Kenedeno's Texas Monthly

Nueces De La Parra: Shamsie “Strong Arms” Solomon Ortiz & Rene Rodriguez

2009-03-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Nueces De La Parra: Shamsie “Strong Arms” Solomon Ortiz & Rene Rodriguez

Corpus Christi Watchdog Authority: Gov Richard Perry positions Hubert to Retaliate on me & my people.

Karl Rove, Never Dreams of Being The President; Working "Under The Radar" Is Much More Satisfying.

2008-04-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

Karl Rove Likes What He Sees

With his new gig at Fox and a seven-figure political memoir in the works, Karl Rove has officially crossed over from shadowy 'Wizard of Oz' territory to somewhat approachable public personality. But as Lisa DePaulo finds out, that doesn't mean he's any less…pointed with his opinions

Photograph by Gillian Laub

i can see karl rove standing outside the restaurant, on the phone, yakking, pacing, occasionally peering at me through the etched-glass window and sticking a stubby finger in the air to indicate that he'll just be just one more minute. Eighteen minutes pass. He enters brusquely, with apologies and a crack about my "bright red purse" but also with the clear message that he is in control. Uncomfortable in this position, somewhat wary, constantly checking his watch ("Gotta go soon… Gotta go… Couple more minutes…"), not diggin' it, but always in control. Karl Rove is not a guy who kicks back with a drink—even coffee's a stretch ("I'm a decaf guy," he says)—and shoots the shit for a few hours. This isn't about a charm offensive—he gives the impression that he's not even sure why he's doing this. But: To be with Rove is to listen to a man who is utterly articulate and insightful and at the same time utterly…what's the word? Plain? Normal? Caucasian? If you didn't know he used to be Bush's Brain, if you didn't know he is widely credited/blamed with leading the Republican Party to an era of total world domination, if you didn't recognize him (as numerous gawkers inside the Muse hotel restaurant do) as the man W. famously dubbed "Turd Blossom," you'd think he was a middle-management sales lackey in town to sell Ginsu knives or something. The nondescript gray suit and overcoat, the geeky glasses and bald-on-the-top-with-peach-fuzz do, the briefcase (in middle school, he was the only kid with a briefcase, which pretty much sums it up). In what ways is he cool? We can't help but ask. "None," he says. "I am the antithesis of cool." We should also point out that Rove is exceedingly polite and well-mannered and, at moments, as prickly as the little cactuses on his tie. He has the demeanor of a man who had more power than he'll ever admit but is never really far from the 9-year-old who once got into a schoolyard fight over Richard Nixon, and lost. To a girl.

karl rove: Sorry to be late. I have a lunch with the Big Boss shortly.

gq: The Big Boss?
Mr. Murdoch.

Ah, that big boss. Does that mean you'll be getting more money out of Fox?
No, it doesn't.

Do you like being a TV analyst?
Uh, it's odd. You know, it's weird for me. But it's interesting.

Do you think Fox News is fair and balanced?
I do. I think they go out of their way to be fair and tough in questioning. I'm really impressed with the people I've gotten to know. Brit Hume is a very bright person; Chris Wallace has got a lot of integrity.

You also sold a book recently.
I did.

What'd ya get?
A lot.

And you're doing speeches, too, right? I read that you just gave one at Penn—
I like speaking to the college campuses.

And the first question, someone called you a cancer.
Right. Oh, sure.

You must get that all the time.
Uh, I get it some. When I go to campuses. But did you hear what I did? I just let him rant. And when he was finished, he had no question, he just wanted to accuse me of undermining the Constitution and blah-blah-blah-blah-blah. And I said, "Thanks for your thoughtful rant." And he sat down. And I said, "Now do you feel better about yourself?" And he said, "Yeah." And I said, "Well, I want you to feel better about yourself." And everybody laughed, and we went on.

But is it hard when people—
No. No. Look, everywhere I go, people say nice things to me. I don't live for that. I appreciate it, and I'm grateful for their kind words, but I don't live for it. And similarly, when people say ugly things? It doesn't affect me. They want their words to affect me. And as a result, I'm not gonna let 'em.

But when people say, "You've created this climate of fear—"
I laugh.

You laugh?
Yeah. I laugh. Sure. How? What, exactly? I'm not apologetic about what this administration has done. It's protecting America. It has won important battles in a war that we as a nation better win or we will leave the future to our kids, a much darker and dangerous future.

What's the biggest misconception about your role in the Bush White House?
That it was all about politics.

If that's the misconception, what's the overlooked truth?
Look, I'm a policy geek. What I've most enjoyed about my job was the substantive policy discussions. Being able to dig in deeply and, you know, learn about something, ask questions, listen to smart people, and form a judgment about something that was from a policy perspective.

When you look back at your career, especially in the Bush administration, what's the worst thing you did?
I'm not gonna be good at answering that.

But is there anything you feel guilty about? Or wish you did differently?
[exasperated laugh] Off the record?

No! Don't go off the record.
Off the record.

Okay, let's look back, to the very beginning of the Karl Rove story, when you got handed the keys [from Bush the father, to deliver to Bush the son] until now. And you look at where the president's approval ratings are today—
Yeah.

What did you do wrong?
Oh, look, I did a lot of things wrong. But the main thing is, we're fighting an important but unpopular war.

You still think it was the right thing to do?
Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, one of our biggest mistakes was, the first time Harry Reid got up and said, "You lied and you deliberately misled the country," we should have gone back immediately and hit back hard, and we didn't. We let that story line develop. In reality, you go back and look at what Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Al Gore—I'd be happy to supply you the quotes—what they said about Saddam Hussein possessing weapons of mass destruction.

What are you most proud of?
Being part of a group of people I have a great deal of respect and admiration for in service of the country.

If you had to make a bet, can Hillary pull it off?
The odds are long, but improbable things have happened almost every month in this race. She wasn't supposed to win New Hampshire, and she did. So we'll see. You know, she's got a lot of strengths, and he does, too. We got two wellmatched opponents going at each other hammer and tongs. It's fun to watch.

If it's mathematically impossible for either of them to get enough delegates, how will this get resolved?
Somebody can get to a majority, but they're gonna have to get to a majority with superdelegates. Neither of them can win enough delegates to win it on just simply the elected delegates.

So if it comes down to superdelegates, doesn't that become a question of who can be more ruthless?
Well, you know, people will have to decide whether they're going to act as reflectors of the popular vote in their districts or states, or whether they're going to exercise independent judgment. I think this is the big dilemma the Democrats face: Are they going to choose a nominee who essentially is chosen, validated, by a minor aristocracy, by essentially an undemocratic group? Because, look. Does anybody think that Patrick Deval [sic], governor of Massachusetts, and Senator Ted Kennedy are gonna respect the wishes of their home-state crowd and go for Hillary Clinton, who won their state? No.

So how ugly is it gonna get?
Well, I—we don't know. We have geological ages that are gonna pass. It's not that ugly today. The wounds are fresh, but there's plenty of time for them to heal. The question is, will the wounds get deeper and more difficult to heal? We don't know. My gut tells me it happens, but I don't know.

If you could run one of their campaigns, which one would be the dream campaign to run?
Neither one.

Why?
Because I don't believe in what they say.

But just as a strategist, just to get in there and—
Yeah, well, see, for me it's not divorced from who they are and what they're all about and what they would do.

What did you think of the red-phone 3 a.m. ad?
It was a gutsy, dangerous move. She figured out that she had to do something to raise the issue of: Is he fit to be president? And this was a way to do it. I happened to be in Texas a week before the ad popped, and all of her surrogates were hitting him pretty hard on the thinness of his experience. They were pretty brutal. And this ad sort of fed into that.

Isn't that the kind of ad you would have done?
Uh, look, that's the problem. She can't run an ad—you know, the more powerful ads she can't run against him, because she's afraid of looking too moderate. He's got essentially… His argument is twofold. "Vote for me because I'll bring Republicans and Democrats together; we're not red states, blue states, we're the United States." And second of all—and he said this most passionately in the Wisconsin victory speech: "There are big issues facing the country, and it requires leadership and energy to solve them." Well, the two best counters to those are Hillary saying, "I've actually worked with Republicans and Democrats to get things done." Or McCain saying, even more pointedly, "On all the big issues where Republicans and Democrats have come together, I've been in the middle of bringing them together, and you've been way out there on the fringe. When we pulled together the Gang of Fourteen, you were out on the fringe. When we pulled together a bipartisan answer on the terrorist-surveillance program, you were way out there on the fringe. When Democrats and Republicans, regardless of where they were on the war, came together to give our troops everything they needed while they were in combat, you were way out there on the fringe." Now, she can do some of that, because she's actually tried to work with Republicans over the years. He has not since he got there. He's been coolly detached and sitting on the side. His fingerprints are on, at most, a couple of small items. And then, on the leadership issue, she can say, "Look, I've been in the middle of these big battles. I've been providing the leadership. Sometimes we won, sometimes we lost. But at least I've been involved." And McCain will be able to sharpen that even more.

It seems like you're talking about authenticity here. Are you saying Obama is inauthentic?
I'm saying that he has adopted two themes for his campaign that are not supported by his actions.

Do you think Obama would be easier to beat?
I try not to think about those things. Because that inevitably leads you to believe, I would like to have A or I would like to have B. You need to keep your mind open about both of them.

You've said—what was the phrase you used about Hillary? "Fatally flawed"?
Fatally flawed. I just thought her flaws would show up in the general election. I didn't know they'd show up as early and as strong as they have.

Which flaws?
Uh, calculating. You know, she went through the period where she had the calculated laugh, she went through the period where she had the calculated accents, and you build that on top of a person who already has the reputation that anything she says is calculating, you know…

Is calculating a terrible thing?
It is if people think it's phony. And that's what her problem is. That and the sense of entitlement. You know, the sense of "This is mine, I deserve it; we're the Clintons, this is ours." And I think that really caused a lot of people to say, "You know what? It's not yours." And do we really want to go back? The '90s were nice in a lot of respects, but do we really want to go back to all that drama?

There is something ironic about Karl Rove criticizing someone for being calculating.
Right. Look, it's one thing to calculate and say, "What's the best way for me to do this?" It's another thing to say, "What's the best way to do this, even if it means the sacrifice of my fundamental principles?" When she stood up there and said, "I'm in front of an African-American group in Alabama, so let me adopt a phony southern accent!" And when she sat there and said, "You know what? I need to warm myself up, so for the next weeklong period I'm gonna sit there and laugh and cackle at anything that is even remotely funny." You know, when both she and he, who are free traders by instinct, went to Ohio and said, "We're gonna renegotiate NAFTA," when they know that (a) there's no provision to renegotiate NAFTA, and (b) the Canadians and the Mexicans are not gonna want to renegotiate NAFTA, and (c) when both of them understand that trade liberalization, particularly with our neighbors, has been to our economic advantage, who are they kidding?

But when people call you calculating, do you take that as a compliment?
Look, what I'm charged with is, in politics, taking the material that I have to work with—which are the views and values, convictions and principles, of my candidate or client—and charting the best path to victory. That's different than saying, "How am I gonna take a fundamental belief or a reality of me as an individual and discard it?"

So there's good calculating and bad calculating?
Absolutely.

If Hillary pulls it out, will Mark Penn [her chief strategist] be considered a genius?
Mark Penn is a very smart guy regardless of whether or not she pulls it out. He's a very smart guy.

But don't you think there've been a lot of mistakes?
Sure. But if you have to lay them at the feet of one person, you lay them at the feet of the candidate. The candidate sets the tone.

Are you surprised at how Obama exploded?
You know, I want to be careful—I think we need to be careful about not getting carried away with a narrative that doesn't truly exist. Like the story this morning in The New York Times about "the Obamacans"—the Republicans who support Obama.

You don't buy that?
No. Do I buy that there are Republicans who support Obama? Sure, I do. But take a look at the last four polls on which there are cross tabs available. There are twice as many Democrats defecting to McCain as there are Republicans defecting to Obama. In the Fox poll, Obama takes 74 percent of Democrats and loses 18 to McCain. And McCain keeps 80 percent of Republicans and loses 10 to Obama. And in every one of the polls, it's nearly twice as many Democrats defect to McCain as Republicans defect to Obama. And against Clinton, it's three times as many. Know why? Well, there are a lot of different reasons why. There are Democrats, particularly blue-collar Democrats, who defect to McCain because they see McCain as a patriotic figure and they see Obama as an elitist who's looking down his nose at 'em. Which he is. That comment where he said, you know, "After 9/11, I didn't wear a flag lapel pin because true patriotism consists of speaking out on the issues, not wearing a flag lapel pin"? Well, to a lot of ordinary people, putting that flag lapel pin on is true patriotism. It's a statement of their patriotic love of the country. And for him to sit there and dismiss it as he did—

You're not wearing a flag pin, Karl.
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. But I respect those who consciously get up in the morning and put a flag lapel pin on.

Do you see the elitist thing in other ways?
Obama is coolly detached and very arrogant. I think he's very smart and knows he's smart, but as a result doesn't do his homework.

So the Dems have two rattled candidates?
Right. Now, you got one candidate who's got an appeal to the blue-collar Democrats: Clinton. I call them the beer drinkers. And then you got the white-wine crowd, which Obama appeals to. There's a brilliant article by Ron Brownstein in the latest issue of National Journal in which he charts the change in the nature of the Democrat-primary vote, and it's becoming younger, more affluent, and more liberal. And that means that blue-collar Democrats, whatever's left of them, are on their way out of the Democratic Party.

What do you make of this whole thing where Hillary was talking him up as a vice president and he came back saying, "Wait a minute, I'm winning—why are you asking me to be your number two?"
Very calculating on the part of the Clintons, and a mistake for him on his part.

Why?
Because they wanted him to get down to their level. They want him to look like, you know, not the golden inspiring figure but instead, you know, like an average ordinary pol who's got three years in the United States Senate. So they lay it out there. And rather than having it be dismissed by a surrogate, instead he goes out there! And rather than having an inspiring, forward-looking message, instead he's out there as an ordinary pol saying, "Hey, I'm number one, I'm in first place! I won more states than she did. I won more delegates than she did. What the hell's she doing offering it to me? That's insulting." And he did it in an arrogant way that I don't think made him look that good.

So you don't think his response played well?
No. Take a look at the footage. Turn the sound off and look at it. You can tell that he is arrogant, and you can tell that he's a little bit angry, and you can tell he's very dismissive. He takes his hands and he sort of, you know, waves his hand like, "I'm dismissing something." That was the moment to say, you know, "Look, I know what my opponents are saying, but you know what? I'm focused on one thing and one thing only, which is to help bring Republicans and Democrats and independents together to move America forward." Instead of "Hey, lemme just remind you, I'm winning! I'm beatin' her!"

So he took the bait?
He took the bait.

Have you gotten to know Hillary or Barack to any degree?
Yes, I have.

What have been your dealings with them?
Well, you know, I used to have her office at the White House. And I got to know [Obama] because we have a mutual friend, Ken Mehlman, who was his law-school classmate at Harvard. And so as a result, whenever in the last three years he's been around at the White House, I've gotten to see him, and we sort of would hang around and chitchat about things. I'm actually in his book. He wrote that "people like Newt Gingrich, Tom Delay, Ralph Reed, and Karl Rove say we are a Christian nation." And I did not say that. I confronted him about it. At the White House.

And what did he say?
Well, first he denied that I was in the book! And then he denied that it said that I said that it was a Christian nation. And then when I pulled out the thing [he had a copy of the offensive page with him] and showed it to him, he sort of blah-blah-blah-blah-blah- blah-blah. And I thought, That's who he is. I mean, look, he may claim that he's for a different kind of politics, but that was a cheap shot. And I'm not certain if any of the four said it either. But it was like, you know, Let's just strap it in there and see if it goes someplace. Another example: Him saying, "We honor John McCain for his fifty years of service" was a cheap shot. He was going out of his way to say John McCain's old.

Is John McCain too old?
No.

Do you think Obama's gotten a free ride from the press?
Yes.

How so?
I don't think they hold him to the same standards. You know, look, his Web site is full of all kinds of proposals written by academics galore. But he's not required to defend them. He's not required to explain what it is he wants to do. Now I think that's changing. I think, when you have an editorial in USA Today that says, in essence, Where's the beef, what's the substance? When reporters start asking him tough questions about his relationship with Tony Rezko—you know, what was the value of the lot? What was the price that you paid? How many fund-raisers did he do for you? How much money did he raise at those fund-raisers? When they start asking him those questions, then it starts to change. I mean, the kind of questions that have been routinely asked of other candidates—about their background and associations and involvements—have only recently begun to be asked of him.

I get the sense you respect Hillary more than you respect Obama.
Off the record?

Please don't go off the record.
Off the record… [Yeah, it's good. Sorry.]

Damn! Now say that on the record.
No. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Let's try again, then: on the record. I get the sense you respect her more than him.
Uh, I know her better than I know him. And I just, uh—she has been around public life a lot longer and has demonstrated, you know, more involvement than he has.

Let's talk about Bill. You've gotten to know him better, right?
Yeah.

What do you think of him now?
He's a very entertaining rogue. He's a larger-than-life character. You can't help but sort of like him. But boy, he has made some missteps in this campaign.

Yeah, what's up with that? He's supposed to be this political genius. What's going on?
He's all wrapped up in it. He's lost his detachment. Sometimes you can be more detached about yourself than you can be about members of your family. He's all revved up about her and making mistakes.

Do you buy any of the pop psychology that there's a part of him that's sabotaging her?
I—I—that is way beyond. I have never… I don't have a couch that anybody could sit down on, and… I don't know, I don't know.

But you were surprised to see how he handled the South Carolina thing?
Well, it may have been calculated, I don't know. Maybe they made a calculated decision that, Hey, we need to send a message that all he can do is win states with African-American voters. But I don't think it played—even among Democrats.

Recently, in a meeting with some people from the Republican National Committee, you said, "Do not use 'Barack Hussein Obama.' "
Right, right. Um, in politics—

Is that because it's not right?
It's wrong. But not only that, it's counterproductive. In politics, there are arguments that are seen as not factual and not fair, or trivial, and they blow up in your face. And this is one that people look at and say, "You're trying to imply something about him that's not true. I think you're going a bridge too far, and I'm reacting negatively." I mean, he didn't pick his middle name, somebody else did. And he doesn't go out of his way, like Hillary Rodham Clinton to, you know, emphasize it.

You probably never thought, eight years ago, that John McCain would be the nominee.
You know what? In politics, second acts are either really bad or really good. And so the question was gonna be, Who might want to succeed Bush? McCain was always a possibility. He's always harbored a desire.

What do you think of him now?
I like him. We bonded in the '04 campaign.

Do you have to hold your nose to vote for him?
No, no, not at all. I enthusiastically voted for him. I just sent in my absentee ballot [in Texas], and I gave him $2,300.

So what's your life like now, Karl? Are you based in Washington still?
We're splitting our time between Washington and a place we have in the panhandle in Florida. And a little place in Texas. We're looking to be in Texas more permanently starting this fall. We've enjoyed Washington, but look, I don't wanna be like… I got a guy, lives around the corner from us in Washington, who had a prominent role for six months in the Reagan administration, and he's still living off of it twenty-some-odd years later. I don't intend to do that.

What do you intend to do?
I'm trying to figure that out. I've got a couple years between the book and the speeches and Fox and my Newsweek column and my writing for the Wall Street Journal and some things I'm doing in politics under the radar.

What do you do for kicks?
I read and go hunting. And travel with my wife.

Tell us about your wife.
She's a terrific, courageous person.

Is it hard being married to you?
Uh, I don't think it's hard being married to me. I think it's hard being married in public with me.

Let's talk about the last couple of scandals you've been involved in. Don Siegelman in Alabama [the Democratic governor whom Rove was recently accused of trying to sabotage by forcing U.S. attorneys to bring corruption charges against him prior to an election]. What happened?
[rolls his eyes] Will you do me a favor and go on Power Line and Google "Dana Jill Simpson" [the Republican lawyer who told 60 Minutes that Rove asked her to take a picture of Governor Siegelman cheating on his wife]? She's a complete lunatic. I've never met this woman. This woman was not involved in any campaign in which I was involved. I have yet to find anybody who knows her. And what the media has done on this… No one has read the 143-page deposition that she gave congressional investigators—143 pages. When she shows up to give her explanation of all this, do you know how many times my name appears? Zero times. Nobody checked!

Then how did this happen?
Because CBS is a shoddy operation. They said, "Hey, if we can say 'Karl Rove,' 'Siegelman,' that'll be good for ratings. Let's hype it. We'll put out a news release on Thursday and then promo the hell out of it on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday." And Scott Pelley—the question is, Did [60 Minutes correspondent] Scott Pelley say to this woman, "You say you met with him. Where? And you say that he gave you other assignments earlier. When did he begin giving you assignments, and what campaigns did you work with him in? What evidence? I mean, this woman, she said she met with him: Okay, you met with him—where? Did you fly to Washington?" Now she says that she talked to me on the phone and she's got phone records. Of calls to Washington and Virginia. But what's Virginia? I don't live in Virginia. And it's 2001. What is in Virginia? It's not the Bush headquarters; that was in Austin, Texas. What is in Virginia? So—but look, she's a loon.

What about the U.S. attorneys? Should you have had a role in hiring and firing?
[a little peeved now] What was my role in firing those U.S. attorneys?

Your position has been—and tell me if I have this wrong—that you basically relayed complaints?
To the counsel's office. Correct.

And that was an appropriate thing to do?
Oh sure. Sure it is. Sure it is.

What's your relationship with the president now?
Good. Really good.

Do you talk a lot?
Yeah.

Did you know that Laura called you Pigpen?
Yeah. [laughs] Laura Bush intimidates me. All the Bushes—well, most of the Bush men marry incredibly strong women, and they all intimidate me. Barbara Bush I've lived in fear of for thirty-seven years.

What's your goal with this book? You intend to set the record straight, as you see it?
Absolutely, absolutely. Sure. You bet. I intend to set the record straight.

I imagine you're going to have a lot to say.
Yeah, exactly. Available soon for $29.95…. I gotta go! I gotta go!

Wait, quickly: Do you believe Roger Clemens?
Um, yes, I do.

If he gets nailed on perjury charges, is that the kind of guy Bush might pardon?
I'm sorry?

Do you think if he got nailed, that would be the type of person Bush would pardon?
I'm not gonna answer that. I mean, he's done nothing wrong.

Should Scooter Libby be pardoned?
I'm not gonna answer that. Just not. Just not. But thanks for asking.

lisa depaulo is a GQ correspondent.

April 02, 2008

Obama, One Giant Step For Mankind. Transcending Race As An American

2008-04-05T02:28:00.000-07:00

Issue Date: Volume 2, Issue 9 - 03/03/08, Posted On: 3/2/2008

Texas State Representative Juan García

Juan M. García is a Democratic state representative from Corpus Christi, Texas. He is a Commander and flight instructor in the U.S. Naval Reserve. García is one of the few elected officials in South Texas to endorse Obama's presidential candidacy.

When did you first meet Barack Obama?

We were law school classmates at Harvard as were the two women we would ultimately marry. We both took non-traditional routes after graduation from there. He, after being president of the law review a very prestigious position that is historically a direct feeder to clerking for a Supreme Court justice or going to a blue-chip law firm, went to Chicago to organize in the community and to write his book. I also took a non-traditional path. I went to be a Navy pilot and our paths have crossed ever since.

I guess I got to know him best playing intramural basketball. I will tell you it is surreal to watch a basketball buddy be this close to being leader of the free world and commander in chief.

Corpus Christi is heavily Hispanic and certainly the Clintons have a long relationship with South Texas. Can Obama make a dent in that relationship?

Well, it is interesting. You reference the Clinton brand name relationship with South Texas but it is interesting demographics. The time they spent here doing field work for McGovern was in the early 70s. You have to remember that the average Hispanic in South Texas is 40 years old and the average Hispanic voter is 26. For many of these folks, the McGovern ties are kind of lost on them.

There is a new generation of folks and what resonates with them is this idea that Barack like so many of us down here is the product of a mixed marriage. Like so many of us down here is a son of an immigrant. Like so many of us down here has lived in a different country.

Even in California which is arguably her most significant win thus far in terms of the folks who physically went to the polls on Super Tuesday he won California. She was able to carry the state when you factored in all the early voting and that put her over the threshold. And the only analysis I think you can take from that is that for those folks who voted after he got on the ground, after he was introduced by trusted surrogates, after they went to the rally and after they became familiar with his record - for those folks he won. For us, the challenge is to make those same introductions.

It looks like there is Hispanic underrepresentation of delegates in South Texas vis a vis Austin and Houston. Is that accurate?

It is. Texas has the most arcane primary-caucus hybrid in the country. I think those senatorial districts are going to look very different after the next Census. In many of these South Texas senatorial districts, the division of delegates is such that she has to win 62.5 percent of the vote to get three out of four delegates. And that's ambitious. That's hard to see her doing throughout South Texas. Maybe that's going to happen but I have to tell you it doesn't feel that way.

You have some Hispanic members of Congress endorsing Obama but what is the situation in South Texas?

No question, the bulk of the establishment is with senator Clinton but I think that is a function of being the First Lady for eight years of an Administration during which relationships were grown and favors were granted and projects were worked on together. In some ways you can argue, the race for Barack is less against senator Clinton than against the clock. This is arguably the most well-known woman in the world.

Not only is Barack a relatively new commodity nationally but especially in our community where so much of our population relies on Spanish-language media and has not had the introduction over the past year that the rest of the country has had.

Yo South Texas, Here Watt U Get When You Hire A Yanqui , A Profiteer, RICO Rendon. How is this NOT Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity

2008-03-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

[http://dannoynted1-thinktank.blogspot.com/2008/03/texas-monthly-acknowledges-de-facto.html#links]
Think Tank: Texas Monthly acknowledges (the de facto existence / independence) of Brownsville Herald Investigative Reporter Emma Perez-Trevino

DANNENBAUM a Smoke Screen for Lencho Rendon's Dream Team Activities /Engagement with Asia Access Corp

Monday, October 22, 2007

Perry Appointee to UT Regents Linked to Scandals

posted by Paul Burka at 10:52 AM

One of the three men Governor Perry appointed to the University of Texas Board of Regents last week has been linked to political scandals at opposite ends of the Rio Grande, according to several news outlets. The appointee is James Dannenbaum, chairman of Houston-based Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation, whose company has become enmeshed in corruption probes in Brownsville and El Paso.

The following summary of the situation in Brownsville represents my summary of stories done by investigative reporter Emma Perez-Trevino for the Brownsville Herald. The original stories can be found here and here. In the Brownsville case, the Port of Brownsville wanted to work with Mexico to build a bi-national bridge to Matamoros, Mexico. Brown & Root won the contract to work on the bridge and billed the Brownsville Navigation District (BND) $424,505 up through July 1997. That's when a familiar name entered the picture: state senator Eddie Lucio. The Brownsville Herald has reported that Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation (DEC) hired Lucio for marketing, consulting, and public relations work. In the course of this work, Lucio introduced the firm to the BND board. Within a month, the BND board voted to fire Brown & Root and hired DEC without requesting proposals. DEC's original contract was for $2,053,515, but a series of supplemental contracts brought DEC's take to $15.5 million. Of this money, $10,529,058 went to subcontractors in Mexico, $9.2 million of which was paid to just three companies, all of which had ties to a DEC employee. One helps startup businesses, one provides security services, and one is a real estate company. BND was required to approve all subcontracts before any work was done, but DEC entered into 16 of 17 subcontracts without requesting that approval.

Construction of the bridge depended upon securing an agreement with Mexico to perform work on its side of the Rio Grande, which DEC representatives said was forthcoming. Despite such assurances, BND never received approval from Mexico. This is not a bridge to nowhere. It is a nowhere bridge.

In 2004, BND retained Charley Willette, Jr., as a special counsel to investigate how a total of $21.4 million in taxpayer money was spent on a project that was dependent upon Mexico's support. Willete's 62-page report traced the millions paid to subcontractors in Mexico and their ties back to DEC.

Peter Zavaletta, who became chairman of the Navigation District in 2004, told the Brownsville Herald that the only work that BND received was 49 black binders in which were a couple of charts.

