Charged Atmosphere Hurls Sparks At Aging Journalist

National Public Radio fired Juan Williams for making this remark on a right-wing television program, Fox News Network's Bill O'Reilly Show.

"Look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."

In the polarized world of national politics this week, that provoked a thunder storm of conservative backlash.

The gist of it is this.

The right no longer wishes to fund NPR. They greatly reduced federal spending on the Lyndon Johnson-era network in the 80's.

House Speaker front-runner John Boehner, (R-Oh), the minority leader who will likely be elevated to the rostrum if the Republicans capture the majority of seats on Nov. 2by winning more than 40 races to oust the Democratic Party members occupying those seats, joined the chorus demanding Congress “de-fund” the educational network.

“We need to face facts – our government is broke," Boehner told the conservative National Review. "Washington is borrowing 37 cents of every dollar it spends from our kids and grandkids. Given that, I think it’s reasonable to ask why Congress is spending taxpayers’ money to support a left-wing radio network – and in the wake of Juan Williams’ firing, it’s clearer than ever that’s what NPR is.”

Let's do face some facts.

Juan Williams is an aging man who gets nervous when he is taken hostage by the exigencies of boarding an aluminum cigar with wings and jet engines and hurtling through the air at hundreds of miles per hour. Until that puppy is back on the ground and he is traveling out the airport gate, he's under the nearly total control of forces over which he has almost no influence whatsoever.

In fact, he can't even carry a pair of nail clippers in his pocket. A man has to be in a pretty big hurry to put up with all that.

Anyone who doesn't get nervous is oblivious to reality or under the influence of strong drugs – or both.

Why did NPR fire him?

He no longer suits their editorial policies.

What else is new? I've seen newsmen fired for the cut of their suit – on Christmas Eve, no less.

Say that people in Muslim garb make you nervous when you're about to be locked into a potential death trap with them many miles above the surface of the globe and you're toast in the world of corporate politics – whether those politics are politically correct, or not.

Understood. When you're hot, you're hot.

Let's take a look at just how much of that borrowed 37 cents on every federal dollar spent winds up in the coffers of NPR.

Bear in mind that in a 2005 Harris Poll, NPR was voted the most trusted voice in broadcast journalism.

In a current Wikipedia article, the organization's funding scheme is outlined in this way.

“According to the 2005 financial statement, NPR makes just over half of its money from the fees and dues it charges member stations to receive programming. Public funding accounts for 16% of the average member station's revenue, with 10% of this coming in the form of grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a federally funded organization. Some more of that money originates from local and state governments and government-funded universities subsidizing member stations' fees and dues to NPR. Member stations that serve rural and "minority" communities receive significantly more funding from the CPB; in some cases up to 70%. About 2% of NPR's non-membership created funding comes from bidding on government grants and programs, chiefly the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Other funding comes from member station dues, foundation grants, and corporate underwriting. Typically, NPR member stations raise funds through on-air pledge drives, corporate underwriting, and grants from state governments, universities, and the CPB itself.”
How do corporations help fund the radio network? They buy “corporate spots,” as opposed to commercial advertisements, in which they make statements regarding their organizations' products or services and the way they affect our world.

Oh, well, all right, then.

Did Mr. Williams say he writes books about civil rights?

Just asking. I think it's a fair question, left, right, middle, up, down or sideways.

You dance with them that brung you.

Electronic Voting Machines Difficult To Operate, Understand

Poll Watcher harassment, confusion, intimidation and ugliness prevails at precincts

Houston - It's all as clear as the chocolate tones of Buffalo Bayou.

If you're looking to cast a straight Republican ticket in certain areas of Houston, you're going to run into trouble, according to Bob Price of TexasGOPVote.com.

Here's how it works, at least in certain heavily Democratic precincts such as Acres Homes.

Acres Homes is a 9-square-mile neighborhood in northeast Houston that is a holdover from the old Jim Crow style of housing black families. At one time, it was the largest unincorporated Afro-American community in the southeastern U.S.

It borders the largely white working class suburb of Garden Oaks, bordered by North Shepherd Dr. and Pinemont Road, just north of I-610 Loop. Developers named it Acres Homes because property was sold by the acre and not by lots, as it was in town.

To vote using the electronic machines, you sign in with the election judge, get a “ballot style code,” which determines which ballot you will see on the machine when you vote. You get a ticket from the “Judge Ballot Controller” device and it has your code on it.

That's the code you are supposed to enter on the ballot when you get to the electronic voting booth.

So far, so good.

Nah, not really.

Here's what happens, according to complaints from citizens who tried to vote early in Houston and Dallas using the machines.

Mr. Price wrote in the Texas GOP Vote.com blog site, “The operator of the JBC is supposed to correctly enter the 'ballot style' code into the JBC and print out your voter authorizatin code which you enter into the e-slate voting machine. If that person enters the code incorrectly, you see an incorrect ballot when you vote.”

