The Texas Digital Epitaph

Texas Remembers Trooper Edward Bryan Wheeler

2011-04-02T12:49:00.007-05:00

Trooper Edward Bryan Wheeler

The end result of Bonnie and Clyde's life of crime!

I found this article in the Houston Chronicle this morning. Ella Wheeler-McLeod was given an award memorializing her brother, slain Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Edward Bryan Wheeler. On April 1, 1934, Trooper Wheeler along with Trooper H. D. Murphy found Bonnie and Clyde on the road in a rural location in central Texas. Unfortunately the troopers didn't realize who they had until it was too late. Bonnie and Clyde opened fire killing the two troopers. About a month later on May 23, 1934, the law caught up with the outlaw couple and exacted justice, ending their murderous rampage.

Trooper Wheeler

Trooper Murphy

Death of Joshuah Cavins

2010-09-04T12:26:00.002-05:00

While skimming through headlines I came across this story.

According to the news he and another motorcyclist were spotting running a red light by Kemah police. When officers attempted to stop them Cavins took off while the other person wisely stopped. Officers pursued Cavins but lost sight of them. Those bikes easily outrun police cruisers. They found Cavins' bike crashed out and his body about 75ft away. One note at the bottom caught my attention;

"The profile photo on Cavins' facebook page....."

Out of curiosity I did a search and found his page. Two things caught my eyes. First, he was married. Second, his last wall post dated August 11 that reads "I think I have died and gone to hell!" For his sake I hope he was wrong. I also found a picture of him with a young child. This whole thing bugs the hell out of me. Most likely he would have gotten a traffic ticket which is easily handled. I would like to ask him was that brash decision in the heat of the moment worth leaving behind a widow? Life is better lived with something to live for. Anyone who knows me I have zero sympathy for those who run from the police and die as a result of it. However just my brief glimpse into this man's life shows me two things he had going for them and he threw them away. I feel for those two. I hope God eases their suffering.

Foxie

2010-07-27T01:44:00.001-05:00

She was a part of my life for 9 years. I'm going to miss her greatly. Rest in peace little girl! Your suffering is over.

Bill White swtiching from pandering to distancing?

2010-07-20T12:08:00.003-05:00

Shortly after the election of Barrack Obama to the Presidency former Houston mayor Bill White took this ad out and received criticism from "black leaders." Now as he runs for Governor of Texas as the democratic nominee he appears to be distancing himself from the President. Perhaps White realizes that Houston is heavily democratic (as well as Austin) the rest of Texas is not.

But He Didn't Fire the FATAL Shot

2009-11-20T11:49:00.003-06:00

For some reason, the Pardon Board, and of course the Houston Chronicle wanted Governor Rick Perry to spare the life of Robert Lee Thompson. Thompson and another man were on a robbing spree back in 1996 in Houston. They robbed a store in which two clerks were shot, one fatally. The other man fired the fatal shot, but for some reason the jury couldn't be convinced that the robber intended to kill the clerk when he fired at him. The article states that the prosecution failed to prove the element of intent. I guess nobody heard of the element of knowing. Anyhow, the article harps on the fact that Thompson didn't fire the fatal shot. I guess as long as he didn't actually kill the clerk that Thompson doesn't deserve the death penalty. Even though he shot the other clerk four times and tried to shoot him again in the neck but he was out of ammunition. I guess that kind of person doesn't deserve the death penalty in the eyes of the Chronicle. The article also says that Thompson and his buddy targeted stores that Thompson felt "were exploitative of blacks." That means Thompson targeted stores ran by immigrants so shouldn't that be a hate crime? Yet, he didn't fire the actual fatal shot so the Chronicle and the board of pardons (for some odd reason) felt this worthless piece of trash should be spared.

Houston Wants it Both Ways

2009-10-30T11:19:00.002-05:00

Apparently the City of Houston wants it both ways.

First of all, the city goes to the state legislature to make running a red light a civil infraction rather than a criminal one. The purpose of this is to reduce the level of proof in order to issue citations to generate revenue. The plan gets enacted and the citations are practically flying through the mail. Also ticketed are emergency workers (i.e. police, firefighters, and EMTs). I'm not talking about the emergency vehicle operators who ran red lights with no cause. I'm referring to the instances where emergency vehicles were cited for running the red lights while running priority calls. The citation would arrive at the agency owning the vehicle and more often than not the operator would have to pay the citation or challenge it on their own time. This was annoying to emergency workers who said in frustration they would quit running emergency traffic to life threatening calls out of fear of getting a red light citation from the city of Houston. This year the state legislature slapped Houston by passing legislation that forbade red light citations to the owners of emergency vehicles (however they can still send notice to the agency and let them deal with the matter internally).

For the past couple of years, the city of Houston has been trying to work a deal with Harris County to block the registration of vehicles with outstanding red light violations. What many people probably didn't know until this article came out was that there are outstanding toll road violations due to city owned vehicles. The city tried to say that the individual operators alone were responsible for the violations. The exact same procedure other agencies used when they got the red light citations. Just like the red light citations, toll violations come into the mail to the registered owner (the city). Sounds like they just passed it off and let the matter lie. How many registered car owners had to appear in municipal court saying they no longer had the vehicle, or let someone else drive it and the judge said no? With this embarrassing little piece the city is now stating they will handle the outstanding fines and better monitor their people. Does this mean they will be more sympathetic to registered vehicle owners who appear in municipal court? Doubt it!

In Remembrance

2009-10-01T12:01:00.002-05:00

It was two years ago today I got a phone call about Deputy Jason Norling being struck by a careless driver while on a traffic stop. That was a terrible day for many people. I will never forget his fascination with the Vampire Chroincles and the long discussion we had about it. Rest in Peace Jason!

ODMP tribute here

Cantinas Important in Houston?

2009-10-01T10:44:00.003-05:00

I came across this article on Channel 13 Houston's website. It tells of a cantina in the Heights neighborhood that the residents are complaining about. La Bola Loca is another of many cantinas that litter Houston. Residents have been complaining to the Houston Police Dept. and Mayor Bill White's office yet the bar remains open. Residents probably weren't that surprised when two people were shot outside that bar recently.

"So we went in there about 3am one morning. There were prostitutes and they propositioned us. So it was real straight forward. There was no secrecy behind it. It was pretty clear what was going on. We bought beer at 3:30am in the morning like the TABC requested that we do," said Josh Judd."

Don't depend on TABC.

"There is no prostitution, there is no drugs, nothing," said Martin Arguta (owner)."

He is lying!

"If this place had prostitution, it would be closed already, because we have visits from TABC, the police very often. They checked, everything is OK," said Aguta."

Again he is lying and I will tell you why. For years there was a cantina that we tried to get closed. We busted people coming out drunk at 7 in the morning! Half of them had cocaine. Many of them had no identification and were not old enough to enter a bar legally! Despite the number of arrests made, the number of complaints made with TABC little was ever done. Eventually the cantina closed, but is no open under a new name. So pardon me if I don't have a lot of faith in TABC to shut down a cantina.

Police Shootings Up in Harris County

2009-09-28T10:08:00.002-05:00

The Houston Chronicle is back on its rant about police shootings. Today we have this article about how shootings by law enforcement in Harris County have risen this year. According to the article, as of September 24, there have been 44 police shootings in Harris County. This has already surpassed the total number of police shootings for the last two years. Read the explanations offered by our community.

First, HPOU President Gary Blankenship cited the end of the city's paid overtime program. He also cites rising unemployment due to the state of the economy as of late. I can understand that. However, maybe I'm being naive but not everyone who is out of a job is out committing a crime. We're hearing that excuse from people however it's from the people who were out screwing up when the economy was good.

Next we have our very own media appointed community activist (I still have yet to see what community he has made a difference in) Quanell X. Of course he won't change. He wants to see more officers charged regardless of the facts. He still makes his living jumping in front of a camera although he is more careful since the Joe Horn incident.

Next was a shock. Spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office Donna Hawkins blames permissive gun laws!!!! What???? No disrespect to Ms. Hawkins, but what planet is she living on? Or was she reading a bad script? She was quoted as "if more people have the access and it becomes easier to carry them, there tends to be more shooting and more situations involving police officers." I really hate to repeat myself. Remember when Texas first enacted the concealed handgun laws? Everyone was screaming that Texas would be the wild west and guess what? It didn't happen! When the legislature changed the gun laws to essentially make carrying a handgun in one's car legal that changed nothing. I wonder if anyone at the DA's office realize that criminals will always carry weapons illegally. Criminals break the law, that's what they do. The law abiding citizen, even armed, will not present a threat to a police officer. Does the DA's office realize it is already illegal for felons, gang members, illegal immigrants to have guns? Apparently not because I know of an incident in which a stolen car with six illegal immigrants was stopped. A ski mask, a pistol, and a shotgun were found and the DA's office only charged one person with a weapon charge and let the rest go! Maybe if the DA's office would quit declining good cases for ridiculous reasons that could help the police a little bit.

Next comes a Sam Houston State University researcher who comments about the numbers. Out of respect for my alma mater all I'm going to say is do a few ride-a-longs and see what the streets are like instead of looking at numbers and coming up with theories.

Next we hear from JoAnne Musick, President of the Harris County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. She is a former public integrity prosecutor (and a very good attorney). She said she wondered if the shootings are a "lingering effect from police confrontations with criminals mixed with the wave of Hurricane Katrina refugees.." The Katrina people aren't as numerous as they were in 2006, but some of them are still here and occasionally they still make the news as getting in trouble with the law, or involved in crimes. Ms. Musick has a better understanding of officer-involved shooting than the District Attorney's office apparently. She also cited the stress of limited back up and single man patrols. I would agree that limited back up can be stressful. However single man patrols are the norm around here. Remember this incident where the officer was ambushed? With people like these running around naturally police are going to be more cautious. She quotes the old proverb perception is reality. When an officer perceives a threat he/she will react accordingly and that reaction will have to be documented and reviewed. One thing people need to understand the best way not to elicit a reaction from a police officer is not to do anything threatening, or that maybe perceived as so. However many people feel they can challenge the police without any consequence (and sometimes they are right thanks to the District Attorney's office refusal to prosecute many cases of officers being assaulted).

The article concludes with the HPOU President citing that many people shot are under the influence of some substance and/or mentally ill. Sadly this is true to an extent. People under the influence are emboldened to act out against their families and the police. People with mental issues can act out presenting a danger to themselves and others and the police have to deal with them. However, contrary to the wishes of some in the mental health community and the media police are not going to lay down and get injured or killed because the intent is not there.

MLK a Republican?

2009-07-12T21:58:00.003-05:00

Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle has an opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle regarding the billboards in Houston declaring Martin Luther King was a republican.

Read the article and of course the whole ad is painted as nonsense. However the dirty little secret is that there is some truth to this. Let's review some facts shall we?

It was the democratic party who attempted to filibuster the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

In cities with a large black population that live in poverty and crime, which political party rules it? That's right! Democratic!

Good Luck With This One!

2009-06-21T13:39:00.003-05:00

Long story short:

14-year old gets kidnapped in San Antonio and brought to Corpus Christi. Said, teen girl is forced to work at a strip club with a fake ID.

A club manager is arrested and charged with employment harmful to a minor.

Now, the club is suing the kidnapper, the teenage girl, and her parents!

The club (The Cheetah Club) wants "The suit seeks unspecified damages from Campbell (the kidnapper), the girl and her parents, as well as a declaration from a judge that it did not intend to hire a minor."

“We’re the victims here,” Alan Yaffe, attorney for the club said.

Obviously the club is grasping at straws here. I have to wonder did the attorney or his clients consider for a moment there might be a negative backlash to this?

UFO in La Porte?

2009-05-30T11:45:00.001-05:00

I found this on Coast to Coast's web site. A listener found this picture taken over Main Street in La Porte in 1915. He feels the object in the sky (circled) is a UFO. What do you think?

RIP To Heroic Firefighters

2009-04-13T12:48:00.003-05:00

Rest in Peace Houston firefighters James Harlow and Damian Hobbs. You and your bravery will never be forgotten!

More Bad Ideas From Harris County DA

2009-03-27T23:46:00.003-05:00

Something has to be wrong when I find myself agreeing with a defense attorney again! The Houston Chronicle has an article about the Harris County District Attorneys Office's plan to force some defendants to go to trial to get their rookie prosecutors some trial experience. Well, some problems with that;

Will the District Attorney be trying some of these cases herself since she has no experience trying cases?