Perez-Trevino reported in May that a criminal inquiry into the money that was spent on the nonexistent bridge is in the hands of a special grand jury, whose term will expire in early November. Both the FBI and the Texas Rangers began looking into the situation last March.

The El Paso situation is less complex. A United Press International story last June referenced "Dannenbaum Construction" in a wide ranging federal probe in El Paso:

EL PASO, Texas, June 13 (UPI) -- A Texas man once named by President George Bush to the International Boundary and Water Commission has been labeled a "bagman" in a corruption case.

John Travis Ketner, former chief of staff to El Paso County Judge Anthony Cobos, pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy to commit bribery. Arturo Duran, who also is a member of the board of Thomason Hospital in El Paso, was identified as one of 17 co-conspirators in the case, the El Paso Times reported.

Federal investigators say Duran served as a go-between for two companies, Valley Risk Consulting and Dannenbaum Construction. The companies were after contracts from County Commissioners Court.

In a story about the El Paso investigation that appeared in the Herald, Perez-Trevino reported about Dannenbaum's role in the federal investigation in El Paso. These are the salient paragraphs:

In El Paso, Dannenbaum's firm allegedly is referenced as "DC" in an information report that the U.S. Attorney's Office filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas on a guilty plea entered by John Travis Ketner, former chief of staff to El Paso County Judge Anthony Cobos.

Ketner pleaded guilty June 8 to two counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with his role in a conspiracy to fraudulently secure vendor contracts, public records show.

The El Paso Times identified "DC" as "Dannenbaum Construction" of Houston.

Noting that the name of his firm is Dannenbaum Engineering and not Dannenbaum Construction, Dannenbaum said, "our firm was not named in anything, was not referenced in anything."

According to the information report, Ketner and co-conspirators would meet with selected vendors to discuss the contracts being sought by the vendors and to settle on the amount of a bribe.

A co-conspirator allegedly acted as the intermediary and "bag man" for "DC," making and promising payments in cash or as campaign contributions to elected county officials, the information report reflects.

The report shows that on one occasion, a "DC" principal met with a county elected official. The intermediary and the elected official then entered a small bathroom in the county office and the intermediary promised a campaign contribution in exchange for the official's votes to secure contracts for "DC".

Dannenbaum said that he did not have an intermediary, did not meet with the elected official and that no one from his office did. "Not to my knowledge," he said.

The question that naturally arises out of all this is what is going on in the governor's office? It seems to me there are only two possibilities here: Perry (1) didn't know or (2) didn't care. Even if he believes that Dannenbaum and his company have done nothing wrong (and to this point nothing official suggests otherwise), Perry has put UT in a position where one of his appointees can reflect discredit on the university. There are plenty of Texans who aren't enmeshed in criminal investigations in two cities who are qualified to be on the Board of Regents.

The other question is whether ethics rules--allow a state senator to operate a consulting business in which he introduces vendors to public officials who award contracts. I don't see how the answer can be "yes," but if it is, the rules need to change. I don't think Lucio is the only one who plays this game.

14 Comments:

Anonymous said...: what is interesting here is that even though Lucio has been on his payroll for years, this kind of journalism only gets done when the Republican governor appoints him to something. I guess it doesn't matter when the Valley Democrat senator is rumored to be on the take...only news when Perry, who isn't on his payroll, appoints him to something.

Great investigative journalism Paul.; October 22, 2007 4:34 PM
Anonymous said...: in fact, here is a trivia question for you: among the Democrat members of the Texas Senate, which ones actually make a living legitimately? It's not just Lucio folks.

Press bias is not about how the stories are written nearly as much as it is about which stories are NOT written.; October 22, 2007 4:40 PM
Eileen Smith said...: Damn liberal media.; October 22, 2007 4:41 PM
Thunder said...: Goobner Perry stand up to his reputation... and keeps Texas Politics alive....

Just gives more fodder to write about and never a dull moment either....; October 22, 2007 5:55 PM
Anonymous said...: why, if that is you eileen (Ms. Pink Lady), then what better example of what you speak (yes, you may only be a blogger, but now that you are TM blog editor, that makes you media.); October 22, 2007 6:02 PM
Eileen Smith said...: Pink Lady? Never heard of her.

Actually, I see your point on this one. Although people have questioned Lucio's business dealings before, this story didn't seem to have much traction until Dannenbaum was appointed to the UT Regents by Perry. However, at least it's getting press now.; October 23, 2007 9:57 AM
jw said...: 1) I count about 14 Senators who definitely work for their money on the up-and-up and another 9 or so who are basically retired. That's about normal.

2) At least the last five governors have appointed Mr. Dannenbaum to some volunteer board or commission -- most recently to the Sharp school tax reform panel.

3) I love the fine folks on the border. But designing and building and operating a major capital public works project on the border ain't easy.

Just saying.; October 23, 2007 12:32 PM
Anonymous said...: BND consultants facing prison time[Chinese illegals, S. Texas Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz (D)]
The Brownsville Herald ^ | June 11, 2006 | EMMA PEREZ-TREVIÑO

Posted on 06/11/2006 7:16:45 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch

Couple pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges

Consultants who took Brownsville Navigation District officials to China and paid U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz's travels to the Far East are facing possible prison time after recently pleading guilty to an immigration plot involving Chinese nationals.

Sixty-four-year-old Kenneth D. Cohen, a Houston businessman and board member of the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, and his wife, Ping Lee Cohen, 54, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government in federal court in Houston.

"Mr. Ortiz was deeply disappointed that Ken and Ping broke the law, and the judge will decide the price they pay for that," Ortiz's spokeswoman, Cathy Travis, said Friday.

BND Deputy Director Donna Eymard said she was surprised to find out about the conviction.

"They were very professional people," she said. "They always did a fine job for us,"

In a statement released earlier this year, U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said between April 2000 and October 2005, the Cohens contacted Chinese citizens who paid up to $120,000 to enter the United States and ultimately obtain citizenship.

The Cohens would bring in Chinese citizens under the false pretenses of attending business seminars or conducting business negotiations.

Rosenberg said the Cohens would recruit the owners of small U.S. companies to offer jobs to Chinese citizens. This allowed the Chinese citizens to obtain employment-based visas to enter the country and remain here on a business visa.

"The defendants then created an illusory relationship between Chinese companies and U.S. companies by submitting forged stock certificates, stock transfer ledgers and financial records in support of petitions to the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), which were then filed with the Immigration Service on behalf of their clients," Rosenberg stated.

The Cohens would use a law office to petition the INS for the Chinese citizens to enter and remain in the U.S. as executive-level employees of the various U.S. businesses.

"The affected U.S. business owners confirmed that the supporting documents had been forged, that they never employed the Chinese citizens and that their companies were never wholly or partially owned by the Chinese companies as required to obtain this class of visa," Rosenberg said.

The Cohens face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. They will be sentenced later this fall.

Doing Business with BND

The Cohens have numerous corporations, a review of public records show, but in Brownsville, they were known to BND as Asia Access Corp.

Eymard started working for BND in 2000. Present board member Roy de los Santos was already on the BND board as was former board member Carl "Joe" Gayman. Former board member Sidney Lasseigne was getting ready to join the board.

The late Raul Besteiro was BND's chief executive officer.

BND's first payment to the Cohens' corporation was in March 2001 in the amount of $20,000 for "consulting fees," public records show.

By November 2002, BND had paid Asia Access $91,108. Of this amount, records indicate that $15,510 was reimbursement for a stay at the Hotel Beijing, $80 for visas to China and $5,980 for airfare to Ningbo-Hong Kong in 2001.

BND paid Asia Access a service fee of $5,000 in 2001 for a trip to China and paid the firm a consulting fee of $40,000 in July 2002.

BND officials made three trips to China between 2000 and 2003.

"I know they arranged all the Far East trips, but how they came here, I could not begin to tell you. I don't know," Eymard said.

De Los Santos said he also didn't know.

Gayman said Ping Lee Cohen was BND's tour guide in China and arranged meetings with Chinese officials and companies.

"They would arrange the trips and work out the itinerary. I never did see anything suspicious," de los Santos said.

"From the minute we arrived, all the meetings were set up," Eymard recalled.

Getting Close to a Congressman

Travis said that Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, has known the Cohens for more than a decade and became acquainted with them through mutual friends.

Travis said she doesn't know if Ortiz or any member of his staff introduced the Cohens to BND and left the question to BND.

Gayman thinks Ortiz brought the Cohens to BND: "The congressman is the one that instigated the trips to China," Gayman said.

Lasseigne recalled that Ortiz, his former chief of staff Lencho Rendon and Besteiro were close to the Cohens to "Madam Ping," Ping Lee Cohen.

"She was very attractive, very, very, attractive, real sharp in business," Lasseigne said of Ping Lee Cohen.

"I remember Lencho telling me that his ideal dream team (to help BND) would be (lobbyist) Randy DeLay, (Monterrey consult-ant) Esther Rodriguez and 'Madam Ping,'" Lasseigne said.

The BND present and former officials said that to their knowledge, BND never assisted Chinese nationals in obtaining visas.

Asia Access also figures prominently in trips that Ortiz and Rendon made to the Far East, including China, Hong Kong, Taipei and Beijing.

The firm paid for four trips, a study by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, the Center for Public Integrity shows.

The organization recently tracked the travel of U.S. representatives and senators.

The trips were made at Asia Access' expense by Ortiz and Rendon in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2005 at a reported cost of nearly $48,000 combined.

Travis said Ortiz accepted the trips because he searches for ways to increase development in South Texas.

"One way to leverage that development has been to travel to Asia with South Texas business owners," Travis said. "His presence with area businesses in the vibrant, dynamic Asian marketplace ensures their access to the decision makers at Asian companies, as well as to government offices there."

And no, Travis said, neither Ortiz nor any staff member has facilitated the entry of Chinese nationals into the country.

Neither BND trips nor Ortiz's trips have resulted in economic development here, Gayman said.

"We never got any business out of China," Gayman added.

[e-mail]eperez-trevino@brownsvilleherald.com[/e-mail]
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: bnd; china; congress; democrat; illegals; immigrantlist; ping; snakehead
"The congressman is the one that instigated the trips to China," Gayman said.
1 posted on 06/11/2006 7:16:51 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
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To: Paleo Conservative; LongElegantLegs; radar101; RamingtonStall; engrpat; HamiltonFan; Draco; ...

Solomon P. Ortiz Ping!

2 posted on 06/11/2006 7:19:10 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch (Democrats-beyond your expectations!)
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To: SwinneySwitch

" "Madam Ping," Ping Lee Cohen. "

Pinging Ping Lee

"Chinese citizens who paid up to $120,000 to enter the United States and ultimately obtain citizenship."

That's a *ping amount of dollars. Should have paid $1,000 for a flight to Mexico and walked across ;)

3 posted on 06/11/2006 7:25:50 AM PDT by bwteim (bwteim = begin with the end in mind)
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To: SwinneySwitch
Travis said that Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, has known the Cohens for more than a decade and became acquainted with them through mutual friends.

Maybe that should be "mutual funds."
4 posted on 06/11/2006 7:28:36 AM PDT by FreePaul
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To: bwteim

Culture of corruption

5 posted on 06/11/2006 7:29:42 AM PDT by CPT Clay (Drill ANWR, Personal Accounts NOW.)
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To: bwteim

Ping Pong Balls

6 posted on 06/11/2006 7:30:47 AM PDT by battlegearboat
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To: CPT Clay

http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/ping-cohen.asp?cycle=02

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txs/releases/February2006/060208-Cohen.htm

7 posted on 06/11/2006 7:41:00 AM PDT by bwteim (bwteim = begin with the end in mind)
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To: CPT Clay

Since 2000 to political hack Ortiz has taken 18 trips and spent 156 days travelling outside the USA. Cost of travel is $108,230.00. Many trips taken thanks to Asia Acess Corp. Data retreived through a Google entry - Hong Kong Solomon Ortiz.

8 posted on 06/11/2006 7:41:05 AM PDT by gaspar
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To: SwinneySwitch

I am thinking someone may end up on probation for a whole year here.

9 posted on 06/11/2006 7:59:28 AM PDT by mmercier (same as it ever was)
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To: SwinneySwitch

5 years to bring in wealthy chinese who would spend their money here, and a free ride for the coyotes who bring in illiterate poor scum, who bleed us dry. Any logic in this?

10 posted on 06/11/2006 9:23:31 AM PDT by stephenjohnbanker (If you got Sowell, you got Soul !)
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To: SwinneySwitch

Why did these "wealthy" Chinese want to come here? Just to hang out in the malls and soak up American culture? Or....?

11 posted on 06/11/2006 10:14:06 AM PDT by SuzyQue
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To: SwinneySwitch

>>>>Lasseigne recalled that Ortiz, his former chief of staff Lencho Rendon and Besteiro were close to the Cohens to "Madam Ping," Ping Lee Cohen.

Could this be related to Sister Ping?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1597900/posts
'Sister Ping' Convicted in Smuggling Scheme

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1622395/posts
Golden Venture Survivors Face Another Hurdle

12 posted on 06/11/2006 10:45:32 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: bwteim

12 ?

13 posted on 06/11/2006 10:46:26 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: SuzyQue; stephenjohnbanker
From the stories I read about in my post 12, the people smuggled in didn't have the money up front to pay. They had to work the money off in servitude style. Businesses would pay the smuggle fee to the coyote/smuggler and gain a type of ownership over them until their fees were paid.

I don't know if the Sister Ping is related to this Cohen story; but it sounds like a similar scenario.
14 posted on 06/11/2006 10:50:32 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Calpernia

Oh correction. I said coyote. I think that is the term for Mexican smugglers. I believe for Chinese the term is snakehead.

15 posted on 06/11/2006 10:51:54 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Calpernia

Always a chance, but Ping is not an unusual surname.

16 posted on 06/11/2006 1:01:05 PM PDT by bwteim (bwteim = begin with the end in mind)
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To: CPT Clay

This is the tip of the iceberg compared to what is coming in the future with our third world invasion. Corruption is a normal way of life for these people.

17 posted on 06/11/2006 1:57:52 PM PDT by doc
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To: bwteim

You are probably right about the name being common. But the circumstances sound similar too.

18 posted on 06/11/2006 2:46:58 PM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Calpernia

""In a statement released earlier this year, U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said between April 2000 and October 2005, the Cohens contacted Chinese citizens who paid up to $120,000 to enter the United States and ultimately obtain citizenship""

120,000 per person is not hay. The Mexican coyotes do not get prosecuted, but these people bringing in chinese might get 5 years. That was my beef.
Glad Breederville is doing well. Bump!

19 posted on 06/11/2006 5:08:04 PM PDT by stephenjohnbanker (If you got Sowell, you got Soul !)
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To: bwteim

"Should have paid $1,000 for a flight to Mexico and walked across ;)"

That isn't the way it works in Mexico!

To get there Chinese are brought by ship and unloaded on a derseted beach and transported to the US by smugglers.

Chinese were paying over $20k over 20 years ago for the "service".

I was approached, offered $1000/person, and declined, to fly illegal chinese between a private airstrip near Guadalahara and a private airstrip near the US border because they couldn't get them past the Mexican check points.

For that kind of money i'm sure they found someone to do it.; October 24, 2007 3:47 AM
Anonymous said...: Saturday, October 06, 2007
The suit over the imaginary Brownsville bridge will move forward in Cameron County

BND contractor Dannenbaum Engineering Corp. is no longer seeking to stop a lawsuit alleging breach of an agreement from proceeding in Cameron County.

BND Commissioner Peter M. Zavaletta, who sued the Houston-based engineering firm Aug. 13 as a taxpayer, not as a board commissioner, was not surprised by the development.

"As a practical matter, it removes any barrier to proceeding with a trial in Cameron County," Zavaletta said Friday.

Dannenbaum had sought to remove the lawsuit to Harris County and a hearing had been scheduled there for Oct. 11.

See previous posts.

posted by CouldBeTrue @ 9:36 AM
1 Comments:

At 1:48 AM, The Advocate said...

Come on Chisme?

Give us the rest of the story.

How bout the story PUBLIC DEMANDS JUSTICE

In the latest South Texas Independent Journalists Association (STIJA) survey, the public is demanding that Congressman Solomon Ortiz, his former aide Lencho "El Pescado" Rendon and State Senator "Sucio" Eddie Lucio should spend time in prison for their roles in the $21 million Port of Brownsville heist.; October 24, 2007 3:48 AM
Anonymous said...: Ex-Brownsville, Texas, commissioner willing to testify about bridge project.

COPYRIGHT 2005 The Brownsville Herald

Byline: Emma Perez-Trevino

Jan. 30--BROWNSVILLE -- A former Brownsville Navigation District commissioner said she is willing to testify before a grand jury regarding allegations that a U.S. representative's aide pressured BND into hiring subcontractors for a proposed international commercial bridge.

Sidney Lasseigne, who served as commissioner from 2000-2004, alleges that U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz's chief of staff Lencho Rendon was involved in the project and helped determine who worked on it.

"I have stayed quiet, not out of guilt, (but) because I have been trying to get on with my life," Lasseigne said, referring to overcoming the grief of her son's death in 2003 and last year's death of BND Chief Executive Officer Raul A. Besteiro Jr.

BND special counsel Charles Willette Jr., who released his six-month investigative report this month into how $21.4 million were spent on the binational project, was told by project manager Dannenbaum Engineering Corp. that Rendon recommended a firm called Construcciones Mantenimiento y Comercializacion RODA S.A. to perform feasibility studies in Mexico on the project.

RODA was contracted for its services, although the company did not receive the...; October 24, 2007 3:52 AM
Anonymous said...: Monday, June 18, 2007
THE PORT OF TOXIC WASTE AND CORRUPTION

COULD THE WATERS OF BROWNSVILLE BE ANY MORE DIRTY? IS OUR PORT A TOXIC WASTE DUMP?

Let me begin by saying in clear and no uncertain terms - anyone can be accused of criminal conduct. As we saw in NC this week a DA is capable of fabricating evidence against the innocent. Here in Texas when a DA does that the State Bar of Texas declares a state holiday as opposed to disciplining the DA. (Side note- in Dallas the now former DA got away with the illegal prosecution of over 50 Mexican Americans - planted and fabricated evidence - the morning his underling was to testify against him, his underling was found dead in his home - a gun shot to the head - Brownsville has nothing on Dallas when it comes to corruption) The State Bar of Texas has a motto for the DA's of Texas - "the challenge is in convicting the innocent, not the guilty." My point is, the allegation of criminal conduct does not make one guilty. We must always presume a person is innocent unless under the mandate of real due process the person is convicted and found guilty.

This entire piece began with me researching why the BND tabled a vote on leasing land to Bay Bridge Enterprises which dismantles Navy ships. This would put Bay Bridge in competition with Esco Marine and maybe Sanship, Inc. Bay Bridge is offering 125 Brownsville residents jobs ranging from 10-40 dollars an hour with full benefits - health, dental 401K. What is there to table?

Until I realized who Esco-Marine is, and their history, and the possible interests of Sanship and the claims against Sanship I was uncertain how I felt about this story - maybe there are valid reasons for denying 125 Brownsville residents good jobs - Esco-Marine and Sanship's respective histories are so dirty - I simply have to believe there is dirty politics afoot here.

Well, maybe Esco-Marine does not want the competition. In the interest of transparency - each Board Member needs to commit to the public that they will not take political contributions from Esco-Marine, Sanship, Inc, or Bay Bridge - We the public need to hear this so that we know what ever decision comes from this Board it is based on what is good for Brownsville and not the pockets of the Board Members.

As I am researching Esco Marine I find the reference to Sanship which appears to also have Navy ship scrapping rights. Does Bay Bridge have a problem with Sanship? Do not know - maybe someone knows of some sour grapes between the two companies.

According to the Office of the Secretary of State the Registered Agent for Sanship, Inc is Emilio Sanchez - the address listed is the same as for TEXMEXCold.com which is owned by none other than Mr. Clean himself Robert Sanchez.

http://ecpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/servlet/cpa.app.coa.CoaGetTp?Pg=tpid&Search_Nm=Sanship%20&Button=search&Search_ID=32004487420

See also, http://www.texasaquaculture.org/id177.html - Someone needs to demand that Robert Sanchez take a public position as to leasing to Bay Bridge - I hope this is not the type transparency in government Pat Ahumada promised We the People. Pat if you believe in Transparency you must demand that Robert Sanchez disclose any conflicts of interest he may have related to Bay Bridge and or Sanship and whether or not he has promised money to De Los Santos and or Cristiano to oppose the deal. The people of Brownsville have a right to those 125 good paying jobs.

Here are the stories related to Emilio Sanchez - Sanship - for each story if I could find a follow-up I printed it - I will certainly post any follow-up to any of these stories which are sent to me - full disclosure is the goal.
This is a current and ongoing story.

"The rig's owner, Emilio Sanchez, has not been keeping booming in place in the water to contain leaks from the rig, which he previously had stated he would do, court documents state.Officials said Sanchez and his company, Sanship Inc., could face criminal charges of unauthorized discharge into state waters, officials said.Sanchez could face up to five years in prison and a $100,000 maximum fine while his company could face a maximum $250,000 fine."
http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=3842672e51b6fe92

"The county's environmental crimes investigator conducted a criminal search warrant on the vessel two weeks ago to determine whether criminal charges could be filed against Sanchez and his company, Sanship Inc., for unauthorized discharge in state waters."
http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=b788d422f8f5f197

"And his troubles don't end with the land office. According to documents obtained by the GLO, Sanchez has not paid Esco Marine for the $1.05 million cleanup operation.In a letter to Sanchez dated Feb. 28, Esco Marine's comptroller, Marcelino Salinas, said invoices sent to Sanchez's company, Sanship Inc., had gone unanswered."Previous inquiries concerning the balance owed have been ignored," he stated in the letter, "therefore we are putting a lien on the vessel and no further work will be performed on the project."

http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=d5cc5d767e7f01bd

My question here is how much more business has Sanship done with Esco-Marine? Does Sanship (Emilio Sanchez) have a reason to protect Esco-Marine's business interests at the Port?

"The agency acted after BAN contacted legal defense organization Earthjustice of Oakland, California, which in turn notified the present owner, Emilio Sanchez of Brownsville, Texas, and EPA of intent to take legal action to halt the export should the government fail to act. Region IX EPA, based in San Francisco, then took action, conducting on-board sampling to see if the vessel contained toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which are illegal to export from the United States under the Toxics Substances Control Act. PCBs were found at very high levels in on-board materials."
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0504-12.htm

"Emilio Sanchez: A South Texas businessman with many interests, in 1994 he tried to negotiate in Mexico two stolen U.S. Treasury checks -- each made out to him for $10 million. Never prosecuted, he has bought the scrapping rights to several Navy ships since then."
http://www.pulitzer.org/year/1998/investigative-reporting/works/day2/1.html

Who is Esco -Marine - First - Lencho Rendon, former Chief of Staff for Solomon Ortiz, is a paid consultant for Esco Marine. Second their president is Richard Jaross.

http://www.escomarine.us/index_files/Page406.htm

"When the U.S. Navy began its great sell-off of surplus ships in 1991, Richard Jaross was among the first to see an opportunity. He began dismantling Navy ships at a California scrapyard, where workers were exposed to lead and asbestos. He came to Baltimore to help put together the ill-fated Coral Sea project. He then set up a scrapyard in Wilmington, N.C., but the state shut it down for mishandling asbestos, polluting a river and contaminating the soil with oil and lead"

http://www.pulitzer.org/year/1998/investigative-reporting/works/day2/1.html

I just thought the people should know the players who may be opposing 125 good paying jobs for the people of Brownsville.

I think we now need a comment from Pat Ahumada as to whether or not he supports Bay Bridge, and full transparency from the Sanchez Family.

I know I am going to be attacked big time on this one - I ask my readers to look how I gave you the links - I am not saying trust me - just read the links - I know this will not stop the attacks - Based on experience I know that tomorrow attorneys are going to be getting in a lot of billable hours - I stand by the story and like I said - I will post any updates to the history of the cast of characters - I know this will not stop the billable hours -

I am not afraid of being sued because the Texas Supreme Court in the last two months made it clear that the courts shall sanction any attorney who brings a frivolous lawsuit - I can use the money so - hey guys bring it on.

Posted by BobbyWC at 10:58 PM

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll be first. I have neither received nor been offered any campaign contribution from any ship dismantler or from any principal thereof, or from Baybridge for that matter.

Peter Zavaletta
June 19, 2007 7:20 AM
Anonymous said...

i didn't vote for pat, but unless he is personally involved in this deal, he doesn't owe us a public opinion on this matter. i would love it if he distanced himself from robert sanchez period, for no other reason than that he is a political bully. if something comes of this investigation, pat should refuse any future campaign donations from sanchez. until then, he needs to concentrate on city issues and not prematurely create bad blood between him and other public entities that he will have to work with throughout his term. i mean, pat being pat, he will eventually create bad blood between him and other public officials, but let's at least hope he waits until he has a real say on policy.
June 19, 2007 11:00 AM
BobbyWC said...

Anonymous - basically I agree with you - but on the issue of jobs - it is 125 good paying jobs for the taxpayers who support the port - Pat needs to tell us whether he supports the lease with Bay Bridge or whether he opposes it

People are not going to bring these type jobs to Brownsville if they cannot count on the Mayor and County Judge to support them in their efforts.

Pat will not dump Sanchez - Pat will hang himself before he distances himself from Sanchez - that discussion is a train which has already left the station and further discussion will only cause needless frustration - Pat is so much like George W. Bush - he will hold on to his friends until the bitter end -

in spite of this we all need to hope Pat succeeds - pat's success as mayor is Brownsville success - let us not forget this - we may just have to ignore his irrational loyalty to Sanchez - assuming he is moving forward otherwise.

But we the people who pay the taxes to support the Port are entitled to these jobs and Ahumada and Casco both need to publically support the lease with Bay Bridge

Bobby WC
June 19, 2007 11:27 AM
TheSpotlight said...

http://www.ibiblio.org/maritime/Scheepvaartnieuws/Pdf/scheepvaartnieuws/2005/maart/073-%2022-03-2005a.pdf

OSHA!
June 19, 2007 3:06 PM
BobbyWC said...

On Spotlight's link go to page 18 for the story on Esco -

side note - a friend of mine while in the Navy did refurbishing of ships - he is now dead from lung cancer

Just something to think about
June 19, 2007 6:18 PM
Anonymous said...
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
June 20, 2007 10:21 AM
Anonymous said...

Presentation and board discussion of the Baybridge proposal can be found in the May 23 meeting at this link

http://cafebrownsville.com/archive/2007_05_01_archive.html

Find the May 23 meeting, then click the play button. Move the slider to 53:55, then click play again.

Peter Zavaletta
June 20, 2007 10:35 AM; October 24, 2007 3:54 AM
Anonymous said...: The Another Perry Appointed UT Regent Linked to Scandal

Serpent IN the Garden January 14, 1996 Houston: Inaction Allowed Abuser To Roam For 10 Years.

If this was leaked to the media did the Corpus Christi Caller Times tell us about this pedophile?

Did the Caller publish any stories on this matter?

And the CCISD Board did they inform the community?

The Serpent IN the Garden January 14, 1996 Houston: CCISD board President Henry Nuss AQUIESCED. CCISD eagerly supplied pedophile with young patients - even after he had been publicly charged.

CORPUS CHRISTI - James Plaisted was a respected child psychologist, a deacon in one of the city's largest Baptist congregations and the father of four.

He also was a child molester so brazen he escorted little girls into church and fondled them under his coat while listening to the sermon.

Parents knew. So did church pastors, school officials and state regulators. But few did anything to stop him, and those who tried were remarkably unsuccessful.

It took 10 years to get Plaisted behind bars. Only he knows how many children he molested during that time.

Last month, Plaisted - already serving a two-year federal prison term for luring a Texas patient to Boston to continue molesting her -was brought back to Corpus Christi in chains.

He pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting four girls and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

State regulators have yet to revoke his license to practice psychology.

""I think the Plaisted case is the model of what happens when the system fights with itself," said Susan Snyder, a Kingsville attorney and former prosecutor who tried to lock up Plaisted in 1992.

