We dont need to speculate or debate how Junior John will vote, who he will benefit and who he represents. No if ands or buts about it Junior John’s Record is who he is, how he votes, who he represents and it is not the average Texan and not the mainstream Texas but he represents the Transplanted Texans (like Bush) and the Elite Texans (like K.C.Rove). Junior John will say WATT ever it takes to get re elected. He is working with Fil Vela Jr. & Federal Prosecutors (in the Valley, CC, SA & Houston) to Manufacture White Collar Crime and use it as a Political Strongarm when the Political Strongarm should be accomplishments and the actual construction of a VA Hospital in the Valley. Fil & Junior John ( the Two Juniors) dont give a hoot about a VA Hospital or Children’s Healthcare, he dont care about WATT the people want or need, Fil Junior only seeks a Federal Bench for Rose and Junior John wants us to believe his promises. It wont happen like that for the Two Juniors.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
South Texas Chisme: It's Monday. It must be blog roundup time!
South Texas Chisme: Could it be true, Is Fil Vela involved with Connie Scott? Treasurer? TLR hates South Texas, does that include Connie and her Hubby? WATTS his name? Mike Scott?
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Hector P Garcia Institute of Education, Integrity, Culture and Public Policy: Corpus Christi Watchdog Authority: Fwd: [Telemundo South Texas] Senatori
Hector P Garcia Institute of Education, Integrity, Culture and Public Policy: Corpus Christi Watchdog Authority: Fwd: [Telemundo South Texas] Senatorial Prevarication: Will Texas Allow Junior Joh...
Corpus Christi Watchdog Authority: Fwd: [Telemundo South Texas] Senatorial Prevarication: Will Texas Allow Junior Joh...
"Did K C Rove quit to help John Cornyn?"
Jaime Kenedeño said... Didn't you mean to say, "KC Rove quit to help Junior John"?
Of course he wanted to have more family time, isn't that the standard line now days.
He is coming to TEXAS to play ball in our ball park.
Finally, he comes out to play with the big boys.
I'm Waiting............................
A Democraddick Melodrama Entitled, ...........
Corpus Christi Watchdog Authority: Fwd: [Telemundo South Texas] Senatorial Prevarication: Will Texas Allow Junior Joh...
"Did K C Rove quit to help John Cornyn?"
Jaime Kenedeño said... Didn't you mean to say, "KC Rove quit to help Junior John"?
Of course he wanted to have more family time, isn't that the standard line now days.
He is coming to TEXAS to play ball in our ball park.
WATTABURGER FIELD
Finally, he comes out to play with the big boys.
I'm Waiting............................
Welcome to the Texas WEB KC
go ahead and mosey on down to
the little feathers who flock together.
go ahead and mosey on down to
the little feathers who flock together.
A Democraddick Melodrama Entitled, ...........
The Roved, the Sycophant and the Tasteless.
Where the Roved and the Tasteless will now lob direct rebuke tomahawks
at the USAG, the President and other favorite targets the left so passionately rag on daily.
at the USAG, the President and other favorite targets the left so passionately rag on daily.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Rove coming out to play and old game in a new ball park. Welcome to Internet Architecture 101. Put it in writing, Texas Dares You.
Karl Rove to resign at the end of the month
Bush's close friend and political strategist says 'it's time' to quit
BREAKING NEWS
NBC News and news services
Updated: less than 1 minute ago
WASHINGTON - Karl Rove, President Bush's close friend and chief political strategist, plans to leave the administration at the end of August, the White House said Monday.
A longtime member of Bush's inner circle, Rove was nicknamed "the architect" by the president for designing the strategy that twice won him the White House.
"Obviously it's a big loss to us," White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said. "He's a great colleague, a good friend, and a brilliant mind. He will be greatly missed, but we know he wouldn't be going if he wasn't sure this was the right time to be giving more to his family, his wife Darby and their son. He will continue to be one of the president's greatest friends."
“I just think it’s time,” Rove said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Monday.
“There’s always something that can keep you here, and as much as I’d like to be here, I’ve got to do this for the sake of my family," the newspaper said.
President Bush and Rove were expected to speak before the Marine One departure to Crawford, Texas, on Monday.
Advisors told NBC News on condition of anonymity that Rove had been talking to the president about resigning for "a long time, about a year."
