life and character. Because if you get caught in Texas, chances are high that you will not see the road to freedom again in your lifetime. Do you honestly think living high on the hog for a few months till someone narcs on you is worth it? Can you really live with yourself if you contribute to a young person’s road to addiction? Ask yourself that when your view from the top is a set of prison bars on your window or the funeral procession of a child who lived down the street.
Lasso That Addiction
In North Texas this week, a Utah man pleaded guilty in the death of his 5 year-old son back in December, 2008. A young boy, looking forward to a visit from Santa, instead went on to a higher place of excitement and eternity, leaving behind a heartbroken family. All because of a parent’s addiction to methadone.
This post is not about tearing down a father who, no matter what his sentence, will be serving his own self-inflicted life term. It is instead a post about how our addictions truly do affect those around us, and our younger children can become terminal victims by getting into the drugs we may have in our possession
When a person is addicted to drugs, when he or she is in the middle of that high, right and wrong, common sense, rationality, it all takes a back seat. Truthfully, have you ever woke up in the morning with a serious hangover from the night before, possibly not even remembering certain events? Did you ever smoke crack or take heroin and wake up, not necessarily remembering but instead, yearning for yet another fix?
If you are a parent of young children, or even if you have teenagers around, once you are out of touch with reality, you have no idea what they could be getting into. This does make you responsible. If you are lucky, nothing happens. At worst, maybe you catch your teenager stealing your cigarettes or some beer from the fridge and you ground him or her for simply following your actions. But if you aren’t so lucky, you could be like a North Texas family, a father from Utah, parents all over this country and others as well, losing a special blessing like little Lane, a bright and cheerful, smart and inquisitive young boy who already had dreams of what he wanted to do when he grew up. He wanted to be a cowboy.
If reading this makes you want to hug your own little ones a little closer, if it makes you want to re-think that addiction you secretly (or not so secretly) have, then don’t hesitate. Reach for the phone and make plans to get help now. Become what a parent truly is to a child, a hero who is always there. Do it for your sons, your daughters. Do it so that the death of little Lane was not in vain. If you make the decision to get clean based on the death of Lane Owen, you can know inside your own heart that he is up there looking down with a smile as he knows he has helped you win a tough competition, lassoing your addiction.
“The Man”
Okay, now here is a good argument against drugs and for rehab. Many 
people on drugs argue against “the man”. So, for those who do? Think about this. More and more arrests are being made involving drugs and alcohol. More and more arrests mean more money for the court system, the officers, the city and the county, therefore the state, and therefore, “the man”.
Okay, this is not an article against politics but let’s face it, the first paragraph got your attention, right? The truth is, yes, there are more arrests. With the economy today, people are turning more to drugs and alcohol to forget, to feed their depression and to just get through the day, the night, the week.
But think about this: every dime spent on cocaine, heroin, marijuana, alcohol, every dime is taking away from helping yourself in other areas. You could put that money towards a class or trade school. You could put it in savings. You could buy a family board game and spend time with your children, memories that will last a lifetime in a much sweeter way than them witnessing an arrest and visiting you in jail.
Drugs and alcohol can make you forget the outside world for a little while but it will not go away. Sooner or later, we all have to face our actions and deal with the consequences.
Think about what is really important in your life the next time you make a drug deal or buy a case of beer that will be gone by morning with you being the only drinker. Buried within those walls you have put up is a person who once had dreams, a person who has loved ones, perhaps a spouse or children, a person who MATTERS. Yes, you matter.
I don’t apologize for using “the man” tactic as an excuse to get you to notice this article. I simply wanted to get your attention so that you get the true message of this article: with this economy, many of us are bound to feel sorry for ourselves, and yes, even with good reason. But sinking into the forgetful addiction of drugs or alcohol is not the answer. It puts us further in debt, sets a bad example for our children, and costs us everything dear to us.
This economy makes us feel out of control but guess what? There IS something you can control. You can a) stay away from the pitfalls of addiction or b) reach for the phone and call that number there at the side and get into rehab. The feeling of taking control of a seemingly hopeless situation will increase as you learn the tools to stay clean.
In this case, “the man” is really the addiction to drugs or alcohol. Stick it to him and show him you can overcome his power. Oh, and if you do not have insurance and you are broke? See what programs the government offers to help addicts get clean. A little-known positive in these rough times.
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