Archive for the ‘Texas’ Category
Wednesday, July 20th, 2016
I haven’t been able to focus much time on the issue, but parents in Ft. Worth have been fighting a tranny bathroom policy unilaterally imposed by Fort Worth ISD superintendent Kent Scribner over their objections.
Good news! After Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a ruling stating that the new rules violated chapters 11 and 26 of the Texas Education Code, Ft. Worth ISD has finally backed down on their tranny bathroom plans.
After the uproar of parents, citizens, and students in Fort Worth over the past 3 months, the Fort Worth Independents School District (FWISD) has reversed its dangerous transgender guidelines that allowed boys into girls’ showers, locker-rooms, and bathrooms. The school district issued new guidelines today with significant changes that should go a long way to better protect all students in FWISD.
Among the policy changes:
An explicit affirmation of parental rights: “Parents are partners with educators, administrators, and the board in their children’s education. Parents shall be encouraged to actively participate in creating and implementing education programs for their children. Texas Education Code § 26.001(a) unless otherwise provided by law, a board, an administrator, an educator or other person may not limit parental rights. Texas Education Code § 20.001(c).”
The critical recognition that “A parent is entitled to full information regarding the school activities of the student, except as precluded by Texas law.”
The replacement of rules about restroom and locker-room access. The previous rules have been replaced with the statement that accommodation requests will be “reviewed and addressed on a case-by-case basis based upon the particular circumstances of the individual student and school facilities.”
The removal of an unlawful requirement that punished school officials for notifying parents if their child showed transgender behavior.
Here’s a hint for the Social Justice Warrior crowd: Ft. Worth, like most Texas cities, is not going to take your culture war shenanigans lying down.
Tags:Democrats, education, Ft. Worth, Ken Paxton, Kent Scribner, Social Justice Warriors, Texas, Tranny Bathrooms, transexual
Posted in Social Justice Warriors, Texas | 1 Comment »
Friday, July 15th, 2016
Enjoy a Friday LinkSwarm, including some recent big stories:
Truck plows into Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France, killing at least 84, including a father and his 10 year old son from Lakeway.
The murderer is evidently a Muslim from Tunisia. And his name is evidently Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel. Try to contain your shock.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague rules against China in the South China Seas dispute. Whether China heeds the ruling is another question…
Another day, another Democratic congresscritter indicted. “Corrine Brown, the House rep from the 5th District of Florida, was indicted (along with Ronnie Simmons, her chief of staff) on federal charges of mail and wire fraud.”
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are neck and neck in swing states.
“The U.S. State Department funneled tax dollars to a group that worked to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a Senate report released Tuesday.”
Another ObamaCare exchange shuts down, this time in Illinois.
And six of the seven remaining exchanges are in trouble.
Philadelphia airport workers to go on strike during the Democratic National Convention.
Houston City Councilman calls for segregation in police shifts. Next up: Their own drinking fountains… (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
Previously deported illegal alien sentenced to life in prison for murder in Laredo.
Following in the footsteps of Annise Parker, Austin City Council wants to silence opponents who speak out on politics.
The left’s war on police. (Hat tip: Ed Driscoll at Instapundit.)
El Paso police chief Greg Allen calls Black Lives Matter “a radical hate group.”
University of Texas to return athletic ticket sales to a group previously proven to be corrupt.
Ghostbusters reboot toys already on clearance before the movie’s opening.
Strippers, arson and a potato. (Hat tip: Dwight.)
Understatement of the Year Award:
An inspection of the truck’s cargo revealed 169 bundles of marijuana with an estimated weight of 3,996 lbs. were on board.
The estimated street value of the marijuana is between $1.6 million and $1.9 million. Perez was charged with Trafficking Marijuana in the Superior Court of DeKalb County, Georgia.
Doraville Police say they are “pretty confident this would exceed personal use.”
(Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.
Tags:#BlackLivesMatter, 2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Austin, Bastille Day, Border Controls, China, Corrine Brown, Crime, Democratic National Convention, Democrats, El Paso, Foreign Policy, France, Houston, Israel, Israeli Elections, Jihad, Lakeway, Laredo, LinkSwarm, Nice (France), Obama Scandals, ObamaCare, Permanent Court of Arbitration, Philippines, police, Social Justice Warriors, South China Sea, terrorism, Texas, unions, University of Texas
Posted in Austin, Border Control, Crime, Democrats, Elections, Foreign Policy, Jihad, Obama Scandals, ObamaCare, Social Justice Warriors, Texas, unions | No Comments »
Monday, July 11th, 2016
I was busy buying books this weekend, so I couldn’t keep up with all the horrific police shootings. So that dominates the top of today’s LinkSwarm:
Remember that #BlackLivesMatter is being funded by liberal billionaires George Soros and Tom Steyer.
