As usual, the turnout was pathetic. It is amazing to me that so few people take the time to vote and then, when they do, skip a lot of the races. In Harris County, 25.5% of the Republican voters didn’t bother to vote in the party chair race. Incredibly, 19% didn’t bother to vote in the Sheriff’s race. Of course, that gives those of us that do vote a better chance of having an impact, so it isn’t all bad. Although the non-voters certainly have the right to sit around and gripe about this or that policy, they cannot say that they want to do anything about it – actions speak louder than words.

In a bit of an upset, this year’s pay-to-play slate card battle was won by Steven Hotze and the Conservative Republicans of Harris County. If you bought his endorsement, you had an 89.6% chance of either wining your race or ending up in a runoff battle. That’s right, Hotze knocked off Terry Lowry this year – Lowry’s group of “endorsements” won or got into a runoff “only” 84.8% of the time. As usual, Gary Polland was at the back of the pack with a 77.3% chance. But more on that stuff later. To the races!

Senate – unfortunately, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst didn’t make it over 50%, so he will be in a runoff  with Ted Cruz. Conventional wisdom is that Cruz will beat him one-on-one. I don’t know about that but it will be a hard race for the Lt. Gov., given that it is certain to be an even lower turnout. Ted’s supporters are very much like Ron Paul supporters and they will turn out to vote.

Harris County DA – While I’m not “shocked” that Judge Anderson won the race, I have to admit that I am more than a little surprised at the shellacking he gave DA Pat Lykos. Republicans have always been the law and order party and the policies that Lykos put in place to address crime long term just didn’t resonate with the primary voters. The Hotze/Lowry combination along with months of negative coverage in the media was too much for Lykos to overcome. Negative campaigning still rules the day and most likely, always will.

Harris County Sheriff – I had hoped that Harold Heuszel would come in second because that would have been a good, positive battle with Louis Guthrie one on one. Unfortunately, Carl Pittman made it, so expect a couple of months of very negative campaigning from his crew. Louis made it to the top of the field without going negative but I don’t expect it to stay that way in the runoff. You are going to learn more than you ever wanted to know about the personal life of Mr. Pittman. As I said above, negative campaigning works.

Harris County Attorney – the voters went with experience and a proven record in this one. Robert Talton will not back down from Steve Radack or El Franco Lee. This is going to be fun to watch.

Judges – I hate the way we elect judges. I have no problems with any of the winners but this is one area that the slate cards dominate. We all know that the vast majority of voters don’t have the time to research all of the candidates and this really hits home in the judicial races because there are so many of them. All we can do is chip away at the problem of the paid endorsement racket and hope that over time, they will exert less influence. I hope that the experience doesn’t completely sour good, young talent like Leif Olson and that he tries again in the future.

CD36 – With 92% of the precincts reporting as I type this, it looks like it will be a runoff between Steve Takach and Steve Stockman. Mike Jackson not making the runoff is a surprise to most everyone, including me.

SD11 – I was surprised that Larry Taylor won without a runoff. He’s a solid conservative and will be a player in the Senate very quickly. Special thanks to my friend, Daniel McCool, for giving it his best effort.

Harris County Chair – As I said before, I wouldn’t bet against Jared Woodfill and sure enough, he pulled out another victory. Which means two more years of watching the party hacks discourage people from participating because it might take away some of their perceived power. He had a very good campaign strategy – stay away from any meeting that isn’t tightly controlled by his minions and stay on TV. “Why honey, look, there’s that good man Jared defending us against them gays!”  Hey, it worked.

On to the next election – only 62 days to go!

If you are reading this, most likely you’ve already voted because you are more interested in the process than the 95% or so that won’t bother voting today. But just in case there are a few stragglers out there that haven’t voted and haven’t made up there minds on the candidates, might I suggest a few?

US Senate: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst – no other candidate has the depth and breadth of experience that Dewhurst brings to the contest. As a veteran of the Air Force, he understands the needs of the men and women of our military. As a former CIA officer, he understands more than most the role of our intelligence services. As a very successful businessman, he knows what it takes to create jobs, opportunity, and wealth. As the only statewide elected official in the race, he understands what it takes to reduce the size of government and create a level playing field for all. In short, he’s the real deal and the only man ready to go to Washington DC today and make a difference.

CD 36 – Mike Jackson – with a clear conservative record during his time as a Texas State Representative and Senator, we don’t need to worry about what he will do in Washington DC.

RR Commissioner – Roland Sledge – he’s one of only two people with actual experience in oil and gas, the rest of the field are political cronies. Put a sledgehammer to work and put the EPA in its proper place.

