Perhaps one of the big questions that have been on many of Liberty County taxpayers’ minds for years is whether Phil Fitzgerald is above the law? With the FEMA scandal nearing its crescendo someday soon, we will all have more information to form our opinion.
To avoid the cold water some throw on cases that have not been completed, Liberty Dispatch wants to respond to the standard idea from those who are defending people accused of a crime. That idea sounds very American. Here it is: “A person is innocent until proven guilty.” But aren’t there extenuating circumstances when it appears those officials who were suppose to pursue prosecution appear to have been amazingly reluctant to “prove anyone guilty”?
Here are a few problems our local officials presented to us when it comes to the FEMA/Fitzgerald, et al and other related problems from the Liberty County D.A.’s office:
*D.A.’s office and the County Attorney’s office have refused to prosecute Fitzgerald and all connected- period!
The basis of their refusal was not that Fitzgerald was innocent or there was a lack of evidence. The basis of the refusal to prosecute was as near a confession to their participation in a good ole boy system as we are likely to ever see. The D.A.’s office and the County Attorney are paid to prosecute and they are paid to seek justice. Every taxpayer in this county is likely to have a strong opinion on the FEMA contracts and the misuse of FEMA assets that happened after hurricane Ike.
*D.A. Mike Little when confronted by law enforcement with evidence against Fitzgerald tried to suppress it.
One scenario has Constable Royce Wheeler and LCSO Detective Chip Fairchild in the D.A.s office with evidence that is not only rejected, but the two men are rebuffed for bringing it. Another scenario has five men, Wheeler and Fairchild accompanied by Sheriff Henry Patterson and two right hand men, LCSO Captain Jim Cooper and Ken DeFoor at the county gun range- in a Fitzgerald discussion. Again, Patterson and the D.A. will have nothing to do with evidence against Fitzgerald- clearly a strong case of selective prosecution.
*The D.A. appears to be a witness FOR Fitzgerald’s defense!
When considering the idea that one is innocent until proven guilty when applied to people expressing their opinion on this case there are two areas worth discussing. The first one is the opinion by many in this community that regardless of what the courts decide or whether what was done was legal or not, many people believe what was done was just plain wrong.
The second area is the opinions of some that there is at the very minimum a verifiable case of selective prosecution that exist. The selective prosecution can be traced not only to the D.A. Mike Little, but to current Liberty County Sheriff Henry Patterson and some of his men. The lawmen who brought the evidence are not perfect men, but they are good men who are listened to when evidence is brought forth in a case.
Why did the D.A. try to shut down any investigation of these alleged Fitzgerald criminal acts? And then… when an investigation was inevitable, Mike Little becomes THE “star” witness for the Fitzgerald defense. Why have we never heard from Sheriff Henry Patterson? Or have we? Fairchild was fired. Wheeler and his daughter both had county “budget cuts” suddenly whack their little corner of the world. DeFoor resigned soon thereafter- all obvious “retaliation” by candidate Sheriff Henry Patterson.
Why would Patterson suddenly be a defender of the status quo – wasn’t he suppose to be the man coming into office to clean up the county?
Is the timing of Patterson’s silence on this case suspicious when one considers the D.A.’s involvement in investigating Patterson and his close friend Harry Kelly? Could there be a quid pro quo? Kelly is serving a short sentence in Leavenworth prison but there were more serious charges and potential prison time that some believed should have been laid on Henry Patterson as it related to hundreds of stolen guns from the Cleveland P.D. evidence room he was responsible for. Obviously, Henry Patterson got a deal pass…
There is a great deal of money and power that swirls around the justice system. The D.A. is retiring under many clouds of suspicion and charges of selective prosecution. Mike Little is suspiciously working overtime to install his handpicked “questionable” replacement. Mike Little is pushing the voters to elect the youngest, most inexperienced Assistant District Attorney in the history of his office, candidate Logan Pickett. In this already dysfunctional D.A.’s office the current D.A. is pushing Pickett to make sure anything he has done that is illegal is never questioned or surfaced after he is gone. As for Logan Pickett, his win-loss record in the D.A.’s office certainly does not instill confidence in the idea that the D.A. has found the ultimate protégé’. Also, there are serious allegations of spousal abuse by Logan Pickett along with terroristic threats, intimidation and strong-arming against his wife’s ex-husband.
Is Phil Fitzgerald above the law? We will soon see. Our opinions may vary, but as John Adams famously said, “Facts are stubborn things.” Many of the facts of this case are well known by the community and more importantly by the Liberty County D.A. along with his sidekick candidate Logan Pickett. The court of public opinion might think the net is yet to be cast broad enough to catch all of the wrongdoing in this case.
The Cleveland Advocate has also written a related story
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
TWO POLITICIANS WHO SHOULD RUN FROM THE WORD “EXPERIENCE”
With the main stream media firmly behind President Obama again and a steady stream of how the elite and the more sophisticated think we all ought to vote, Texans will still go to the polls in November and use common sense and their love and knowledge of the Constitution to assign our electoral votes to a conservative. Texans knew this country could not spend its way out of debt before administration tried it. Now experience will doom further Democrats to the cellar in the Lone Star state.
“Experience!” - is not only what Obama’s re-election team will be hollering and pounding the media about... some of our local candidates will do the same. Perhaps not coincidentally, two candidates that are already touting experience have strong connections to the Democrat party, but perhaps for nothing but the pure practical idea of being able to win, both candidates have chosen the Republican side of the ballot this time.
