For all the years I have been reading newspapers from around the country it was always incredible how violent Texas was consistently. Every flyin' day. Without a missing a beat there was violence and death.
Murders in Texas in 2010 - 1,249 That is 8.5% of the deaths in the USA. Not one-fiftieth (1/50). Eight and a half percent.
Murders in the entire USA in 2010 - 14,748
Rate of murders in Texas per 100,000 people in 2010 - 5
That is an improvement of an all time high of 16.9 in 1980; while the rest of the country was 10.2.
Rate of murders in the entire USA in 2010 per 100,000 persons - 4.8
California and Florida have a larger death row population, but, have not executed as many people as Texas. So much for a deterrent. There is only one deterrent to murder and that is removing weapons from the street!
Man who claimed self-defense is charged with murder in shooting (click title to entry - thank you)
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Updated 11:52 p.m., Friday, March 30, 2012
A man who told Houston police he fatally shot someone in self-defense has been charged with murder, officials said.
Police on Friday arrested Joseph Earl Francis, 53, in the Sunday shooting death of Joshua Johnson.
Houston police say witnesses told investigators that Johnson was walking in the 1400 block of Tarberry about 7:15 p.m. when a black Ford F-150 truck pulled alongside and someone inside the truck shot him.
Francis surrendered to authorities on Monday, telling investigators he and the 24-year-old Johnson had been involved in an 8-month-long dispute.
No further information is currently available.
Lawmakers profit from positions in Congress (click here)
By Gary Martin
Updated 10:04 a.m., Saturday, March 31, 2012
WASHINGTON — A government watchdog report that claims two-thirds of Texas congressional lawmakers used their positions to enrich themselves or family drew a strong retort Friday from both Democrats and Republicans.
The report, “Family Affair,” by the Citizens for Responsibility in Ethics in Washington, states that no laws or ethics codes were broken but shows a disconnect by lawmakers from voters despite continued low national opinion ratings for Congress.
“This report shows lawmakers still haven't learned it is wrong to trade on their positions as elected leaders to benefit themselves or their families,” said Melanie Sloan, CREW executive director.
The report lists 21 of the 32 Texas congressional lawmakers with questionable dealings....
Murders in Texas in 2010 - 1,249 That is 8.5% of the deaths in the USA. Not one-fiftieth (1/50). Eight and a half percent.
Murders in the entire USA in 2010 - 14,748
Rate of murders in Texas per 100,000 people in 2010 - 5
That is an improvement of an all time high of 16.9 in 1980; while the rest of the country was 10.2.
Rate of murders in the entire USA in 2010 per 100,000 persons - 4.8
Texas City man convicted of capital murder (click here)
On Friday, a jury found a Texas City man guilty of capital murder in a bar shooting that killed two and injured one, the Daily News of Galveston reported.
Robert Hernandez Ramos is expected to be sentenced to life in prison, the newspaper reported.
The incident happened in 2010, according to the Houston Chronicle, when Ramos confronted his father-in-law, Robert Cantu, at the Little Doggie bar. Witnesses said Ramos shot Cantu execution-style, then shot other bar patrons during the commotion that erupted afterwards.
Rodger Doyle Robinson, who tried to stop Ramos, was shot and killed. A woman at the jukebox was shot in the shoulder and survived.
California and Florida have a larger death row population, but, have not executed as many people as Texas. So much for a deterrent. There is only one deterrent to murder and that is removing weapons from the street!
Capital punishment has been used in the U.S. state of Texas and its predecessor entities since 1819.
As of 28 March 2012, 1,232 individuals (all but six of whom have been male) have been executed. Only Virginia has executed more individuals overall; however, since the death penalty was re-instituted in the United States in the 1976 Gregg v. Georgia decision, Texas has executed (all via lethal injection) more inmates than any other state (beginning in 1982 with the execution of Charles Brooks Jr.), notwithstanding that two states (California and Florida) have a larger death row population than Texas.
...semiautomatic handguns rose from approximately 25% of confiscated handguns in the early 1980s to 0 65% in 1 9 9 2 . Likewise, large caliber handguns (defined as handguns largler than .32 caliber) accounted for approximately 45% of confiscated handguns in the early 1980s and rose to about 60% by the early 1990s. Large caliber semiautomatic handguns increased nearlyfourfold in relative terms, rising from under 10% of confiscated handguns in 1980 to 38% in 1992....
...Notwithstanding, this study has shown that the crime gun arsenal has become more lethal in recent years, and there is evidence that this trend has had negative consequences on public safety in Dallas, (click here) and presumably elsewhere. Indeed, the results of this study are very similar to those produced by an earlier study examining recent trends in gun lethality and gun violence mortality in Kansas City, Missouri....
The more guns on the street the more deaths there are. The more lethal the guns the more deaths there are.
Dallas' crime gun arsenal grew substantially more lethal from 1980 to 1992 as measured by changes in the types of guns confiscated by police.
...semiautomatic handguns rose from approximately 25% of confiscated handguns in the early 1980s to 0 65% in 1 9 9 2 . Likewise, large caliber handguns (defined as handguns largler than .32 caliber) accounted for approximately 45% of confiscated handguns in the early 1980s and rose to about 60% by the early 1990s. Large caliber semiautomatic handguns increased nearlyfourfold in relative terms, rising from under 10% of confiscated handguns in 1980 to 38% in 1992....
...Notwithstanding, this study has shown that the crime gun arsenal has become more lethal in recent years, and there is evidence that this trend has had negative consequences on public safety in Dallas, (click here) and presumably elsewhere. Indeed, the results of this study are very similar to those produced by an earlier study examining recent trends in gun lethality and gun violence mortality in Kansas City, Missouri....
The more guns on the street the more deaths there are. The more lethal the guns the more deaths there are.
