I enjoyed your recent story regarding the actions of Constable Pct. 6 Royce Wheeler and his deputies in how they took $10,000 from two black men traveling through Liberty County. It just proved one more time how the Mike Little cartel can ruin the lives of innocent people who in this case their only crime was being black and traveling through Liberty County at night.
There was one ray of hope in this story and that was the action of 75th District Court Judge Mark Morefield when he stood up to the Little cartel and gave the Lawson brothers their money back. We all know that if Judge Rusty Hight would have still been Judge these men from Ohio would have never got their money back.
My family and I are proud to have voted for Judge Morefield .and we pray that he will continue his good work.
Proud Republican Voter
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Dear Liberty Dispatch,
I am reading and observing a general theme on here about places to cut county government’s expenses. May I point out no serious attempt to keep government services and cut expenses can be made without including dead weight.
Connie Paintsil appears to me to be that dead weight I refer to. She has had an interesting work history you might want to investigate if she survives the budget cuts. She worked for the City of Liberty in the collections department where rumors and concerns about cash payments of city bills were never proven to have been stolen by any particular person. She worked for the City of Liberty Police Department as a dispatcher where rumors and concerns about someone giving tips to drug dealers before raids were never proven to be any particular person.
Now Connie Paintsil works for the county down in the basement and I really could not tell you what she does to justify getting a paycheck. Besides apparently being sponsored by the taxpayers, Commissioner Todd Fontenot seems to have had an unusually protective attitude towards Paintsil. Of course, Paintsill is rumored to be a key person in organizing a get-out-the-vote effort for Democrats and Todd Fontenot is a Democrat. Figure that!
Could we please cut out the spoils system where the way we have done business around here for years is to use taxpayer money to reward people and give them resources so they can elect the people who make sure they have a position? Paintsil needs to go. While on the clock Fontenot needs to take care of the people’s business instead of his own.
Concerned Taxpayer
Connie Paintsil appears to me to be that dead weight I refer to. She has had an interesting work history you might want to investigate if she survives the budget cuts. She worked for the City of Liberty in the collections department where rumors and concerns about cash payments of city bills were never proven to have been stolen by any particular person. She worked for the City of Liberty Police Department as a dispatcher where rumors and concerns about someone giving tips to drug dealers before raids were never proven to be any particular person.
Now Connie Paintsil works for the county down in the basement and I really could not tell you what she does to justify getting a paycheck. Besides apparently being sponsored by the taxpayers, Commissioner Todd Fontenot seems to have had an unusually protective attitude towards Paintsil. Of course, Paintsill is rumored to be a key person in organizing a get-out-the-vote effort for Democrats and Todd Fontenot is a Democrat. Figure that!
Could we please cut out the spoils system where the way we have done business around here for years is to use taxpayer money to reward people and give them resources so they can elect the people who make sure they have a position? Paintsil needs to go. While on the clock Fontenot needs to take care of the people’s business instead of his own.
Concerned Taxpayer
LOCAL CORRUPT MEDIA TURNS BLIND EYE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND DA'S OFFICE CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
This week readers of either of the two local newspapers edited by Vanesa Brashier have had an opportunity to read how the controversial minority owner of KSHN radio Bill Buchanan “met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” and had, what Buchanan bragged about being, a “deep, fairly long conversation” with the civil rights leader. There is nothing new about liberal media types trying to link themselves and their business with small children or charity, or iconic heroes like Dr. King. It is odd however that during a time when public allegations are mounting about selective prosecution by District Attorney Mike Little – odd for two of the media to ignore what appears to be a clear case of a violation of civil rights while they are waxing nostalgic about the 1960’s.
The lack of any reporting by Brashier or Buchanan about case 1:11-cv-00249-MAC should not surprise anyone who has kept up with what has come to be known by some as the “Conspiracy of Silence” when prudent news reporting would obviously cause people like District Attorney Mike Little and Constable Pct #6 Royce Wheeler massive indigestion at best. Brashier and Buchanan continue their loyalty to the embattled Democrat.
But whether they report on such cases or not, the cases will go forward. The case referenced above involves two African American gentlemen who while down from Ohio were stopped by law enforcement out of Constable Royce Wheeler’s jurisdiction while traveling South on U.S. highway 59 just south of Cleveland. According to court papers Solomon and William Lawson cooperated with Sergeant Ralph Fuller and Constable Lonnie S. Moon. The Lawsons did not run from the traffic stop, they pulled over in a timely manner. They were both asked for their identification and they both presented valid driver’s licenses. They showed proper paperwork for the rental car and proof of insurance. When law enforcement ran the information they had on the scene, there was no evidence of any reason to detain these men. No warrants, no anything.
All semblance of a routine traffic stop ended when William Lawson declined consent to be searched when asked. He declined more than once. At that point, the Lawsons were forced to wait in the heat for an hour while a the officers brought narcotics dogs to the scene. A search warrant was never obtained.
