If nothing else you have to give Tom Craddick credit for his ability to spin.
Headline in today’s Midland Reporter-Telegram is “Craddick says trial lawyers want new speaker to remove malpractice caps.”
http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18954138&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475626&rfi=6
While that may be true, it is certainly not the reason that his leadership is being challenged. But trial lawyers are the right wing boogey man, so if you can paint any issue with their taint then you can get the wingnut base to rally around. The headline could just as easily read:
“Educators Want New Speaker to Ensure Adequate Funding for Public Education.”
“Child Advocates Want New Speaker to Protect Children’s Health Benefits.”
“Open Government Advocates Want New Speaker to Access Public Records.”
But those don’t have the same cache as “trial lawyers.”
This headline is the same as Bush saying we invaded Iraq in order to bring them freedom and democracy. Sure those things are on the list of things that could be accomplished, but he sold the war on WMDs. The real reasons were ousting Saddam and oil. Freedom and democracy were afterthoughts.
Just as tort reform is at best an afterthought to those seeking to oust Craddick. Sure maybe Dunnam and some of his cohorts would like to change the tort reform laws that have been passed, but they don’t have the ability to oust the Speaker. No, the Speaker is getting ousted by members of his own party who have little or no affection for the trials. It is being done because of his autocratic leadership style and his disdain for the will of the House.
But if Rove & Co. have taught us nothing else, we now know that if you say something long enough and loud enough some people will start to believe it and repeat it over and over on the radio until lots of people believe it. Cynics call it “drinking the kool-aid.”
If you believe Keffer, Pitts, McCall etc. want to overthrow Craddick because of tort reform and the trial lawyers, the Curmudgeon has got a bridge for sale.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
But What if They Don't Want to Spend More Time With You?
How do you know a public figure is lying? No, not “they’re lips are moving.” Although that answer is correct far too often. No the surest way to know is that they say they are retiring, resigning, dropping out, etc in order to “Spend More Time With Their Family.”
The latest scammer to use this line is Mikal Watts, former Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate. The Curmudgeon does not know for sure why Mr. Watts chose to drop out at this point after spending several months campaigning and committing millions of his own dollars to the campaign, but here’s betting it wasn’t to spend more time with the family.
A few things have popped up. One is a criminal investigation into a “lawyer” who ain’t a lawyer in Corpus Christi. Mauricio Celis was apparently an extremely successful ambulance chaser who would get cases and refer them to other plaintiff’s attorneys. Problem was Celis is not actually a lawyer. Apparently, in Texas, it is illegal for a non-lawyer to chase after ambulances. Actually it only illegal for them to get a referral fee from an actual lawyer.
Celis referred some clients to Watts. Oops!
The point is Mr. Watts had a family before the decided to run. He had a pretty good idea of the size of Texas and the time commitment it would take to run a campaign here.
Lots of politicians have claimed they were quitting in order to spend more time with the family. In virtually every case is meant they were being forced out, about to get defeated, about to get caught, or vested. But it never meant what they said it meant.
The latest scammer to use this line is Mikal Watts, former Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate. The Curmudgeon does not know for sure why Mr. Watts chose to drop out at this point after spending several months campaigning and committing millions of his own dollars to the campaign, but here’s betting it wasn’t to spend more time with the family.
A few things have popped up. One is a criminal investigation into a “lawyer” who ain’t a lawyer in Corpus Christi. Mauricio Celis was apparently an extremely successful ambulance chaser who would get cases and refer them to other plaintiff’s attorneys. Problem was Celis is not actually a lawyer. Apparently, in Texas, it is illegal for a non-lawyer to chase after ambulances. Actually it only illegal for them to get a referral fee from an actual lawyer.
Celis referred some clients to Watts. Oops!
The point is Mr. Watts had a family before the decided to run. He had a pretty good idea of the size of Texas and the time commitment it would take to run a campaign here.
Lots of politicians have claimed they were quitting in order to spend more time with the family. In virtually every case is meant they were being forced out, about to get defeated, about to get caught, or vested. But it never meant what they said it meant.
Friday, October 19, 2007
How Can She Sleep at Night?
The Curmudgeon is about two weeks late in his indignation this time, but better to rant late than to never have ranted at all.
Sharon Keller. Really that is all that needs to be said.
The Curmudgeon will admit to a couple of moderately liberal beliefs, but deep down we all return to our raising. And the Curmudgeon comes from a long line of West Texas, Southern Baptist, Bible Thumpin’, old –time religion believing curmudgeons. Down deep he believes more in the “eye-for-an-eye” philosophy than he does in the “turn the other cheek.” So he believes the death penalty is a punishment that should be in consideration for certain crimes and certain criminals. But it has to be taken seriously. You don’t get a re-do on this one.