""Obviously, there have been safeguards in place to prevent this man all along, but either (state officials) were too lazy or too busy, or too scared of the politics of going and yanking this man's license," Snyder said. ""It's not the legal system failing. It's the people within the legal system that refuse to let the legal system work."

It's not as if no one tried.

Carmen Alvarado, the mother of the first child to accuse Plaisted more than 10 years ago, sought criminal charges against the therapist and filed an ethics complaint with the Texas Board of Examiners of Psychologists. She alleged that Plaisted had fondled her son's penis during a late-night counseling session.

Alvarado called the Parkdale Baptist Church, where Plaisted, 46, was a deacon.

""They said they were leaving it in God's hands," she recalled.

""I don't think they were thinking straight at the time."

She went to other parents. She got no help.

In the end, it was just her son's word against Plaisted, who told a Corpus Christi jury in 1986 that the 6-year-old child was a habitual liar and a pyromaniac who derived sexual excitement from setting fires. It didn't help that a new prosecutor was assigned to the case just before trial.

The jury acquitted Plaisted; his practice continued.

""It made me mad because when I went for help, all I asked was for them to testify," Alvarado recalled. ""We lost because my son was the only witness we had."

""It was a very tough call to make," said another victim's mother. ""And looking back, I really should have crucified him, but I didn't. I chose not to after talking to my attorney. He told me it would just really traumatize my daughter."

The Corpus Christi woman, who asked not to be identified, said she did confront Plaisted and his wife, who were neighbors in 1984, when her daughter was allegedly molested while spending the night with one of Plaisted's daughters.

""He did not deny it," she said. ""He said he could have done it

in his sleep."

Plaisted's wife laughingly added that she and her husband often made love at night, and he would not remember the next morning, the woman said.

The woman, who was also a member of the Parkdale Baptist Church, recalled telling church officials later about Plaisted's molestations.

""But it didn't seem to make any difference," she said. ""The church really backed him up, and a lot of people left the church after that."

Plaisted's attorney, Doug Tinker, refused to allow the Chronicle to interview his client. The criminal defense lawyer, who earlier this year represented Yolanda Saldivar, who was convicted of murdering Tejano star Selena, declined to discuss the Plaisted case.

The victims' families have since sued the church for negligence, but Parkdale's lawyer argues the congregation should not be held responsible for Plaisted's actions.

""It would be the church's wish to get this thing resolved without causing any additional hurt to anyone," said attorney Van Huseman. But he added, ""If a child gets molested in the middle of the service, how does that get to be the pastor's fault?"

Plaisted - a Nebraska native who served in the Army in Vietnam -came to Corpus Christi in 1982 with impeccable credentials, having earned his doctorate in clinical and child psychology from Auburn University in Alabama in 1981.

He quickly built a private practice, and over the years, developed a good reputation as an expert on brain dysfunction.

The Corpus Christi school district, along with local pediatricians, eagerly supplied him with young patients - even after he had been publicly charged. Members of the church also sought his help, and he had hospital privileges at the prestigious Driscoll Children's Hospital, a South Texas institution known both for quality care and charity.

Neighbors described Plaisted as pleasant, reserved, well-spoken. He was methodical, they said, and liked to work on projects around the house.

Plaisted recruited some of his victims from broken homes, showering the children with gifts, inviting them and their parents to Thanksgiving dinners. One 9-year-old girl who spent the night with Plaisted's daughter told prosecutors the psychologist molested her on the sofa in his living room while he and the children watched the movie "Home Alone"

on video.

He curried favor with his victims' parents by lending them money and refusing repayment, or by buying them air conditioners and other gifts. One mother even acted as a character witness for the therapist during the Alvarado trial, unaware that her own child was being molested.

""The bottom line is this guy had complaints filed against him at the psychology board - and they are serious - and the board doesn't notify the school about the complaints," said Jerry Boswell, director of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a group funded by the Church of Scientology (SEE CORRECTION) that documents cases such as Plaisted's. ""And the school is still referring children to this guy."

Corpus Christi school administrators said they used Plaisted infrequently for psychological testing of students, although school records and correspondence indicate he was a consultant from 1983 until he was indicted for child sexual assault in late 1992.

School administrators have identified records of five students referred to him for psychological testing between 1985 and 1992. There are no records prior to 1985.

School board President Henry Nuss, who has served on the board for seven years, said he first heard of the Plaisted case when he was contacted by the Houston Chronicle last week.

""We certainly should be more selective in who we're using," he said.

After Plaisted was charged in the Alvarado case in April 1986, Robert J. Garcia, the school district's special education director, wrote to the state psychology board to ask about the psychologist's record. The agency's executive director replied that Plaisted's license had been suspended, but because the psychologist was in the process of suing to get it back, he remained licensed to practice. The letter gave no details about the nature of the complaints.

""He was given a clean bill of health by the only agency that had anything to say about it," said Dr. Adrian Haston, a psychologist who coordinates the school district's psychological services, and who, years ago, shared an office with Plaisted.

Haston emphasized that none of the schoolchildren referred to Plaisted were molested. ""And we never had anything untoward, any problems of that sort," he said.

Asked why the district would risk using a psychologist once accused of being a child molester, Haston replied, ""This is something the district did, and you can ask the director of special education why."

Garcia said in a recent telephone interview that he could not remember whether he knew about the child molestation charges at the time he wrote to the psychology board.

""All I know is we asked for what his status was and they said he could still practice," he said. ""We knew he was under review, but we didn't know what for.

""Look, the state board of psychologists, they're the ones that allowed him to continue to practice," Garcia added angrily.

""If anyone should be asked as to why this guy was allowed to continue, it should be the state board of psychology."

Pressed for further details, Garcia abruptly ended the interview and hung up the phone.

Although Plaisted was acquitted in August 1986 in the Alvarado case, the psychology board continued its investigation and ruled in November of that year that Plaisted had violated professional standards.

The board officially suspended his license for two years, but said he would be allowed to resume his practice in three months.

Meanwhile, Plaisted challenged the suspension in state district court in Austin, arguing the psychology board had unfairly considered allegations that had not been introduced during his hearing, denying him the opportunity to defend himself against them. The judge agreed, and in January 1987 reversed Plaisted's suspension.

While the board was investigating Plaisted's case, they were contacted by Corpus Christi psychologist George Kramer.

Kramer, who had hired Plaisted in 1982 before Plaisted was licensed, told the board to subpoena records of the state Department of Human Resources. It did, and found other instances of alleged molestation by Plaisted.

In April 1989, the board reached an agreement with the psychologist that allowed him to keep his license if he agreed to be supervised for 11/2years. Plaisted was to treat children only in the presence of an associate or in a location where he could be observed by a television monitor. He also was to pay to have Corpus Christi psychologist Joseph Horvat supervise his casework.

Horvat met with Plaisted weekly, but after a year - convinced that Plaisted was doing nothing wrong - he recommended the supervision be terminated six months early. The board decided to continue the supervision.

""I have found no evidence in any way, shape or form of any behavior on his part which could be in any way construed as unprofessional or unethical," Horvat wrote to the board.

Included in one of his reports to the board was a review of Plaisted's treatment of an 8-year-old girl - a child Plaisted was later charged with molesting.

The board's general counsel, Barbara Holthaus, acknowledged past actions taken by the agency were inadequate.

""With hindsight, of course it wasn't appropriate, because look at what happened," Holthaus said. But she said the board has since added lay people to its ranks and has a new, tougher state law giving it better enforcement powers.

""Now, if we get a report that a psychologist is molesting a client, we can go before a judge and say we want to temporarily suspend the license," she said.

Holthaus said the board has filed a motion to revoke Plaisted's license, but Plaisted is fighting it.

""It's all kind of moot, because he's incarcerated," she said.

Soon after Plaisted completed his board-ordered supervision, Corpus Christi police received new information from state child welfare workers that Plaisted had been molesting girls at his office, in church and at home in his hot tub.

Former detective Eric Michalak, who now works in Colorado, remembered taking the Plaisted case to a Nueces County assistant district attorney for prosecution.

""He wanted to get a warrant for the doctor and arrest him, because we had very strong evidence against him," Michalak said. ""We had multiple victims and you had a guy in the position he was in, where he had access to all these victims.

You would want to take quick action rather than let it go on for so long."

The prosecutor was overruled by then-District Attorney Grant Jones, Michalak said. ""(Jones) just said, `We're not getting a warrant. We're taking our time.' He wanted the kids reinterviewed by one of the prosecutors.

""Any time you go after someone like that, there's a lot of politics that come into play," Michalak added. ""Instead of stepping in right then, and bringing it out in the open and taking it to a grand jury (for indictment), they delayed."

Jones contends that any delay in prosecution was an effort ""to tie the case down tight. We didn't want to lose him twice,"

said Jones, on whose watch Plaisted was acquitted in the Alvarado case.

Jones called it ""outrageous" the psychology board still hasn't revoked Plaisted's license.

""They should have done it in 1986," he said. ""What they want to do is wait around until you go to trial and you convict him, and then they come in behind your conviction and revoke his license. Well, what's he doing in the meantime? He could be out in the community molesting kids for two years."

Michalak said the case was finally taken to the grand jury several months later after he leaked the information about Plaisted's investigation to the local media.

""It was taking too long, and it wasn't being handled like another case," he said. ""And it was because he was so prominent in the community."

Plaisted was finally indicted in Corpus Christi in October 1992. He posted bond, closed his practice in Corpus Christi, and negotiated an agreement with the psychology board to place his license on inactive status until he could prove his innocence.

He then moved to Boston, where he enrolled in Boston University Law School and successfully completed his first year of studies by May 1994.

While in law school, Plaisted began calling a former patient - the girl whose treatment Horvat had reviewed in Corpus Christi. Plaisted convinced the girl's mother - who was also a patient of his - to bring the girl to Boston for additional therapy.

Plaisted's plans were foiled when a policeman setting up a speed trap in his neighborhood accidentally intercepted on his police radio a sexually explicit telephone call between the girl and Plaisted, who was using a cordless phone.

FBI agents were called in, six other calls were taped, and Plaisted was arrested on June 3, 1994, after he met the girl, then 13, and her mother at the train station and took them to a budget motel.

""The mother wasn't aware" of the molestations, said Adolfo Aguilo, an assistant Nueces County district attorney. ""The mother had a borderline personality disorder - she developed dependency on people -and unfortunately for her the person she developed a dependency on was Dr. Plaisted."

Sgt. Michael Harpster, a police detective from suburban Boston who helped arrest Plaisted, described him as ""very congenial, almost shy."

""He'd answer questions very courteously, but he didn't show any outward signs of knowing the seriousness of the situation," Harpster said.

Last January, Plaisted was sentenced by a federal judge in Boston to a two-year prison term after he pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity.

The Corpus Christi conviction and sentence came almost a year later.

In the end, Plaisted admitted molesting four victims. But prosecutors say no one will ever know how many others failed to come forward.

""I imagine there could be several other victims. Through his practice and the church he probably had access over the years to thousands of children," said Aguilo, the Corpus Christi prosecutor who eventually secured Plaisted's guilty plea.

""To me, any kid that came in contact with this guy was a victim in some way or another," added Michalak.

When Plaisted was sentenced last month, it was a bitter emotional meeting for many of his young victims and their parents, who had been called as witnesses in case Plaisted decided against the plea bargain.

Parents said Plaisted stood up straight, held his head high and looked the judge in the eye. And when he saw the relatives of his former victims, he acted as if he were attending a reunion of old friends, they said. One parent said Plaisted looked as if he thought they were there as supporters or character witnesses.

""He turned around and gave the families a big smile," Alvarado said. ""I couldn't believe it."

Alvarado, who sued Plaisted in civil court, has received a settlement for an undisclosed amount. Her son, now a teen-ager, is still struggling with his past abuse, she said, and she continues to feel betrayed by those who would not join her in speaking out years ago.

""I told them if they had helped me in the beginning, none of this would have happened," she said.

Plaisted timeline

Key dates in the career of Dr. James R. Plaisted:

January 1983: Licensed to practice psychology in Texas.

October 1984: Investigated by Texas Department of Human Resources for allegedly molesting a neighbor's child.

April 1986: Charged in criminal case for allegedly fondling a boy during therapy.

August 1986: Acquitted by jury in Corpus Christi.

October 1992: Indicted for sexual abuse of three Corpus Christi girls.

December 1992: Closed Corpus Christi office; moved to Boston to begin law school.

June 1994: Arrested by FBI agents for luring a 13-year-old former Corpus Christi patient to Boston.

January 1995: Indicted by Corpus Christi grand jury on three counts of aggravated sexual assault for incidents years earlier involving the same girl.

January 1995: Sentenced to two years in federal prison in Boston case.

Dec. 7, 1995: Sentenced to 40 years in state prison by a Corpus Christi judge after pleading guilty to five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.; October 24, 2007 4:00 AM
Eileen Smith said...: Thanks for the related stories, Anon. Next time, can you just post the link? Posting that much content puts you in competition with Burka.; October 24, 2007 9:02 AM
Melissa Zamora said...: Dear Mr. Burka:

Finally, your publication gives proper and well-deserved credit to Brownsville Herald investigative reporter Emma Perez-Trevino.

Perez-Trevino and former reporter Patricia Guillermo were also largely responsible for uncovering the corruption scandal of former Cameron County Sheriff Conrado Cantu, but Texas Monthly failed to give credit where it was due.

Perez-Trevino wrote several investigative pieces on the Irene Garza/Priest scandal in the RGV, yet your reporter failed to attribute her work.

And, did you know that Jayson Blair had also plagarized her work? But, once again, that didn't come out, too.

So, again, I thank you, for finally doing the right thing, and attributing the hard work of one of the top investigative reporters in the state of Texas -- Emma Perez-Trevino.; October 25, 2007 9:23 AM

--
Posted By Jaime Kenedeño to South Texas Verdad at 3/13/2008 06:05:00 PM

--
Kenedeno & Associates

On Fri, Mar 14, 2008 at 4:42 AM, Jaime Kenedeno <kingalonzoalvarezdepinedaxiii@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Ricardo Sanchez, Roland Barrera, Esteemed RTA Board Members,CCREDC Executives /Members Nueces County Commissioners Court and our All American City Council.

It is inconceivable in the eyes of a little person (who labors under a heavy burden daily) that we would appoint or place individuals in positions where merit is is non-existent. The Rendon family is well represented on the RTA Board.

According to the Caller Times Article written by Jaime Powell, There also could be a third Rendon family member on the RTA board in the near future.

Furthermore, in reviewing the minutes of various RTA meetings, the name Joseph Ramirez alludes discovery. What has this individual accomplished benefiting the RTA? It is with great emphasis we recognize individuals who are meritorious, individuals who are already involved / dedicated to the RTA. You guys are very aware of who the meritorious ones are. Certainly, it is a disservice to dedication for an individual to assume such a position without earning it first.

This appointment is one of ignorance (in that it iignores the citizenry) and without question unrepresentative of Nueces County. The Rendon Family shares not with it's community; but profiteers off of it. Questionable integrity, investigation and the proximity to scandal is WATT we (the RTA) get with the unsavory appointment of the Nephew (mouthpiece) of Florencio Rendon.

Turning to other Boards within the various Political Subdivisions of Nueces County, I will point to the DMC Regents and the election of one regent (whose family member was an employee) forcing the choice of one (of the two) resigning. The employee stepped away.

Another issue with the RTA appointment process as well as most appointments is the secrecy of the process. We need to know about the available positions before we can apply. Why is the marketing non existent? Vacancies are not communicated to the average citizen and it is only confirmation of the reliance on the disengagement of the average citizen in the formulation of public policy. Why does the public have to become research experts to be informed on important issues such as this?

We at Kenedeno & Associates specialize in the "engagement of the average citizen in the formulation of public policy".

We bring the public to your doorstep.

Also, in the interest of the City of Corpus Christi, we are recommending an in depth study regarding the deterioration (to the right lane) of all city streets implemented in daily bus routes. Specifically, we are referring to the patch repair of certain areas where the climate coupled with asphalt design and exceeded load capacity from RTA Machinery has taken a heavy toll.

Your efforts and your continued integrity is applauded, respected and often taken for granted.

Thank You

Anton Haley

--
Posted By Jaime Kenedeño to Corpus Christi Caller Times at 3/14/2008 01:47:00 AM

Nueces Democrats: Hegemony: Power, Culture & Ideology: Lencho Rendon: The Pimping Out Of The President & Hillary

2008-03-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

Nueces Democrats: Hegemony: Power, Culture & Ideology: Lencho Rendon: The Pimping Out Of The President & Hillary:

"It is a simple choice, vote for Joe or vote for the Solomonista."

Hegemony: Power, Culture & Ideology: Danny Guerra is Congressman Solomon Ortiz's Second Staff Resignation in Two Months. Why Did Danny Resign?.

2008-01-17T01:11:00.000-08:00

Hegemony: Power, Culture & Ideology: Danny Guerra is Congressman Solomon Ortiz's Second Staff Resignation in Two Months. Why Did Danny Resign?.

Danny Guerra is Congressman Solomon Ortiz's Second Staff Resignation in Two Months. Why Did Danny Resign?.

Congressman Ortiz Selects Denise Blanchard as Chief of Staff

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Congressman Solomon Ortiz has selected Denise Blanchard as his chief of staff.

Blanchard was formerly deputy chief of staff and district director. She was promoted to replace Fernando Gomez who resigned.

Blanchard, a Brownsville native and Ortiz' long-time Director of District Operations, has worked for Ortiz for more than 16 years. Her experience includes constituent services, district office operations, and a political understanding of South Texas. She began service with Ortiz in 1991, becoming District Director in 1995. Previously, she worked with the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, the Brownsville Economic Development Council and the Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport.

This is Ortiz's second staff resignation in two months.

Ortiz’s long-time communications director, Cathy Travis, resigned Dec. 31 to continue her writing career. Ortiz hired Dallas-native Danny Guerra, 25, to replace Travis. Guerra wrote previously for political news magazine Congressional Quarterly. According to The Brownsville Herald, he also worked previously with several Texas legislators.

And Let us Not Forget

Representative Ortiz to replace his long-time chief of staff, 'Lencho' Rendon with 'Nando' Gomez.

Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, also announced the promotion of Denise Blanchard, director of district operations to deputy chief of staff, the post Gomez held.

Ortiz said that Gomez, “is very level-headed. He is not the type that gets angry. He always looks at the issue before he makes a decision and he always counsels with the staff.”

Ortiz said Gomez of Gregory worked in Washington, D.C., for eight years as legislative director for former U.S. Rep. Martin Frost, as Ortiz’s legislative director in 2005, followed by promotion to deputy chief of staff. Ortiz said Gomez handles military matters. Gomez also worked in Austin for the state Legislature.

and more

"These guys will be the bridge between legislation on Capitol Hill and my constituents in South Texas," Ortiz said. "They work well together and are universally respected on Capitol Hill and in South Texas. Both deeply understand and are committed to the needs of people in my congressional district."Did somebody say bridge?

Ortiz said both Gomez and Blanchard are also likely to follow in Rendon's footsteps, playing an active role in local politics.

The only way we will be a factor is by interacting & through Natural Discussion.

2008-01-13T22:41:00.000-08:00

Nueces Democrats: "These are not Democrat issues. These are not Republican issues." These are Nueces County issues" Somebody's Knockin on the Door."

The only way we will be a factor is by interacting & through Natural Discussion.

Everybody welcome, the more the merrier. themericanprince, onamission, Homero, Nuts101, Mr Mikal Watts, Mr Filemon Vela, TJ Henry, Mr Attorney General come on guys why dont we air this thing out like Brett Favre? Just another walk in the park.

It's Too Late To Apologize. Unlike yous guys, We Dont Work for the President

Dear Lencho and the rest of the Political Crooks and Government Vendors / Contractors, Thank Dora for this COLD BLAST from the past.Somebody better start standing up and helping out. Heaven forbid should we start saying your names and your secrets. I am frickin pissed off at all of you. The day of reckoning or shall we say "wreckoning" is at hand. Speak up or get chewed up and spit out.

The best way to kick this party off is with some hard hitting; hard hitting on the one's who are not used to getting hit.

Lencho Rendon is the whipping boy he is the first one who gets hit.

If Great State of Texas can prosecute a little person for $45 then surely it should look into the allegations with the bridge to nowhere and the brown bag, back porch window treatments not to forget all that double standard malarchy.

Asian Human Trafficking or an Asian Employment Service? It all depends on who it is, how much lettuce they have, and who they got dirt on.

Why do we hand Lencho Rendon San Patricio Shores along our port

If Evan Smith Happened To Resign; Would It Stop The Critique of Paul Burka?

2007-12-30T01:32:00.000-08:00

When is Burka ever this critical of a Republican?

It is because Mr Speaker isnt a Republican,.... he is a TLR Democraddick Republican.

Republican Party of Texas Calls for Resignation of Texas Monthly Editor Evan Smith

The RPT's statement relies on an article in today's Midland Reporter Telegram that Smith recruited Midland City Councilman Bill Dingus to run against Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick. The article was erroneous. The Reporter-Telegram will run a retraction. The retraction and all communications between Smith and the newspaper can be found on Smith's blog, State of Mine.

Here is the full RPT statement:

Texas GOP Chair Tina Benkiser today called on Texas Monthly editor Evan Smith to resign his position after it was reported in today's Midland Reporter Telegram that Smith recruited Midland City Councilman Bill Dingus to run against Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick.

"Evan Smith needs to make a choice he can't be both a political consultant and a magazine editor," said Benkiser. "Those who report the news are not supposed to make it. If Mr. Smith's work hasn't already made his antagonism toward Speaker Craddick clear enough, this revelation leaves no question. The conflict of interest is obvious. He needs to step down." In today's Midland Reporter-Telegram, political reporter Bob Campbell writes, "Dingus said he had just been encouraged to oppose Craddick by Texas Monthly Editor Evan Smith, for whom Dingus' sister Anne worked as a writer, and he expects substantial financing from outside District 82."

"It now appears that Smith's unnamed source is actually Dingus himself," said Benkiser. "When you help orchestrate a candidacy, what better unnamed source than the candidate you recruit?" Noting the Texas Monthly routinely raises the ire of Republicans, and specifically conservatives, Benkiser said, "You can't fairly cover both sides if you've already taken a side. Texas Monthly routinely lambastes conservatives while claiming to be non-partisan. Now the thin veneer of non-partisanship and impartiality has been shattered. For the magazine's credibility, Mr. Smith needs to resign." Native New Yorker Evan Smith took over as editor of Texas Monthly magazine in 2000. "West Texas voters are smart, tough and conservative. They know best who will lead effectively for their district. West Texas voters will see through this liberal fantasy and stick with proven, conservative leadership," Benkiser concluded.

The retraction completely exonerates Smith from Benkiser's charge of conflict of interest. There is no defense, however, to the accusation that he is a "native New Yorker." These Republicans play tough.

Parkdale Bank: Ray Mc Murrey Is From Here, He Still Believes Like It Says In The Intro, "I'll be a straight-shooter & a square-dealer "& He Does "Reme

2007-12-28T01:08:00.000-08:00

Parkdale Bank: Ray Mc Murrey Is From Here, He Still Believes Like It Says In The Intro, "I'll be a straight-shooter & a square-dealer "& He Does "Remember The Alamo"

"I'll be as hardy of mind as I am of body. I'll be a straight-shooter and a square-dealer. My family name will be sacred My word will be as good as any contract. I'll remember the Alamo. I'll stick by my friends. And I'll eat more chicken-fried steak."

"We do not win by replacing a corporate Republican with a corporate Democrat," said Mr. McMurrey, speaking to about a dozen supporters at an East Austin residence.

Ray told me this before he spoke at his Official Announcement to run against the Corporate Democratic Military Industrial Complex Candidate for Texas US Senator.

A very passionate candidate who is anything other than a fake or what some like to call a politician.

Ray is not a Politician and this is a very very positive attribute.

Dont get me wrong he is very well suited for the Senate and the diplomacy is there but there is a sternness that demands his respect kind of like the respect and command he possesses in the classroom. I think we can all agree, if he can handle our youth in the classroom he will do well for us in Washington.

Two more things

Remember the Alamo

and

Stay tuned for Jan 2 next year.

"We do not win by replacing a corporate Republican with a corporate Democrat," said Mr. McMurrey, speaking to about a dozen supporters at an East Austin residence.

Ray Mc Murrey is from Corpus Christi.

He tells us upfront of his progressive leanings and his disappointment in both of the Hegemonic Parties.

Hegemony,.... Watch the Movie "Hot Fuzz".

B.A.C.A.L.A.: Velacrat is making friends with the Federal Entrapment gang and sycophants up to the ones he believes will elevate his Rose

2007-12-09T03:53:00.000-08:00

B.A.C.A.L.A.: Abel Hererro has proven himself and his record is there for all to see; he is a fine representative

Abel Hererro has proven himself and his record is there for all to see. I am proud of Abel, he is a fine representative.

There is a natural law I always like to follow, "If it isnt broke , then it don't need fixin".

On the other hand,

Velacrat is making friends with the Federal Entrapment gang and sycophants up to the ones he believes will elevate his Rose to a Federal Judicial Bench.

Is Fil Vela going into the fraud abuse prosecution racket & the manufacturing of fraud abuse prosecutions?

Inroads (for GOP) into South Texas?

Hurt? Injured? Need a Lawyer? Too Bad!

TLR?? ..................................three little bitty letters;

nah, I wouldnt worry bout em.

Carpetbaggers.......yup they define access, "Workforce Investment Act".....Nano Modifications..........

2007-11-30T00:28:00.000-08:00

Thursday, November 29, 2007
RedState on Hutchison and the Leadership Race

posted by Paul Burka at 7:52 AM
This report from RedState.com, sent to me by a Senate staffer, is the best piece I have read about the Republican Senate leadership race. Hutchison is prominently featured. Although RedState is no fan of Hutchison, the article views her as crucial to conservatives' long-term prospects, because (1) They don't like Lamar Alexander either -- like KBH, too moderate -- and (2) her pending departure from the Senate to run for governor will open up her leadership spot to be won by a conservative. RedState's view is that Hutchison will win the chairmanship of the Republican conference, as I reported was likely in an earlier post.

In the slow pace of the Senate, the wheels are already moving to replace Trent Lott and we could see a win for conservatives.

As it appears right now, Jon Kyl will become the Minority Whip.

Kay Bailey Hutchison will kill off challenges by both Messrs. Burr and Alexander to be Conference Chairman if she decides to run. She's still making calls and weighing options.

If KBH does run, then John Cornyn will ascend to the Policy Committee.

I expect Jeff Sessions to run and get elected as Vice Chairman of the Policy Committee Conference.

Cornyn will be a much better Policy Chair than KBH, who has excluded staffers from meetings who she deemed were too far to the right from her. She won't be Conference Chairman for long, since she's going to run for Governor in 2010.

The irony in all of this is that the fate of conservatives in the Senate rests with Kay Bailey Hutchison. We actually should support her.

While incremental, let's toy with this playing out:

After 2008, McConnell either wins or loses. If he loses, Jon Kyl will probably become Minority Leader, moving up from Whip. If McConnell wins, he might still face a coup if the GOP Senate conference feels the need to go in a new, more conservative direction after a disastrous 2008 election cycle. If the GOP does get slaughtered at the polls, it will likely be moderate Senators bearing the brunt of the voters anger, making the remaining GOP caucus more conservative and more willing to vote their own into leadership. So, Kyl might take the reins then too.

With Kyl as leader, Cornyn will run for Whip, with a reduced number of Republican Senators, but a more conservative group. Sessions will get to Policy, which is what he wants, and that leaves DeMint available to be the Party's message guy in Conference Chair. That'll leave open a slot as VP for Conference, which a good conservative could fill.

Imagine, post 2008, having the top Senate Republicans be, in order: Kyl, Cornyn, DeMint, Sessions, and an as yet to be determined conservative.

One note, just so I don't get accused of anything I don't mean -- I'm not hoping that the GOP gets wiped out in 2008. I hope, in fact, that it doesn't. But I can see the writing on the wall. And sometimes, it takes hitting rock bottom for addicts to want recovery -- especially when they're addicted to earmarks. Let's just pray to God that if we do get slaughtered that we don't fall under 41.