SD 11 – Daniel McCool – send a message to the lobbyists that you are tired of politics as usual and scorched earth campaigns. Daniel is a servant leader that will represent the people of SD11 with honor and hard work.

HD 129 – John Davis – his calm demeanor and steady hand will prove to be an asset to Speaker Joe Straus during the sure to be contentious budget skirmishes in the 2013 session.

151st Civil Court – Leif Olson – Leif is the clear, consistent conservative in this race. He’s also one of the most talented young attorneys in the state of Texas. Put him to work for the people and watch him soar!

179th Criminal Court – Kristin Guiney – Kristin has the experience necessary to handle this high volume criminal court.

Harris County District Attorney – Pat Lykos – you can be for moving forward with the reforms down at the courthouse and for retuning to the days of the frat house. Yes, she’s stepped on a lot of toes during her three years in office. Give her four more and let her crush some more.

Harris County Attorney – Robert Talton – give Judge Ed Emmett a county attorney that will help him root out corruption, not hinder his activities.

Harris County Sheriff – Louis Guthrie – Do you want solid leadership in the sheriff’s office? A man that has the respect of his officers? Then Louis Guthrie is your choice.

Harris County Tax Assessor Collector – Don Sumners – I still don’t know why his challenger challenged him. He never made a case against Sumners or for himself. Plus, he’s got some campaign finance problems to deal with. Another thing that bugged me was that he ran for City Council knowing full well he didn’t want the job and if he wins this race, the city will have to hold a special election, costing taxpayers thousands of dollars. With Don, you know that you have an honest, hard working man that will always look out for the taxpayer. Give him a full term – vote for Don Sumners.

Harris County Dept of Education, At Large 3 – Mike Wolfe – his opponent is a dyed in the wool Democrat wearing sheep’s clothes to try and trick Republican voters. Don’t be fooled – Mike Wolfe consistently votes against spending by this outdated department and should be returned to his position.

I didn’t vote for a single unopposed candidate and I hope you don’t either. I hate the machinations that go on in the background that prevent “certain” people from having opponents.

Kudos to all of the candidates for their efforts. The polls close at 7 pm, so you’d better get on down there – don’t take a chance of your car breaking down! And remember – the vote is the vote. There shall be no whining about the results.

Over the past two years, I’ve had the honor to escort far too many of our nation’s finest to their final resting place with the SE Texas PGR. I’ve learned a lot about the men and women, and their families, that willingly stand in the gap to preserve and protect our freedoms. While all of these missions have a special place in my heart, one stands out for many reasons.

Pfc. Nathan Given

Pfc. Nathaniel A. Given was killed in action on December 27, 2006, by an improvised explosive device in Jumbalatiyah, Iraq while conducting dismounted patrol. From all accounts, Nathan was first and foremost a person that cared about others. His father related to me how Nathan would accompany him to visit the kids at Shriners Hospital in Galveston.

I have been a Shriner at El Mina Shrine for the past 7 years. Nathan has always been by my side along with his little brother Emery doing everything they can to help me with the children at El Mina Shrine Burns Hospital, they never had to they just enjoyed working with the kids as I do.

In an interview with the Galveston Daily News , Nathan’s father recalled a conversation with his son about their shared bulk.

Nathan’s 6-foot, 4-inch frame proved useful for the Army’s needs, which were not altogether to his own liking.
“He would complain to me: ‘Dad, how come you made me so big? They make me carry the big weapons,’” Scott Given said.
That big frame also left a mark at the family home. During a visit home before heading to Iraq, Nathan attempted to hop the fence in the backyard. Instead, he bent the frame.

Nathan’s father, Scott, also shared with me an email from Nathan’s First Sergeant, Aldo E. Galeana that talked about Nathan’s growth as a soldier. It also speaks of the bond that soldiers have for each other and a remarkable display of humanity on the battlefield.