He is a retired Air Force offier and official of the Civil Air Patrol, a manufacturer of bass fishing lures and black powder rifle cleaning supplies.

Uh, yeah.

In Harris County two locations reported problems in the Texas Legislative District 148 race between incumbent Democrat Jessica Ferrar and her Republican challenger Fernando Herrera.

“Several people reported not being able to find Fernando Herrera's name on the ballot. It was not clear if they saw Jessica Ferrar's name or if the entire race was missing from their ballot,” according to Mr. Price.

State legislators will be re-drawing the U.S. House of Representatives Congressional boundaries during the coming year.

In some cases, Acres Homes voters have reported finding no results after voting for Republican candidates in certain races. That could be because they got an erroneous ballot style number from the Judge's Booth Controller when the election judge punched in their information as they checked in on the voting rolls.

Harris County voting officials are investigating.

In Dallas, Eddie Bernice Johnson's name was the only name on the ballot for Congressional District 30. Challenger Stephen Broden's name was not on the ballot. Dallas County officials are also investigating.

To make an adjustment, a voter need only call the election official to the booth for assistance.

“Do not UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES let the election staff hit the 'cast ballot' button if the ballot does not reflect your vote accurately. Once the 'cast ballot' button is pushed, you are done. There is nothing that can be done to fix your vote at that point.”

Problem: A couple of Spanish-speaking voters were told how to cast a straight Democratic ticket even though they had requested no assistance.

Poll watchers are causing a lot of controversy at certain locations.

Harris County Democrat County Commissioner El Franco Lee “allegedly yelled at three poll watchers, saying “Why are you here? We have never had poll watchers here! You need to get out of here!”

There was another complaint that Mr. Lee told the election judge to give him a poll watcher's personal information, which caused the individual to “fear for his safety.”

And the band played on.

Keep your eye on that red button!

Flores Campaign Accuses Chet Edwards of Voter Suppression

Bryan - Bill Flores' Campaign Manager Matt Mackowiak accused the Chet Edwards campaign of trying to suppress the GOP's early vote.

Mr. Mackowiak, a former administrative assistant to U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and president of a media consulting company based in Washington, D.C., called for an end to “robocalls” and for Mr. Edwards to issue an apology to voters.

According to an audio tape made of an automatically dialed phone call to one of the “historical Republican households” located in the southern end of Congressional Dist. 17, a voice purported to be that of Mr. Edwards tells the receiver that in-person early voting stretches from October 18 through 22, “telling voters that Early Voting ends...seven days before it actually does.”

This is technically true; however, the early voting period also extends from October 25 through 29.

“There is only one reason why Mr. Edwards would try to deceive Republican voters about their opportunity to cast a ballot this coming weekend and next week, he does not want them to exercise their right to vote,” Mr. Mackowiak wrote.

He is a graduate of the University of Texas.

“Congressman Edwards will stop at nothing to continue his 20-year political career, including outright voter suppression...If Chet Edwards has any integrity, he will immediately stop the false robocalls and issue a public apology. There is no place for disenfranchising voters.”

Chet Edwards For Congress Campaign press liaison officer Megan Jacobs did not return phone calls seeking comment on the matter.

Legendary Renews PR Bond Report Pending Since Oct., 2009

County officials have blocked public information requests for a year due to one technicality or another

Court officials have released hundreds of persons charged with crimes ranging the entire gamut of offenses against both property and persons from McLennan County jails without their case ever receiving the attention of a Grand Jury.

County officials have systematically blocked public information requests that were made starting in October 2009 under the Texas Open Records Act. The information is generated through electronic means on a daily basis and furnished to public officials as a matter of routine.

Requests for the information have been held up due to the need for the county's data processing department to customize the records for a range of dates – a task that would require charging $10 per minute to make the alterations, according to Randall Scott Gates, a former narcotics detective and crime scene technician who is no longer employed in law enforcement, but continues to serve as a reserve officer and maintains his peace officer certification. He is a 20-year veteran of police work who has maintained certification by the state.

The Legendary is filing a similar request for the same information today with the custodian of records, Mr. Robert Wasson, director of McLennan County's Data Processing Department.


“What some people call an obsession, I call public safety,” said Mr. Gates when reached for comment. “Most of this stuff happens before the DA even has the case.”

Some high profile cases involving serious alleged felony offenders have surfaced in the past weeks.

They include:

Court officials released accused child rapist Benjamin Alan Morrison, 37, of Bruceville, on his personal recognizance after a February 18 arrest when a Grand Jury had failed to indict him within the prescribed period of 90 days. Court officers arrested Mr. Morrison following an indictment in August of this year when he showed up for a hearing in 19th State District Court. He is charged with 8 counts of aggravated sexual assault of a female child less than 14 years of age and one count of continuing sexual abuse of a child.

