South Texas Watchdog Authority

Persistent paper pushing. . We should never reject the cause of the oppressed and defenseless.

2009-11-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

Elle has already posted this little piece of dynamite now to practice it is a daily challenge to stay clear of getting beat down. Start practicing it my love,....... it is called DUE DILIGENCE and only you can do it 4 yourself! Just consider it a prerequisite for law school and moreso practice it to kick their a$$

Corpus Christi Law School

Ever mindful of stealthy encroachment, we learn to recognize modern day instruments of oppression.

1: We conduct ourselves as if we were in a class room at law school.

2: We develop tactics for dealing with those problems that define our age - like traffic tickets handed out by a camera.

3: We fight oppression.

4: We learn to write and file effective papers.

5: We sue those government oppressors, such as traffic cops and fake judges, who put a damper on freedom.

6: We use what is best from the "patriot movement". We seek authoritative patriot stuff.

7: We expose frauds - particularly uneducated book sellers in the patriot movement.

8: We urge people to take responsibility for their own litigation.

9: We provide proven successful examples, help at the beginning, and . . .. a group of lawyers and other bright folks who are doing the same thing!

Our tactics:

#1: The ancient and venerable Demurrer!

#2 Law of void judgments:

#3 42 USC 1983

#4: Guerilla Lawfare;
#5 Aggressive Patriot litigation,

#6: Ancient Writs

#7: Persistent paper pushing. . We should never reject the cause of the oppressed and defenseless.

Please see my top ten page to get an idea of the subjects that we discuss: http://www.lawyerdude.8m.com/5459.html We discuss driving rights, patriot theories, litigation, oppression, and remedies. If you want help with a legal problem please tell us the facts in a brief chronology and list of players (judge, lawyers, parties, witnesses) with phone number/addresses. Please clip your posts. Lawyers and experts: Please spell check and provide substantiation (case or statute)if possible. "I am a soldier so that my son may be a farmer so that his son may be a philosopher." - George Washington

Corpus Christi Caller Times: If we cant drive our vehicles on the beach we are effectually restricted from that portion regardless of assurances, hand

2008-08-07T05:40:00.000-07:00

Corpus Christi Caller Times: If we cant drive our vehicles on the beach we are effectually restricted from that portion regardless of assurances, handshakes or blueprints

When the powers that be were anticipating a "Privatized Beach".......
Posted on August 7, 2008 at 06:51:41 AM by Jaime Kenedeno

When the "powers that be" were anticipating a "Privatized Beach" the Beach in front of the seawall was at least 50 yds wide (probably 75 yds) anyhow it was wider than it has ever been in the last 20 years.

One other anticipatory preparation was the traffic sign which directed traffic towards the jetty only (no right turn or left turn only????). In a nutshell the maintenance on that portion of the right of way (at that time) was designed to create a spacious widened version of beach real estate adjacent to and extended from the seawall flamboyantly in anticipation of a demanding elite influx of human flesh. The maintenance has been once again downgraded so the beach front will recede and disallow vehicle passage as exemplified and used as argument to once again blockade our access to our beach. If we cant drive our vehicles on the beach we are effectually restricted from that portion regardless of assurances, handshakes or blueprints. Mc Cutchon just cut his own throat. He must be seeing dollar signs or has vested interests.

Councilman Michael McCutchon wants to pass the issue to voters, but needs at least four of his fellow council members to agree.

No matter where we start, we can make a difference.

2008-05-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

District 34 News

There are a number of important issues facing our district that we will discuss today. As you may know, this week, TCEQ held a public hearing about the ongoing cleanup at the Ballard Pits. They have assured our community that they will do everything to protect our health and the surrounding water supplies. Although TCEQ has said there is negligible danger to the health of those near the pits, I am deeply concerned that TCEQ will have to stop the project mid-way due to funding concerns. Therefore, I have written to Governor Perry and the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) about the urgent need for an emergency appropriation to keep the project going at full force until the site is completely cleaned. I have attached the letter I sent to the Governor and LBB on this issue. I will advise you of any further developments on this issue.

Additionally, some of you have been following the ongoing situation at Christus Spohn Hospital over the residency programs. I am doing all I can to ensure that a residency program continues at the hospital, especially considering that residents play such an important role in emergency room care at the hospital. We cannot afford to go without that vital service. I have attached a letter we sent to the hospital board about this matter. I hope the issue will be resolved by those involved so that there is no lapse in care for our community.

Many of you have been concerned about the upcoming deadlines for franchise tax returns. If this applies to you, remember that there is a June 2nd deadline for initial reports and a June 16th deadline for annual reports. Our office, Rep. Ortiz, Jr., and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hosted the State Comptroller's office in Corpus Christi this week to discuss the franchise tax. For a copy of their power point presentation, please email Michael Garemko in my office at Michael.garemko@house.state.tx.us.

I may have seen you at any number of events across District 34 this week. On Saturday, I was at the Stand Up for Kids 5k in support of our area's CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program. A CASA is a volunteer appointed by the court in child placement and custody cases. I cannot say enough about how important CASA volunteers are to the children in our community. I included this in April, but here is the information again: http://coastalbendcasa.org/volunteer.shtml. Become a CASA volunteer today.

You may have seen me during the procession of the 70th Buc Days Illuminated Parade on Saturday night. We were happy to participate in this traditional community event that has been celebrated by countless families for many generations in our area. The bands, floats, and other festivities made for another successful parade.