Yes, Republican primary voters will have all kinds of “experience” to consider. Some they may would rather GOP faithful’s overlook. Looking at two of the most interesting races and thinking about the candidates’ history of party affiliation might help shed light on these races. Henry Patterson ran as a Democrat in 2004, but now advertises himself as a Republican. Patterson is running for re-election. He has chosen to stick with the Republican Party and try and defeat longtime Republican Bobby Rader in the race for Liberty County Sheriff. Logan Pickett’s family has supported Democrats for local office for decades and has as his chief promoter Democrat Mike Little. Pickett is running for District Attorney and is running against Karen McNair, one of the key people in recent years to help build the local Republican Party.
The experience these two candidates are telling people makes them deserve our vote needs examining also. Both the quantity and the quality deserve analysis.
Liberty Dispatch has already analyzed the troubling quality of Sheriff Patterson’s experience ad-nausea. There is no point in re-hashing the whole thing again. He has told the world if he is re-elected, we would get more of the same. He is now launching a negative campaign to try and tarnish his two opponents experience while “tweaking” numbers to nearly triple his 14% success/conviction rate into a shiny 40% plus rate.
Logan Pickett, not to be out done, is trying to make us forget what we already know about his experience. First, we know he is the youngest and least experienced Assistant District Attorney on staff. Second, we know after his most recent loss he is maintaining the worst win-loss record anyone connected with us has been able to find in the history of the Liberty County District Attorney’s office. If further ado is made about his “record” we can go through the losses at the expense of causing the electorate to become even more concerned about Logan Pickett’s current contribution to stopping crime.
EXPERIENCE COUNTS. Liberty County voters have phased out much of the leadership that held office for years based off of it. We are awake and ready to vote against Obama and all politicians, local or national, who try and put lipstick on their proverbial pig-like experience. Gone are the days when politicians are guaranteed victory simply because they come from families who view themselves as elite or simply by saying “I am the incumbent.”
“Experience!” - is not only what Obama’s re-election team will be hollering and pounding the media about... some of our local candidates will do the same. Perhaps not coincidentally, two candidates that are already touting experience have strong connections to the Democrat party, but perhaps for nothing but the pure practical idea of being able to win, both candidates have chosen the Republican side of the ballot this time.
Yes, Republican primary voters will have all kinds of “experience” to consider. Some they may would rather GOP faithful’s overlook. Looking at two of the most interesting races and thinking about the candidates’ history of party affiliation might help shed light on these races. Henry Patterson ran as a Democrat in 2004, but now advertises himself as a Republican. Patterson is running for re-election. He has chosen to stick with the Republican Party and try and defeat longtime Republican Bobby Rader in the race for Liberty County Sheriff. Logan Pickett’s family has supported Democrats for local office for decades and has as his chief promoter Democrat Mike Little. Pickett is running for District Attorney and is running against Karen McNair, one of the key people in recent years to help build the local Republican Party.
The experience these two candidates are telling people makes them deserve our vote needs examining also. Both the quantity and the quality deserve analysis.
Liberty Dispatch has already analyzed the troubling quality of Sheriff Patterson’s experience ad-nausea. There is no point in re-hashing the whole thing again. He has told the world if he is re-elected, we would get more of the same. He is now launching a negative campaign to try and tarnish his two opponents experience while “tweaking” numbers to nearly triple his 14% success/conviction rate into a shiny 40% plus rate.
Logan Pickett, not to be out done, is trying to make us forget what we already know about his experience. First, we know he is the youngest and least experienced Assistant District Attorney on staff. Second, we know after his most recent loss he is maintaining the worst win-loss record anyone connected with us has been able to find in the history of the Liberty County District Attorney’s office. If further ado is made about his “record” we can go through the losses at the expense of causing the electorate to become even more concerned about Logan Pickett’s current contribution to stopping crime.
EXPERIENCE COUNTS. Liberty County voters have phased out much of the leadership that held office for years based off of it. We are awake and ready to vote against Obama and all politicians, local or national, who try and put lipstick on their proverbial pig-like experience. Gone are the days when politicians are guaranteed victory simply because they come from families who view themselves as elite or simply by saying “I am the incumbent.”
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
MIKSCH AND DIAZ SCRAPES WITH LAW COULD AFFECT ELECTIONS
Recent developments in the sentencing in the infamous FEMA fraud case and the indictment of the longtime game warden and husband of a JP candidate could infect voters in the upcoming election.
By now most Liberty County residents know that Mark Wayne Miksch, former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald’s brother-in-law, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison and fined $5,000 for failure to file a tax return. The fact that actual prison time will be served could prove to be an ominous sign to Fitzgerald and to those who have hoped to keep a lid on “the cover up” that occurred early on in this case. In the upcoming weeks we have been told that some of the very selective ways justice has been applied in Liberty County will be very evident as a result of this trial. Voters stay tuned.
Most citizens have also heard by now that a Liberty County Grand Jury indicted former game warden Danny Diaz last Wednesday on the charge of official oppression for the alleged unlawful detainment of a man named James David McCormick. The charge is in reference to an incident that occurred in November 2011 and is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a maximum fine of $4,000. But this case will undoubtedly have an effect on the upcoming race for Justice of the Peace precinct #1. Diaz’s wife, Darla, is making her second attempt to win that position. After having run for that position as a Democrat years ago, Darla Diaz, is the second most qualified candidate in the Republican primary to be decided on May 29th. (Note: Roy House has judicial experience and years as a Houston detective and is hands down the person who could perform the JP duties from day one.)