4 Comments:

jolie said...

back during the 2000 election cycle, burka told a class of grad students at the LBJ School that the reason texas monthly's coverage of bush was so positive - almost glowing - was to ensure their access, should bush win. precisely what access was unclear, but one can draw conclusions.

I guess he gets points for honesty.

but in retrospect, it's horrifying.
November 29, 2007 11:40 AM
Anonymous said...

Paul is letting himself slip alot these days.
November 29, 2007 11:50 AM
clayton auger said...

Another reason to make sure Cornyn never makes it back to DC as a Senator......
November 29, 2007 1:25 PM
Paul Burka said...

I don't know who jolie is, but this comment is total fiction. Well, I did teach a class at the LBJ school. That is true.

It's fair to say that our coverage of Bush was generally positive. But I wrote some tough pieces -- one when he vetoed the Patient Protection Act, one ("The Honeymoon Is Over") when Bullock came out against his property tax cut, and one, declaring the tax cut dead, that made Bush so mad that he wouldn't shake my hand in a chance encounter in the Capitol. On the whole, though, my view was, What is there not to like? He was bipartisan, he was a strong advocate for public education, he ran a squeaky clean administration (Rove was on the outside), he was a national star, he had great appointees to the Texas Supreme Court. He fought the right wing of the state party. Democrats carried a lot of his most important legislation.

It is ludicrous to think that we would base our coverage on getting access to his presidential administration. Anybody who knows anything about the media knows that nobody gets special access to the president, least of all a regional monthly publication. Once he left Texas in December 2000, we knew we were off his radar screen and vice versa.
November 29, 2007 11:10 PM

Post a Comment

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
okay.....we all know when Dick shot funeral gate's Wittington in Kenedy County and coincidently, the current creati District's Attorney appointed by the governor to not seek justice but to be on standby to PROSECUTE any and all average citizens in Kleberg/Kenedy county brother"Bo Hubert"

South Texas Judicial Watch Dog Authority: A Bill for the Creation of a Robstown Nueces County Constitutional Judge?

2007-11-15T00:16:00.000-08:00

Now, Dick Cheney can shoot who he pleases and whenever he chooses to; after all was not Bo Hubert (John John's Consanguinity) one of the ones who covered the incident up for the inebriated Dick ?

South Texas Judicial Watch Dog Authority: I submit the legislation to be illegal, unconstitutional and in violation of election codes, government codes and a circumvention of trickery to spite the failed legislation that attempted (and failed) to create a new Judicial district in Kleberg & Kenedy Counties.

Sen Bill 1951 of the 80th Leg: 1 District Court with 2 District Attorneys no where else but the 105
Posted on November 14, 2007 at 11:52:34 PM by Jaime Kenedeno

Isn't that like having 2 Attorney Generals for the same state.

Can a County elect 2 County Attorneys

Can a County have 2 County Attorneys for the same county.

ADA's & ACA's are not elected nor are they appointed to serve by the Governor.

I submit the legislation to be illegal, unconstitutional and in violation of election codes, government codes and a circumvention of trickery to spite the failed legislation that attempted to create a new district in Kleberg & Kenedy Counties.

The legislation that created the New District Attorney Position in Kleberg & Kenedy County must be challenged.

There is only one district.

There can only exist 1 District Attorney per District.

"Anything else, would be uncivilized"

Senate Bill 1951 of the 80th Legislature

Political Bigomy After All Karl Rove is From Utah
Posted on November 15, 2007 at 00:41:33 AM by Jaime Kenedeno

Is it not illegal for two to be espoused to one?

Think we can legislate another Congressional Rep for the 27th Cong Dist to help Solomon with the "backlog" of legislation in the applicable counties.

The precedent has been created get busy and start exploiting it.

A Robstown Nueces County Constitutional Judge?

Create a County Constitutional Judge's office for both Robstown & Calallen/Annavile, and get Gov. Rick Perry to give the nod to Patti or Randolph Boothe or Sam Keech as first County Constitutional Judge of Robstown & Calallen/Annaville.

Political Bigomy After All Karl Rove is From Utah
Posted on November 15, 2007 at 00:41:33 AM by Jaime Kenedeno

Is it not illegal for two to be espoused to one?

Think we can legislate another Congressional Rep for the 27th Cong Dist to help Solomon with the "backlog" of legislation in the applicable counties.

The precedent has been created get busy and start exploiting it.

A Robstown Nueces County Constitutional Judge?

Create a County Constitutional Judge's office for both Robstown & Calallen/Annavile, and get Gov. Rick Perry to give the nod to Patti or Randolph Boothe or Sam Keech as first County Constitutional Judge of Robstown & Calallen/Annaville.

Potential Juror 26........
Posted on November 15, 2007 at 00:59:29 AM by d1

was told "Just trying to stay out of trouble"....LIAR...because If you were "you lied"!

Go back to Iraq where they need your kind of prosecution......I forgot your Farsi/Arabic sucks.

"Your Honor, I'm gonna have to spend the rest of the summer in the library"

More like the rest of your life......Your hate is well documented as you can READ English, do you understand/comprehend English?

TLR/Totally Live Recognition........Now, Dick Cheney can shoot who he pleases and whenever he choices to.

With you in his pocket....no need to utilize Jaime Powell.

WATT is the Number of the Judicial District for this so called District Attorney
Posted on November 15, 2007 at 01:21:39 AM by Jaime Kenedeno

Sec. 43.182. DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR KLEBERG AND KENEDY
COUNTIES. (a) The voters of Kleberg and Kenedy Counties elect a
district attorney. The district attorney has the same powers and
duties as other district attorneys and serves the district courts
of Kleberg and Kenedy Counties.
(b) The district attorney shall attend each term and session
of the district courts of Kleberg and Kenedy Counties and shall
represent the state in criminal cases pending in those courts. The
district attorney has control of any case heard on petition of writ
of habeas corpus before any district or inferior court in the
district.
(c) The commissioners courts of the counties comprising the
district may supplement the state salary of the district attorney.
The amount of the supplement may not exceed $12,000 a year. The
supplemental salary must be paid proportionately by the
commissioners court of each county according to the population of
the county. The supplemental salary may be paid from the officers'
salary fund of a county. If that fund is inadequate, the
commissioners court may transfer the necessary funds from the
general fund of the county.

The Legislation Failed but if you notice the language is the same
Posted on November 15, 2007 at 01:26:39 AM by Jaime Kenedeno

Sec.i24.567.ii423RD JUDICIAL DISTRICT (KENEDY AND KLEBERG COUNTIES). (a) The 423rd Judicial District is composed of Kenedy and Kleberg Counties.

(b)iiThe 423rd District Court shall give preference to criminal cases.

(c)iiIn addition to other jurisdiction provided by law, the 423rd District Court has concurrent jurisdiction with the county courts in Kenedy and Kleberg Counties and the statutory county court in Kleberg County over all matters of civil and criminal

3832 79th Legislature — Regular Session 79th Day

jurisdiction, original and appellate, in cases over which a county court has jurisdiction under the constitution and laws of this state. Matters and proceedings in the concurrent jurisdiction of the 423rd District Court and the county court or county court at law may be filed in either court and all cases of concurrent jurisdiction may be transferred between the 423rd District Court, the county court, and the county court at law. However, a case may not be transferred from one court to another without the consent of the judge of the court to which it is transferred, and a case may not be transferred unless it is within the jurisdiction of the court to which it is transferred.

(b)iiSection 24.207, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec.i24.207.ii105TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT ([KENEDY, KLEBERG, AND] NUECES COUNTY [COUNTIES]). (a) The 105th Judicial District is composed of [Kenedy, Kleberg, and] Nueces County [counties]. The court shall give preference to criminal cases.

(b)iiThe terms of the 105th District Court begin[:

[(1)iiin Kenedy County on the first Mondays in June and December;

[(2)iiin Kleberg County on the first Mondays in April and October; and

[(3)iiin Nueces County] on the first Mondays in February and August.

(c)iiThe judge, with the approval of the commissioners court, may appoint an official interpreter of the court [in Nueces County] who serves at the will of the judge. The official interpreter shall take both the constitutional oath of office and an oath that he will faithfully interpret all testimony in the district court as official interpreter. The oath is sufficient for his service as official interpreter in all cases in the court [in Nueces County] during the interpreter's term of office. The judge may also assign the official interpreter to assist the court's probation officer in the discharge of the probation officer's duties.

(c)iiThe heading to Section 43.148, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec.i43.148.iiKENEDY, KLEBERG, AND NUECES COUNTIES [105TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT].

(d)iiSubsections (a) and (c), Section 43.148, Government Code, are amended to read as follows:

(a)iiThe voters of Kenedy, Kleberg, and Nueces counties [the 105th Judicial District] elect a district attorney. The district attorney has the same powers and duties as other district attorneys and serves all the district, county, and justice courts of Nueces County and the district courts of Kleberg and Kenedy counties.

(c)iiThe commissioners courts of Kenedy, Kleberg, and Nueces [the] counties [comprising the district] may supplement the state salary of the district attorney. The amount of the supplement may not exceed $12,000 a year. The supplemental salary must be paid proportionately by the commissioners court of each county according to the population of the county. The supplemental salary may be paid from the officers' salary fund of a county. If that fund is inadequate, the commissioners court may transfer the necessary funds from the general fund of the county.

(e)iiThe local administrative district judge shall transfer all cases from Kenedy and Kleberg Counties that are pending in the 105th District Court on September 1, 2005, to the 423rd District Court.

Thursday, May 26, 2005 SENATE JOURNAL 3833

(f)iiWhen a case is transferred as provided by Subsection (e) of this section, all processes, writs, bonds, recognizances, or other obligations issued from the 105th District Court are returnable to the 423rd District Court as if originally issued by that court. The obligees on all bonds and recognizances taken in and for the 105th District Court and all witnesses summoned to appear in the 105th District Court are required to appear before the 423rd District Court as if originally required to appear before that court.

(g)iiThe 423rd Judicial District is created September 1, 2005.

SECTIONi7.ii(a)iiEffective January 1, 2007, Subchapter C, Chapter 24, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 24.569 to read as follows:

Failed Creation of the 423rd District

Why did they try to create the 423rd Judcial District?
Posted on November 15, 2007 at 01:36:58 AM by Jaime Kenedeno

Sounds like how Hitler thought

Did they think they needed a new Judicial District to create the new District Attorney position?

We have here in this situation a District Attorney without a Judicial District.

Tell me I am wrong and back it up, any takers?

South Texas Verdad: Just remember that last step is a doozie.

2007-10-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

Randolph (Randy) Delay

South Texas Verdad: Power we giveth and power we can taketh away. Ask CCREDC's Joe Elizondo, Juan G and yes ask even Mikal Watts.

Power is a united people.

Dont piss us off.

TLR Connie Scott, BACALA, Fil Vela (FED sycophant & Johnny come lately white collar crime manufacturer for WATT???? BUT of COURSE! Nothing less than a Federal Judgeship Appointment for his "Tyler Rhodes" wife and sitting 13th COA Justice).

Corpus Christi Caller Times
Google Yourself Corpus Christi: Is Fil Vela going into the fraud abuse prosecution racket & the manufacturing of fraud abuse prosecutions?

Rendon, longtime Ortiz aide, will retire : Corpus Christi Local ...
Rendon served as an adviser to numerous successful political campaigns including those of Fil Vela's wife, District Judge Rose Vela; former Nueces County ...

Telemundo South Texas: Senatorial Prevarication: Will Texas Allow Junior John to Poke Our Eyes?,.... He hope so!

2007-08-12T03:26:00.000-07:00

However, we do diverge slightly. A few intangibles most of you guys probably don't know. I support the candidate whose Law Firm employs Attorneys who passionately fight for and support marriage equality. I support the candidate whose Law Firm employs Attorneys whose ideology does not align with his ideology. I support the candidate whose Law Firm employs some Attorneys with very strong progressive ideologies. I support the candidate whose Law Firm employs Attorneys of various ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. I dont think you can say this of Junior John?

"IN THE KNOW": Anybody need 5 Brand New Faulty Firestone Tires for their Family Vehicle? Hurry while vacation season is still here!

2007-08-05T01:36:00.000-07:00

"IN THE KNOW": Anybody need 5 Brand New Faulty Firestone Tires for their Family Vehicle? Hurry while vacation season is still here!

Google Yourself Corpus Christi: setexasrec: If you disagree, I got 4 brand spankin new ones to put on your family vehicle; oh yeah & one spare just in case you survive the blow out.

So WATT does this mean for Texas?

Who is the author?

After reading this article i got to believe the author is not familiar with the adversarial process or the article is pure prevarication. Who wants to buy a vehicle without laminated windows. I don't, but in Mikal's argument it was just mental re-enforcement for the jury and he is representing his client with zeal. .In layman terms Laminated glass, which is two layers of plate glass with plastic laminate in between, is used on automotive windshields. It has been used for decades to keep objects from easily getting through the windshield and entering the vehicle. The negative is it prevent easy exit should one need to break the glass in order to escape in a submerged situation or something of that nature.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

KENEDENO: "I say hot damn we got ourselves a fighter, and advocate. Now there's an attribute money cant buy, a game mentality moving unencumbered through legal birds nests and over hurdles to accomplish results.

"Like a Pitbull in the Middle of a Bunch of Poodles upon Capitol Hill.

The bottom line is the tire is faulty but it is cheaper to pay the injured and dead than it is to replace all of the tires on all of the brand new vehicles. Well, at least that was the word according bean counters (Actuarial Analysts). I bet they dont work there anymore, eh? When an automaker knows there is a faulty product that will "cause a death or two" and they acquiesce, or continue to produce the vehicle with the defective product and they dont recall the defective product for WATT ever reason they need to pay.

Watt if you or your family member purchased a brand new Explorer or Expedition or Excursion. You plan a vacation and plot out your trip planning to stop for the young ones at the rest areas and to stretch the legs and maybe even swap drivers. Everybody has their pillow and their reading material or headphones and music, for the kids you had the video screen and dvd systenm installed and you even went the extra mile and installed a Playstation III for the kids and the kids at heart.

So we are cruising and everyone is commenting on the comfort, the neat features, the enhanced entertainment, and the overall "On The Road" experience the new vehicle provides.

The last thing on their mind is breaking down, needing to check the fluids every few miles, or rolling down the window because the air conditioning dont work. The passengers and the driver feel secure and safe; maybe they dont even buckle up.

The next thing we know the vehicle has become impaired and unstable. The resulting tumbling, sliding, shattering of glass, screaming, and bending of metal that happens in less than a minute (but feels like a lifetime) comes to a rest and there is a eerie silence for a moment. Then the lucky ones can moan in their pain and the silent ones Vaya Con DIOS. How long before the Halo FLight? How long before rescue?

And you come to find out you have lost 1 or 2 or 5 of your loved ones because of something that makes no sense at all.

I am not talking about the Blowout people, I am talking about the decision made by the automaker that your loved ones were just another number, a casualty in the name of profits.

Would you want an advocate fighting for your interests like Mikal Watts fights the giant automakers?

If you disagree, I got 4 brand spankin new ones to put on your family vehicle; oh yeah and one spare just in case you survive the blow out.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Mikal Watts' arguments
http://www.setexasrecord.com/arguments/198814-mikal-watts-arguments

8/4/2007 10:58 AM

Three college girls are driving cross-country pulling a U-Haul trailer while simultaneously sharing a bag of marijuana. About 20 hours into the voyage, the driver brakes hard on a hill and loses control, sending the car off the side of the road.

They weren't wearing seat belts.

Was she high? Fatigued? Did she forget that breaking hard on a downslope while pulling a fully-stuffed U-Haul is a big no-no?

Whatever. Represented by Corpus Christi plaintiff's lawyer Mikal Watts in a suburban Houston courtroom, she demanded millions in damages over the accident-- from a tire maker.

No matter that Texas state investigators blamed the wreck on driver error and speeding, concluding the tires remained intact after the crash and worked just fine. Still, Watts argued they were wrong, that it wasn't her fault. He even demanded the judge declare a mistrial when the defense had the nerve to raise the girl's driving-while-pot smoking in court.

Is this the kind of guy-- one who would make such a specious, if self-serving, argument with a straight face-- that we want representing Texas in the U.S. Senate?

Mr. Watts, a 39-year-old mega-millionaire and judge's son who flies private, is traveling the state this summer, raising money and straining to re-define himself as a populist "everyman" in preparation for the Spring 2008 Democrat primary election.

He made his bones making arguments like the aforementioned, suing automakers and other businesses. But suffice to say, he won't be bragging on the campaign trail about the "marijuana mistrial" or his lawsuit blaming Ford for an accident in which the driver was speeding, had been drinking and wasn't wearing a seat belt.

The automaker was at fault because, according to Watts, it didn't laminate its side windows.

Watts will also remain mum about the embarrassing hiccup in that Ford case-- when it was revealed mid-trial that one of his associate lawyers was dating one of the jurors. She had even helped him "recruit" two of the plaintiffs for Watts, evidence showed.

Apparently under no ethical obligation to tell the court about this, Watts remained quiet and steadfast. It paid off-- he won a $31 million verdict.

"Mikal Watts has spent his entire career fighting on behalf of average, working Texans," promised his spokesman in a recent interview.

Don't believe it just because he says so.

TLR: “the disengagement of the average citizen in the formulation of policy.”

2007-08-02T02:02:00.000-07:00

LIKE A LOT OF OLD-FASHIONED TEXANS, Alvin Berry is the kind of man who bears the pain and indignities of life with good grace. At 73, Alvin has never been a rich man, but in his youth he managed to maneuver himself from the rolling plains of Central Texas to the industrialized eastern corner of the state, where he worked his way up to maintenance superintendent at a chemical plant in Texas City. After he retired, he moved to a small ranch near Izoro, in Lampasas County, on property inherited by his wife of almost fifty years, Carla Jean. Despite the twinkle in his eyes and his love of a good story, Alvin is not a frivolous man: He wears his snowy-white hair parted in the middle and brushed back, Depression-era-style, is an elder of his church, votes Republican, and, for most of his life, never dreamed of involving himself in something as crazy as a lawsuit.

But Alvin also has, in common with many Texans, a keenly developed sense of fairness, and something happened two years ago that struck him as just plain wrong. He had endured several surgeries: a hip replacement in 1999, which required additional surgery in 2000, and in 2002, a triple bypass, after which he experienced uncontrolled bleeding and heart failure; the doctors had to open him up again right on his hospital bed. Alvin made no complaint; as Carla Jean pointed out, those doctors had saved his life. But then, in 2003, Alvin got some lab tests with disturbing results. He’d been having kidney stones, and now his prostate-specific antigen test showed an elevated score. He didn’t like that; the nurse at the chemical plant had been a stickler for this test, so he knew that a high score could indicate cancer. His family doctor was worried enough to send him to a urologist, and that is when the trouble started. Don’t worry, Alvin recalls the doctor telling him. Kidney stones can elevate your PSA. Go home. Relax.

But five months later, in September, Alvin still had stones, and when he took Carla Jean in for her physical, he asked a nurse to check his PSA. It was up again, to 86 from 12.6. He called his urologist, who, a little more brusquely, told him not to worry. But Alvin couldn’t stop worrying. In November he got it checked again; now his level was 166. “ Then he got all excited,” Alvin says of his doctor, who immediately ordered a biopsy.

The news wasn’t good: Alvin had prostate cancer, and it had already spread to his bones in twenty places. Right away the doctor put him on daily medication and a $4,000 injection three times a year. The money wasn’t a big problem—Alvin had insurance—but he couldn’t help stewing about his predicament. “If he’d caught it earlier, it wouldn’t have been in my bones,” Alvin says. It bothered him too that the doctor hadn’t looked him in the eye when he’d delivered the bad news and that he’d never said he was sorry, even as he gave Alvin, at best, five years to live.

“I’ll tell you what upset me so much,” he says today. “Other than that, I was in pretty good health. We had a ranch out in the country, goats and cattle.” Because Alvin didn’t want his wife to be left alone in the middle of nowhere, they sold the house and part of the ranch and moved into a modest brick home atop a hill in Copperas Cove, outside Killeen. He tried to control his anger, but he felt his final years had been stolen from him: “That doctor thought he was right and the world was wrong. He didn’t give me the opportunity to make the decision of what to do with my life.”

Personally, Alvin had always been against lawsuits. He thought there were too many of them, and he didn’t think people should be able to win multimillion-dollar awards for situations they could have prevented, like the smokers who sued tobacco companies. Alvin had voted for Proposition 12 back in 2003, which amended the Texas constitution to limit noneconomic damages (usually pain and suffering) in medical malpractice cases to $250,000. “I think there are too many frivolous lawsuits,” he says. “But you ought to have the right to sue if you’ve been wronged.”

Alvin sure didn’t think what had happened to him was frivolous, and he didn’t want to give his doctor the chance to be so arrogantly dismissive of anyone else. So on a sunny Saturday in April 2004, he found himself in a Hillsboro coffee shop with a pretty auburn-haired lawyer named Kelly Reddell.

Kelly had good news and bad news. The good news was, in her opinion, that Alvin had definitely been the victim of malpractice. The bad news was that it would probably take up to two years to litigate, and if he won the case, Alvin would take home substantially less than the maximum of $250,000 the state of Texas had decided an injury like his could be worth. “Is this something you are ready to sign on for?” she asked.

Alvin was surprised that someone who seemed as sharp as Kelly could be so misinformed. He had paid attention to the campaign for Proposition 12, and supporters said that damages for the likes of pain and suffering were capped at $750,000, not $250,000. “I voted for it,” he said.

“You voted for it?” Kelly asked, eyeing him levelly.

“Yeah,” Alvin said. He was proud of it. A $750,000 cap struck him as more than fair.

His soon-to-be attorney gave him a sad, patient smile. That $750,000 cap he’d seen advertised on TV and in the papers, she explained, was available only when there were multiple defendants whom a plaintiff could sue for $250,000 each, such as a doctor and a couple of hospitals. Otherwise, the cap on noneconomic damages for a retired person with no income amounted to only $250,000. (Medical expenses are not subject to the cap.) Like a lot of lawyers in Texas, Kelly had been turning down plenty of once-good cases because the numbers just didn’t add up. She worked on a contingency basis, her fee usually around 40 percent of the award, which would amount to about $100,000. She also fronted all the expenses of the case: up to $5,000 a day for expert witnesses, money for travel, court costs. If this case worked like an average malpractice case, it would cost somewhere around $50,000 to get to trial and another $25,000 for the trial itself. That would leave Alvin about $75,000 after attorneys’ fees and expenses; other clients, with more-complicated cases, had recovered even less. And with the damages capped, there was little to no incentive for insurance companies to settle.

Once upon a time, the purpose of tort law was to make injured people whole. In Texas, victims of medical malpractice or corporate wrongdoing, no matter how poor or powerless, had some redress through the legal system. The Texas constitution plainly states that “all courts shall be open” and that every injured person “shall have remedy by due course of law.” But through the efforts of a small group of wealthy and politically influential businessmen and a legislature slavishly devoted to the organization they founded, Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR), those days are gone, and these rights may disappear across the nation as President Bush pushes his campaign against “greedy trial lawyers” and “frivolous lawsuits.”

Here is what can happen to you in Texas today, thanks to tort reformers and the Legislature: If you go to an emergency room with a heart attack and the ER doctor misreads your EKG, you must prove, in order to prevail in a lawsuit, that he was both “wantonly and willfully negligent.” If you took a drug that was later recalled after studies proved it could cause fatal complications, the manufacturer can escape liability for your serious injury or death if the instructions inside the package were approved by the FDA when you took the medicine. If your child is blinded at birth because of medical malpractice, there is a good chance that her only remedy is to receive a few hundred dollars a month for the rest of her life. If a driver hits your old Ford Pinto from behind and burns you beyond recognition, Ford will almost certainly be able to shift the blame from its defective product to the driver of the other car. If you live in an apartment complex that lays off security guards and fails to maintain its locks and you are raped as a result, the apartment owner can still avoid liability. All of the above presumes that you can find a lawyer to take your case; many can no longer afford to do so because tort reform has reduced your odds of winning. And should you by some slim chance win and the defendant appeals, your odds of ultimately prevailing on appeal are 12 percent as of 2004—the paltry rate at which the Texas Supreme Court, which has also been subject to the influence of the tort reformers, has found for the plaintiff in cases involving harm to persons or property, according to Court Watch, an Austin-based public-interests organization.

When Alvin Berry heard this news, he felt utterly betrayed. “I felt the whole thing had been misrepresented,” he says now. “We’d voted on something, and we really didn’t know what the facts were.” Alvin decided to go ahead with the suit. But what he’d really like to do, he says, is change his vote, the one that took away his right to a fair fight in court.

IT MIGHT SURPRISE ALVIN TO LEARN that the people who led the battle to take his rights away are very much like him: hardworking, churchgoing men of a certain age and experience who believe incontrovertibly that their determination to put an end to the spurious lawsuits supposedly clogging our courts is for the good of all. In fact, the words they like to attach to their efforts are terms like “civic virtue,” “level playing field,” and above all, “fairness.” I first met with the founders of TLR early this past summer in Leo Linbeck Jr.’s soaring home on one of the best streets in River Oaks, sitting down with four men who have created, in a little over ten years, not just the most powerful lobbying organization in Texas but also a social revolution in the way we treat our fellow Texans.

Central casting couldn’t have done better. In the sunny, expansive kitchen, which, complete with fireplace, resembled nothing so much as the breakfast room of a small-town country club, here was Linbeck, tall, grandfatherly, and though pale and pained from recent surgery, still chairman, at 73, of the holding company of his eponymous multimillion-dollar construction firm and other enterprises. Whenever he spoke—slowly, in soft, equitable tones—the other men, all middle-aged, listened raptly. Richard Weekley, the chairman of his family development company and vice chairman of Weekley Homes, coiled confidently in a corner, white-haired, tan, and assiduously fit. Richard Trabulsi, dark-eyed, with bountiful salt-and-pepper hair, chose his words with the precision and care befitting the corporate defense attorney he once was at Vinson and Elkins. Finally, there was Hugh Rice Kelly, the retired general counsel of Reliant Energy and the legal strategist and scholar of the group, a man whose stentorian voice, sharp intellect, and dry wit have long made him a respected presence in Houston.

As different in personality as the four men may be, all share two crucial characteristics: They are wealthy, and that wealth has been accumulated in businesses—from construction to alcohol—profoundly threatened by lawsuits. The existence of these lawsuits, in their minds, has less to do with corporate failings than with the greed of lawyers and what Linbeck describes as “the disengagement of the average citizen in the formulation of policy.”

“We all get busy in our lives,” he explained gravely, his long, tapered fingers splayed open in a gesture simultaneously apologetic and understanding. “For most of us, it’s a day-to-day tussle, living paycheck to paycheck, and esoteric issues like joint and several liability don’t really resonate. As a result, we tend not to be engaged. My concern was and is that issues like this need to be engaged by the average person.” Flaws in the civil justice system, he said, have a “perverse” effect on our lives without our even knowing it. People “didn’t understand why their wages were depressed. They didn’t understand why their job opportunities were fewer. They didn’t understand why the economy was not as robust as it would otherwise be. So I viewed this opportunity as one in which my personal bias and interest in civic virtue could be reflected in a tangible way.”

The other men in the kitchen nodded sagely at this cogent analysis, one that explained why the devastation brought about by what TLR likes to call “lawsuit abuse” had been allowed to persist and why Texas law needed to change. But outside this cozy scene, there are those who would strongly disagree. A 1994 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, for example, failed to uncover any decline in the Texas economy that could be attributed to frivolous lawsuits; Texas, in fact, led the nation in the number of new jobs created that year, when TLR was first becoming a force in Texas politics. That same year, Fortune magazine reported that, in the last quarter-century, Texas had enjoyed a 311 percent increase in Fortune 500 companies headquartered here. A national jury verdict survey found that the midpoint verdict for personal-injury cases in Texas was below the national average in every year from 1989 to 1993, including 45 percent below average in the last year of that period. In other words: What litigation crisis?