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
NBC News' Kelly O'Donnell, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Corpus Christi Caller Times: After we finish with (this issue), Mr Mike Hummel will always remember to read the local internet and to give credit wher
Corpus Christi Caller Times: After we finish with (this issue), Mr Mike Hummel will always remember to read the local internet and to give credit where credit is due.
This morning I got a call that took me out on the streets. I needed a little punch so I put it on a Classic Rock Station expecting maybe some Hair of the Dog or War Pigs or maybe even Lovin You Sunday Morning or Proud Mary but it wasn't to be. I hear the end of a discussion with our Corpus Christi City Council Member stuck smack dab in the middle of that damn river.
WATT River?...........
Some begin to ponder, while there are others who know exactly where I am going with this River issue; after we finish with (this issue), Mr Mike Hummel will always remember to read the local internet and to give credit where credit is due.
You know with the Memorial Coliseum I have not the sentimentality or passion like many of you guys possess and concurrently I dont believe it needs to be torn down. I was against anything that TRT wanted to bring to this town in light of what they left us upon departure.
Some events and it might even be many events; cannot afford to use ABC Center; so it is not
really a public arena like the Memorial Coliseum operated. Heck, many of us cannot afford to attend an event that is held in the ABC Center. So, tell us Mr. Hummel, Mr Burns and Mr Solis, will you make it affordable at least for our Local Goodwill Organizations like the Shriners to hold an event?
Currently, the ABC Center is out of our Local Goodwill Organizations reach because of price?
Now the Point at hand,
The discussion was about the Memorial Coliseum and specifically about the hiring of a consultant and if the City of Corpus Christi is going to follow WATT ever the Consultant recommended.
Corpus Christi City Councilman Hummel answered that the people have been included in the rounds of community input and public meetings.
The host asked if the Corpus Christi City Council was going to ask the consultant to include the input or if it will factor in.
Corpus Christi City Councilman Hummel quickly affirmed that the community's input has already been included.
The host then connected like Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and the Great Bambino Himself; he asked Hummel if the Corpus Christi City Council is considering the input from all of the people at the Caller Times on the Coliseum issue?
Mike Hummel answers "I don't know anything about whats going on at the Caller Times".
The host says you dont know, you haven't read the article at the Caller Times about the Memorial Coliseum and the internet input and suggestions from the public, you arent going to consider that input?
Hummel studdered 3 or 4 times and then a couple more times and then he said we got, we got people, we got other people on that, I think, I'm not a computer guy , but I think they are calling them something like blogs, Im not a computer guy, or something like that. Then continued the D NILE of the POWER OF THE INTERNET and the reality that the People are beginning to Engage themselves in the Formulation of Public Policy. Since you cant hear us Mr Hummel, let me yell a little louder and maybe everyone else will as well.
Mr Hummel, that River's name; we call it D Nile, get out of it. In fact a big part of your electability came from the web community. Power of the Pen Mr Hummel. When coupled with facts only an idiot would be so ignorant to be unaware of what some people are calling blogs. The credibility (or not) is right there in black and white for everyone to read. Do you still want to claim that you havent tread the input at the Caller Times Community Input Forum? Although censored slightly it can give there are many souls participating. They are already pissed off and to think that our City Council is trying to act like they are unaware of our presence. That is unbelievable Mr Hummel.
Nothing Personal MR Hummel, but I do believe you have a little bit of homework to do.
"Engaging the average citizen in the formulation of Public Policy" is our mission @ Kenedeno & Associates. "The Net is a powerful force for change -- and a dynamic tool for citizen education and action. Read the latest research on citizen participation (ENGAGEMENT) online, the stories and experiences of coalitions, corporate clients, and others working in the cyber trenches, and discover the potential to become an active participant in online democracy.
This morning I got a call that took me out on the streets. I needed a little punch so I put it on a Classic Rock Station expecting maybe some Hair of the Dog or War Pigs or maybe even Lovin You Sunday Morning or Proud Mary but it wasn't to be. I hear the end of a discussion with our Corpus Christi City Council Member stuck smack dab in the middle of that damn river.
WATT River?...........
Some begin to ponder, while there are others who know exactly where I am going with this River issue; after we finish with (this issue), Mr Mike Hummel will always remember to read the local internet and to give credit where credit is due.
You know with the Memorial Coliseum I have not the sentimentality or passion like many of you guys possess and concurrently I dont believe it needs to be torn down. I was against anything that TRT wanted to bring to this town in light of what they left us upon departure.
