Medina arson grand jurors want to speak out

Four grand jurors are seeking the Harris County district attorney's protection so that they can go public with evidence they heard when they decided to indict a Texas Supreme Court Justice and his wife on arson charges.

The lawsuit, filed in criminal court after hours Friday, seeks Pat Lykos' protection from prosecution if four of the 12 jurors go public with evidence heard in the 2008 case against David and Francisca Medina. The arson charges were later dismissed.

It's a last-ditch legal effort by the grand jurors, who have previously filed lawsuits in civil and appellate court. The appellate court didn't have jurisdiction over criminal law requiring secrecy of grand jury testimony and evidence, said attorney Jeffrey Dorrell, one of the grand jurors who filed the lawsuit.

Background articles from the Chron:

Indictments tossed against Texas Supreme Court justice, wife (1/18/08)

Judge blisters Harris County DA over Medina case -- says Rosenthal's error nullified the grand jury's work (1/23/08)

DA (Lykos) drops fire charges against justice's wife (8/28/09)

Grand juror not happy Medina case dismissed -- says jury should have heard about the fire at home of justice and his wife, who could have been indicted (8/29/09)

Some of the grand jurors who heard the case have been fighting to speak openly about evidence since (former district attorney Chuck) Rosenthal dismissed the indictments in January 2008, creating a storm of controversy.

The four grand jurors who filed the suit in criminal court — Dan Hall, Steven Howell, Jeffrey Dorrell and foreman Robert Ryan — claim disclosing evidence in the case is their defense against defamatory attacks made by David Medina's attorney.

"Plaintiffs seek a declaration that they have both the right and the privilege to disclose evidence showing they were not a 'runaway grand jury' when they indicted Texas Supreme Court Justice David M. Medina for evidence tampering," the suit reads.

Grand juror Dorrell sees criminal court as the last hope to speak openly about evidence without fear of being prosecuted.

If they aren't granted that protection, Dorrell said, he hasn't ruled out facing consequences that could potentially include a 30-day jail sentence.

"I'd have to think about it, but I'd consider it," he said.

The comments on this article might be the best part. Two examples:

Geesh, let’s get the truth about these hypocrite repubs out. It’s not like they were executed for an arson they didn’t commit.

... and ...

I like Pat, but, she is sure looking like a one term DA. In fact she will most probably cause us to have a Democrat DA next election.

Barbara Billingsley 1915 - 2010

Barbara Billingsley, who gained supermom status for her gentle portrayal of June Cleaver, the warm, supportive mother of a pair of precocious boys in "Leave it to Beaver," died Saturday. She was 94.

Billingsley, who had suffered from a rheumatoid disease, died at her home in Santa Monica, said family spokeswoman Judy Twersky.

When the show debuted in 1957, Jerry Mathers, who played Beaver, was 9, and Tony Dow, who portrayed Wally, was 12. Billingsley's character, the perfect stay-at-home 1950s mom, was always there to gently but firmly nurture both through the ups and downs of childhood.

I grew up a "Beaver" watcher, but what I will always remember Billingsley for is this:

Sunday Funnies

"Somebody threw a book at President Obama. If you're trying to scare a president by throwing a book at him, you're one president too late."

"I feel bad for the Chilean miners. They were down there in the dark so long. I mean, my God, it's like the Tea Party." -- David Letterman

Senate: 52-48 House: holds slightly for Dems

That's as of today, as of this data from the NYT. Senate here, House here. The Times thinks that Marco Rubio of FL, Rand Paul of KY, and Joe Miller of AK will be the three TeaBaggers added to the Senate. Two of those three states, you might be already aware, have GOP primary losers (Lisa Murkowski and Charlie Crist) running as third-party candidates which are siphoning off Democratic votes.

Of the Texas Congressional tilts, Chet Edwards is likely a goner, but Ciro Rodriguez hangs on.

Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com is slightly more pessimistic about the House; his calculations drive out a 227-208 Republican majority.

Electoral-vote.com similarly shows 51-48 and one tie -- Nevada -- in the Senate (without the Rassmublican effect); the House also in a knot at 202 D, 204 R, 29 too close to call. I've added the daily-updated link in the right hand column.

So if you're a political junkie and tire of the corporate media/teevee talking head bullshit, bookmark these and look at them daily as they track the races.

Loren Jackson, Ann Harris Bennett, and Diane Trautman

The Houston Chronic got most of the rest of their endorsements way, way wrong, but these they got right.

District Clerk: The duties of this office include summoning jurors for the district and county criminal courts, maintaining court records, preparing daily court dockets and receiving child support payments.

The choice for voters in this contest is easy. Democratic incumbent Loren Jackson has done an excellent job upgrading the electronic capabilities of the office and making it more efficient and user-friendly. On his first day in office, Jackson created an express window lawyers had long sought so they could quickly file papers and return to the courts. 

He has also expanded the online availability of court documents, and if the Texas Supreme Court approves, Jackson plans to open a free e-filing portal allowing lawsuits to be filed electronically. (He) says it will save litigants filing fees, cut down on printing, processing and storage costs, and reduce the number of trips lawyers must make to the courthouse. 

Jackson's efforts have won him overwhelming support in the legal community. On the Houston Bar Association Preference Poll, members chose Jackson over his opponent by 1,270 to 200. Voters should follow their lead.

County Clerk: In this contest to replace retiring incumbent Beverly Kaufman, the Chronicle endorses Ann Harris Bennett, a veteran of more than 14 years' service as a district court coordinator.

The duties of the county clerk include administering county, state and Houston municipal elections as well as maintaining records for county courts and Commissioners Court. The office also issues marriage certificates and records deeds, birth and death certificates and assumed names, wills and probate documents.