And why has the campaign against trial lawyers been so successful? Here’s how Republican political consultant Frank Luntz explained it a few years ago: “Unlike most complex issues, the problems in our civil justice system come with a ready-made villain: the lawyer. . . . It’s almost impossible to go too far when it comes to demonizing lawyers.”

Trabulsi put it another way: “A lot of people think we’re not nearly as aggressive as we should be in trying to reform a system that’s out of control.” People who suffer through the emotional and financial drain of lawsuits are very passionate about what they think the solution should be.

Leaning forward intently, he added, “We’re looking for fairness, balance, and restoration of litigation to its appropriate role in society,” he insisted. TLR isn’t trying to make sure the justice system favors defendants, as its critics have claimed. The four founders have all been involved in lawsuits; eliminating access, Trabulsi said, would be “bad public policy, and it would be against anybody’s own self-interest.”

The distant, high-pitched keening you might hear at this point in the story is the sound of some of Texas’s most successful plaintiff’s lawyers gnashing their teeth, rending their garments, and screaming in frustration. Mark Lanier, fresh from his $253.4 million verdict in the Vioxx case, still sees himself as an advocate for the common man, like many personal-injury lawyers. He has this to say about Linbeck and his three cohorts when I interview him later in his paper-strewn office in north Houston. “TLR includes what some might call a bunch of rich snots,” he sneers, the baby face that was so charming and affable during the jury selection phase of the trial contorted now with icy fury. “They’re entrepreneurial everywhere but the legal system. They don’t have a clue what it’s like to be stepped on by a rich snot.”

And there you have it, the two poles of a brutal debate that has been roiling Texas since the late eighties, one that has grown more intense and self-serving with time. “It will be difficult for you to find people in the middle,” TLR’s communications director Ken Hoagland suggested to me, and his was the voice of experience. Even the dean of the University of Texas law school, Bill Powers, declined to comment on the situation on or off the record. In the battle between trial lawyers and tort reformers, each side accuses the other of excessive greed and infinite mendacity; each side is convinced that only its side represents the truth. The middle ground is reserved for the all-too-human collateral damage of a bitter war involving big money and partisan politics, seemingly without end.

SYLVIA ANN FULLER’S LIFE ENDED just when she was finally able to savor it. The 68-year-old Tyler widow worked hard all her life, but the tight curls she wore reflected the unseen constraints on her psyche. She gave herself over to teddy bear and cookbook collections and lavished affection on her dachshund, but her ability to love her three grown children and two grandchildren was often eclipsed by inconsolable depressions. Then, in 2003, Sylvia sought treatment for the first time and, with the help of antidepressants, was reborn. A sunny day in August 2004 was one of the happiest of her life: She was picnicking with her whole family in Tyler State Park, the first time in two years they’d all been together.

But toward the end of the day, Sylvia started feeling ill, and early the next morning she felt bad enough to call her daughter, Karen Hindman, to ask for a ride to a local hospital. She had been vomiting all night and was frightened. Karen jumped in her car and drove the fifty miles from her home in Winnsboro to take her mother to a quiet emergency room that, she assumed, would give her mother the proper treatment.

Through serial workups, including two EKGs to measure her heart function, Sylvia could not stop vomiting, even with the help of medication. The doctor diagnosed food poisoning from the potato salad at the picnic and was not dissuaded when Karen noted that no one else who’d eaten it had fallen ill. He gave Sylvia morphine, to help her rest.

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The next thing Karen knew, the nurses were saying her mother could go home. She didn’t see how. Sylvia was barely conscious from the drugs. “We will help you get her into the car,” they told her. “After that, you’re on your own.” Karen was reassured when her mother chatted a little during the ride. At home, she said she’d be fine alone; she just wanted to sleep.

But when Karen got back to her own house and tried to call her mother, there was no answer. After the night passed with no response, she returned to her mother’s house, in Tyler, and found her collapsed on the floor. She had been there for nine hours, too sick to reach the phone. As soon as Karen helped Sylvia up, thick, grainy blood started pouring out of her nose and mouth. Sylvia Fuller died before the paramedics could arrive.

Because there were many things that just didn’t seem right about that visit to the emergency room, Karen and her brother David Fuller began an investigation. They hired a private pathologist to go over their mother’s medical records, which showed that Sylvia’s cardiac enzymes had been irregular (a sign that often necessitates a hospital stay). Two EKGs revealed an irregular heart rate. No one had mentioned either finding to Karen or her mother at the hospital. In written notes, the ER doctor had suggested that the irregular heartbeat was a side effect of digitalis—a drug Sylvia wasn’t taking. Hospital records also stated that Sylvia had walked out of the emergency room on her own, when in fact she had been discharged, heavily medicated, in a wheelchair. Then David discovered that the pathologist who had conducted the autopsy for the hospital had a checkered history; he had left the Harris County medical examiner’s office under a cloud after jeopardizing at least fifteen homicide investigations because he was practicing without a Texas medical license.

Like Alvin Berry, Sylvia Ann Fuller’s children had never sued anyone before. But they also felt that their mother had been robbed of her life and didn’t want what had happened to her to happen to anyone else. “If the emergency room had been very crowded and they had been overwhelmed, I could even forgive them,” David told me. “But she was the only patient in there.” One employee had been watching TV, Karen had told him. So, with his sister, David began looking for a lawyer.

They saw the first one last December. He explained the realities: The facts of the case looked promising, but because their mother was retired, they would have a hard time getting any lawyer to take the case. It was, essentially, the same story Kelly Reddell had told Alvin Berry: Anyone who didn’t work—the elderly, homemakers, or children—was looking at a cap on noneconomic damages of $250,000. Trying such cases was simply not cost-effective for the lawyer or the client. (“It’s an assault on those who are the most vulnerable,” one plaintiff’s attorney told me. “It’s almost legal malpractice to take those cases.”)

David contacted about fifteen lawyers and was turned down by all of them. One letter explained why: “Unfortunately, many of your legal rights have been taken away by state laws proposed and lobbied for by insurance, HMO, and corporate interests,” the lawyer wrote. “You and your family deserve better from the Texas government.” The lawyer suggested that David contact a citizens’ advocacy group and state officials.

So that’s what he did. He described his mother’s experience in a letter to Governor Rick Perry and received a form letter from someone in the constituent services office. It described Texas’s great success in limiting frivolous lawsuits and reducing medical malpractice rates. “Please let us know if we may assist you in the future,” the letter ended.

The letter made him more determined than ever to find a lawyer. So far, he’s had no luck.

“I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT to set the stage for this discussion by talking about what the civil justice system in Texas was like in the eighties and early nineties,” Dick Trabulsi told me earnestly, during our first meeting. The past was a mirror image of today: Trial lawyers, most of whom were Democrats who were generous with their campaign contributions, had lots of loyal friends in key legislative positions, as well as in the governor’s office and throughout the judiciary, from the Texas Supreme Court down to local district courts. They were skilled in the art of “forum shopping”—filing their cases in friendly counties, particularly in South and East Texas—and styled themselves as defenders of the weak while using their money and power to bend the rules in their favor. “Legalized extortion” is the way former lieutenant governor Bill Ratliff—who, as a state senator, wrote most of the 2003 tort reform law—described the situation to me. “If a really mean trial lawyer had a case in the right courtroom, he would break you. Insurance companies would settle anything for higher and higher amounts rather than go to a stacked court.”

Because venue laws were so loose in Texas, a case with only the most tenuous connection to the state (or the county) could still be tried in that locale, regardless of where the alleged wrongdoing had occurred. (In a seminal case, workers at a Costa Rica banana plantation who claimed to have been injured by a pesticide manufactured by Dow Chemical and Shell Oil outside the state sued in Texas, where Shell was headquartered—and won.)

Public attitudes in those days were more sympathetic to consumers and injured people than to corporate defendants. Texas attorneys made hundreds of millions of dollars in cases involving everything from breast implants (in which the science was debatable) and tobacco (in the celebrated case in which five trial lawyers, including courtroom superstar John O’Quinn, received an arbitrated fee, paid by tobacco companies, of $3.3 billion) to asbestos (in which people who were not sick managed to routinely walk away with very tidy payouts of cash from their former employers). The turning point came in 1987, when famed Houston trial lawyer Joe Jamail allowed himself to be filmed by 60 Minutes as he cozied up to Texas Supreme Court justice Oscar Mauzy and bragged about his $25,000 campaign contributions soon after the court had allowed a $10.5 billion verdict Jamail had won for Pennzoil against Texaco to stand. (“Justice for Sale?” the segment was titled.) The New York Times said that the conduct of Texas’s courts was “reminiscent of what passes for justice in small countries run by colonels in mirrored sunglasses.”

Corporate America fought back, decrying a crisis in litigation. Republicans like Vice President Dan Quayle capitalized on the partisan aspects of the issue by attacking the mostly Democratic trial lawyers in speeches as elitists. Advocacy groups sprang up across the nation—the tobacco industry in one year gave $55 million to the American Tort Reform Association—while the conservative Manhattan Institute asserted, loudly but debatably, that abuses of our legal system were costing Americans $300 billion a year.

It was in this atmosphere, in 1993, that Dick Weekley decided he had had enough. As he would later write with Hugh Rice Kelly in TLR’s monograph, “Template for Reform,” “The Trials controlled the Legislature, and Austin mandarins dismissed attempts at meaningful reform as wishful thinking.” Weekley began to convene meetings of Houston businessmen and community leaders to discuss the problem, and the people who kept coming back were Leo Linbeck, Trabulsi, and Kelly. They formed Texans for Lawsuit Reform, styling themselves as outsiders, refusing to “go along to get along.” To defeat “the most powerful special-interest group in the country,” they knew that they had to match their opponents “in focus, funding, and tenacity.”

IT WAS PROBABLY NOT surprising that the Legislature initially viewed them with derision and contempt—“Dick Weekley is gonna feel like he was f—ed by a bull,” one lobbyist vowed—but they were undaunted. TLR’s chief lobbyist, a former Republican legislator from Houston named Mike Toomey, explained to the group that they would never effect change until they could break up the coalition of Democratic state senators who could prevent tort reform legislation from coming to the floor for a vote. So the group set to work, tattling on legislators who paid lip service to tort reform back home but in Austin remained beholden to the trial lawyers. They raised $600,000 for the 1994 elections and spent about $300,000 on three contests in which novice Republicans were trying to unseat veteran Democrats—and won them all. The new senators TLR helped to elect gave Republicans their first majority in the state Senate in more than a century. Suddenly, the trial lawyers weren’t laughing anymore.

There was a new governor too: George W. Bush, who had defeated Ann Richards, in 1994, by sticking to four issues, one of which was tort reform. (By the time he was reelected, in 1998, TLR and similar groups had given more than $4 million to his two campaigns.) Karl Rove told the Washington Post that once Bush took on the trial lawyers, “Business groups flocked to us.” Enron CEO Ken Lay, an early TLR member, warned the newly elected governor in a letter, “Let me finally say that I believe there are few, if any, issues more important to this state than reforming our tort system. It has become the laughing stock of the country and is certainly discouraging companies from moving offices and plants into Texas. Over time it will encourage many of us with large operations in Texas to entertain moving some of these to other states to attempt to reduce our exposure to what has become an extremely capricious legal system.” (Lay did not mention Enron’s long history of pipeline safety violations.) In February Bush responded by declaring tort reform an emergency issue, overriding a rule that prohibited lawmakers from taking up legislation during the first sixty days of a session.

Still, there were enough Democrats in high places that TLR didn’t get everything it wanted. Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock, who presided over the Senate, forced TLR and other tort reform groups to sit down with the trial lawyers and negotiate a compromise, which they did, near the end of the 1995 session. Punitive damages were contained; instead of being calculated at four times actual damages, they were reduced to twice that amount, plus an amount equal to noneconomic damages (for pain and suffering), up to $750,000. (“Of course, the punitive damages are not what compensates somebody for their loss,” says Weekley. “It’s just pure money.”) The era of soaking the defendant with the deepest pockets came to an end; in the past, if a jury found that the defendant was more negligent than the plaintiff, that defendant could be held liable for the entire amount of a judgment. After 1995, a defendant was on the hook for only his share of the responsibility, a concept defined by TLR as “proportionate liability.” The effect of this was that if, say, an uninsured driver who rear-ended a poorly designed car was found to be 40 percent responsible for the resulting explosion, then the injured plaintiff would have to “eat” that 40 percent—the Legislature having chosen to protect the negligent automaker instead of the innocent victim. The rules covering where a case could be tried in Texas were tightened substantially; defendants could be sued only where negligence had occurred or where they were based. While plaintiff’s lawyers howled that victims would have a much harder time winning cases, it was hard to argue with reforms that probably corrected some of the worst abuses of the legal system.

Soon after the session, plaintiff’s attorney Mark Lanier found himself at a fund-raising lunch for a religious right organization, seated next to then—agriculture commissioner Rick Perry.

“What’s this next session gonna do to me?” Lanier asked.

“Hey, don’t worry,” Perry told him. “We’ve gone as far as we need to.”

That, of course, did not turn out to be accurate.

JUST BEFORE HE SIGNED the contract for his house, on New Year’s Day 2002, Brian Zaltsberg looked the KB Home salesman in the eye and gave him a stern warning. “Go ahead and lose the commission if there are going to be problems with the house,” he said. “Because your time will be better spent on someone else. If you screw me, I’m gonna come back on ya.”

The salesman for KB, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, promised that the house would be just fine. So Brian and his fiancée, Stephanie, signed the contract and, thrilled, became first-time homeowners. They were just two young kids—27 and 23 years old, respectively—without much education or money to throw around. Brian, tall, wiry, and favoring gimme caps, was determined to finish college while he earned a living developing Web sites and repairing computers. Porcelain-skinned Stephanie had finished high school and was looking forward to life as a homemaker and a mom. Brian felt they had bought, for their hard-earned $140,000, a piece of the American dream. “Happy people,” Brian said of his envisioned future, when the three of us met at his favorite Mexican restaurant in Fort Worth. “Dream home and all that.” The 1,800-square-foot one-story brick house, in a sun-scorched suburb on the northwest side of the city, was far from lavish, but to the Zaltsbergs, it was paradise. “We were so damn excited,” Stephanie told me.

But the trouble started even before they moved in. Groundbreaking was delayed, and then construction was erratic. Brian would often find the site littered with trash and once pulled containers from fast-food restaurants from the half-finished walls. But those were small problems compared with the one that took place on moving day. The Zaltsbergs stored many of their belongings in the garage while they set up the house, and as night fell, so did a downpour. Brian stepped outside for a smoke and noticed that water was flowing from inside the garage out into the street. He ran inside and saw water cascading down the walls and pooling on the floor, soaking into everything they had stored there. The Zaltsbergs had paid an extra $2,000 for a drywalled garage; now the Sheetrock was damaged and everything within was ruined.

Every day after that seemed to bring new problems: KB repaired the roof flashing where the leak had occurred but refused to replace the Sheetrock; the attic door stuck, and some of the rafters in the attic had split. Brian could pry bricks out of their mortar on exterior walls, and shingles flipped up in the wind. He asked KB to schedule repairs so that workmen wouldn’t interrupt meetings with clients at his home, but they showed up unannounced. Eventually, Brian demanded a meeting with KB. He was stressed to the max; he wanted KB to buy the house back from him. “I don’t want to live there anymore,” he told them. KB refused. Then Brian threatened KB with the only weapon he had: He would exercise his First Amendment rights and put up a Web site he would call kbhomesucks.com. The representative laughed in his face and told him to go ahead.

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Why, you may wonder, didn’t Brian sue KB? Because his contract prohibited him from doing so. It required him to seek binding arbitration instead of redress in the civil courts. In fact, only a handful of lawyers in Texas are now representing people who try to sue homebuilders, because the cases are so hard to win and so expensive to try before arbitration panels. “I always thought it was your constitutional right to sue people,” Brian said. “But we couldn’t sue KB.” Like victims of medical malpractice, homeowners have seen their access to the courthouse curtailed.

Had Brian’s confrontation with KB taken place a couple years later, he would have run into another obstacle: During the tort reform frenzy of 2003 that TLR helped stir up, the Legislature, after intense lobbying and millions of dollars in contributions from homebuilder Bob Perry, created the Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC). Disgruntled homeowners were not allowed to go directly to court; first, they had to go to the TRCC, an agency heavily influenced by homebuilders, for a determination of whether their case had merit, a finding that would then be admissible in court. (TLR did not endorse or lobby for this bill.)

Brian didn’t want to go to arbitration. He couldn’t afford an attorney. Instead, he decided to make good on his initial threat: In January 2003 he launched kbhomesucks.com. Almost immediately, he was swamped with e-mails from people claiming to have been harmed by the company. They posted their complaints too, and Brian added links for finding help. He appeared in a few local news stories, and pretty soon he was getting between 1,200 and 2,000 hits a day on his Web site. Then one night he checked his e-mail and found one from a lawyer, asking for the person in charge of the site. Attached was a copy of a $20 million lawsuit filed against someone else who had tried to take on KB. “I took that as a threat,” Brian told me. Still, Brian contacted the lawyer and requested a meeting with KB’s director of customer service. Brian had stopped paying on the house by then; KB had agreed to buy it back if he would disable his Web site. For a moment, peace appeared to be at hand. But then Brian asked for $4,000 in moving expenses and for reimbursement of his down payment. KB said it would not exchange any cash with him until the house sold. That was a deal breaker for Brian, so, as he put it, “the deal broke.”

Three months later, Brian started getting anonymous, threatening e-mails, including ones that suggested that his wife was being unfaithful, which added to the stress at home. (Stephanie had a miscarriage that spring.) Eventually, Brian started protesting publicly in front of KB’s Fort Worth offices and was harassed by the police. He had the persistent feeling he was being watched.

Finally, in September 2004, Brian sued KB in state court for harassment. The company countersued in October, hitting him with what many lawyers call a “slap suit,” a lawsuit filed by a big company against a much smaller firm or individual to try to scare the other party off. Among the claims against Brian was an accusation of cyber squatting, for misusing the KB name. Since that time, Brian has found himself in a lawsuit many might call frivolous, especially since it involves a company worth hundreds of millions and an accused party worth very little.

In late August of this year, Brian finally got to arbitration; to KB’s dismay, he was allowed to keep kbhomesucks.com up and running. In a much bigger case settled around the same time, KB Home was fined $2 million by the Federal Trade Commission and, more important, was prohibited from requiring mandatory arbitration in its homeowners’ contracts. The ruling came too late for Brian and Stephanie, who by then had let the bank take their house. “This is hell on earth, that’s what it is,” Stephanie said.

THE YEARS BETWEEN 1995 and 2003 were frustrating for TLR. Many legislators in both parties lacked the stomach for another tort reform battle, feeling they had addressed the issue well enough. But not TLR. Thwarted in Austin, TLR’s leadership turned its attention to judicial races, investing around $1 million to defeat Elizabeth Ray, a Houston district judge, in a 2002 Republican primary runoff election for the Texas Supreme Court. Ray had a reputation for fairness in her courtroom and, like many judges, accepted campaign contributions from lawyers representing plaintiffs as well as from lawyers representing defendants. But in an exceptionally bitter race, TLR tarred her as a sham Republican and a friend of the plaintiff’s lawyers. Its candidate, Dale Wainwright, won. The lesson was that you didn’t cross TLR. (“Support from plaintiff’s lawyers is a campaign issue,” Trabulsi told me solemnly.)

But by 2003, TLR’s years in the wilderness were over. A Republican wave had swept through the state in the 2002 elections, and Republicans commanded substantial majorities in both houses of the Legislature and controlled every statewide elected office, including all seats on the Texas Supreme Court. Once a plaintiff’s paradise, the court in 2002 and 2003 was finding for plaintiffs in only 19 percent of its cases. TLR had friends in high places too, including Governor Perry and his chief of staff, Mike Toomey, a tort reform true believer who had taken a leave from a lucrative lobbying practice that included TLR as a client. At the beginning of the legislative session, there were two tort reform bills, one originated by doctors (and endorsed by TLR) that capped noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases at $250,000 and another containing an assortment of protections for businesses, supported by TLR. In a clever strategic ploy, the House leadership combined the two bills, making it difficult for a lawmaker who supported one but not the other to vote no. Says Democratic state representative Craig Eiland, of Galveston, himself a trial lawyer: “Never have so many who needed so little gained so much.” The governor’s office cleared the way by maneuvering to remove the Texas Medical Association’s head lobbyist, who was deemed to be too friendly with the trial lawyers and had supported Perry’s opponent in the 2002 governor’s race. Once the lobbyist was dispatched, the TMA’s new leadership refused to engage with the trial lawyers at all.

The 1995 tort reforms had been forged during negotiations between lawyers on the two sides, but with Republicans in total control of the legislative process, compromise was a thing of the past. The sponsor of the tort reform bill, state representative Joe Nixon, of Houston, was also the chair of the committee where the bill would get its initial hearing. Nixon curtly informed the TTLA that there was “a new sheriff in town,” and things went downhill from there. “The concern was the train was going so fast no one could stop it,” Mark Lanier told me. When Lanier protested that the trial lawyers were being shut out, he found, coincidentally or not, a private investigator on his tail.

When the bill reached the House floor, hostility between Republicans and Democrats erupted in the first twenty minutes of what turned out to be a two-week marathon. Democrats filed hundreds of amendments to the bill; Republicans interposed parliamentary objections; Democrats protested adverse rulings by Speaker Tom Craddick; and on it went. Republicans voted as a bloc—the occasional stragglers were quickly whipped back into line by Craddick—and so, most of the time, did Democrats. Their pleas for exceptions to the cap fell on deaf ears. What if, for instance, an injury was proved to be intentional to a child or an elderly or disabled person—someone without significant economic damages? The answer was no exceptions; the cap would remain at $250,000. What about nursing home patients who were injured? Nope. What if the doctor was proven to be drunk? Still no. What about allowing the cap to rise with the consumer price index? After all, the $250,000 cap, which was chosen because a similar figure had been adopted in California in 1975, would be worth a little over $750,000 in 2003 dollars. No, no, no. Meanwhile, the TLR principals remained a constant presence in a corner of the House gallery, which inspired a Democratic state rep to christen their spot “The Owners’ Box.” (TLR spokesman Hoagland told me, with barely contained outrage, “My guys were there for civic virtue. We are not divorced from the legislative process.”)

The House passed the bill 99—45. The Dallas Morning News called it “Open Season on Plaintiffs.” It gave judges authority to return cases brought by out-of-state plaintiffs to their home courts; allowed challenges to forum shopping to be appealed at the time of trial, instead of after a lawsuit was over; made plaintiffs (but not defendants) responsible for court costs and attorneys’ fees if they turned down reasonable settlement offers and then lost at trial; and placed a limit on contingency fees, a device that is the only way people of limited means can get to the courthouse. Plaintiff’s lawyers front all expenses and get reimbursed (and paid a fee) only if the client wins. TLR wanted to fix the remaining problems held over from the eighties, but the limit on contingency fees and the medical malpractice cap also had the benefit of constraining the ability of trial lawyers to practice their profession.

The trial lawyers had some hope when then—state senator Ratliff, who was known for his evenhandedness, balked at the House version of the bill and set out to write his own. He nixed the limit on contingency fees and made defendants as well as plaintiffs subject to the penalties for turning down reasonable settlement offers. He also included language that allowed the $250,000 cap to be stretched to $500,000 and even $750,000 in rare situations. But enough of the reforms stayed intact for TLR to champion the bill and the TTLA to regard it as a disaster. Hartley Hampton, a former head of the TTLA, put it this way: “It was the session where the lobbyists basically acted like looters, and they got all of the candy that they were unable to get in an atmosphere of deliberation and negotiation in 1995. It was a piecemeal dismantling and sale of our civil justice system.”

TLR AND ITS TORT REFORM allies had to fight one more battle before the victory was secure. Back in the eighties, the Texas Supreme Court had struck down a 1977 law that capped damages for victims who were injured but did not die from medical negligence as “unreasonable and arbitrary.” They called the law “a speculative experiment to determine whether liability insurance rates will decrease.” But by 2003 that Democratic court, and the Democratic Texas it operated in, was long gone. A constitutional amendment allowing caps—if approved by the voters—would put to rest any doubt over the legality of the new $250,000 cap.

The fight over Proposition 12, as the constitutional amendment was called, presented the people of Texas with a Hobson’s choice: access to medical care versus access to the courts. On one side were doctors, insurance companies, and business interests, who claimed that physicians would leave the profession if malpractice insurance rates were not reduced; on the other were trial lawyers and consumer groups, who said that injured victims would have no recourse if the caps took effect. Each put harrowing statistics and shrewd emotional ploys to work, and each side spread around plenty of money—about $4 million came from the trial lawyers and their allies and $8 million from an agglomeration of pro-amendment groups, including TLR.

The amendment authorized a $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages in malpractice cases “and other actions,” three words that sent opponents of the proposition into a fury because they allowed the Legislature to cap damages not just on malpractice cases but on every personal-injury lawsuit, whether it involved drunk drivers or corporate polluters. Trabulsi suggested that no one in his right mind would take that possibility seriously, but retired U.S. district judge Finis Cowan, who had been a highly regarded defense lawyer at Baker Botts, strongly disagreed in a State Bar of Texas publication on the debate. “Clearly Prop 12 is not a medical malpractice reform,” he wrote, “but an amendment designed by special interests who have reasons for desiring to restrict access to courts and juries.”

Constitutional amendments are usually voted on in early November, but the Legislature moved the election to September to avoid the big turnout on a traditional election day, which probably would have defeated the amendment. As of June, polls showed that 62 percent of Texans favored letting legislators limit lawsuits, with just 28 percent opposed. Twenty years of lawyer bashing had taken its toll. To fight back, the lawyers hired the Dallas-based public relations and political consulting firm of Allyn and Company to run their campaign. The standard-bearer of the fight, however, was former Texas Supreme Court justice Deborah Hankinson, a plucky Republican and a Bush appointee who was willing to expend virtually all her political capital to defeat an amendment she saw as an affront to Texans’ most basic legal rights.

In the past, Hankinson had supported needed tort reform—and continues to do so—and accepted TLR contributions. But this amendment, she said, wasn’t designed to cut off bad—that is, frivolous—lawsuits; it was designed to cut off lawsuits by people with legitimate claims, by restricting access to the courthouse. (Meanwhile, special-interest groups had gained unprecedented control of the Legislature.) “This tort reform went too far,” she told me. “I don’t consider this to be reform. I view this as something that deprives people of their constitutional rights.”

Frantically, Hankinson enlisted a diverse coalition to fight the amendment, including members from the American Association of Retired Persons, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Sierra Club, the Texas Federation of Teachers, and others. One group was missing in action: trial lawyers. “The biggest problem we face as lawyers when we try to get our message across on this issue is that the MESSENGER is KILLING the MESSAGE,” TTLA president John Eddie Williams wrote in a June e-mail to his members. “To make this program work we must vow to not communicate with the public. . . . NO LAWYERS—NO EXCEPTIONS.”

Within weeks, the arguments about court access began to have an effect. July polls showed that the two groups were almost dead even; the same was true in August, as political ads from both sides became more strident and more questionable. Particularly troubling were advertisements in print and on television that put the cap for noneconomic damages at $750,000. On election day, Prop 12 was defeated in every major city in Texas but still won, by a margin of one percent of the vote. The decisive votes came from South Texas and rural areas, where voters feared that lawsuits might leave them without doctors or hospitals. “If we’d had another week, we could have cleaned their clock,” Hankinson told me. Instead, Alvin Berry, Karen Hindman, David Fuller, and thousands like them have found their rights diminished when they needed them most.

ON MY LAST VISIT with TLR, U.S. senator Sam Brownback, of Kansas, was just leaving as I arrived. An old friend of Linbeck’s, he is just the kind of politician TLR likes: Republican, wealthy, with Christian right bona fides, and— in the words of Thomas Frank, the author of What’s the Matter With Kansas? —“a stalwart friend of the CEO class.” When he clapped Trabulsi on the shoulder to thank the group for all its hard work in Kansas, the four men beamed. “They brought back the small-aircraft industry,” Brownback assured me. “It was dead. Dead.”

After he left, I asked the quartet what, exactly, they had done in Kansas.

