Saturday, May 26, 2012
The Candidates I recommended to Precinct 3213
The following are pics of the recommendations I left on doors and handed out to voters in precinct 3213.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
David Dewhurst and the Depth of Dumb, why I voted for Ted Cruz
I made a departure when choosing Ted Cruz to be the US Senator from Texas in that I voted more against another candidate, than I did for Ted. Ted Cruz is a conservative and he is smart. I think he will make a good senator, but the larger reason I chose him is because I believe he has the best chance of knocking David Dewhurst out of the race. I don't trust Dewhurst, I believe he is reckless and ignorant of history. Here's why.
In 2010, David Dewhurst called for a constitutional convention that would suspend the amendment process and rewrite the Constitution to include a provision for a balanced-budget. Balancing the budget is a laudable goal, but does he realize what happened the last time a constitutional convention was successfully called?
In 1787, the 13 states convened a constitutional convention. When it was over the Constitution had been completely rewritten, for the better it turned out. But do you think this would happen today? Do you think that a constitutional convention would keep our Constitution intact and only make improvements that we want? Once a convention is called, there is no way to control the agenda or excluding anyone. And those of us who have observed the way the Left has operated politically in the last 50 years are completely terrorized by this prospect of them getting their hands on the Constitution.
But not David Dewhurst. He continued to push for a constitutional convention, even after being apprised of the historical consequences of such a move. He disregarded the voices that were telling him that this was a wrong thing to do. He argued for a constitutional convention, and argued that he could control it, long past the time that a less determined person would've given up.
Calling for a constitutional convention because the amendment process is too slow and too difficult, can be likened to stepping out on a concrete driveway with your baby in one hand and the pair of diapers in the other, then throwing the baby and the diapers up in the air, and the expecting them to come back down fully assembled, with the new diapers wrapped around the baby's freshly powdered and wiped little butt. Think something like this is going to happen? David Dewhurst would.
He would throw that baby up in the air, throw those diapers up in the air then expect the baby to NOT splash like a watermelon on the concrete driveway, the fresh diaper to NOT be snagged by a passing hawk and he would also expect the dirty diaper, the one full of poo, to NOT come down and hit him right in the face.
David Dewhurst is a man of historical ignorance and recklessness. He shouldn't be allowed to serve in the United States Senate.
Vote For Ted Cruz
Hancock-Smith, SD9 Senate, How I voted and why.
Both candidates are decent, principled conservatives. However, Kelly is the more conservative of the two. He is an instinctive conservative. He will author, sponsor, and work for conservative legislation.
Todd Smith is a reliable vote for any conservative legislation that comes across his desk. the operative phrase here is "comes across his desk", Todd cannot be relied on to initiate conservative legislation.
Todd's brand of conservatism has lost and will continue to lose ground to the Left. The Left, the people who think collective solutions from the government are the end-all and be-all of fixing things, solving our problems. The Left, the ones who think that communism just may be a good idea. The Left, the ones who fervently believe that socialism is a good idea. The Left, the ones who are so ignorant of history they don't realize that collective solutions to society's problems -socialism, communism, Leftism in general- have been responsible for more misery, and more deaths of innocent people than any other ideology in the last hundred twenty years.
If conservatism was likened to a thermometer, Kelly would be at 98°, and Todd would be at 72°. Both temperatures are preferable to the Left's temperature of 30°, but Kelly's is higher than Todd's. This is why I voted for him.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Darrell Huffman's McCaffity Hit Mailer, #2
NOTE: see update at bottom of the page.
This is the second in a series of articles about the negative campaign mailer sent out by the Darrell Huffman campaign about his opponent, Jason McCaffity.
As I said in my first article on the subject, I received a negative campaign mailer about Jason McCaffity and the Kennedale PD. The mailer had a website address on it that I assumed was back up for the statements made in the mailer. However, it didn't turn out that way. This statement:
Which references an incident in which McCaffity is supposed to have let an assault suspect go without arresting, or citing him and which references a disciplinary action of August 30, 2002 in the backup documentation is not supported by any documentation whatsoever, there is nothing in the website that backs this up.
I urge Mister Huffman to put this supporting documentation on the website and notify me with a comment.
If anyone can find back up for this statement in the supporting documentation, please let me know with a comment.
UPDATE: 5 – 20 – 2012 Another document has been added to the Disciplinary Action page. It is the written reprimand from August 30, 2002. Jason McCaffity was indeed reprimanded for his actions on that day. Both charges, neglect of duty, and violation of the chain of command spring from one failure. That failure was in the supervision of a subordinate officer. The charges are due to the actions of another officer, not Jason McCaffity. At the end of the letter, the chief encourages McCaffity to view this reprimand as a learning experience that will impact his law enforcement career in a positive manner. In my opinion, this is a light rebuke to a young sergeant, hardly the fire and brimstone REPRIMAND that is conveyed in the negative campaign mailer.
