Texan's Can't Protect Themselves From Each Other

There has been a lot of "Cowboy Justice" talk from the White House the past few years, lots of action verbs. They claim to have all the virtues best suited to protect our country in what they refer to as "these troubled times". They insisted that anyone else elected to lead the country would be too soft on the "evil-doers".

Mr. Bush, after all is a Texan. They have guns and an electric chair and they're not afraid to use them. They have a keen sense of right and wrong - you're either "with us or against us". They have the guts to make the hard decisions, and to protect their homes and families so "bring...it...on."

Newsflash - it doesn't work.

If you compare the latest Department of Justice Crime Statistics for Texas and that dreaded bluest of the blue states in the Northeast - New York, you are much safer in New York than Texas.

2004 TX violent crime total 121,554; murder and manslaughter 1,364; forcible rape 8,388.

2004 NY violent crime total 84,914; murder and manslaughter 889; forcible rape 3,563.

Safety and security is not a simple question of who has the most guns, the most Bibles or the harshest laws. Its not just catching "evil-doers" after they've committed a crime, its about the complexities of living in a civilized world that does the right things to make sure that a crime is never committed in the first place. Prevent the crime, spare the victim.

When the rhetoric comes around again, remember the facts and the numbers, its that simple. And don't even get me started on the number of Adult Book Stores per capita by state, another unfortunate set of facts that contradicts the holier-than-thou rhetoric from the "family values" side of the political spectrum.