Some events and it might even be many events; cannot afford to use ABC Center; so it is not
really a public arena like the Memorial Coliseum operated. Heck, many of us cannot afford to attend an event that is held in the ABC Center. So, tell us Mr. Hummel, Mr Burns and Mr Solis, will you make it affordable at least for our Local Goodwill Organizations like the Shriners to hold an event?
Currently, the ABC Center is out of our Local Goodwill Organizations reach because of price?
Now the Point at hand,
The discussion was about the Memorial Coliseum and specifically about the hiring of a consultant and if the City of Corpus Christi is going to follow WATT ever the Consultant recommended.
Corpus Christi City Councilman Hummel answered that the people have been included in the rounds of community input and public meetings.
The host asked if the Corpus Christi City Council was going to ask the consultant to include the input or if it will factor in.
Corpus Christi City Councilman Hummel quickly affirmed that the community's input has already been included.
The host then connected like Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and the Great Bambino Himself; he asked Hummel if the Corpus Christi City Council is considering the input from all of the people at the Caller Times on the Coliseum issue?
Mike Hummel answers "I don't know anything about whats going on at the Caller Times".
The host says you dont know, you haven't read the article at the Caller Times about the Memorial Coliseum and the internet input and suggestions from the public, you arent going to consider that input?
Hummel studdered 3 or 4 times and then a couple more times and then he said we got, we got people, we got other people on that, I think, I'm not a computer guy , but I think they are calling them something like blogs, Im not a computer guy, or something like that. Then continued the D NILE of the POWER OF THE INTERNET and the reality that the People are beginning to Engage themselves in the Formulation of Public Policy. Since you cant hear us Mr Hummel, let me yell a little louder and maybe everyone else will as well.
Mr Hummel, that River's name; we call it D Nile, get out of it. In fact a big part of your electability came from the web community. Power of the Pen Mr Hummel. When coupled with facts only an idiot would be so ignorant to be unaware of what some people are calling blogs. The credibility (or not) is right there in black and white for everyone to read. Do you still want to claim that you havent tread the input at the Caller Times Community Input Forum? Although censored slightly it can give there are many souls participating. They are already pissed off and to think that our City Council is trying to act like they are unaware of our presence. That is unbelievable Mr Hummel.
Nothing Personal MR Hummel, but I do believe you have a little bit of homework to do.
"Engaging the average citizen in the formulation of Public Policy" is our mission @ Kenedeno & Associates. "The Net is a powerful force for change -- and a dynamic tool for citizen education and action. Read the latest research on citizen participation (ENGAGEMENT) online, the stories and experiences of coalitions, corporate clients, and others working in the cyber trenches, and discover the potential to become an active participant in online democracy.
"IN THE KNOW": Anybody need 5 Brand New Faulty Firestone Tires for their Family Vehicle? Hurry while vacation season is still here!
"IN THE KNOW": Anybody need 5 Brand New Faulty Firestone Tires for their Family Vehicle? Hurry while vacation season is still here!
Google Yourself Corpus Christi: setexasrec: If you disagree, I got 4 brand spankin new ones to put on your family vehicle; oh yeah & one spare just in case you survive the blow out.
So WATT does this mean for Texas?
Who is the author?
After reading this article i got to believe the author is not familiar with the adversarial process or the article is pure prevarication. Who wants to buy a vehicle without laminated windows. I don't, but in Mikal's argument it was just mental re-enforcement for the jury and he is representing his client with zeal. .In layman terms Laminated glass, which is two layers of plate glass with plastic laminate in between, is used on automotive windshields. It has been used for decades to keep objects from easily getting through the windshield and entering the vehicle. The negative is it prevent easy exit should one need to break the glass in order to escape in a submerged situation or something of that nature.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
KENEDENO: "I say hot damn we got ourselves a fighter, and advocate. Now there's an attribute money cant buy, a game mentality moving unencumbered through legal birds nests and over hurdles to accomplish results.
"Like a Pitbull in the Middle of a Bunch of Poodles upon Capitol Hill.
The bottom line is the tire is faulty but it is cheaper to pay the injured and dead than it is to replace all of the tires on all of the brand new vehicles. Well, at least that was the word according bean counters (Actuarial Analysts). I bet they dont work there anymore, eh? When an automaker knows there is a faulty product that will "cause a death or two" and they acquiesce, or continue to produce the vehicle with the defective product and they dont recall the defective product for WATT ever reason they need to pay.
