Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The Long-Anticipated Rachel Palmer Endorsement

If you are like me, you have probably been sitting anxiously by your computer for the past five months, anxiously awaiting news from the internet to find out who Rachel Palmer was going to endorse in the 2012 Harris County District Attorney Race.  Would she go Republican?  Would she go Democrat?  It was quite a nail-biter.

Well, my friends, your wait is over, because over the weekend, Rachel's long anticipated endorsement was finally revealed as her husband, Don Hooper, forwarded an e-mail written by her to all of his friends. It quickly made its way across the internet and I received multiple copies of it from friends under the title of "FW:  Have you seen this?"

Drumroll, please.  In a move that is about as surprising as Squeaky Fromme endorsing Charles Manson in 1969, Rachel Palmer has endorsed Pat Lykos.

Now, I'm not going to post the e-mail in its entirety for fear that somebody might miss my sarcasm and actually think I agree with what this political "power couple" has to say.  (NOTE: It is printed in the comments section of my last post by a commenter, however, if you want to see it.)

I do, however, want to hit some of the highlights of it.

1.  The e-mail begins with a personal message from Don, who is being quite demure in comparison to his usual behavior (which reminds one of a feces-flinging Rhesus monkey.)  He writes:
My wife Rachel Palmer asked me to pass on her thoughts concerning the DA's race and I could have not said it any better.
Well, Don and I finally agree on something.  No kidding.  Don "could have not said it any better" because anyone who reads what he writes can tell you that he has yet to master the English language.  They say people write the way they talk; others seem to write the way that Yoda talks.

2.  Rachel begins her portion of the letter by giving herself a big pat on the back for trying a murder case several years ago in an effort to earn credibility with the reader.  She is ambiguous about how the case turned out other than saying "justice prevailed" and how that means she has wonderful character.  She throws out that over the years "a number of national scandals have tarnished my profession" yet fails to acknowledge that the B.A.T. van scandal is one of them.

3.  She never mentions invoking her 5th Amendment rights to a Harris County Grand Jury, but does say "I made a decision to rebuke their misuse of the grand jury process."  Yes, the same can be said for all of the inmates in jails across the country who chose not to speak to authorities -- they weren't hiding anything; they were merely "rebuking" the police.

4.  The e-mail continues on like a reading of Rachel's own personal Mein Kampf as it blames everyone from Judge Susan Brown to Chuck Rosenthal to the Police Officers' Union for all of the problems that she and the Lykos Administration have endured over the years.  She accuses Judge Brown of creating "a public spectacle" designed to "place a stain" on the District Attorney's Office.

5.  Rachel moves on to touting the "successes" of the Lykos Administration and defending the DIVERT program, as well as the controversial decision to not file drug trace cases.  Of the trace case decision, she points out that it has created a "significant reduction in crime."  I suppose if Lykos decided to stop prosecuting murder cases, she would cite a "significant reduction in the murder rate" as well.  She also notes that DIVERT has "reduced the number of repeat impaired driving offenders."  Mathematically, that's true, I guess -- you can't really be a repeat offender if Lykos isn't counting your first DWI, now can you?

6.  Despite the fact that the D.A.'s Office Policy seems to dictate that a prosecutor shall not use the fact that they are a prosecutor to endorse any candidates, Rachel is quite free in talking about how she is a prosecutor endorsing the candidacy of Pat Lykos.  I have to wonder how an employee who sent out an e-mail saying they were endorsing Mike Anderson would be treated.

At this point, I think the Lykos Administration has clearly illustrated that there is absolutely NOTHING that Rachel Palmer can do that will lead to her being disciplined or fired.  She took a bullet for them by pleading the 5th in front of the Grand Jury and she will reap the benefits as long as Lykos is in office.  There is no nobility in that, regardless of how Rachel tries to spin it.  It is the same mentality that the Mafia has when an underling takes his prison time without snitching.

The bottom line is this: Rachel Palmer is well aware of the fact that no other candidate than Lykos (in the four-person District Attorney race) will keep her employed as a prosecutor.

Okay, well, maybe Lloyd Oliver would keep her out of sympathy.

Palmer's endorsement is as worthless as it is offensive.

75 comments:

Anonymous said...

But... But... The playgrounds are full of happy children because of Lykos! Didn't you read that?