Darla Diaz may very well have been able win a spot in what most likely will be a run-off due to the fact there is a crowded field until news of more family problems surfaced with this indictment. Her campaign was not expected to be affected by Diaz’s daughter connection to embattled former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald.
The race for JP now is expected to have three main possibilities when trying to pick a winner. The more experienced and highly regarded but not as connected socially, Roy House, the very capable and well known and liked Liberty City Councilwoman Libby Simonson, and the late to enter but well connected son of John Hebert. (Some say this is Hebert’s first shot at what he hopes to be a ladder-climbing political career).
Note: LD reported on Diaz over a month ago.
By now most Liberty County residents know that Mark Wayne Miksch, former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald’s brother-in-law, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison and fined $5,000 for failure to file a tax return. The fact that actual prison time will be served could prove to be an ominous sign to Fitzgerald and to those who have hoped to keep a lid on “the cover up” that occurred early on in this case. In the upcoming weeks we have been told that some of the very selective ways justice has been applied in Liberty County will be very evident as a result of this trial. Voters stay tuned.
Most citizens have also heard by now that a Liberty County Grand Jury indicted former game warden Danny Diaz last Wednesday on the charge of official oppression for the alleged unlawful detainment of a man named James David McCormick. The charge is in reference to an incident that occurred in November 2011 and is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a maximum fine of $4,000. But this case will undoubtedly have an effect on the upcoming race for Justice of the Peace precinct #1. Diaz’s wife, Darla, is making her second attempt to win that position. After having run for that position as a Democrat years ago, Darla Diaz, is the second most qualified candidate in the Republican primary to be decided on May 29th. (Note: Roy House has judicial experience and years as a Houston detective and is hands down the person who could perform the JP duties from day one.)
Darla Diaz may very well have been able win a spot in what most likely will be a run-off due to the fact there is a crowded field until news of more family problems surfaced with this indictment. Her campaign was not expected to be affected by Diaz’s daughter connection to embattled former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald.
The race for JP now is expected to have three main possibilities when trying to pick a winner. The more experienced and highly regarded but not as connected socially, Roy House, the very capable and well known and liked Liberty City Councilwoman Libby Simonson, and the late to enter but well connected son of John Hebert. (Some say this is Hebert’s first shot at what he hopes to be a ladder-climbing political career).
Note: LD reported on Diaz over a month ago.
Monday, April 9, 2012
PART 3: PATTERSON SAYS WITH HIM WE WILL “GET MORE OF THE SAME”
There is a huge difference in the way two of the candidates for local office view themselves and their vision of what the want to do for the county. The incumbent, Henry Patterson admitted in one of the political forums that his re-election bid did not include promises of improving anything, while challenger Bobby Rader’s record of public service has been all about improvement and innovation- two candidates, two different views of the future.
Patterson’s campaign advisers have pointed out that the re-election of their man should be about the only re-election Liberty County voters’ support. They view Patterson and his “more of the same” campaign promise as a great start, but they also believe voters made poor decisions in the last election when they elected three Republican judges. They think cleaning the courthouse out should START now, while for many voters this will be the third election in a row they will vote to replace longtime incumbents.
“Henry Patterson’s re-election and the defeat of all three of the judges and several other people recently elected will happen if things are served up the voters the right way”, campaign adviser to Patterson, Eddie Shauberger said. “We have a couple of the right Pastors and the right businessmen behind our goals and we are unstoppable,” he continued.
Bobby Rader will have strong support from the Christian community, but his analysis of where Liberty County is politically must be very different. Rader was elected JP when there were no Republican elected officials. Democrats courted him, but unlike Patterson’s first run for office, Rader has always run Republican and he has always said his beliefs were better aligned with the GOP’s. That perspective undoubtedly has affected his view of Liberty County politics– he has seen the voters come to the polls the last two elections and agree with him. While Patterson sees the need for change, Rader recognizes the voters have already made many of the changes that were needed.
Rader has not seen the changes he believes need to happen in the Sheriff’s department however. Why else would he be running? When Rader was elect JP he adopted a Ted Poe like style of applying the law. His color blind, innovative, creative way of applying justice to the poor and the rich alike is result oriented. Like Poe, Rader wanted to protect the public and punish lawbreakers, but he also wanted to use the discretion the law gives judges to discourage the unrepentant in your face criminals while judiciously applying mercy to those who show promise of change. He is no pushover and you better not appear before him, but this law and order Republican allows common sense and compassion in the courtroom.
As sheriff, Rader would have a very different job than when he was judge, but rest assured he would make changes. Patterson keeps pointing to a statistic that would appear to mean his leadership has Liberty County’s Sheriff Department shining in the state with a 40% rate of closing their cases. And when Rader says the real figure can be computed by taking the number of cases and the number of successful arrest and convictions, Patterson implies Rader is trying to deny an obvious reason for voters to keep him in office. Patterson says that 40% number comes from the Governor’s office – and wants to know if Rader is calling the Governor a liar. But when Rader points out that the figures the Governor uses come from each sheriff’s office … the argument for any claim to fame by Patterson gets quiet.
While Patterson proudly proclaims if we vote for him we will get “more of the same”, Rader says he will use his knowledge of what kind of evidence is needed to win conviction to train deputies and other needed changes so the Sheriff’s department can start having a real 40% closure rate by convicting criminals rather than playing with numbers.
Voters may discard everything else that is said in this race, but knowing each man’s aspirations and goals is very telling.
Patterson’s campaign advisers have pointed out that the re-election of their man should be about the only re-election Liberty County voters’ support. They view Patterson and his “more of the same” campaign promise as a great start, but they also believe voters made poor decisions in the last election when they elected three Republican judges. They think cleaning the courthouse out should START now, while for many voters this will be the third election in a row they will vote to replace longtime incumbents.
