" Last time I checked this was the United States of America! Not Germany, or Bagdad.

Having Freedom comes with a price tag, and your island story is a nice fairy tale, And your redderick and slurs show that the "maturation process" that you preach doesn't apply to you. You spout of (and you sound alittle mental to me)and yet you can't answer the question. Gilligans Island? Does it have room for the poor, the white color criminals, the mentally ill? any one else you hate?

Oh and who would pay for your island James? Who would decide who went to your little island? I think you are one of those people that spout off, have no friends, and hate the government. I would say James take your little coo of five, and you move to Gilligans Island.

Or educate yourself, go work in a soup kitchen, go live in the Getto, with the people you despise, go tell a little 5 year old who has been beat, or neglected to suck it up life is hard.

Your life is good because you live in the United States of America James! What are you going to say to our Vets that come home and turn to drugs, and drinking because they endured the real price for our freedoms. Should we stick them on Gilligans Island too? Are you going to tell them to suck it up, quit being self-ish, and make them pay more debts to society? When you can answer the question James feel free to do so.

The fact that you spout off about your gun slinging ways makes me believe you are sporting James Justice?

I think you are the biggest Debt to society, and your redderick is just that. If you don't like America, get out! I find it insulting that you love your freedom of speech, and your right to bare arms, but you contribute nothing as an american. That's my American Opinion James. You are very cold blooded to say what you did to that mother. Shame on you! "

" I think the person that is mentally ill is you. Gilligans Island is not a possibility, or a rational answer is it? Reality is Government is involved, we are going to flit the bill either way.

Your ramblings are quite amusing though. Wouldn't legalizing drugs, and letting the drug addicts kill themselfs, take out the crime factor? Don't see the drug addicts coming out of the doctors office being jumped and killed. Government would make all the money, and all drug addicts would be dead. And you won't be free to justify shooting people.

You can't even come up with a better answer, and you seem a little crazy and maybe shouldn't be sporting a gun! "

" You live alone don't you? Yes, lets get rid of everyone that doesn't think like you. You are a male chavinist, and probably our the worst offender of man kind.

No not even you are perfect, and when you are sitting in TDC for killing the people you loath, remember this..Don't drop the soap, and stay barbaric would you. You are a moron! "

" First and foremost, I would like to tell you that I am sorry for your loss, and that my prayers are with you and your family.

It isin't often that we here from the parents. And it is so important for others to hear. I am a mother of three, 2 in college, one in high school, and drugs are my biggest fear.

It can strike in college, it can strike anywhere. Just hearing your story may help others, and it needs to be told. I have seen this time and time again, with kids, and even adults, and it's the drugs that take the person over, and causes them to make poor decisions in many cases.

We need not point fingers at who's kid was bad, and who's wasn't they all should of had resorces to help them, not prision. Had your son got caught with drugs he would of done hard time, and his future wouldn't of been college either. It would of went down hill because he just ruined his future because of his choices, and that is how the courts look at these kids. They are just another number to these prosocutors, and drugs don't discriminate do they?

These offenders get out, and they are coming out angry, and knowing that they really have no future, and we all pay as a result.

Once you give young people felonys it all over for them, and they survive on drugs, and killing and robbing others.

It's the government that better wake up. And yes it can happen to anyone's child. Yes, even mine. that is my biggest fear.

The tears are rolling down my cheeks as I read your words, it's not how life is supposed work, we are not supposed to say good bye to our children first.

My hope is that you tell your story to High School students, and don't let Austin die in vain.

I hope all the conservatives that think Austin paid his debt to society, may re-think how many lives could be saved if we thought a little more about helping others, instead of the price tag.

The price tag, when they get stuck in the system, is an out come we all are going to pay for!

Mrs. Woods you did everything right, and don't let hate mongors, upset you, and Austin's story truly can help others. And I hope people can see that drugs can effect anyone, and it dosen't discriminate. Thank you for sharing with us all. "