RP's writing is tortured, assuming she wrote that. Appellate, you know, the art of persuasive writing, at its finest:

"This was a particularly difficult prosecution because it was a cold case having happened years before."

Ouch. I would make my high schooler rewrite that sentence.

Anonymous said...

roblin ergestor"The bottom line is this: Rachel Palmer is well aware of the fact that no other candidate than Lykos (in the four-person District Attorney race) will keep her employed as a prosecutor."

Nail on the head right there. It's amazing to me that Palmer and her mouth breathing moron of a husband can just feel free to post shit everywhere calling people names and accusing them of things. How the hell is it possible for an ADA to keep a job when she and her husband engage in this shit? If I was an ADA and my husband went around calling my co-workers and sitting judges idiots, fools, morons, accusing them of crimes, etc., how the hell could I expect to keep a job?

It seems to me that the number one reason to vote against Lykos is simply that she chooses to employ Rachel Palmer.

Anonymous said...

Somebody pull the f-ing operations manual out and call this out. You cannot do this. Jim/Pat/Roger - anybody - we are waiting for some kind of discipline!!!!

How do you expect us to respect you when this kind of action goes unnoticed by you guys! If the shoe was on the other foot of any other prosecutor, they would be immediately marched to your office for a reprimand.

Hey Rachel: That victim you saw - did you apologize for making her sit through two trials after trying to introduce a lie detector in the first one?

Pathetic. This whole place is pathetic.

The incredible irony is Don Pooper going off right now on operations manual.

God bless, CB Lewis and all that he is trying to do. Thank you, sir.

Anonymous said...

Section 2.11 of the Operations Manual.

Oh wait, it is okay because she is supporting Lykos.

Anonymous said...

So, in her e-mail she says that Rosenthal resigned in disgrace following his admission that alcohol and drugs were clouding his judgement. What is Pat's excuse?

Anonymous said...

Dear voters who Republicanate,

My regards are your best. Please vote for Pat. She had done onederful things during her tenyear as you're elected DA. She deserved you're support in 2008 and she deserved-ed again in 20twelve. thank You.

Ron Pooper

Anonymous said...

God is good. Wtf - over...

snappertrapper said...

WHOA!!!!

It seems that when the old regime was in power you pesky little ADAs had no problem overtly supporting the Chuckster so WTF is wrong with RP supporting her boss?

Pot looking for Kettle

Anonymous said...

I Hon Dooper says... I want to extendd apologies to Juge Lyos cuz I can't come to hear you dour yure debate thing. I have a vary good reason cause like uther single dads in Texas I always spend quality time with my suns and daughter on Thirsday niites. You mite sea me at Lupe tortoises, palace lanes, or I mite even cook them dinner at home. But you won't sea me cheering on Lyos or asking Anderson intelecuel questions cuz my 3 kids are more important than any political debate - sincerely Don

Anonymous said...

Weight just a minit hear...all yu haterz just wan to hate on me and my wife becose your jelus of are close relasions with juge Lyos - the bestest darn DA ever. youll sea at the end of the alection when youll bee beging four a job - sea my blogg!

Sincerelyist,

Dan Looper

Anonymous said...

Rachel and Don you are not on an island. First, ask the campaign if they think any of your poitical ideas are good ones.

If they say yes, do it.

No, under no circumstances do I believe Ms. Lykos endorsed Rachel and Don's idea.

Momentum swings back to Anderson.

Anonymous said...

I seem to remember a press conference/photo-op with DA candidate Siegler surrounded by then-current ADAs. Why is an email that big a deal?? Seriously, what's the difference??

Anonymous said...

So will anything happen to Rachel after Hooper trashed several of Rachel's co-workers on his blog? If not, I guess every employee of the DA's office is free to have their family and friends trash whoever they want in the DA's office without fear of reprisal.

Anonymous said...

I love irony. In the letter, she tells her reader to beware of the link letter, etc.... because they are pay-for-play.

Hey Rachel, remind us how much you paid to get Gary Polland's endorsement in your failed campaign.

Anonymous said...

The citizens of Harris County are seeing a pattern with Nick Lykos sitting on a report since 2009 about the cover up at the County Attorneys Office, and Pats debacle as District Attorney...I see a movie here...Dueling Disasters, the actress that played Bula Ballbreaker in "Porkys" would be a perfect Pat!!!