As part of my focus on youth issues last week, I gave a talk and took questions at the 2nd Annual Foster Youth Conference, which had inspiring attendance as well as stories of hardships overcome and excellence achieved. No matter where we start, we can make a difference. The tremendous foster youth that I met on Saturday are testimony to that.

Having previously been a member of the panel that interviewed applicants of the Nueces County Junior Livestock Show Scholarships, on Tuesday I attended the awards banquet for the scholarship recipients. It is always enjoyable to see the dedication and tremendous skill of those who applied and those involved in the Nueces County Junior Livestock Show.

Also, I wanted to send along word about an upcoming job fair in the area. The LCS Federal Detention Center will be holding a job fair to fill approximately 200 positions between May 1, 2008 and June 15, 2008. It will be held Saturday, May 17, 2008 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the RMB Regional Fairgrounds Center, Ballroom A (next to Circular Drive). This is a great opportunity if you are looking for employment.

Finally, a very special announcement is in order. Congratulations to the people of Corpus Christi for having the very best commuting conditions in American small cities according to Forbes Magazine. If you missed the story, here it is: http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/24/cities-commute-fuel-forbeslife-cx_mw_0424realestate.html. Not only should we be happy that our commute is such a breeze, we should be proud of how we do it: by carpooling and using public transportation. We are getting to work and avoiding damage to our environment at the same time.

And with that high note, I wish you a great weekend.

Please continue to reply and send me your comments or suggestions. Together, we can be successful in moving Texas forward.

Yours truly,

Abel Herrero
State Representative, District 34

Dancing Politicos: Texas Monthly Web Press: Fil & Junior John ( the Two Juniors) dont give a hoot about a VA Hospital or Children’s Healthcare, they d

2007-12-23T11:22:00.000-08:00

Dancing Politicos: Texas Monthly Web Press: Fil & Junior John ( the Two Juniors) dont give a hoot about a VA Hospital or Children’s Healthcare, they dont care about S TX

On the lamb........
Posted on December 23, 2007 at 07:27:59 AM by Borrego/Laurels Acres sold ....?title

Post 1 December 23, 2007 at 6:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

What a superficial column! This is never about anything substantive- never discusses any real political issues. This lady is just a groupie at council and commissioner's meetings, reporting the stupid things they do or say.

The last week of the year is when people are making their final decisions to run for office. Something could have been written about attorneys thinking of challenging the rude Judge Longoria or what happened about possible opponents to Juan Garcia but no she'd rather talk about nonsense. If she wants to learn more about what commissioners are thinking when they dress the same perhaps she can do a series hiding out in each politician's closet and watching and listening to them dress- and the Caller - Times can get someone to deal with the more serious issues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes post 1 , it may be superficial , but is that earning the money we paid for them to "work harder"?

How much does faux "cleric" Tyne r Little earn? Enough for him to be elevated by the County Judge to "Reverend, are you all set?"

When did this happen? Dress rehearsal for another Loyd (Insurance) deal perhaps, but it was whatever "Kneel" wanted it to be.

What is 9/10th's of the law? Abandonment?
WACO?!?

This is criminal why does Jaime Powell not report "eminent domain" this crime fraud? Paul Jones & Ennis Joslin land giveaway?

Or the Pat rick Birmingham CCCC discrimination?

"A-B-C.....easy as 1-2-3.....it-is -free, it is wise to remember, no one rides for free.

We can always tell when you lie, your lips move.

Paid to fluff, all that is tough....

I'll take......
Posted on December 23, 2007 at 12:27:41 PM by Jaime Kenedeno

prime rib for 1000 Alex.

I mean, really..... we need to give Alex Garcia the boot and find somebody who will not only unite but to invigorate the State of the County Politics and engage the Citizenry of Nueces County Voters Voting.

We need to realize the one's who profit from division and it is not the average Nueces County Citizen.

We have State of the County events held with the publics money; yet the public was never invited.

We have the hyenas circling and making advances (but we do not see them). They are dressed in Lambs Clothing.

Texas Monthly Web Press: Fil & Junior John ( the Two Juniors) dont give a hoot about a VA Hospital or Children’s Healthcare

Fil Junior only seeks a Federal Bench for Rose

South Texas Chisme: Could it be true, Is Fil Vela involved with Connie Scott?

Treasurer?

TLR hates South Texas, does that include Connie and her Hubby?

WATTS his name? Mike Scott?

The Two Juniors represent not a mainstream Texas but they represent the Transplanted Texans (like Bush) and the Elite Texans (like K.C.Rove).

Junior John will say WATT ever it takes to get re elected.

>Why hasn't anyone gone after Filemon personally as a way to derail Rose?
>If you go to www.fec.gov and follow the instructions on finding out who
>gave to whom, how much, and when, then load up Filemon Vela as an
>Individual Search you'll see he's made significant contributions to two
>notorious politicians. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Senator Robert
>Menendez (D-NJ). Hunter is an undicted coconspirator in the very same mess
>that sent ex-rep "Duke" Cunningham's ass to prison recently, and Menendez
>is currently under federal investigation for shady real estate dealings by
>renting a building he owns to a non-profit and pocketing $300, 000.00 in
>taxpayer subsidies.

Junior John is working with Fil Vela Jr. & Federal Prosecutors (in the Valley, CC, SA & Houston) to Manufacture White Collar Crime and use it as a Political Strongarm when the Political Strongarm should be accomplishments and the actual construction of a VA Hospital in the Valley.

