Texsox

Yep. See you tomorrow. It's expensive to be an Astros fan. I'm not finding ultra cheap tickets at the Juice Box.

@southsider2k5 The GOP gun culture is more at the politician donor level than the individual voter level ( although there are folks on the extreme). Most current or former GOP folks I know support some common sense (to me) changes. Raise the age to buy to 21. Limit magazine sizes. Federal background checks. Limits on advertising. I'd like to see the assault weapon ban reinstated, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

We have over 100 schools and a police force I have a lot of faith in. We're bigger, better equipped, and better trained than most regular police departments around the country. But sadly that's not the case elsewhere. It makes sense to focus on the 99.99% of the school situations by deploying your cops at middle school and high school where the risk of violence from within is greatest. Most elementary students aren't violent. Having a trained marshall on campus seems reasonable. Having a teacher slaughtered by a police officer is bad, but they wouldn't be out there if their or other's lives weren't already at risk. I don't see the situation as everyone being safe and a marshall unlocks their gun. I see the choice as getting murdered or watching others be murdered or unlocking your gun. If I was a marshall, I'd be hanging with the local police and not missing any trainings so they recognize me.

I generally agree. But here's the difference, I have to work at following this team. I plan part of my vacation to see games in person. I'm three hours away from Houston, my daughter and her family live there. I feel like I'm working harder at this team than half of the roster.

Same set up as Robb Elementary.

Why root for these DUI driving assholes?

There is a perfectly fine team just down the road from me in Houston. I've ignored them for 25 years. Why not enjoy life? Most of the board here wanted one of their people hired for manager so it's not like anyone really cares how they win. Plus they have changed.

He does. But a different manager isn't suddenly going to raise the team average a hundred points or get Harrison to run faster. They suck. They are not a good baseball team lead by an even worse manager, all the result of a shitty owner and front office

I wish he'd quite playing. He's got to take himself out of the lineup. Bottom line, these guys suck. They have the manager they deserve. They only have jobs because the worse owner and front office in baseball signed them.

I think teachers getting slaughtered by anyone wouldn't help. I know that's both of us. School marshalls in Texas are a recognized police presence on campus, most often at campuses that have no other police. Local police train with the school marshals on a regular basis. It's basically having an undercover cop on campus. It's kind of crappy some schools have to combine being the campus cop and teaching a class. In most school shootings multiple agencies respond. Some in very recognizable uniforms, some off duty. Shooters are wearing police looking tactical equipment. It's already chaos. So if your child is watching her classmates get murdered, do you want a school marshal on campus or no one?

We have two armed police officers on our campus of 2,700 students. We probably should double that. We could also look into school marshalls. The School Marshall program in Texas trains teachers to backup the police officers in an active shooter scenario. From what I learned any weapons are locked in a gun safe and only taken out if there is an intruder on campus. That's probably safer than the guns that police have holstered but unlocked. Obviously being locked in a safe isn't ideal if a shooter is in campus, but balances the safety issues of more guns on campus. My teacher organization reported that there may be a district or two that has open carry marshalls on campus. They believe all had prior military police or civilian police experience before becoming teachers. From the looks of it districts that have allowed the marshall program into their schools are all rural and most did not have their own police departments. They generally only allow one or two per campus.

I agree that it is unacceptable. I'm also confident Vaughn doesn't drive anyone in. Their play this year is unacceptable and not likely to change.

Sure. But they still lose.

I'm confident my third place prediction will come true. No way this franchise could make the playoffs three consecutive years. Twice a decade is an achievement.

Get away from Tony is the right environment. He's ruining careers.

To be replaced by someone else making the out. They aren't good enough to win games.

As bad as everyone is playing, it really doesn't make a difference. They can't hit. It doesn't matter what number is on their back.

On the way home today I picked up some Astros gear at my local sporting goods store. I'm already feeling better about baseball. I'll be visiting my daughter in Houston soon. I think I'll try to catch a game. Fuck Tony and his merry band of losers.

Civilized countries ban those weapons and buy back those weapons at a premium. The challenge here in the US is there are so many and a buy back program will barely put a dent in the total. People would hoard them. I remember back when Obama was first elected the AR-15 type weapons shot up 50% on the used market. Everyone was buying ahead of what was expected to be a ban. I just hope those that own them will respond like Ukrainians if we're ever attacked. I'll admit I always laughed at the notion ordinary citizens could hold off an Army. Now maybe I was wrong.

Men's D1 National Champions The University of Texas Longhorns. In Including a couple players I watched as high schoolers.

For the record ten days ago I would have agreed 100% with you. I expressed those exact same reservations. I believe both scenarios are highly unlikely. A kid will steal a gun from a family member or obtain it away from school. The kid would have much more time and possibility away from school. Are the cops in your school district armed? Do you want them disarmed? Sadly your second question has much different answers based on the person holding the gun. I'm not pulling my gun unless my life is threatened. So would I rather take my chance with a criminal trying to kill me or a police officer? I'll save my life first, then worry about the cop. If your child was calling you while her classmates were getting murdered do you want the teacher to have a gun? That was reality last week. Kids huddled with their teacher begging for help that wasn't coming. As a parent what do you want? So far I've asked that three times and you ignored the question. Scary thought isn't it?

Here are the real challenges and the ones that have filled my head for a week. I'm in my classroom. The door is locked and blocked by a metal bookcase, a file cabinet, and desks (we've practiced this). Someone is working hard to get in. If I'm armed do I wait for them to get inside and shoot before I use my weapon? Currently I'm unarmed and basically about to die. Can I save anyone? Our training is to fight. How many bodies pile up? Or a situation on the other wall. Three big windows that if broken you could easily step through. Someone is breaking the window to gain access. Is it a good guy there to sneak us out through a courtyard then through the building or a bad guy trying to kill us? What do I do? Whether I like it or not the reality is my classroom could be next.

I agree they made it worse. The victim of the original crime shouldn't have retrieved another gun and started shooting. He's protecting property. He's now a criminal for shooting. Same with C. Now my scenarios. Your child is calling for help while watching classmates being murdered? Teacher with a gun or phone? Movie theater shooter standing over your wife about to shoot, do you want a gun or no gun? That's part of the challenge here. There are an unlimited number of scenarios that make sense for either side. My #1 scenario is no one, good, bad, civilian, or cop has a gun, but that isn't happening in my lifetime. My reality is a responsibility to protect my students.

Why not arrest everyone and sort it out later? As a police officer why not only shoot people aiming at you? It shouldn't matter good or bad. Point a gun at a cop, get shot. Don't point a gun at a cop, don't get shot. Each side can create scenarios that prove their opinion is correct. In this one armed folks made it worse. If your child was whispering in their phone for help while people were getting shot, do you want their teacher pointing a gun or a cell phone at the murderer? If a gunman was pointing a gun point blank at your wife do you want a gun or a phone? Do I want someone shooting indiscriminately in a dark movie theater? No. Basically anything outside of self defense is a don't fire. Don't fire to protect property. Don't fire at someone running away.

The difference is point of view. If my point of view is being five feet away from a guy pulling the trigger on a Daniel Defense AR-15 replica and killing students around me, my point of view and response will be different than the more qualified and trained law enforcement individual who is safe a quarter mile away or a politician hundreds or thousands of miles away. I'd literally be fighting for my life and the lives of students around me. If your child is hiding with me in my classroom while listening to kids being slaughtered do you want me to have a cell phone and bullet tipped dry erase markers or a gun? The school Marshall plan is making more and more sense to me.