Watt if you or your family member purchased a brand new Explorer or Expedition or
Excursion. You plan a vacation and plot out your trip planning to stop for the young ones at the rest areas and to stretch the legs and maybe even swap drivers. Everybody has their pillow and their reading material or headphones and music, for the kids you had the video screen and dvd systenm installed and you even went the extra mile and installed a Playstation III for the kids and the kids at heart.
So we are cruising and everyone is commenting on the comfort, the neat features, the enhanced entertainment, and the overall "On The Road" experience the new vehicle provides.
The last thing on their mind is breaking down, needing to check the fluids every few miles, or rolling down the window because the air conditioning dont work. The passengers and the driver feel secure and safe; maybe they dont even buckle up.
The next thing we know the vehicle has become impaired and unstable. The resulting tumbling, sliding, shattering of glass, screaming, and bending of metal that happens in less than a minute (but feels like a lifetime) comes to a rest and there is a eerie silence for a moment. Then the lucky ones can moan in their pain and the silent ones Vaya Con DIOS. How long before the Halo FLight? How long before rescue?
And you come to find out you have lost 1 or 2 or 5 of your loved ones because of something that makes no sense at all.
I am not talking about the Blowout people, I am talking about the decision made by the automaker that your loved ones were just another number, a casualty in the name of profits.
Would you want an advocate fighting for your interests like Mikal Watts fights the giant automakers?
If you disagree, I got 4 brand spankin new ones to put on your family vehicle; oh yeah and one spare just in case you survive the blow out.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Mikal Watts' arguments
http://www.setexasrecord.com/arguments/198814-mikal-watts-arguments
8/4/2007 10:58 AM
Three college girls are driving cross-country pulling a U-Haul trailer while simultaneously sharing a bag of marijuana. About 20 hours into the voyage, the driver brakes hard on a hill and loses control, sending the car off the side of the road.
They weren't wearing seat belts.
Was she high? Fatigued? Did she forget that breaking hard on a downslope while pulling a fully-stuffed U-Haul is a big no-no?
Whatever. Represented by Corpus Christi plaintiff's lawyer Mikal Watts in a suburban Houston courtroom, she demanded millions in damages over the accident-- from a tire maker.
No matter that Texas state investigators blamed the wreck on driver error and speeding, concluding the tires remained intact after the crash and worked just fine. Still, Watts argued they were wrong, that it wasn't her fault. He even demanded the judge declare a mistrial when the defense had the nerve to raise the girl's driving-while-pot smoking in court.
Is this the kind of guy-- one who would make such a specious, if self-serving, argument with a straight face-- that we want representing Texas in the U.S. Senate?
Mr. Watts, a 39-year-old mega-millionaire and judge's son who flies private, is traveling the state this summer, raising money and straining to re-define himself as a populist "everyman" in preparation for the Spring 2008 Democrat primary election.
He made his bones making arguments like the aforementioned, suing automakers and other businesses. But suffice to say, he won't be bragging on the campaign trail about the "marijuana mistrial" or his lawsuit blaming Ford for an accident in which the driver was speeding, had been drinking and wasn't wearing a seat belt.
The automaker was at fault because, according to Watts, it didn't laminate its side windows.
Watts will also remain mum about the embarrassing hiccup in that Ford case-- when it was revealed mid-trial that one of his associate lawyers was dating one of the jurors. She had even helped him "recruit" two of the plaintiffs for Watts, evidence showed.
Apparently under no ethical obligation to tell the court about this, Watts remained quiet and steadfast. It paid off-- he won a $31 million verdict.
"Mikal Watts has spent his entire career fighting on behalf of average, working Texans," promised his spokesman in a recent interview.
Don't believe it just because he says so.
Google Yourself Corpus Christi: setexasrec: If you disagree, I got 4 brand spankin new ones to put on your family vehicle; oh yeah & one spare just in case you survive the blow out.
So WATT does this mean for Texas?
Who is the author?
After reading this article i got to believe the author is not familiar with the adversarial process or the article is pure prevarication. Who wants to buy a vehicle without laminated windows. I don't, but in Mikal's argument it was just mental re-enforcement for the jury and he is representing his client with zeal. .In layman terms Laminated glass, which is two layers of plate glass with plastic laminate in between, is used on automotive windshields. It has been used for decades to keep objects from easily getting through the windshield and entering the vehicle. The negative is it prevent easy exit should one need to break the glass in order to escape in a submerged situation or something of that nature.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
KENEDENO: "I say hot damn we got ourselves a fighter, and advocate. Now there's an attribute money cant buy, a game mentality moving unencumbered through legal birds nests and over hurdles to accomplish results.