I agree with Defense Attorney Mark Bennett.

"The loudest voice against the plan came from Mark Bennett, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers association, who said the District Attorney’s Office was treating people’s fates like a game or a law school mock trial exercise.
“It’s unethical,” Bennett said. “A prosecutor’s job is to seek justice, not win easy cases.”
He noted that defendants who want to plead guilty but are forced to trial may have to pay more in attorney’s fees."

Amen! Not only does the DA's Office plan play games with the fates of defendants, it also plays games with other witnesses and police officers who have to put their lives on hold at the whim of some DA and judge who still schedule several cases for trial then huddle together and pick one.

I wonder if the real reason behind this is because since Lykos has run off almost all of the good, experienced prosecutors that they are swamped by inexperienced rookies who need quick experience.

DA Lykos' Message is Clear

2009-03-27T11:15:00.003-05:00

I don't think Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos realizes what she's done. In playing politics to make some people feel good she has sent the following message to her office;

Race must now be considered in jury selection.

Go here for a better explination than the Houston Chronicle will give you.

Oh Boo Friggety Hoo!

2009-03-20T11:21:00.004-05:00

A groom was arrested for drunk driving in Houston. His bride got belligerent and wound up arrested for public intoxication. Now they are filing complaints because they were embarrassed. Well Billy and Jade Puckett ought to be embarrassed at their own actions. I guess neither of them have any common sense or they would have had a taxi or some designated driver. Talk about retarded! Hopefully Harris County Pct.8 will do their investigation, realize nothing wrong was done. Then tell the Pucketts to "puck off!"

Texas a free state...

2009-03-15T20:21:00.002-05:00

Well, Texas may not the most free state but we're among the top states to live if you still value your freedom. I should feel sorry for people who live in New York, Rhode Island and those northeastern states.

Click here to read the study...

Quanell Strikes Back

2009-03-03T10:36:00.002-06:00

In the military, they train when you are ambushed to fight towards the ambush. Well that is what Quanell X is now doing. Since he got slapped with a slander lawsuit earlier this year he is counter suing! His argument, that his civil rights are being violated. In other words, Quanell is being a hypocrite. Remember his argument that the lawsuit was a coercion to shut him up? Well now he's playing that game. He's trying to silence the officers and any future criticism of him.

Happy Birthday

2009-03-02T10:33:00.004-06:00

PHOTO CREDIT

Today is the 173 anniversary of the birthplace of an independent Texas. A group of Texans declared they were going to break away from Mexico and become an independent nation.
The Houston Chronicle has a story of a lost document to commemorate today.

Houston Wanting to Give Handouts Now...

2009-02-24T09:59:00.003-06:00

Apparently the idea of big government using public money for paying the personal bills of certain people is spreading like a rash. Now Houston wants to use taxpayer money to help people pay off credit card debts and help qualify for a mortgage. Is this what we can look forward to with democrats in control of the purse strings now? Why can't I get the government to pay off my credit cards as opposed to someone who made bad choices? Sure glad I don't live in Houston anymore.

Chronicle Definition of Modest

2009-02-18T11:31:00.003-06:00

At first when I saw this headline I thought it was going to be another Houston Chronicle story about the plight of the illegal alien while American citizens have it rough as well. However this story talks about a pastor from Ghana and his wife who are having a hard time sending money home. The opening paragraph reads;

"Elizabeth Anane-Sekyere works 13-hour shifts, six days a week. Her husband pastors a small church for modest pay. Together, they’re paying for a mortgage, three college tuitions and a growing 16-year-old."

Okay, those are long hours and that's admirable. However I'm not sure what the Chronicle means by small church. See, she and her husband work for the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. According to their website they have churches and schools all over the world. Now, I looked up the Houston address on the Harris County Appraisal District website. It is classified as a religious institution so it is tax exempt. A look from above shows it to be a fair sized establishment. Now, to be fair I have no idea what the church pays, but these facts make the harp strings a little hard to tug.

Rest in Peace Cancer Diva

2009-02-16T10:57:00.002-06:00

Today the Houston Chronicle sadly reported on the death of a popular blogger. Terry Hayes authored a blog about her life as a cancer survivor termed Cancer Diva. Her blog not only chronicled her life with cancer but also provided help and support to others living with the disease. As a fellow blogger I extend my condolences to the friends and family of the Cancer Diva Terry Hayes. Rest in peace!

Victim Without a Clue

2009-02-12T23:12:00.003-06:00

I hate to say this about a kidnapping victim, but she really is clueless. I'm glad she got out of the trunk and was okay. However she must spend way too much time in that mansion watching television and not out in the real world. A woman in the affluent area of River Oaks in Houston was clubbed and dumped in a trunk. The woman escaped. Turns out, three convicts have been charged with the kidnapping. These guys were in prison where, according to the article they planned a kidnapping/ransom scheme. The victim is quoted as saying;

"I think about it every day," the woman said. "I just want women to know that it was random, it was for ransom and, in this economy, it could happen to anybody."

Uh, ma'am. These guys are criminals! They didn't plan this because they fell on hard times and needed money to feed their families and clothe their children. They did it because they are predators and they targeted you because you live in River Oaks!!!! I don't think you're going to see a spike in kidnappings like in Mexico.

Shelton Drama Doesn't End

2009-02-09T16:49:00.004-06:00

Remember the Shelton mess? First, 19 year-old Elizabeth Shelton is drunk and driving on the freeway while her boyfriend is hanging out the window. Drunk Elizabeth hits a box car from behind and winds up killing her boyfriend. Elizabeth is the daughter of Harris County Juvenile Court Judge Pat Shelton. Their defense was that little drunk Elizabeth didn't cause the accident that killed the young man. It was the driver of the box truck that little drunk Elizabeth hit from behind. The classic 'blame the victim' defense. Fortunately the jury didn't buy it and convicted Elizabeth. She served a few months in jail and is currently on probation. Aside from the relatively light sentence we thought that was the end of it. Well, we were all shocked when little Elizabeth's poor decision making skills made it back into the news. She along with the family of her dead boyfriend are suing the driver of the box truck she hit from behind for damaging her Lexus Utility and "mental anguish."

Now, the third chapter of the Shelton family mess. The accident reconstruction "expert" hired by the defense hasn't been paid for his services. So he is suing defense attorney George Secrest who in turn is saying little Elizabeth's daddy Judge Shelton is responsible for the $25,000 (or more) bill. Of course the judge's lawyer is saying the bill is exaggerated. Don't lawyers and experts work out a price before the service is delivered? Oh well, in a way who can blame the Shelton party for not paying. After all, they hired Joseph Hinton to tell a jury that little drunk Elizabeth isn't responsible for the crash or the death of the young man. How much should it really cost to pay someone to tell others what you want them to hear?

Taking Things in Tenaha, TX

2009-02-08T18:59:00.004-06:00

At first when I read this story even I thought "uh oh!" However, I read it again and tried to read between the lines. As often, the Houston Chronicle doesn't tell the entire story either through omission or simply because they don't know. The concept of the story is sure to outrage any decent person. The concept of small town cops stopping out-of-towners and taking their property. However when I read the story again somethings stand out that make me think there is more than what the story tells you.

"Linda Dorman, a great-grandmother from Akron, Ohio, had $4,000 in cash taken from her by local authorities when she was stopped while driving through town after visiting Houston in April 2007. Court records make no mention that anything illegal was found in her van and show no criminal charges filed in the case. She is still waiting for the return of what she calls “her life savings.”

Okay, it's not against the law to carry $4,000 in cash, but why is she carrying $4,000 in cash? Take a look at the map here. How is Tenaha, TX, a direct route from Ohio to Houston, TX? Could it be she likes the back roads for the scenery? Or could she be avoiding the main highways for some reason? I like how they point out how Ms. Dorman is a great-grandmother but don't mention her actual age. This woman can be a great-grandmother and she's wanted by the federal government. The writer wants you to picture some centurion in a walker being hassled by the police. The article says no charges were filed but her cash was seized. What does the report say? Was a drug dog brought in? Did it hit on the car? Did the drug dog hit on the cash? Sometimes when drug residue is found on cash, it is seized. Plus she was stopped in 2007, is the case still pending?

Attorney David Guillory "is suing officials in Tenaha and Shelby County on behalf of Dorman and nine other clients who were stripped of their property. All were African-Americans driving either rentals or vehicles with out-of-state plates."

The photo caption says that between 2006 and 2008 "roughly" 140 people were subject to property seizure. Yet, only 10 people are suing the city of Tenaha and Shelby County. If these officers are indeed robbing people as the lawyer claims, why are only 10 out of 140 people suing? Plus the article points out the race of the people suing. What is the race of the other 130 people?

"In Shelby County, the district attorney made legal agreements with some individuals that her office would not file criminal charges so long as the property owner waived all rights to the valuables."

Then why sign it to start with? Make them prove their criminal case.

“In exchange for (respondent) signing the agreed order of forfeiture, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office agrees to reject charges of money laundering pending at this time,” read one waiver, dated April 10, 2007."

Details of the case?

"The property owners named in the waiver had just signed over $7,342 in cash, their 1994 Chevrolet Suburban, a cell phone, a BlackBerry and a stone necklace."

I'm not saying Shelby County is not doing the right thing. I'm not defending them. In fact, Shelby County has made poor decisions in the past. I'm only questioning the reporter's angle and wanting more information before I make judgment. Let the lawsuit go forward and make all the cards come down on the table.

Chronicle Looking For Discontent...Again

2009-02-07T11:22:00.002-06:00

The Houston Chronicle just seems to go looking for discontent.

First, they find people jealous of the Fort Bend deputy sheriffs who got a bonus from a mysterious donor.

“I just think it is weird. Why are they giving them money?” said Dianna Batres, 21, as she finished getting her hair done at Royal Styles beauty salon. “My boyfriend was like, ‘What if it is a drug dealer?’ ”

Does this brat stop and think about what she says before she says it? If I were her boyfriend I'd be embarrassed.

Second, they go find some Harris County deputy sheriffs who expect new Sheriff Garcia to part the waves with his hands. In other words, they need to learn patience.

Two Updates

2009-02-05T23:39:00.003-06:00

Updates on two previous posts;

The Fort Bend Deputies can keep their bonuses. Now all the naysayers can shut the hell up and life go on.

The Houston Police Officers are suing Marvin Driver and Quanell X. Awesome! Quanell must have seen this coming because he has police-hating, ACLU attorney Randall Kallinen representing him. I'm sure I mentioned in the past the ACLU have argued that false complaints against police officers should be 'protected speech.'

"Randall Kallinen, attorney for Quanell X on the defamation case, said the lawsuit is simply retaliation. ''This is another attempt by the police who use whatever means necessary to silence a police critic,'' Kallinen said."

I honestly think Randall Kallinen is mentally ill. How can he argue with a straight face that police should have none of the protections afforded civilians? In Randall's twisted mind police should be falsely accused, and abused because they deserve it. I bet Randall has a very high opinion of himself and looks down on public servants. I would love to remind Randall that police officers are human beings with feelings and don't deserve to have their lives ruined by false allegations. However he would disagree citing his contempt for police officers.

Fort Bend Bonuses

2009-01-31T10:59:00.003-06:00

Fort Bend County Sheriff Deputies got an unexpected Christmas bonus this year. An anonymous donor spent nearly $250,000 in which deputies got a bonuses in the range of $1,000. It was interesting that the Chronicle article really didn't spin this in a negative light. The Texas Penal Code has an offense titled 'Gift to a Public Servant' which reads;

(a) A public servant in an agency performing regulatory functions or conducting inspections or investigations commits an offense if he solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept any benefit from a person the public servant knows to be subject to regulation, inspection, or investigation by the public servant or his agency.

(b) A public servant in an agency having custody of prisoners commits an offense if he solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept any benefit from a person the public servant knows to be in his custody or the custody of his agency.

(c) A public servant in an agency carrying on civil or criminal litigation on behalf of government commits an offense if he solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept any benefit from a person against whom the public servant knows litigation is pending or contemplated by the public servant or his agency.

(d) A public servant who exercises discretion in connection with contracts, purchases, payments, claims, or other pecuniary transactions of government commits an offense if he solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept any benefit from a person the public servant knows is interested in or likely to become interested in any contract, purchase, payment, claim, or transaction involving the exercise of his discretion.