Texas, of course, leads the way when it comes to using the death penalty. We have used it more often than any (maybe all) other state. Our record is not spotless and we have almost certainly executed some innocent men. We have been pretty callous about the process. Our former Governor and the Only President We’ve Got mocked Karla Faye Tucker when she pleaded not to be executed.
“`Please,' Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, `don't kill me,' "
Excerpts from The Houston Chronicle August 10, 1999
The State of Texas argued that a man whose attorney repeatedly fell asleep during his trial gave him adequate counsel. The Solicitor General (whose name I won’t mention because he/she gets pissed when I do) told the Curmudgeon that he needed to prove something bad happened because of his attorney sleeping through the trial. The SC did not find the Curmudgeon’s argument of, “Well, he is on DEATH ROW! That is on the something bad happening list,” to be very persuasive.
But now we have Sharon Keller.
A man died on Sept. 25th because Sharon Keller decided that the Court would close promptly at 5:00. Even though the attorneys for Michael Richard had called to notify the Court that their computer had broken down and that they needed about twenty extra minutes. Even though three other justices of the Court of Criminal Appeals were staying late to rule on the matter, didn’t matter.
Sharon Keller closed the clerk’s office without consulting anyone else so that the petition could not be filed. Michael Richard was executed that night. Why? It’s 5 o’clock!! It’s Miller Time!!
Having never been convicted of a felony, nor obtained a law license, the Curmudgeon has never paid much attention to the Court of Criminal Appeals. Apparently neither has anyone else in Texas. How could this happen in 2007? Where did we get a judge like this? We elected her.
The Curmudgeon knows that the Forces of Evil have been considering pushing for some sort of “judicial selection” for a while now. Because of who was behind it, the Curmudgeon has been his usual skeptical self, but if this is what we elect, we have to have a new system.
The Curmudgeon is not here to argue that Michael Richard was innocent. Mr. Richard was apparently a bad, bad man. But in my state, in 2007, we allow due process to run its full course. Even if it cuts into Happy Hour.
Sharon Keller. Really that is all that needs to be said.
The Curmudgeon will admit to a couple of moderately liberal beliefs, but deep down we all return to our raising. And the Curmudgeon comes from a long line of West Texas, Southern Baptist, Bible Thumpin’, old –time religion believing curmudgeons. Down deep he believes more in the “eye-for-an-eye” philosophy than he does in the “turn the other cheek.” So he believes the death penalty is a punishment that should be in consideration for certain crimes and certain criminals. But it has to be taken seriously. You don’t get a re-do on this one.
Texas, of course, leads the way when it comes to using the death penalty. We have used it more often than any (maybe all) other state. Our record is not spotless and we have almost certainly executed some innocent men. We have been pretty callous about the process. Our former Governor and the Only President We’ve Got mocked Karla Faye Tucker when she pleaded not to be executed.
“`Please,' Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, `don't kill me,' "
Excerpts from The Houston Chronicle August 10, 1999
The State of Texas argued that a man whose attorney repeatedly fell asleep during his trial gave him adequate counsel. The Solicitor General (whose name I won’t mention because he/she gets pissed when I do) told the Curmudgeon that he needed to prove something bad happened because of his attorney sleeping through the trial. The SC did not find the Curmudgeon’s argument of, “Well, he is on DEATH ROW! That is on the something bad happening list,” to be very persuasive.
But now we have Sharon Keller.
A man died on Sept. 25th because Sharon Keller decided that the Court would close promptly at 5:00. Even though the attorneys for Michael Richard had called to notify the Court that their computer had broken down and that they needed about twenty extra minutes. Even though three other justices of the Court of Criminal Appeals were staying late to rule on the matter, didn’t matter.
Sharon Keller closed the clerk’s office without consulting anyone else so that the petition could not be filed. Michael Richard was executed that night. Why? It’s 5 o’clock!! It’s Miller Time!!
Having never been convicted of a felony, nor obtained a law license, the Curmudgeon has never paid much attention to the Court of Criminal Appeals. Apparently neither has anyone else in Texas. How could this happen in 2007? Where did we get a judge like this? We elected her.
The Curmudgeon knows that the Forces of Evil have been considering pushing for some sort of “judicial selection” for a while now. Because of who was behind it, the Curmudgeon has been his usual skeptical self, but if this is what we elect, we have to have a new system.