“Ah, nothing,” one of the members said. “He was speaking generically about tort reform.”

It might seem that after the sweeping 2003 reforms, there is little left for TLR to do. But the bogeyman of excessive litigation is always out there, and TLR is, in fact, laser-focused on the one Texas Supreme Court decision of the past few years that did not go its way. The case involves Ashley Dueñez, who was nine when, in 1997, a drunk driver, Roberto Ruiz, swerved across the centerline on a highway near Port Lavaca, crashed head-on into the Dueñez family car, and left her severely brain damaged, requiring around-the-clock care for the rest of her life. Ashley’s father, Xavier, a corrections officer, also suffered some brain damage and needed plastic surgery.

Ruiz had drunk one and a half cases of beer while chopping wood earlier in the day and then, stumbling and drooling, bought another twelve-pack at a convenience store before getting back into his truck and destroying the lives of the Dueñez family. The defense argued that the clerk who sold the beer was primarily responsible, not the convenience store chain, but last September the Supreme Court upheld a $35 million judgment for the Dueñez family against F.F.P Operating Partners, the owners of the convenience store. The 5—4 decision was based on anti—drunk driving laws passed years before the 1995 change in proportionate liability. (The majority relied on a law that reflected basic common sense: Too often a drunk driver can’t afford to make restitution to his victims; bar and liquor store employees have the opportunity to stop drunks from getting drunker and going on the road by simply refusing to serve them.)

But in April of this year, the court agreed to a rehearing, a highly unusual move, particularly because four of the original justices who had decided the case had left the court and been replaced by judges perceived to be even more defendant-friendly. One possible reason given for the turnaround was the half a dozen friend-of-the-court briefs supporting the motion for rehearing, including one from TLR, stressing the importance of proportionate liability. Justice Priscilla Owen, whom TLR had helped elect, had conceded in her dissent that “a provider of alcohol should be vicariously liable for a patron’s intoxication.” But she went on to say that she did not believe the Legislature meant what it said when it passed a law stating that a provider of alcohol was 100 percent liable for damages caused by an intoxicated patron who had been allowed to buy alcohol when he was clearly already drunk.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which believes that a company that profits from the illegal sale of alcohol should also bear the burden when injuries occur, had supported this law. Owen didn’t see it that way, and neither did TLR, especially Trabulsi, who opened himself to conflict-of-interest criticism as the owner of Richard’s Liquors and Fine Wines. As John Griffin, the attorney for the Dueñez family put it, “They are asking the court to take a Magic Marker and put a big black mark through the Legislature’s description of its own laws.” The assertion that legislators didn’t know what they were saying, he says, was “sophistry.”

There are other areas of the law that TLR would like to see “reformed.” Along with prohibiting contingency fees for lawyers hired by government agencies, TLR wants to restrict who can serve on juries, which, after all, are unpredictable. According to its latest press kit, the group is intent on “upgrading the qualifications required to serve on juries.” Explains Trabulsi: “We want to make sure that someone who is a claimant or defendant is tried in front of a jury of their peers. And we believe sometimes that doesn’t happen. We’re going to take a look at the whole realm of the jury system to try to make sure it operates as efficiently and as constructively and as fair as it possibly can.”

After surveying their handiwork, one can legitimately ask, fair for whom? While TLR and the governor’s office extol the return of insurance companies to the medical malpractice insurance business in Texas and a 6.35 percent drop in malpractice rates (less impressive when you realize that rates for the state’s major insurers went up more than 100 percent between 1999 and 2003), they have surprisingly little else to show for their labors. When I asked TLR for evidence of a tort-reform-fueled business boom, they handed me a five-year-old study.

Several recent studies, on the other hand, make you wonder whether there was ever a litigation crisis at all. Four law professors, including two from the University of Texas, Bernard Black and Charles Silver, found no link between lawsuits and rising insurance premiums. They studied resolved malpractice claims from 1988 to 2002, relying on data from the Texas Department of Insurance. The number of large claims—those with payouts of at least $25,000—had remained basically flat since 1988; jury verdicts in favor of plaintiffs in civil courts had likewise shown no change over the same period. Furthermore, malpractice claims made up less than one percent of total health care expenditures in Texas. In short, nothing changed much in fourteen years except that insurance company profits doubled. And the promised results of tort reform have not occurred: Malpractice insurance reductions have been less than 1.5 percent since 2003, and the hoped-for return of doctors to underserved areas has not taken place. A briefing paper released by the Economic Policy Institute, in Washington, in May 2005 further found no evidence that tort litigation was responsible for causing unemployment, dampening productivity, discouraging research, or driving up liability insurance rates. The institute found, in fact, that the number of lawsuits in the U.S. actually dropped 4 percent in the decade prior to the tort reform year of 2003.

The tort reform movement was born in an era when the pendulum had swung too far in the direction of plaintiffs, and reforms that restored fairness and integrity to the system were justified. But as so often is the case in politics, the wronged side overreached. Now the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction—so far that the Legislature has usurped the lawmaking powers of the courts, and meaningful access to justice has been eliminated for the likes of Alvin Berry, the children of Sylvia Ann Fuller, Brian and Stephanie Zaltsberg, and—if business and the tort reformers have their way—Ashley Dueñez. If lower awards limit the number of cases a good lawyer can afford to take, the remainder of cases will fall to less competent lawyers, who, if they take a case at all, will most likely win much lower settlements for their clients or, more likely, not win at all. When I suggest this to Trabulsi, he insists that attorneys can attend seminars to learn how to get around the caps. “And lose,” Mark Lanier adds.

Maybe that’s the point. With the courts closed and the Legislature supine, the good people of TLR will have remade the world in their image, one in which there is no recourse for wrongdoing, one in which the powerful simply get their way.

Brian Zaltsberg, for one, is going down fighting. As soon as he finishes college, he plans to attend law school.

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Posted by Jaime Kenedeño at 3:09 AM

The Serpent IN the Garden January 14, 1996 Houston: Inaction Allowed Abuser To Roam For 10 Years.

2007-07-18T02:44:00.000-07:00

If this was leaked to the media did the Corpus Christi Caller Times tell us about this pedophile?

Did the Caller publish any stories on this matter?

And the CCISD Board did they inform the community?

The Serpent IN the Garden January 14, 1996 Houston: CCISD board President Henry Nuss AQUIESCED. CCISD eagerly supplied pedophile with young patients - even after he had been publicly charged.

CORPUS CHRISTI - James Plaisted was a respected child psychologist, a deacon in one of the city's largest Baptist congregations and the father of four.

He also was a child molester so brazen he escorted little girls into church and fondled them under his coat while listening to the sermon.

Parents knew. So did church pastors, school officials and state regulators. But few did anything to stop him, and those who tried were remarkably unsuccessful.

It took 10 years to get Plaisted behind bars. Only he knows how many children he molested during that time.

Last month, Plaisted - already serving a two-year federal prison term for luring a Texas patient to Boston to continue molesting her -was brought back to Corpus Christi in chains.

He pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting four girls and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

State regulators have yet to revoke his license to practice psychology.

""I think the Plaisted case is the model of what happens when the system fights with itself," said Susan Snyder, a Kingsville attorney and former prosecutor who tried to lock up Plaisted in 1992.

""Obviously, there have been safeguards in place to prevent this man all along, but either (state officials) were too lazy or too busy, or too scared of the politics of going and yanking this man's license," Snyder said. ""It's not the legal system failing. It's the people within the legal system that refuse to let the legal system work."

It's not as if no one tried.

Carmen Alvarado, the mother of the first child to accuse Plaisted more than 10 years ago, sought criminal charges against the therapist and filed an ethics complaint with the Texas Board of Examiners of Psychologists. She alleged that Plaisted had fondled her son's penis during a late-night counseling session.

Alvarado called the Parkdale Baptist Church, where Plaisted, 46, was a deacon.

""They said they were leaving it in God's hands," she recalled.

""I don't think they were thinking straight at the time."

She went to other parents. She got no help.

In the end, it was just her son's word against Plaisted, who told a Corpus Christi jury in 1986 that the 6-year-old child was a habitual liar and a pyromaniac who derived sexual excitement from setting fires. It didn't help that a new prosecutor was assigned to the case just before trial.

The jury acquitted Plaisted; his practice continued.

""It made me mad because when I went for help, all I asked was for them to testify," Alvarado recalled. ""We lost because my son was the only witness we had."

""It was a very tough call to make," said another victim's mother. ""And looking back, I really should have crucified him, but I didn't. I chose not to after talking to my attorney. He told me it would just really traumatize my daughter."

The Corpus Christi woman, who asked not to be identified, said she did confront Plaisted and his wife, who were neighbors in 1984, when her daughter was allegedly molested while spending the night with one of Plaisted's daughters.

""He did not deny it," she said. ""He said he could have done it

in his sleep."

Plaisted's wife laughingly added that she and her husband often made love at night, and he would not remember the next morning, the woman said.

The woman, who was also a member of the Parkdale Baptist Church, recalled telling church officials later about Plaisted's molestations.

""But it didn't seem to make any difference," she said. ""The church really backed him up, and a lot of people left the church after that."

Plaisted's attorney, Doug Tinker, refused to allow the Chronicle to interview his client. The criminal defense lawyer, who earlier this year represented Yolanda Saldivar, who was convicted of murdering Tejano star Selena, declined to discuss the Plaisted case.

The victims' families have since sued the church for negligence, but Parkdale's lawyer argues the congregation should not be held responsible for Plaisted's actions.

""It would be the church's wish to get this thing resolved without causing any additional hurt to anyone," said attorney Van Huseman. But he added, ""If a child gets molested in the middle of the service, how does that get to be the pastor's fault?"

Plaisted - a Nebraska native who served in the Army in Vietnam -came to Corpus Christi in 1982 with impeccable credentials, having earned his doctorate in clinical and child psychology from Auburn University in Alabama in 1981.

He quickly built a private practice, and over the years, developed a good reputation as an expert on brain dysfunction.

The Corpus Christi school district, along with local pediatricians, eagerly supplied him with young patients - even after he had been publicly charged. Members of the church also sought his help, and he had hospital privileges at the prestigious Driscoll Children's Hospital, a South Texas institution known both for quality care and charity.

Neighbors described Plaisted as pleasant, reserved, well-spoken. He was methodical, they said, and liked to work on projects around the house.

Plaisted recruited some of his victims from broken homes, showering the children with gifts, inviting them and their parents to Thanksgiving dinners. One 9-year-old girl who spent the night with Plaisted's daughter told prosecutors the psychologist molested her on the sofa in his living room while he and the children watched the movie "Home Alone"

on video.

He curried favor with his victims' parents by lending them money and refusing repayment, or by buying them air conditioners and other gifts. One mother even acted as a character witness for the therapist during the Alvarado trial, unaware that her own child was being molested.

""The bottom line is this guy had complaints filed against him at the psychology board - and they are serious - and the board doesn't notify the school about the complaints," said Jerry Boswell, director of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a group funded by the Church of Scientology (SEE CORRECTION) that documents cases such as Plaisted's. ""And the school is still referring children to this guy."

Corpus Christi school administrators said they used Plaisted infrequently for psychological testing of students, although school records and correspondence indicate he was a consultant from 1983 until he was indicted for child sexual assault in late 1992.

School administrators have identified records of five students referred to him for psychological testing between 1985 and 1992. There are no records prior to 1985.

School board President Henry Nuss, who has served on the board for seven years, said he first heard of the Plaisted case when he was contacted by the Houston Chronicle last week.

""We certainly should be more selective in who we're using," he said.

After Plaisted was charged in the Alvarado case in April 1986, Robert J. Garcia, the school district's special education director, wrote to the state psychology board to ask about the psychologist's record. The agency's executive director replied that Plaisted's license had been suspended, but because the psychologist was in the process of suing to get it back, he remained licensed to practice. The letter gave no details about the nature of the complaints.

""He was given a clean bill of health by the only agency that had anything to say about it," said Dr. Adrian Haston, a psychologist who coordinates the school district's psychological services, and who, years ago, shared an office with Plaisted.

Haston emphasized that none of the schoolchildren referred to Plaisted were molested. ""And we never had anything untoward, any problems of that sort," he said.

Asked why the district would risk using a psychologist once accused of being a child molester, Haston replied, ""This is something the district did, and you can ask the director of special education why."

Garcia said in a recent telephone interview that he could not remember whether he knew about the child molestation charges at the time he wrote to the psychology board.

""All I know is we asked for what his status was and they said he could still practice," he said. ""We knew he was under review, but we didn't know what for.

""Look, the state board of psychologists, they're the ones that allowed him to continue to practice," Garcia added angrily.

""If anyone should be asked as to why this guy was allowed to continue, it should be the state board of psychology."

Pressed for further details, Garcia abruptly ended the interview and hung up the phone.

Although Plaisted was acquitted in August 1986 in the Alvarado case, the psychology board continued its investigation and ruled in November of that year that Plaisted had violated professional standards.

The board officially suspended his license for two years, but said he would be allowed to resume his practice in three months.

Meanwhile, Plaisted challenged the suspension in state district court in Austin, arguing the psychology board had unfairly considered allegations that had not been introduced during his hearing, denying him the opportunity to defend himself against them. The judge agreed, and in January 1987 reversed Plaisted's suspension.

While the board was investigating Plaisted's case, they were contacted by Corpus Christi psychologist George Kramer.

Kramer, who had hired Plaisted in 1982 before Plaisted was licensed, told the board to subpoena records of the state Department of Human Resources. It did, and found other instances of alleged molestation by Plaisted.

In April 1989, the board reached an agreement with the psychologist that allowed him to keep his license if he agreed to be supervised for 11/2years. Plaisted was to treat children only in the presence of an associate or in a location where he could be observed by a television monitor. He also was to pay to have Corpus Christi psychologist Joseph Horvat supervise his casework.

Horvat met with Plaisted weekly, but after a year - convinced that Plaisted was doing nothing wrong - he recommended the supervision be terminated six months early. The board decided to continue the supervision.

""I have found no evidence in any way, shape or form of any behavior on his part which could be in any way construed as unprofessional or unethical," Horvat wrote to the board.

Included in one of his reports to the board was a review of Plaisted's treatment of an 8-year-old girl - a child Plaisted was later charged with molesting.

The board's general counsel, Barbara Holthaus, acknowledged past actions taken by the agency were inadequate.

""With hindsight, of course it wasn't appropriate, because look at what happened," Holthaus said. But she said the board has since added lay people to its ranks and has a new, tougher state law giving it better enforcement powers.

""Now, if we get a report that a psychologist is molesting a client, we can go before a judge and say we want to temporarily suspend the license," she said.

Holthaus said the board has filed a motion to revoke Plaisted's license, but Plaisted is fighting it.

""It's all kind of moot, because he's incarcerated," she said.

Soon after Plaisted completed his board-ordered supervision, Corpus Christi police received new information from state child welfare workers that Plaisted had been molesting girls at his office, in church and at home in his hot tub.

Former detective Eric Michalak, who now works in Colorado, remembered taking the Plaisted case to a Nueces County assistant district attorney for prosecution.

""He wanted to get a warrant for the doctor and arrest him, because we had very strong evidence against him," Michalak said. ""We had multiple victims and you had a guy in the position he was in, where he had access to all these victims.

You would want to take quick action rather than let it go on for so long."

The prosecutor was overruled by then-District Attorney Grant Jones, Michalak said. ""(Jones) just said, `We're not getting a warrant. We're taking our time.' He wanted the kids reinterviewed by one of the prosecutors.

""Any time you go after someone like that, there's a lot of politics that come into play," Michalak added. ""Instead of stepping in right then, and bringing it out in the open and taking it to a grand jury (for indictment), they delayed."

Jones contends that any delay in prosecution was an effort ""to tie the case down tight. We didn't want to lose him twice,"

said Jones, on whose watch Plaisted was acquitted in the Alvarado case.

Jones called it ""outrageous" the psychology board still hasn't revoked Plaisted's license.

""They should have done it in 1986," he said. ""What they want to do is wait around until you go to trial and you convict him, and then they come in behind your conviction and revoke his license. Well, what's he doing in the meantime? He could be out in the community molesting kids for two years."

Michalak said the case was finally taken to the grand jury several months later after he leaked the information about Plaisted's investigation to the local media.

""It was taking too long, and it wasn't being handled like another case," he said. ""And it was because he was so prominent in the community."

Plaisted was finally indicted in Corpus Christi in October 1992. He posted bond, closed his practice in Corpus Christi, and negotiated an agreement with the psychology board to place his license on inactive status until he could prove his innocence.

He then moved to Boston, where he enrolled in Boston University Law School and successfully completed his first year of studies by May 1994.

While in law school, Plaisted began calling a former patient - the girl whose treatment Horvat had reviewed in Corpus Christi. Plaisted convinced the girl's mother - who was also a patient of his - to bring the girl to Boston for additional therapy.

Plaisted's plans were foiled when a policeman setting up a speed trap in his neighborhood accidentally intercepted on his police radio a sexually explicit telephone call between the girl and Plaisted, who was using a cordless phone.

FBI agents were called in, six other calls were taped, and Plaisted was arrested on June 3, 1994, after he met the girl, then 13, and her mother at the train station and took them to a budget motel.

""The mother wasn't aware" of the molestations, said Adolfo Aguilo, an assistant Nueces County district attorney. ""The mother had a borderline personality disorder - she developed dependency on people -and unfortunately for her the person she developed a dependency on was Dr. Plaisted."

Sgt. Michael Harpster, a police detective from suburban Boston who helped arrest Plaisted, described him as ""very congenial, almost shy."

""He'd answer questions very courteously, but he didn't show any outward signs of knowing the seriousness of the situation," Harpster said.

Last January, Plaisted was sentenced by a federal judge in Boston to a two-year prison term after he pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity.

The Corpus Christi conviction and sentence came almost a year later.

In the end, Plaisted admitted molesting four victims. But prosecutors say no one will ever know how many others failed to come forward.

""I imagine there could be several other victims. Through his practice and the church he probably had access over the years to thousands of children," said Aguilo, the Corpus Christi prosecutor who eventually secured Plaisted's guilty plea.

""To me, any kid that came in contact with this guy was a victim in some way or another," added Michalak.

When Plaisted was sentenced last month, it was a bitter emotional meeting for many of his young victims and their parents, who had been called as witnesses in case Plaisted decided against the plea bargain.

Parents said Plaisted stood up straight, held his head high and looked the judge in the eye. And when he saw the relatives of his former victims, he acted as if he were attending a reunion of old friends, they said. One parent said Plaisted looked as if he thought they were there as supporters or character witnesses.

""He turned around and gave the families a big smile," Alvarado said. ""I couldn't believe it."

Alvarado, who sued Plaisted in civil court, has received a settlement for an undisclosed amount. Her son, now a teen-ager, is still struggling with his past abuse, she said, and she continues to feel betrayed by those who would not join her in speaking out years ago.

""I told them if they had helped me in the beginning, none of this would have happened," she said.

Plaisted timeline

Key dates in the career of Dr. James R. Plaisted:

January 1983: Licensed to practice psychology in Texas.

October 1984: Investigated by Texas Department of Human Resources for allegedly molesting a neighbor's child.

April 1986: Charged in criminal case for allegedly fondling a boy during therapy.

August 1986: Acquitted by jury in Corpus Christi.

October 1992: Indicted for sexual abuse of three Corpus Christi girls.

December 1992: Closed Corpus Christi office; moved to Boston to begin law school.

June 1994: Arrested by FBI agents for luring a 13-year-old former Corpus Christi patient to Boston.

January 1995: Indicted by Corpus Christi grand jury on three counts of aggravated sexual assault for incidents years earlier involving the same girl.

January 1995: Sentenced to two years in federal prison in Boston case.

Dec. 7, 1995: Sentenced to 40 years in state prison by a Corpus Christi judge after pleading guilty to five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Google Yourself Corpus Christi: When Carlos Valdez Confesses Error Does Not The Same Rule Apply?

2007-06-08T05:24:00.000-07:00

Google Yourself Corpus Christi: When Carlos Valdez Confesses Error Does Not The Same Rule Apply?

First, in seeking the death penalty, prosecutors sometimes overlook glaring illegalities.

"courts, especially state courts, are too often willing to overlook even obvious constitutional flaws when reviewing death penalty cases."

And if they are "willing to overlook even obvious constitutional flaws and glaring illegalities when Prosecuting & reviewing death penalty cases."

WATT about all of the other cases?

How many "overlooks" of "constitutional flaws" or "glaring illegalities" have become tools of Cheating Prosecutors who have forgotten "Prosecutors, despite striking hard blows, must never lose sight of their ultimate obligation to do justice in every case.

How many Prosecutors deliberately commit the error of failing to file a reply brief in an Appeal Process because it deprives the appellant of exculpatory testimony, evidence, and confessions of error or witness tampering by the State Prosecuting Attorney?

----
CONFESSING ERROR
By EDWARD LAZARUS
----

Friday, Jun. 16, 2000

Earlier this month, Vincent Saldano, one of the 468 inmates on Texas' death row, had his death sentence vacated. This development was duly reported in the press. But accounts of Saldano's good fortune uniformly failed to appreciate what makes his reprieve truly newsworthy and potentially a landmark.

Saving Saldano: Texas Confesses Error

Saldano was not freed from the prospect of execution by the actions of a court or even, as occasionally happens, by the clemency of a governor. His death sentence was erased because Texas, through its newly created office of the solicitor general, "confessed error" in his case -- that is, it admitted, despite defeating Saldano's initial appeals in court, that his death sentence was illegally obtained. Quite simply, this never happens, either in Texas or in the dozens of other states with active death penalty laws. It is thus worth pausing to consider the value and potential implications of Saldano's case as well as the notion of confessing error.

Saldano had received a death sentence in part due to profoundly troubling testimony by a state expert witness at the sentencing phase of his trial. The expert, a clinical psychologist named Walter Quijano, suggested that Saldano should be executed because, as an Hispanic, he posed a special risk of future dangerousness to society. To support this astonishing conclusion, the expert pointed out that Hispanics make up a disproportionately large amount of Texas' prison population.

It does not take a tenured professor of constitutional law to realize that linking racial identity with a propensity for violence was not only bizarre but also a violation of the equal protection clause. Indeed, that it should take a confession of error by the state to correct this problem highlights at least two problems in the current administration of the death penalty. First, in seeking the death penalty, prosecutors sometimes overlook glaring illegalities. The same flaw identified in Saldano's case infects at least seven other Texas capital cases. Second (and perhaps even more distressing), courts, especially state courts, are too often willing to overlook even obvious constitutional flaws when reviewing death penalty cases. After all, before the state's confession of error, Saldano had lost all of his appeals.

Under these circumstances, one might think that confessions of error would be, if not commonplace, at least occasional. On average, the Solicitor General of the United States confesses error in two or three criminal cases every year -- even though it is a safe bet that federal prosecutions, conducted by better trained lawyers with greater supervision, are less likely to contain obvious legal errors than their state counterparts. As the Supreme Court recognized when endorsing the practice in 1942, "the public trust reposed in the law enforcement officers of the Government requires that they be quick to confess error, when, in their opinion, a miscarriage of justice may result from their remaining silent." But as a practical matter, states never confess error in death penalty cases (even though courts overturn roughly two-thirds of all death sentences as legally infirm) -- and some states candidly admit that their policy is never to confess error.

Mutual Distrust

Why? One crucial and usually overlooked factor is the deep antagonism that has grown up over time between state death penalty prosecutors and the death penalty abolitionist lawyers who seek to foil them in every case. The abolitionists, prosecutors know all too well, never concede that their clients deserve the death penalty or that the death penalty was legally imposed -- no matter how flimsy their arguments in a given case. Rather, they use every procedural and substantive trick in the book to delay executions.

There can be no denying that such abolitionist tactics have angered and frustrated state prosecutors. And one response to these understandable emotions has been for prosecutors to mirror the fight-to-the-bitter-end approach of their opponents.

The problem with this reciprocation, however, is simply that the ethical duties of prosecutors and defense attorneys are vastly different. Defense attorneys are duty-bound to scratch and claw to win for their clients. Prosecutors, by contrast, despite striking hard blows, must never lose sight of their ultimate obligation to do justice in every case.

That may sound trite and perhaps overly idealistic, but it has a practical side as well. Prosecutorial confessions of error -- knowing when to fold them, as it is known -- establish credibility. They create trust in the system, a sense that someone is being careful and exercising sound judgment, that extends far beyond any single case. And that can make a world of difference for someone like me, who is not morally opposed to the death penalty but skeptical of how it is imposed.

Death Penalty Politics

In addition, the reluctance of state prosecutors to confess error is a clear reflection of how politics affects the death penalty. Up until now, anyway, undoing a death sentence was akin to political suicide for an elected district attorney or state attorney general, or for any state official with ambitions for re-election or higher office. And yet the willingness of Texas' new solicitor general to confess error in the Saldano case suggests a possible turning point. With the current groundswell of death penalty opposition based on the possibility of executing an innocent person, elected officials may now find some advantage in approaching capital cases (even those where innocence is not an issue) with a greater degree of care and honesty.

case will start a broad trend. But there is reason to believe that the tide is indeed turning. On June 9, Texas Attorney General John Cornyn announced the results of an investigation into other death penalty cases involving testimony by state expert Walter Quijano. Cornyn acknowledged that Dr. Quijano had provided testimony in six other death penalty cases similar to his improper testimony in the Saldano case. Cornyn's staff has advised defense lawyers for the six inmates now on death row that his office will not oppose efforts to overturn their sentences based on Quijano's testimony. In response, a pessimist might note that Texas is appealing a ruling in another capital case that the defendant received inadequate counsel -- when, indisputably, his lawyer slept through much of the trial. But doing the right thing has a contagious quality to it. Or at least so we can hope.

Edward Lazarus, a former federal prosecutor, is the legal correspondent for Talk Magazine and the author of Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court.

Texas Public Education Watchdog Authority: Dear Chuy Hinojosa, Florence Shapiro and distinguished Education Committee Members

2007-05-27T02:29:00.000-07:00

Texas Public Education Watchdog Authority: Dear Chuy Hinojosa, Florence Shapiro and distinguished Education Committee Members

Just give us (Education) the Lottery Proceeds as per original bill of sale. The Lottery was sold to us (the voters of the great State of Texas) as 100% of the proceeds were for Educating our youth.

What percentage of the Lottery proceeds (currently) are dedicated to the education of our youth?

Why is it, the wealth always steals from our children after acting like they were creating, “doing it for th kids” huge reservoirs of Avarice to siphon off.

Like the Lottery originally was ratified by the people of the Great State of Texas with the belief ot was a moneymaker for our Children’s Education. And now how much of the Lottery revenue makes it to Public Education?

Perry Craddick & Corporate Welfare in the name of WIA, ED Byrne Grant, and under the guise of helping the poor.

With the Education funding we should demand that the dedication of lottery money to the Education of our Children be adhered to as it was sold to Texas. The Lottery when legislated was for the Education of Texas Students. Finally, the Private Sector is funded under the WIA slush fund for Corporate Welfare Recipients under the Guise of a Welfare Reform or Welfare to Work / JOB generating program to help the poor. The rich are getting richer in the name of helping the poor. And one needs to always remember it is both parties dippin into the creative crony contractualism. Give it a title, write a grant and set up a front office with a computer and a sign; then get some brochures and a few token clients and funnel the Avarice in a shell game like manner and voila a new ranch or a new house maybe an agency hummer or King Ranch Pickup Truck with a magnetic sign. Give a few JOBS to your network affiliates and send the clients to perform community based work and get rich and richer doing it. Ask Mary Cano or Oscar Martinez to explain it in detail. Charmed I'm sure.