(e) A public servant who has judicial or administrative authority, who is employed by or in a tribunal having judicial or administrative authority, or who participates in the enforcement of the tribunal's decision, commits an offense if he solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept any benefit from a person the public servant knows is interested in or likely to become interested in any matter before the public servant or tribunal.

(f) A member of the legislature, the governor, the lieutenant governor, or a person employed by a member of the legislature, the governor, the lieutenant governor, or an agency of the legislature commits an offense if he solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept any benefit from any person.

(g) A public servant who is a hearing examiner employed by an agency performing regulatory functions and who conducts hearings in contested cases commits an offense if the public servant solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept any benefit from any person who is appearing before the agency in a contested case, who is doing business with the agency, or who the public servant knows is interested in any matter before the public servant. The exception provided by Sec. 36.10(b) does not apply to a benefit under this subsection.

(h) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

(i) A public servant who receives an unsolicited benefit that the public servant is prohibited from accepting under this section may donate the benefit to a governmental entity that has the authority to accept the gift or may donate the benefit to a recognized tax-exempt charitable organization formed for educational, religious, or scientific purposes.

Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Amended by Acts 1975, 64th Leg., p. 915, ch. 342, Sec. 11, eff. Sept. 1, 1975; Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 3238, ch. 558, Sec. 5, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 304, Sec. 4.04, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.

Sheriff Wright appears to have done this well. First, nobody except the sheriff knows who the donor is. Second, the donor doesn't reside in Fort Bend County. Third, the extra money was taxable income meaning some of it went to Uncle Sam. This doesn't happen very often so I say let it be. Fort Bend doesn't pay much anyhow.

Lawsuit Going Forward?

2009-01-22T09:04:00.003-06:00

It looks like Houston Police Officers Union is moving forward with the lawsuit against Marvin Driver and Quanell X. When one reads the letters sent to Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos there is an interesting line about it being the policy of Chuch Rosenthal not to prosecute anyone for making a false complaint against a police officer. While the police hating community (i.e. thugs, so-called intellectuals, so-called civil rights activists) thinks it should be okay to make false complaints "to protect free speech" people miss a crucial point. No police officer wants to be the subject of a complaint or an internal affairs investigation. Much less a false one. Their lives can be ruined, they can lose everything. However many people don't care so let me put this in a context you can understand. Let's say your own child got mad at you and decided to get even. So, your child contacts the police and CPS and says you sexually molested and assaulted them for years. Now, you'd be visited by CPS investigators, probably losing your kids. You'd be interviewed extensively by police. The news media gets a hold of the story and looking for an evening audience they post your face on TV with the headline "Parent Accused of Raping Child." What do you think your family would do? What would your friends do? How much longer do you think you'd have your job? All knowing that your child lying yet nobody believes you. Keep that in mind when someone wants to argue that public servants should be open to false complaints. They have lives like you do and can lose it all because of some malicious, self-serving con-man in a fancy suit who is loved by the media.

Read the letter from the HPOU to DA Lykos.

Texas Officer Helps Save Woman in Washington D.C.

2009-01-21T14:58:00.002-06:00

With most press about the Harris County Metropolitan Police Department here is a positive story. We'll see if the local press gets a hold of it. Metro Officer Eliot Swainson was working in Washington D.C. at the inauguration of President Obama when he heard a woman was stuck on the tracks as a train was coming in. Unable to pry her off the track Officer Eliot helped push the woman into a crawl space as the train passed over. The 68-year old woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Kudos to a Texas officer doing a great job in Washington D.C.

Read the story here:

Watch the interview here:

HPOU Wants An Investigation Into Driver

2009-01-10T10:56:00.003-06:00

Remember the Driver incident? Marvin Driver was arrested on traffic warrants and unresponsive when he was brought to the Houston Police jail. He was in the hospital for a few days. Mr. Driver claimed he was beaten, and forced to ingest cocaine. While the investigation was ongoing nobody knew the officers' side of the story. Of course Quanell X was all over the cameras grandstanding as usual. The investigation the cleared the officers and of course the usual suspects scream the usual catch phrases (i.e. cover up bla bla bla). Well, interesting tidbit, cocaine was found in Mr. Driver's system. Now, why would police force him to swallow cocaine when they could go from a minor warrant arrest to a felony charge? The HPOU wants an investigation into whether or not Mr. Driver should be indicted for perjury. This will be interesting to watch. It will be an uphill battle since Mr. Driver's story is etched in stone and to change now wouldn't be prudent. I wouldn't be surprised if the ACLU get involved since they have argued that false complaints against police should be allowed. Meaning, in some cases, the ACLU does support perjury which I would imagine is somewhere against a lawyer's oath/ethics (I know, lawyer, ethics, give me a break). Either way it won't hurt Quanell. After all, since Al Sharpton is given a pass by the media on the Brawley fabrication, then I'm sure the chronicle will give Quanell a pass here.

Death Row Inmate Eats Own Eye...Cool!!!!

2009-01-10T10:25:00.003-06:00

This sounds like a scene out of a Wes Craven movie. A death row inmate takes out his own eye and eats it! My first reaction was a morbid one. Cool!!!! Remember Chainsaw and Dave and the 'classroom massacre' scene in Summer School? This death row inmate in the Polunsky unit murdered his wife, a 4-year old and a 13-month old child. Is anyone really disturbed by this? Better yet, is anyone actually feeling sorry for this guy?

KHOU Figures Out Club Creek is Dangerous

2009-01-07T10:34:00.003-06:00

I found another example of information that the media seems to be just picking up on that police have known for years. KHOU channel 11 posted this story about a mile-long stretch of road considered to be one of the most dangerous in Houston. Well duh! The street is called Club Creek. Listen to Houston Police's radio and every day, mostly night shift, you will hear Club Creek come up several times. There are slum apartments, and a night club out there. That street was infamous before 2005 so not much blame can be given Hurricane Katrina evacuees for this one. Club Creek was a sh**hole before they came. I invite everyone to take a virtual drive down Club Creek courtesy of google streets. Let me know what you think!

Merry Christmas All!!!!

2008-12-24T10:51:00.001-06:00

Ray Hill in a Quandary

2008-12-20T10:18:00.004-06:00

Kudos to Houston Police for catching a pair who had been robbing mainly adult bookstores and videos. The article talks about how more victims are being sought mainly because they don't want to have to admit being in a bookstore. Amazingly enough, the chronicle manages to drag Ray Hill out of the woodwork. This time, Ray Hill is;

"Ray Hill, who has been a consultant and lobbyist for adult businesses, said police should have captured the men sooner."

First of all, the fact that these guys are caught is testimony that the police were working. Hill is just trying to get some free press. Besides, I'm surprised Ray Hill even cares about crime victims. In the past he has been the chronicle's "convict advocate" and "criminal justice advocate." Ray Hill did time in prison for burglary. Meaning at one point in his life he felt righteous and justified breaking into other peoples' homes and stealing their stuff. He went on champion rights for inmates because they weren't being treated kindly enough. He does (or did) a show on KPFT called the prison show or something like that. Where they talk about how sad inmate life is and for their families. While I see how their families can be affected, I wonder if anyone on that show stopped to consider two things. First, the victims' families. As usual people who stand for prisoners rights usually have little or nothing to say about the people they hurt. Second, if the convicts' families were so important to the convict why didn't said convict think about them before pulling that trigger, or robbing that individual/store? Anyhow, it's hard to tell where Ray's convictions lie. See, Ray is a gay man. Not that I, nor anyone else should care. However, remember Paul Broussard? He was the victim of a gay bashing murder back in 1991. A group of punks came down to the Montrose area looking for gays to attack. They found Mr. Broussard and friends and went on the attack. Mr. Broussard was brutally murdered. A crime that deserved the death penalty in my opinion.

"In a strange twist, the killers have an advocate in longtime Houston gay activist Ray Hill, who has befriended the men since their imprisonment."

Wow! I would imagine that even Ray would support keeping those animals locked up, but I guess his love for criminals takes precedence over his own sexual orientation.

"What we have is a bunch of teenagers, drunk and stoned -- chemicals played a major role in this -- who came to Houston from The Woodlands," Hill said."

Ahh, the old "it's not their fault" argument. I love how these 'advocates' are telling society to just suck it up and let predators loose.

"Hill said Thursday that he has contacted a lawyer to try to stop the Aguirres' deportation. "

According to the link, the Aguirres are 'Mexican nationals' (meaning illegals). So Ray thinks illegal aliens who commit murder ought to be welcomed in our homes.

Now, Ray is bashing police for "dragging their heels" because the victims of these two predators were seedy establishments. I didn't think Ray would want either one of these guys to spend time in prison since life there is so horrible. Perhaps there were chemicals involved and they were just bored and out looking for trouble. I guess Ray doesn't know one of the robbers has been in the pen like he was. Well, later on Ray will be championing for their release and will become their best friend. I wonder if Ray stumbled upon a man raping a woman in the middle of the street what would he do? Would he actually help the woman? Would he call 911? Or would he help hold the woman's feet so she couldn't kick her attacker?

Shelton Update...

2008-12-19T10:41:00.005-06:00

I'm glad I wasn't alone in my disbelief at Elizabeth Shelton et. al.'s gall in filing her should-be frivolous lawsuit. Defense attorney Mark Bennett has an excellent post in his blog. He also has additional information that is very interesting about the attorney representing Shelton who is Mark Sandoval. According to the post, Sandoval;

"First, he spent the three years from September 26, 1997 to September 26, 2000 suspended from the practice of law for conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, and the period from March 27, 1998 to March 26, 1999 doubly suspended from the practice of law (I couldn’t find an announcement in the Texas Bar Journal explaining why, possibly because he was already suspended at the time)."

and....

"Third — and I think this ties all the threads together neatly — Sandoval is appointed to juvenile cases almost exclusively by Harris County Juvenile Court Judge Pat Shelton — the father of Elizabeth Shelton."

Anyone else smell an odor here? Not the first time Harris County has allowed odd ball associations in its court. Not often I praise defense attorneys, but excellent post Mr. Bennett!

Christmas Lights

2008-12-19T00:00:00.000-06:00

I found this in west Houston. They put some effort in this.

Elizabeth Shelton still showing poor decision making abilities

2008-12-18T10:20:00.004-06:00

Remember Elizabeth Shelton? The daughter of the Harris County judge who was drunk, rear ended a box truck and ended up killing her boyfriend who was her passenger? I can't remember her ever showing remorse that her boyfriend was killed. She, and her father blamed the truck driver for the accident trying to distract the jury from the fact that she was 20 (too young to be legally drinking alcohol) and three times the legal limit. In other words, the girl was drunk!!!! She was given basically a slap on the wrist which is status quo in Harris County. Well, logic would dictate Elizabeth would keep a low profile. Yet, again she amazes us all with her poor sense of judgment! Peep this! She is suing the box truck driver she hit while she was drunk!

"Shelton, her family and the family of the boyfriend who was killed are suing for $20,000 for the destruction of the Lexus SUV she was driving and an undetermined amount for mental anguish, pain and suffering."

So, she is actually arguing that while she was driving drunk, she rear ended a box truck, killed her boyfriend, and she's suffering mental anguish! What is wrong with this girl? Is she still in denial about what she did? Or is she still trying to convince the public that it was the other driver's fault and we should ignore the fact she was underage, and drunk? I didn't want to lump her in with her father's position as a judge. Even public servants can have bad apples. Yet, according to the article, her family, and the family of the dead man are also suing the box truck driver. I guess that entire bunch share the same lapse in reasoning Elizabeth does. Good lord what is wrong with these people?

Why Do People Hate Insurance Companies??

2008-12-17T09:25:00.002-06:00

Remember the 2007 Houston office fire that killed three people? It was set by a woman trying to cover up the fact that she didn't do what she was supposed to do. She got 25 years in prison. Well, the property owner of the building is being sued for wrongful death. Now, since the fire was set by the crazy woman and she's responsible for the deaths of those people I would imagine the insurance company, Great American, would argue that point. Instead, they are using the argument that the smoke that killed the people was "pollution" and therefore the insurance company doesn't have to pay. That's like saying a stabbing victim didn't die from the knife wound, but from loss of blood through a hole in the skin. This leaves the judge in a quandary. To any lay person, the insurance company ought to fight on the argument that Misty Ann Weaver is responsible for the deaths, not the property owners. Be interesting from a legal standpoint to see how this turns out.