Junior John has got to figure in this mix and Fil is the inroads (for Cornyn) into South Texas. We need to put a Big Stop Sign up in Robstown and inform them about Connie Scott as I understand Fil Vela is her campaign manager or treasurer and Mike Scott is a TLR guy with a title

We dont need to speculate or debate how Junior John will vote

, who he will benefit and who he represents. No if ands or buts about it Junior John’s Record is who he is, how he votes, who he represents and it is not the average Texan

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

2007-12-09T03:56:00.000-08:00

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

Abel Herrero 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.

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

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

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.

2007-10-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

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 ...

Corpus Christi Caller Times: After we finish with (this issue), Mr Mike Hummel will always remember to read the local internet and to give credit wher

2007-08-05T22:51:00.000-07:00

Corpus Christi Caller Times: After we finish with (this issue), Mr Mike Hummel will always remember to read the local internet and to give credit where credit is due.

This morning I got a call that took me out on the streets. I needed a little punch so I put it on a Classic Rock Station expecting maybe some Hair of the Dog or War Pigs or maybe even Lovin You Sunday Morning or Proud Mary but it wasn't to be. I hear the end of a discussion with our Corpus Christi City Council Member stuck smack dab in the middle of that damn river.

WATT River?...........

Some begin to ponder, while there are others who know exactly where I am going with this River issue; after we finish with (this issue), Mr Mike Hummel will always remember to read the local internet and to give credit where credit is due.

You know with the Memorial Coliseum I have not the sentimentality or passion like many of you guys possess and concurrently I dont believe it needs to be torn down. I was against anything that TRT wanted to bring to this town in light of what they left us upon departure.

Some events and it might even be many events; cannot afford to use ABC Center; so it is not really a public arena like the Memorial Coliseum operated. Heck, many of us cannot afford to attend an event that is held in the ABC Center. So, tell us Mr. Hummel, Mr Burns and Mr Solis, will you make it affordable at least for our Local Goodwill Organizations like the Shriners to hold an event?

Currently, the ABC Center is out of our Local Goodwill Organizations reach because of price?

Now the Point at hand,

The discussion was about the Memorial Coliseum and specifically about the hiring of a consultant and if the City of Corpus Christi is going to follow WATT ever the Consultant recommended.

Corpus Christi City Councilman Hummel answered that the people have been included in the rounds of community input and public meetings.

The host asked if the Corpus Christi City Council was going to ask the consultant to include the input or if it will factor in.

Corpus Christi City Councilman Hummel quickly affirmed that the community's input has already been included.

The host then connected like Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and the Great Bambino Himself; he asked Hummel if the Corpus Christi City Council is considering the input from all of the people at the Caller Times on the Coliseum issue?

Mike Hummel answers "I don't know anything about whats going on at the Caller Times".

The host says you dont know, you haven't read the article at the Caller Times about the Memorial Coliseum and the internet input and suggestions from the public, you arent going to consider that input?

Hummel studdered 3 or 4 times and then a couple more times and then he said we got, we got people, we got other people on that, I think, I'm not a computer guy , but I think they are calling them something like blogs, Im not a computer guy, or something like that. Then continued the D NILE of the POWER OF THE INTERNET and the reality that the People are beginning to Engage themselves in the Formulation of Public Policy. Since you cant hear us Mr Hummel, let me yell a little louder and maybe everyone else will as well.

Mr Hummel, that River's name; we call it D Nile, get out of it. In fact a big part of your electability came from the web community. Power of the Pen Mr Hummel. When coupled with facts only an idiot would be so ignorant to be unaware of what some people are calling blogs. The credibility (or not) is right there in black and white for everyone to read. Do you still want to claim that you havent tread the input at the Caller Times Community Input Forum? Although censored slightly it can give there are many souls participating. They are already pissed off and to think that our City Council is trying to act like they are unaware of our presence. That is unbelievable Mr Hummel.

Nothing Personal MR Hummel, but I do believe you have a little bit of homework to do.

"Engaging the average citizen in the formulation of Public Policy" is our mission @ Kenedeno & Associates. "The Net is a powerful force for change -- and a dynamic tool for citizen education and action. Read the latest research on citizen participation (ENGAGEMENT) online, the stories and experiences of coalitions, corporate clients, and others working in the cyber trenches, and discover the potential to become an active participant in online democracy.

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

2007-08-05T01:35:00.000-07:00

"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.

Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi Daily Digital: Linda was the first person in a Corpus Christi Public Housing Dev. to successfully run 4 pu

2007-08-03T00:02:00.000-07:00

Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi Daily Digital: Linda was the first person in a Corpus Christi Public Housing Dev. to successfully run 4 pub office: a person who picked

Corpus Christi Daily Digital: Linda was the first person in a Corpus Christi Public Housing Dev. to successfully run 4 pub office: a person who picked herself up by her bootstraps

by hkarsh

August 2, 2007

I was a candidate for the Del Mar Board of Regents. I picked up the package to run for office. I am College Educated. I have several degrees. I'm pretty good at reading and writing contracts and such. I'm not a lawyer and believe me I could have used a lawyer to explain all the stuff I was responsible for and had to do. Del Mar wasn't going to explain it to me and the local party bosses wouldn’t have anything to do with me. Del Mar certainly wasn't going to help Linda whose brother they had railroaded out of a job. Now Linda was the first person in a Corpus Christi Public Housing development to successfully run for a public office and her neighbors were very proud of her. So here we have a person who picked herself up by her bootstraps with out the aid of the local democratic or republican bosses and won her election. So what do the local politicos do and that includes our slimy DA

there's more at the link above

Hector P Garcia Institute of Education, Integrity, Culture and Public Policy: Corpus Christi Watchdog Authority: Fwd: [Bay of Pigs] Judge Westergren h

2007-08-01T01:08:00.000-07:00

Actionable?