"Like a Pitbull in the Middle of a Bunch of Poodles upon Capitol Hill.
The bottom line is the tire is faulty but it is cheaper to pay the injured and dead than it is to replace all of the tires on all of the brand new vehicles. Well, at least that was the word according bean counters (Actuarial Analysts). I bet they dont work there anymore, eh? When an automaker knows there is a faulty product that will "cause a death or two" and they acquiesce, or continue to produce the vehicle with the defective product and they dont recall the defective product for WATT ever reason they need to pay.
Watt if you or your family member purchased a brand new Explorer or Expedition or
Excursion. You plan a vacation and plot out your trip planning to stop for the young ones at the rest areas and to stretch the legs and maybe even swap drivers. Everybody has their pillow and their reading material or headphones and music, for the kids you had the video screen and dvd systenm installed and you even went the extra mile and installed a Playstation III for the kids and the kids at heart.So we are cruising and everyone is commenting on the comfort, the neat features, the enhanced entertainment, and the overall "On The Road" experience the new vehicle provides.
The last thing on their mind is breaking down, needing to check the fluids every few miles, or rolling down the window because the air conditioning dont work. The passengers and the driver feel secure and safe; maybe they dont even buckle up.
The next thing we know the vehicle has become impaired and unstable. The resulting tumbling, sliding, shattering of glass, screaming, and bending of metal that happens in less than a minute (but feels like a lifetime) comes to a rest and there is a eerie silence for a moment. Then the lucky ones can moan in their pain and the silent ones Vaya Con DIOS. How long before the Halo FLight? How long before rescue?
And you come to find out you have lost 1 or 2 or 5 of your loved ones because of something that makes no sense at all.
I am not talking about the Blowout people, I am talking about the decision made by the automaker that your loved ones were just another number, a casualty in the name of profits.
Would you want an advocate fighting for your interests like Mikal Watts fights the giant automakers?
If you disagree, I got 4 brand spankin new ones to put on your family vehicle; oh yeah and one spare just in case you survive the blow out.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Mikal Watts' arguments
http://www.setexasrecord.com/arguments/198814-mikal-watts-arguments
8/4/2007 10:58 AM
Three college girls are driving cross-country pulling a U-Haul trailer while simultaneously sharing a bag of marijuana. About 20 hours into the voyage, the driver brakes hard on a hill and loses control, sending the car off the side of the road.
They weren't wearing seat belts.
Was she high? Fatigued? Did she forget that breaking hard on a downslope while pulling a fully-stuffed U-Haul is a big no-no?
Whatever. Represented by Corpus Christi plaintiff's lawyer Mikal Watts in a suburban Houston courtroom, she demanded millions in damages over the accident-- from a tire maker.
No matter that Texas state investigators blamed the wreck on driver error and speeding, concluding the tires remained intact after the crash and worked just fine. Still, Watts argued they were wrong, that it wasn't her fault. He even demanded the judge declare a mistrial when the defense had the nerve to raise the girl's driving-while-pot smoking in court.
Is this the kind of guy-- one who would make such a specious, if self-serving, argument with a straight face-- that we want representing Texas in the U.S. Senate?
Mr. Watts, a 39-year-old mega-millionaire and judge's son who flies private, is traveling the state this summer, raising money and straining to re-define himself as a populist "everyman" in preparation for the Spring 2008 Democrat primary election.
He made his bones making arguments like the aforementioned, suing automakers and other businesses. But suffice to say, he won't be bragging on the campaign trail about the "marijuana mistrial" or his lawsuit blaming Ford for an accident in which the driver was speeding, had been drinking and wasn't wearing a seat belt.
The automaker was at fault because, according to Watts, it didn't laminate its side windows.
Watts will also remain mum about the embarrassing hiccup in that Ford case-- when it was revealed mid-trial that one of his associate lawyers was dating one of the jurors. She had even helped him "recruit" two of the plaintiffs for Watts, evidence showed.
Apparently under no ethical obligation to tell the court about this, Watts remained quiet and steadfast. It paid off-- he won a $31 million verdict.
"Mikal Watts has spent his entire career fighting on behalf of average, working Texans," promised his spokesman in a recent interview.