Harris County District Attorney's Office Changing, and Losing a Blogger

2008-12-03T09:05:00.004-06:00

KPRC has this story today of DA elect Pat Lykos already making changes in the DA's office. Of course it just says that 5 employees (4 investigators and 1 prosecutor) have not had their contracts renewed, not a traditional firing after doing something wrong, or bad. It's the process where you are told you're simply not coming back. So, for more information I turned to a Harris County Prosecutor and sure enough, he was on it. Anyone who received an email was going to be let go. That's got to be hell. Checking your email and if you see 'Jim Leitner' in the 'from' box you knew you weren't going to be employed next year. Sadly, AHCL received an email and will not be with the DA's office next year. Of course he will be back as a defense lawyer which is good for him. He also took off the costume and the mask. I had always had a feeling who he was. I was wrong. He wasn't who I thought he was and sad to say, I'd never heard of him. Anyhow, good luck Murray and I'm sure we'll see you around.

I Figured It Would Happen

2008-12-02T09:08:00.004-06:00

I've been keeping tabs on the nutty county prosecutor Juan Guerra who got an indictment against Dick Cheney and Alberto Gonzalez. Guerra also got an indictment against a state senator, and a district judge as well as others who have been involved in past investigations against him. Well, the judge dismissed all the indictments.

"Five of the indictments - against two district judges, two special prosecutors and the district clerk - were dismissed because Guerra was the alleged victim, witness and prosecutor. The indictments accused the five of abusing their power by being involved in a previous investigation of Guerra."

I thought that a prosecutorial no-no. So, the way I understand it, Guerra abused his power to get indictments against others accusing them of abusing their powers to investigate him.

Well, this is no surprise to me. From the start I couldn't see this getting past a judge, somewhere. Guerra has demonstrated his mental instability over and over again.

The Houston Chronicle has also been following this story.

Mexican Problems, Chronicle Blames US

2008-12-01T08:59:00.003-06:00

Another interesting Houston Chronicle article caught my eye this morning. The article talks about Mexican gangsters buying weapons here in Houston that are being used in gun violence in Mexico. The article goes on to cite some examples. The tone of the article is the same, old tired line that guns are the problem, not the people.

"Gangsters have honed in on this city because of its glut of gun shops, its proximity to the border, and its long-established networks for smuggling narcotics into the United States, federal law-enforcement officials said."

So, does this mean this is our fault?

"The need for arms is increasing as Mexican drug cartels are battling one another and the government after President Felipe Calderon made restoring the rule of law his priority upon taking office two years ago."

Ahhh, so the Mexican government is to blame. I know the article didn't mean for this line to be interpreted like this be we all know how corrupt the government and system of justice is down there.

Basically it works like this. Someone goes into a gun store and either makes a legal purchase and in turns sells (or gives) the weapons to someone who shouldn't have them. Or the person uses false information/documents to make the purchase. The gun stores ARE NOT knowingly providing guns to Mexican drug cartels.

"The task may be difficult, but U.S. officials have an obligation to do more to keep guns on this side of the border, Mexican authorities say."

Typical arrogance of the Mexican government. Perhaps if corruption wasn't a way of life down there then Mexico wouldn't have half the problems it has. How about the Mexican government doing more to make its citizens want to stay there and now want to come up here? How about the Mexican government do more to keep illegal drugs out of our country? Neither will happen.

"Mexico's weapons laws are far stricter than those in the United States, making it difficult for civilians to purchase guns and ammunition. U.S. citizens crossing into Mexico have been sent to prison for having accidentally left guns or ammunition in their vehicles."

Yet criminals have no problems getting guns and right under the government's nose. Plus, U.S. citizens have wound up in Mexican jails for being found with a single bullet in their cars. Well, those citizens that couldn't bribe their way out of it. Mexican police have a practice of setting up naive Americans (i.e. having someone sell them drugs) and arresting the citizen until the citizen can cough up a nice little bribe to get out of it.

The point is that the Mexican government is the source for most of these problems. If they didn't tolerate public corruption and actually swung their economy to make people want to stay there then Mexico would be a better place for its own people. Yet, hardly anyone wants to realize that. It's easier, and preferable for Mexico and our own media to blame us for the problems.

Chronicle Just Noticing Again...

2008-12-01T08:21:00.002-06:00

I found this article about the 'rise' of dogfighting in the Harris County area. I would beg to differ. This is nothing new. This has always been around, just not taken as seriously. I would suggest that is isn't rising, but it is being taken more seriously as a crime.

"....the crime has steadily become more prevalent among local youths, particularly in low-income areas, said Assistant District Attorney Belinda Smith."

Isn't there also drug dealing, robbery, prostitution, burglary, and other thefts occurring too often in low income areas? See the common denominator here?

"A University of Chicago report this year found dogfighters in that city were introduced to the crime as early as age 9.

The university's research suggested that dogfighting was used "to work out other street or gang conflicts, and as a means to earn money that can range from as little as $20 to as much as several hundred dollars."

Gang conflicts? I don't see the crips and bloods settling their differences over a dog fight. The hood mentality wouldn't allow these thugs to accept defeat based upon the performance of a dog. If this were so, then you'd have shootings over the results of dog fights. These guys are still shooting and killing each other. I wonder how the university conducted its research. When academia tries to research life on the streets watch out. Getting those guys out of their ivory towers and into the real world takes an act of Congress. That's why they have a lot of polls.

"Smith attributes dogfighting's rise in popularity partially to its glorification in music videos by rap and hip-hop artists."

How many other negative traits are glorified by rappers (and sometimes the media)?

While popular in 'da hood' cock fighting is popular south of the border. There are also cock fighting networks in Houston due to migration (both legal and illegal). Either way, in my humble opinion, people who engage, or watch these sports are primitive throwbacks. I would say they are no better than animals, but that would be an insult to animals.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

2008-11-27T08:12:00.001-06:00

Juan Guerra a Little Crazy Part 2

2008-11-22T10:53:00.003-06:00

The Houston Chronicle is following the story of the Willacy County DA who indicted Vice President Dick Cheney and Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez along with a state senator and a district judge. I posted the original story and did a little online research. From what I read I asked if these were the actions of a mentally balanced individual. This morning, the chronicle has a follow up story and the question still stands. A hearing to quash the indictments was held this week. It was originally held Wednesday, but DA Guerra didn't bother to show up. Why the judge allowed him to get away with that I don't understand. However, DA Guerra really showed his imbalance according to the article;

"... Guerra pounded the table and accused Banales of giving the defendants special treatment in allowing motions to quash the indictments to be heard before the defendants were arraigned.

"Now all of a sudden there is urgency!" Guerra shouted at Banales. "Eighteen months you kept me indicted through the election!"

To me, Guerra contradicts himself with this statement, showing that this whole crusade of his is personal. He lost the democratic primaries last month and is trying not to go gently into that good night. Remember originally Guerra said he didn't indict the Vice President, the grand jury did? Someone needs to remind him that the grand jury indicted him not the judge.

"What came out today was the mental state of the prosecutor was exposed to the court," said Tony Canales, co-counsel representing private prison company The GEO Group. But that talk only incited Guerra, who said he's heard himself called "loco" before."

How about "loco que una rata sh**house!"

Hey Mikey!!!!

2008-11-21T00:30:00.001-06:00

Michael Chertoff has said that Texas has had enough money to recover from Hurricane Ike.

Hey Mikey! Got a question for you! How come you can say to Texas that we have enough federal money to rebuild from our natural disaster yet you lacked the balls to tell Louisiana the same thing? No disrespect to Louisiana, but we're better managed, more prepared, and we do depend less on you incompetent feds for support. Oh well, to hell with you and the federal government! I guess because Texas is better managed and run and more financially responsible disqualifies us from federal money. We don't need to follow the example of Freddie and Fannie and auto industry just to receive federal money.

HPD Armchair Quarterbacks its Officers

2008-11-19T09:57:00.003-06:00

I caught this story in this morning's edition of the chronicle. Remember the police chase in which a man claiming to be a federal agent was shot and killed after he initiated a pursuit? Well, Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt has disciplined two officers involved in the shooting. A major pet peeve of police officers is being second guessed by administrators who weren't even there. Of course there is a video and you can watch the video attached to the link. I'd like to know how Chief Hurtt was watching this video. The internal investigation found that;

"Sgt. Andrew J. Washington and Officer Cecil A.T. Foster did not use sound judgment and did not follow department policy in the incident."

The department policy, they didn't talk to the man at the end of the chase! One officer was given a 1-day suspension and the other officer was given a written reprimand. Both are appealing their punishments.

One could ask if Chief Hurtt and IAD were watching the video through the eyes of an officer in that situation, at that exact moment in time. Or with the eyes of a long time police administrator trying to use the benefit of hindsight, and "what ifs." Because the city is now being sued over this were they watching this video looking for the slightest policy violation so disciplinary action could be handed out to cover the city? Watch the video at the end of the chase. You can hear officers giving verbal commands which are plainly being ignored, so they are talking to him but he isn't listening. I guess that isn't included in the HPD definition of "sound judgment" and "talking to the man." Keep in mind, when an administrator like Hurtt uses the term "sound judgment" it means one of two things. The first is that the officer did something contrary to common sense that it is unfathomable (not this case). The second meaning translates "with the benefit of hindsight and from my cushy armchair this is what I would have done knowing what the outcome is!" What Hurtt has also done is given ACLU-police hating attorney Randall Kallinen an argument to give to a jury of potentially ill-informed people who will believe that C-A-T really spells dog if you tell them right. Kallinen is now saying this policy violation proves his case. No it doesn't. What most people don't understand is that a violation of policy doesn't mean a violation of the law or liability. Department policies are rules and guidelines that are supposed to have all officers act the same way in any situation. Well, policies, like laws are interpreted differently by different people. Also, policies cannot foresee every possible situation and that's when officer discretion has to kick in. Think about this, situations can change in an instant, policies and procedures don't change. For example, let's say a department has a policy that says officers, while involved in a vehicle pursuit, cannot chase the criminal the wrong way on the highway. Okay, that is fine and dandy. Let's say the man running just killed a woman and kidnapped her baby. Knowing this policy he drives east in the west bound lanes and by stroke of luck, there is no west bound traffic. Now, what is this officer supposed to do? Follow department policy and not chase the kidnapper? Or use judgment and go after the kidnapper the wrong way on an empty road? Remember, situations change, polices don't.

At least HPD's internal investigation found the shooting to be justified. At least Hurtt could see that from the video.

South Texas DA Maybe a Little Crazy

2008-11-18T23:38:00.002-06:00

That, or Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra has watched way too many episodes of 'Law & Order.' In this story, DA Guerra got a grand jury indictment against Vice President Dick Cheney and Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. According to the article, the 'indictment' is for;

"Cheney's indictment on a charge of engaging in an organized criminal activity criticizes the vice president's investment in the Vanguard Group, which holds interests in the private prison companies running the federal detention centers. It accuses Cheney of a conflict of interest and "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees because of his link to the prison companies."

So, Guerra says because Cheney holds an interest in a company that runs federal prisons, this makes him responsible for 'misdemeanor' assaults. Okay, let's look at Juan Guerra's track record;

In February of 2007, the Brownsville Herald reported that four criminal cases and two civil cases had to be dismissed because of Guerra's absence from court. The reason for his absence was "his office computers were seized as part of an investigation that led to his Feb. 11 arrest."
Guerra was indicted himself until last month when a judge dismissed the charges against him for lack of evidence. Now, read further down the article at what Guerra did when threatened with contempt of court charges. He "camped in front of the Willacy County Jail, daring authorities to arrest him on a trespassing charge. Since last weekend, he's added livestock to the campsite." Are these the actions of a mentally balanced individual?

In August of this year, three county officials started a petition to remove Guerra from office.

In March of 2007, after an indictment against him had been dismissed, Guerra refused to take cases filed by the agencies that investigated him. This resulted in 23 criminal cases being dismissed. Guerra "vowed to push to dismiss cases until Police Chief Uvaldo Zamora and Chief Deputy David Martinez are fired" So, basically Guerra is refusing to do his job due to a personal grudge.

I'm sure by now you can see where this is going. Of course by reading the peanut gallery of chronicle comments many are joyous. Problem is they are so blinded by their hatred of Cheney and Gonzales they obviously have not taken the time to read the article and see the glaring problems with the character of Guerra. An interesting tidbit of information is brought out in this article.