Steven Ray Johnson, 41, of Waco, gained his freedom within 4 days of being jailed on a charge of attempted capital murder of a Robinson car dealer on August 2. Mr. Johnson has not been indicted.

It will interesting to find out how many more violent offenders court officials have released following their arrest for heinous crimes over the past 2 years.

Extending Bush Tax Cuts Won't Rescue Economy

Unless Congress acts immediately on its return from the election recess, the average American family is in for a whopping rise in taxes.

Incumbent U.S. Representative Chet Edwards has gone on record saying that he favors an immediate extension of the tax rate decreases instituted in 2001 and 2003 under the Bush Administration.

Extension of the Bush tax cuts won't save the American economy, according to David Stockman, former budget director under President Ronald Reagan.

His prediction, made day before yesterday in an interview he gave Fox News, is that the congressional picture will darken, a term of partisan impasse will result in which neither side is able to take positive direction, and the nation will be forced to issue as much as $100 billion per month in bonds to keep pace with the national debt, the spending deficit, and inflation.

A coalition of Republican congressmen have a different plan, one that would involve automatic extension of the tax cuts instituted in 2001 and 2003 under the Bush Administration.

Such pundits as William Ahern of the Tax Foundation predict that under the Obama Administration, the only tax that will revert to what it was before 2001 is the top income tax rate.

The top tax rate will revert from 35% to 39%.

For the family of four bringing in a combined income of $75,000, the expiration of all Bush-era tax cuts will amount to a tax increase of $2,143 next year, according to the Tax Foundation's 2011 Income Tax Calculator.

If allowed to expire, the taxes that will immediately come to the attention of families are:

The two marriage penalty elimination provisions will expire, making the standard deduction for married couple to fall, no longer double that which is given single filers, a ceiling of 15%, double that of the rate allowed sigles;
The 10% tax bracket will expire, reverting to 15%
The child tax credit will fal from $1,000 to $500
The tax rate on long-term capital gains earned by middle and upper-income people would rise from 15% to 20%
The tax rate on qualified dividends earned by middle and upper-income peole would rise from 15% to ordinary wage tax rates
* The 28% rate would rise to 31%
* The 33% rate would rise to 35%
* The 35% rate would rise to 39.%
* The pep and Pease provision would be restored with an exemption level of $1 million and rates that top out at 55%
Estate tax law will revert to 2009 instead of 2001 with an exemption of $3.5 million and a top rate of 45%
* Rate on long-term capital gains will revert to 2001 law with a rate of 20% but only for couples with over $250,000 in adjusted gross income and a $200,000 threshold for singles
* Dividends will be taxedd just like long-term capital gains
* The PEP and Pease provision will be restored, rescinding from high-income people the value of some exemptions and deductions, but the income threshold where they start to pay more will shift up to $250,000 in taxable income couples and $250,000 for singles

Sweet Jesus O'Grady! What In The World Do They Want? What?

First Amendment to the Constitution is clear enough for The Legendary

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...” - the opening clause of the First Amendment.

Christine O'Donnell and Rush Limbaugh are on record as of today in their opinion that nowhere in the U.S. Constitution is there any mention of a separation of church and state. Millions upon millions of people in the United States and the world have been so informed.

Have they read the document?

Article One establishes the right of the two houses of Congress to make statutory and substantive law. The Executive powers, as laid out in Article Two, establish the role of the President and his cabinet to propose and ratify regulations pertaining to that substantive law.

In Article Three, we find the basis of the role of the Courts to hand down decisions based on the interpretation of facts under the application of the law, and to make case law.

But nowhere in the Constitution does it say that law is made in any other way than these.

Furthermore, the Constitution establishes the supreme authority of constitutional law in its articles and sections, which supersede all other law – a matter of interpretation for the Court system.

Wherein does this body of law show any right of the church to impose its strictures or doctrines upon the government?

It occurs to The Legendary that Messrs. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison considered ecclesiastic authority so important that they could see no reason for some silly government to get involved with its mysterious ways.

I have spoken.

We The People are not likely to change this hallowed document to suit the likes of Christine O'Donnell and Rush Limbaugh.

It is my humble prayer.

So mote it be.

However, I see no reason why the nation's educators should not take up the instruction of rhetoric and logic and insert these subjects into the curriculum of English composition, grammar and semantics.

Let those who attend be known as scholars; those who eschew this pursuit should be labeled as jackasses worthy of the title of ignoramus. As brother Leon Russell said in his famous song, Magic Mirror, “With the students, I'm a teacher; with the teachers, I'm in school.”

Point me to that school house door, folks. I need myself a little bit of a tune-up, if I do say so myself. Today's events have shown me that once and for all.