Wheeler, Moon, Fuller, and (by this time) other members of law enforcement who had arrived at the scene from the Constable’s office conducted a search after claiming the dog detected the odor of drugs. No drugs were ever found. But approximately $10,000 in cash was found while officials rummaged through the Lawsons’ luggage. The officers on the scene were overheard by the Lawsons saying "What are two niggers doing with $10,000? (ten thousand dollars)" Liberty Dispatch finds this statement from the officers repulsive. Furthermore, their actions and the statements show just how deep the prejudice runs in local corrupt Liberty County law enforcement, local corrupt news media and also the DA's office.
Even though the Lawsons were never cited or charged or arrested for breaking any laws, the searchers seized the money and kept it. Liberty County’s District Attorney’s office actions later by filing a Notice of Seizure and Intended Forfeiture under Chapter 59 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure (June 2009). was a criminal act by DA Mike Little. The officers and DA played this scam on the Lawsons' right under the nose of local Texas Ranger Grover "Franklin" Huff- housed right in DA Mike Little's office. We can guess this was all done with Huff's blessing.
The Lawsons sued... first in Liberty County and in may of 2011 the officials involved from Constable Pct. #6 and District Attorney Mike Little were given ample opportunity to turn red faced in embarrassment for their actions when District Judge Mark Morefield upheld the law in the 75th District Court by granting the Lawsons a “NO EVIDENCE SUMMARY JUDGMENT” against DA Little and the officers. Congratulations to Judge Morefield for taking a stand against the DA's corruption.
But Buchanan and Brashier, both journalists living in a post Martin Luther King, Jr. and post Civil Rights Act of 1964 world, failed to do what every decent news person should do when witnessing someone’s civil rights being violated- they failed to run one story. The case 1:11-cv-00249-MAC was not reported to the public, no report was given about the financial exposure the county may have because of the DA and the Constables office.
It would make us wonder what the heck Buchanan and the civil rights hero talked about almost 50 years ago with the lack of reporting civil rights violations so obviously tied to the relationship Buchanan has to D.A. Mike Little and Brashier and Constable Royce Wheeler. The civil rights issues that violate 42 U.S.1983 and the U.S. Constitution such as unlawful traffic stop, unlawful detention, illegal search and seizure are secondary to making sure these two journalists remain supportive.
The plaintiffs assert the illegal behavior was motivated by racial animus. They are seeking way more than an apology for this attempt to steal their money. The Lawsons have filed a federal lawsuit and now expect the federal courts to award them a judgment based on loss of their liberty and violation of their state and federal constitutional rights. Additionally they expect compensation for all of the humiliation and embarrassment caused as they endured the actions of the officials mentioned.
As of the writing of this story, no criminal charges have been filed against any of the officers or public officials involved in the Lawson incident. The Liberty County Sheriff's Office "Special Crimes Unit" (SCU) is investigating referrals and complaints related to the corruption in Liberty County. Report local Liberty County corruption to http://www.libertytxsheriff.com/.
Liberty County, Vanesa Brashier and Bill Buchanan are still covering for the local corrupt public officials by their "Conspiracy of Silence".
We appreciate 'The Outsiders' contribution of certain information used in the making of this story.
The lack of any reporting by Brashier or Buchanan about case 1:11-cv-00249-MAC should not surprise anyone who has kept up with what has come to be known by some as the “Conspiracy of Silence” when prudent news reporting would obviously cause people like District Attorney Mike Little and Constable Pct #6 Royce Wheeler massive indigestion at best. Brashier and Buchanan continue their loyalty to the embattled Democrat.
But whether they report on such cases or not, the cases will go forward. The case referenced above involves two African American gentlemen who while down from Ohio were stopped by law enforcement out of Constable Royce Wheeler’s jurisdiction while traveling South on U.S. highway 59 just south of Cleveland. According to court papers Solomon and William Lawson cooperated with Sergeant Ralph Fuller and Constable Lonnie S. Moon. The Lawsons did not run from the traffic stop, they pulled over in a timely manner. They were both asked for their identification and they both presented valid driver’s licenses. They showed proper paperwork for the rental car and proof of insurance. When law enforcement ran the information they had on the scene, there was no evidence of any reason to detain these men. No warrants, no anything.
All semblance of a routine traffic stop ended when William Lawson declined consent to be searched when asked. He declined more than once. At that point, the Lawsons were forced to wait in the heat for an hour while a the officers brought narcotics dogs to the scene. A search warrant was never obtained.
Wheeler, Moon, Fuller, and (by this time) other members of law enforcement who had arrived at the scene from the Constable’s office conducted a search after claiming the dog detected the odor of drugs. No drugs were ever found. But approximately $10,000 in cash was found while officials rummaged through the Lawsons’ luggage. The officers on the scene were overheard by the Lawsons saying "What are two niggers doing with $10,000? (ten thousand dollars)" Liberty Dispatch finds this statement from the officers repulsive. Furthermore, their actions and the statements show just how deep the prejudice runs in local corrupt Liberty County law enforcement, local corrupt news media and also the DA's office.
Even though the Lawsons were never cited or charged or arrested for breaking any laws, the searchers seized the money and kept it. Liberty County’s District Attorney’s office actions later by filing a Notice of Seizure and Intended Forfeiture under Chapter 59 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure (June 2009). was a criminal act by DA Mike Little. The officers and DA played this scam on the Lawsons' right under the nose of local Texas Ranger Grover "Franklin" Huff- housed right in DA Mike Little's office. We can guess this was all done with Huff's blessing.