Don't believe it just because he says so.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
From its inception, one of TPJ’s prime targets has been Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR).
TEXANS FOR PUBLIC JUSTICE…Watch Dog or Attack Dog?
Texans for Public Justice (TPJ) bills itself as an independent, non-partisan, watchdog group dedicated to exposing a system of financial contributions that it says is corrupting Texas politics. In fact, TPJ is nothing that it claims to be. It is not Texan. Nothing about it is public. And, it is definitely not interested in justice. A thorough look at TPJ’s activities reveals that this “watchdog” is just an attack dog. Although it describes itself as a watchdog public interest group, it appears to be little more than a de facto mouthpiece for plaintiff trial lawyers in this state and their statewide lobby organization, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.
TPJ first appeared in Texas in 1997, when veteran operatives of leftist, out-of-state organizations – such as Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen – came to this state to set up the organization. The TPJ version of justice is one-sided. Since its inception, TPJ – preying on the good intentions of media outlets across Texas and this nation – has used an array of slanted, self-published reports to criticize a select segment of this state’s political spectrum. The targets of TPJ’s attacks are almost exclusively Republicans, business leaders and organizations, and those interested in the reform of Texas’ civil justice system.
Within those categories, TPJ attacks all levels of state government, ranging from former Gov. George W. Bush to the Texas Supreme Court, the Texas Attorney General, and the Legislature. While the subjects of the TPJ reports vary, the targets are always the same: Businesses, Republicans, Conservatives, Tort Reformers. Shockingly, this self-described watchdog group has never found anything worth reporting about the plaintiff ’s trial bar, or the politicians funded by trial lawyers. TPJ’s main mode of derision is a steady stream of reports targeting campaign contributions. Although there appears to be a growing recognition of the group’s partisan nature, the media generally treats TPJ as a public “watchdog” dedicated to documenting financial contributions and their role in political races.
Even a cursory review of TPJ reveals that its rancorous attacks are apparently motivated by a specific political agenda. Portraying a public persona that trades on good government and the public’s right to know, TPJ’s activities seem to indicate its unstated goal is to demonize business interests and any elected officials who support a pro-business agenda or who oppose frivolous lawsuits. In all its actions, TPJ consistently fails to disclose the depth of plaintiff trial lawyer participation in Texas political activities.
The targets of TPJ attacks and the timing of those attacks are further evidence of the group’s attempt to further the political agenda of that well-funded, sliver-thin section of the trial bar. In Texas, TPJ’s analyses, reports, press releases, and public statements all read like the Texas Trial Lawyers Association prepared them. They are anti-business and antijob creation. Everything they do seems to share an overarching theme: Texas would be a better state if it were easier to file lawsuits and there were more and broader opportunities to bring legal action. From its inception, one of TPJ’s prime targets has been Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR). TPJ’s inaugural report attacked Texans for Lawsuit Reform, people in the forefront of advocating a fair and balanced civil justice system, and individuals and businesses most closely associated with that bipartisan, nonprofit, statewide public policy organization.
TLR, which commissioned this report, has over 11,200 supporters in 610 Texas cities and those members represent 1,110 different trades, professions, and businesses. TLR is proud of its supporters, its mission, and its transparency. TLR has become the state’s leading civil justice advocacy organization. This report will document what we know about Texans for Public Justice, its origin, its supporters, its tactics, and its allies. The chapters include:
Chapter One: Misleading the Media
Chapter Two: Refusing to Practice
What it Preaches
Chapter Three: Trashing Texas
Chapter Four: Oops! I missed that one!
Summary: TPJ: Powerful, Partisan Trial Lawyer Advocacy Organization
tlr's president is Richard Weekley, brother of homebuilder David Weekley.
David Weekley Homes
"You've heard people talk about the panic and paranoia on the part of the people with mold," Schneider said. "Well, the panic and paranoia is really on the part of the insurance industry."
Insurers, builders criticized over mold -- Austin American StatesmanInteresting Tidbits:
David Weekley's brother Richard Weekley is President of the tort reformer group "Texans for Lawsuit Reform". We sometimes refer to them as "Corporations Against Lawsuits".
Another weekley owner in Dallas.Maybe her builder should have read
"Messages from God 365 Simple Truths for Success".
Written by the wife of a builder who is now in jail for forgery.