As the senior sergeant of the company it is my job to make sure the Soldiers are trained and ready for combat. When your son arrived in the unit, I was the one that went to pick him up from the Battalion Headquarters. All the new Soldiers arrived there. When I arrived there, I started yelling like all first sergeants do. He looked a little nervous and a little scared. After about 5 months or so he started to do pretty good, nothing special or extraordinary. You know when we are in garrison the soldiers that talk a lot of trash are usually the ones that are timid in combat. Well sir, your son was not timid in combat whatsoever. When we arrived in Kuwait for a little bit of training and acclimatization, your son’s platoon sergeant used to come up to me and tell me that he was starting to see a lot of changes in your son, good changes. He used to clean his weapon without any one telling him to do it, squaring away his gear, squaring himself away, by studying his equipment capabilities. When we arrived in Iraq, you could tell your son was coming on his own. What I mean by that is that he was doing excellent. Every time his platoon got hit by an IED or enemy fire, he pulled security and scanned his sectors of fire. This might not seem like very important to other people, but for us in the Infantry it is. He scanned his sector and kept at the ready. His platoon sergeant was very impressed by him, he was happy he had a Soldier that he did not had to worry about. Your son always had a good attitude. He was always happy, and was well liked in his platoon. He had the respect of his peers, and his leaders had confidence in him. I do not know how much he told you about the situation over here, but it is pretty bad. We are in a very bad sector. Your son handled himself pretty good in combat. He was brave and strong. He received a coin from a 2 star general, which are very rare. His platoon nominated him to get it. He was ahead of his peers, and I was about to promote him to E-4.

When your son passed away, the platoon was conducting a dismounted patrol. They got hit with a dismounted IED that was pretty big. Your son and sergeant Messer were knocked out immediately. He did not suffer, and he did not pass away alone and in pain. I was the one that went to pick them up, and brought them to the medics here in our patrol base. I was in there with the medics when your son passed away. Mr. Given I am of the Christian faith, and I knew this boy lying in the stretcher in front of me, was somebody’s son. I hope you do not mind me telling you this. I gave your son a kiss on the forehead and said a prayer right then and there to guide him to heaven and God. I assure you, that your son did not suffer. He was unconscious all the time. I just wanted to tell you that your boy was a brave MAN here with us. He did his job well, fought well, took care of his duties, and was a trusted Infantry Soldier. I am not writing this letter to you, because I want forgiveness. I have been in the Infantry for over 20 years, and been in Iraq 4 times already. I am telling you this because it is the truth and I wanted to tell you a little about your son. Please forgive me if I am writing this letter out of place, it is not my intention. I am attaching a couple of pictures of the memorial wall we have for the 2 Infantrymen that passed away that day. We look at it every day, and we do not forget about your son and SGT Messer at all.

A tender kiss on the forehead from the rough and tumble First Sergeant to guide him home. Thank you, Father, for men like Pfc. Nathan Given and First Sgt. Aldo Galeana.

A wall in the barracks to remember Pfc. Given and Sgt. Messer.

From left: The platoon’s Iraqi interpreter, Nathan, Lares and Messer. The interpreter was wounded in the attack, Nathan and Sgt. Messer were KIA.

A traditional Soldier’s Cross.

Taps being played at Nathan’s funeral.

Mike Anderson

I have to admit that when I first saw Felicia Cravens’ complaint against Judge Mike Anderson, I was half, oh well, and half, hey, that is Judge Denise Bradley’s courtroom, I need to warn her. I mean, I’ve seen this stuff so often through the years that I’ve come to accept it. Yeah, I know shame on me and good on Felicia for not. And as for Judge Bradley, she had been very nice to me during her campaign and I thought that I was returning the favor. Although I was never able to contact her directly, I was able to get word to her through an intermediary.

Lot of good that did. I couldn’t have protected her because Judge Anderson himself hung her out to dry. In a blog post on Chron.com, either Chris Moran or Brian Rogers got this from Judge Anderson:

“Whether it’s the Cub Scouts or the South Texas College of Law doing mock trials or (Houston Bar Association) doing (continuing legal education), those are public courtrooms and you seek permission from the judge, which I did,” Anderson said. “It’s just been customary at the courthouse, for the 30 years I’ve been around, that if you want to use a courtroom, you ask the judge.”

He said Bradley even signed the group in and watched them go through the metal detectors at security.

Let’s review the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct:

Canon 2, B.     A judge shall not allow any relationship to influence judicial conduct or judgment. A judge shall not lend the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others; nor shall a judge convey or permit others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge. A judge shall not testify voluntarily as a character witness.

Great. Wonderful. Now both judges are guilty of judicial misconduct. Sad state of affairs down at the courthouse. And this is what people want to go back to?

No, Judge Anderson (and Judge Bradley), you don’t just “ask the judge” if you want to use a courtroom. Here is how it is done:

SECTION 7. NON-OFFICIAL USE OF PUBLIC AREAS

7.1 In accordance with this section, those Public Areas suitable for meetings or gatherings may be made available for Non-Official Use after regular business hours provided such Public Areas are not needed for official business. However, such Non-Official Use may not be scheduled between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m..