The Lawsons sued... first in Liberty County and in may of 2011 the officials involved from Constable Pct. #6 and District Attorney Mike Little were given ample opportunity to turn red faced in embarrassment for their actions when District Judge Mark Morefield upheld the law in the 75th District Court by granting the Lawsons a “NO EVIDENCE SUMMARY JUDGMENT” against DA Little and the officers. Congratulations to Judge Morefield for taking a stand against the DA's corruption.
But Buchanan and Brashier, both journalists living in a post Martin Luther King, Jr. and post Civil Rights Act of 1964 world, failed to do what every decent news person should do when witnessing someone’s civil rights being violated- they failed to run one story. The case 1:11-cv-00249-MAC was not reported to the public, no report was given about the financial exposure the county may have because of the DA and the Constables office.
It would make us wonder what the heck Buchanan and the civil rights hero talked about almost 50 years ago with the lack of reporting civil rights violations so obviously tied to the relationship Buchanan has to D.A. Mike Little and Brashier and Constable Royce Wheeler. The civil rights issues that violate 42 U.S.1983 and the U.S. Constitution such as unlawful traffic stop, unlawful detention, illegal search and seizure are secondary to making sure these two journalists remain supportive.
The plaintiffs assert the illegal behavior was motivated by racial animus. They are seeking way more than an apology for this attempt to steal their money. The Lawsons have filed a federal lawsuit and now expect the federal courts to award them a judgment based on loss of their liberty and violation of their state and federal constitutional rights. Additionally they expect compensation for all of the humiliation and embarrassment caused as they endured the actions of the officials mentioned.
As of the writing of this story, no criminal charges have been filed against any of the officers or public officials involved in the Lawson incident. The Liberty County Sheriff's Office "Special Crimes Unit" (SCU) is investigating referrals and complaints related to the corruption in Liberty County. Report local Liberty County corruption to http://www.libertytxsheriff.com/.
Liberty County, Vanesa Brashier and Bill Buchanan are still covering for the local corrupt public officials by their "Conspiracy of Silence".
We appreciate 'The Outsiders' contribution of certain information used in the making of this story.
THE RADER/DIAZ MODEL IS BEST
One of the most encouraging benefits of years of conservatives working to break up the Democrats’ good ole boy system in Liberty County is the efforts we are hearing from County Judge Craig McNair. One of the most recent items up for review is being smarter with taxpayer money by turning the clock back to when we just had 4 justices of the peace and four constables like most counties in Texas. Reducing the number of cars and offices and secretaries and maximizing efficiency is an idea that shows respect for the taxpayers and an adherence to good business practices.
I am hopeful this plan to go back to the number of JP’s and Constables we all see in most Texas counties will be implemented. And if is implemented, I hope officials will look at the JP office here in Liberty and model the other three after it. The JP office here in Liberty is a model of efficiency and professionalism. It handles more cases and runs a court with few complaints. This court actually brings in a great deal more funds than it pays out in expenses. It has the most active JP in the county and its business is done in a manner that makes one proud to be from here.
Managing the office on a daily basis, JP #1 has the knowledgeable and more than capable Darla Diaz. She helps organize and schedule the business surrounding the best JP court in the county. If the lines designating territories for JP offices change to reduce the number of JP’s from six to four change, it would only make sense to keep the court where it is in the county seat and close one of the rural area courts and it would make sense to hope that Mrs. Diaz continues to serve where she is now.
In fact, it may be best to make the new territories coincide with the commissioner territories. Of course, because of the census, these lines are up for review. This would be a tremendous opportunity to redraw these lines that were gerrymandered by Todd Fontenot and others, and create areas that consider the taxpayer and use efficiency and respect for the taxpayers in the rubric guiding decisions.
Favoring consolidation of the JP and Constable offices is no way meant to cast a negative shadow on all of the offices across the county or to take joy in any upstanding public servant’s sudden unemployment. People, like longtime JP Ronnie Davis, may retire or he may run again and simply work from the Liberty court and office in the annex. Others may not have that option, but good public servants should be the first applicants considered for other jobs in local government positions.
Richard Pegues, Contributor
Note: LD Reported on Diaz a month ago.
I am hopeful this plan to go back to the number of JP’s and Constables we all see in most Texas counties will be implemented. And if is implemented, I hope officials will look at the JP office here in Liberty and model the other three after it. The JP office here in Liberty is a model of efficiency and professionalism. It handles more cases and runs a court with few complaints. This court actually brings in a great deal more funds than it pays out in expenses. It has the most active JP in the county and its business is done in a manner that makes one proud to be from here.
Managing the office on a daily basis, JP #1 has the knowledgeable and more than capable Darla Diaz. She helps organize and schedule the business surrounding the best JP court in the county. If the lines designating territories for JP offices change to reduce the number of JP’s from six to four change, it would only make sense to keep the court where it is in the county seat and close one of the rural area courts and it would make sense to hope that Mrs. Diaz continues to serve where she is now.