“Creating hatred against white people and against police has been the major accomplishing of Black Lives Matter since its inception in 2014.”
To that end, Heather McDonald’s new book The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe looks like it could be interesting.
43% of America’s cop killers are black.
“Until blacks start changing these pathologies, the whole ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, with its insistence that everyone has to change except for blacks themselves is nothing more than Progressive kabuki theater aimed at diverting attention from the fact that Democrats are facilitating self-destructive behaviors in the black community and that blacks are using the Democrat propaganda machine as an excuse to avoid the terrible (but not insurmountable) challenges that really claim black lives.” (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
More on the same theme:
Who, exactly, is in charge of these cities and city agencies about which African Americans do have many legitimate complaints? Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit, Baltimore, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago: Not exactly famous enclaves of conservative Republican political dominance. Because Dallas is in Texas, people sometimes forget that it is a city like any other American city, and Democrat-dominated. In Dallas, as in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Detroit, that Democrat domination is due in great part to a black Democratic voting bloc.
Eventually, someone is going to figure out that the black progressives protesting municipal arrangements in places such as Baltimore are protesting the municipal arrangements created by black progressives working for the interests of the Democratic party. Dallas’s racial politics aren’t as one-sided as Detroit’s, and neither are its party politics; it is Democratic, but not as lopsidedly Democratic as, say, Philadelphia. It even has had a Republican mayor (the office is technically nonpartisan) within living memory. No doubt somebody in Dallas already is trying to figure out a way to blame that mayor for the murder of those five police officers.
“Friends and family tell us that Alton Sterling was a great guy. That may well be the case, but he is also a convicted sex offender felon with a violent temper, who had six arrests for battery, two domestic violence charges, multiple illegal weapons charges, and who had fought with police over weapons before.”
The Curious Case of Philando Castile. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
Majority of Americans disapprove of the decision not to charge Hillary Clinton over EmailGate. (Hat tip: Stephen Green at Instapundit.)
Maybe that’s why Trump is up two points over Clinton in the latest Rasmussen poll. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
Czech President calls for EU, NATO referendums.
Fascinating story on a history of the mob in Houston.
Mickey Kaus examines who Trump should pick as VP.
“Quantitative easing only works when you’re the only country doing it.”
“More than 100 Nobel laureates have a message for Greenpeace: Quit the G.M.O.-bashing.”
Mass-shootings have declined so much that the left has had to redefine what a “mass shooting” is.
Important safety tip: Don’t breast-feed your children while doing cocaine. (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
12 die in Java gridlock during Ramadan.
Ted Cruz staffs up for a 2020 Presidential run.
Members of Donna ISD school board convicted of extortion. (Previously.)
SuperGenius tries to rob gas station, ends up shooting himself in the groin. I also wonder if he’s the towering intellect that managed to clip his own driver’s side mirror at the pump in the video…
There’s an anime series that follows the lives of teenage girls who are also assault rifles. Oh Japan, don’t ever change…
Tags:#BlackLivesMatter, 2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, 2020 Election, 2020 Presidential Race, anime, Crime, Czech Republic, Dallas, Democrats, Donald Trump, Donna ISD, Economics, Elections, EmailGate, EU, George Soros, GMO, Heather McDonald, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton Scandals, Japan, Kevin D. Williamson, Media Watch, Mickey Kaus, NATO, Philando Castile, police, Ramadan, Republicans, Rio Grande Valley, Social Justice Warriors, Ted Cruz, Tom Steyer
Posted in Crime, Democrats, Economics, Elections, Foreign Policy, Guns, Media Watch, Military, Texas | No Comments »
Friday, July 1st, 2016
Happy Independence Day weekend! (That’s America’s Independence Day, not the newfangled UK version.) Enjoy a LinkSwarm to tide you over for the weekend:
Kevin Williamson explains why firearms ownership is a civil right. “It is a measure of the corruption of the Democratic party and its ability to inspire corruption in others that John Lewis, once a civil-rights leader, is today leading a movement to strip Americans of their civil rights based on secret lists of subversives compiled by police agencies and the military…The Democrats have lynching in their political DNA, and they seem to be unable to evolve past it.”