" My opinion may be cold-hearted and barbaric. I don't want to have to pay for them to be in jail or in treatment. Yes I agree government is mostly corrupt, I don't like the idea of government getting involved in anything if they can help it. I'd rather put these people on a island with all the drugs they want so they can't harm others because of their choices in life. But that would be inhumane, boo hoo. Explain humanity to Machuca. Let me know if he understands what that means. I know drugs don't discriminate, but I do. I discriminate against the ignorant and it is the repsonsibility of individuals to educate themselves and make wise decisions about the path they choose in life. Sure I won't be able to help an event that takes place at any given time, but I can choose to put myself in situations that limit the risk. I choose to protect myself, I choose not to coddle people in fear of damaging their fragile psyche, I choose to support the notion that through experiences one can learn and adapt without someone telling them what to do. Again yes liberalism is a mental disorder because liberalism promotes the weakening of individuals, the ability for individuals to limit their loss and also limit potential gain through the mediocracy it promotes. Liberalism loves rehabilitation, so that irrational behavior can be explained away by a medical reason. Isn't danger to society enough of an explanation? Do we need to give it a clinical name or call it a disorder? Liberalism promotes to the loss of an individuals ability to be self reliant and limits self thinking and innovation. Thus liberalism seeks to promote sub-human behavior, and more or less promotes behavior that is more along the lines of a house pet. Hey if you want to live like that, go right on ahead, just don't mess in my house. "

" I just read the article a few minutes ago, along with the published comments. I want to say that this has been and will continue to be life altering for me and my family. We did not know about Machuca's prior history until last week, two years from the day he murdered my son. None of this was brought forth into the Travis county hearings or the sentencing phase as well.

Just to set the record straight, my son graduated from Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville Texas. A few months before his murder he was accepted into Howard Payne University where he was asked to play soccer. He had a job, he was an active member of our Church and he was loved by so many. I ask myself everyday "How did we get here?", "How did I let this happen to my child?" The sad truth is I was that loving parent and I did teach my child right from wrong. I instilled morals and values from day one, but just when you think you have made it through the daunting task of raising a teenager and that they are on their way to being responsible adults,life takes a tradgic twist and everything we worked so hard for was taken away in a matter of seconds. It's not just the Machuca's of the world that we have to watch out for. If it had not been for the individuals (so called friends) that my son met a few months before his graduation he would have never crossed paths with Machuca and the others. Yes, Austin made bad choices and he was too trusting in a world that will take advantage of that characteristic. He was not totally innocent in his actions, but that does not make him a bad person, that makes him a person that made the wrong choice.

To all parents that read this....your children are all you have in this world. They carry on the legacy, traditions and values of your families. Please, please don't ever let a chance to tell your child how much you love them slip by. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

If I could say one thing to my son right now it would be that I was the luckiest mother in the world to have had such a beautiful, loving son.

I pray for my daughter to be able to make it through all of this. The nightmare is relived everyday, even though it's been two years. Time does not always heal all wounds, trust me, it sometimes makes them harder to except.

I love you Austin Taylor Woods
Forever,
Mom "

" Have a friend that was a corrections officer and per this person there are just as many drugs in prison as on the streets - they are brought in daily - so how do you reform some one that has never been off the drugs to begin with if being supplied to them in jail "

" James,
I do agree that we shouldn't have to be walking around in fear from drug dealers. And what happens when they do come out of prision, and it is even a bigger problem? They are more violent, no education, and who is ever going to hire them? So, selling drugs will surley amount to the "Revolving Door."

It is scary and is very violent, and people lose their lifes everyday to car jackings, and robberies, the list is endless. I guess what I am trying to tell you is these people do get out, and they are in Cedar Park, Leander, everywhere. So, my question to you would be, Who is being held accountable to society for all the drugs?

It's a corrupt government, and there is more to the picture than really meets the average persons eye. What role does the government really play? What if you shot one of those drug addicts? Would the police hold you resposible for murder? Why do some people get breaks, and others don't? Prision isin't working, so James now what? And taking a case by case could mean the difference of a good attorney, so now what? And Jim don't we pay the price tag either way? Rehab or prision? Do we have a social responsibility? If we don't we die by our selfishness, and may be killed in a very violent way, by drug addicts, and dealers.

So to say Liberailism is truly a mental disorder would be, I believe, irratitional, and very self-fish, sub human behaviour. Drugs don't pick on just the poor, or a certain race, it doesn't discriminate James, it wipes out the HUMAN RACE!! So now what? "

" I hope you call the police when you see meth deals going down? That is a very scary drug, and I know many of teens are on it these days.

I would suggest however, a few things that contrribute to anti-social and self-destructive behaviors. And no matter what society wants to hear it starts with parenting, and teaching self worth, and responsibility as very young children.