"A second batch of indictments targeted public officials connected to Guerra's own legal battles.

Willacy County Clerk Gilbert Lozano, District judges Janet Leal and Migdalia Lopez, and special prosecutors Mervyn Mosbacker Jr. — a former U.S. attorney — and Gustavo Garza — a long-time political opponent of Guerra — were all indicted on charges of official abuse of official capacity and official oppression."

Going through the google searches on Guerra all of these names have turned up. All of these people that are under indictment now have been involved in some legal action against Guerra in the past. Guerra lost his bid for his fourth re-election in the primaries last spring. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out in the end. I imagine all the indictments will eventually be squashed. This reads more like a political statement made by a man with a grudge and a hammer.

Heard of Shoreacres, TX?

2008-11-13T09:59:00.001-06:00

The Houston Chronicle had an interesting article about Shoreacres, TX. This small town is still practically in ruins after Hurricane Ike. Click on the link to read the article and see some interesting pictures. One question I have though. How come the people and the government there aren't clamoring all over the news media for the government to snap its fingers and rebuild them? Just a thought.

Chronicle Says Something Dumb

2008-11-05T23:56:00.002-06:00

I know that's not a surprise. Yet, I was especially surprised by this comment. Today's front page of the Houston chronicle website has a picture of a child with the heading;

'Yes They Can To'
"Thanks to Barack Obama's victory, Houston children like 10-year-old Taiya Youngs say now there's nothing stopping them from reaching their goals. Watch as they share their dreams."

Questions. Who told this child that before last night she couldn't dream and be anything she wanted? What was stopping her before? Is the chronicle trying to say that after last night racism is no longer a problem? Does this mean the race victim mentality is dead?

Man Shot While Shooting at Cars

2008-11-03T08:45:00.002-06:00

This is an example of some of the crazy people that live in Houston. This guy shot a security guard at a night club off of Telephone Rd. (that in itself is a hazard). More than likely he was drunk as hell and in his stupor thought shooting at passing cars was righteous. An HPD officer spots him and after the ensuing gunfight the suspect ends up shot and killed. I doubt he will be missed.

Updte: Lloyd Kelley Pays Out

2008-10-31T09:31:00.001-05:00

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I brought to the forefront Rick Casey's article about Lloyd Kelley and his legal math?

Well, Mr. Casey has written a follow up article .

Mr. Kelley has paid the Ibarra brothers $115,000. Now, it doesn't stop there. The Ibarra brothers have filed a complaint with the state bar of Texas.

What a mess!

"Homeless"

2008-10-31T01:04:00.002-05:00

I found this guy at the intersection of Mason and Katy Frwy. He didn't strike me as homeless. He struck me as someone who lives in Katy. Maybe...
1-He's doing a project for school
2-He's supporting his meth habit (meth is big in the Katy area)
3-This is how he makes his living.

Rudi Lechner

2008-10-28T16:22:00.005-05:00

One day in October, for the four years we go to Rudi Lechner's and celebrate Oktoberfest. I don't really know what Oktoberfest is other than the German equivalent of St. Patty's Day and another reason for us to get together and drink. We have good food, German beer, and my homie and I get the coffee goodnight which you see being made by Rudi himself. It's a tradition. As is the yearly trip to the Ren Fest. I'll be going on Nov. 9.

B-17 Pilot Tells a Story

2008-10-28T09:03:00.002-05:00

The Houston Chronicle brings us the video of a WWII B-17 bomber pilot tell a story of being shot down. Watch and listen. Stories like this need to be preserved.

Meida drags out Jasper, TX again

2008-10-25T09:34:00.002-05:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The news loves to bring out the murder of James Byrd in Jasper. Here we have a story of three drunks, one black and two white, going on a beer run. For whatever reason, one of the men was killed and the other two are charged with murder. Okay, fine let the system run its course. Of course the elite news media has a dim view of rural Texans and just love to bring out the Jasper murder so they can play the race angle. I'm still waiting for the elite news media to talk about Ken Tillery.

Record Early Voting Turnout

2008-10-21T19:13:00.004-05:00

Early voting started yesterday and in Harris County a lot of people jumped at the chance to get their voice heard the first day. People were lined up here in west Harris County. It took roughly 30 minutes to get through the line and into the polling station. It is funny how come people feel their views and attitude need to be shared by everyone. For example, one guy drove his truck by the line and said "this shows all these people are unhappy with George Bush!" I looked at him and said "uh no sir people just want to vote!" This guy reminded me of Ted Rall. I saw him in the line striking up conversations. It was clear to me that he was a reincarnation of someone that drank Jim Jones' kool-aid. He is the type of person who is blindly one-sided and very selective about which facts he would bring into a debate and try to drown the other side out by shouting. He was the kind of person who will use the buzz words "censorship" and "freedom of speech" yet wouldn't have a problem jailing people who disagreed with him (if he had the authority). A woman walked up not knowing if she could vote here. She didn't know if she was registered in Harris or Fort Bend County. This clown jumps up calling the Harris County democrat party (trying to recruit her). I suggested she call the county clerk's office and ask. Although if she's too stupid to know where she registered to vote then maybe she ought not to vote. Okay, that's a joke, but a semi-valid point.

Then, an elderly lady just pushed her car (the white one) into the cramped handicapped parking space. I tried to help her back in by watching the other car. She totally ignored me when I told her to stop instead tapping the other car. She didn't even care! Fortunately the owner of the other car wasn't concerned, no harm no foul. Anyway, get out and vote and be polite and respectful about it.

Seems Like The Ibarra Brothers Can't Get a Break...

2008-10-17T09:22:00.001-05:00

First the Ibarra brothers sue Harris County and win. Now they are suing their former lawyer Lloyd Kelley over expenses they (the brothers) claim are excessive and shouldn't have to pay. One of those expenses is $20,000 to Quanell X. Mr. Kelley claims (and Mr. X concurs) the money is for "jury consultation." Yet, Rick Casey's article says;

"(Randy) Sorrels says Kelley told the brothers the payment to Quanell X was for organizing a demonstration march."

KTRK's Jessica Willey did a story about the Quanell X fee. She got a rather defensive Mr. X. Did he get $20,000 to organize a protest and pack the courtroom with supporters? Were any of those in attendance paid to be there? Community activists get paid pretty well seems like.

Reading Ruth Rendon's article is enough to make one want to get a law license. That way anyone can get "crazy paid" as the rappers put it. Look at this "legal math."

"The brothers received a $1.7 million settlement earlier this year. Kelley asked the court for $2.2 million in legal fees but was awarded $1.4 million."

"Kelley said he had $300,000 in expenses, but a judge approved a reimbursement of only $51,000."

"The lawsuit says Kelley filed paperwork with the court showing $130,000 in expenses, not $300,000. The lawsuit filed says Kelley distributed $400,000 to each brother but has refused to distribute the remaining $900,000 of the settlement."

"Kelley has submitted a letter to the brothers asking for $256,311 for expenses "over $120,000 more than originally disclosed to either the plaintiffs or the court.""

If the Ibarras' allegations are true, the justice system (both criminal and civil) is really sticking it to them! Got to love lawyers!!!

Cop Killer Needs Mental Evaluation

2008-10-16T09:33:00.002-05:00

Remember Houston Police Officer Gary Gryder? He was run down by Hung Truong who was laughing as he was taken into custody. Truong has been ruled 'incompetent' to stand trial and must submit to an evaluation. Afterwards he will be brought back and they will try again. His charge of manslaughter is still pending. It hasn't been dismissed as of yet. Still, who wants this guy on the streets to begin with?

Carnaby Shooting Video

2008-10-16T09:18:00.005-05:00

Everyone in the Houston area is familiar with the Roland Carnaby shooting. He was stopped for speeding and claimed he was a federal agent and acting nervous. Naturally, the suspicious nature of the cop kicked in and they were going to detain him to investigate. Instead Mr. Carnaby drove off leading police on a chase putting everyone's life in danger. There were weapons in the vehicle. At the end of the chase Mr. Carnaby appeared to reach for something, making the officer think he was pulling one of his weapons and the officer shot him. He later died. Now his widow is suing the police for a scenario that her husband created. There has been speculation back and forth about whether or not Mr. Carnaby was a CIA agent. The CIA have denied it. The ACLU cop-hating attorney Randall Kallenin says they have proof he worked for the "national security interests" of the country. Well, bring it on! Let's see the evidence. Maybe it could give an insight as to why Mr. Carnaby chose to run in the first place, an issue neither Mr. Kallenin or Mrs. Carnaby have been able to explain. I rather liked this line;

"Carnaby's widow is seeking an undisclosed amount of money and hopes to get HPD's chase policy changed."

What changes could possible be made here? Knowing Mr. Kallenin's past views probably to end police chases all together. After all, ACLU lawyers have an annoying tendency to advocate letting the inmates run the asylum.

Click here to watch the video of the chase and the shooting. Keep in mind that the officers knew they were chasing a man claiming to be a federal agent and knew he was armed. When he finally does stop, two officers are on the passenger side trying to get him to come out. Then, Carnaby opens the door and as you can see, he is reaching down, an officer comes to him and cannot see his hands. Remembering this guy has weapons in the car, the officer, in fear for his life shoots then runs off getting out of the way. The way I see it, the only person responsible for this death is Mr. Carnaby himself.

I Love Halloween

2008-10-15T10:33:00.001-05:00

Found this at Walgreens. Just had to put it up outside our Fort Bend home. What do you think?

San Antonio Officers Put At Risk By Their Own Chief?

2008-10-15T09:57:00.005-05:00

"Citing research that links Tasers to the deaths of drug users, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus announced a new policy banning the use of the weapons on anyone known to be under the influence."

Which research? Obviously Chief McManus didn't read this article. Plus, can anyone show me an article where an officer who was tased during training has died? How about someone on PCP? We all know someone on PCP has superhuman strength and have been known to cause major damage to people and property. Yet Chief here expects his officers to physically fight with someone on PCP. I am sending an email for clarification on this. After all, I'd hate to think Chief McManus would prefer his officers risk death or injury fighting someone under the influence rather than simply tase them and risk the bad press that comes with the death of a crook who made the wrong choice.

Probably Never Heard of Outside of His Town

2008-10-12T09:18:00.005-05:00

(Image Courtesy of Margaret Denny-The Monitor and the Houston Chronicle)

The Houston Chronicle had this fascinating story of a tombstone that wound up in South Padre Island. Hurricane Ike more than likely washed this ashore all the way from San Juan, TX. It is the tombstone of 16 year old Luis Martinez who was killed in a car crash. Like me he lived in a small town. I bet hardly anyone outside of San Juan knew him. With his tombstone washing up in South Padre Island he will become better known. Well Luis, rest in peace. It's sad such a young life was cut short.

Same Old Tired Lines

2008-10-10T09:06:00.003-05:00

The Texas Dept. of Public Safety had a new rule go into effect on October 1. for non- U.S. citizens to show proof that they are in the country legally before they can renew their driver's license. This means that resident aliens and others who are legally in the country (for the time being) and obtain a driver's license in Texas have to show proof they are still in the country on a legal basis before they can renew their licenses. Of course licenses are renewed every seven years (I think). The Houston Chronicle did a story on this yesterday, and today have another story about how the pro-illegal immigrant lobby is pissed off. The usual arguments are being tossed about.

"...immigrant groups, lawmakers and Hispanic activists, who predict it will boost the number of unlicensed and uninsured drivers on Texas roads. Others fear it will boost a robust black market trade in counterfeit documents."

These illegal operations have always been there and always will be. The underlying goal of these rouge lawmakers and activists are to legitimize illegal immigrants. That's always been their goal.

"It's a bad idea," said Rick Dovalina, a Houston attorney and past national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. "If you look at it strictly as a public policy, the undocumented should be issued a driver license because they would be able to drive legally, and buy insurance, and protect other people in case they have an accident."

Of course someone from LULAC would say that. Yet, some insurance companies are already selling policies to people using the Mexican consulate identification cards instead of driver's licenses. Of course, I've yet to see what happens when these people get into an accident and try to file a claim.

"DPS officials insist the rule changes are not an anti-immigrant measure, but intended to safeguard the licensing process and reduce identity fraud and theft."

Ya think? After all, we wouldn't want any illegal voting going on would we (see previous post)?