“Henry Patterson’s re-election and the defeat of all three of the judges and several other people recently elected will happen if things are served up the voters the right way”, campaign adviser to Patterson, Eddie Shauberger said. “We have a couple of the right Pastors and the right businessmen behind our goals and we are unstoppable,” he continued.
Bobby Rader will have strong support from the Christian community, but his analysis of where Liberty County is politically must be very different. Rader was elected JP when there were no Republican elected officials. Democrats courted him, but unlike Patterson’s first run for office, Rader has always run Republican and he has always said his beliefs were better aligned with the GOP’s. That perspective undoubtedly has affected his view of Liberty County politics– he has seen the voters come to the polls the last two elections and agree with him. While Patterson sees the need for change, Rader recognizes the voters have already made many of the changes that were needed.
Rader has not seen the changes he believes need to happen in the Sheriff’s department however. Why else would he be running? When Rader was elect JP he adopted a Ted Poe like style of applying the law. His color blind, innovative, creative way of applying justice to the poor and the rich alike is result oriented. Like Poe, Rader wanted to protect the public and punish lawbreakers, but he also wanted to use the discretion the law gives judges to discourage the unrepentant in your face criminals while judiciously applying mercy to those who show promise of change. He is no pushover and you better not appear before him, but this law and order Republican allows common sense and compassion in the courtroom.
As sheriff, Rader would have a very different job than when he was judge, but rest assured he would make changes. Patterson keeps pointing to a statistic that would appear to mean his leadership has Liberty County’s Sheriff Department shining in the state with a 40% rate of closing their cases. And when Rader says the real figure can be computed by taking the number of cases and the number of successful arrest and convictions, Patterson implies Rader is trying to deny an obvious reason for voters to keep him in office. Patterson says that 40% number comes from the Governor’s office – and wants to know if Rader is calling the Governor a liar. But when Rader points out that the figures the Governor uses come from each sheriff’s office … the argument for any claim to fame by Patterson gets quiet.
While Patterson proudly proclaims if we vote for him we will get “more of the same”, Rader says he will use his knowledge of what kind of evidence is needed to win conviction to train deputies and other needed changes so the Sheriff’s department can start having a real 40% closure rate by convicting criminals rather than playing with numbers.
Voters may discard everything else that is said in this race, but knowing each man’s aspirations and goals is very telling.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Open Letter From LD
“Outsiders”
According to you... Liberty County Sheriff Patterson’s new official spokesman, “The Outsiders” and your new writer, Edward Shauberger in place of Robert Valdez- The Outsiders are working with unnamed “State”, “Local” and “Federal” agencies. You have openly, publicly and continually proclaimed your working with these unnamed agencies.
This is an open letter to you... Patterson’s “Outsiders”- Name the agencies you are working with and your point of contact, if you are in-fact telling the truth. As a matter of fact, name ONE “Local” agency you are working with other than the Liberty County Sheriff’s office.
Liberty Dispatch
According to you... Liberty County Sheriff Patterson’s new official spokesman, “The Outsiders” and your new writer, Edward Shauberger in place of Robert Valdez- The Outsiders are working with unnamed “State”, “Local” and “Federal” agencies. You have openly, publicly and continually proclaimed your working with these unnamed agencies.
This is an open letter to you... Patterson’s “Outsiders”- Name the agencies you are working with and your point of contact, if you are in-fact telling the truth. As a matter of fact, name ONE “Local” agency you are working with other than the Liberty County Sheriff’s office.
Liberty Dispatch
Part 2: QUO VADIS- POLITICIANS AND CHAMELEONS
“Quo vadis?” The modern usage of the phrase refers to a Christian tradition regarding Saint Peter. According to the apocryphal book The Acts of Peter, Simon Peter is fleeing from likely crucifixion in Rome at the hands of the government, and along the road outside the city he meets the risen Jesus. Peter asks Jesus "Quo vadis?” to which He replies, "Romam vado iterum crucifigi." ("I am going to Rome to be crucified again"). Peter thereby gains the courage to continue his ministry and returns to the city, to eventually be martyred by being crucified upside-down.
Regardless of whether this account from a book that was not included when the Bible was being canonized, the idea that Peter thought he should be leaving Rome when in fact Jesus wanted him there is a cautionary tale for us all- even those who would be ministers. And especially Christians who are living in a democratic republic where their participation is part of being a good citizen and requires so many decisions to be made in less than perfect circumstances.
The recent political activity by a minister from the Cleveland area shows some of the pitfalls that can come and how Aubrey Vaughn’s certainty about what direction he should go could easily be flawed and the opposite of what he should be doing.
Pastor Vaughn has made many political decisions that people can agree or disagree with. He has no drivers’ license because to get one the state wants to verify citizenship by seeing your social security card and Pastor Vaughn refuses to have a social security number. He has been jailed because he believes if his church doesn’t have to pay taxes, why should he. So he is no stranger to drawing a line in the stand and labeling things “good or evil” like he has Bobby Rader and Henry Patterson, except with this new line most people will view he has involved himself in personal attacks.
His activism in the past leaves us with questions – like does he drive without a license? Or shouldn’t he help society pay for “our common defense”, etc. by paying his taxes? And his actions against Bobby Rader leave us with questions too. Quo vadis, Brother Aubrey?
