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Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                        Robyn Morrow             Chris Elliott                        Mark Suarez
                                               John Arterbury       Caitlin Cuppernull

Report card fears diapered criminals

The vengeful astronaut: F

Astronaut Lisa Nowak was thrust into the national spotlight shortly after she thrust pepper spray into the face of an unsuspecting colleague. Nowak' s plan to kidnap and murder her love rival was later revealed, showing that not even those with such specialized training can avoid tabloid worthy situations.

Nowak' s actions have incurred immense scrutiny of her profession and employers. But NASA holds no blame, despite any claims to the contrary. Any organization of that scope -- no matter the failsafe mechanisms in place -- is liable to suffer the occasional loose cannon. 

The fact remains that Nowak has disparaged the proud tradition our cosmic explorers have spent decades creating. She is a bitter reminder that no profession is free from its bad seeds.

Texas senator' s scheme: D

State prisons are crowded, increasing in population and in dire need of more funding, but Texas Sen. Craig Estes' proposal is not a viable solution.

Estes, a Republican who represents District 30 northwest of Dallas, suggests expanding the Texas prison system into Mexican territory for the purpose of housing Mexican nationals convicted of nonviolent crimes in the U.S., the Houston Chronicle reported. 

"The plusses are that it' s a heck of a lot less expensive to build and staff prisons down there," Estes said.

Estes may be right about upkeep costs, but it' s no justification for operating our correctional facilities on foreign soil. Prisons demand close scrutiny, and the only way to assure quality is to keep them within our jurisdiction.