Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 269, Ed. 1 Tuesday, September 29, 2009 Page: 4 of 10
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MAM
Viewpoints
Page 4 ■ Tuesday, September 29, 2009
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
T~\ Sweetwater 1
Reporter
Sweetwater Reporter
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
325/236-6677
Fax: 325/235-4967
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Sharon L Friedlander
puMsher/ad director
Danica Hickson
business mgr
Michelle Ashford
circulation mgr.
Tatiana Rodriguez
managing editor
Pablo Rodriguez
composing mgr.
Rleu Reyes
production mgr.
GUEST COLUMN
Tracking registered sex offenders’ use of technology
EinmiMNUcr
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
those labeled “Editorials” reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I do believe that the letter on 9-24-09 by Ms. Hickson
is true to a point. I do believe that as parents we should
know where our kids are going, and who they will
be with them. We may teach them to respect and be
responsible, but it will be he/she's choice.
As to suspending the young men who are accused of
this nasty, and mean action, is the decision of the SISD
Board.
This my personal opinion and not anybody else’s. And
yes Sweetwater has changed alot since 1 was in school.
I also hope that we can prevent another or worse inci-
dents from happening in the future.
P. Sisk
Sweetwater
HISD SUPERINTENDENTS COLUMN
September school
board meeting
The HISD board of trustees met for their regular
monthly meeting on September 24th. Joe Grimes from
Grimes & Associates, gave the board an update on con-
struction. The new dressing rooms are approximately
70% complete. The first portion of the concrete slab for
the new classroom wing and multipur-
pose facility has been poured, with the
next portion due to be poured in the
next two weeks. Mr. Grimes showed the
board two concepts for the new main
entrance to the school.
In other action, the hoard adopted
goals for 2009-10. The goals are:
1. New construction will result in
safe, high-quality, cost-efficient facili-
ties that meet all student needs with
H minimal disruption of si hool activities
bliy during construction.
2. The district will embrace technol-
ogy on all fronts to meet instructional
and administrative needs by continu-
ing the Student Technology Initiative,
expanding staff development, and improving classroom
and administrative resources.
3. The district will continue to recruit and retain qual-
ity staff.
4. The district will maintain a safe and drug-free
school through character development, effective student
discipline, and drug-prevention programs.
5. District parents will be actively involved in sup-
porting the school, promoting high expectations, strong
values, morals, and self-esteem in a nurturing home
environment resulting in positive student learning.
6. Teachers will use instructional techniques that will
equip students with real-world problem-solving skills
and teach them the content they must master to be edu-
cated adults.
I USD Enrollment Up for 2009
Fall enrollment at Highland is up approximately 6%
from September, 2008. HISD ended the 2008-09 year
with 204 students.
9/2008 9/2009
107 116
47 52
58 57
212 225
In an age when criminals
are employing mobile and
Internet technology_
to commit crime, law
enforcement officers
cannot afford to get
behind the technologi-
cal curve. Authorities
are getting new tools
that will help them
protect Texans more
effectively and prevent
more crime.
During the last
Legislative session, 1
worked with legisla-
tors to improve law
enforcement's abil-
ity to monitor registered
sex offenders. Thanks to a
newly enacted law, keep-
ing track of convicted sex
offenders will be a little
easier.
Under Senate Bill b8u -
which was authored by Sen.
Florence Shapiro, Plano
and Rep. Aaron Pena,
Edinburg - sex offenders
must provide their online
identifiers and mobile
phone numbers to the
state's sex offender data-
base. The newly required
information includes pro-
files on social networking
Web sites like MySpace or
Facebook, where many sex
offenders create accounts
so they can interact with
children.
Grog
Abbott
Before SB 689 took effect
on Sept. 1, registered sex
offenders were
only statutorily
required to pro-
vide traditional
i n f o r m a t i o n,
such as home
addresses, land-
line phone num-
bers and places
of employment.
The absence of
e-mail address-
es, mobile phone
numbers or
Internet identi-
fiers meant the
Office of the Attorney
General (OAG) and other
law enforcement agen-
cies often had to rely on
low-tech methods to
track down convicted sex
offenders who accessed
the Internet in violation of
their parole.
Paroled criminals
around the state attempt
to use the anonymity of
the Internet to disguise
their identities, arrange
meetings with children or
maintain social network-
ing profiles. Recently,
the OAG's Fugitive Unit
arrested Gary Dee Gause,
of Fort Worth, after he
maintained a MySpace
account in violation of his
parole. He was paroled
after serving 25 years in
prison for sexually assault-
ing two women in 1982
- one in Harris County
and the other in Tarrant
County.
The Fugitive Unit also
arrested Michael Jermain
Harris, of Houston, for
maintaining a MySpace
account and Facebook
account in violation of his
parole. After Harris' 2004
conviction for attempted
sexual assault a 14-year-
old girl, he was paroled
and prohibited from using
the Internet.
Fugitive Unit investiga-
tors also arrested a third
suspect, Brian William
Yoas, of Austin, for vio-
lating his parole by log-
ging onto the Internet and
maintaining a MySpace
account. In 2005, Yoas was
convicted in Williamson
County of possessing and
intending to distribute
child pornography.
To date, our office has
arrested more than 30 sex
offenders who violated
their pa role bv logging onto
MySpace, which recently
revealed that 90,000 of its
members were registered
sex offenders. At least
5,000 sex offenders have
also been discovered on
FacebojK’s membership
lists.
The new law’s mobile
phone requirement is
equally important - not
just because it helps track
down parole violators, but
also because many preda-
tors use mobile phones
to prey on children.
Unfortunately, mobile
phones are being used
to send text messages to
potential victims, trans-
mii explicit photos and
access the Internet, where
children can fall victim to
other types of exploita-
tion.