TFT LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE--FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2007
>(copyright 2007 Texas Federation of Teachers)
>
>Proposed State Budget Shortchanges Schools and Educators; Keep Up the Fight
>For House TRS Plan; House at a Standstill as Speaker Clings to Power
>
>Proposed Budget Shortchanges Public Schools, Education Employees: TFT
>President Linda Bridges put out a press statement today deploring the
>results of the House-Senate conference committee on the 2008-2009 budget.
>The state budget plan in House Bill 1 still must win the approval of
>majorities in both the House and Senate. As President Bridges' statement
>below explains, HB 1 in its current form does not deserve that approval:
>
>"Education and educators would be shortchanged badly in the budget proposed
>by House-Senate conferees this afternoon. Based on the information
>currently
>available, school funding would remain static, not even getting back to the
>level of state and local funding school districts had in 2002 in real
>terms, after you take inflation into account. The $850-a-year
>cost-of-living pay raise for teachers passed by the House last month would
>shrivel to about $425, according to the legislative budget staff. If paid
>out to all teachers across the board, this would amount to less than $25 a
>month after taxes and deductions--not even enough to cover the cost of
>rising average health-care premiums. And the conferees took pains today to
>say the money would not even have to be paid out across the board to all
>teachers.
>
>"Worst of all is what this budget proposal would do regarding TRS pension
>benefits. The bill would withhold an eminently affordable and exceedingly
>modest pension boost--a 13th check for TRS retirees--unless other
>legislation passes
>to impose new levies on all current school employees. The only way retirees
>would get a 13th check, under this scheme devised by Sen. Robert Duncan,
>would be if active school employees pay a higher contribution rate, taking
>roughly $50 million a year out of their pockets. This plan totally
>contradicts the House legislation passed unanimously on Wednesday that
>would provide a 13th check for retirees fully funded by the state, without
>imposing any new levies on active employees.
>
>"In short, school districts under this budget would regain none of the
>ground they have lost financially, teachers would get at best a measly pay
>raise of less than $25 a month that wouldn't even keep up with inflation,
>and 300,000 school support personnel would suffer an actual pay cut, as a
>result of the higher levies imposed on them for TRS with no compensating
>increase in pay. You have to give the
>conferees credit--it takes a certain ingenuity to come up with a plan this
>bad at a time when the state is sitting on a record-high budget surplus."
>
>Keep Up the Fight for House TRS Plan! At this writing members of the Texas
>House are standing firm in support of their unanimously approved plan for a
>13th check for TRS retirees, funded by an increase in the state
>contribution rate to 6.7 percent, with no new costs imposed on active
>school employees. Several Senate offices reported to us today that they are
>receiving a high volume of calls in support of this House version of SB
>1846--as well they should be. The Senate alternative proposed by Sen.
>Robert Duncan, Republican of Lubbock, is a thinly veiled attempt to shift
>state costs for TRS pensions onto active employees and their school
>districts.
>
>Duncan let slip the real agenda during floor debate on his plan,
>noting that increasing the TRS levy on active employees and requiring a
>contribution from school districts could "free up general revenue for other
>purposes." In other words, this scheme would allow the state to save money
>by shifting costs onto education employees and local taxpayers.
>
>Duncan's staff in response to callers today reportedly was claiming that
>the freshly hatched budget deal (see above) means that there's no money and
>no time left to provide this session for the 6.7-percent state contribution
>rate that the House proposes. But that's not so. The legislature has
>billions of dollars left to allocate right now, and it would take only a
>tiny fraction of that treasure--less than 1 percent of it, in fact--for the
>state to get to the 6.7-percent TRS contribution rate from the 6.58 percent
>already built into the budget. Even if the budget bill passes in its
>current form, the
>House plan for a fully state-paid 13th check with no new costs imposed on
>active employees could also still pass and become law with full force and
>effect, delivering a 13th check in September.
>
>The upshot is that you have an opportunity right now to shape the outcome
>of this TRS benefit fight in the critical remaining days before adjournment
>of the legislative session on Monday. Just send the letter on this issue to
>your state senator from the TFT Web site. If you don't know your state
>senator, you can find out quickly when you go to that Web letter.
>
>Speaker's Grip on Gavel Threatened: The Texas House came to a standstill at
>8 PM this evening, as Speaker of the House Tom Craddick shut off House
>members' microphones and called a three-hour recess to head off a
>rank-and-file revolt
>threatening to oust him from the speaker's chair. The Midland Republican is
>under heavy fire from both fellow Republicans and Democrats for what many
>consider his tyrannical rule of the House. Tonight he gave them new grist
>for their argument, by ruling that there is no appeal to the membership as
>a whole if he blocks the parliamentary procedure needed to oust him. His
>ruling, epitomizing the arbitrary, one-man rule of which Speaker Craddick
>stands accused, apparently has led to the resignation of the House
>parliamentarian in protest this evening. Like everyone else at the capitol,
>we are now waiting to see if the House will actually reconvene tonight.
>Keep an eye out for news of the latest developments in the daily TFT
>hotlines that will be published each of the next three days as the
>legislative session hurtles toward final adjournment.

Senate Committee on Education

Committee Information

Chair

.Florence Shapiro

Vice-Chair

.Kyle Janek

Members:

.Kip Averitt
.Steve Ogden
.Dan Patrick
.Leticia Van de Putte

.Royce West
.Tommy Williams
.Judith Zaffirini

Texas State Representative House District 33: Keep Your Promises Solly. Remember Miller? Why are CCISD Students still running at large during school d

2007-05-25T02:16:00.000-07:00

Texas State Representative House District 33: Keep Your Promises Solly. Remember Miller? Why are CCISD Students still running at large during school day hours?

Friday, May 25, 2007

Keep Your Promises Solly. Remember Miller? Why are CCISD Students still running at large during school day hours?

CCISD: Why are CCISD Students allowed to run at large during school day hours?

Education is for our Children, our Youth, our Future. Children and Youth need constant redirection and set boundaries at home and at school as well. When a minor is allowed to run at large during the school day hours whether it is in the halls, leaving or returning a closed campus or simply unaccounted for is irresponsible of the caretaker whose custody in which he / she is placed.
Kenedeno

An absent student is one who does not arrive at school in the morning and is absent for the WHOLE Day. The student was never on campus. The Parent is responsible for the student getting to school (requiring the student to attend school). If the student does not get to school it is the Parent’s responsibility not necessarily the Parent’s fault. There are circumstances where the student will walk in the front door and out the back door without attending a single class. This is where the attendance officers need to improve their due diligence like the old days.
Once the student is counted present in the morning; the Parent has required the student (child) to attend school. Once the student is verified in attendance at the beginning of the school day the student is in the custody of the School.
If the student is tardy or skips class (on campus or off campus) this happens on the watch of the school. The Parent if informed should cooperate and communicate with the School Counselors Administrators and the Attendance Officer to correct the behavior. The Security and Attendance officer should take notice and tighten the belt. This is a security issue as well; there is no excuse for students coming and going outside of the lunch period and it is imperative that attendance irregularities be dealt with within 24 hours. This is easily done with our modern technology.
Instead, what we are seeing is the Attendance Officers documenting the absences as they accumulate and filing on the Parent and student when the number of absences are achieved.

Solly, did you forget about the issues and the kids at Miller and CCISD as a whole?

South Texas Chisme: Chisme roundup

Posted on May 15, 2006 at 06:55:18 PM by Jaime Kenedeno ... sources at ccisd downtown have said that a miller hs asst. principal has become a whistleblower. ...
stxc.blogspot.com/2006/05/chisme-roundup.html - 48k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

South Texas Chisme: Solomon Ortiz Jr. on the ballot for State Rep D33!

I am Jaime Kenedeno of South Texas. A simple Google search will inform you more of WHO I Am. ... The credentials of Noyola and the CCISD / Miller fiasco was ...
stxc.blogspot.com/2006/08/solomon-ortiz-jr-on-ballot-for-state.html - 31k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

South Texas Chisme: Truth? you cant handle the truth!

That hadn't happened in years, that is why Miller was facing sanctions from the feds (before noyola's time). And Kenedeno is right, we can't support the ...
stxc.blogspot.com/2006/07/truth-you-cant-handle-truth.html - 35k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

South Texas Chisme: New block walking program in Corpu$

Posted on May 29, 2006 at 01:28:04 AM by Jaime Kenedeno ... Roy Miller’s political skills, vision brought Corpus Christi into the modern era ...
stxc.blogspot.com/2006/05/new-block-walking-program-in-corpu.html - 42k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

South Texas Chisme: Lets see how you dance to this tune

All the Talk Radio stations will be talking about the Miller HS issue as well as ... From: Jaime Kenedeno [mailto:kingalonzoalvarezdepinedaxiii@gmail.com] ...
stxc.blogspot.com/2006/07/lets-see-how-you-dance-to-this-tune.html - 46k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

South Texas Chisme: Race for State Rep. District 33 gets HOT

It said that the whistleblowers name at Miller was former assistant ... Jamie Kenedeno, no I just thought it would be fun to do something like that poem. ...
stxc.blogspot.com/2006/07/race-for-state-rep-district-33-gets.html - 43k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

South Texas Chisme: Who's the REAL enemy?

... Sr. attempts to manipulate the vote and his performance at Miller HS last year. ... Jaime Kenedeno/Haley, Who Knows why he writes anything that he does. ...
stxc.blogspot.com/2006/09/whos-real-enemy.html - 53k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

South Texas Chisme: PULP FICTION & The Award Winning Caller-Times

... an article on July 23rd entitled PAPER WON’T REPORT RUMORS AT MILLER HIGH, ... Thanks for watching my back, Kenedeno. At 4:19 AM, Jaime KenedeÃ±o said. ...
stxc.blogspot.com/2006/07/pulp-fiction-award-winning-caller.html - 22k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

South Texas Chisme: Dangerous chisme?

When we write something us here at Kenedeno & Associates believe it to be true. ... in example will be the one that Danny Noyola was removed from Miller. ...
stxc.blogspot.com/2006/06/dangerous-chisme.html - 27k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

South Texas Chisme: HD 33 shuffle

Danny Noyola, Sr., recently reassigned from Miller HS principal to Moody assistant principal, ... Posted on July 3, 2006 at 09:51:17 PM by Jaime Kenedeno ...
stxc.blogspot.com/2006/07/hd-33-shuffle.html - 37k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

South Texas Chisme: Once again the Caller times tells only half truth

-Jane Wall – Current teacher and former Miller HS journalism instructor “As a Precinct chair, ... Political Pulse: Kenedeno’s Political Pulse ...
stxc.blogspot.com/2006/08/once-again-caller-times-tells-only.html - 32k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

What did Randy tell his Insurance Agent? "If he turned up dead, his @(@*& did it."

2007-05-24T02:16:00.000-07:00

The Insurance agent passed only days before this story was originally published

In all of Jim Peters’ years as a Texas Ranger, there was probably never a more widely-publicized murder investigation than that of George Randolph Farenthold, multi-millionaire playboy step-son of gubernatorial candidate, Frances “Sissy” Farenthold. When Randy’s body was found in the surf off Mustang Island, shocked Texans everywhere demanded a quick ending, but it wasn’t to be. Before his death was finally solved, it involved literally hundreds of investigators, half a dozen or so investigative agencies, no clues, theories by the score, and a reward that approached one million dollars. It was Jim Peters who probably provided the most evidence leading to a solution of the case, and it was Peters who finally brought Randy’s killer back to Texas for justice. It’s a case no one involved will ever forget.

It began on Monday, June 6, 1972. That morning, elderly Port Aransas fisherman Carl Carson and his helper, Joe, expected just another routine day. As they did every day of the week before the sun peeked over the horizon, they drove in Carson’s battered old pickup truck down the packed sand of Mustang Island beach and searched for any signs of bait fish in the surf. Their usual custom after Carson found what he was seeking was to park the truck, drag a large beach seine down to the surf, wade into the shallow water pulling the seine, make a large circle, and then tow the fish-laden net ashore. Carson would sell the catch to charter and pleasure boat captains and pay Joe. Over the years, he’s captured tons of bait fish in that manner.

This morning, however, was different. It was a little past 6:00 a.m., and the sun had already topped the horizon before Carson finally spotted what he wanted in the surf. The two men would have to hurry if they expected to sell their catch to early-morning boat captains. The charter boats left at 8:00 a.m. sharp for their first excursions of the day.

Carl Carson parked his truck just out of reach of the tide, and along with Joe, waded into the gentle waves with the big net. They walked in their customary circle, dragging the seine, and as the net filled with mullet and became hard to tow, it snagged on something heavy in the water. The old fisherman stepped gingerly out to see what it was. Peering into the clear water, he recoiled in horror. Sightless eyes in a bloated face stared back at him through the mesh of the seine.

The two men struggled to drag the corpse to shore, which was no easy task because of the condition the body was in. After stooping down to examine it closely, Carson left Joe guarding the discovery, jumped in his truck, and sped back down the beach to the Port Aransas Police Department.

Port Aransas is a small beach community of about 5,000 permanent residents, and the Police Department shares a facade with City Hall. Carson parked in front of the building, entered, and reported to the dispatcher on duty, Sergeant Paul Olsen. He told Olsen of finding a body in the surf on Mustang Island, and then added for definite clarification, “and it wasn’t no accident, either. The man’s been beat, cut, and tied up with wires and chains...and there’s a concrete block wired to his neck!”

Sergeant Olsen stared at Carson like he was crazy, but the old man was a well-known character and had a reputation for being nobody’s fool. Olsen got up and walked into the inner office where the Chief of Police, Jim Wright, was sipping his morning coffee. “You’re not going to believe this,” Olsen began, and then filled his chief in on the details as Carson had told them.

Chief Wright listened dumbfounded. Violent crime never happened in Port Aransas. He hurried to the outer chamber, talked a few moments with Carson, and then instructed the old fisherman to lead the way to the body. He jumped in his patrol car and followed the old man’s battered pickup truck down the beach.

At precisely where Carl Carson said it would be, Jim Wright bent over and examined the mutilated corpse. It was a gruesome sight to behold. Not only was the face cut, bruised, bloated, and chalky white from being immersed in the sea, but wire and chain were wrapped tightly around the neck---the other end of the chain being secured to a 40-pound concrete block. Yet, even through the distortion and grotesque appearance, the face looked vaguely familiar.

“My God!” breathed Chief Wright. “I think it’s Randy Farenthold.” He raced to his patrol car and radioed Sergeant Olsen with the news. The Sergeant notified the Nueces County Sheriff’s office and the County Medical Examiner, Doctor Joseph Rupp.

By 8:00 a.m., the area was teeming with police and medical officials from Port Aransas and Corpus Christi. Several of the public officials present agreed that the corpse looked like Randy Farenthold, but no one could actually be certain because of the advanced state of decomposition. One deputy, however, made a prophetic statement, “If that IS Randy Farenthold, there’s going to be hell to pay.”

The coroner ordered the body removed to Corpus Christi, and ambulance attendant, Don Moore, who would later become a Port Aransas police officer himself, drove it to the Nueces County Medical Examiner’s office. By nightfall, the coroner had a verdict. The body found in the surf at Port Aransas was, indeed, that of George Randolph Farenthold. It was the coroner’s opinion that the victim had died of a combination of strangulation, beating, asphyxiation, and drowning.

George Randolph Farenthold, or Randy as he liked to be called, was Corpus Christi’s one and only playboy millionaire. Oh, there were millionaires in the “Sparkling City by the Sea,” but none had the charm, the good looks, or the connections that Randy had. He had friends by the thousands, acquaintances by the score, and no apparent enemies---or so everyone thought.

His grandfather was the late Rand Morgan, the wealthiest industrial businessman for miles around. When Randy turned twenty-one in 1961, he inherited Morgan’s cotton and maize farms, and several large cotton gins all over South Texas. One of the largest of the gin complexes was on Rand Morgan Road, located just outside the Corpus Christi city limits on the northwest side of town. Much to the surprise of others in the business community, Randy leaped whole-heartedly into the company and ran it with a firm hand. He seemed imbued with business acumen, and it wasn’t long before he had multiplied his considerable fortune many times over.

Randy married and fathered two children, and to all outward appearances, he seemed a devoted parent and husband. But trouble brewed on the horizon. The more successful he became, the more time he spent pursuing his leisure activities of gambling, pigeon shooting, and sports fishing. Although things were friendly and he kept in close contact with his family, there was first a legal separation from his wife, and then a divorce.

In 1970, Hurricane Celia changed his life forever. The windy lady blew ashore between Corpus Christi and Port Aransas with peak wind gusts estimated at more than 210 miles per hour---no one knows for sure, as all wind barometers blew away. She damaged or destroyed practically everything in her path. One of her casualties was the Farenthold cotton gin on Rand Morgan Road. It was completely destroyed, and that seemed to be the turning point in Randy’s life. He did not rebuild the gin. Instead, he shucked the business world altogether.

Randy Farenthold was an avid sports fisherman, and one of his memberships was with the Port Aransas Boatman’s Association. His pride and joy was a 35-foot yacht, THE LOLLIPOP, which he kept docked at the island community, and his presence around town soon became a common sight to the local islanders. In fact, his transformation became so complete, that the locals looked upon him as one of their own, which is no easy feat in an island community where anyone in coat and tie is looked upon with suspicion. Randy took to wearing worn tee shirts, old faded jeans, and sneakers without socks.

Although extremely wealthy, Randy had several things going for him with the Port Aransas island community. Foremost among them was that he never “put on airs” with the local folks. He always treated everyone with such open friendliness that he achieved a reputation as “just a good ole boy.” Randy was also one “hell of a fisherman,” and it gained him the respect of all the boat captains in the whole area. The islanders vied with each other to work on THE LOLLIPOP.

It seemed inconceivable to everyone that Randy Farenthold could be murdered. The Saturday before his body was found, the Farenthold family celebrated Sissy Farenthold’s entry into Texas politics. She had narrowly missed becoming her party’s gubernatorial candidate, and it was a sign of the changing times in the Lone Star State. Although Randy’s absence at the party was duly noted, no one ever suspected that at that very moment, miles away on the Texas Riviera, as the Gulf Coast around Corpus Christi was known, he was being brutally murdered, his body being dumped into the sea. Everyone just assumed he had gone deep sea fishing---the bill fish were running---and that he would show up later that night. When his body was found Monday morning, as the deputy had said, “all hell broke loose.”

Nueces County Sheriff Johnnie Mitchell was on vacation when Randy’s body was pulled from the surf. He had just won re-election in a particularly arduous political campaign and was looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation before returning to Corpus Christi and the influx of summer visitors. When he learned the identity of the victim, however, he caught the first plane back to personally take charge of the investigation. He knew the Farenthold family was sure to apply pressure from every quarter for a quick arrest in the case.

Sheriff Mitchell assigned investigators Ted Jolly and Lester Manson to the case, and they began on Mustang Island trying to trace Randy’s last hours. It was a monumental undertaking from the beginning. The tourist season was just beginning, and already, thousands of visitors were in Port Aransas for fishing and swimming in the warm Gulf waters. Men, women, and children milled everywhere up and down the main thoroughfare, and cars were bumper to bumper at the ferry landing---both entering and leaving the island paradise. The two officers just stood on the steps of city hall and stared aghast at the situation. Randy’s killer could be anyone.

Deputies Jolly and Manson decided to start their search along the waterfront dock area. Before the day was over, they had interviewed sailors, fishermen, boat captains, bartenders, waitresses, waiters, and service station attendants. They were confident they had traced every movement Randy had made in the last week of his life. Nowhere did they turn up the name of anyone who would want to kill him. Randy Farenthold seemed to be well-liked and admired by everyone in town.

At the same time the sheriff’s deputies were conducting their investigation, Jim Peters exercised his prerogative of entering the investigation of any crime occurring in Texas by beginning his own formal study of the case. Even though one of the issues on Sissy Farenthold’s ticket had been the abolition of the Texas Rangers Organization --- probably the single, most important reason why she lost the election --- Jim Peters gave the case everything he had. His attention to detail missed nothing.

Peters conducted his investigation in practically the same manner as the sheriff’s deputies. He went to Port Aransas and interviewed hundreds of islanders, gleaning as much as possible about the last few days of Randy Farenthold’s life. He learned that in the previous week, Randy had participated in a deep sea fishing tournament in New Orleans and had then brought THE LOLLIPOP back to Port Aransas, where he had it hauled out of the water to repair some minor hull damage.

On June 2nd, Randy had been seen around his beach house. He had also gone to a swank nearby restaurant for dinner, and so meticulous was the investigation that Peters learned what Randy had ordered from the menu. Randy spent the night at his beach house, got up early the next morning, and had breakfast at a local cafe. He had then gone down to his boat and helped the boat captain repair the damage, spending the remainder of the day at the dock.

On June 3rd, Randy had driven down the beach to Padre Island and had entered Corpus Christi via the John F. Kennedy Causeway, voting before the polls closed. From there, he went to his elegant Corpus Christi home, showered, and changed clothing. His next stop had been the Corpus Christi Yacht Club, where he enjoyed two drinks around 6:00 p.m., before driving to his ex-wife’s home for dinner with her and their two children. He left that residence around 8:00 p.m. and headed for a local nightclub.

Randy had spent an aimless night on June 3rd. He went from one night spot to another, before becoming engaged in a crap game which witnesses claimed had netted him several thousand dollars. It could have been a motive for murder, but Jim Peters learned that all the men in the crap game were wealthy and in the same social class as Randy. Furthermore, Randy had really only won several hundred dollars, not thousands as reported, and the sheriff’s deputies had already found the money from the game where Randy had carelessly tossed it---in a dresser drawer in the master bedroom of his house.

One puzzling aspect to the case concerned the finding of Randy’s car keys in the grass in front of his house. His car was parked neatly in the driveway. Had he been accosted before reaching his front door? Peters thought he had, but how to account for the money from the crap game in the dresser drawer? Perhaps, Peters reasoned, the money in the dresser drawer wasn’t from the crap game after all. Suppose it was Randy’s “mad money,” money he routinely kept on hand all the time? Peters also theorized that Randy might have been home, left the money, and had been accosted as he was leaving for somewhere else. It would be months before Peters would know which theory was correct.

Peters learned that Randy had received a phone call from a woman prior to leaving the last nightclub. Thinking she might have lured Randy home to his house, where he had then been abducted and killed, he tracked her down and interviewed her. It was a false lead. The woman in question had only called and asked Randy to join her for a drink, which he had politely refused. When Peters checked, her story held up.

Randy Farenthold met his killer sometime in the early morning of June 4th...someone who hated him enough to hack him with a knife, beat him viciously with a club, and then garrote him with wire, before chaining at least one 40-pound concrete block to his neck and dropping him into the Gulf of Mexico. But who? And why? The thirty-two-year-old Randy was liked and admired by everyone.

Jim Peters sent the chains, wires, and concrete block to the Crime Lab in Austin for analysis, but it proved to be fruitless. Items of that nature were so common that they littered practically every boat yard and dock on the Gulf Coast from the Mexican border to the tip of Florida. Peters then turned his attention to an expert on coastal tides, in an effort to discover exactly where Randy had been dumped into the sea.

The scientist contacted the coroner’s office and obtained the weight and measurements of the body, along with the weight of the chains that had bound the body to the concrete block. Knowing that Randy had died in the early hours of Saturday morning, the tide expert consulted his charts. In his opinion, the body had been tossed into the water at the mouth of the jetties, which border the ship channel running between St. Joseph and Mustang Islands.

The Port Aransas side of the jetties are always packed with fishermen from the crack of dawn until shortly after the sun sets, and the only activity in the area after dark is usually from the shrimp boats headed out for their harvest of the ocean floor. Pleasure craft seldom clear the harbor at night. Even the big, commercial shipping vessels normally “lay to” off the jetties at night, preferring to maneuver the ship channel in daylight. Jim Peters knew Randy’s body had probably been dumped by a shrimp boat. But which one? All of them denied any knowledge in the matter. In fact, they all seemed more than willing to take the law into their own hands the moment Randy’s murderer was caught. Everyone in Port Aransas felt the same way.

Meanwhile, the two sheriff’s deputies from Nueces County, Ted Jolly and Lester Manson, were also busy with the shrimp boats. They intensively questioned the crews of two boats, learning only that another shrimper had left Port Aransas for Houston around the time of the killing. The two deputies then journeyed to Houston to question the suspect, but it turned out that the shrimper had only gone to Houston to voluntarily check himself into the Veterans Administration Hospital for narcotics addiction. Another dead end.

Things took a strange turn of events when the Federal Bureau of Investigation entered the case. It turned out that Randy Farenthold was a key witness scheduled to testify in federal court on a fraud case involving a Corpus Christi contractor with alleged ties to the Mafia. The trial was set to begin four months away---in October.

According to the FBI, Randy had been approached in 1969 by contractor Bruce Bass with a get-rich-quick-scheme of buying short-term U.S. Treasury notes at a huge discount from a Mafia source in Houston. Bass claimed that he was unable to raise the cash on his own, but he offered to cut Randy in as a partner if Randy would finance the plan.

Randy knew Bass from years of associating in the same “by-invitation-only” gambling and pigeon shooting clic that also involved others of wealthy, independent means. Although the two were acquaintances, they were not close friends, and for some unknown reason, Randy still agreed to the proposition. He put up $100,000 to purchase $166,000 worth of bonds. His instructions were to withdraw the money in cash, check into a Houston hotel, and wait for his contact. The bills were to be in small denominations with non-consecutive serial numbers.

Randy did as instructed, and presently his contact arrived. The “Mafioso” type asked to see the money, satisfied himself that it was all there, and the two men sat down to discuss the transaction. Meanwhile, Randy had called down to Room Service for some soft drinks, and when a knock sounded at the door, he naturally assumed it was the waiter with the drinks. He opened the door, and in rushed a man in a Batman costume, brandishing a sawed-off shotgun. “Batman” robbed Randy of his money, and the Mafioso guy of $10,000---money which Randy said he never saw.

This angered Randy, and he was all for calling in the police, but Bruce Bass talked him out of it. Bass and a companion then placed a call to Las Vegas, Nevada, and claimed they talked with a highly placed Mafia official who promised to listen to Randy’s story. If the official believed what Randy said, he would then recover the stolen money and also sell Randy double the amount of the bonds.

Somewhat mollified, Randy returned to Corpus Christi, secured yet another $100,000, and boarded a plane to Las Vegas with the money. During the journey, however, he came to his senses, and as soon as the plane landed, he went straight to the police. He told them everything. The police officials referred him to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where agents took his statement and promised to investigate. Randy Farenthold then returned to Corpus Christi, and when Hurricane Celia blew away his cotton gin, committed himself full-time to the gambling, pigeon shooting, and sports fishing activities that he so loved.

Meanwhile, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Corpus Christi branch of the FBI, Penrod Harris, was hot on the trail. He had a copy of Randy’s statement, and after a thorough investigation of the charges, presented everything to the U.S. Attorney. Early in 1970, Bruce Bass and a Corpus Christi accomplice were indicted for fraud. The charges also named two men from Louisville, Kentucky, as co-conspirators. After numerous delays by lawyers for the defense, the trial was scheduled to begin in October 1972.

With Randy Farenthold the key witness, prosecutors thought they had a sure thing. He was an upstanding citizen of the community with family members highly placed in State politics. Furthermore, he insisted on testifying against Bruce Bass and his associates. He made a powerful witness. The prosecution, however, failed to take into account the power of Randy’s adversaries. When Randy reported death threats on his life, if he persisted in testifying against Bass and his associates, authorities failed to take them seriously. It turned out to be a colossal mistake.

It now appeared to Jim Peters that he had, at last, stumbled over the motive for the murder. He concentrated his efforts on Bruce Bass and his associates. The four men in the indictment, however, had iron-clad alibis for the time of the murder, but that didn’t faze Peters. He reasoned that the murder could have been committed by a hired hitman.

By now, the Port Aransas area literally swarmed with federal investigators. They found nothing more than what the sheriff’s deputies or Jim Peters had found. The FBI then expanded its investigation to include New Orleans, where THE LOLLIPOP had been entered in the fishing tournament the week prior to the murder. Every participating fisherman, every boat captain and dock worker, who had even the remotest contact with Randy, was interrogated and released. Hotel desk clerks, waitresses, bellhops, bartenders, maids...no one was overlooked by the FBI. New Orleans turned up an absolute blank.

Next, the FBI brought a banker over from Georgia, a man who was involved in the gambling clic that Randy belonged to. The banker testified that it was his practice to fly a bunch of the gambling members to the Bahamas, and they would gamble on his plane, spend a couple of days in the sun, and fly back. During the investigation, however, the FBI became highly interested in all the money that the banker was spending, and the man eventually ended up in the penitentiary for embezzling a lot of money from several banks.