If a child sees Family Violence, Divorce, Abuse, neglect, and a young child is pushed to the side, Ask yourself this? Wouldn't it be true that a childs maturity, and moral concept of society, and self worth, will stoped in time, stunted, as a result of these kinds of very serious issues?

Could it be fair to say that when people throw children away like garbage,sexual abuse,and neglect, and beat their children, or are so caught up in their own lives that concept of their worth, and lack of maturity is not even a possibility?

This leads me to believe that if we don't start paying attention socially, and really looking at more issues than the crime itself, we are all going to be in very serious danger! It's all cause and effect, if a child is molested, beaten, they have no anything, and can't fit into society, or social settings, and will have low self worth, and will turn to the only life they saw because it's may be the only life they Knew. So, these kids grow up, and their thought process has been stunted, and so yes, sub human behavior is the result.

The same could be said about "rich children" that the parents blow them off, and just appease them with money, not love. My point is that it starts young, it effects us all, and we do have a social responsibility to these childeren and what's more alarming is people get their pantys in a bunch when they hear about a little child being hurt, beat, or neglected, we all conceed that we as a society get so upset, angry, and want to hurt the people that have done anything towards a child. Well, the children that fall through the cracks, are the ones we don't know what to do with.

I don't think there is any easy answer, however, once a persons self esteem, self worth, and maturity has been halted we are dealing with our own demons aren't we? These children grow up, they may be 17, 18, 15 physically, but how old are they emotionally? And do we have any responsibility to do anything accept throw them away?

Maybe the governments approach isin't working? Self esteem is power, knowlege is power, and caring about others is free.

If it was me personally, I say throw em all away, and yet, I know deep inside that the world really doesn't work that way.

Cause an effect people. I think this issue is a great one.

Drugs kill everyone! "

" To: "In the Wind"

Do you suppose that we give all drug offenders treatment for their habits? Are you going to pay for that? I certainly don't want to have to pay a state income tax to give people another chance for their problems. The second chance theory originates from people who are incapable of making rational and responsible decisions, and expect others to carry the burden. Better to keep them sober in jail, then running around killing folks (see article). Sure some people are candidates for treatment of an addiction. Others will squander the opportunity just to re-offend, at a higher cost to soceity. That is why there is a DWI/Drug Court in Williamson County. If you don't know what it is then I suggest you read up on it. This is a selective hard probation based court/treatment program for candidates who are serious about getting help, while paying their dues to society. The others don't care as long as they can get their fix. I have witnessed on numerous occasions at a local gas station off of 183 and Osage, meth deals taking place. A person on meth has the propensity for erratic and violent behavior. I always feel wary of going into that gas station. Why do I have to live my life mindful of potential threats because of addicts? I think to myself, one day I may have to use my weapon to protect myself (I have concealed license) or others from potential harm. I don't want to have to do that, no person should have to face that. But I guess its ok to let addicts run around free and use illegal drugs. You may disagree with the laws, but the law is the law and obeying them is essential to ensure safety of the public for the most part (case by case). This whole liberal rehabilitation mentality for everyone is dangerous. Most people can pull out of an addiction with the proper treatment, but only after they realize they have a problem, but most are unwilling to change. It still does not solve the fact that a crime has been committed and that debt to society must be relieved in some way. Some people are way beyond help and are a danger to themselves, but most of all a danger to others. If you want to argue that it is societal, educational, or economic issues that create addicts, I suggest you rethink your argument. Another excuse made by the lathargic and unwillingy, playing on your emotions for sympathy so that you can take them by the hand, and get a free ride. Life is tough. Your ability to learn how to cope is a maturation process that needs to be developed. It is called a strong will and the ability to have what is known as "self responsibility." We all should help one another, yes, but not at the expense of the stability of others. If you turn to drugs as an escape from your problems or just because it feels good, then you prove your selfishness and your lack of worth as a human being, because you are weak and irrational.

You want me to give my money for this? I don't think so bud. Let me choose who I want to help, I don't need the government forcing me to help people who are unwilling to change. Waste of time and money. Sure I still pay for them to be incarcerated, but that cost is to make sure that people like Machuca never get to prove their selfishness and sub human behavior again.

Liberalism is truly a mental disorder. "

" “Why did TYC parole this repeat violent offender?” asked Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley. “This is what happens when state officials empty TYC as a solution to overcrowding.” Bradley, they wouldn't have to if DA's didn't sentence drug users to prison and overcrowd the system and prevent the violent ones from staying!!! Take a look in the mirror dude... "