In fact, it may be best to make the new territories coincide with the commissioner territories. Of course, because of the census, these lines are up for review. This would be a tremendous opportunity to redraw these lines that were gerrymandered by Todd Fontenot and others, and create areas that consider the taxpayer and use efficiency and respect for the taxpayers in the rubric guiding decisions.
Favoring consolidation of the JP and Constable offices is no way meant to cast a negative shadow on all of the offices across the county or to take joy in any upstanding public servant’s sudden unemployment. People, like longtime JP Ronnie Davis, may retire or he may run again and simply work from the Liberty court and office in the annex. Others may not have that option, but good public servants should be the first applicants considered for other jobs in local government positions.
Richard Pegues, Contributor
Note: LD Reported on Diaz a month ago.
Monday, July 18, 2011
WHY JUSTICE OF THE PEACE RADER IS SO HARD TO REPLACE
If rumors are true that Justice of the Peace Bobby Rader will be running for another office, then it is time to start considering who Republicans would want to replace him with. Conservatives need to be prepared to fill these lower court positions because many things happen at this level of the justice system.
First let’s stipulate that conservatives should not be satisfied with replacing Judge Rader with someone who has any connections to Obama. If some has any affiliation with the Democrats while Obama has been their leader, conservatives should not be willing to hear any psychobabble about “conservative Democrats” or voting in the 2010 Democratic primary because so their local vote could count. In the 2010 elections if you voted in the Democratic primary you may be a fine human being and qualified for many things, but running in the Republican primary and being qualified for conservatives’ votes is not one of them. Anyone running for this position is running to replace a man that ran as a Republican when it almost assured his defeat. No one should be able to count on conservative votes to replace Judge Rader who can’t prove they have at least a modicum of the courage he had when he first won office.
Second, the next JP for JP#1 needs to be a hard worker. Sure we have heard about some JP’s who do not work hard and some who spend most of their energy on other jobs, but to replace Judge Rader will require a go getter. Rader is at the jail almost every morning before 5:00 in the morning. He keeps a clean docket. He even handles matters for other judges. I don’t want to hear any misleading nonsense about the Judge running an insurance agency at the same time. He is the exception to what is usually true about JP’s and Constables have two jobs. His record speaks for itself. Lazy candidates need not apply. They will never fill the Judge’s shoes.
Third, the next JP here in Liberty needs to be someone who can handle the type of work the job includes and the inconvenience the job often is. Judge Rader consistently holds court, but in addition his work and his dedication to it include many phone calls in the middle of the night and looking at many gruesome sights. It requires someone who is tough, but also someone who is sensitive to the heartaches and personal tragedies of people that live in this community. I will never forget Bobby Rader looking me in the eye and consoling me over my Mother’s death after her heart attack. He had to be there to pronounce her dead. He has had to tell parents that their kids were caught with a boatload of drugs and he has had to tell husbands that their wife and child were dead on impact in a car wreck. Whoever replaces Judge Rader needs to be a special person. Whoever replaces him should not be some one who woke up one day and thought being a JP would be a neat job that pays pretty well and gives you plenty of time to do other things. We have other JP’s like that and we don’t need another one.
Finally, the next JP needs to be well thought of that when the JP areas are consolidated from 6 in Liberty County to 4, that voters will want for Judge Rader’s replacement to continue their work and be the JP in the consolidates area. JP’s and Constables from this point forward need to pass the test of voters and be seen as the 5:00 AM type of employees that keep their dockets caught up rather than the kind of employees that hire assistants or pawn their workload off on others.
The last Republican meeting I went to there were at least two people attending that are drooling over JP and Constable Jobs. They both need to consider running as Democrats because many of us have no intentions of growing the Republican Party by sitting quietly while people who clearly do not fit the profile above try to win the Republican primary. Sycophants and RINO’s will be identified and life will be dedicated to keeping people who should not be holding public office from winning elections.
Richard Pegues – Liberty Dispatch Contributor
First let’s stipulate that conservatives should not be satisfied with replacing Judge Rader with someone who has any connections to Obama. If some has any affiliation with the Democrats while Obama has been their leader, conservatives should not be willing to hear any psychobabble about “conservative Democrats” or voting in the 2010 Democratic primary because so their local vote could count. In the 2010 elections if you voted in the Democratic primary you may be a fine human being and qualified for many things, but running in the Republican primary and being qualified for conservatives’ votes is not one of them. Anyone running for this position is running to replace a man that ran as a Republican when it almost assured his defeat. No one should be able to count on conservative votes to replace Judge Rader who can’t prove they have at least a modicum of the courage he had when he first won office.
Second, the next JP for JP#1 needs to be a hard worker. Sure we have heard about some JP’s who do not work hard and some who spend most of their energy on other jobs, but to replace Judge Rader will require a go getter. Rader is at the jail almost every morning before 5:00 in the morning. He keeps a clean docket. He even handles matters for other judges. I don’t want to hear any misleading nonsense about the Judge running an insurance agency at the same time. He is the exception to what is usually true about JP’s and Constables have two jobs. His record speaks for itself. Lazy candidates need not apply. They will never fill the Judge’s shoes.