7.2 Any Entity desiring to meet or gather in such Public Areas for a Non-Official Use shall submit a written request at least ten days prior to the initial proposed use. Each request shall be valid for a period not to exceed ninety days. All requests shall be submitted to the FPM Customer Service Section at 1310 Prairie, Suite 140, Houston, Texas 77002. The request shall provide: (1) the full name, mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone number of the Entity, and the Person representing the Entity, desiring to make the Non-Official Use; (2) a specific description of the Public Area to be used; (3) a general description of the nature of the Non-Official Use (i.e., meeting) and the expected number of participants; (4) the dates and hours during which the Public Area is to be used; and (5) a promise to pay any cleanup or other costs.

7.3 Use is allocated by the County or District on a first-come, first-served basis, and is subject to the availability of the requested Public Area.

7.4 The Public Areas provided herein are primarily for official business, and in the event of a conflict, the need and use for official business shall take priority.

7.5 The County or District reserves the right to preempt or interrupt the scheduled use of the Public Area if the Public Area is needed to conduct official business.

7.6 A Person who makes Non-Official Use of a Public Area Surrounding a Public Building may hold, carry, or display as much material as that Person can hold, carry, or display on his or her Person at all times. Any excess material or any material found in the Public Area after the Person has left shall be removed.

7.7 A Person may use a portable chair or table while holding, carrying, or displaying material, but a Person may not place articles in or on Premises that give the impression of permanent or semi-permanent occupancy or residency (for example, a bed, cot, filing cabinet, sofa, desk, heater, refrigerator, stove, or portable bathroom facilities). Any excess articles shall be removed.

7.8 Activities may not interfere with or disrupt the conduct of official business, or interfere with the free ingress and egress to the Premises.

And here are copies of the forms that are supposed to be filed ten days prior to expected use:

Perhaps judges do not have to sign in when they enter the courthouse on weekends because neither Judge Bradley’s or Judge Anderson’s names are on the log in sheet.

Sign In

Makes you wonder: who else entered the courthouse that day without signing in? Hard to believe that Judge Anderson would film an ad without his sleazy consultant around. I half expected to see the members of the 185th Runaway Grand Jury on that list.

Let’s go back to Cravens’ complaint:

Anderson’s use of the 262nd State District Criminal Courtroom to film his campaign advertisements is a clear violation of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct because it undermines, rather than promotes, public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, and clearly involves a judge lending the prestige of judicial office to advance their private interests.

I pay my taxes so government can carry out a few narrow, legitimate purposes. Establishing a judiciary to promote justice is one of them; but providing a no-cost set that politicians can use to film campaign commercials is not.

And she is exactly right.

I guess what bothers me most is not that Judge Anderson broke the rules and didn’t follow the law, although that is not a good thing. What bothers me the most is that Felicia filed her complaint over a week ago. Judge Anderson had plenty of time to huddle up with his consultant, figure out a game plan, and do the right thing by reimbursing the county for the cost of his use of the 262nd courtroom and issuing an apology.

But no, that isn’t what he does. He defiantly claims that he did nothing wrong even as the facts are staring him straight in the face. Not only is he defiant, he implicates another judge to go down with him.

Why? I’m glad you asked. I think it is clear that Judge Anderson has a pattern of doing what he wants, regardless of what should be done. Supporting Judge Bill Harmon’s dismissal of DWI cases rather than have the defendants go through a rigorous intervention program. Allowing felony DWI’s to be pled down to misdemeanors at the same time his is publicly admonishing the District Attorney for an intervention program for first time offenders.  Wanting the courthouse to revert to the good ol’ days of the frathouse.

Does Judge Anderson understand the meaning of justice? Or does it mean “just us” to him and his friends?

If you haven’t voted yet, think about that.

Gov. Rick Perry - master of retail politics

After reading much commentary about Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s “weakness” after his failed presidential bid, I decided to check it out for myself. Mind you, I’ve never been a huge Rick Perry fan but I’ve learned that you should not underestimate his ability. I’ve been to a fair number (dozens?) of his rallies, so I know what to expect. Well, you know, before his alleged political death (cough, Burka, cough). Guess what?

This dude ain’t even close to being dead in Texas.

Today’s rally featuring Gov. Perry’s Texas Budget Compact and endorsement of Rep. James White’s reelection bid was classic Rick Perry. And I mean classic. No one in Texas politics comes close to Rick Perry when it comes to retail politics. He has the ability to make you think that he came to see you instead of me driving a 180 mile round trip to see him.  Sure, the hair is a bit grayer and the lines on his face a bit deeper, but make no mistake, Rick Perry remains a formidable politician. I’d hate to be the guy that decided to spend $20 million to go up against him in 2014.