Murray Newman said...

Anon 7:45 pm,

I agree with you. Lykos is nothing if not politically savvy and probably did not request Hooper or Palmer's efforts. Hooper clearly understands nothing regarding the art of persuasion and his attacks on Exley, Buess, and McAnulty are ridiculous. Seeing as how Hooper's personal knowledge of the District Attorney's Office only comes from 1) being a defendant or 2) using his wife's badge to harass his neighbors, we arrive at the conclusion Rachel is telling him what to write.

Rachel's attack on her superior co-workers via Don is inexcusable. Whether or not Lykos requested Rachel's "endorsement" or Don's attack blog becomes irrelevant since her failure to shut them down becomes tacit approval. To my knowledge, Exley, Buess and McAnulty never went against anything done by the Lykos Administration that would warrant even Hooper's criticism. Therefore, Lykos' inaction becomes indicative of the inmates literally running the asylum.

Murray Newman said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Hooper has alot of friends in and out of the CJC. Rahel may not have played a part in any of his actions.

Murray Newman said...

Anon 1:01,

You lost me at the premise that Hooper had a lot of friends.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 1:01 AM. Hooper has few friends in or out of the CJC. Although Hooper claims to have a lot of friends - the people he calls friends call HIM crazy. My only question is WTF is Rachel doing with him? The longer she stays with him the more she loses touch with reality! Her family and friends need to intervene & get her away from his insanity.

Anonymous said...

Rachel Palmer almost looks like a woman. God is good...

Anonymous said...

Rachel and Don don't write their stuff to convince any of the people in the criminal justice world. Instead, it is written to be passed around by email and FB links to unsuspecting Republican voters. A few people who have never heard of Rachel and Don, but who are for Lykos, forward and share this mess.

Last week they were sending around one of Hooper's articles trashing Mike Anderson and claiming it was from Murray's blog. They said even Murray has turned against Anderson. The "Murray's Fact Checker" part of the title did not show up. When someone pointed out that it was a fake of Murray's blog, some felt bad that they had been taken, but one or two didn't even care. It said what they wanted it to and they didn't care that they had fallen for a hoax.

Anonymous said...

News from the Bunker

Special Prosecutor Nichols has been seen multiple times in CJC over past few weeks. Thoughts are Ranger investigation heating up.

Palmer spending much time in the executive section of 6. It appears that she has Leitner's ear these days.

Leitner now splitting his time between Hooper's blog and Murray's. This has eaten into his solitaire time.

Rumor is that Chow has assigned a misdemeanor ADA to help Lana in Grand Jury.

Supposedly Lykos' consultant did some polling which showed Lykos ahead but within the margin of error. This is not the double digit leads they are telling people about.

At a recent show and tell Lykos announced that metal thefts were the tip of the organized crime iceberg.

Reportedly Lykos is furious about not getting endorsed by Betancourt and is looking to exact revenge for the slight. (He is not endorsing in the race)

Lykos also apparently not happy that POLICE Inc not endorsing for primary.

Lykos reportedly furious over latest Oberg piece. She thought she had muzzled him. Heads will roll over the story.

Anonymous said...

Murray,

I appreciate your devotion to this blog, but you're on your honeymoon. This crap will be waiting for you when you get back.

Anonymous said...

Meine Ehre heißt Treue. Gott Mitt Uns....

Heil Hooper

Anonymous said...

Well I walked in the great debate tonight with an open mind and walked out with a clear choice. PAT LYKOS is truely the better candidate.

Murray Newman said...

Hmm, we have someone who can't spell and supports Lykos. Wonder who THAT was.

Anonymous said...

News from the office:

Earlier this week a woman hired two weeks ago quit, effective that day, because being a misdemeanor 3 was too much work and she couldn't handle it. Hannah decided the appropriate thing to do was give her a vacation and send her to grand jury to help Lana Shadwick, who is failing miserably in the easiest job in the office.

Today, Lykos sends a memo to everyone informing us that we are a bunch of degenerates, and in the wake of the secret service scandal, we are not to possess booze, explosives, watch porn, or screw our subordinates or interns because she wants to keep us from backsliding to our wicked ways. Like that needed saying. It is a pure coincidence this was sent the same day as he r debate with Mike Anderson.