Third, the next JP here in Liberty needs to be someone who can handle the type of work the job includes and the inconvenience the job often is. Judge Rader consistently holds court, but in addition his work and his dedication to it include many phone calls in the middle of the night and looking at many gruesome sights. It requires someone who is tough, but also someone who is sensitive to the heartaches and personal tragedies of people that live in this community. I will never forget Bobby Rader looking me in the eye and consoling me over my Mother’s death after her heart attack. He had to be there to pronounce her dead. He has had to tell parents that their kids were caught with a boatload of drugs and he has had to tell husbands that their wife and child were dead on impact in a car wreck. Whoever replaces Judge Rader needs to be a special person. Whoever replaces him should not be some one who woke up one day and thought being a JP would be a neat job that pays pretty well and gives you plenty of time to do other things. We have other JP’s like that and we don’t need another one.
Finally, the next JP needs to be well thought of that when the JP areas are consolidated from 6 in Liberty County to 4, that voters will want for Judge Rader’s replacement to continue their work and be the JP in the consolidates area. JP’s and Constables from this point forward need to pass the test of voters and be seen as the 5:00 AM type of employees that keep their dockets caught up rather than the kind of employees that hire assistants or pawn their workload off on others.
The last Republican meeting I went to there were at least two people attending that are drooling over JP and Constable Jobs. They both need to consider running as Democrats because many of us have no intentions of growing the Republican Party by sitting quietly while people who clearly do not fit the profile above try to win the Republican primary. Sycophants and RINO’s will be identified and life will be dedicated to keeping people who should not be holding public office from winning elections.
Richard Pegues – Liberty Dispatch Contributor
Friday, July 15, 2011
Dear Liberty Dispatch,
Rather than KSHN All NINE minority owner Bill Buchanan simply endure insincere congratulations all week for his newly contrived selection into the Texas Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame, why don’t you guys give him an award? Liberty Dispatch could select Brazen Billy for another award in which people will truly be pleased he receives it and feel he is worthy. This award would not require any “secret” campaign avoiding any naysayers. This award wouldn’t come from a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” mentality. This award would be from the hearts of many of the people who didn’t get a say because of the “secret project” to get him recognized by people who don’t know him like we do.
The award needs to be made from a local group because as Mary Ann Campbell told Vanessa Brashier, “You’ve got to give people credit for what they do.” After all when Ms. Campbell told that organization in Austin that Buchanan is “all over the entire area giving out information — giving us all the information that they can provide” and that “they never stop, 24-7 ”, they had no idea of some of the antics and deception and misreporting that would fall under that declaration!
The award could still associate his name with the Hall of Fame. Just think of incidents through the years when Bill has pushed his way into a family tragedy in progress and been insensitive to their grieving. How about the “Asshole Hall of Fame”?
Or think of “eye witness sports reporting” like all of the times he has acted like a baseball has been hit “way way back” towards the outfield fence and after exciting his audience he has left the fact the shortstop caught the ball unexplained. He could be put into the “Overly Dramatic, Blind or Stupid Sports Announcer Hall of Fame”.
Or, maybe if we want to try and dig up some Austin people who have had dealings with our hall of famer, we could see if the Secretary of State’s office has recordings from Bill when he has called to “clear up an election question.” This would have to fall under the “Liberty County Democrat Hall of Fame”. Bill’s dogged perseverance in trying to get someone to say something even remotely like Democrats needed to hear is legendary among some. His creative shaping of the news and devoted “by any means necessary” assistance to the Archers and his favorite Democrats is infamous.
Since Brashier’s newspapers made certain they mentioned all of Buchanan long hours during the hurricane, why not consider giving him the “I Got Phil Fitzgerald’s Back No Matter What Award”? Maybe the people in Austin have the same disregard for punishing people who make themselves wealthy from their little convoluted dirty FEMA deals, but I doubt it and I doubt they would appreciate the extent to which Buchanan spun news stories to try and help Fitzgerald.
But when thinking of Buchanan’s deliberate efforts to change the outcome of court cases like Fitzgerald’s, why have such a narrow sounding name for the award when Buchanan’s work has been so prolific in this area? The award needs to cover his determined efforts to leave all of the weight and punishment of the law on Janet Harrelson so he could help save the Democrats from a much bigger scandal and make Greg Arthur and Don Taylor and others feel indebted to him. The award needs to cover the deliberate lies and cherry picking he has applied to his contribution to help try and bury Ray Akins and Eddie Shauberger under the jail. It needs to include his total purposeful lack of reporting on former Liberty County Democratic Party Chairman Liz Beausoliel getting caught on tape with stolen mail from the courthouse in an attempt to use false information to help defeat our longest serving district judge. It needs to include all of the public figures Buchanan has covered up for and all of the ones he has elevated while ignoring their lawbreaking.
Maybe we should call the people in Austin who gave Buchanan their award and ask them to help us with a name worthy of a person that has given to Liberty County what he has given. I don’t know what the name of the award should be. Maybe “The Evil through the Airways Hall of Fame Award”.
Whatever it may be we need to give him an award. We don’t want Austin people to have to be pressured and cajoled into recognizing one of Liberty County’s citizens achievements.
Name withheld because of retaliation by corrupt local officials and corrupt local media.