Hillary’s State Department just ignored FOIA requests.
The Clinton Foundation is Hillary’s personal piggy bank. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
“The left cares about ‘the people’ as much as the Soviet Communist Party cared about the workers.” (Hat tip: Ed Driscoll at Instapundit.)
Obama’s unconstitutional illegal alien amnesty remains blocked on a 4-4 Supreme Court vote.
Ted Cruz endorsed candidate Darryl Glenn wins the Colorado Republican Senate primary and will face incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet in November.
154 million voter records exposed, revealing gun ownership, Facebook profiles, and more. Caveat: A “MacKeeper” research discovered this and MacKeeper is foul malware…
This lengthy article in the New York Times talks about how a new Panama Canal expansion designed to handle bigger ships (and which is on the edge of opening) has numerous possible debacles due to radical underbidding by the primary contractor. (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
Bill de Blasio cronies are being arrested right and left. Or, keeping in mind this is de Blasio we’re talking about, left and left…
“An Arizona Democratic lawmaker was indicted on felony charges for allegedly falsifying her application when applying for food stamps.”
Results of Austrian Presidential election overturned due to voting irregularities. (Hat tip: Stephen Green at Instapundit.)
Brexit is just what the doctor ordered.
ASK KUNTZMAN!
Drunken wife-beater Neil Steinberg not allowed to buy a gun. (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
“Al-Jazeera: A willful decision to support an insurgency that had Salafists, Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood? Flynn: It was a willful decision to do what they’re doing.” On the flip side, if Obama’s secret Middle East goal is to halt Iranian expansion, why the nuke deal?
Lessons from Orlando.
“The MSM eagerly chomps down on its ball-gag.” (Hat tip Instapundit.)
Cuba’s hospitals are filthy, undersupplied hellholes.
Behold the nightmarish portal to hell that is Arlesford! (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
Texas closes in on adding 250 DPS border control troopers.
Ft. Worth’s superintendent’s tranny bathroom law is in violation of both Chapter 11 and 26 of the Texas Education Code.
Tags:2016 Election, Austria, Border Controls, Brexit, Clinton Foundation, Colorado, Cuba, Darryl Glenn, Democrats, Elections, Ft. Worth, Guns, Hillary Clinton, John Lewis, Media Watch, Michael Bennet, Neil Steinberg, Panama, Panama Canal, Social Justice Warriors, technology, Texas, UK
Posted in Border Control, Crime, Democrats, Guns, Media Watch, Social Justice Warriors, Texas | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 28th, 2016
Welcome to another Texas vs. California update!
“California’s skyrocketing housing costs, taxes prompt exodus of residents.” “During the 12 months ending June 30, the number of people leaving California for another state exceeded by 61,100 the number who moved here from elsewhere in the U.S.” Plus this: “The majority of the people we are seeing are moving to states that don’t have state income taxes.” And this “My husband’s salary would be in the six figures, but six figures is not enough to cover the rent, day care (and) food prices.” (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
The middle class can no longer afford to live in the Bay Area.
“Orange County’s public city employees earned $144,817 on average last year.” (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
In a completely unrelated story, lavish pension hikes have resulted in exploding levels of Orange County debt. (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
“City employees working full-time in Long Beach earned an average of $128,731 in total compensation last year.” (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
“A survey of 45 cities in Riverside and San Bernardino counties shows the average full-time city worker received $127,730 in pay and benefits last year.” (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
On paper, Nevada County, California, is technically insolvent (which is the best kind of insolvent.) (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
As good as Texas is doing compared to California’s profligacy, the people at the Texas Public Policy Foundation think the budget is still growing way too fast.
“Jacobs Engineering Group, one of the world’s largest engineering companies, is preparing to move employees from its Pasadena [CA] headquarters to Dallas, becoming the latest major corporation to relocate significant operations from California to Texas.”
“A California-based orthopedic goods manufacturer and distributor has decided to move its Ohio-based distribution hub to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which will give the company a place to significantly expand operations and possibly relocate its West Coast headquarters. The company, Santa Paula, California-based Hely & Weber, has signed a lease totaling nearly 40,000 square feet of space at 755 Regent Blvd. in Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.”