Well dont just stand there!!

Get To Work!!!

Hector P Garcia Institute of Education, Integrity, Culture and Public Policy: Corpus Christi Watchdog Authority: Judge Westergren has been given the opportunity to produce the ...

"IN THE KNOW": For those of you who are "In the Know"

2007-07-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

"IN THE KNOW": For those of you who are "In the Know"

Quantum meruit: Ask no more and give no less than honesty, courage, loyalty, generosity, and fairness

Corpus Christi Watchdog Authority: "nobody knows Mikal Watts better than Corpus Christi." But does Mikal Watts know us (the people of Corpus Christi)?

The Kenedy Pasture Company: A Civil Action in the Making?

2007-07-02

A Civil Action in the Making?

Why must we flex our muscles?

Nueces County, CCISD, 105th Judicial District Attorney; how many kids were locked up without an attorney?

There is no excuse for violating the basic human rights afforded under the United States Constitution.
How many kids were locked up by a court of nonrecord?
Not even with a parent's consent unless the parent has been given the opportunity to consult with counsel.
How many children taken into custody were advised of their Miranda Rights?
Oh yeah, Plaisted and every CCISD kid for whom, he provided service

.

What do we want?

Go do some homework, we want responsive representation with transparent operation.

We want to not be railroaded for tardies or for absences when the District does not practice due diligence in interdicting but is very diligent in recording the events and adamantly prosecutes and collects half of the fine. When the people cant pay the kids are picked up from class and taken in handcuffs to the court of nonrecord. The Parent is contacted and ordered to appear immediately. When the Parent arrives he or she is told to pay or your kid goes to jail and sometimes the parent is threatened and / or locked up as well. I have never seen a kid who has been provided counsel but I have witnessed many a kid go to jail.

And this from non responsive legislators who have enabled the School Administration to blame the parent when they allow children in their custody to roam at large unaccounted for and the District in coordination with the Courts of non record get paid (profit) from it.

2007-07-01

"Court Appointed Rolodex's". Nanotechnology and "Confessing Error" in a dog and pony show who operate like they are in a Kangaroo Court.

Nanotechnology at work right before our eyes finally an acknowledgment of what has been going on for quite a while now. The information in those "Court Appointed Rolodex's", there is gold in them hills. And this is going to start becoming available when? and for who? We have came to a narrowing of the road here in this alligning of energy fields. I can see it now we got Mikal who who is the adversary of my adversary John Cornyn. We also have the Honorable Judge Manuel Banales who needs to align with Mr Watts and vice versa. Does he want to run for mayor unopposed? I would rather see him correct the errors and run for Governor or Ascend to the Texas Supreme Court. Now, John Cornyn has "Confessed Error" and I assure you it wasn't out of fairness but in the essence of knocking the checkers off of the Table because he was going to lose. And Carlos Valdez & John Hubert "Confess Error" on appeal from the 105th. Hubert & Valdez "confess error" so they can conceal Mary Cano. And that is as painless as it gets.
Anton

CCCT Political Pulse
Mikal Watts seeks to round up list of Democrats for self, others
By Jaime Powell
A Monday noontime fundraiser at Vietnam restaurant for U.S. Senate hopeful Mikal Watts was a who's who of the local bar association and judiciary, including five district judges. Watts, who is living in San Antonio, told the crowd that "nobody knows Mikal Watts better than Corpus Christi."

Watts, a Democrat, who is seeking the seat held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn, asked the gathering to dig through their Rolodexes and e-mail address lists because he hopes to compile a statewide database to reach Democratic voters that can be used by all Texas Democrats.

"That way, when Judge (J. Manuel) Bañales runs for mayor he can use it," Watts joked, to uproarious laughter from the crowd and a big grin from Bañales, who was sitting on the front row.

2007-06-30

If you need an attorney.....if he is any good he will tell you watt an "Ander's Appeal" is? If he tells you not to worry about it.........FIRE HIM !!!

EL Defenzor.net: Watt is the "common denominator?" pos Quayate......Shoewe ME D QUAN>>>>>

2007-06-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

EL Defenzor.net: Watt is the "common denominator?" pos Quayate......Shoewe ME D QUAN>>>>>

CORPUS CHRISTI — The Nueces County Medical Examiner's Office may lose certification and be forced to delay critical reports without more workspace and a larger staff in the next two years, officials said.

The office is forced to ask the Commissioners Court for extra resources estimated at $640,000 for the next fiscal year to manage a rapidly increasing workload and national recertification in 2009 that mandates a maximum ratio of autopsies performed for each forensic pathologist, said Nueces County Medical Examiner Dr. Ray Fernandez. That estimate includes a one-time cost of $500,000 for a 2,000-square-foot addition to the office and hiring another pathologist with a $140,000 annual salary.

As medical examiner, Fernandez is responsible for investigating the deaths of all people who die violently, suddenly or unexpectedly. Since 1996, the number of cases reported to the office increased by 54 percent to 1,528 deaths in 2006 from 990 cases in 1996, according to county medical examiner data. The escalating number of cases results from increasing population, more immigrant traffic in the area and a higher frequency of death reports from surrounding counties, Fernandez said.

"The volume of work has grown tremendously," Fernandez said. "Right now I'm the chief examiner, the associate and the one who locks up the place."

While the office isn't backlogged, it is getting close and may start seeing delays in autopsy reports, death certificates and other documents if something isn't done, Fernandez said. These documents directly impact residents in the ability to execute an estate and file insurance claims, he said.

