Coyotes aren't his only target

Rick Perry shoots down Arizona's harsh immigration law

Unlike many of his red-state brethren leaders, Rick Perry is taking a stand against Arizona's latest anti-immigration law. The Texas governor-for-life has issued a statement indicating "concerns with portions of the law passed in Arizona" and believes "it would not be the right direction for Texas."

The Arizona provision makes it a state crime to be in the United States illegally and requires local and state law enforcement officers to question people about their immigration status if there's reason to suspect they're in the country illegally.

"For example," explains Perry, "some aspects of the law turn law enforcement officers into immigration officials by requiring them to determine immigration status during any lawful contact with a suspected alien, taking them away from their existing law enforcement duties, which are crucial to keeping citizens safe.

"Texas has a rich history with Mexico, our largest trading partner," he adds, "and we share more than 1,200 miles of border, more than any other state. As the debate on immigration reform intensifies, the focus must remain on border security and the federal government's failure to adequately protect our borders."

Perry isn't the first Texas conservative to back moderate immigration reform: In the 2007 State of the Union, compassionate conservative George W. Bush declared, "We need to uphold the great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new arrivals." Moreover, Perry has supported offering in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants.

Despite his diehard benevolence, Ricky P. is not above slaying a wild coyote with a laser-sighted pistol — or giving a glowing introduction to Sarah Palin at her Austin "culture for life" speech.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”