Still more companies leaving California. Plus why the “Bernie Sanders effect” will result in a veto-proof majority for Democrats in the California legislature. (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
“Bankrupt San Bernardino, union fight over settlement payments.” Clip and save this headline, as you’ll be able to use it again and again over the coming years…
Marin County pension reformer launches GoFundMe campaign to sue the county over pension increases. Though his $198,000 request strikes me as excessively optimistic…
Texas scores three of the top five cities (Houston, Austin, San Antonio) for U-Haul destinations. (Hat tip: Ted Cruz on Facebook.)
California Democrats and Social Justice Warriors conspire to drive Christian colleges out of the state. (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
Once again, California leads the nation…in car thefts.
Which lead to this: “More than 71 percent of all recovered stolen cars in 2005 in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California were stolen by illegal aliens or by ‘transport coyotes,’ those who bring in illegals across the Mexican border.”
“Paul Tanaka, once one of the most powerful law enforcement officials in Los Angeles County, was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison for interfering with an FBI investigation into jail abuses by sheriff’s deputies.” (Hat tip: Dwight.)
Oakland police chief resigns because at least 14 Oakland police officers (and 10 other law enforcement officers had sex with the same underage girl. (Hat tip: Ed Driscoll at Instapundit.)
And the guy Oakland found to replace him? He lasted…five days.
Bay Area law enforcement agencies have lost 944 guns since 2010. Maybe that’s the “gun control” Democrats should be focusing on… (Hat tip: Stephen Green at Instapundit.)
Californians face rolling blackouts this summer…some of which could last as much as 14 days.
Shuttered California hospital files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
You could count this Silicon Valley robot pizza technology startup as a win for California, but the subtext here as that many human California pizza workers will never work a day under that new $15 minimum wage…
Tags:2016 Election, Austin, Border Controls, California, Crime, Guns, Hely & Weber, Houston, Illegal Aliens, Jacobs Engineering Group, Marin County, minimum wage, Oakland, Orange County, Paul Tanaka, San Antonio, San Bernardino, Texas, U-Haul, waste, Welfare State
Posted in Austin, Border Control, Crime, Democrats, Elections, Guns, Social Justice Warriors, Texas, unions, Waste and Fraud, Welfare State | No Comments »
Saturday, June 25th, 2016
This is slightly oldish news. If you follow this blog, you know that former California Democratic State Senator Leland Yee was was sentenced to five years of prison after pleading guilty to one count of racketeering. However, until today I was not aware where he ended up doing his time, assuming he would be sent to one of the many federal prisons in California.
Nope. Actually ended up at FCI Ft. Worth, a low-security prison (maybe that was part of his plea agreement).
Tags:California, Crime, Leland Yee, Texas
Posted in Crime, Democrats, Texas | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016
I can hardly resist throwing up a link to this Kevin D. Williamson National Review piece on Buc-ee’s, can I?
Over the weekend, I stopped to buy gas at a Buc-ee’s in Bastrop, Texas, and was greeted by (in addition to a man dressed as a giant aquatic rodent) an A-frame sign advertising Buc-ee’s version of the minimum wage: cashiers, $12 to $14 an hour; food-service and car-wash help, $13 to $15 an hour; team leaders, $14 to $17 an hour; assistant, $17 an hour and up. Each job came with three weeks paid time off each year, which employees are welcome to use, roll over, or exchange for cash. If you want 40 hours a week, there’s 40 hours a week to be had; if you want more than 40 hours a week, that can happen, too.
Everyone’s needs vary, of course, and I am not among those who believe that a two-income household is ideal for every situation. But I also believe that you can raise a family decently on $70,000 a year in Bastrop, where you can buy a perfectly serviceable house for less than $100,000 and where a nice, new one keeps you under the usual 2.5-times-your-income rule. Assuming a couple of raises and a bit of overtime, a married couple both working at a gas station could bring home something close to a six-figure income between them.
He mentions the kolaches but not the fudge. He also omits something the non-Texan audience wouldn’t be aware of, namely of just how large Buc-ee’s is; the Bastrop location is bigger than most supermarkets…
Tags:Bastrop, Buc-ees, Kevin WIlliamson, National Review, Texas
Posted in Texas | 1 Comment »
Friday, June 17th, 2016
Today is a quadruple witching hour for markets, so try not to freak out if there’s more than the usual market volatility today.
“Obama Is Bringing 100 Syrian Refugees Into U.S. Every Day.”