Then, this afternoon, we were sent to Brady training with Randy Schaffer where all of us were forced to sit and listen to his I am a genius and all prosecutors are unethical assholes condescending bullshit war stories. Meanwhile, our leader, little Jimmy told all the defense attorneys to report perceived Brady issues to him (because none of us can be trusted).

All in all, morale in the office is great! 4 more years for Dear Leader!

Anonymous said...

Supposedly posted by "Jennifer" on Hoops blog:

Murry Newman is a hater, along with a few hand full of others. Exley, McAnulty and Buess are just followers and expect Murray to be thier mouth piece. Murray is just like OBerge, HATERS. I hope Newmans new bride knows what see has gotten herself into.

I'm guessing from the hideous spelling & grammer and the repeated use of "Haters" (one of Hoops favorite insults) that he is now pretending to post under fake names even on his own blog. Pitiful and yet hilarious....

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:26 AM...It is more hilarious that most comments on Hooper's blog reflect his name and the remaining ones reflect Hooper's bad spelling and grammar despite showing a pseudonym.

Mr. Hooper - there are outstanding Doctors and excellent meds that can control your anti-social behavior and lead you toward a productive life. There are also tutoring places such as Sylvan Learning Center that can help with grammar and spelling. You should also address your poor math skills because there are 142 (ONE HUNDRED forty-two) ADAs that despise Rachel for pleading the FIFTH and trashing our colleagues (or allowing you to trash ADAs and Judges using her name)

Anonymous said...

I am most definitely a "hater". A Lykos hater. It is just too damn easy.

Anonymous said...

Anon May 4th @2:26 AM,

"Today, Lykos sends a memo to everyone informing us that we are a bunch of degenerates, and in the wake of the secret service scandal, we are not to possess booze, explosives, watch porn, or screw our subordinates or interns because she wants to keep us from backsliding to our wicked ways. Like that needed saying."

Are you really denying that Patsy hit a nerve? You must really miss the good old days when that's exactly who many of the ADAs were. Who can forget the "prosecutors gone wild" training seminars and 3 hour beer & BJ lunches? Pre Lykos, the main difference between the the 6th floor at the CJC and 6th Street in Austin was the age of the participants. Throw in the mix Rosenthal's firecrackers in the stairwell and your comment is covered.
I doubt you'll publish this and if you dare no one can refute it's veracity. It was that free for all cowboy attitude that lead to the Lykos disaster and until the ADAs regognize and deal with it their plight will not improve. Bringing in an old sheriff who wants to go back to those days without appreciating the inappropriateness will never lead in a positive direction.

-Anderson will lose.
-Lykos will continue her destructive behavior.
-2016 will herald in a highly qualified seasoned prosecutor tempered with newfound understanding and empathy.
Only then will the office of the Harris County District Attorney's Office have a real leader and direction.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:45--the office doesn't need a "candidate", it needs an experience leader that the staff, judges, defense attorneys, and the PUBLIC can respect and rely on. She is none of those things, she is a mere politician--all show and no substance.

Anonymous said...

I finally got a glance at Hooper's blog, and you know, if you didn't already know this blog, you would have no idea what he was blithering on about. If you do know this blog, chances are you already have a clear understanding of what is wrong at the HCCJC. I have one word for his behavior, Childish.

Anonymous said...

LOL! When you run down the list of people who've endorsed Lykos on her website there's no hooper or palmer....

Anonymous said...

Anyone heard how the debate went yesterday. Haven't seen anything about it on the blogs or the news.

Anonymous said...

Who can forget the "prosecutors gone wild" training seminars and 3 hour beer & BJ lunches?

Oh man, I just wanted to become a prosecutor all of a sudden.

Wait. Before I go apply,--who gives the BJs?

Rage

Murray Newman said...

There were certainly some long lunches that we had when I was a prosecutor, but none ended THAT way.

Prosecutors earn a ton of comp time as they arrive early in the morning and leave late at night and work weekends. If they burn some comp time with a long lunch and (Heaven forbid) have a beer or two, that seems like their prerogative to me. If the work was getting done (and done well, I might add), there wasn't an issue.

The tired old argument that since Chuck Rosenthal did it, all prosecutors must have been doing it is baseless. That's like saying that since Lykos is such a power-hungry, dim-witted, shady politician that all Greeks are power-hungry, dim-witted, shady politicians.

Anonymous said...

