Lost causes and the right to know...

You're invisible now, you got no secrets...

AnonymousNovember 19, 2012 1:05 PM

Why is this story still being told,why? Is it against the law, then forget about it,the citizens do not care.

I disagree. What are you prepared to do about it? - The Legendary

Six Shooter Junction – Funny kind of place, Jerusalem on the Brazos.

You go after what is public information anywhere else in Texas, and you are told you have to fill out this form, pay a fee – and guess what? You still get nothing.

The lap dog press and the broadcasters get their fill of bleeds to lead dirty linen and all the lurid details about what happens on the other side of the tracks. No one else. Gotta run a merchandising medium for folks who have a line of credit and meet a payroll selling sundries, groceries, cars, refrigerators and televisions, you see. No one else need apply.

The Legendary Jim Parks

That's a dead tip-off, a sure sign that you're dealing with a closed city populated by people who don't believe in a free and open society. An ultra-law and order environment in which the folks have no respect for the law, and there is no order when it comes to public information. Ultra-Republican, ultra-conservative, to be sure, but resembling the worst of the worst of the bad old days of Democratic Party politics in the land of cotton. Hard to tell the difference. Company town. 

It kind of got going when the BATFE hit the Branch Davidian compound, got all shot up, and the FBI burned the place down after a long siege. Ask the veteran camera man they picked up every Friday afternoon for a quick trip downtown to see the secret police. Yeah. A little attitude check. Never charged him with a crime, but they made his bosses' insurance carrier settle out of court for multi-millions – and all they did was go out to cover a story. The owners of the newspaper hauled off and sold out to a conservative real estate operator. Same story.

Kind of medieval. Very like a whale, m'lord.

Asked if he thinks that's when the worm turned, the old boy nodded, said, yes. “There ain't no first amendment any more.” He's right. Just ask the evangelical Christians. They'll tell you.

What did Sinclair Lewis call it, Century City and Gophers Corners, all the prairie venues where Babbitry was in full swing?

A tight, dry, polite, cruel smile of a town. Yeah. The kind of place run by a clique of a half-dozen little old men from the board room of some bank.

If there is a patron saint of lost causes – and there is – he is looking down, laughing at the antics of The Legendary and his sidekick, R.S. Gates.

R.S. Gates has decided he wants to see reports generated by the Sheriff of McLennan County, Larry Lynch, regarding twice-monthly inspections of the privately-operated jails run by CEC, Inc. The Jack Harwell Detention Center is an economic development project. The old downtown lockup next door to the Courthouse has been closed two and a half years.

The Sheriff says there are no such reports. Can't fill the request.

R.S. Gates says the Sheriff gets $1,000 per month to make inspections, supervise these operations, and file reports. But as late as just the other day, there was no information available as to why prisoners can't be held in the old jail, no reports available as to why the Federal Bureau of Prisons took prisoners held for Immigration and Customs (ICE) cops.

So he appealed to the Criminal District Attorney, Abel Reyna, for a finding, for his opinion on the matter. Mr. Reyna has not responded. Come Wednesday, the statutory amount of time allotted to get the answer will have expired. Next stop for R.S. Gates, the Attorney General's office.

We will see.

This is what his complaint says:

To: The Honorable Abel Reyna

Criminal District Attorney

McLennan County

From: R.S. Gates

Re: Complaint filed under Texas Government Code Chapter 552.3215

Mr. Reyna,

On September 28 2012, R.S. Gates, hereafter complainant, filed a public information act request for public information related to the Sheriffs'contractual obligation to conduct inspections at the privately run jail facilities in McLennan County.

On October 12, 2012 complainant received a response from Sheriff Lynch indicating no information existed which was responsive to the request. (see attachment LL Response10-12-2012.pdf)

The contract for facilities operation reads the Sheriff or his designee shall conduct a thorough on-site inspection of the Facility no less than twice during each month.

The Sheriff receives compensation for his oversight responsibilities.

Complainant believes a reasonable person would believe some record would exist if the Sheriff or his designee were actually performing the duties for which the Sheriff is contractually obligated to perform and for which the Sheriff is personally compensated.

Complainant alleges Sheriff Larry Lynch violated the Texas Public Information Act by withholding public information responsive to the request.

Complainant alleges Sheriff Larry Lynch violated the Texas Public Information Act by failing to display the required sign. Complainant attached correspondence with the Sheriff's Office from 2010 (see attachment Sheriff PIA Notice 9-16-2010.pdf) where complainant advised the department

designee of the violation. See attachment "Sign.jpg"

Complainant acknowledges 552.3215 only provides for a determination based on the alleged violation of the Act.

Complainant acknowledges the section provides no obligation for the District Attorney to pursue criminal or civil action on behalf of the complainant and anything beyond a determination is the sole discretion of the District Attorney. Complaining is not requesting anything other than a determination if there was a violation of the Act.

Complainant asks the District Attorney to consider the following but acknowledges the District Attorney is under no obligation to even consider information unrelated to the alleged violation.

Larry Lynch has been contractually obligated to perform two inspections a month for almost 12 years. Not only was he obligated by the contract he signed, he was compensated $1,000.00 a month for his oversight

responsibility. The Jack Harwell facility has repeatedly failed jail inspections in spite of the required inspections.

Buddy Skeen was sentenced to jail for defrauding taxpayers of approx $1,400.00 while Larry has been paid more than $100,000.00 for the inspections for which he reports no records exist.

Johnny Pace has been in jail for 6 months. He was arrested by the Sheriff's Department for taking money to perform a service which he allegedly failed to perform.

PACE,JOHNNY WAYNE 46554 W/M

3/26/2012 THFT OF 50 OR MORE <500 11-3210="11-3210" font="font" m2011-0060.1-arnj="m2011-0060.1-arnj" mso="mso">

3/26/2012 THFT >1500 <20000 11-2900="11-2900" f2011-0080.1-arnj="f2011-0080.1-arnj" font="font" mso="mso">

3/26/2012 THFT OVER 50 BUT <500 11-1053="11-1053" font="font" m2011-0019.1-arnj="m2011-0019.1-arnj" mso="mso">

3/26/2012 THEFT >500 <1500 11-2609="11-2609" font="font" m2011-0050.1-arnj="m2011-0050.1-arnj" mso="mso">

3/26/2012 THFT BY DECEPT >500 <1500 11-2714="11-2714" font="font" m2011-0054.1-arnj="m2011-0054.1-arnj" mso="mso">

http://youtu.be/0MuoWgdER4o

http://youtu.be/LRBfto0feLw Relevant part starts at 2:44

Sincerely submitted,

R.S. Gates

Went back in the files and found this picture of old Anonymous: (see comments)