We realize the political team of the man who you support (Sheriff Patterson), has as a common characteristic “tax dodging” tendencies. We realize also they have bragged that they would send you out into public under the well thought of moniker, “Pastor”, and that they could get you to do whatever they wanted you to do. They have indicated a little anti-government rhetoric and a common belief that Jesus is the Son of God has bound you to them so tightly that you would help villainies’ Henry Patterson’s opponent.
But just as Peter headed one way and came to know he should turn around, we ask the same of you Brother. Not about whom you are voting for, but about you casting your Pastor’s pen into this local Sheriff’s race and claiming some kind of discernment about Bobby Rader and his integrity. Bobby Rader is a very well thought of Christian businessman who has helped so many children and so many adults in this community that it would be difficult to even guess how many lives he has effected. The help he offered to people came long before he ran for a political office. His Ted Poe style of administering justice has just added to opportunities Judge Rader has had to do good works.
The political team you have associated yourself with told us months ago that they predicted the commissioners’ court would want Rader to stay on the bench until after voters selected his replacement. They also threatened/extorted and attempted blackmail through their point man Eddie Shauberger that they would use that decision by the court and political spin on certain cases Judge Rader had ruled on to humiliate and berate – "Unless he pulled out of the race against Patterson". Quo vadis, Brother Aubrey?
Bobby Rader is not just highly revered by those who know him, he is loved. Loved by many who would tell you his walk and his talk about His Lord are solid and sincere. Why would a minister of the Gospel characterize Bobby’s decision to continue his work until a replacement has been chosen? You admit it is lawful, but you act as if is not moral. That makes no sense to many of us – and to be frank, the direction you have headed in on this matter seems wrong headed. You don’t have to disavow Patterson as your candidate of choice, but seriously, are you actually going to allow these people to use your position as the Shepherd of a church flock, to try and ruin the reputation of one of the most well thought of men in the county? Based on your opinion that his work in the courts gives him an unfair media advantage over the incumbent Sheriff? Quo vadis Brother Aubrey?
These people, this political team of Patterson’s… history will record have faithfully been at the same political meetings you have attended – they do their work in secret and they have secret motivations. Pictures of Valdez and Fuddy Williams and others are hard to come by. Are they not deceivers, Pastor? They have been careful to position themselves in their writing as “grateful for the assistance of local authorities”, yet we can not find one local authority, except Henry Patterson, who wants to be associated with them. They have bragged privately that they will unseat every one of the judges the voters have just elected. But their public writing acts like they are here to help WE THE PEOPLE.
Quo vadis, Brother Aubrey? We respect your courage to take a stand, but are you going to ask the rest of us to join you and these political chameleons in the soon to come distortion of Judge Rader’s work on the bench? Judge Rader ran as a Republcian when there were no local Republicans. He refused to go along to get along. His actions as a judge are very similar to that of Ted Poe. Highly energetic, innovative, honest, and the hardest working JP in the county – Bobby Rader deserves better.
Regardless of whether this account from a book that was not included when the Bible was being canonized, the idea that Peter thought he should be leaving Rome when in fact Jesus wanted him there is a cautionary tale for us all- even those who would be ministers. And especially Christians who are living in a democratic republic where their participation is part of being a good citizen and requires so many decisions to be made in less than perfect circumstances.
The recent political activity by a minister from the Cleveland area shows some of the pitfalls that can come and how Aubrey Vaughn’s certainty about what direction he should go could easily be flawed and the opposite of what he should be doing.
Pastor Vaughn has made many political decisions that people can agree or disagree with. He has no drivers’ license because to get one the state wants to verify citizenship by seeing your social security card and Pastor Vaughn refuses to have a social security number. He has been jailed because he believes if his church doesn’t have to pay taxes, why should he. So he is no stranger to drawing a line in the stand and labeling things “good or evil” like he has Bobby Rader and Henry Patterson, except with this new line most people will view he has involved himself in personal attacks.
His activism in the past leaves us with questions – like does he drive without a license? Or shouldn’t he help society pay for “our common defense”, etc. by paying his taxes? And his actions against Bobby Rader leave us with questions too. Quo vadis, Brother Aubrey?
We realize the political team of the man who you support (Sheriff Patterson), has as a common characteristic “tax dodging” tendencies. We realize also they have bragged that they would send you out into public under the well thought of moniker, “Pastor”, and that they could get you to do whatever they wanted you to do. They have indicated a little anti-government rhetoric and a common belief that Jesus is the Son of God has bound you to them so tightly that you would help villainies’ Henry Patterson’s opponent.
But just as Peter headed one way and came to know he should turn around, we ask the same of you Brother. Not about whom you are voting for, but about you casting your Pastor’s pen into this local Sheriff’s race and claiming some kind of discernment about Bobby Rader and his integrity. Bobby Rader is a very well thought of Christian businessman who has helped so many children and so many adults in this community that it would be difficult to even guess how many lives he has effected. The help he offered to people came long before he ran for a political office. His Ted Poe style of administering justice has just added to opportunities Judge Rader has had to do good works.
The political team you have associated yourself with told us months ago that they predicted the commissioners’ court would want Rader to stay on the bench until after voters selected his replacement. They also threatened/extorted and attempted blackmail through their point man Eddie Shauberger that they would use that decision by the court and political spin on certain cases Judge Rader had ruled on to humiliate and berate – "Unless he pulled out of the race against Patterson". Quo vadis, Brother Aubrey?