Murray,

Based on Rage's last comment I'm guessing he is John Ray's clone.

Excuse me while I throw up.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Newman, with all due respect:

1. getting hammered at lunch is not a few beers.
2. County employees should be both efficient and put in a full day's work. The honor system time sheets were not always honorable.
3. Afternoon trysts were common place and you know it.
4. the "training session" road trips were more about alcohol, hanging out by the pool and room swapping than attending class and you damn well know that too.

Lykos is a menace but one that the ADAs brought upon themselves as a direct result of bad behavior.
It's not all George Bush's fault and it's not all Chuck Rosenthal's fault.
If the ADAs want a good leader then act like it--pure and simple.

Anonymous said...

"...That's like saying that since Lykos is such a power-hungry, dim-witted, shady politician that all Greeks are power-hungry, dim-witted, shady politicians."

Have you not watched the news regarding Greeks lately? The are for the most part just like your nemesis.

Anonymous said...

Why is CJC access to Jolly's debate recap blocked?

Anonymous said...

Why is parental bypass an issue in the DA race? Lykos is always eager to answer that she never granted one. That is true because the parental bypass law was not on the books back in the stone age when she left the bench. Anderson's answer is 100 percent correct.

Anonymous said...

There were certainly some long lunches that we had when I was a prosecutor, but none ended THAT way.

Would you say they ended... happily?

If Murray was involved, I'm retracting my ADA application.

Rage

Anonymous said...

Just got Pat's mail piece - wow, whoever did the airbrushing is a true artist! She looks like a 50 year old non-smoker with shiny white teeth. Wearing not only a Harris County pin, an American Flag pin but a religious medal as well. FYI - again no Hooper/Palmer endorsements amoung the many listed. I want the photographers name ASAP.

Anonymous said...

News Flash! Shadwick taking a leave of absence effective today to campaign. BTW, she got a dismissed case indicted recently. (No Don it was not supposed to be indicted anyway)

Mark W. Stephens said...

To Anonymous May 4, 2012 1:55 PM:

"Why is CJC access to Jolly's debate recap blocked?"

Is it blocked or has that blog finally gone belly up? Last time I checked, it was more of an anti-Anderson chat room with just him and Hooper talking to each other. LOL!

I understand Anderson won another straw poll. Actually, he was won them all I think.

Looking good...

Anonymous said...

Why does Lana Shadwick need a leave of absence to campaign? She has quit showing up at any events where she has to speak.

Anonymous said...

For those of you who weren't at the debate:

The poster who claimed Lykos won is either Hooper or one of the crack pipe amnesty recipients. It was not even close both as to style or substance. Mike made her look foolish.

Lycos told some whoppers. 1. She was ready, willing and able to try the Irby case but had to reluctantly step aside. The reason being that she as a former police officer (something she mentioned 10x), would have become as issue as seeking vengance for a police officer complainant.
2. Morale is down because she has barred alcohol from the building. Apparently any disgruntled employee is a raging alcoholic who needs to drink during work hours.
There were several others that slip my mind, perhaps other attendees can chime in.
It is really sad that the chief law enforcement officer of Harris County is an incompetent, pathetic lier.

Speaking of competence, she is way defensive about her trial skills or lack thereof. She recited a litany of the courts she has tried cases in. Mike then asked the cause # of any case she prosecuted. When challeneged on that or any other issue she gripped the podium tightly, looked over to her left, seemingly for help from some campaign aides stationed there, then immediately lied or gave her pat campaign speech, 4th largest city, sword and shield, etc.

If it weren't so serious, it would be funny.

Anonymous said...

As much as I want to ignore the ugly, shallow political types (and normally I would - people like that generally spin out of control on their own - one simply needs to stay out of the way and avoid getting sucked in) - I don't and can't due to my job.

A couple of "writer-bloggers" (especially one - he who must not be named) gives us insight to the "inner circle" aka the "leadership team."

People tell you about themselves. We only need to pay attention.

This is what I think they are telling US about THEMSELVES. They are:

Desperate.
Paranoid.
Displaying a lack of awareness of how others perceive them.
Disorganized.
Vindictive.
Petty.
Bullies.
Disrespectful.
Making rudimentary attempts at manipulation (doesn't work so well if you have an inability to gauge how others perceive you.)
Displaying a lack of authentic commitment, understanding, and value to the WORK.
Mistaking bullying and manipulation for leadership.
Divisive - although after a recent memo, perhaps not so much anymore. That one probably offended 98% of the office.