When criminals are
exploiting technology as
fast as it is developed,
authorities cannot be
bound to low-tech law
enforcement techniques.
SB 689 gives the long arm
of law enforcement the
maximum possible reach
in order to hold registered
sex offenders accountable.
As history has shown,
cooperative, creative law
enforcement can - and we
will overcome even the
most cutting edge crimi-
nals.
Greg Abbott is the Texas
AttomeyGeneraLCbnimenZs
about this column may be
e-mailed to editor@sweet-
waterrepoi1er.com.
f.
Nelson
GUEST COLUMN
Canada and France also have health care debates
Elementary
Junior High
High School
TOTAL
HISD ACT scores
Highland students scored well on the 2008-09 college-
entrance ACT test. HISD students scored above the state
average in all four subject areas, showing that Highland
is above average in preparing graduates for college.
Highland State
College English 91% 63%
College Algebra 64% 44%
College Social Science 73% 49%
College Biology 27% 26%
Highland Reading Success Showcased
Superintendent Guy Nelson, Elementary Principal
Donna Stewart, and Campus Reading Coach Jandi Boil
were invited to present at the annual Texas Reading
First Summit in Houston on September 22-23. Reading
First is a part of the federal No Child Left Behind educa-
tion act. Highland has received Reading First funds for
grades K-3 for the past five years. Since implementing
the Reading First program, student reading scores on
state standardized tests have increased, as well as stu-
dent interest in reading Mr Nelson, Mrs Stewart, and
Mrs. Boil were invited to share Highland’s successful
implementation of Reading First with other Reading
First districts from across Texas.
(luy Nelson is the Highland Independent School
District Superintendent. Comments about this column
may he e-mailed to editor@sweetwaterreporter.com.
The debate over what
kind of health care sys-
tem we should have often
includes the kinds others
have. The programs
in Canada and
France have received
special attention,
and so those coun-
tries' efforts to fix
their own programs
should be of inter-
est.
No health care sys-
tem is set in stone.
Whatever emerges
from Congress will
also be a work in
progress.
Start with Canada.
Under Canada's single-
paver system, the govern-
ment writes all the checks
for core medical services.
This is socialized insur-
ance, not socialized medi-
cine. Canadian doctors
work for themselves.
The quality of health
care in Canada is generally
high, and people needing
urgent care get it immedi-
ately. But there are some
waits for medical attention
that many Canadians and
most Americans would
deem excessive.
Canada is the only
industrialized country that
doesn't let people spend
their own money for basic
medical services. Some
Canadians see an expan-
sion of privately paid
health care as a means to
reduce the waits.
Two cases now before the
British Columbia Supreme
Court might make that
happen. Operators of for-
profit clinics are asking the
court to strike down laws
that stop patients from
buying faster care. Those
who want the restrictions
Froma
Harrop
preserved argue that open-
ing the door to private
payments would create
two-tier health care, thus
ending the prin-
ciple of equality
enshrined in the
Canada Health
Act.
B r i t i s h
Columbia Health
Minister Kevin
Falcon says that
he has no objec-
tion to letting
people spend
their own money
on health care.
But rather than
see that as a threat
to the current system, lie
thinks it might spur the
government to address its
problems. "What we have
to do is improve the pub-
lic delivery of services," he
said.
No, the Democrats are
not even close to pushing
for a Canadian-style sin-
gle-payer system. The idea
of forbidding Americans
to spend their money on
any health care would be
anathema to most.
But there is a vague par-
allel between proposals to
allow private payments in
Canada and to have a pub-
lic option - that is, a gov-
ernment-run health plan
— in the United States.
Both would use competi-
tion to enhance efficiency.
The so-called pub-
lic option could keep
American insurers from
spending too much pre-
mium money on CEO pay
and stockholder dividends.
And a private-payment
option in Canada could
force the public system to
expedite care.
O11 to France. France
has a multi-payer system
combining government
and private insurance.
(About 90 percent of the
French buy supplemental
private coverage.) A storm
also blows in France over
government efforts to
curb that system's grow-
ing costs.
This is what you call
a "high-class problem."
France's "expensive"
health care system eats
up only 11 percent of that
country's gross domestic
product and covers every-
one. American health care
devours 16 percent of our
national output and leaves
millions uninsured.
And look what the French
system offers. Patients can
pick their own doctors,
who can prescribe any
treatment or drug without
having to ask the health
care authorities. That's
more freedom for patients
and doctors than most pri
vate insurance plans allow
in this country.
Now look at the "contro-
versial" changes the French
government has imposed
to control costs. One is to
require co-payments on
prescription drugs. How
shocking. This is a rou-
tine expense for insured
Americans, assuming they
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have drug coverage.
France closed down
maternity wards that
handled fewer than 300
births a year. 'That means
it still maintains maternity
wards in which not even
one baby is born a day on
average. Could you imag-
ine American hospitals
maintaining special units
for so few births?
Clearly, Americans can
learn from the strengths
and weaknesses of other
countries' health care sys-
tems. And they can find
guidance in ours.
To find out more about
Troma llarrop, and read
features by other Creators
Syndicate writers and car-
toonists. visit the Creators
Syndicate web page at
www.ercators.com.
Correction Policy
Editorial:
As a matter of policy, the
Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
The corrections will be
made as soon as possible
after the error has been
brought to the attention of
the newspaper's editor at
236-6677.
Advertising:
Publisher reserves the right
to reject, edit or cancel any
advertising at any time with-
out liability. Publisher's liabil-
ity for error is limited to the
amount paid loi advertising.
Reporter
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Rodriguez, Tatiana. Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 269, Ed. 1 Tuesday, September 29, 2009, newspaper, September 29, 2009; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth559355/m1/4/?q=%22~1~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.