A delay in autopsy reports -- or if the office isn't recertified during its next review scheduled for fall 2009 -- could jeopardize the prosecution of homicides and police investigations, said District Attorney Carlos Valdez. Prosecutors are unable to prove a homicide case without the testimony and findings of the medical examiner, Valdez said.

"We're talking about the criminal justice system -- ultimately protection of the public," he said. "If something breaks down in the criminal justice system, it affects everything and in the end it may cause guilty people to walk free."

The Nueces County office is one of five statewide that are certified by the National Association of Medical Examiners out of 13 offices statewide, according to the association. According to Valdez, that certification adds a degree of credibility during criminal trials.

certified office

Medical examiner's offices, along with all statewide crime labs, were required to be certified under a 2005 state law, Fernandez said. However, the state granted a temporary exemption to medical examiners before the law took effect.

The Nueces County Office received certification by the National Association of Medical Examiners in November 2004 to gear up for what is expected to be a requirement in coming years. The exemption still is in effect but may be dropped during the 2009 legislative session, Fernandez said.

One of the certification provisions bars having more than 325 autopsies for each forensic pathologist, and the recommended maximum is no more than 250 autopsies each.

In 2006, the Nueces County office performed 328 autopsies stemming from Nueces County, which does not include autopsies of bodies from the 16 surrounding counties the office serves.

Data for autopsies from surrounding counties in the past few years was not immediately available, but likely add 100 to 150 autopsies per year, Fernandez said.

"We are at a crossroads here -- we're either going to move resources, maintain accreditation and be in compliance or expect to see delays," Fernandez said. "If nothing's done (the delays) probably would come sooner rather than later. It would probably be in the coming year or the following year after that."

considering request

Fernandez presented to commissioners requests for a facility upgrade, an extra forensic pathologist and an assistant last month during the court's budget workshops. County Judge Loyd Neal said last week that the court understands the request and will come to a decision before the 2007-2008 budget is finalized in September.

"We don't want this office not to be certified," Neal said. "With that said, there's a price tag attached to that of several hundred thousand dollars. ... One of the issues we will look at is the importance of doing this in a timely basis, and how do we pay for it."

The 2,000-square-foot expansion of the office would include an office for the extra forensic pathologist, additional workspace and a family grieving room, Fernandez said.

The request also includes hiring a permanent autopsy assistant.

"We certainly are going to work with (Dr. Fernandez) in every way we can to make sure we've looked at all alternatives and make sure we are properly equipped and funded for when inspection comes," Neal said. "But there's no guarantees. We have several million dollars' worth of requests before us and this is one of them."

Contact David Kassabian at 886-3778 or kassabiand@caller.com

The number of cases reported to the office increased by 54% to 1,528 deaths in 2006 from 990 cases in 1996.

Responsibilities

Investigate the deaths of people who die violently, suddenly or unexpectedly.

POS CCPD ANTHE 11 surround sound sAY naig....

Watt is the "common law"?

2007-06-23T03:05:00.000-07:00

ARTICLE 1.01. SHORT TITLE
ARTICLE 1.02. EFFECTIVE DATE
ARTICLE 1.03. [1] [1] OBJECTS OF THIS CODE
ARTICLE 1.04. [2] [3] DUE COURSE OF LAW
ARTICLE 1.05. [3] [4] RIGHTS OF ACCUSED
ARTICLE 1.051. RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION BY COUNSEL
ARTICLE 1.052. SIGNED PLEADINGS OF DEFENDANT
ARTICLE 1.06. [4] [5] SEARCHES AND SEIZURES
ARTICLE 1.07. [5] [6] RIGHT TO BAIL
ARTICLE 1.08. [6] [7] HABEAS CORPUS
ARTICLE 1.09. [7] [8] CRUELTY FORBIDDEN
ARTICLE 1.10. [8] [9] JEOPARDY
ARTICLE 1.11. [9] [20] [21] ACQUITTAL A BAR
ARTICLE 1.12. [10] [10] RIGHT TO JURY
ARTICLE 1.13. [10A] WAIVER OF TRIAL BY JURY
ARTICLE 1.14. [11] [22] [23] WAIVER OF RIGHTS
ARTICLE 1.141. WAIVER OF INDICTMENT FOR NONCAPITAL FELONY
ARTICLE 1.15. [12] [21] [22] JURY IN FELONY
ARTICLE 1.16. [13] [11] LIBERTY OF SPEECH AND PRESS
ARTICLE 1.17. [14] [12] RELIGIOUS BELIEF
ARTICLE 1.18. [15] [13] OUTLAWRY AND TRANSPORTATION
ARTICLE 1.19. [16] [14] CORRUPTION OF BLOOD, ETC.
ARTICLE 1.20. [17] [15] CONVICTION OF TREASON
ARTICLE 1.21. [18] [16] PRIVILEGE OF LEGISLATORS
ARTICLE 1.23. [20] [19] DIGNITY OF STATE
ARTICLE 1.24. [21] [23] [24] PUBLIC TRIAL
ARTICLE 1.25. [22] [24] [25] CONFRONTED BY WITNESSES
ARTICLE 1.26. [23] [25] [26] CONSTRUCTION OF THIS CODE
ARTICLE 1.27. [24] [26] [27] COMMON LAW GOVERNS

http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/cr.toc.htm

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

2007-06-08T05:25:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-27T02:26:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-25T02:18:00.000-07:00

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

CCISD: Freedom of Information Request: The process the CCISD Board used is unethical and unfair.

2007-05-20T04:40:00.000-07:00

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.