So - yes - normally people like this are self-destructive, sometimes dangerous - and that's why I don't engage them. They usually just crash about and eventually destroy themselves.

Unfortunately - I can't ignore these people. I just hope the end is in sight.

Anonymous said...

8:46-

It was a lot worse than that. Lana got a Disposed case case indicted. Talk about civil liability exposure AND incompetence!

How ya liking that "change" Lykos has brought in?

Anonymous said...

Remembered 2 more whoppers:

1. Mike challenged Lykos on the increase in DWI fatalities last year compared with Montgomery County with no divert and huge % decrease in DWI fatalities. Her reply was that not enough people have been through divert yet.

2. She was very critical of the Holmes administration for the Penry retrials. She strongly inferred the Appellate folks had been incompetent. Shame on them for not being able to predict the future. Apparently the brainpower and hard work of people like Calvin, Cathy Cochran and many other outstanding lawyers who worked for Holmes doesn't measure up to the legal stars like Lana and Rachel she's put in Appellate.

Anonymous said...

I did not attend the debate, but I will accept blogger 12:59 P.M.'s (5/5/12)account that Lykos "strongly inferred the Appellate folks had been incompetent" in the Penry(sic) trials. I thus feel compelled to defend my former associates from such an unfounded attack. Apparently this was a reference to the retrials necessitated by the opinion written by Sandra Day O'Connor in the Penry trial out of East Texas which subsequently led to the Legislature being required to "amend" the capital murder sentencing scheme. If Lykos wishes to call me incompetent so be it, but I take great offense with her painting with a broad brush and inferring that such people as Cathy Cochran, Harvey Hudson, Tim Taft, Caprice Cosper, and Bill Delmore, among others, and also including some unmamed still on her current appellate staff, whether they were involved in the matter or not, but who were in Appellate at the time the issue of what was the appropriate mitigating instruction was under consideration, were incompetent. During her time as a District Judge it was necessary for this same incompetent Appellate Division, in part because of her pleasant personality, to bail her out on more cases than probably any of the other judges. It thus strikes me as almost ironic when this person labels people incompetent that hardly a week goes by when a new negative adjective is publicly given genesis to describe the machinations of the current administration in the HCDAO. I would suggest, however, that the next time Lykos attempts to address a matter of legal significance, a territory of which she patently finds foreign, she educate herself on the facts first instead of spouting her political bullshit.
Calvin A. Hartmann

Anonymous said...

You go Mr. Hartmann. I love reading your posts.

Anonymous said...

The Chronicle endorsed Judge Lykos!

Murray Newman said...

Of course they did. Does that surprise anyone? She gave them Journalist Shield and they treat her like her crap don't stink. Like all of Lykos's dealings, it is simply quid pro quo.

Anonymous said...

Don't worry, most Republican primary voters know better than to trust the Chronicle, otherwise known as THE COMICAL.

Anonymous said...

They listed her qualifications in a single sentence, part of which was that she'd gone to law school. Anderson's took a full paragraph. Tells you everything you need to know.

Anonymous said...

Best comment from the online Chron editorial endorsing the troll:

"2boldlygo. 1:34 PM on May 6, 2012
OK, Mike Anderson it is."

BLACK INK said...

Anon 5:49,

In case you really thought that qualifications have a darn thing to do with who is elected DA in Harris County:

I offer into evidence the current elected DA of Harris County, Pat Lykos, as exhibit #1.

The State rests.

Anonymous said...

With the Chronicle, Big Jolly, Gary Poland, Rachel Palmer and Don Hooper on you side, why would any thinking repubilcan vote for LYkos?

Anonymous said...

it's making me chuckle reading the chron comments and seeing the number of attempted posts that are blocked by the chron. I imagine Hooper sitting there pushing "post" over and over while hoping the computer will let him slip one by.

Anonymous said...

She already banned alcohol from the building. It was at least last year with all the new nitpicky rules about Intake, I think maybe even before that.

Now, there's having rules and enforcing rules... See, e.g., RP.

Anonymous said...