The award needs to be made from a local group because as Mary Ann Campbell told Vanessa Brashier, “You’ve got to give people credit for what they do.” After all when Ms. Campbell told that organization in Austin that Buchanan is “all over the entire area giving out information — giving us all the information that they can provide” and that “they never stop, 24-7 ”, they had no idea of some of the antics and deception and misreporting that would fall under that declaration!
The award could still associate his name with the Hall of Fame. Just think of incidents through the years when Bill has pushed his way into a family tragedy in progress and been insensitive to their grieving. How about the “Asshole Hall of Fame”?
Or think of “eye witness sports reporting” like all of the times he has acted like a baseball has been hit “way way back” towards the outfield fence and after exciting his audience he has left the fact the shortstop caught the ball unexplained. He could be put into the “Overly Dramatic, Blind or Stupid Sports Announcer Hall of Fame”.
Or, maybe if we want to try and dig up some Austin people who have had dealings with our hall of famer, we could see if the Secretary of State’s office has recordings from Bill when he has called to “clear up an election question.” This would have to fall under the “Liberty County Democrat Hall of Fame”. Bill’s dogged perseverance in trying to get someone to say something even remotely like Democrats needed to hear is legendary among some. His creative shaping of the news and devoted “by any means necessary” assistance to the Archers and his favorite Democrats is infamous.
Since Brashier’s newspapers made certain they mentioned all of Buchanan long hours during the hurricane, why not consider giving him the “I Got Phil Fitzgerald’s Back No Matter What Award”? Maybe the people in Austin have the same disregard for punishing people who make themselves wealthy from their little convoluted dirty FEMA deals, but I doubt it and I doubt they would appreciate the extent to which Buchanan spun news stories to try and help Fitzgerald.
But when thinking of Buchanan’s deliberate efforts to change the outcome of court cases like Fitzgerald’s, why have such a narrow sounding name for the award when Buchanan’s work has been so prolific in this area? The award needs to cover his determined efforts to leave all of the weight and punishment of the law on Janet Harrelson so he could help save the Democrats from a much bigger scandal and make Greg Arthur and Don Taylor and others feel indebted to him. The award needs to cover the deliberate lies and cherry picking he has applied to his contribution to help try and bury Ray Akins and Eddie Shauberger under the jail. It needs to include his total purposeful lack of reporting on former Liberty County Democratic Party Chairman Liz Beausoliel getting caught on tape with stolen mail from the courthouse in an attempt to use false information to help defeat our longest serving district judge. It needs to include all of the public figures Buchanan has covered up for and all of the ones he has elevated while ignoring their lawbreaking.
Maybe we should call the people in Austin who gave Buchanan their award and ask them to help us with a name worthy of a person that has given to Liberty County what he has given. I don’t know what the name of the award should be. Maybe “The Evil through the Airways Hall of Fame Award”.
Whatever it may be we need to give him an award. We don’t want Austin people to have to be pressured and cajoled into recognizing one of Liberty County’s citizens achievements.
Name withheld because of retaliation by corrupt local officials and corrupt local media.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
FONTENOT”S SINKHOLE AND THE REST OF THE COUNTY BUDGET
Recent budget workshops by our elected officials have revealed that in the past Liberty County’s Democratic county officials got so entrenched in the habit of continuously asking for more money that the new Republican officials and the remainder of Democrats will have to cut their budgets 25%. The money shortage is serious and could take years of watching our spending to straighten out. Readers will see at the end of this report that one of the Democrats still doesn’t get it.
The good news is the crazy spending and the expansion of local government in the past can be remedied in the future. County Judge McNair has proposed consolidating the six Justice of the Peace offices and six Constables into four, which is the number for many other Texas counties. We are one of the few counties with six JPs and six Constables, but the decision to consolidate the offices would take action and final approval by the entire commissioner’s court. “There are no vendettas or anyone out to get anybody.”
County Auditor Harold Seay listed some of the major cuts in each department.
1) County Judge’s budget was cut by $62,000 by eliminating the position former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald added, Special Projects/FEMA manager Dennis Odell will serve his last day at the end of September.. Attorney fees for commissioners court was cut by $70,000.
2) The District Attorney’s office was cut by $150,000 mainly through salaries. The County Court-at-Law budget for court-appointed attorneys was cut by $75,000.
3) The county auditor’s budget was cut by $40,000.
4) Part-time positions in the JP courts 3, 4, 5 and 6 were cut to reduce expenses.
5) The Information Technology department was cut from $143,000 to $75,000.
6) The building maintenance department was cut by $56,000.
7) The fire marshal’s office was cut by $12,000. Of this amount, $10,000 was for meeting attendance by volunteer firefighters.
8) The sheriff’s office received $60,000 in cuts in capital outlays and a $10,000 cut in fuel.
9) Emergency Management was cut by $50,000.
But among all of the talk of cuts and shared sacrifice Precinct 1 Commissioner Todd Fontenot reminded us that there are still officeholders in our county government who would like to charge things and claim they are long term money savers. It reminds many of us of the Democrats and the RINO Republicans in Washington DC. Fontenot again requested $81,000 in funds to build a two-acre yard/facility which would house equipment and store materials. Fontenot was warned several years ago if he pushed for redistricting precinct #1 commissioner boundaries across the river that he would come back whining for taxpayers to build him a second barn to store county equipment. Well now he wants to charge a county that is having money troubles for formulating a district to suit his political strategy. According to his own figures, Fontenot’s impractical economically unfeasible redistricting scheme has cost the county over $250,000. It is a sink hole that keeps adding extra expenses to taxpayer.