Parkdale Bank: According to Gambi Gamboa, "John Longoria, Carol Scott and Dwayne Hargis already have chosen and will officially choose Roland Barrera

2007-05-16T01:23:00.000-07:00

Parkdale Bank: According to Gambi Gamboa, "John Longoria, Carol Scott and Dwayne Hargis already have chosen and will officially choose Roland Barrera as soon as Fri

After analyzing the recent events surrounding the resignation of CCISD Board Trustee Harry Williams (1 of 3 at large district positions); one thing IS clear. That one thing is Due Process (or lack of it). Immediately one's memory of search firm fiascos and the CCISD Board tool of choice, the Interim Superintendent buffer / scapegoat. The process was elaborate and ethical reasons or rule were claimed as the reason for the process.

Well, why such a rush fellas?

Why is the CCISD board in such a hurry to fill this position?

A Superintendent position and a Trustee position; one we wine, dine and lodge and the other we announce for applications for a month or so and "narrow the list down" from 20 to 5 in most expedient fashion. Now, making a long story short we have 20 candidates who invested their creative, intellectual and professional abilities into a work product they hope will be scrutinized by the Board and be successfully competitive. A good letter of interest comes only from the heart. The application is at times tedious but at least it is more objective than the TAKS. Updating one's resume and with a list of references most meaningful to the position and all of this for 15 to get thrown in the trash can and the 5 resumes remaining are to place on public display

full story here

"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."

BND Googled Top 200 for examination

2007-05-14T00:21:00.000-07:00

"IN THE KNOW": Carlos Truan | Hugo Berlanga & The Primrose Path & Rangel Law School @ Texas A&I University.

2007-05-07T03:50:00.000-07:00

"IN THE KNOW": Carlos Truan | Hugo Berlanga & The Primrose Path & Rangel Law School @ Texas A&I University.

Nueces De La Parra: Corpus Christi Watchdog Authority: When the District Attorney has questions and the SOS has cleared the Candidate to run, how can

2007-05-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Corpus Christi Watchdog Authority: When the District Attorney has questions and the SOS has cleared the Candidate to run, how can there be criminal proceedings?

Whichever suits the interest of the "Pick and Choose" self dealers of Del Mar College. The voters made their choice; but it is not the choice of the "Pick and Choose" self dealers, so they whine. Always changing the rules in the middle of the process and calling it due process and they actually believe their own prevarication. It is requested that the AG attend the board meetings and closed sessions in the interest of Del Mar Taxpayers, Faculty and Student body as the AG did in the Kenedy Foundation debacle with Rene Gracida.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

THOSE WHO LOOK TO THE LONE STAR STATE for political intrigue have had a good year.

2007-05-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

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September|October 2003
Mock Trial's Big Dance By Brian Montopoli
Pete Rose's Mock Trial By Joshua David Mann
Sue Yourself By Dashka Slater
To Be Continued By Sam Goodstein
No Boundaries By Tyler Maroney
The Prudent Jurist By Susan Koniak
Cases & Controversies

To Be Continued

By Sam Goodstein

THOSE WHO LOOK TO THE LONE STAR STATE for political intrigue have had a good year. In one of his final acts as House majority leader, Dick Armey tried to insert a media ownership rule into an arms bill that seemed to single out The Dallas Morning News for punishment, reportedly because of the paper's decision not to endorse his son's failed Congressional bid in Denton County. Then, last spring, Democrats in the Texas state legislature fled to neighboring Oklahoma to avoid giving Republicans the quorum they needed to pass a partisan redistricting plan. Both moves are fine examples of the bipartisan wile of Texas politicians. But when it comes to unsavory politicking, some of the most adroit manipulation happens on the local level. Consider the political favors done for Wyeth, a $60 billion pharmaceutical company based in Madison, N.J.

In the mid-1990s, American Home Products (as Wyeth was then called) marketed a weight-loss cocktail known as fen-phen. After research demonstrated in 1997 that fen-phen increased the risk of failing heart valves, causing blood that was supposed to be pumped into the body to dribble back into the heart, the manufacturer quickly pulled it off the shelves. But the damage had already been done. The ensuing federal class-action lawsuit brought by fen-phen users resulted in a $3.75 billion settlement with the company. A number of plaintiffs, dissatisfied with the settlement, opted out and pursued separate litigation against Wyeth in Texas state court.

Wyeth was represented by an outstanding legal team, including the Washington, D.C., powerhouse firm Arnold & Porter. Faced with the prospect of another massive payout, however, Wyeth took no chances. It sought additional counsel in the form of Gabi Canales, a solo practitioner from Alice, Tex., a sleepy town about 120 miles south of San Antonio. Canales, a 1998 graduate of nearby St. Mary's University Law School, had a diverse practice, doing plaintiffs work, estates, wills, and the like. But she had never worked on a major product liability case or one involving complex scientific evidence. Like many fresh-faced young attorneys, she was eager to tackle a big case. "I haven't been practicing for very many years," she explained, "so I wanted whatever experience I could get to diversify my practice."

NOT EVERYONE APPROVED OF HER DECISION to join the Wyeth team. Canales, as it happened, held down another job—representing the residents of Alice as a Democrat in the state legislature. About to depart to Austin for a four-month legislative session, Canales's first legal maneuver on behalf of Wyeth was to ask the judge on the case—her father, it turned out—for a six-month continuance. When Judge Terry Canales recused himself, citing an obvious (and, one might have imagined, foreseeable) conflict of interest, the matter was left to be decided by Judge Mike Westergren. Except that in reality, it wasn't Westergren's call to make: Texas has a special provision that grants automatic continuances to any lawyer who is also a state legislator. According to the state's legislative continuance rule, which dates back to 1929, state courts must delay proceedings until 30 days after the end of the legislative session—in this case five months from the date of Gabi Canales's request.

