Ammophobes beware: AG sues City of Austin to allow guns at City Hall

Paxton

The good news: Our Attorney General supports the right to bear arms even around the ammophobes at Austin City Hall!

The bad news: Second Amendment supporters such as Council members Don Zimmerman and Ellen Troxclair are named as defendants in the suit against the city.

The Austin American-Statesman reports:

State law has long barred guns from courtrooms and court-related offices. Another law enacted last September, however, limits what restrictions local officials can place on guns in government buildings. For multipurpose government buildings, [Texas Attorney General Ken] Paxton’s office has said people with guns cannot enter the court-related parts of the building but they may bring their legal firearm into other government offices.
The suit Thursday follows an non-binding opinion from the Attorney General’s office, which determined Austin was in violation of the statute.
That opinion gave Austin city until July 20 to allow guns into City Hall, or it could face a civil suit and fines of up to $1,500 for the first offense and then $10,000 per future violation.  

More: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-austin-city-hall-/nr6gy/

Although certain court-related functions do take place in Austin City Hall, it seems as if recent developments only restrict carrying to those parts of the building where court is taking place.

We'll have more on this as it develops.

All this unity is tearing us apart!

"Please, Ted! Just endorse Trump, already!"

"You cannot shake hands with a closed fist" --Ancient Eastern proverb.

Dear fellow Republicans: It's time to loosen our grip. By doing so we'll find ourselves with a stronger hold.

This writer was on KTBC-TV (Fox 7) and KVUE-TV (Channel 24) on Friday to discuss the RNC convention. Naturally, the matter of Ted Cruz' refusal to endorse Donald Trump came up, along with the noticeable boos and hisses from delegates.

By now, you've heard a myriad of thoughts on Sen. Cruz's now-infamous RNC convention speech. My perspective on this was that by nominating a man (Trump) with a history of liberal and conservative tendencies, and a background of endorsing Republicans and Democrats, it's going to take forgiveness to make our 2016 ticket work.

RNC coverage: our apologies

It appears Donald Trump is officially the GOP nominee for President of the United States.

Many of our regular readers were hoping for coverage from The Tracker on the events leading up to the nomination, straight from the mouths of Travis County delegates present.   A few factors precluded that.

1. This writer was on a long-scheduled vacation to Orlando during the convention (who knew RNC would be this early over year ago?) 

2. Our delegates became quite busy and found Facebook and Twitter to be a faster way to reach outside the convention hall.

A summary of GOP national rules changes

Some perspective from national Republican Delegate Jeremy Blosser of Tarrant County is posted here, as originally published on his Facebook profile (unabridged, with no edits):

I have been asked to summarize what happened in the Rules Committee, and how it is just more of the same RNC/GOPe stuff. I am going to attempt to do so, though it's hard to tie the pieces together well enough without saying a lot.

At the 2012 Convention, the “Ginsberg takeover” package's worst offenses were:

'ATX Together' ... but where are the conservative voices?

Who gets to co-host a forum on Austin unity?
The county Democratic chairman (right), of course.

If you watched or attended the "ATX Together" forum hosted by KLRU-TV on Monday night, you may have noticed something wasn't quite ... together about it.

It was a noble, town hall-style event, and we stand behind any and all efforts to discuss plans for how to counter the kind of violence we've seen over the past two weeks. No problem there.

Many friends of this publication cheered it on, including Maura Phelan, Republican candidate for District Attorney, who took to Twitter to share her vision of a brighter future for the Travis County justice system. And we were grateful for any effort to seek common ground and bridge a deepening gap between the community and law enforcement.

But there were serious gaps in the patchwork of voices at the forum -- whatever the reason for the oversight may be.

Austin Conservatives respond to recent shootings, Dallas tragedy

Austin-area conservatives are extending, not only their condolences for recent shootings, but are also organizing efforts to help increase dialogue between law enforcement and the community at large.

This post will be reserved for those efforts, as well as official statements from local leaders and candidates.

"It's Time for Unity" Town Hall (Manor and Pflugerville)

Wednesday, July 13, 6:30 p.m., Manor Methodist Church. East Travis County residents (particularly Manor and Pflugerville) are invited to this event featuring Manor Police Chief Ryan Phipps and Pflugerville Police Chief Chuck Hooker to discuss concerns that the community may have in relation to recent events and what local law enforcement departments are doing to better connect with the community. Sponsored by the Gabriel Nila Campaign, the MLK Association of Austin, Diaspora Vote, the Austin Togolese Society, and others. This event is a work in progress --see the Facebook Event page for more details and updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/255674838152789

Statement from Joe Martinez, Republican candidate for Travis County Sheriff

“Like all Americans, I watched the terrible events in Dallas unfold in sheer horror, as the worst mass casualty event for law enforcement since 9/11 was occurring before our very eyes.
“Immediately my thoughts went to the families of the Dallas Police and DART officers who were senselessly killed or injured.

“I am pleased that U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch today launched a federal hate crime investigation and that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has offered any assistance possible from the state.

“It is clear that in many parts of America, African Americans are afraid of police officers, especially after what happened this week in Minnesota and Louisiana.

“We should continue to support sensible police reform, as we are in Austin with an effort to install police body cameras already underway.

“In Dallas the Police Department had an excellent reputation for community policing, which makes these events so difficult to understand.

“As a candidate for Travis County Sheriff, I pledge to work to strengthen the bonds between our brave law enforcement officers and the Travis County community, by establishing my Community Advisory Board, by increasing diversity sensitivity training, and by having officers out in the community more in order to facilitate building relationships in getting to know the people we pledge to protect so that all Austinites and Travis County citizens feel safe.

“At this time, it is more important than ever that we lift these police officers up in prayer and support their grieving families. We are all one American family.”

Source: Joe Martinez campaign.

Breaking news without breaking your reputation

In a late-night fishing expedition for a few words to say about the tragedy in Dallas, we rediscovered this gem from 2013. We decided it is best to say nothing as we have no information that adds to the general pool of knowledge regarding this situation, nor do our opinions differ from anyone who makes their living off of conservative commentary.

If there is a Travis County connection we're happy to share it. Until then, please take a moment and read over this Breaking News Consumers Handbook by the folks at New York's NPR affiliate WNYC. It's good enough to tape to your TV, computer monitor, or radio. But if you're not into NPR, here's some timeless wisdom:

"In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise." --Proverbs 10:19.

'Driver Responsibility' or never-ending cycle of debt?

A vortex of debt awaits many drivers caught in the DRP

By Cindy Mallette, Guest Contributor

I’m a homeschooling mother of three -- a five-year-old, a three-year-old, and a two-month-old. And if I don’t pay money to the Texas Department of Public Safety every month for the next three years, I could be thrown into jail.

I’m a victim of the Texas Driver Responsibility Program, a well-intentioned law designed to penalize very bad drivers (think drunk drivers) by making them pay extra money on top of any fines they owe for their convictions. Those surcharges go to fund trauma centers that treat uninsured victims. Hospitals love this law, but pretty much everybody else hates it. In fact, this bill has across-the-board hatred from diverse groups such as the NAACP and the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Why the hate?