News and Updates:
Apr 2 2003 Weekley At The Supreme Court
Jul 14 2002 No Suits Allowed Increasingly, Arbitration Is the Only Recourse By Caroline E. Mayer Washington Post Staff Writer. ) As an arbitrator, you're going to get work as long as parties choose to use you, and if this is your career or it makes up a good part of your practice, then if you render a decision that is unpopular" with parties that frequently use arbitration, they "may not choose to use you again."…The homeowner is convinced she won't get a fair hearing.
- Since sports stadium builder Aric Barto closed on a new $268,000 David Weekley home in December 2000 he has been plagued by troubles of almost biblical proportions.
- After the DeShazo family paid more than $300,000 for a new Weekley Home in 2001, the builder came out three times to reseal the joint where the shower in their master bath meets the floor.
Jul 8 2002 TOXIC MOLD PAGE. [NO LONGER ACTIVE. ] My house is infested with toxic mold 58 times the outside levels of Penicillum. David Weekly is doing a good job of fixing the problem, though. The cause was a faulty transition fitting from the PVC to copper pipe going to the water heater (in the attic) along with a sheetrocker's nail that had pierced the PVC pipe during the construction of the house (pressure tests are being done on new construction -- required in the City of Houston, but not the county).
Jul 8 2002 [NO LONGER ACTIVE. ] To provide an instructive example, here we document our own family's toxic David Weekley home nightmare. We hope that by making available the knowledge we gained through our horrible David Weekley Homes experience, it will help you make the decisions necessary to keep your family safe.
Jun 30 2002 Rich dig deeper to gain influence Analysis of Texas campaign donations shows top contributors are who's who of corporate Texas. By Laylan Copelin AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF "Most are giving the bulk of their money to Republicans and to Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a largely business-backed group whose members believe it is too easy to sue and win big judgments in Texas courts. "
NOTE: Texans for Lawsuit Reform is head by Richard Weekley, brother of David Weekley the builder. TLR is one of the reasons we are so lacking in consumer protection. They support binding arbitration.
Jun 17 2002 texans for lawsuit reform at the State Democratic Convention. tlr's president is Richard Weekley, brother of homebuilder David Weekley. We had very interesting conversations with the members of tlr. They were not aware of the high cost of arbitration. Or of the specifics of David Weekley, the builder.
May 19 2002 Nonprofit group pans arbitration Says system stacked against consumers Associated Press Touted as a cheaper and faster alternative to lawsuits, binding arbitration is expensive for consumers and denies them access to courts, according to a report released last week by the non-profit group Public Citizen.
May 17 2002 Consumer advocates hammer arbitration Homeowners from across Texas Rally at the TX State Capitol prior to the Hearings on Arbitration. Hearing Audio Available
May 17 2002 Public should keep right to day in court Editorial Board AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN Within the United States, however, some in the business community are doing whatever they can to shake themselves free of the judicial system in favor of "binding arbitration" clauses in contracts that automatically send disputes to an arbitrator rather than a courtroom.
May 16 2002 Who really backs lawsuit abuse campaigns? Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA). Shouldnít the name be Corporations Against Lawsuits? (Enough said)
May 16 2002 Home buyers object to clause in sales contracts Texas House panel hears complaints about binding arbitration requirement By David Pasztor AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Home builders are drawing most of the ire in Texas, said Jackson Williams of Public Citizen, because almost all of them are now inserting binding arbitration clauses into their contracts at the suggestion of the Texas Association of Builders.
May 16 2002 Consumer advocates hammer arbitration By Adolfo Pesquera Express-News Business Writer James Evans, a Houston attorney, cited a case where a client's house slid down a hill because of an improper foundation. After his client got nothing, Evans sued the association and arbitrator Stephen Paxson, claiming Paxson, a lawyer for the Greater Houston Builders Association, had lobbied to change the law his client was relying on.
Note: Unknown to most in the audience, Stephen Paxson was the last speaker at the hearing. He helped write an Amicus to the Supreme Court in favor of removing the implied warranty of habitability and good workmanship, as well as an amicus in the Perry Homes v. Atiwiler case (02-98-00106-CV, 33 SW3d 376, 11-02-00)which the Supreme Court refused to hear.
May 15 2002 Texas' mushrooming toxic mold epidemic offers a crash course in the perils of binding arbitration. First, consumers learn that their new dream home is a moldy lemon. Then they discover that arbitration contracts strip their right to a jury trial and force their claims before costly, secretive tribunals that favor builders. The new Lobby Watch profiles a few consumers who bought moldy new houses from arbitration enthusiast David Weekley Homes.