Bobby Rader is not just highly revered by those who know him, he is loved. Loved by many who would tell you his walk and his talk about His Lord are solid and sincere. Why would a minister of the Gospel characterize Bobby’s decision to continue his work until a replacement has been chosen? You admit it is lawful, but you act as if is not moral. That makes no sense to many of us – and to be frank, the direction you have headed in on this matter seems wrong headed. You don’t have to disavow Patterson as your candidate of choice, but seriously, are you actually going to allow these people to use your position as the Shepherd of a church flock, to try and ruin the reputation of one of the most well thought of men in the county? Based on your opinion that his work in the courts gives him an unfair media advantage over the incumbent Sheriff? Quo vadis Brother Aubrey?
These people, this political team of Patterson’s… history will record have faithfully been at the same political meetings you have attended – they do their work in secret and they have secret motivations. Pictures of Valdez and Fuddy Williams and others are hard to come by. Are they not deceivers, Pastor? They have been careful to position themselves in their writing as “grateful for the assistance of local authorities”, yet we can not find one local authority, except Henry Patterson, who wants to be associated with them. They have bragged privately that they will unseat every one of the judges the voters have just elected. But their public writing acts like they are here to help WE THE PEOPLE.
Quo vadis, Brother Aubrey? We respect your courage to take a stand, but are you going to ask the rest of us to join you and these political chameleons in the soon to come distortion of Judge Rader’s work on the bench? Judge Rader ran as a Republcian when there were no local Republicans. He refused to go along to get along. His actions as a judge are very similar to that of Ted Poe. Highly energetic, innovative, honest, and the hardest working JP in the county – Bobby Rader deserves better.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Liberty County Republican Chairman Announcement
Liberty County Republican Chairman, Ken Coleman, has announced that the 2012 Liberty County Republican Convention will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at Liberty Courthouse (Judge Mark Moorefield’s Courtroom) in Liberty, TX starting at 9:00 a.m.
The Liberty County Republican Convention is held in even-numbered election years, as part of the statewide and national Republican convention process. The purposes of the convention are to choose delegates and alternates to the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) State Convention, currently scheduled for June 7-9 in Fort Worth, and to consider resolutions or statements on policy issues to send to the State Convention for eventual inclusion in the state and national Party platform.
As a result of the substantial changes in the election calendar in 2012, the Liberty County Republican Party will not be conducting precinct conventions on the evening of the May 29th Primary Election and will be incorporating all party business into the county convention on April 21. All attendees will be seated by precinct and will vote their precinct strength. Furthermore, all attendees have the right to seek to become a state delegate and to bring forth resolutions for consideration by the convention. The convention will be open to any registered voter who signs an oath of affiliation identifying them as a Republican.
In making the announcement, County Chairman, Ken Coleman said, "Although the timing of this year's convention schedule has changed for Liberty County Republicans, we are more enthusiastic than ever about coming together for this important event and ready to get to work on our duties that day. On behalf of our county party, I invite all interested Liberty County Republicans to join us on Saturday, April 21 at Judge Morefield’s Courtroom at the Liberty County Courthouse to participate in a full day of important discussions and decisions that will carry forward to our State Republican Convention and beyond."
As an additional resource, the state party stands ready to answer any questions related to the 2012 Republican Party of Texas Convention process. More convention information is available at the RPT website - TexasGOP.org
For any additional questions or information, please contact Liberty County Chairman, Ken Coleman, at 713-304-7406 or by email at kenlcoleman@gmail.com. More information can also be found at the Liberty County GOP website at LibertyCountyGOP.org
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Dear Liberty Dispatch
I truly question the current decisions made by Constable Chad Pafford of Liberty County Constable Pct 4. It is not rumor or gossip but fact that he is allowing two Reserve Deputies within his department to take home county vehicles. This raises several legal and ethical questions. First off, since these Deputies are considered to be Reserve Deputies then why are they receiving a compensation from the county...i.e. county take home vehicles? Reserves are non-paid employees that are normally only keeping their Police License while working other jobs or just enjoy being a Police Officer on a part-time basis and sometimes used as a stepping stone for new Police Officers. Either way, Reserves are non-paid and are volunteers for the community and should not receive benefits from the county as full-time paid employees. I am not questioning how much work or how valuable the work is but rather this is a good decision made by our elected Constable. Secondly, one of the Reserves is Eric Baumgart who is currently a public defender of Harris County, weird? I agree...A public defender, or defense attorney who is a Police Officer, raises questions, not illegal but really, just weird. Deputy Baumgart is the one who does press releases and designs political websites for Constable Pafford as seen at http://chadpafford.com/ So is Constable Pafford exchanging a badge and take home vehicle for work? A question that must truly be answered by his Office or better in person by Constable Pafford. Finally, both reserve deputies currently live far outside Liberty County and rarely come in to work on what is considered a full-time status. So who truly knows how often the vehicle is being driven for personal uses and how often are WE as taxpayers paying the fuel bill for these reserve Deputies to take home county vehicles. Take home police vehicles are designed for three reasons, one for Police presence while driving in the county and being able to answer calls while en-route to or from work. Secondly, on-call Officers being able to respond directly from their residence instead of having to go from their residence to the station and then to the scene. This is clearly not taking place at Pct 4. Please, lets look into this matter in our county and get some answers.
Name withheld.
Name withheld.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
PART I: GETTING DOWN AND DIRTY TO RE-ELECT SHERIFF PATTERSON
Sheriff Henry Patterson’s political machine, infamously known as the Outsiders, has now started doing exactly what they said they were going to do. This is part one in what we anticipate will be an ongoing series of articles covering the desperate attempts of Eddie Shauberger and The Outsiders to re-write the biography of Sheriff Henry so voters might vote for him and the biography of Judge Bobby Rader so conservatives will tend to stay away from the polls.