The Curmudgeon is not here to argue that Michael Richard was innocent. Mr. Richard was apparently a bad, bad man. But in my state, in 2007, we allow due process to run its full course. Even if it cuts into Happy Hour.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Yeah, But Who Do The Troops Support?
The Curmudgeon has always been skeptical of what people say, but much less so if they are willing to put their own money behind it. If a person (not a Lobbyist who is playing both sides for security reasons, but a real person) is willing to contribute to a campaign then they probably really do support that candidate.
So it surprises no one that the person raising the most money from Mormons is Mitt Romney. Nor would one be surprised to learn that John Edwards is getting lots of money from trial lawyers.
But how about military personnel? You know, the ones fighting and dying in Iraq. Who is likely the choice amongst them? Well, if money is the best away to judge (and the Curmudgeon argues it is) then they support the one Republican candidate with the cojones to say we should get out of Iraq. Today!!
That’s right Ron Paul, Best of All, Best of All Ron Paul is the leading recipient of campaign contributions from military personnel. And Barak Obama is second.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5223477.html
Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, former commander in Iraq, had this to say this week, “America is living a nightmare with no end in sight.” He joins a pretty long list of generals who are speaking out as soon as they retire. They can’t while they are on active duty, but once they regain their freedom of speech they are railing against the war and the Bush Administration’s horrendous management.
The Curmudgeon has repeatedly been told that we can’t just leave Iraq. He has never quite grasped the concept of why not. Are we worried a war might break out? Too late. Now our only ally has decided that you can indeed just leave. The British are packing their bags even as we speak. By the end of the year they will be down to about 4500 troops in Iraq, about ten percent of what they used to have.
Makes one wonder what changed in England to make them willing to pull their troops. Oh yeah, now I remember, someone new is living at 10 Downing now.
January 2009 cannot get here fast enough.
So it surprises no one that the person raising the most money from Mormons is Mitt Romney. Nor would one be surprised to learn that John Edwards is getting lots of money from trial lawyers.
But how about military personnel? You know, the ones fighting and dying in Iraq. Who is likely the choice amongst them? Well, if money is the best away to judge (and the Curmudgeon argues it is) then they support the one Republican candidate with the cojones to say we should get out of Iraq. Today!!
That’s right Ron Paul, Best of All, Best of All Ron Paul is the leading recipient of campaign contributions from military personnel. And Barak Obama is second.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5223477.html
Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, former commander in Iraq, had this to say this week, “America is living a nightmare with no end in sight.” He joins a pretty long list of generals who are speaking out as soon as they retire. They can’t while they are on active duty, but once they regain their freedom of speech they are railing against the war and the Bush Administration’s horrendous management.
The Curmudgeon has repeatedly been told that we can’t just leave Iraq. He has never quite grasped the concept of why not. Are we worried a war might break out? Too late. Now our only ally has decided that you can indeed just leave. The British are packing their bags even as we speak. By the end of the year they will be down to about 4500 troops in Iraq, about ten percent of what they used to have.
Makes one wonder what changed in England to make them willing to pull their troops. Oh yeah, now I remember, someone new is living at 10 Downing now.
January 2009 cannot get here fast enough.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Please Lie To Me
Usually the Curmudgeon saves his wrath for the Republicans, because, well they’re Republicans. And as the bumper sticker says “If you are not completely appalled then you haven’t been paying attention.” But this time it is the Democrats who have done it, at least the so-called leading contenders in the presidential race.
In their debate last week in New Hampshire, (disclosure: Of course I didn’t watch it, only people who were being paid to watch it did so. But I did read what some of the people paid to watch it wrote about it.) none of the top three contenders for the presidential nomination were willing to say they could have our troops out of Iraq by the end of their first term. That’s 2013!!
Here is what the lily-livered, mollycoddling, namby-pambies had to say:
The leading Democratic White House hopefuls conceded Wednesday night they cannot guarantee to pull all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of the next presidential term in 2013.
"I think it's hard to project four years from now," said Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in the opening moments of a campaign debate in the nation's first primary state.
"It is very difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting," added Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
"I cannot make that commitment," said former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.
What? You people are politicians. Three fourths of everything that comes out of your mouth is not true. Why can’t you make a commitment that the troops will be home by the year 2013? You are telling us lots of other things that even you can’t possibly believe.
You have no trouble telling me that you will provide universal health care. No you won’t, you don’t have the votes. One of you has already tried.
You have no trouble telling me you will stop global warming. No you won’t, you don’t have the know-how.