Per the Comical's endorsement of 5/6/12. Lykos campaigned as a reformer because of the unacceptable ethical and behaviorial lapses of the disgraced DA Chuck Rosenthal. Thus, Lykos became the Republican party's "hope and change" con artist of 2008. Well a lot has changed at least in those three and half years, all to the detriment of the criminal justice system and a once proud and respected office.
Commenting on the Comical's analysis, Lykos' DIVERT program apparently was for the children: "putting our young people on the right path way to life." As noted so often herein, although intentionally not noted by the Comical since I am sure it was by Mike Anderson, this program is flat out illegal. Moreover, it is not only available to "young people." Part of her explanation for not prosecuting trace cases was the difficulty of prosecution, a rather novel standard for real prosecutors, but apparently evidence of the poor quality of people she has chosen to surround herself. In any event trace amounts have been prosecuted successfully and sustained on appeal for years. She further justifies the failure to prosecute these cases by drawing an illogical nexus to a 40 per cent increase in the value of drugs seized. What? The more likely truth as to why trace amounts are not prosecuted is cost savings - to satisfy Commissioner's Court by reducing the jail population and the attendant expenses.
Unacceptable ethical and behaviorial lapses and transgressions. These have become legion and a hallmark of the Lykos administration and are well documented on this blog, ranging apparently/possibly from obstruction of justice to prevarication to employee mismanagement to corruption. If journalistic dishonesty was a criminal offense though the Comical already would be packing its bags for a bus trip to the "Huntsville Hilton." We might not need hope, but we sure do need a change.
Calvin A. Hartmann

Anonymous said...

Bar Poll results out. Lykos got the most unqualified votes of ANYONE in the entire poll. Even more than Lloyd Oliver! The overwhelming numbers cannot be entirely attributed to the ADA's who know how unqualied she is.

Anonymous said...

Check out the bar poll at hba.org.
Lykos received the most "Not Qualified" votes on the entire poll - criminal AND civil.

Anonymous said...

HBA bar poll results.

http://www.hba.org/home-elements/qualresults12.pdf

Anonymous said...

Lloyd Oliver...less unqualified than Pat Lykos.

Anonymous said...

Lykos has known her past reputation would catch up with her since she took office. That's why she has continually sought to do something outrageous hoping to distinguish her lackluster ability as a lawyer and a manager. Most of her efforts have blown up in her face leading to repeated Grand Jury investigations of the office. The base cause of her problems is her narcissistic personality disorder and her insatiable need for praise. If only she'd just go away people would heap praise on her for leaving.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Newman,

Since the 29th day of May will be, in all likely hood, the last day of the Leadership Team as a whole, I believe you should do a "12 Days of Primary" countdown as a farewell (sinking ship) gift to the Leadership Team.

Make it something Otter from Animal House would be proud of.

Anonymous said...

Those bar poll results were heard all the way here in Austin! Bitch-slap karate chop that Capt. Queeg woman. Hi-yahhhh!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Man, I hope Lykos and Obama win, just so I can watch the wailing and gnashing of teeth from you guys. And if you think Hooper is insuffrable now, just w ait til then.

Rage

Murray Newman said...

I don't think that anybody should be doing too much crowing on behalf of any candidate at this point. We have no idea what will happen on May 29th, but people getting complacent leads to people not voting because they think it is already decided.

I'll be doing a post tomorrow about the Bar Poll, but to the police officers, ADAs, attorneys, and anyone else who cares about the quality of Criminal Justice in Harris County: GET THE WORD OUT!!!!

Rage is absolutely right. If you think Hooper is insufferable now, just wait to see how he will be if Lykos wins the Republican Primary.

Start bugging your friends, neighbors, and all those people who are your Facebook friends that you may or may not actually know who they are.

Early voting starts in a week. Keep everyone informed!!!!

Anonymous said...

Now that the April 30 campaign finance reports are out - it is interesting to see who has (and hasn't) contributed to their candidate of choice. Despite the rambling endorsement by Palmer and Hooper's eloquent prelude, I find it ironic that their total financial contribution to Lykos is a big fat ZERO! They must have been so busy managing their blog they just forgot to send Lykos a check.

CLH said...

"They say people write the way they talk; others seem to write the way that Yoda talks."

Subject before predicate I put. May the Shartz be with you.

The 2024 Election

Monday, October 21st kicks off the Early Voting for the 2024 Election in Texas, and as always, the Harris County Criminal Justice World has ...