In late 2011 Eddie Shauberger told Ray Akins and Richard Pegues and God only knows who else that supporting Bobby Rader for Sheriff would prove to be a bad mistake.
“Henry Patterson will be… no, no, he MUST be elected Sheriff,” Shauberger said angrily.
Adding to his personal threats to Akins and Pegues, Shauberger sneered as he explained that the facts in politics were not important but that appearance was. He said Rader has a nice job, but when The Outsiders get finished with him, he will wish he had just been satisfied being a JP.
“Tell him if he will pull out of the Sheriff’s race, we will let him keep his JP job,” Shauberger said.
The Outsiders have launched into cyberspace and the public domain the exact type of things Shauberger, a/k/a “Chatterbox”, promised they would. Unfortunately, if Shauberger was telling the truth, their opening salvo will be followed “with so much mud, Bobby will never be able to climb out from underneath it.”
Shauberger also bragged that Sheriff Patterson had a pastor in the north part of the county that he had “wrapped around his finger” that would help make Patterson look “good” while Rader was being made to “look worse than the devil himself.” Shauberger described the pastor as a “true believer” in Patterson. This first shot at Rader we are referring to is in the form of an e-mail from Aubrey Vaughn, a pastor from Cleveland. Not knowing Vaughn, it is still easy for anyone who reads his e-mail attacking Rader that he is deeply devoted to and believes in one man… Henry Patterson. And that he either doesn’t understand the key concepts of conservatism or he just doesn’t agree with them.
The following is a short response to the Vaughn’s claims that voters should not consider voting for Bobby Rader for Sheriff because he is still a working Judge.
The law dictates what elected public officials do under certain circumstances. Justice of the Peace Bobby Rader may prefer to be free to be out and about campaigning with fewer responsibilities, but he is the most qualified person to carry out the duties in precinct one he has had for years and he is willing to sacrifice campaign time to make sure this office is continues the high standards it has had for years. Vaughn claims if Judge Bobby Rader were ethical he would resign. But anyone familiar with the six way political race by those vying to replace Rader as JP #1 might think just the opposite. In fact, they may have the same view as the Commissioners’ Court. The Court voted 3 to 1 to keep Judge Rader on the job while challengers seeking his position duke it out in the May 29th primary. This keeps proven trustworthy leadership on the JP #1 bench while allowing voters to select his replacement without the influence of incumbency.
Shauberger said way back in 2011 that Rader would more than likely be asked to keep serving until a new JP was elected. Shauberger said that they could easily paint Rader as “another crooked good ole boy” if he stayed on the bench.
Shauberger doesn’t sound much like someone who thinks in terms of public service or like a conservative for that matter. The genius of Madison and the federalism in the U.S. Constitution along with the county system, etc. and emphasis on local control in the Texas Constitution leaves this community with our own unique circumstances to decide what to do with someone who resigns to run for another office. Republicans have always embraced the idea of having decision makers closer to the voters that they affect. Commissioners want Rader to stay on the bench. As for Rader being like some of the good ole boys in Liberty County’s past… well that is a stretch. Rader ran for office and served as ran as a Republican when there were no other local Republicans holding office. For years, he was blamed and ridiculed for anything Republicans did by some local Democrats.
Vaughn says in the e-mail he broadcast, “It is interesting to note that the Court immediately appointed the new Tax Assessor/Collector when the former Tax Assessor/Collector recently resigned.” The law is on the side of Liberty County commissioners for their decision to keep Rader on as interim JP.
The Outsiders may have this man “wrapped around their finger” but someone needs to point out to him that the Tax Assessor resigned and therefore was not available to serve until May 29th. it is these kinds of red herring ineffective arguments, whether they are sincere or whether they are planted and known to be illegitimate, that make us know that make us realize Shauberger’s threats of loads and loads of mud must surely be coming into this race.
The fact of the matter is the closest thing to a good ole boy political machine that we have left in this county after the last two elections is the group Patterson and Vaughn are working along side of – and worse than all of the good ole boy systems in the past, these men are mostly not even residents of Liberty County.
Note: Please stay tuned for future parts to this series. This county has been threatened with so many accusations and so much mudslinging that no one could possibly survive it all and be elected by the voters. We believe that is big talk from people who post pictures of some of Liberty Dispatch’s contributors but who will not post pictures of Valdez, William, or Farmer.
In late 2011 Eddie Shauberger told Ray Akins and Richard Pegues and God only knows who else that supporting Bobby Rader for Sheriff would prove to be a bad mistake.
“Henry Patterson will be… no, no, he MUST be elected Sheriff,” Shauberger said angrily.
Adding to his personal threats to Akins and Pegues, Shauberger sneered as he explained that the facts in politics were not important but that appearance was. He said Rader has a nice job, but when The Outsiders get finished with him, he will wish he had just been satisfied being a JP.
“Tell him if he will pull out of the Sheriff’s race, we will let him keep his JP job,” Shauberger said.
The Outsiders have launched into cyberspace and the public domain the exact type of things Shauberger, a/k/a “Chatterbox”, promised they would. Unfortunately, if Shauberger was telling the truth, their opening salvo will be followed “with so much mud, Bobby will never be able to climb out from underneath it.”