The legislative continuance was devised as a way to satisfy the competing demands on a part-time legislator's attention. The Texas legislature meets for a maximum of 140 days every other year, and its members are paid an annual salary of $7,200. To make a living, most legislators must have a career outside politics that also places demands on their time and energy. How could a Texas lawyer hold clients if she couldn't assure them that she could meet her responsibilities while away serving in the legislature?

Nine other states, including California, New York, Michigan, and Massachusetts, operate full-time legislatures along the lines of Congress, but most employ part-time "citizen legislatures," like that of Texas. In the South, where there isn't a single full-time legislature, the part-time legislature is often invoked as a symbol of limited, restrained government. "With a full-time legislature you don't have the knowledge of industry and business that you have with a citizen legislature," argued Richard Saslaw, a Virginia state senator. "Part-time legislatures have more knowledgeable members, so they don't have to rely on staff or lobbyists."

Others disagree. In the era of the "new federalism" and devolution of power to the states, a part-time legislature, they say, cannot meet the growing demands of 21st-century governance. "With the growing size, importance, and complexity of state governments, full-time legislators are becoming imperative," said Steve Tobocman, a state representative in Michigan's full-time legislature.

ARMED WITH TEXAS CIVIL PRACTICE AND REMEDIES CODE SECTION 30.003, Canales walked into court in December 2002 and postponed one of the fen-phen litigations for over five months, a feat she duplicated in two other fen-phen cases. At a pretrial hearing, the attorneys for Wyeth explained to the court that Canales would make a "significant, important contribution" to the case, noting her "standing in the community"—undoubtedly a good thing, but rarely a prerequisite for defending a product liability case. "You have a case that is barreling up to trial, where the lawyer-legislator is added to the case, where they haven't participated in discovery," Bruce Flemming, a lawyer for the plaintiffs told Texas Lawyer. "I think it is just a sin."

The plaintiffs appealed the continuance, and the Texas Court of Appeals derided Wyeth's maneuvering, citing the company's "questionable conduct" in using legislative continuances for "tactical advantage." Ultimately, however, the plantiffs' appeal failed; since the statute didn't allow judicial discretion, the appellate court's hands were tied. The delay forced the plaintiffs, many of whom have significant medical bills thanks to fen-phen's side effects, to wait months for their day in court.

"That's the system in Texas: One day you're a country lawyer with your shingle out, then you get elected to the legislature and the next day you are a high-priced product liability attorney," said Craig McDonald, the director of Texans for Public Justice. McDonald's group is an Austin-based nonprofit that advocates political reform, consumer protection, and corporate accountability. "This is blatant stuff," he said. "Canales had no experience at all relevant to this case. The relevance was that she was a newly elected legislator."

But Canales was not the only legislator to procure legislative continuances for Wyeth. In the spirit of bipartisanship, the company also hired Representative Ruben Hope, a Republican from Conroe, to postpone two other fen-phen trials. And the company wasn't alone in using this tactic. Over the last few years, major product liability cases against breast-implant manufacturers, asbestos companies, and Firestone Tires have been put on hold in Texas. While it is difficult to quantify the effect that delay has on a product liability case, it is often used to put financial pressure on plaintiff's attorneys, who typically work for a percentage of any damages awarded by the court. And though Canales may truly believe in the virtue of Wyeth's cause, she was undoubtedly attracted by her compensation. According to McDonald, "the rumor on the street is that continuances go for somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 each." Texas law doesn't require disclosure, and how much Canales was paid is not a matter of public record.

Texas is not the only state that allows legislative continuances, nor is it the only state that gives judges no discretion to reject them. More than 20 states allow such continuances. Iowa comes closest to Texas in effectively blocking judges' discretion over them. But abuses of the rule are most egregious in Texas.

THIS SUMMER, HOWEVER, THERE WAS A SMALL STEP FORWARD in the Lone Star State: the passage of an ethics reform bill. The new law requires, among other things, legislators to report their requests for legislative continuances, including the name of the party represented and the date on which the legislator was retained, although not the amount paid for the service. The information must be passed on to the Texas Ethics Commission within three days, a provision that will make it easier to keep track of abuse. But because the bill requires the disclosure of information that is already known—the parties to a case and their lawyers are matters of public record—few observers expect it to have much political force.

Canales's own behavior might have some political fallout, but even that remains uncertain. Her part in the Wyeth case secured her a place on Texas Monthly's Top 10 Worst Legislators list, an impressive distinction for a first-term representative. But Canales is politically well-connected: Her father remains a district judge and her mother is county chairwoman for the Democratic Party. Canales is convinced that her constituents don't care about, or pay much attention to scandals like the continuance issue. "They are not interested," she said. And she might be right: Her father, Terry, was himself ranked among the 10 Worst Legislators while serving as a representative in 1975—and has since been elected four times to serve as judge for the district.

Sam Goodstein is an attorney working in Santa Monica, Calif. His writing has appeared in The Los Angeles Times.

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"IN THE KNOW": Remember The Crime Stoppers "Vandalism" of the Corpus Christi Country Club Golf Coursehigh powered members who control our nation’s eco

2007-04-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

"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?

Many parents just don't know about truancy laws, school officials and judges say.

