1. A measure was overwhelmingly passed Thursday by the House of Representatives to ascertain the untenability of Syrian refugees in light of the Paris attack. The Senate is to take up the measure after Thanksgiving. Obama's response was to authorize the use of force against the Islamic State. The Obama administration feels that a two-year process hurts the refugees who are desperate. They claim that the refugees are no more dangerous than tourists, and that the screening process is unnecessary.
2. The Austin City council voted to ease regulations for building garage apartments. Proponents argue the move can lead to less expensive housing, and for home owners, could be supplemental income. Council members Kathie Tovo objected, saying it would undermine neighborhood plans that decided against them. Tommy Ates, attests that garage apartments are the only way he could live in the area, Council Member Sabino Renteria alike, said that such rents were the only reason they could stay a longtime resident. I stand with the opposition. I have a bad feeling that this ordinance will raise property taxes and make population density worse.
3. Leslie Pool is my neighborhood's board member.
4. Federal Regulations approved genetically engineered salmon fit for consumption, and that genetically modified animals may now reach the American dinner table. Environmental and consumer groups argued that these altered fish's safety hadn't been sufficiently tested, and that they might damage and change the wild salmon population if they escaped. The FDA said that the approval took so long because it was the first of its kind. Ronald Stotish said he was delighted and somewhat surprised at the decision after all this time. The graph holds the conclusion that genetically modified plants have been rapidly increasing in number with insect and herbicide resistance.
5. Don Zimmerman proposed that Austin's government stop spending money to help Syrian refugees and keep them from settling in Austin. Greg Caser and Mayor Steve Adler responded that Austin was open to such refugees, and that such a xenophobic proposal wouldn't get passed. 1225 refugees arrived in Travis County in 2013. Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller had posted on Facebook a post that compared refugees to rattlesnakes, which got him in the news. Texas Democrats accused this of fanning the flames of xenophobia.
6. Raphael Holiday was convicted of setting a fire that killed his daughter and her two half-sisters. He became the 13th convicted killer to be put to death this year in Texas, which is half of all the executions for such a crime in the United States. Gretchen Sween argued for an appeal, since court-appointed attorneys abandoned him after the justices in June refused to review his case. The Judge in Holiday's trial court stopped the execution, saying that the conviction and trial testimony were both improper, but the Texas attorney general's office appealed and the execution continued.
7.
I. Police Officer Killed During Botched Robbery
This one would be a fun topic, because of how the tables have turned on police brutality, and what the real threat to defend against may be.
II. Unclaimed Silver Bars
I LOVE silver. I want to talk about what a good investment silver is, and some of the lore behind it in mythology.
III. Most Races Already Over
I can talk about how political reform is needed all day. Although I think I can ruin how you view our current system in about 5 minutes.
1. *Ascertain the untenability? What? Obama asked for an authorization for force from Congress. And he said the two-year process was sufficient to assess the security risk. There is no telling how long the process will be if the bill passes. (-1)
ReplyDelete6. U.S. Supreme Court denied Sween's appeal (-1).
7. Technically, the silver bars advertisement isn't a story. (-1)
97