And Syrian refugees are blowing big holes in Sweden’s welfare budget. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
The rich aren’t paying their “fair share,” they’re paying everyone’s share. (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
Swiss overwhelmingly turn down “guaranteed income,” the latest pie-in-the-sky socialist scheme to rob every Peter to pay every Paul.
David Horowitz believes that Donald Trump’s post-Orlando foreign policy speech is a game changer. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
Not a game-changer: Continued vapid liberal cheer-leading for multiculturalism at all costs. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
“Orlando wasn’t about ‘gun violence’ or ‘homophobia.’ It was about Islam. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
Yet another MSM journalist caught lying about guns.
“Why it’s called a ‘modern sporting rifle‘ and not an ‘assault weapon.'” (Hat tip: Instapundit, who notes “Remember, none of this is about saving lives. It’s about the cultural domination of the people in flyover country, by their coastal ‘betters’ who get a near-erotic thrill out of such domination, and who are reduced to blind rage whenever their efforts at domination fail.”)
Aside: Is the Washington Examiner paying Ashe Schow enough? She’s like some indefatigable writing machine…
The Corrosive Politics of the New York Times Editorial Board Led to the Orlando Shooting. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
“Right now the debate seems choked with people who don’t know, are proud of not knowing, and think you’re a redneck gun-nut asshole if you want them to know because they feel very strongly about this.” (Hat tip: Dwight.)
No charges for officer Brad Miller. He’s the one who shot the “unarmed teen” who had driving his Jeep through a plate glass window and was in the process of vandalizing cars.
And here’s a police shooting where the use of lethal force was clearly justified.
JFK and LSD. Meh. It’s not that I think Kennedy wouldn’t have dropped acid given a chance, but Timothy Leary was basically a con man, and we already know that Nina Burleigh is irrational.
Wow, believe it or not, still another reason to never visit Oklahoma. “I’m going to need your driver’s license and all the money on your prepaid debit cards.”
“The prohibition of comments that are considered biased or hateful is an explicit denial of freedom of speech.” (Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ.)
Australia’s women’s Olympic soccer team defeated by teenage boys.
Are shipping containers the future of farming?
Your auditor finds huge cost discrepancies in Houston ISD construction costs. Does HISD: A.) Call in an outside auditor, B.) Launch a criminal investigation or C.) Suspend the auditor who found the problems?
New UT President Greg Fenves is a vast improvement over Bill Powers merely by being mediocre.
Land’s End decides to commit suicide.
Father buys car for son to go to college. Son decides to smoke pot and hang with no-good friends instead. Father sells car.
You’re not authorized to know the dire secrets of the Amtrak snack car! (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
Affluent buyers snapping up Hill Country land and building mansions.
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Ashe Schow, Border Controls, Crime, David Horowitz, Democrats, Donald Trump, Foreign Policy, Greg Fenves, Guns, Hill Country, Houston, Houston Independent School District, JFK, Jihad, Land's End, Media Watch, Nina Burleigh, Orlando, Switzerland, Texas, University of Texas, Welfare State
Posted in Border Control, Crime, Democrats, Foreign Policy, Guns, Jihad, Texas, Welfare State | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 14th, 2016
Via Dwight comes news that things are moving swiftly on removing Williamson County DA Jana Duty from office:
Two Williamson County residents sued District Attorney Jana Duty on Monday, seeking to force her out of office.
The Texas Constitution, according to the lawsuit, provides that county officials may be removed for incompetency and official misconduct.
“Duty’s serial violations of court orders and the laws of the State of Texas, her history and pattern of dishonesty and untrustworthiness, and her dereliction and abandonment of her responsibilities of the office of the District Attorney have compromised the integrity and the effectiveness of the office of the District Attorney and the Williamson County criminal justice system,” the lawsuit said.
The two Williamson County residents in question are Elizabeth Latham Schleder and Thomas Joseph Madden.
The lawsuit itself offers an extensive list of Duty’s legal transgressions. Rather than listing all six pages from the PDF, here’s the Statesman summary:
The lawsuit filed Monday says Duty broke the law when she made untrue statements to defense lawyers that time stamps were not available showing the sequence of events on a video in the Crispin Harmel capital murder case.
“The District Court found the Duty’s representations regarding the video were untrue and that Duty knew they were untrue when she made the representations,” the lawsuit said.