I arrived at the Catfish Cabin in Lumberton early to get a feel for the crowd. There were certainly some James White supporters there but the crowd was there for Gov. Perry.  And Gov. Perry left no doubt – he was there to support James White – his Texas Budget Compact was secondary. He strongly endorsed Rep. White’s bid for reelection, agreeing with Rep. White’s opening statement that neither man “evolves” – they have solid core beliefs that cannot be compromised. Obviously that was a reference to President Obama’s statement on homosexual marriage. And it played well to a packed room at the restaurant.

Who knows what will happen in this race? I certainly don’t. Listening to AM 560 KLVI on the route to and fro, I heard strong ads from both candidates. Challenger Rep. Mike Hamilton’s ad made reference to Rep. White’s dismissal from a local high school for vulgarity in a classroom. Rep. White’s ad talked about tax liens against Rep. Hamilton. Both men are well funded and have plenty of supporters, so your guess is probably better than mine as to who wins.

But what I can tell you without question is that Gov. Perry won today. Sure, the naysayers will continue to hit him, and I’m sure I will as well, but never, ever underestimate his ability to connect with people.

Or win elections, his presidential quest notwithstanding.

Steve Stockman false mailer

Let’s just be clear – nothing in that piece of $%#$ document is true and it is fitting that a dufus like Stockman put these lies out. But, for the record, let’s address three of these bogus claims:

Stockman alleges Mike Jackson is “pro-choice”  - Laughable

Mike Jackson has been praised by Texas Alliance for Life on his campaign Facebook page.  In posting their appreciation, Texas Alliance for Life noted:

“Thank you Sen. Jackson for supporting SB 7 which is the statutory basis for excluding Planned Parenthood from the Women’s Health Program.”

In 2011, Jackson had a 100% Texas Right to Life rating

During the last State Legislative session, Jackson supported the Sonogram Bill and legislation to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers in the State of Texas.

Jackson has also earned 100% Pro-Life ratings in previous legislative sessions:

2007 – Texas Right to Life

2003 – Texas Right to Life

And named an Anti-choice (read, Anti-abortion) Legislator in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009 by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL):

http://www.prochoicetexas.org/instate/2003legislativeguide_sen.shtml

http://www.prochoicetexas.org/instate/2005legislativeguide_sen.shtml

http://www.prochoicetexas.org/instate/2007legislativeguide_sen01.shtml

http://www.prochoicetexas.org/instate/2009legislativeguide_sen01-02.shtml

Fact: Stockman’s claims are enormously dishonest and a pathetic attempt to smear Senator Jackson’s deeply-held beliefs that life begins at conception and should be protected by the laws of our nation.

Stockman alleges Mike Jackson supported giving Texas driver’s licenses and voting rights to “Mexicans” – Laughable on the “Are you serious? scale” 

Stockman ignorantly cites SB 2027 from the 80^th Legislative Session as a bill that allows “Mexicans” to acquire and Texas driver’s license and later voting rights.  The fact is, SB 2027 required applicants for an enhanced Texas driver’s license “. . .to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, identity and state residency. . .”

Fact:  SB 2027 from the 80^th Legislative Session applied ONLY to U.S. Citizens.  Stockman is either ignorant of the law or willfully misleading in his description.  In addition, Sen. Jackson fully supported and voted in favor of the Voter ID law.

Stockman alleges Mike Jackson voted to create an Income Tax in the State of Texas – okay, it is time to throw this idiot Stockman under the bus and be done with him. 

Sen. Mike Jackson has stood firmly on the side of property tax relief for Texans and has opposed tax increases.  He has an extensive list of awards from pro-business, conservative, and taxpayer watchdog organizations including: Champion of Small Business from the National Coalition for Capitol; Taxpayer Advocate Award from Texans for Fiscal Responsibility; and various Champion of Free Enterprise Awards from the Texas Association of Businesses.  Sen. Jackson would not have earned these awards if he had been a tax and spend liberal as Stockman would have people believe.

Fact:  The State of Texas does not have an income tax and Mike Jackson has never supported an income tax.  As noted in the Austin American Statesman (5/11/05 – passage of HB3 did not include an income tax and in fact, reduced taxes on property owners:

“Tuesday afternoon, Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, said that he and at least a third of the Senate made it clear they would not vote to consider a bill that included the state tax.

A statewide property tax has the potential to tie the hands of local school boards,” Carona said. “It will result in less long-term funding for our schools.”

Once senators removed the state property tax, the tax bill called for the maximum school property tax rate to go from $1.50 per $100 in property value to $1.30 this fall. Then, in fall 2007, the rate would fall to $1.15.”