Darrell Huffman's McCaffity Hit Mailer, #1
I received a negative campaign mailer a few days ago. It was a piece about Jason McCaffity and the Kennedale Police Department. After looking very hard, I discovered that the mailer came from the Darrell Huffman campaign.
Like all negative campaign literature it makes very damaging statements about a candidate in mostly unspecific terms and always with the worst possible interpretation. In the days before the Internet, these mailers had to stand on their own without any backup. So it was with satisfaction I noticed a link to supporting documentation at www.JasonMcCaffity.com. However, when I went to the website, I found that most of the statements were either not supported by the documentation, or could only be inferred from it. In this first article I will focus on this statement:
This statement references repeated reprimands and repeated violations of the Chain of Command. Nowhere in the supporting documentation can I find any mention of reprimands, repeated or otherwise, or of Chains of Command.
However, Neglect of Duty was in the chief's charging letter. As a matter of fact, it looks like the chief discovered Jason doing something he had told him not to on Saturday, thought about it on Sunday, then wrote the charging letter on Monday.
If Mister Huffman has supporting documentation for the statement about reprimands and chains of command, I urge him to add it to the website and notify me with a comment.
If anyone can find reference to reprimands and chains of commands in the supporting documentation, I urge them to point it out with a comment.
If you find mistakes of fact or logic in this piece, please let me know. It is my belief that the beginning of wisdom starts with the acknowledgment of one's own ignorance. Joel Downs
UPDATE: 5 – 20 – 2012 Another document has been added to the Disciplinary Action page. It is the written reprimand from August 30, 2002. And it reveals three things. The first revelation is that this reprimand was instigated because of a citizen complaint. The second revelation is that both charges, neglect of duty, and violation of the chain of command spring from one failure. That failure was in supervision of a subordinate officer. The third revelation is the charge of repeated reprimands is not supported if this is the only document. The charge of violation of the chain of command is due to the actions of another officer, not Jason McCaffity. At the end of the letter, the chief encourages McCaffity to view this reprimand as a learning experience that will impact his law enforcement career in a positive manner. This is a light rebuke to a young sergeant, hardly the fire and brimstone REPRIMAND that is conveyed in the negative campaign mailer.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Early Voting is the easiest way to vote.
You can vote ANYWHERE in the County in Early Voting, on Election Day you have to go to the location that is assigned to your precinct.
If you live in Tarrant County, you need 3 things to be able to vote early: You need to be a registered Tarrant County, Texas voter, be at a location within Tarrant county, and have ID. That's all. You don't need your voter registration card because they will look you up on the registration rolls right then. You don't need to search out exactly the right location for your precinct, like on election day.
As a Tarrant County voter, you can go to any of the locations listed below and vote. Just present your ID, they will look you up on the computer, give you a password, they call it an "access code, and direct you to the voting booth. There's far less chance of long lines at 36 convenient locations all over the County
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EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS
ARLINGTON
2. Bob Duncan Center 2800 South Center Street Arlington, Texas 76014
3. Elzie Odom Athletic Center 1601 NE Green Oaks Boulevard Arlington, Texas 76006
4. Center for Community Service Junior League of Arlington 4002 West Pioneer Parkway Arlington, Texas 76013
5. South Service Center 1100 SW Green Oaks Boulevard Arlington, Texas 76017
6. Tarrant County Sub-Courthouse in Arlington 700 E Abram Street Arlington, Texas 76010
AZLE
7. B. J. Clark Annex Room 4 603 Southeast Parkway Azle, Texas 76020
8. Bedford Public Library 2424 Forest Ridge Drive Bedford, Texas 76021
9. Benbrook Community Center 228 San Angelo Avenue Benbrook, Texas 76126
10. Colleyville City Hall 100 Main Street Colleyville, Texas 76034
11. Crowley Community Center 900 East Glendale Street Crowley, Texas 76036
12. Euless Public Library 201 North Ector Drive Euless, Texas 76039
FOREST HILL
13. Mahaney Community Center 6800 Forest Hill Drive Forest Hill, Texas 76140
FORT WORTH
14. Diamond Hill/Jarvis Library 1300 Northeast 35th Street Fort Worth, Texas 76106
15. Griffin Sub-Courthouse 3212 Miller Avenue Fort Worth, Texas 76119
16. Handley-Meadowbrook Community Center 6201 Beaty Street Fort Worth, Texas 76112
17. JPS Health Center Viola M. Pitts/Como Lower Level, Suite 100 4701 Bryant Irvin Road N. Fort Worth, Texas 76107
18. Southside Community Center 959 East Rosedale Street Fort Worth, Texas 76104
19. Southwest Community Center 6300 Welch Avenue Fort Worth, Texas 76133