Shauberger also bragged that Sheriff Patterson had a pastor in the north part of the county that he had “wrapped around his finger” that would help make Patterson look “good” while Rader was being made to “look worse than the devil himself.” Shauberger described the pastor as a “true believer” in Patterson. This first shot at Rader we are referring to is in the form of an e-mail from Aubrey Vaughn, a pastor from Cleveland. Not knowing Vaughn, it is still easy for anyone who reads his e-mail attacking Rader that he is deeply devoted to and believes in one man… Henry Patterson. And that he either doesn’t understand the key concepts of conservatism or he just doesn’t agree with them.
The following is a short response to the Vaughn’s claims that voters should not consider voting for Bobby Rader for Sheriff because he is still a working Judge.
The law dictates what elected public officials do under certain circumstances. Justice of the Peace Bobby Rader may prefer to be free to be out and about campaigning with fewer responsibilities, but he is the most qualified person to carry out the duties in precinct one he has had for years and he is willing to sacrifice campaign time to make sure this office is continues the high standards it has had for years. Vaughn claims if Judge Bobby Rader were ethical he would resign. But anyone familiar with the six way political race by those vying to replace Rader as JP #1 might think just the opposite. In fact, they may have the same view as the Commissioners’ Court. The Court voted 3 to 1 to keep Judge Rader on the job while challengers seeking his position duke it out in the May 29th primary. This keeps proven trustworthy leadership on the JP #1 bench while allowing voters to select his replacement without the influence of incumbency.
Shauberger said way back in 2011 that Rader would more than likely be asked to keep serving until a new JP was elected. Shauberger said that they could easily paint Rader as “another crooked good ole boy” if he stayed on the bench.
Shauberger doesn’t sound much like someone who thinks in terms of public service or like a conservative for that matter. The genius of Madison and the federalism in the U.S. Constitution along with the county system, etc. and emphasis on local control in the Texas Constitution leaves this community with our own unique circumstances to decide what to do with someone who resigns to run for another office. Republicans have always embraced the idea of having decision makers closer to the voters that they affect. Commissioners want Rader to stay on the bench. As for Rader being like some of the good ole boys in Liberty County’s past… well that is a stretch. Rader ran for office and served as ran as a Republican when there were no other local Republicans holding office. For years, he was blamed and ridiculed for anything Republicans did by some local Democrats.
Vaughn says in the e-mail he broadcast, “It is interesting to note that the Court immediately appointed the new Tax Assessor/Collector when the former Tax Assessor/Collector recently resigned.” The law is on the side of Liberty County commissioners for their decision to keep Rader on as interim JP.
The Outsiders may have this man “wrapped around their finger” but someone needs to point out to him that the Tax Assessor resigned and therefore was not available to serve until May 29th. it is these kinds of red herring ineffective arguments, whether they are sincere or whether they are planted and known to be illegitimate, that make us know that make us realize Shauberger’s threats of loads and loads of mud must surely be coming into this race.
The fact of the matter is the closest thing to a good ole boy political machine that we have left in this county after the last two elections is the group Patterson and Vaughn are working along side of – and worse than all of the good ole boy systems in the past, these men are mostly not even residents of Liberty County.
Note: Please stay tuned for future parts to this series. This county has been threatened with so many accusations and so much mudslinging that no one could possibly survive it all and be elected by the voters. We believe that is big talk from people who post pictures of some of Liberty Dispatch’s contributors but who will not post pictures of Valdez, William, or Farmer.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
DEBRA GLENN BRINGS EXPERIENCE TO THE TAX COLLECTOR RACE
Debra’s experience in the tax field has become exceedingly broad over the past years due to working in different tax environments. She decided to enter the Republican primary to offer a choice between the interim tax collector who is learning the job as he goes and the Democratic nominee who is a disgruntled former employee of the office she is seeking.
Before getting involved in the tax field, she worked for Dayton State Bank, now known as Prosperity Bank, for almost 10 years. Then in June of 2001, Debra was offered a tax clerk position with Sheldon I.S.D. Within three years she received her designation of a Registered Tax Collector (RTC). In November of 2004 she applied for the position of Assistant Tax Collector with Crosby I.S.D., and after only two years of working there, earned her designation of Registered Tax Assessor (RTA). The position for Tax Assessor/Collector with Aldine I.S.D became available in January 2009, which is her current position.
Currently, her office consists of five full-time personnel, and during peak time five part-time persons. She currently manages the office which collects for over 95,000 accounts amounting to around $13,000,000,000 in taxable levy. Every year she attends the Texas Association of Assessing Officers (TAAO) annual conference and was co-chair of this event in 2009 and 2010. At the local level, she stays very involved with the Gulf Coast Chapter of TAAO. She has served for three years as a Trustee of the chapter and proceeded to become the President in 2011.
Debra says, “I really want the Tax Office to be accessible to the citizens needs and help them understand the tax laws that govern how we perform our duties. If I’m elected it will give me the opportunity to give my knowledge and experience back to the community I live in. My husband, Johnny Glenn, and I have been married for 31 years. We have two wonderful children who have both graduated from Dayton High School. My son, Brandon, graduated high school in 2005 and moved on to graduate from the University of Texas four years later in 2009. My daughter, Kelli, graduated high school in 2009 and went to the University of Texas San Antonio and is currently waiting to enter nursing school. Our family has made Liberty County our home for over 29 years. In 1983 my husband and I made the decision to move to Liberty and in 1993 we decided to move to Kenefick and have lived there for the past 18 years.”
Debra Glenn is the most qualified person for this job. She requires no “on the job training” and , if elected, she has the knowledge to immediately implement the following improvements:
• Easy Website Access – for ability to pay by credit card, e-check, or ACH
• Quick Email Response – within 24 hours from tax office
• New Property Tax FAQs – easily accessible online
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