"But at least one Texas lawmaker, Rep. Robert A. Alonzo, D-Dallas, called the DPS rule change unlawful profiling and said the state agency is ill-equipped to enforce federal immigration laws."

Of course! We can't have a discussion about illegal immigration without some fool trying to throw the buzz word 'profiling' in the mix. Apparently Rep. Alonzo doesn't seem to care that it is up to the person renewing the license to provide DPS with proof. So how is that profiling? It doesn't say "all Hispanics must show proof of their citizenship.." yet that is what Alonzo and LULAC will tell their lobbies. From past chronicle stories about sympathizing with illegal immigrants I imagine they agree. Although at the very bottom of the story you read this;

"

"But at the Houston driver's license office, air-conditioning technician Roger Cook favored the tougher rules for immigrants."

"If they're here illegally, they shouldn't be able to have the privileges of American citizens," said Cook, adding he missed six months of work last year while recovering from injuries received when an undocumented driver slammed into his car."

The Dead Do Have a Say

2008-10-10T08:46:00.004-05:00

Talk about a hearty introduction. A local group known as the Texas Watchdog got featured in the nationally known Drudge Report today with their breaking story about finding 4,000 "dead" voters in Harris County alone. From the link local KPRC did their own story on it. The Watchdog did a comparison of voter rolls and death records. Now, if a private group can do this, why can't Harris County? It seems funny how the media handles stories of voter fraud. For example, the media has spun the line about George Bush stealing the election in 2000 so many times that many people feel it is true. Yet, as the Watchdog points out, "George W. Bush actually won Florida by 1,665 votes in 2000, according to a hand recount after the election commissioned by USA Today, the Miami Herald and Knight Ridder." Now, anyone remember the group ACORN? Yep, the same ACORN that sued and threw temper tantrums when FEMA wanted to stop paying for Hurricane Katrina evacuees who still weren't trying to improve their own situation two years later. As the Watchdog points out, ACORN is under investigation for some of the biggest voter fraud scams in history. I have not seen many stories about that. There are probably even fewer stories highlighting Barrack Obama's connections to ACORN.
Anyhow, kudos to the Texas Watchdog for doing what Harris County should have been doing from the get-go. Four thousand "dead" voters could tilt an election.

Problems at the Chronicle???

2008-10-04T11:52:00.000-05:00

I recall a story about the unemployment rate slightly rising. Then, another story comes out that the chronicle is having to lay off some of its personnel. The obvious question is the chronicle layoffs a result or a cause. Now, thanks to bloghouston, we're learning that the chronicle is buying out some of its people. Click here to read the memo.

What could cause the chronicle to have to lay off some of its people? Could it be its continued, blaring biases? Could it be the tendency to put editorials in the news sections? Could it be to embarrassingly obvious mistakes such as getting wrong the date of the worst terrorist attack on American soil? Could it be the thousands of angry public servants who probably cancelled their subscriptions along with many friends and family? I don't know but something over there isn't working. If money becomes tight over there perhaps the chronicle could have an ad page for "massage parlors" and transsexual escorts like the Houston Press does.

Intruder Killed in Home Invasion

2008-09-23T10:42:00.002-05:00

In this story, a man and wife found themselves targeted by a home invasion. An intruder broke in with a pipe, a hatchet, and an unloaded pistol demanding money. They fought with him for a long time before they could get to their phone to call 911. By the time the police got there, the intruder was either dead or dying. Nobody knows why the intruder did this. His family said;

"..he was having financial problems."

Well, sorry to hear that, but I don't feel bad in the least. This story is an example of how sometimes people have to fend for themselves before help can arrive.

Something I Noticed

2008-09-23T10:30:00.002-05:00

I got this link in my email today. It's a series of pictures from Hurricane Ike. These pictures are amazing. Life is coming back to normal for many residents. However, in hard hit areas like Galveston they are still trying to rebuild. I've learned that power has been fixed in some of those areas. One thing I'd like to say is I've noticed a glaring difference between the coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Don't get me wrong, I love New Orleans. Some day I'd love to have an apartment in the French Quarter when I retire. However, we're not hearing all of the tragic stories from Galveston that we did in New Orleans. We're not hearing of Galveston people shooting at rescue workers. We're not hearing politicians grandstanding, using the people of Galveston as pawns. Most of all, the Galveston mayor appears way more capable of handling a crises than Ray Nagin. What are your thoughts?

Court Agenda Items of Interest

2008-09-21T02:49:00.003-05:00

I found two items in the Harris County Commissioner Court agenda for this coming Tuesday, Sept. 23. Remember all the controversy the Chronicle started with the contract deputy program? Well an item to be discussed Tuesday;

"The court could authorize a transfer of all patrol contracts to the constables and require the
Sheriff's Department to provide general patrol service throughout the unincorporated
areas."

Yep! The idea is strip all of the contracts from the sheriff's department and give them all to the constable departments. Not a bad idea in my book. However, another idea that is a little troubling.

"It is recommended that constables not be allowed to establish SWAT capability. All
county law enforcement should use the HPD SWAT Team as a primary resource, with the
Sheriff’s Department to be used as a secondary backup if necessary.
Constables should be prohibited from acquiring high powered automatic weapons even if
they are furnished by a provider at no initial cost to the county."

So, the commissioners court had decided that HPD alone should provide SWAT services for the whole county (which they do now anyway). However the city of Houston gets priority. So, if they are unavailable and there is an armed hostage crises, Harris County is out of luck. Plus, why can't Constables, who are police officers by the way, be only allowed pop guns by the logic of the commissioners court? I'm assuming that they are including semi-automatic rifles in this definition here. Three years ago, Pct.4 deputies found themselves in a shoot out with a bank robber with an AK-47 rifle. The deputies had AR-15 rifles to defend themselves with. I guess (God forbid) there is a Columbine type school massacre going the Constables will have to wait for HPD SWAT to suit up and make it there while people are dying. I guess they think Constables can call 'time out' until HPD SWAT makes it out there.

So It Begins...

2008-09-21T02:37:00.003-05:00

It's been over a week since Hurricane Ike pounded south east Texas. As of now, about a million people still do not have power. There are neighborhoods where one side of the street have power and the other side doesn't. Driving through darkened neighborhoods one hears the distant sounds of many generators running. I've been saying from the beginning that when all this is over, the power companies (namely Centerpoint and Entergy) are going to take a big public backlash like FEMA did for Katrina. In today's Houston Chronicle it's already starting. I think it's a fair question. Those million people without power would like to know why it is taking so long. So far I've heard stories that power workers couldn't work because trees had to be cleared and there are no tree cutters around. Some power workers saw lights on a house and assumed the power was on (when in reality it was a generator doing the work). If I were the head of Centerpoint I would already be in damage control mode and explaining why areas are still without power. Or maybe they have, I just haven't been watching news lately.

Ike's Pix 2

2008-09-18T11:27:00.010-05:00

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

"..and our flag was still there.."

Damaged traffic signal on Hwy 6

Next three pictures are of a transformer box that exploded. Nobody was injured.

Next two of the damaged Alamo Drafthouse on Mason Rd. It was open two days later.

A Harris County Park that lost some trees. It will be okay.

Gas pumps that were destroyed on Clay Rd.

Ike's Pix

2008-09-18T11:27:00.006-05:00

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

The street leading out of my neighborhood the next morning.

Me going down the Katy Frwy the evening before the storm. Notice how empty the Katy Frwy is on a Friday afternoon? That never happens.

Heading east on Katy Frwy looking for a place to eat. When the interstate is a ghost town that's a bad sign.

The swimming pool for the adjacent neighborhood.

Intersection of Mason Rd. and FM 1093

An empty parking lot. There is an Alamo Drafthouse, a Starbucks, and other businesses here.

Our provisions for the night of the storm. We underestimated what we needed.

The next two are a closed Exxon on Mason Rd.

Still Here

2008-09-16T03:20:00.002-05:00

Well Ike came in slapping us around like Tina. My power went out Friday evening and finally came back on yesterday. I have to say, modern people are spoiled. Humanity thrived for thousands of years without electricity. If you think going without power for two hours is a pain in the butt, try two days. It sucks. My wife and I were hot, miserable, ill tempered, and my poor dog was burning up too. Society is slowly returning to normal in our neck of the woods. Pictures soon to come.

How Ironic!

2008-09-11T14:00:00.004-05:00

There was a festival scheduled this weekend in Houston in remembrance of hurricanes Katrina and Rita - it has been cancelled due to hurricane Ike. Oh, the irony!!

http://www.katrinaandrita.org/calendar.html

The Rush Begins

2008-09-11T13:36:00.003-05:00

As Hurricane Ike churns across the Gulf of Mexico, the mad rush has begun. People in south east Texas (especially the Houston-Katy Metroplex area) are, for the third time, scrambling to buy gas, water, food, batteries, and other necessary supplies. I was in a chill mood considering the last two storms were basically false alarms. According to the reports, Ike is supposed to hit land roughly tomorrow night/Saturday morning. I decided Thursday morning would be an okay time to get all my preparations done. I expected a small crowd, but obviously thousands of other people were thinking like me. My first clue was when I drove past two service stations. The shell was empty and the Mobil across the street (all this in Fort Bend County) was crowded. My fuel gauge was at a quarter of a tank. I started getting worried. I need to fill my tank to last me the weekend. I'm not evacuating. All my driving is going to consist of going to and from work the next few days. I make to the HEB off Hwy 99. I pull into a line. There are lines behind every pump. The parking lot of the store is packed. I sit back and snap some pictures. I have to remember that patience is the word here. Yet it is hard to be patient when stupid people are around. For example, anyone coming out of the store should realize the gas station is crowded and find another way to exit the parking lot. Yet, people kept lining up (they were not there to buy gas) to get out of the parking lot. I then watched another woman, who was about to fuel up (waiting on another car) realize her fuel tank was on the other side of the car. So, she pulls out of line and turns around. When it is her turn to pull up to the pump, she hits her gas and backs into a pole, taking out one of her tail lamps. I shake my head. Suburbanites (especially Katy suburbanites) have the survival and tactical instinct of a dung heap. After 20 minutes it was my turn. I pulled in, handled my business, and was out in three minutes. I felt that the gas pump was not the place to pop my hood and check my oil, or load my trunk, or other tasks like that. I then pulled into the store. Talk about mad house. I grabbed whatever I thought I might need. I already have 2 cases of water at the house, but managed to snag a third case. It took probably 30 minutes waiting in a line. The lines went into the aisles, almost to the back of the store. I figured people would be rushing at the counter. Wrong. Most people were leisure, talked on their phones, one woman tied up a line for about 10 minutes with a cantaloupe in one hand, and a stack of coupons in the other. Once again, no fore thought. I just found out that I will be working 12 hour shifts for the next couple of days. I'm not surprised really. All it means is I need to scramble to get everything else I need to take care of done today. I will try to snap some more pictures. In the meantime, anyone down here, be careful and stay safe.

Numbers Can Paint Any Picture You Want

2008-09-09T09:14:00.005-05:00

The local news media is running the story of a Houston Police taser audit. According to the numbers, white officers are more than likely to use the taser. The numbers also show that black people are more than likely the subjects of taser use. The chronicle story just says that white officers just stun black suspects. I've said it before, for each and every use of taser, there is a policy that has to be followed. A supervisor has to make the scene, collect the darts and see they are tagged into evidence. A full report has to be done to explain and justify the taser use. The entire encounter is documented. Yet, the chronicle, in its usual bang-up job of reporting won't bother with details. They just want to further divide people along racial lines. As anyone knows you can take statistics and make up any story you want.

"We need further analysis of the patterns we have discovered — that there are racial and ethnicity differences in how officers use Tasers and in who they are used on," Parker said Monday after presenting the audit to City Council's public safety committee. "We need to know why that difference exists."

Okay, fine. I can tell you the answer. However it won't be the answer that the chronicle, nor the racial pimps will want to hear. KPRC has the same story, yet slightly better facts even though the title implies faulty training in dealing with minorities. KPRC seems to be under the impression that minorities should be treated differently than the rest of the public. So when Hispanics become the majority around 2050, will whites be considered a minority and require special handling? I wonder how the news media will report on those numbers. I guess the notion of impartiality and treating people equally is lost on the media.