I can’t even to begin to tell you how much this crap ticks me off. As a voter in CD-36, I think it is important that you know the truth about this clown, Steve Stockman. He was horrible as a rep his first time around, which is why he lost to Democrat Nick Lampson – who else could possibly lose to Nick Lampson? Go here to read all you want to about this clown.

I hope you join me and that you vote for the only proven conservative leader in this race: State. Sen. Mike Jackson.

Don’t believe the lies – check the record! Mike has been a solid conservative for us in SD11. Don’t mess around and vote for a proven loser like Stockman or any of the wannabes that are spending thousands upon thousands in this race to trick you.

I refuse to fall for the bait – vote for Mike Jackson and make a difference in Congress.

I see that Claver has decided to attack lil’ old me. Dude, what’s up with that? @SpeakerStraus rules. @RagingElephants #txlege

Claver didn’t appreciate the humor, because I poked at him with the “Straus rules” thing and for whatever reason, Claver can’t handle the fact that Joe Straus is a conservative Speaker of the House. After a little back and forth, the Apostle tweets this:

@dpjennings @VoteBeebe @SpeakerStraus #txlege Tx political culture is corrupt and u ain’t helping!!! So just keep nibbling his jock strap.

Sigh. They don’t make Apostles like they used to. Saying something vulgar like that simply because I support Speaker Straus and the Apostle doesn’t.

I got to thinking, I wonder who is paying the Apostle these days? So I log onto the Texas Ethics Commission website to find out. Guess what? Turns out that Raging Elephants PAC (#00066148) hasn’t filed a report since September 12, 2011 and that report only covered their activities from July 1, 2011 through August 31, 2011. But they have continued to receive funds:

Expenditures to Raging Elephants listed on candidates ethics reports.

And both of their websites, RagingElephants.org and StampedeTX.com have donation pages for political purposes. But no reports have been filed in over 7 months, missing at least three deadlines. Shame, shame. Glass houses and all.

Although the Raging Elephants still has a mission statement that claims they are recruiting minorities, most of the Apostle’s work the past year or two has centered on “ousting Straus” and recruiting secessionist candidates like Daniel Miller and Cary Wise.

Back to the original subject, anyone that says that Rep. John Davis isn’t a conservative politician is nuts, of the fruitcake variety. I’ll proudly vote for this man of integrity and honesty. I have nothing against Mary Huls and in fact supported her in her original bid because of her hard work as a candidate and pushing John to be a better rep. But this is now her second campaign and we differ on issues and on Joe Straus. Mary does what the Apostle does, blasts Joe Straus anywhere and everywhere – I saw her recently at the Downtown Pachyderm Club and she said her number one priority was getting rid of Joe Straus. And getting rid of property taxes but when someone asked her a question about that in relation to a sales tax of 20+%, she had no answer.

As a reminder, Speaker Straus has presided over two very conservative sessions and is supported by the two major pro-life groups in the state because of the strong pro-life session last year.

So the Apostle can vote for whomever he chooses (except that he doesn’t live in our district) but I’m voting for Rep. John Davis, who will support Speaker Joe Straus as they face hard choices on the budget next session.

Kristin Guiney

Here I go again, stepping into a race down at the Harris County Courthouse. But when you block out all the noise in the race for Judge of the 179th District Criminal Court, Kristin Guiney stands head and shoulders above her opponent.

This is a nasty race for two reasons. One is the passion that comes from the people that work at the Harris County Courthouse and can’t imagine that anyone would disagree with them on anything. The second is that Kristin’s opponent in this race, Lana Shadwick, is a long time participant in Republican Party circles. And the people in those circles are just as passionate as those that work in the courthouse in that if you haven’t been working side by side with them to get Republicans elected, you shouldn’t be running for office.

The combination of these two passionate camps leads to one of those races that you really want to steer clear of if you aren’t in either camp. But, as luck would have it, we do have a vote and we must make a choice because there are only two people in the race, one from each camp. And as I said above, if you can block out the noise coming from the two camps and just review their qualifications, it is clear that Kristin Guiney is the right choice.

So then, what are their qualifications? Here is a table of their education and work history:

But, many say, Kristin Guiney has spent most of her career with one employer, the Harris County District Attorney’s office, while Lana Shadwick has had a variety of jobs. Shouldn’t a judge have a broad range of experience?