- The Legendary

DA's Race Shows Fundamental Difference In Philosophies

Incumbent says business as usual is good enough; challenger differs, proposes action

Waco – Challenger Abel Reyna differed sharply with Criminal District Attorney John Segrest in a candidate's forum at the West Waco Public Library.

In a campaign appearance before a standing room only crowd of almost 100 packed into a sweltering meeting room, the two gave crime and punishment a thorough airing while an additional 50 waited outside in the lobby.

The entire staff of assistant prosecutors occupied the chairs on one side of the room as the moderator, Dr. Karla Leeper of Baylor University's president's staff, steered the discussion and rebuttal in the forum, which was sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

Prosecution of about half the crimes referred to his office is a basic reality of the situation when it comes to prosecuting felony crimes, said Mr. Segrest.

Asked by a man in the crowd what ratio of crimes should be pursued, he replied,“There is no way that our system can follow every case...Our police officers make arrests based upon probable cause - for the safety of the public.”

An incumbent since 1981, he is the longest-serving District Attorney in the history of McLenna County.

In his rebuttal to the question, Mr. Reyna said “It ain't acceptable to me...That is a coin flip as to whether the offender sees the inside of a courtroom, or not. It ain't working. This ain't a coin flip.”

A Republican, he has been endorsed by two major organizations of police and corrections officers, McLennan County and Waco, as well as the Combined Law Enforcement Association, which normally does not endorse candidates.

“They aren't endorsing anyone,” said Mr. Segrest. He pointed out that those associations have no bargaining power to negotiate on behalf of their members with the county and city officials who supervise them.

The face of crime is changing, said Mr. Reyna.

“What we see now is that criminals are becoming more aggressive and more violent.” He explained that law breakers commit multiple and serial offenses in crimes against property and persons alike. “The prosecutor should be not just react, but be proactive.”

Mr. Segrest countered his argument that Waco moved from the seventh most dangerous city in the state to the fifth, saying that the crime rate, according to the FBI, has dropped for the second year in a row.

He argued that the figures Mr. Reyna cited came from a popular law enforcement magazine. “There is no way you can make those calculations,” he said, based on the information presented.

“Besides, it's not the fault of my staff or myself.”

He is a family man, according to his campaign literature. Father of three, he has many grandchildren and treasures his family.

In reply to a question from a single parent mother in the audience, Mr. Reyna said, “That has no bearing on standing toe to toe with the thugs who break the law.” He said he is hoping to soon be father, then, embarrassed, caused a wave of titters from the females in the house when said, “Well, I, you know, I don't want to give away any, uh. You know...”

The talk turned sharp and hot when it came to two cases that cost lives.

Said Mr. Reyna regarding an plea bargain offer of deferred adjudication to a blind woman whose driving caused the death of a motorcyclist when she didn't see him, he said “It's unacceptable. What did the jurors give her? They gave her a 12-year sentence in the penitentiary.”

“Letting a man out of jail on a simple assault when he was charged with a felony aggravated assault and letting him go to Dallas and kill two women is unacceptable.” He was speaking of the case of Keith Hill, who went on to murder his wife and his mother-in-law at Dallas after an assistant District Attorney agreed to reduce a felony to a misdemeanor and a suspension of a year's sentence.

“People are sitting in jail and a case is dismissed,” said Mr. Reyna, referring to a common problem. Prosecutors often have to make a decision to decline prosecution due to a lack of evidence or witnesses to offer testimony.

His face by turns displaying amazement, then anger, then triumph as he jotted a note to rebut the logic of the challenger, Mr. Segrest said, “We do more than prosecute cases...Every crime is screened before it comes to court.”

“Mr. Reyna has never prosecuted a case; he has only defended criminals,” he said.

Mr. Reyna replied that he has nevertheless prosecuted the cases in his 13 years of experience in the criminal defense bar. He presentation of exculpatory evidence discovered during his investigations amounts to a prosecution of the case, he told his listeners. Preservation of the evidence, be it incriminating or exculpatory, is just as much a part of prosecution of a case as anything else, he explained.

He called for more than just a higher ratio of crimes to be prosecuted in court. He said he wants to base his attack on crime on a three-part program of a greater presence in the office, in the courtroom and in the community.

“There are some people who just need to see the District Attorney sitting on the other side of the table,” he concluded. People need to be able to match a face and a reputation with the consequences of breaking the law.

“I remember getting a drink of water,” he said, recalling a day in a supermarket near his home when he was still just a kid. “I looked up and on the wall there was a sign that said 'People who write hot checks will be prosecuted – Felipe Reyna, District Attorney'. Felipe Reyna is my father.”

If elected, he wants to get out in the community, into the schools, and explain the consequences of a day in court to kids before they make that first mistake.

In the end, after their closing statements, the two criminal attorneys embraced, abrazo y abrazo.