BETO O'ROURKE, SUSIE BYRD, STEVE ORTEGA HAVE POLITICAL GUTS, ALL RIGHT

Bang! Bang!

And perhaps, Bang!

Bright, young city councilpersons Beto O'Rourke and Susie Byrd have
shot themselves in the foot ... as far as getting re-elected to a
political office in El Paso.

Fellow young, bright councilman Steve Ortega may have just grazed
himself. We'll see.

It's the issue of legalizing marijuana. O'Rourke and Byrd took that
stance to a public podium recently.

Two arguments they favor?

It would freeze out the Mexican drug cartels. Also, lifting alcohol
prohibition in 1933 wiped out the bootleggers and this would weaken
the drug cartels.

Plus, we can tax marijuana, as we do alcohol and tobacco.

And it might stop the Mexican blood-bath.

Both O'Rourke and Byrd say they're through with politics after their
terms end. So they spoke. Ortega stood behind the podium that day.

Ortega may run for mayor, but he maintains one must have the courage
to speak one's mind. Legalizing marijuana will help the country, he
believes.

Today's column is not taking sides on who's right, who's wrong, or
will legalization of weed even work.

Naysayers are aplenty. "No-o-o-o-o" is a hurricane
force.

The issue here is the guts the three have in speaking their feelings
while knowing the consequences.

Wanna be the butt of a joke? Come out for legalization of
marijuana.

Wanna absorb every cheap shot out there? Be pro-marijuana.

O'Rourke and Ortega started out by pointing to facts: The Juarez drug
war is a massacre of human lives -- more than 23,000 in Mexico so far.
So, what if the federal government at least sat down and had a
conversation on the merits/negatives of legalizing just marijuana.
We'd grow large crops in the U.S. and start regulating sales as we do
tobacco and alcohol.

Now they have decided the U.S. should just do it! If we sell it, that
will cripple the drug cartels who rely on marijuana and cocaine sales
to virtually rule Mexico with automatic assault weapons.

But O'Rourke, Byrd or Ortega are never allowed to get much farther
than, "I think we should legalize marijuana because."

That's when the barbs start flying. "Hippie." "Druggie." "Get that
bong outta here."

So O'Rourke and Byrd are soon out of politics, anyway?

OK, no sweat off them, then. Except for the barbs.

Ortega said he'll likely wait and see who runs for mayor. If he thinks
it's a good person for the job, well, he's a man with the law degree
from Georgetown who'll have put in two terms on council for a salary
of less than $20,000 a year.

And as is pointed out on occasion, while Ortega's fellow law-school
classmates have had an extra zero ($200,000) on their annual salary
since passing the bar ... well, he's involved in public-service cases
such as, "We want a speed bump on our street."

Taking a pro-marijuana stance may seem like it has no consequences for
self-acclaimed lame-duckers O'Rourke and Byrd.

Well, O'Rourke has already been batted around on a live MSNBC
interview. But he's not giving up his stance.

O'Rourke can always go into the nice in-law business, or resume his
self-started computer-based business -- make some money to support his
family.

And if he and Byrd want to run again?

They'll start off with a limp, anyway. Everyone will point out the
bullet scar in the foot.

But all three can know they stood up for what they
believe.

They've all got the courage -- the guts -- that's needed to be a
leader.