2007-02-04T04:13:00.000-08:00

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Monday, August 23, 1999
Working to help keep kids in school
State laws and truancy center give hope to those helping kids

By Novelda Sommers
Caller-Times

Truant officer Gary Ganschow rumbles into driveways on his three-wheel custom motorcycle, court summons in hand.
Ganschow takes students who skip school, and sometimes their parents, to court.
"He's like their worst nightmare over in the King district," said Mariah Boone, director of the Truancy Reduction Impact Program, which serves juveniles who violate the city's daytime curfew.
Ganschow, Boone and local juvenile authorities say they hope to see a decrease in truancy with the opening of a new 24-hour curfew center next month and with new state truancy laws.
Two new laws aim to combat truancy among 16- to 18-year-old students. One law gives school districts the option of expelling 18-year-olds if they accrue more than five unexcused absences. And starting Sept. 1, judges may order 16-year-olds accused of skipping school to take the high school equivalency exam.
"I think what the Legislature is saying is they're serious about kids going to school," said Art Delgado, CCISD director of administrative and student services. "If they are not going to school, following the rules, and they are being disruptive, they shouldn't be there."
Sanctions against students who miss school aren't meant to punish, but to get students back in school and keep them there, he said. A special committee this fall is expected to work on ways to improve attendance.
Many parents just don't know about truancy laws, school officials and judges say.
Justice of the Peace Larry Cox said parents often seem surprised when they appear in his court and learn that they could be fined thousands of dollars or jailed because they didn't make their children attend school.
Cox said he saw about 600 truancy cases in his courtroom last year, compared with about 50 cases when he first took office five years ago. He attributes the increase to more diligent enforcement by police, constables' deputies and school truancy officers.
Penalties can range from fines up to $500 for each unexcused absence, to court orders for parents to attend school with their children for a day or two, Cox said.
State law says it's a crime if any child age six to 18 misses three days or parts of days within four weeks without an excuse or if they have 10 unexcused absences within six months.
Straight talk
Ganschow, a Vietnam veteran with a pierced ear and a ponytail, checks school attendance reports at 12 Corpus Christi Independent School District schools and serves court summons to select students, and sometimes parents.
Last week, he spoke to a classroom of King students whose teacher said he had noticed too many absences in the first week of school.
"You may say, 'What can you do to me, because I'm a kid,' '' he said.
Lots of things. A judge can assess a 6 p.m. curfew. Or the judge could suspend the offender's driver's license.
On the second offense, Ganschow told them, "you're going to jail."
"You're going to be put in the police car and taken to the juvenile center where you will be held for violating a court order," he tells them. Those who are 17 or older can be taken to the county jail.
Hope for center
Whom he takes to court depends on parents' and students' willingness to change their behavior, Ganschow later said.
"We don't file on all of them. It's a tool that we can use," he said.
Last year, CCISD filed 938 complaints against students and parents. CCISD employs five truant officers whose coverage areas center around the high schools and their feeder schools.
Boone said she hopes a planned 24-hour curfew center, funded with the Crime Control District tax, will drive down truancy numbers down.
Set to open on Sept. 13, the center will offer counseling to students and their parents. Staff at the center will call offenders' schools to learn their grades and absentee rates, she said. The counselors will follow up with the families in the weeks after the first session.
Parents, she said, can help keep their kids in school by knowing school staff and calling to check if they suspect there is a problem.
Counseling often needed
Often, truancy is a symptom of a larger problem in the offender's family, said Penny Grochow, assistant chief probation officer for the Nueces County Juvenile Department.
Counselors who work with truants and runaways at the center often learn of sexual abuse, drug use and neglect in truants' homes, she said.
The department has seen the number of truancies level off since 1993, when truancies peaked at 613 cases. Last year, the department handled 354 cases, and in 1997, it saw 316. Juvenile crime overall hit a five-year low last year, with 4,311 offenses.
Parents can call the department between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. for free counseling, Grochow said. Most who come in complain that they have difficulty getting their children to go to school.
"If they've called us at 8 a.m. and they can't get the kid out of bed for school, we tell them to get the kid in the car and come talk to us," she said.
Kids difficult to handle
In a recent counseling session, a defiant girl with close-cropped hair began to let down her guard with Priscilla Boyd-Apah, a juvenile probation caseworker.
She doesn't want to go to school because other kids make fun of her, she told Boyd-Apah.
"You need to straighten out your act today," Boyd-Apah said. "How are you going to support yourself if you're not educated?"
The session was arranged by the girl's mother, who was desperate for help and called the department.
"She's like the bad apple out of all of them," the mother said, telling the counselor that the 12-year-old has three younger siblings.
Boyd-Apah said she frequently counsels children whose parents say they can no longer control them. This girl will be taken on a tour of the juvenile boot camp to see where she could end up if she keeps offending, Boyd-Apah said.
But during the session, it became apparent, Boyd-Apah said, that the mother needs help, too.
The mother said she doesn't work, and lives on about $200 in monthly government aid. The girl's father, she said, is in prison.
A school counselor who called during the session said the children come to school dirty, Boyd-Apah said.
"They need to come clean and dressed nice for school or else kids will pick at them," Boyd-Apah told the mother, before making a follow-up appointment for the next week.
Justice of the Peace Henry Santana said that when he assesses punishment in truancy cases, he orders the families to get counseling. Some parents just don't know how to communicate with their children without fighting.
"Punishment is not the answer," he said. "They need a lot of counseling, a lot of help to put them on track again."

Staff writer Novelda Sommers can be reached at 886-3774 or by e-mail at sommersn@caller.com

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