"The report noted 55 complaints filed against police officers for using their Tasers, only three of which resulted in discipline"

So it looks like HPD does respond to complaints. I notice the story doesn't specify what discipline was administered. Had the complaint been the illegal use, or exessive use of force the officer would either be fired or indicted. Was the discipline for the taser use at all? Or was it for some other policy violation? Again, you have to read between the lines and ask questions. Don't rely on the media to get the whole story. Now, pay close attention to this line.

"Auditors asked officers during focus groups exactly why they believe black officers use the Taser less than white officers.""Basically, the bottom line is they felt that African-American suspects related more to the African-American officer,"" said J. David Ahola, an auditor from Mir, Fox, and Rodriguez, P.C."

We have a winner!!!!! Does anyone realize what that statement means? It means that an ugly truth is rearing its head but because of the PC status quo hardly anyone dare mention it. I'd be surprised if the chronicle ever mentioned it. Many of the same black persons "who better relate to black officers" hate white people, especially white officers. Therefore, in an encounter with a white officer, the black person is more than likely to be confrontational, resistant, and more likely to run or fight a white officer than they would a black officer. An example of this mentality can be read here. White officers hear all the time "I don't want to talk to you, I want a black officer," or in the case of a simple disturbance "you're being racial, I want a Mexican officer here! Oh your last name is *******? Well you're not a real Mexican!" However, that kind of racism is acceptable to the media and the PC status quo. This kind of racism against white officers occurs every day and black and Hispanic officers are often called terms like "sell out" and "Uncle Tom" by other black people and Hispanic people. This further makes officers' jobs difficult. Yet the news media would never dare suggest the public become colorblind.

The Funeral

2008-09-05T09:47:00.003-05:00

"That's why they call them funerals and not Mardi Gras!"
Estelle Getty

Ever since I heard the late Estelle Getty utter those words on TV they stuck in my head. It's true. Nobody likes funerals. Last Wednesday we went to Daniel's viewing in NW Houston. We brought a picture from New Orleans with the group and placed it on the table amongst the others. I saw some people I hadn't seen in a long time and some I've never met before. My wife and I browsed the photographs. Then it came time to walk up and view Daniel. I took a deep breath and prepared myself. We followed some friends and walked up to Daniel. Seeing a friend or family member laying in a casket brings a tidal wave of strong emotions and new realities. This was the guy who walked the Mississippi River with us. This is the guy who came to our old house. Now his body will spend eternity in this black casket. When faced with this, people turn to defense mechanisms. Everyone who stood there cried. Some harder than others. My defense mechanism became anger. Anger at why this happened.

"This is so f****** senseless!!!!!" My mind screamed.

My wife was crying hard. We walked out and looked back on the pictures. This is the Daniel I choose to remember. It also reaffirmed my faith in God. Now, I'm not a fiery preacher type or anything. I believe people should decide to have faith in God and vice versa. After all, God gave people free will. Some people would say if there really is a God why would this happen. I just can't accept that. I look at it in the way that God knows what will happen and if Harris County doesn't punish the killer, God will. That also made the whole situation easier for me to deal with. We then socialized, shared memories and shared laughs. That also helps the grieving process. I was also approached by friends and family members who read my last post and thanked me for writing it. I was humbled by it. I really am flattered that his family read and appreciated my post. I will never forget it. Nor will I forget Daniel's little niece. She couldn't have been more than ten years old and it was hard on her. How do you make a little girl make sense of this? I don't think you can. I just hope her parents help her through the grief.

The next day was the funeral. We arrived during the last half hour of the final viewing. We went in and viewed Daniel one last time. During the service some kid kept hollering and hooting. I know the kid can't possibly comprehend what is going on or that his or her behavior is not appropriate for this time. Then I wondered why the parent couldn't walk out of the service with the noisy kid. I thought that was inconsiderate of the parent. We then drove to the cemetery for the burial. We partook in the custom of laying a handful of dirt on the casket ourselves. Upon completing that, I saw the funeral director signal the cemetery crew who practically gave us the bum's rush. I can understand getting the bum's rush at a steak house, but at a grave side service? I thought funeral companies would give some time at the graveside for the family and friends before they started the burial. To me, it just shows a lack of sensitivity. That's just my opinion. Anyway, the whole day was emotionally and physically draining for everyone. Now, we try to get back to our regular routines while still going through the grieving process. I do tell myself while we go back to our normal lives, Daniel is looking down on us, beginning a new adventure in Heaven.

Rest In Peace Daniel

2008-08-31T00:11:00.005-05:00

My wife called me while I was at work, eating dinner. She told me Daniel was murdered today in south Houston. Somebody shot him dead and for what? While details are sketchy at this point let me share my own twisted eulogy. Daniel (pictured here with me in New Orleans in 2004) was a passive, gentle soul. He liked to relax and have a good time with his friends. In 2004, he accompanied us to New Orleans. This was his first trip. He loved it. Of course we started our trip by taking the group to our favorite bar. There we started the buzzing. If you cannot tell by the picture here, we're both a little buzzed. Later on that evening we went a bar where he dozed off. The bar wasn't very exciting. We then went to another bar where Daniel stumbled into the wrong restroom. When women came running out screaming he realized his mistake. Being the good friends we are, we pointed and laughed at him. He was planning on returning with us to New Orleans. Sadly that will never happen now. It's just insane. People kill people, and I don't know why.

UPDATE:
KPRC has a brief news story. Click here to read it.

Lo siento, pero no puede apprender aqui!

2008-08-29T11:24:00.002-05:00

The Houston Press Hairballs blog brings an interesting story that takes place in Houston's Spring Branch school district. A woman cannot get her kid enrolled into Edgewood Elementary school because her sons do not speak Spanish. I wonder if anyone at that school speaks English. This sounds like an argument for school vouchers to me.

Another Chronicle Heart String Story

2008-08-23T23:03:00.004-05:00

The Houston Chronicle and ACLU, police hating attorney Randall Kallinen have teamed up to bring another story of someone making a terrible decision and trying to blame the police. In this story an illegal immigrant got stopped on traffic, presented a false ID card and got himself arrested. While waiting transport to the county jail he made an attempt to escape and was caught. According to the article, he was tazed and struck with a baton. According to the police hater Kallinen, that's excessive force. Obviously Kallinen wasn't there. Of course the article fails to mention that when training in the use of tasers and batons, there are target areas, and areas not to be struck. For example, baton training teaches to strike the arms, joints, legs, knees. It says that strikes to the throat, head, groin areas are off limits. If the police had to use these instruments to prevent the criminal from escaping than he was more than likely fighting them. However, all Kallinen sees is a platform and the family sees a pay out. Another instance where someone made a poor decision, but according to Kallinen and the Chronicle the blame lies with the police. After all, in Chronicle/Kallinen logic, nobody is responsible for their actions (except public servants).

Motorist Saved By Councilwoman and Uh, Er, Wasn't There Someone Else???

2008-08-18T09:46:00.002-05:00

Houston Chronicle story here.

KHOU story here.

KTRK story here.

So far I've found three Houston news stories about Houston Councilwoman Jolanda Jones helping in rescuing a woman who drove her car off the Westpark Tollway. While I'll be the first one to say "good job Jolanda" I do see some problems with this. Recently, Jolanda got some bad press about her interfering in an arrest. Read each story and all three basically say the same thing, "Councilwoman Jones and good Samaritans help rescue a woman!" The KHOU story says;

"I’m like, man I’m not letting this lady die – not on my watch,” the elder Jones said."

I have some questions for the news media;
What were the names of the other good Samaritans who were already on the scene?
Why couldn't the news media interview them?
Why do we have to hear only from Jolanda?

Maybe I'm just too distrustful of news people nowadays.

Date With Justice

2008-08-14T17:50:00.002-05:00

Today, inmate Michael Rodriguez is scheduled to meet with his fate. He was originally in prison for having his wife murdered in 1992, in San Antonio. In 2000, he, along with 6 other felons escaped from prison with help from his father. On Christmas Eve of that year, the Texas 7 robbed a sporting goods store. A call went out and Irving Police Officer Aubrey Hawkins was a short distance away having dinner with his wife and son. Officer Hawkins interrupted the hold up and was gunned down. The Texas 7 became one of the most (if not the most) intense manhunt the state of Texas ever embarked on. They were eventually captured in Colorado. One of the escaped felons killed himself rather than face the music. Since then, Rodriguez has dropped his appeals and claims he apologizes for the two deaths on his hands. He says he deserves to die. I couldn't agree more. So, as the click winds down for Rodriguez, let us take a moment to remember Irving Police Officer Aubrey Hawkins. Rest in Peace brother!

They Found Matthew

2008-08-14T10:40:00.004-05:00

Remember Matthew Wilson? He was the scholarship Rice University student who mysteriously disappeared last December. The speculation was at first he was dead somewhere. Then, his car was found in Berkley, California (a hot bed of lunacy in my opinion). When that story broke I started thinking either he just wanted to start over on his own terms or, this was a rare case of dissociative fugue disorder. Well, he has been found alive on the Berkley campus. This leads me to believe he felt the lunatic asylum known as Berkley, California, was his true calling and he wanted to be there. He was located on campus using a stolen laptop. Whether or not he stole the laptop computer is unknown. I'm going to guess he abruptly took off for purely selfish reasons. I wouldn't be surprised to learn he has narcissism issues. He decides to drop everything and go to "the promised land" without telling anyone. He has his family worried to death and he had to realize this. If he's using a laptop he knows that his family and friends are looking for him. I'm interested to hear his reasons. I bet there will be a ploy for sympathy, yet behind the mask I feel he's basically a little brat.

Have you woken up and seen this guy?

2008-08-13T17:13:00.002-05:00

Some residents in northern Harris County slept peacefully while this man was breaking into their homes. Most burglars prefer to operate in the day time hours while the residents are away. Not many have the gumption to actually break in while the homeowners are there. These are the most dangerous. How many times have we heard of people hurt or killed when they surprised a burglar in their own home? This guy has a tattoo on his neck and notice how he wears his watch on his right arm?

Murder in Vidor

2008-08-11T11:12:00.004-05:00

Picture found here

We're back. My wife and I took a little road trip. I didn't realize that this was the first vacation I'd taken since 2006. What the hell is wrong with me? Anyway, for years as one drives down Interstate Highway 10 going east through Vidor, Texas, this sign stands tall. It's obvious that someone wants everyone to know the displeasure the sponsor has with the Vidor Police Dept. Well I finally decided to do some research to find out the details of this story;

On May 14, 1991, Katherine Page was found dead in a car. The scene appeared to be a staged traffic accident. However, the car had little damage and Mrs. Page had injuries consistent with being assaulted. Not to mention that she was strangled. So, if this was supposed to look like a traffic accident, the killer did a poor job covering up his crime. At the time, she was separated from her husband Steve.

Story here.

Due to time constraints (being I have other things to do and don't feel like scanning thousands of google hits) this was all I can find. From the sign, Steve lost in civil court. However the article doesn't discuss what evidence was presented in the civil case. It also doesn't discuss the issue of Mrs. Page's grave being vandalized. From what little information is presented one can surely suspect the husband, but proof beyond a reasonable doubt for murder isn't there. Is there more to this story? Or is this an angry parent throwing out unproven accusations?

You can't make this kind of stuff up...

2008-08-08T21:38:00.002-05:00

Dateline: Beaumont, Texas (where things can get Hunter S. Thompson weird in a big hurry).

Several months ago, Beaumont PD conducted a vice investigation into a couple of local 'massage parlors'. Standard vice op: u/c officers go in a few times (well, six times). They make the case: It's $60 for the massage, plus a $100 'tip' for the happy ending. A judge signs a search warrant. They all stage up (giving the media time to respond to the scene, naturally) and make the bust on May 7, 2008.

But wait, there's more.

As the tale unfolds, in a planned multi-month investigation, the officers endeavored to make felony cases for promotion of prostitution rather than the usual misdemeanor busts. To do so, the u/c officers went in and actually engaged in sex acts. As articles in the local papers recounted the tale, the officer consulted with his spouse in advance to ensure it would not interfere with domestic harmony; BPD command staff were fully involved in the operational planning, and these guys were operating as directed, on city time and on the city's dime.

Somewhere along the way, the investigation gets cut short. To u/c officers were terminated. Two supervisors were suspended for several days, and two additional involved officers received reprimands. The felony cases against the suspects ended up being filed as misdemeanors. Just to make things all the worse, one of the defendants now claims the u/c officer was her 'boyfriend'. (Right...Look at the pictures, and you be the judge.)