Things just went on this way, turning all these weird rocks over, but nothing led to the apprehension of Randy’s killer.

When the federal authorities decided to look for any shadowy character in Randy’s past that might have borne him a grudge, they traveled the Gulf Coast from Cozumel, Mexico, to Carabel, Florida, stopping and interrogating people in hundreds of places. They questioned yachtsmen and shrimpers, jet setters and the downtrodden, running the social gamut from the fabulously wealthy to the unemployed. They expended thousands of investigative hours and learned only one thing---Randy Farenthold had been well-liked by virtually everyone, and they all wanted to see his killer brought to justice.

Meanwhile, right after Randy’s body was found with no trace of his killer, the Farenthold family prepared to issue a news statement with the offer of a six-figure reward for the arrest and conviction of Randy’s slayer. Sheriff Johnnie Mitchell talked them out of it---temporarily anyway. The Sheriff feared the announcement would bring an onslaught of false tips and interference from the general public, especially thrill seekers. He may as well have saved his breath. Everyone in the Coastal Bend area attempted to help, reward or no, and investigators from all the agencies involved found themselves stumbling over each other, as they tracked down each lead and false clue.

The murder car was finally found abandoned in a maize field off Weber Road in the far southwestern part of the city. Chemical tests of the trunk proved it to be the vehicle which had transported Randy to the dock for his final journey to his watery grave, but the owner of the car had reported it stolen. The owner also had an iron-clad alibi. In fact, no one could be found who could even be suspected of driving the death car.

Finding the murder car also presented more problems. To get the body into the trunk required two or more people. Randy stood five feet, ten inches tall, and he weighed 250 pounds. He was healthy and strong, in the prime of life. It seemed unlikely to Jim Peters that any one person could have subdued Randy and inflicted the terrible damaged that he had suffered. Furthermore, one person could not have lifted the body from the trunk and carried him onto the boat---unless the killer was some kind of gigantic weight lifter.

Things took another weird twist when Bruce Bass called the police to his home, pointing in terror to his front door where someone had left a crudely lettered note: “YOU WILL GET YOURS.” Some investigators believed it was just a ruse to put lawmen off the scent, but others believed that it was a genuine threat from Randy’s friends on Mustang Island. The islanders, all 1,218 of them, would have done just about anything to see Randy Farenthold’s murder avenged.

By the time the fraud case was due to come to trial in October, there was still no indictment in Randy’s murder. And without the key witness, the charges against Bruce Bass and associates were dropped. The four co-conspirators scattered.

As the years passed, Jim Peters worked the case at every free moment that he had. His gut feeling told him that Bruce Bass had something to do with the murder, even if Bass’s iron-clad alibi did put him somewhere else at the time. It remained only for Peters to find the evidence which would point to Bass’s guilt. Peters was not alone in his belief. As he searched for the missing clue, the Nueces County Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, the Corpus Christi Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit, and the Nueces County District Attorney also continued to work the case. No one lost track of Bruce Bass.

There also continued to be false leads pouring in from the community in response to the reward offered by the Farenthold family, which now approached one million dollars. Every one was methodically checked out. One promising lead claimed Randy had been killed by a hired killer from Mexico, only when Jim Peters checked into it, the suspect could not be found and the story could not be verified. Peters eventually chalked it all off as a red herring.

By this time, there were so many investigators from so many different investigative agencies that keeping up with the traffic of paperwork seemed all but impossible. Peters finally decided it was time to try yet another tactic. A friend of his, Ken Bung, a lieutenant in the Corpus Christi Police Department assigned to the Organized Crime Unit, called him early one morning, suggesting that they interrogate a prison inmate in the state penitentiary, who might be able to shed some light on the Farenthold investigation. The two lawmen journeyed to Huntsville, near Houston. The inmate had admitted to killing twelve people---“they all deserved killing, but I never picked on any officer”---but he was only convicted of killing two. Although the prisoner readily agreed to talk to the officers, he wasn’t able to help in any way.

Disappointed, Peters and Bung left the penitentiary. They hadn’t gotten very far before Peters’ intuition kicked into gear. “Ken,” Peters said, “Robert Walters is up here. He may be able to help us. Let’s go talk to him while we’re here.”

“Sure,” replied Bung. What did they have to lose?

Peters reached for the radio and called the Huntsville headquarters, known as “The Walls,” to find out which prison Walters was in.

Robert Walters was in jail in Rosharon for his part in the Robert Graham jail break, and the lawmen drove over to the prison to interview him. He didn’t say anything, other than to “let me think about it.” Two weeks later, he sent Peters a letter. “Come back. I want to talk to you,” he wrote.

Jim Peters and Ken Bung drove back to Rosharon, and Robert Walters gave them an earful.

“I’m not interested in any reward money,” Walters said. “I’m also not interested in getting out early. I’m doing my time, and I’ll be out soon. This is the way it went down.”

Walters said that Bruce Bass had come to him and had asked him to set everything up for the hit. According to Walters, Bass had told him to rent two cars, buy a boat and motor to transport the body out into the Gulf, and buy a chain and the big concrete blocks which were used to weigh the body down. Bass then had him buy a navigation map, rent a boat slip in the water at Port Aransas, and rent a boat barn stall in Corpus Christi. Walters then explained how Bass got rid of the boat and the stolen murder car---the whole works. With this information, Jim Peters and the Corpus Christi Organized Crime Unit began to corroborate everything Walters said.

Meanwhile, the unthinkable happened. It was now 1975, and Bruce Bass was involved in a serious automobile accident. As he lay in guarded condition, close to death, police officers, who were so close to arresting him, became frantic with worry. They were almost in a state of sheer panic. “If he dies,” one of them remarked, “we’ll never close the case.” “Yeah, I’d give that guy blood if it’d induce him to give us a statement.”

When Bruce Bass, the prime suspect, finally recovered from the accident and was released from the hospital, he left Texas for Grand Junction, Colorado. He rented a two-bedroom apartment for $250 a month under the alias of Ponders.

Jim Peters and officers of the Organized Crime Unit were finally able to put all the evidence together, and they gave it to District Attorney William B. Mobley. In March 1976, Mobley laid it before the Grand Jury. The panel members spent three months reviewing the evidence. Just before its session was due to expire in July, they requested, and received, a three month extension to continue the study of the evidence. On September 8th, in a sealed indictment, the Grand Jury charged Bruce Bass with the murder of Randy Farenthold.

The indictment was passed on to the District Attorney’s office, and a warrant for arrest was issued for Bruce Bass. Grand Junction, Colorado, authorities then arrested Bass without incident. He waived extradition proceedings, and on September 10th, Jim Peters and two members of the Organized Crime Unit flew in a Department of Public Safety plane to Grand Junction and escorted Bruce Bass back to Texas.

On the way back, the plane stopped in Lubbock, Texas, to refuel, and Peters escorted the prisoner to a comfortable chair in the lounge, where they could wait. Bruce, who hadn’t spoken one word to Peters since the officers had picked him up, suddenly turned and said, “Peters, as skinny and frail as I am, do you think that I could kidnap Randy Farenthold, put him in the trunk of his car, take him out there, take him out of his car and put him into another car, transfer him from car to car, take him out there off Weber Road, beat him with a pistol and choke him to death, put him back in the car, take him over to Port Aransas, put him on a boat, take him out in the Gulf and lift him out of the boat with all those chains and concrete?”

The tall Ranger looked Bruce evenly in the eye and said, “No, but I know you had it done. They got Randy when he got home. They kidnapped him in his driveway and put him in the trunk of the car. They transferred him from one car to another, and you ordered it.”

Robert Walters, in his talks with Peters, also named another person with Bass, and although all the law enforcement officers knew the other person with Bruce, the man was never prosecuted and his name cannot be given. Several years later, this other man died from a heart attack.

Robert Walters was given immunity for his cooperation in breaking the case. He said that he and his brother, Donnie, had gotten everything together for Bruce Bass. At the time Jim Peters interviewed Robert in Rosharon, Donnie was in a federal penitentiary in Kansas, and Robert wanted to talk to Donnie.

“Can you make it possible for me to talk to my brother?” Robert asked the tall Ranger.

“Sure. Be glad to,” Jim Peters replied. It was a call from a prisoner in a state penitentiary to a prisoner in a federal penitentiary in another state.

“When we told the FBI about it later,” Peters laughed, “they said, `That’s impossible. There’s absolutely no way that it can be done.’ I said, `Oh yeah? I’m a Texas Ranger, and Rangers can do anything.’”

Bruce Bass stood trial for the murder of Randy Farenthold and was given thirteen years in the state penitentiary. Shortly after he was released, he was shot and killed by some of his unsavory associates.
When it came time to testify against Bruce Bass in federal court, Randy Farenthold had refused to back down, and he was murdered because of it. District Attorney William Mobley spoke for all lawmen everywhere when he said, “...to kill any witness in another case is about as bad as you can get....”

CCISD: Freedom of Information Request: The process the CCISD Board used is unethical and unfair.

2007-05-20T04:41:00.000-07:00

CCISD: Freedom of Information Request: The process the CCISD Board used is unethical and unfair.

CCISD: Freedom of Information Request: The process the CCISD Board used is unethical and unfair.

Freedom of Information Request

This Publication request any and all communications including email and written correspondence from one week before Trustee Harry Williams resigned.

Must I formalize it on Monday?

Think I am bluffing?

You gotta ask yourself

Do you feel lucky?

Well Do ya?

Go ahead.........

You guys get the idea?

Now, don't go and seek the OAG's opinion as it will delay our children.

Just fess up and conduct business with honor and integrity and at least give us an appearance of due process. Not one black appointment. You guys are definitely walking on thin ice or maybe already fallen through but just don't know it. Such inadequacy is unacceptable.

CORPUS CHRISTI - CCISD school board members interviewed five candidates Friday to fill the board position vacated by Reverend Harry Williams.

The school board said it will set another meeting to discuss the finalists, and will possibly make a decision then, but still no word on when that would be.

Williams served the school board for more than seven years before resigning last month.

Nick Adame

"Do not be a disservice to our community and choose because this guy is my friend or this guy is my business associate," Dr. Nick Adame said. "I don't want to hear that. I want to hear that we're going to choose somebody because they're going to do right for the community."

Last week, the board narrowed the list of 20 candidates to five

Kenedeno:

Where is the criteria the process for "narrowing the list"?

The process the CCISD Board used is unethical and unfair. Every single applicant took the time to fill out an application, and the thought process for the letter of interest and update of their resume and references. For all intensive purposes this CCISD Board just threw that work product into the trash can while opting for business partners, friends cronies and industry allies.

It is not about the 5 selected it is about how the 5 were selected. It is not about Barrera or Prezas or Bill Clark or Lucy Rubio.

It is about a change of policy where policy is defined by processes of the past. Lucy is the only one with the guts to make the motion, "for the board to scrap the current process and start over. There was no second to the motion." Are there others in that room who agree with her, but politically, they are bound & gagged. The current process is in conflict with current policy. The current process is now a civil rights issue. Is that what CCISD wanted, another Cisneros v CCISD?

We have 19 Candidates who deserve Equal Opportunity and fair consideration. It is called due process.

1. Herbert Cromwell Arbuckle, III Retired Teacher
2. Rolando G. Barrera Insurance Agent
3. Tony C. Diaz, Ed.D. Retired CCISD Administrator
4. Victor Frazier, Ed.D. Minister and University Instructor
5. Cezar Galindo Business Owner and College Instructor
6. Marsha Lynn Grace Professor of Education
7. Coretta Graham Lawyer
8. Helen Gurley, Ph.D. Educator, Director of Academics
9. Patricia Harris Educator
10. Robert Elliott Jones Pastor and Business Manager
11. Deborah W. Johnson Retired Firefighter
12. Bradford Lee Kisner Director of Music and Fine Arts
13. Verna Faye Portis Retired CCISD Administrator
14. Raul R. Prezas, Ed.D. College Professor
15. Norman Haden Ransleben Certified Public Accountant
16. Woodrow Mac Sanders Medical Social Worker
17. Ronald G. Sepulveda Athletic Aquatic Superintendent
18. George Wetzel Retired Public School Administrator/Consultant
19. Goldie Lamarr Wooten Retired Educator

Rubio has said she disagrees with the selection process and would have preferred to use a scoring system instead.

Trustees selected the five candidates to be interviewed by each nominating one from a pool of 20 applicants.

We elect you guys to represent the district with honor & integrity

But before trustees interviewed the first candidate, trustee Lucy Rubio motioned for the board to scrap the current process and start over. There was no second to the motion.

Rubio has said she disagrees with the selection process and would have preferred to use a scoring system instead.

CCCT Editorial

The trustees' refusal to lay out the cards is beyond irritating; it borders on the outrageous.

Particularly disturbing is the fact that three new trustees elected last year - Carol Scott, John Longoria and Dwayne Hargis, all of whom emphasized their intent to bring new openness to the board - appear to have bought into the mum's-the-word ethos that has dominated this exercise.

To be sure, they (and their colleagues) could, and should, reverse their field.

CCISD Trustees: Pick and choose Policy Making with malice. Shame on YOU.

CORPUS CHRISTI - CCISD school board members have decided not to change their policy which forbids seniors who fail the TAKS from graduating.

One parent we spoke with Thursday said the policy didn't make sense, because while students who fail the TAKS test during the school year aren't allowed to take part in graduation ceremonies. The same doesn't hold true for summer school grads. They're allowed to participate in summer graduation ceremonies without knowing whether they passed the test.

The decision didn't sit well with some parents and students.

School board member Lucy Rubio had hoped to amend the policy, and allow seniors who failed the TAKS to at least walk in with their class during may commencement. But other school board members didn't agree.

Political Pulse: Solly this was the main issue, the players in this thread are your people as well as yourself. it was inconceivable that you hide fro

2007-05-13T00:52:00.000-07:00

Political Pulse: Solly this was the main issue, the players in this thread are your people as well as yourself. it was inconceivable that you hide from little ole ME?

"IN THE KNOW": Carlos Truan | Hugo Berlanga & The Primrose Path & Rangel Law School @ Texas A&I University.

2007-05-07T03:57:00.000-07:00

"IN THE KNOW": Carlos Truan | Hugo Berlanga & The Primrose Path & Rangel Law School @ Texas A&I University.

Subject: ["IN THE KNOW"] Carlos Truan | Hugo Berlanga & The Primrose Path & Rangel Law...
To: kenedenonews@gmail.com

[ http://storkclub-winchell.blogspot.com/2007/05/irma-rangel-legacy-relating-to.html]
http://www.ibcmemorial.org/irma.html

Monday, May 7, 2007
Carlos Truan | Hugo Berlanga | Henry Cuellar | Edwards, Al | Todd Hunter | Luci0 : The Primrose Path & Rangel Law School @ Texas A&I University.

Or posture for another agenda?

Who at that time wanted a Pharmacy College?

Celanese, King Ranch, URI?

Now we have this unorthodox legislation for an Engineering School @ TAMUCC?

This is a Developing Medical Community with the ability to become the finest in the world. Medical Nanotechnology is already here, $ are already here.

The Political Faction at TAMUCC will find their equilibrium eventually. An engineering school @ CCSU / TAMUCC is obtuse to the medical assets we have accumulated and the Philanthropy already well rooted in South Texas.

Irma Rangel Legislation was for the establishment of a law school at Texas A & I

The Age of Winchell: Irma Rangel Legacy : Relating to the establishment of a law school at Texas A&I University.

Hugo Berlanga | Henry Cuellar | Edwards, Al | Todd Hunter | Eddie Lucio

Bill:

SB 646

Legislative Session: 71(R)

Council Document: 71R 1835 MHT-D

Add to Bill List

Last Action:	02/28/1989 S Reported favorably w/o amendments

Caption Version:	Introduced
Caption Text:	Relating to the establishment of a law school at Texas A&I University.

Author:	Truan

Subjects:	Education--Higher-- General (I0231) TEXAS A&I UNIVERSITY (U2467)

Companion:	HB 1630 by Rangel, Identical

Senate Committee:	Education
Status:	Out of committee
Vote:	Ayes=9 Nays=1 Present Not Voting=0 Absent=1

--
Posted By The Advocate to Google Yourself Corpus Christi at 5/07/2007 02:46:00 AM

"IN THE KNOW": Remember The Crime Stoppers "Vandalism" of the Corpus Christi Country Club Golf Coursehigh powered members who control our nation’s eco

2007-04-20T06:22:00.000-07:00

"IN THE KNOW": Remember The Crime Stoppers "Vandalism" of the Corpus Christi Country Club Golf Course? Were there not high powered CCCC members who control our nation’s economy & industry. This work of fiction written by Hal Bray set here in Corpus Christi; I just thought you guys might like it. BTW, cant find that particular Crime Stoppers announcement. They tore up the CCCC Golf Course. Who is they?

Kenedeno Hardcopy: A long line of Kenedeños who have worked for generations as coastal cowboys in S. TX, & the history of the legendary side-by-side K

2007-04-01T03:06:00.000-07:00

Kenedeno Hardcopy: A long line of Kenedeños who have worked for generations as coastal cowboys in S. TX, & the history of the legendary side-by-side Kenedy & King ranch

Kenedeno Archives II

2006-12-21T02:19:00.000-08:00

Are We Lying?

· CCISD: I have watched JAG lock students and parents up
Posted on November 7, 2006 at 04:55:23 AM by Jaime Kenedeno...
Blog:http://ccisd-kenedeno-edu.blogspot.com/2006/11/ccisd-i-have-watched-jag-lock-students.htmlPosting Date:11/07/2006
· A Sham In Nueces County
We at Kenedeno & Associates apologize if this Documentary Dossier' offends....
Blog:http://terryshamsie.blogspot.com/2006/11/sham-in-nueces-county.htmlPosting Date:11/06/2006
· Nueces County Jail Delayed
We at Kenedeno & Associates apologize if this Documentary Dossier' offends....
Blog:http://coupdmaitre.blogspot.com/2006/11/nueces-county-jail-delayed.htmlPosting Date:11/06/2006
· The County Commissioners Minutes and the Facts About The Mold Remediation. Who is Responsible For the Mold?
... com Cc: "J. F. Kenedeno" , "Saenz, Israel" Date: Nov 2, 2006 11:49 AM Subject:...
Blog:http://jimmyrodriguezdotcom.blogspot.com/2006/11/county-commissioners-minutes-and-facts.htmlPosting Date:11/02/2006
· Hector P Garcia Institute of Education, Integrity, Culture and Public Policy
- By Elwood Blues October 15, 2006 at 11:35:34 AM Hey EB, you sound jealous and your ignorance and ineptitude is showing - By Jaime Kenedeno October 17, 2006 at 0...- By Elwood Blues October 15, 2006 at 11:35:34 AM Hey EB, you sound jealous and your ignorance and ineptitude is showing - By Jaime Kenedeno October 17, 2006 at 0...
Blog:http://hectorpgarcia.blogspot.com/2006/10/juana-b-m-garcia-is-excellent-example.htmlPosting Date:10/22/2006
· JUANA B GARCIA, You Just Cant Trust Him
I believe they're being paid for by a group led by the scourge of Kenedeno and Associates,Mikal Watts....I'm not sure why Watts has such an interest in the race,but I'm sure Team Kenedeno has a number of theories....
Blog:http://stxv.blogspot.com/2006/10/juana-b-garcia-you-just-cant-trust-him.htmlPosting Date:10/16/2006
· Hey Roland G., We Been Working for Over 2 Years # DMC & We never Seen any of these Guys U Say want to help DMC
But Watt . . . Jaime Kenedeno Jul-30-06 05:29 AM #20 Kenedeno's Political Pulse Jaime Kenedeno Jul-31-06 03:4...Jaime Kenedeno Jul-29-06 10:10 PM #19 Donate "JUAN HALF" to the GI Forum National Archives for the Restoration Jaime Kenedeno Jul-30-06 07:4... ... dannoynted1 Jul-10-06 04:33 AM #10 HD #33 & #32 here is an issue to make or break your success Jaime Kenedeno Jul-18-06 03:3...1 AM #11 DMC Faculty Member Speaks Out on the DMC Clique's Abuse of Power Jaime Kenedeno Jul-27-06 10:5 2 PM #17 Per SOP: DMC Pres....Carlos Garcia Should Be Placed On Administrative Leave Jaime Kenedeno Aug-17-06 06:1...
Blog:http://vilmaluna.blogspot.com/2006/10/hey-roland-g-we-been-working-for-over.htmlPosting Date:10/03/2006
· Something is rotten in Denmark
... the related link “GI Forum Transactions” lists numerous financial transactions but after some investigation, Kenedeno &...This investigative article was researched, compiled and written by dannoynted1 & Jaime Kenedeno....INTERACTIVE ; Kenedeno & Associates respectfully brings the Intangible to YOU. It is up to you to do your homework....Contact jaime@kenedeno. com or dannoynted1@hotmail. com...
Blog:http://hectorpgarcia.blogspot.com/2006/09/something-is-rotten-in-denmark.htmlPosting Date:09/20/2006
· Gulf Coast Lefty YOU Need to Remember Your Words
Tokyo Rose: "I used you all" Lovely little article in the Caller-Times today. Tokyo Rose tell
Blog:http://parkdalebank.blogspot.com/2006/09/gulf-coast-lefty-you-need-to-remember.htmlPosting Date:09/06/2006
· Democratic Underground Censors Jaime Kenedeno for WATT?
ERROR: Your posting privileges have been revoked. At 1:21 PM, GulfCoastLeftie said. . .
Blog:http://worldwidewebpress.blogspot.com/2006/08/democratic-underground-censors-jaime.htmlPosting Date:08/29/2006

· Del Mar President Carlos Garcia, "opted not to renew the yearly contract for the former EEO officer, Ms. Theresa Cox"
To: Jaime Kenedeno kingalonzoalvarezdepinedaxiii@gmail. com Cc: garzaa@caller....
Blog:http://delmarhousekeeping.blogspot.com/2006/08/del-mar-president-carlos-garcia-opted.htmlPosting Date:08/17/2006
· Per SOP; Should Not DMC Pres. Carlos Garcia Be Placed On Administrative Leave
To: Jaime Kenedeno kingalonzoalvarezdepinedaxiii@gmail. com Cc: garzaa@caller....
Blog:http://delmarhousekeeping.blogspot.com/2006/08/per-sop-should-not-dmc-pres-carlos.htmlPosting Date:08/16/2006
· The CC Examiner did not treat both candidates equally and did not ask both to verify their endorsements?
" I am Jaime Kenedeno of South Texas....
Blog:http://vilmaluna.blogspot.com/2006/08/cc-examiner-did-not-treat-both.htmlPosting Date:08/14/2006
· Kenedeno’s Political Pulse
Monday, July 31, 2006
Blog:http://jaimepowell.blogspot.com/2006/07/kenedenos-political-pulse.htmlPosting Date:07/31/2006
· maybe you could take a deep breath and digest a few truths that hurt a little
Elwood do you remember when. . . . . Posted on June 22, 2006 at 07:31:32 PM by Jaime Kenedeno Del Mar College Double Standards - "Where Dreams become Nightmares" dubble - 07:2...Jaime Kenedeno - 07:38pm Aug 27, 2005 Central (#3 of 37) Are you the Knight in Shining Armor? I knew chivalry still existed!...
Blog:http://delmarhousekeeping.blogspot.com/2006/06/maybe-you-could-take-deep-breath-and.htmlPosting Date:06/22/2006
· We bring the public opinion factor into the equation.
As KENEDENO ADVOCATES we advocate for Equal & Fair....
Blog:http://ccintheknow.blogspot.com/2006/06/we-bring-public-opinion-factor-into.htmlPosting Date:06/17/2006
· Whose woods these are I think I know.
Mr. kenedeno, my 17 year old daughter has told me that Gabe Rivas made a dirty advance toward her while she was in the del mar parking lot....
Blog:http://delmarhousekeeping.blogspot.com/2006/06/whose-woods-these-are-i-think-i-know.htmlPosting Date:06/16/2006
· Dear Mike Westergren, I extend my hand out (in the interest of peace & resolution) to the Del Mar Administration, Faculty, Staff & Board of Regents.
"Dear Mr. Kenedeno, What happened? I was at Altenos from about 6:45 to 7:20. Can we try again?..."Engaging the average citizen in the formulation of Public Policy" is our mission @ Kenedeno & Associates....
Blog:http://delmarhousekeeping.blogspot.com/2006/06/dear-mike-westergren-i-extend-my-hand.htmlPosting Date:06/14/2006
· Wikipedia
Kenedeno & Associates (E Advocacy Architecture)...
Blog:http://wikipediaorg.blogspot.com/2006/06/blog-name-nueces-de-la-parra-jaime.htmlPosting Date:06/08/2006
· Does John Kelly Wanna be "IN THE KNOW"? "We Know, We're From Here"
. . . Posted on May 26, 2006 at 01:53:41 AM by Jaime Kenedeno WATTA YALL SKEERED OF ERIC...."Engaging the average citizen in the formulation of Public Policy" is our mission @ Team Kenedeno....
Blog:http://ccintheknow.blogspot.com/2006/06/does-john-kelly-wanna-be-in-know-we.htmlPosting Date:06/04/2006

· must be the money or "Holy Blood Holy Grail"
Collapse all posts in this thread Author Replys Jaime Kenedeno Posts: 800...
Blog:http://kfatso.blogspot.com/2006/06/must-be-money-or-holy-blood-holy-grail.htmlPosting Date:06/02/2006
· Why are the lights of the harbor bridge turned of as texwrite wrote does this make common sense?
Why did Homer bring up the new Harbor Bridge proposal? 5/30/2006 9:22:54 PM ------------------
Blog:http://defenzor.blogspot.com/2006/06/why-are-lights-of-harbor-bridge-turned.htmlPosting Date:06/01/2006
· EL Defenzor.net: Why are the lights of the harbor bridge turned of as texwrite wrote does this make common sense?
. . . Posted on June 1, 2006 at 00:56:42 AM by Jaime Kenedeno.... . . . Posted on June 1, 2006 at 00:38:53 AM by Jaime Kenedeno...
Blog:http://laparra.blogspot.com/2006/06/el-defenzornet-why-are-lights-of.htmlPosting Date:06/01/2006
· Woody Guthrie & The taking of property by violence...
RalphPosts: 486 The taking of property by violence. . . 4/15/2005 8:21:06 AM Woody Guthrie was fon
Blog:http://dannoynted1-thinktank.blogspot.com/2006/05/woody-guthrie-taking-of-property-by.htmlPosting Date:05/30/2006
· Juan Garcia and supporters are GOOD PEOPLE!
Juan more voice. . . . . Posted on May 29, 2006 at 01:28:04 AM by Jaime Kenedeno raised infinitely to the power of South Texas for the ascension of Juan Garcia III to the Office o f District 32 State Representative. We can put this man into office....
Blog:http://jaimepowell.blogspot.com/2006/05/juan-garcia-and-supporters-are-good.htmlPosting Date:05/30/2006
· "Unless Juan Garcia can come up with about $300,000-$400,000 real quick ..
Jaime F Kenedeno Posts: 11 "Unless Juan Garcia can come up with about $300,000-$400,000 real quick ....
Blog:http://jaimepowell.blogspot.com/2006/05/unless-juan-garcia-can-come-up-with.htmlPosting Date:05/30/2006
· South Texas Chisme: Erasing the Hispanic vote
Juan more voice. . . . . Posted on May 29, 2006 at 01:28:04 AM by Jaime Kenedeno...
Blog:http://stxpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/05/south-texas-chisme-erasing-hispanic.htmlPosting Date:05/28/2006
· Dannoynted1 / Kenedeno Merger
Team Kenedeno Links Google News Defenzor. net Nueces De La Parra
Blog:http://chodosh.blogspot.com/2006/05/dannoynted1-kenedeno-merger.htmlPosting Date:05/27/2006
· Kenedeno & Associates
Team Kenedeno Links Google News Defenzor. net Nueces De La Parra
Blog:http://dannoynted1-kenedeno.blogspot.com/2006/05/kenedeno-associates.htmlPosting Date:05/27/2006

under construction

2006-08-23T02:41:00.000-07:00

under construction