20. Southwest Sub-Courthouse 6551 Granbury Road Fort Worth, Texas 76133
21. Summerglen Branch Library 4205 Basswood Boulevard Fort Worth, Texas 76137
22. Tarrant County Plaza Building 201 Burnett Street Fort Worth, Texas 76102
23. Worth Heights Community Center 3551 New York Avenue Fort Worth, Texas 76110
GRAND PRAIRIE
24. Starrett Elementary School 2675 Fairmont Drive Grand Prairie, Texas 75052
25. Grapevine Community Activities Center 1175 Municipal Way Grapevine, Texas 76051
26. Haltom City Northeast Center 3201 Friendly Lane Haltom City, Texas 76117
HURST
27. Hurst Recreation Center 700 Mary Drive Hurst, Texas 76053
28. Northeast Sub-Courthouse 645 Grapevine Highway Hurst, Texas 76054
29. Keller Town Hall 1100 Bear Creek Parkway Keller, Texas 76248
30. Kennedale Community Center 316 West 3rd Street Kennedale, Texas 76060
LAKE WORTH
31. Sheriff’s Office North Patrol Division 6651 Lake Worth Boulevard Lake Worth, Texas 76135
32. Mansfield Sub-Courthouse 1100 East Broad Street Mansfield, Texas 76063
33. Former North Richland Hills Recreation Center (Intersection of Loop 820 and Rufe Snow) 6720 Northeast Loop 820 North Richland Hills, Texas 76180
SAGINAW
34. Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD Administration Building 6 – Training Room 1200 Old Decatur Road Saginaw, Texas 76179
35. Southlake Town Hall 1400 Main Street Southlake, Texas 76092
36. White Settlement Public Library 8215 White Settlement Road White Settlement, Texas 76108
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EARLY VOTING LASTS 11 DAYS, BEGINS MAY 14, AND ENDS MAY 25
May (Mayo) 14 – 18 Monday - Friday (Lunes – Viernes) 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
May (Mayo) 19 Saturday (Sábado)----------------------------7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
May (Mayo) 20 Sunday (Domingo) --------------------------11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
May (Mayo) 21 – 25 Monday – Friday (Lunes – Viernes) 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
DON'T HASSLE ON ELECTION DAY, VOTE EARLY INSTEAD!
Joel Downs, Precinct Chair 3213
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Darrell Huffman's Record
Recent events have made me take another look at the "open" records that have been circulating about Darrell Huffman. I looked closely at them. I had questions. I called Mr. Huffman and asked those questions, he answered. Using what he told me, and the record I have constructed the following timeline:
11/22/2004 to 9/9/2006, Patrol Officer, Crowley Police Department.
Time: 10 months, 18 days.
5/2/2006 to 10/8/2008, this is the time period, from the day he started with the Tarrant County Constable department, until the day he applied for the full-time deputy constable position.
Time: 2 years, 3 months, 6 days.
The date, 10/8/2008 is the date that Huffman said he applied for the job. If he had let the date that most people assumed stand, 10/22/2008, he would have given himself 14 extra days. I note this because he could have, and he didn't.
According to the minimum requirements set forth on the Tarrant County.com website, 30 hours of college is equal to one year of law enforcement experience. Huffman had 33 hours of college when he applied for the job. Therefore, another year of law enforcement experience is his.
Time: 1 year.
If these times are added together, 10 months, 18 days + 2 years 3 months, 6 days + 1 year, they equal 4 years, 4 months and 24 days, or 4 years 4.8 months.
4 years, 4.8 months....7.2 months shy of the five year requirement. This is the amount of law enforcement experience Darrell Huffman had when he applied for the full-time Constables position.
Why then did Constable Hilger allow Huffman to begin work as a full-time Constable when he did not meet the five years experience requirement? I haven't talked to Constable Hilger but I believe that as an elected official, he is more accountable to the people of Tarrant County than a civil service worker would be and therefore, his own judgment has larger sway in these matters. And in the Constable's judgment, Huffman had met the requirements.
Although officially classed as a part-time worker, Huffman had worked a 40 hour week for most of the weeks he had been employed by the Tarrant County Constable's Department. He even had to take a leave of absence in order to keep from violating the contract he made with the county to not work full-time.
He was hired as a full-time Constable, not because he was a good old boy, as some have suggested, but because he works hard and, by his own initiative, was already trained for the position that he was applying for.
Darrell Huffman is, in my estimation, a decent man and a hard worker. I will be supporting and voting for Jason McCaffity in the upcoming primary. Not because I have been swayed against Huffman by any of this, but because Jason McCaffity has the edge in education and executive experience and I think he would make a better Constable. However, if Huffman wins, I believe that position will still be in capable hands.
Note: This is my take on this subject. If anyone would like to point out mistakes in logic, reason, or facts, please do so. I believe that the beginning of wisdom starts with the acknowledgement of one's own ignorance. Joel Downs
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