Todd Fontenot is up for re-election in 16 months and if he decides to face the voters after all of the drunken sailor-like spending, the private parking, and his expensive waste of taxpayer money in the last redistricting, we will get a chance to let him know how much we love this county by voting him out of office.
In the meantime, instead of building Todd Fontenot a building, how about using this time of redistricting the commissioners’ precincts more wisely and with the taxpayer in mind rather than the politicians.
The good news is the crazy spending and the expansion of local government in the past can be remedied in the future. County Judge McNair has proposed consolidating the six Justice of the Peace offices and six Constables into four, which is the number for many other Texas counties. We are one of the few counties with six JPs and six Constables, but the decision to consolidate the offices would take action and final approval by the entire commissioner’s court. “There are no vendettas or anyone out to get anybody.”
County Auditor Harold Seay listed some of the major cuts in each department.
1) County Judge’s budget was cut by $62,000 by eliminating the position former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald added, Special Projects/FEMA manager Dennis Odell will serve his last day at the end of September.. Attorney fees for commissioners court was cut by $70,000.
2) The District Attorney’s office was cut by $150,000 mainly through salaries. The County Court-at-Law budget for court-appointed attorneys was cut by $75,000.
3) The county auditor’s budget was cut by $40,000.
4) Part-time positions in the JP courts 3, 4, 5 and 6 were cut to reduce expenses.
5) The Information Technology department was cut from $143,000 to $75,000.
6) The building maintenance department was cut by $56,000.
7) The fire marshal’s office was cut by $12,000. Of this amount, $10,000 was for meeting attendance by volunteer firefighters.
8) The sheriff’s office received $60,000 in cuts in capital outlays and a $10,000 cut in fuel.
9) Emergency Management was cut by $50,000.
But among all of the talk of cuts and shared sacrifice Precinct 1 Commissioner Todd Fontenot reminded us that there are still officeholders in our county government who would like to charge things and claim they are long term money savers. It reminds many of us of the Democrats and the RINO Republicans in Washington DC. Fontenot again requested $81,000 in funds to build a two-acre yard/facility which would house equipment and store materials. Fontenot was warned several years ago if he pushed for redistricting precinct #1 commissioner boundaries across the river that he would come back whining for taxpayers to build him a second barn to store county equipment. Well now he wants to charge a county that is having money troubles for formulating a district to suit his political strategy. According to his own figures, Fontenot’s impractical economically unfeasible redistricting scheme has cost the county over $250,000. It is a sink hole that keeps adding extra expenses to taxpayer.
Todd Fontenot is up for re-election in 16 months and if he decides to face the voters after all of the drunken sailor-like spending, the private parking, and his expensive waste of taxpayer money in the last redistricting, we will get a chance to let him know how much we love this county by voting him out of office.
In the meantime, instead of building Todd Fontenot a building, how about using this time of redistricting the commissioners’ precincts more wisely and with the taxpayer in mind rather than the politicians.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
LCSO ZERO TOLERANCE BURN BAN
Yesterday afternoon at approximately 4:00pm firefighters from Tarkington, Cleveland and Highway 321 Fire Departments fought a fire which was directly caused by a person who disregarded the Liberty County Burn Ban. Numerous Fire Fighters, Fire Apparatus and resources were allocated to combat, contain and control this fire on Tarkington Prairie.
This region is under a drought with very little rainfall in the last 4 to 6 months. These conditions along with high warm winds and dry timber combine into prime conditions for a raging fire which could damage, destroy and kill anything in its path. While simply “burning my trash” may seem like a “right” or “privilege” , fire is not something to gamble with. This fire could have been much more destructive by burning down several residences nearby and killed horses located in an adjacent pasture. The wear and tear of Firefighters and their equipment is also a serious consideration. Accidental and Electrical fires are tragic enough, however, fire such as these, which can be prevented by just obeying the Burn Ban. These fires are a terrible tax on the Fire Departments as a whole and our community.
In this incident, the person responsible had dug a large “burn pit” near several structures, including a residence. A fire had been intentionally ignited earlier in the day and allowed to burn down and smolder. However, with the warm high winds and extremely dry conditions, the fire was able to re-ignite and spread. With the high temperature and no cloud cover, firefighters worked tirelessly through the harsh conditions to rapidly bring the fire under control and save the residence which was threatened by the spreading fire.
As a reminder, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office want to warn citizens there is a “zero tolerance” policy in place for any Liberty County “Burn Ban” violation. Any person found in violation shall be subject to being issued a Criminal Citation and can be subject to Criminal Arrest.
LCSO Special Crimes Unit, Deputy Guthrie and Team Raids Meth Lab Opperation.
Deputies from the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and the LCSO Special Crimes Unit, headed by Louis Guthrie, have been developing a case in regards to a Methamphetamine Lab located on Highway 59 just north of the City Limits of Cleveland. The Special Crimes Unit working with the Texas Department of Public Safety, has been specifically targeting these extremely dangerous and explosive criminal operations with success.