You have no trouble telling me you will end poverty. No you won’t, you don’t have the will of the people behind you.
So please tell me you will bring the troops home sometime in the next five years. Give me a reason to vote for you. If I wanted to keep the status quo I would vote for one of those cookie-cutter Republicans. I don’t. I want someone to tell me they will end our occupation of Iraq.
In fairness Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd both said they would, but so what? There aren’t three people who are not blood relatives or paid staffers who know who either one of them are. If they dropped out of the race today it would be like the tree falling in the forest when no one is there to hear it.
I realize that the three top contenders are concerned that they may not be able to keep their promise if they pledge to bring the troops home by 2013, but they shouldn’t give up on that goal in 2007. They can always heap more blame on Bush if they are unsuccessful. Say the situation was worse than Bush told us (probably true), the facts on the ground changed as time passed (likely to happen), or even we are on the verge of victory (highly unlikely). And yes the Curmudgeon will be pissed that you didn’t keep your word, but isn’t it better to try than to give up on the goal fifteen months before you could possibly take office?
The Curmudgeon generally thinks that the Democratic candidates are better than the Republican ones, but it is very disconcerting to see them all saying the same thing that Bush and his minions have been saying all along. Remember, the Bush “experts” have been wrong about every single thing they have predicted about Iraq. It is inconceivable that the Democrats would pick this particular play to steal from the Republican playbook.
In the wonderful novel “Animal Farm” by George Orwell the closing scene has the other farm animals looking in the window at the pigs who had taken over the farm from the people. They look first at the people and then at the pigs and pretty soon they could not tell which was which. I think I’m experiencing déjà vu all over again.
Mayor Bloomberg run as an Independent and tell me you will bring the troops home and you will have the vote of the Curmudgeon.
In their debate last week in New Hampshire, (disclosure: Of course I didn’t watch it, only people who were being paid to watch it did so. But I did read what some of the people paid to watch it wrote about it.) none of the top three contenders for the presidential nomination were willing to say they could have our troops out of Iraq by the end of their first term. That’s 2013!!
Here is what the lily-livered, mollycoddling, namby-pambies had to say:
The leading Democratic White House hopefuls conceded Wednesday night they cannot guarantee to pull all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of the next presidential term in 2013.
"I think it's hard to project four years from now," said Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in the opening moments of a campaign debate in the nation's first primary state.
"It is very difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting," added Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
"I cannot make that commitment," said former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.
What? You people are politicians. Three fourths of everything that comes out of your mouth is not true. Why can’t you make a commitment that the troops will be home by the year 2013? You are telling us lots of other things that even you can’t possibly believe.
You have no trouble telling me that you will provide universal health care. No you won’t, you don’t have the votes. One of you has already tried.
You have no trouble telling me you will stop global warming. No you won’t, you don’t have the know-how.
You have no trouble telling me you will end poverty. No you won’t, you don’t have the will of the people behind you.
So please tell me you will bring the troops home sometime in the next five years. Give me a reason to vote for you. If I wanted to keep the status quo I would vote for one of those cookie-cutter Republicans. I don’t. I want someone to tell me they will end our occupation of Iraq.
In fairness Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd both said they would, but so what? There aren’t three people who are not blood relatives or paid staffers who know who either one of them are. If they dropped out of the race today it would be like the tree falling in the forest when no one is there to hear it.
I realize that the three top contenders are concerned that they may not be able to keep their promise if they pledge to bring the troops home by 2013, but they shouldn’t give up on that goal in 2007. They can always heap more blame on Bush if they are unsuccessful. Say the situation was worse than Bush told us (probably true), the facts on the ground changed as time passed (likely to happen), or even we are on the verge of victory (highly unlikely). And yes the Curmudgeon will be pissed that you didn’t keep your word, but isn’t it better to try than to give up on the goal fifteen months before you could possibly take office?
The Curmudgeon generally thinks that the Democratic candidates are better than the Republican ones, but it is very disconcerting to see them all saying the same thing that Bush and his minions have been saying all along. Remember, the Bush “experts” have been wrong about every single thing they have predicted about Iraq. It is inconceivable that the Democrats would pick this particular play to steal from the Republican playbook.
In the wonderful novel “Animal Farm” by George Orwell the closing scene has the other farm animals looking in the window at the pigs who had taken over the farm from the people. They look first at the people and then at the pigs and pretty soon they could not tell which was which. I think I’m experiencing déjà vu all over again.
Mayor Bloomberg run as an Independent and tell me you will bring the troops home and you will have the vote of the Curmudgeon.
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