Grits has a great idea.

With so many folks attending their precinct conventions for the first time, I decided to craft two criminal justice related resolutions for readers to propose when they go, and we're going to run a little mini-campaign here on Grits to see in how many different places around the state we can get them passed.

These resolutions serve two purposes: 1) if they pass, they formally request action by legislators and county officials from the party that can assist in persuading politicians on issues, and 2) the process educates party members about criminal justice problems and solutions and expands the base of support for these ideas among politically active people. Basically, you get a lot of public education bang for the buck by directly educating influential people and opinion leaders, particularly in a year when so many more folks will be attending.

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My purpose here is two-fold: To support solutions-oriented criminal justice positions among Texas pols in both parties (who are used to hearing mostly politicized, "tuff on crime" rhetoric), and to test the possibilities and limits of blog-generated grass roots activism, including several specific free or low-cost tools. So we'll be following the process closely on Grits to report what works and what doesn't.

Resolution on Prison and Jail Overcrowding

Resolution Supporting Reforms at TYC

They are entirely suitable for either party, and will hopefully help to drive some better legislation in 2009. If you want to participate, please visit the Grits link and start with this short survey so supporters around the state can be identified and updated. Thanks very much.