Well, only if all things were equal. This is a criminal court and Lana Shadwick simply doesn’t have the experience necessary to judge criminal cases. She has never prosecuted a criminal case and has only has a handful of criminal cases in which she was the defense attorney. That is a far cry from Kristin Guiney’s experience in the criminal justice system. Let’s look at Kristin Guiney’s career at the HCDAO:

• Supervise and train prosecutors assigned to court
• Responsible for the handling of all capital cases
• Appointed by First Assistant to Committee on Discovery Procedures
• Prepare arrest and search warrants
• Prepare and present cases to be taken directly to Grand Jury
• Present probable cause to magistrate on felony and misdemeanor cases
• Prosecuted cases involving physical and sexual abuse of children.
• Worked closely with the law enforcement personnel and therapists from the Children’s Assessment Center
• Tried over 80 jury trial cases including four non death capital cases
• Spearheaded committee and prepared presentations for Proposals to Commissioners Court requesting additional personnel and salary increases

Her opponent simply cannot match that in her career. Those first two are especially important because it shows that Kristin Guiney was well respected by her peers and her supervisors.

For this voter, it is important that a criminal court judge understand capital murder and the death penalty. Although I wish that Kristen hadn’t given Terry Lowry $11,075 this cycle, the least I can do is point you to her interviews with Terry on capital punishment. I don’t like a lot of what Terry does (okay, most) but the truth is that he is a pretty decent interviewer of candidates for judicial positions. He asks the right questions and gets out of the way so that the candidate has free rein to answer them So I urge you to listen to Kristin Guiney talk about capital punishment.

• Kristin Guiney – Terry Lowry Part 1
• Kristin Guiney – Terry Lowry Part 2
• Kristin Guiney – Terry Lowry Part 3
• Kristin Guiney – Terry Lowry Part 4

Her opponent lists a capital murder appeal on her website that she claims to have handled, but I cannot find any supporting documents for that claim. Criminal District Court judges exercise daily discretion in serious cases that directly impact public safety. The discretion extends from setting bonds to approving plea bargains, supervising probationers, conducting jury trials, and assessing punishment. Because she has never handled a criminal case in a trial court, she has no experience with bail, reviewing search warrants or any knowldege of probation programs.  How can she possibly be expected to handle hundreds of cases a month? The position of judge should not be a learning on the job experience.

Look, I like Lana, I really do. She is funny, smart, and has a smile bigger than Texas. If she were running for a family court judge position, I’d support her in a heartbeat. But she isn’t running for a family court bench.

For this criminal district court bench, it is clear to me that Kristin Guiney is the clear choice. I hope you take the time to study the two candidates in this race because if you do, and can block out the noise, I think you’ll agree with me.

Why, asks the unsuspecting public? Well, forget everything else and think about this guy for a minute:

Someone's looking over Dr. Steven Hotze's Shoulder

That would be Steven Hotze, who has a PAC called Conservative Republicans of Harris County. You can view their campaign finance reports here if you want. On 2/29/12, Friends of Mike Anderson gave this PAC $15,000 but I’m sure that was not for this mailer, that was most like for “other stuff” – endorsements, advertising, whatever, I’m not sure. This mailer cost far more than $15k to put in my mailbox. But what does a mailer have to do with hypocrisy. Well, remember that fella’s mugshot above, okay? Now, take a look at the mailer – what is the subject?

Hotze Anderson DWI Mailer with Extras

Mmm, hmm, you got it. The good doctor is sending out a keg full of mailers telling us that Mike is the guy to fight DWI. Interesting, no? Yes, very. Especially since Mr. Hotze’s case went “poof” and disappeared without a trace. Well, except for a few news stories at the time, which had the mug shot. Such as this one from the Houston Press on 12/7/2000, which contains a very, very interesting detail:

Considering that Hotze was an early, ardent backer of District Attorney-elect Chuck Rosenthal, and Blakemore was the candidate’s consultant, the case should provide a good test of the impartiality of justice under the new order.

A good test of the impartiality of justice under the good ol’ boy, Chuck Rosenthal. Now that right there is funny no matter who you are! Let’s see, how did that justice work out?

Drunken driving charges against Republican political activist Steven Hotze have been dismissed….

Hotze refused to take a breath test to measure his blood-alcohol level….

most of the case against Hotze is based on testimony from Adams, the arresting officer

Turns out that the arresting officer was under indictment along with a wrecker driver for some paperwork and the state, under the guiding hand of Chuck Rosenthal, decided not to pursue charges because Hotze’s lawyer would attack the officer.

So who better to tell us that Mike is the go to guy for DWI prosecution, right?

Well, wrong. How about we go and ask a fella named Hugh Graham Foreman III, okay? You probably recognize the name because Mike Anderson says that he idolized Percy Foreman as a youngster. Turns out that the grand-nephew of Mr. Foreman has a problem that no one seems to want to address. Instead, they keep coddling this now 31 year old along. Connections? You tell me, I’m just showing you the record.

