Blog Stage 4

                I've always identified myself as a liberal, but have never really gotten into government and politics. Because of my ideology I enjoy the musings of the liberal blog Texas Liberal, and as such selected this article to investigate.

                The article concerns Houston’s Police Department and their ticketing of people who honked their horn in support of striking janitors. The author of this blog, Neil Aquino, intends to address all Texans, especially those who share a liberal mindset. He is one of eight political bloggers for the Houston Chronicle, so he carries an aura of credibility solely from his job. However, this being an informal blog, no article is of the standards of academia. Aquino argues that honking a horn in support is a form of free speech, and the ticketing of these supporters is unconstitutional and a misuse of police power. He cites that Mayor Parker’s shining achievement in recent months is the criminalization of sharing food with the homeless in Houston. He ends with a rallying cry, “The work of freedom is up to each of us,” meaning that it is up to us, the citizenry, to voice our discontent and regain our freedoms. In an edit, he states Mayor Parker has voiced her strong support for the striking janitors.

                I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Aquino. This act is a gross misuse of police power, and should be condemned. The honking supporters have done nothing dangerous or detrimental to society, and the police are giving out tickets for this. It’s almost as if Houston is trying to oppress any dissent within the population, what seems like a scary start to a dystopian novel. I enjoy his last words about how the work of freedom is up to each of us, as it encourages the people to become more politically active and have a say for how they want to be governed. In a democratic republic, it is important for the people to be able to voice their opinions, or the government becomes an autocracy. I believe the edit was a good move on the Mayor's part because she realized that her police force was indeed acting out of line, and she stepped in to revitalize her public image.