On Monday, July 11, 2011, Deputies and Investigators from the LCSO arrived at a tire shop combined with a group of several buildings on Highway 59. Upon their arrival, they interrupted a “meth cook” who was actually in the process of “cooking” methamphetamine. “ This was an extremely dangerous and difficult arrest which had the potential to cause a fire or explosion due to the chemical vapors present during the manufacturing process”, said Louis Guthrie.
There were also two mini-vans located on the property which were being used as “mobile meth labs” which are designed and built for the sole purpose of manufacturing and transporting methamphetamine. A large amount of product, by-product, instruments and supplies were confiscated by the LCSO. Thousands of dollars “street amount” of methamphetamine seized. With the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety, members of both organizations, who are specially trained and certified in the dismantling and processing of these criminal operations spent all afternoon in high heat conditions securing the evidence obtained.
Two arrests were made. Both suspects are in custody at the Liberty County Jail. At this time their information is being withheld, pending further investigation, leading to additional arrests. The LCSO shall continue their efforts to combat these dangerous criminal operations which operate within different areas of Liberty County. Many of these operations are brought to light with the help of good citizens who care enough about their communities and provide vital information which assists Law Enforcement in locating and dismantling these criminal operations.
Sheriff Patterson and the members of the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office want to thank everyone who takes time to help us combat any suspicious or criminal activity. As always, we encourage citizens to call us at 936-336-4500 or use our web site located at www.libertytxsheriff.com , click on the Crime Stoppers Tab. Your identity shall remain anonymous. Only working together can we truly make a difference in providing a safer community for our families.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Big Fish Story
I am not from here and I am sure he has his fans, but it is more than I can bear to remain silent about the constant bragging of former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald’s special appointee to aid him with FEMA, Dennis Odell. There have been at least six verifiable first account witnesses to Odell bragging about taking Phil Fitzgerald and Lee Groce down. Let it suffice to say without any dramatic exaggeration, Odell is extremely proud of his role in sending the man that hired him when he needed a job to prison.
But after getting over the irritation caused by an exposure to Odell’s almost steroid like ego, his claim to what he considers fame should be analyzed.
If a man catches a twenty pound catfish, should the person who lent him the fishing pole he caught the big fish with brag about catching the same catfish? Surely not... If the person who lent the man a fishing pole brags about catching the big fish and is later found out to have not only not helped caught the fish but to have actually impeded the reeling in of the fish, what does that tells us about the braggart?
Several people including federal investigators, a local judge, and others have helped to bring justice to the investigation Dennis Odell brags to people about prosecuting. Among the people please note the troubling revelation that both of the chief prosecutors in the courthouse Mike Little and Wes Hinch, contributed nothing to this case. Odell is slightly better than them. He did not burn or destroy any of the paperwork generated by doing his job. But possibly worse than Little and Hinch’s role in the matter, Odell missed an opportunity to stop the crimes while in progress. The paperwork coming into Odell’s office generated by loads of debris is alleged to have indicated discrepancies that should have tipped Odell off. Odell doesn’t brag about this aspect of his part in nabbing the criminals involved in this case.
Odell is like a man that owned a fishing pole that did nothing with it. Odell could have helped protect taxpayers from getting the shaft, but he flubbed his opportunity. He was a no show the day he should have reported problems with FEMA statistics. Now he is showing up to brag about what someone else caught.
Now it is time to see who is going to come to the plate and suggest the job former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald hired Odell to do be vacated. It is time to save the county some money and save all of us hearing fish stories from the guy who was hired to watch out for us and failed.
But after getting over the irritation caused by an exposure to Odell’s almost steroid like ego, his claim to what he considers fame should be analyzed.
If a man catches a twenty pound catfish, should the person who lent him the fishing pole he caught the big fish with brag about catching the same catfish? Surely not... If the person who lent the man a fishing pole brags about catching the big fish and is later found out to have not only not helped caught the fish but to have actually impeded the reeling in of the fish, what does that tells us about the braggart?
Several people including federal investigators, a local judge, and others have helped to bring justice to the investigation Dennis Odell brags to people about prosecuting. Among the people please note the troubling revelation that both of the chief prosecutors in the courthouse Mike Little and Wes Hinch, contributed nothing to this case. Odell is slightly better than them. He did not burn or destroy any of the paperwork generated by doing his job. But possibly worse than Little and Hinch’s role in the matter, Odell missed an opportunity to stop the crimes while in progress. The paperwork coming into Odell’s office generated by loads of debris is alleged to have indicated discrepancies that should have tipped Odell off. Odell doesn’t brag about this aspect of his part in nabbing the criminals involved in this case.
Odell is like a man that owned a fishing pole that did nothing with it. Odell could have helped protect taxpayers from getting the shaft, but he flubbed his opportunity. He was a no show the day he should have reported problems with FEMA statistics. Now he is showing up to brag about what someone else caught.
Now it is time to see who is going to come to the plate and suggest the job former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald hired Odell to do be vacated. It is time to save the county some money and save all of us hearing fish stories from the guy who was hired to watch out for us and failed.
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