The Chief of Police and City Manager have both upheld the terminations. Civil litigation has already been filed by one of the officers.

Morals of the story:

CYA, folks. Get it in writing and save a copy of the op plan.
Whether its TMPA, CLEAT, FOP, or whomever--get yourself covered.

Edouard Visits Galveston

2008-08-05T09:07:00.004-05:00

Surfcam picture lifted from here

Harborcam picture lifted from here.

Picture lifted from here

Edouard made landfall this morning. So far so good up here in Fort Bend County. At this time we just have gray skies and light rain. No big deal. However the center of the storm is supposed to land around noon today.

Pre-Edouard Video

2008-08-04T23:44:00.003-05:00

Taken at a Valero station in Katy. This shows people scrambling to fill their cars with gas as an unrelated storm hovers in the northern sky.

Pre-Edouard Pictures

2008-08-04T23:42:00.002-05:00

At a Randall's station on Mason in Katy A Valero station on Westgreen Blvd in Katy

Another storm looms in the northern sky

A shell station on S. Fry in Katy

Same station

Edouard Is Coming!!!!!!

2008-08-04T23:12:00.002-05:00

Tropical Storm Edouard snuck up on us. I really wasn't paying attention and didn't realize there was a storm until yesterday. Of course all local governments are scrambling to prepare for the oncoming storm. Most police, medical, and other government workers are cancelling their previously planned vacations and now working twelve hour shifts. Others are sleeping for a couple of hours before they have to get in the wee hours of the morning and report to work at ungodly hours such as 3am or 6am. In an effort to keep people glued to the TV screens, the local Houston media has been airing footage of hurricanes tearing up buildings, and the infamous 2005 Hurricane Rita fiasco which had all the outgoing freeways clogged up with people trying to flee. As a result people are panicking and scrambling to hit the grocery stores and gas stations. Fortunately, I stopped last night and filled my tank. To anyone in the path of the storm, take precautions and be careful out there!

In The End

2008-07-31T15:08:00.002-05:00

A man died the other day out in Katy, TX. He was at his computer and died in the chair where his wife found him. The police arrived and did their investigation. One officer looked on the walls and noticed several certificates and degrees. On the far right was a Doctorate of Philosophy. The man was a doctor. It brought to mind some interesting points. No matter how hard one works, or what he has accomplished, in the end all those papers are good for are decor. On the other hand, one has to do something with their life. Instead of wasting it, put it to good use. There is time for play, and time for work. However one has to mix the two just right to be happy and sane. One of the officers thought of taking some time off and do something fun. After all, looking at the dead man in the chair, time is limited.

A Terrible Tragedy

2008-07-29T09:27:00.002-05:00

Yesterday the news was abuzz with the death of Dr. Wesley Gustafson Jr. from a police chase.

Chronicle Story posted July 29 @ 1:43am

KPRC Story posted July 29 and updated at 7:48am

A Memorial Villages Officer spotted a vehicle matching the description of one involved in recent burglaries. The suspect fled. While fleeing down Richmond Avenue, the suspect struck two other vehicles before hitting the doctor as he was exiting a parking lot. Certainly nobody likes to hear of an innocent person hurt or killed in a police chase (well maybe except for the news media). I am willing to bet money the officer who was after this suspect feels terrible. What irks me is the usual media angle to somehow pin the blame on the officer. Usually the chronicle champions the argument of letting the inmates run the prison. However, in this case, the chronicle has a more detailed story than KPRC channel 2.

KPRC reports;

"The suspected burglar's identity has not been released, but police said he will face a felony murder charge."

The chronicle reports:

"The man who hit Gustafson while evading police, Danny M. Shipp, 38, of New Orleans, will be charged with felony murder, said Harris County prosecutor Warren Diepraam."

KPRC quoted a friend of Dr. Gustafson "We can follow people until (they) run out of gas, but today an innocent man died," friend Dick Tindal said. "I think that's terrible."

While I sympathize with Mr. Tindal, sadly he is not being realistic. He is right, this is terrible. Nobody should be hurt, or killed in a police chase, especially an innocent civilian. The reality is, whenever we step out of the door and get into our cars, we are taking a risk. When you are driving down the street in your car, you have a higher risk of being injured in a crash with another citizen than in a police chase. All people can do is be careful. Be aware of your surroundings. Keep checking those mirrors and in both directions. May Dr. Gustafson rest in peace, and may the criminal who killed him rot.

We Don' Need No Stinkin' Surance

2008-07-29T09:08:00.002-05:00

Today the Houston Chronicle has a story titled "Many Texans Lacking Auto Insurance." My gut reaction was "duh!" Ask any officer who patrols certain parts of Houston (southwest, northeast, etc) what percentage of motorists they stop do have insurance. However, one fact that wasn't mentioned in the story and I'm sure it's because most people do not know this. Some insurance companies are selling coverage to people without driver's licenses. In fact, some insurance companies are insuring drivers who only have the Mexican consulate ID cards. I have yet to see what happens when one of these people crash and they want to file a claim.

Cheapest Gas in Awhile

2008-07-24T18:33:00.001-05:00

This is the cheapest I've paid in a while.

My Bad! Wrong Pedal!

2008-07-24T18:21:00.003-05:00

Why yes it was a woman driver!
Sorry, I couldn't resist. Fortunately nobody was hurt in Katy as this woman hit the wrong pedal and a Petco store. Poor woman stood there embarrassed after it happened.

Trouble With Houston Police Marshall's Office

2008-07-24T13:22:00.005-05:00

Houston reporter Isiah Carey has posted two articles about how Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Vicki King wants to disband the city Marshall's office.

June 17 Post
HPD isn't saying they are going to lay off the officers in the Marshall's office. They say they are going to have them reassigned. Now, many veteran officers who land a good day shift with weekends and holidays off become creatures of habit. They are very resistant to change, especially if it means losing such a sweet work schedule. Their argument (to justify their existence) is about clearing the over 1 million HPD warrants that are active.

July 23 Post
In this post, someone sent Mr. Carey an anonymous email claiming racism. When all else fails, play the race card. After all, that has become the status quo.

Let me inform you on how "clearing warrants" works. An officer comes into contact with somebody on the streets (i.e. traffic stop, person stop, call for service, etc.). The officer checks the person (either by ID card, driver's license, or date-of-birth) through the local, state, and national databases looking for warrants. If the person is wanted, the warrant shows up. Now, the officer cannot arrest and haul the person to jail at that point. The officer must get confirmation of the warrant. This consists of contacting the law enforcement agency that wants the person arrested and brought to their jail. The officer (or their dispatcher) contacts the other agency and informs them they have a person who their computer says has a warrant. A representative of the warrant's originating agency goes to their file cabinet looking for the actual paper warrant. If the warrant is there, then the representative tells the officer/dispatcher that their warrant is active and they want the person in their jail. The officer is informed the warrant is "confirmed" and then the person is placed under arrest and taken to jail.

Now, in the first post, Mr. Carey asks Chief King about the 35,000 warrants cleared. However, I can promise you that the HPD Marshall's office did not locate all of these people on their own. The majority of these fugitives were arrested on other charges, or stopped on the street and checked by street officers. Someone at the Marshall's office answers the phone, gets the person's information, and goes looking for the paper copy of the warrant. I can tell you that in 2007, someone answered the phone 35,000 times and looked for 35,000 paper copies of warrants.

Now, with HPD under the gun for their manpower shortage, and for their massive overtime spending, what sense does it make for about 70 police officers to be paid to do a job that a handful of civilian clerks can do? Do people want more officers on the street? Do people want more detectives handling their cases? This seems to me, more of a case of HPD wanting to shift resources and complacent officers resisting the change to keep their nice work schedule. I can certainly understand a veteran officer not wanting to start over with a lousy shift and lousy days off. However, it's ultimately about how to best utilize police officers to serve the citizens.

Same Story, Different Details

2008-07-22T10:08:00.002-05:00

Houston Chronicle's Story

KPRC's Story

story posted at 7:34am. With nearly a 2-hour time frame, why does the The story here is some fool gets into an argument with a guy at a store, pulls a gun and shoots the other guy dead. He shoots at the clerk, but fortunately he's behind a bullet proof screen. Gunman then walks into the parking lot, shoots at other people. He then carjacks a Lexus which he crashes afterward. A Pct. 1 deputy constable is nearby helping a stranded motorist. Gunman points the gun at the deputy. The gunman tries to steal the patrol car and winds up fighting the deputy, and two wrecker drivers who were kind enough to assist. After getting the man in custody, he dies. I bet we'll find he was under the influence of a potent mix of drugs (or maybe just one). I have to give credit to the chronicle's Anita Hassan. She did an excellent story, detailed, leaving really no ifs, ands, or buts. However, the KPRC story is lacking in a couple of details. To be fair I checked the times. The chronicle story posted at 5:51am. Why did the KPRC story fails to mention the guy tried to steal the patrol car and fought with the deputy?

I Thought Black Was an Adjective

2008-07-22T09:35:00.002-05:00

Well, thanks to the rampant PC madness, apparently now just the use of the word 'black' is offensive in Dallas according to Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley. A white man uses the term 'black hole' to make a comparison about the way tickets are handled. To borrow a Larry Elder term, Victicrat John Wiley took offense. Watch the video, and the lunacy here.

Want This Fool For a Neighbor?

2008-07-21T11:24:00.002-05:00

I just have to copy the whole story from KHOU's website;
Click here for KTRK's story.

KHOU.com staff report

PASADENA, Texas -- There are lots of ways to get rid of bugs, but blowing up one’s home is probably not high on that list.

Also online

Want more odd news? Check out the Weird World blog!

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to a Pasadena man Sunday.

The man reportedly left bug bombs in his apartment to get rid of pests, but he forgot to turn off his gas.

While he was gone, the gas ignited and blew out several windows.

Part of the ceiling also caved in as a result of the blast.

Fortunately, no one was injured.

I don't want this fool to move in next to me!

More Contract Deputy News

2008-07-18T10:14:00.003-05:00

Once again the contract deputy program is back in the news. What I found strange in the chronicle's article is a seemingly turn around for County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia. Read this other blog post to take a look at the turn around. First, here are the nuts and bolts of the contract deputy program;

A neighborhood, or a utility district enter into a contract with the county for extra patrol. The district (meaning neighborhood, business, and utility for my purpose) pays somewhere around $56,000 (a ballpark figure) to the county who assigns a deputy (sheriff or constable). The deputy is contracted to spend 70% to 80% of their working time in the district. Granted, a lot of the job there is public relations, but, the deputy patrolling is a peace officer and bound by the same rules, laws, etc. as are all peace officers in Texas.

This naturally leads to critics' arguments of (1) this only benefits rich neighborhoods, (2) residents of the districts are unofficially exempt from law enforcement actions, (3) people who do not live in the neighborhood are 'hassled,' (4) the deputies are 'owned' by the homeowner association/MUD/business district/etc.
Many lower class neighborhoods have a contract deputy due to MUD taxes.
District residents complain all of the time about being ticketed, or arrested by their 'neighborhood' deputy
It's still a free country. Deputies cannot arrest or detain anyone without cause.
Boards are told all the time that there are issues the deputy cannot get involved in and to handle it themselves.
Also, many unincorporated areas would not have a police presence (unless someone dialed 911) if it weren't for contract deputies.

The crux of this story if the sheriff's department. They are short handed and have been for years. The simple solution would be not to enter into a contract unless sufficient personnel are available. The majority of the contract districts are patrolled by constables. This does unnecessarily created bad blood between many in the sheriff's department and constable's departments. Apparently unknown by many, constables are police officers. They were the original police force in Texas (before statehood). Nowadays, constables generally serve civil papers, however constables have full police powers and can (and do) make arrests. Remember, it was constables who arrested Sheriff Tommy Thomas' son Brent. It was also constables who arrested Houston Mayor Bill White's daughter for driving while intoxicated. There are two schools of thought on this. Some say to integrate the sheriff's department with all of the constable departments (can someone tell me, does the sheriff's department still not recognize peace officer certifications outside its own academy). Others say to let the constables handle the contract deputy programs and let the sheriffs handle the rest of the county. Either way, both departments serve essentially the same purpose. Certainly no disrespect to the sheriff's department, but they are not the only topping on the pizza despite what many of them may think.