Bennett opposes turning over the election functions of the office to an appointed election administrator as advocated by some county officials. She supports eventually converting to voting machines that provide a paper record that can be used for recounts. Bennett also promises to work closely with District Clerk Loren Jackson to upgrade the technology and efficiency of the clerk's office.

County Tax Assessor-Collector: In this contest to fill the unexpired term of Republican Paul Bettencourt, who resigned shortly after his election in 2008, the Chronicle endorses the Democrat who narrowly lost to him, Diane Trautman. The incumbent appointed by Commissioners Court, Leo Vasquez, lost to a challenger in the GOP primary.

The duties of this office include collecting more than $5 billion in taxes annually for 66 taxing entities, selling license plates and vehicle titles, and maintaining county voter rolls.

A former bank lending and trust manager, Trautman now teaches ethics and management to graduate students at Stephen F. Austin University. She pledges to restore non-partisan leadership to a service position too often used in the past to promote the political views of the occupant.

There's really no comparison between these three and their GOP counterparts. They comprise the very worst of extremist, TeaBagging ideology and would only exacerbate lingering problems.

Blog Action Day 2010: Water

Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of diseases and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable as their bodies aren't strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses. The UN predicts that one-tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply and sanitation.

But water moves beyond just a human rights issue. It's an environmental issue, an animal welfare issue, a sustainability issue. Water is a global issue, deserving of a global conversation.

That's what this year's Blog Action Day is all about.

The Texas Observer -- specifically, Forrest Wilder -- has done the best job of blogging this topic locally. Herre are some of his most recent postings:

They're Stealin' Our Water, Pa. Say It Ain't So.

The Late Great Ogallala Aquifer

The End of the Hill Country

There's Something in the Water

A 'Partial Victory' for Texas Streams

Texas Cloverleaf's contribution is about water in the Barnett Shale. TxSharon at Bluedaze has 68 posts on that subject. More from a global POV...

• A Human Right: In July, to address the water crisis, the United Nations declared access to clean water and sanitation a human right over. But we are far from implementing solutions to secure basic access to safe drinking water. More Info »
• 40 Billion Hours: African women walk over 40 billion hours each year carrying cisterns weighing up to 18 kilograms to gather water, which is usually still not safe to drink. More Info »
• 38,000 Children a Week: Every week, nearly 38,000 children under the age of 5 die from unsafe drinking water and unhygienic living conditions. More Info »
• Wars Over Water: Many scholars attribute the conflict in Darfur at least in part to lack of access to water. A report commissioned by the UN found that in the 21st century, water scarcity will become one of the leading causes of conflict in Africa. More Info »
• Cell Phones vs. Toilets: Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets, but many more have access to a cell phone. More Info »
• Food Footprint: It takes 24 liters of water to produce one hamburger. That means it would take over 19.9 billion liters of water to make just one hamburger for every person in Europe. More Info »
• Technology Footprint: The shiny new iPhone in your pocket requires half a liter of water to charge. That may not seem like much, but with over 80 million active iPhones in the world, that’s 40 million liters to charge those alone. More Info »
• Fashion Footprint: That cotton t-shirt you’re wearing right now took 1,514 liters of water to produce, and your jeans required an extra 6,813 liters. More Info »
• Bottled Water Footprint: The US, Mexico and China lead the world in bottled water consumption, with people in the US drinking an average of 200 bottles of water per person each year. Over 17 million barrels of oil are needed to manufacture those water bottles, 86 percent of which will never be recycled. More Info »
• Waste Overflow: Every day, 2 million tons of human waste are disposed of in water sources. This not only negatively impacts the environment but also harms the health of surrounding communities. More Info »
• Polluted Oceans: Death and disease caused by polluted coastal waters costs the global economy $12.8 billion a year. More Info »
• Uninhabitable Rivers: Today, 40% of America’s rivers and 46% of America’s lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life. More Info »
• Building Wells: Organizations like Water.org and charity: water are leading the charge in bringing fresh water to communities in the developing world. More Info »
• Technology for Good: Do you want to measure how much water it took to make your favorite foods? There’s an app for that. More Info »
• Conservation Starts at Home: The average person uses 465 liters of water per day. Find out how much you use and challenge your readers to do that same. More Info »
• Keeping Rivers Clean: We can all take small steps to help keep pollution out of our rivers and streams, like correctly disposing of household wastes. More Info »
• Drop the Bottle: Communities around the world are taking steps to reduce water bottle waste by eliminating bottled water. More Info »
• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools: Students in developing countries lose 443 million school days each year due to diseases associated with the lack of water, sanitation and hygiene. Repeated episodes of diarrhea and worm infestations diminish a child’s ability to learn and impair cognitive development. More Info »

Radnofsky, Abbott, Roland face off on "RW&B"

"Red White and Blue" is the local PBS affiliate's political talk show and during the election season features candidate fora. In this thirty-minute video (for broadcast this weekend) the candidates for Texas attorney general -- Barbara Radnofsky, Greg Abbott, and Jon Roland -- take questions from conservative Gary Polland and progressive David Jones.



Update:

Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky assailed Attorney General Greg Abbott on his campaign contributions and other topics this week in a Houston TV appearance that served as the closest forum to a debate yet.

Radnofsky accused the Republican incumbent for cowing to his political donors and being Gov. Rick Perry's "consigliere," a term referring to an organized crime boss' top adviser.

Those highlighted a series of sharp exchanges between the two on Red, White and Blue, a political show that airs on HoustonPBS.

"His campaign slogan should be, 'Don't tread on my donors,' " she said. "This gentleman has a history, with all due respect, of decision-making that paves the way for his donors to continue to their practices."