List of charges

Obviously, this young man has excellent counsel given the “punishment” list – one of his attorney’s was Paul Nugent and his current attorney is Mike Degeurin. These guys used to work together at Foreman, Degeurin, and Nugent, now it is just Foreman, Degeurin, and Degeurin. If you look at the domain name, you will see that it still says ForemanDegeurinNugent.com. The Foreman in both cases being the aforementioned Percy Foreman. Nothing wrong with having connected attorneys. And I don’t care about the attorneys, just putting them in for context.

The key is that case above, #1196351 that was dismissed and refiled as case # 1242980.

This is where former Judge Mike Anderson comes in.

Now, to get the full context of hypocrisy from Mike Anderson, you have to remember the mailer above (and who sent it) and his campaign rhetoric scoffing at “Patsy” for not throwing the book at DWI offenders like he would and how that could affect someone down the road. Mike Anderson, would, if elected, throw the book at DWI offenders because he is tough, by golly big jolly. He is tough!

Oh yeah? Take a look at this order from Judge Mike Anderson:

See that? Book? Hardly. What JUDGE MIKE ANDERSON did to this multiple DWI offender was to reduce the charges against him from a Felony to a Misdemeanor, sentence him to a year in the Harris County Jail, and the SUSPEND THE SENTENCE, LETTING THIS MULTIPLE DWI OFFENDER WALK OUT OF JAIL. He then violated his probation but because of Judge Anderson’s reduction of the charges, the only thing Judge Denise Bradley could do last week is sentence him to jail with credit for time served, 161 days, and now this man is free again.

Hypocrisy? Thy name is Mike Anderson. I crown the king:

Mike Anderson, King of Hypocrisy

Folks, there is no such thing as the “good old days” at the HCDAO. There is only the “good ol’ boys days” and lord help us all if the voters of Harris County can’t see through this bull crap.

Justice for the connected few, the rest of us imbeciles need not apply.

I’m voting for Pat Lykos and I urge you to do the same. Tell your family, friends, and neighbors – their lives may well depend on it.

Angry Mike

Lots of stuff happening in the Harris County DA’s race but this one I didn’t expect. I mean, when I saw the ad from Mike Anderson, I thought it was a fake courtroom. But mi Amiga Felicia Cravens, earning her nickname Something Fishie, figured out that it was a real courtroom and started asking around. Not getting any answers, she filed an official complaint against Mike:

Public Property, Private Use

I’m tired of seeing ethical lapses brushed aside with an “Oh, well. Nothing you can do about it.” Let’s see whether Anderson filmed the ad properly by paying for the use of public facilities. If so, fine. If not, then I want an explanation.

So what if someone films an ad in a county courtroom. I mean, heck, anyone could do that right?

Wrong. If so, there would be a line out the door and no county business could get done. This being a political campaign doesn’t change the rules – Mike Anderson has to play by the rules just like anyone else.

The Pat Lykos campaign responded to this incident with some helpful questions and guidelines:

• Use of a public area in a government building for private purposes requires at least 10 days advance written authorization from the county’s Facilities & Property Management Division, as well as payment of several fees to cover utility, janitorial and security expenses. Did Mike Anderson submit a written request, receive written authorization and pay the proper fees just as anyone else would have to—and if so, will he prove that fact by releasing the necessary records and receipts?
• If Mike Anderson didn’t receive authorization from FPMD to use the 262nd courtroom, who gave him permission to do so? Anyone? Who signed him and his entourage in to the building after-hours? Or does Anderson simply think the courthouse belongs to him, and its courtrooms are his private property to use as he see fit?
• On the evening or weekend Mike Anderson brought his cast and crew into the courthouse, were all individuals, boxes and bags screened through security and properly checked for weapons, as required—or were folks allowed to wander the building unsupervised, possibly leaving items to be recovered later?
• An average citizen, civic group or private business wanting to film an advertisement in a courtroom setting would have to pay a hefty fee to rent a production studio with a mock courtroom. Did Mike Anderson pay the county an equivalent amount for his use of the 262nd—or does he expect taxpayers to provide him with free studio space?
• If no equivalent rental fee was paid, his campaign received something of real value. Will Anderson be reporting this on his official campaign finance report as an in-kind contribution—and if so, what amount, and from whom?
• Most fundamentally—does Mike Anderson simply not understand or respect that the courthouse is a sanctuary in the service of justice, and politics should be kept out of its courtrooms?

Well, I don’t really know what Mike is thinking. Perhaps this is part of the good ol’ days that he keeps referring to. You know, the days when you hung ‘em high in the morning, then got high in the afternoon? Dang, that almost sounds like a country song.