It accuses Duty of official oppression, aggravated perjury and tampering with physical evidence by not telling the truth about the time stamps.
The lawsuit says Duty’s other acts of incompetence and official misconduct include being found guilty of contempt of court on Aug. 10, 2015, and being sentenced to 10 days in jail.
Duty also broke a gag order in the Harmel case by speaking to a television station and a Georgetown newspaper, and then lied on May 29, 2015, saying she had not spoken to them, the lawsuit said.
It said Duty has also abandoned her responsibilities as district attorney since she lost her re- election in November 2015 but continues to collect her $152,000 per year salary, the lawsuit said.
“On information and belief, since November 2015, Duty has been unavailable and inaccessible to law enforcement, judges, court staff, county officials, and District Attorney office staff,” the lawsuit said.
The only thing I don’t understand is the November 2015 date, since Duty lost to Shawn Dick in the Republican primary in March of this year.
As for Duty neglecting her duties, her sister admitted there are days when she doesn’t go into the office. Certainly there are jobs where you can do most or all of your work remotely, but I don’t think that District Attorney is one of them.
Regarding the other charges against Duty, I suspect that this particular case may be the straw that broke the camel’s back for some of those calling for her removal:
On or about May 23, 2016, the State Bar of Texas suspended Mark Brunner – First Assistant to District Attorney Duty – from the practice of law (suspension probated for one year subject to compliance with the terms of probation) for professional misconduct, to-wit: untruthful communications to the District Court in his capacity as First Assistant District Attorney for Williamson County, Texas in conjunction with the prosecution of State of Texas v. Jessee Celedon Gamboa for aggravated robbery of the Schwertner State Bank in October 2013. Specifically, the State Bar found that Brunner lied to Williamson County District Judge Donna King in February 2015 about having contacted the victims in the State of Texas v. Gamboa aggravated robbery prosecution and having secured the victims’ approval of the plea bargain agreement between the District Attorney’s office and Gamboa’s criminal defense attorney when the victims in this case had not, in fact, approved the plea bargain and Brunner had not, in fact, contacted the victims or obtained their approval of the plea bargain.
Yeah, when your DA lies about having obtained your consent to a plea bargain with the thug who robbed your bank, I can see someone taking that personally.
Here’s a piece on the arrest of the Schwertner State Bank robber. And still more here. Though several news stories mention Gamboa as possibly being the “ZZ Top Bandit,” prison records show that he’s only serving time for the Schwertner heist.
Duty supporters have said that all this is a big waste of time and that Duty will be out of office before the case ever comes to trial. However, I’m guessing that Duty is so unpopular around the Williamson County courthouse that they’ll manage to get the case fast-tracked…
Tags:Austin, bank robber, Crime, Crispin Harmel, Elizabeth Latham Schleder, Jana Duty, Jessee Celedon Gamboa, Texas, Thomas Joseph Madden, Williamson County
Posted in Austin, Crime, Texas | No Comments »
Friday, June 10th, 2016
Dwight offers an update to my update of his original update on Jana Duty.
Williamson County business leaders stood outside the county courthouse Wednesday morning to deliver an ultimatum to District Attorney Jana Duty: resign or be forced out.
“I, along with other community leaders, demand that Jana Duty step down and resign her position as district attorney of Williamson County by sunset this Friday,” said Jim Schwertner, owner of Schwertner Farms, a cattle trading enterprise.
“If she does not, we will petition the court to have her removed as district attorney of Williamson County,” he said.
If Schwertner’s name sounds familiar, it may be because he’s a distant cousin to state senator Dr. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown.
Another official who has called for her to resign is Georgetown Mayor Dale Ross. “We still have seven months to go and we need the judiciary to be operating at 100 percent capacity, and from what we understand that’s not the case these days.”
Duty is also accused of frequently failing to show up for work.
Another officer calling for Duty to resign: County Judge Dan Gattis.
Duty continues to insist she’ll serve out her term.
The mechanisms by which a county official (including a district attorney) may be removed from office are outlined here, which defines “official misconduct” as “intentional, unlawful behavior relating to official duties by an officer entrusted with the administration of justice or the execution of the law. The term includes an intentional or corrupt failure, refusal, or neglect of an officer to perform a duty imposed on the officer by law.”
Tags:Crime, Dale Ross, Dan Gattis, Jana Duty, Texas, Williamson County
Posted in Crime, Texas | No Comments »