May 14 2002 Private arbitration criticized Report says court often cheaper; supporters say study is misleading By MARK CURRIDEN / The Dallas Morning News Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Patrick Higginbotham warned at a conference in Dallas two weeks ago that the movement away from the public court system toward private justice is a "dangerous situation with major public policy implications."
May 14 2002 Arbitration could prove costly for homeowners By JANET ELLIOTT Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau According to the report, the filing fee for an $80,000 consumer claim in Cook County, Ill., Circuit Court is $221. The American Arbitration Association, one of several private companies providing arbitration services, charges a filing fee of $1,250.
May 9 2002 THE CONSUMER PITFALLS OF BINDING ARBITRATION A Report by the Texas Watch Foundation The report raises questions about the quality of justice delivered through binding arbitration between parties of different bargaining levels and documents the uneven playing field binding arbitration offers consumers and citizens seeking justice.
Apr 10 2002 David Weekley home nightmare. [NO LONGER ACTIVE. ] This web site serves as a resource for homeowners on the damaging aspects of toxic mold, toxic building materials, and anti-consumer residential construction policies and practices.
Nov 27, 2001 Tort Tycoons Poured Millions into 2000 Texas Elections Report Tracks Texans for Lawsuit Reform's Top Donors [Includes David Weekley and Perry Homes] NOTE: TLR is a so called "grassroots organization".
- Altogether, these 24 king makers spent $4.5 million to influence Texas politics in the 2000 cycle, with Houston homebuilder Bob Perry spending an astounding $912,500.
- Plaintiff Carlos Murillo complained that the builder refused to finish his house until he put up a yard sign that said, "Come Talk To Me Before You Buy a David Weekley Home."
- Dick Weekley of Weekley Homes donated $126,000 to TLR and $208,925 total for 2000 elections.
Bob J. Perry of Perry Homes donated $90,000 to TLR and $912,500 total for 2000 elections.Oct 30, 2001 Texas PACs 2000 Election Cycle Tort Law: $1,481,128 TLR (Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a so called grass roots organiztaion) raised half of its money from the families of just five tycoons who made fortunes in litigious industries: Sterling Groupís Gordon Cain ($200,000); real estate mogul Harlan Crow ($150,000); Cogen Technologiesí Robert McNair ($125,000); and the owners of David Weekley Homes ($126,000) and Bob Perry Homes ($90,000).
Oct 24, 2001: Texans for Lawsuit Reform is headed by Richard Weekley, brother of David Weekley. TLR is partially responsible for destroying our rights for consumer protection in Texas. Here is a few interesting articles about David Weekley's brother:
Anti-Consumer Legislation Fizzles As expected, the special interest groups were back in Austin this legislative session. Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the Texas Civil Justice League and the other so-called tort "reform" groups were well armed and heavily financed. One consumer advocate summed up the special interest groupsí legislative proposals as "immunity for all, accountability for none." In an effort to influence the 1997 legislative session, one group spent over $1 million in contributions to state legislative campaigns.
Law firms in tobacco lawsuit contribute heavily to Democrats Cornyn received a total of $191,000 from Texans for Lawsuit Reform's political arm; from Houston developer Richard Weekley, who heads the organization; and from members of Weekley's family during the general election campaign.
A $100,000 contribution from TLR's political action committee went to Cornyn on Oct. 26, eight days before the election.
Members of lawsuit reform group top Perry donors DALLAS (AP) ó Members of a Houston-based lawsuit reform group are among the top donors to Republican Gov. Rick Perry's election campaign, prompting criticism about the group's political influence.
As soon as the legislative session ended, clearing the way for campaign contributions, big checks began pouring into Perry's campaign,
Business-backed group wants more civil court changes By CHIP BROWN Associated Press With the support of Gov. George W. Bush in 1995, a business-backed group known as Texans for Lawsuit Reform helped draft laws that make it more difficult for Texans to collect damages in civil cases.
Fraser, Perry tout Lawsuit Reform backing By RICHARD HORN Senior Staff Writer Texans for Lawsuit Reform, known for heavily funding candidates who back its agenda, has endorsed Troy Fraser for the Texas Senate.
Dr. Issues Killer Post-Mortem On Perryís Prompt-Pay Veto. (Richard Weekley of Texas for Lawsuit Reform, is the brother of David Weekley, the homebuilder. We call them, among other things,"Corporations for No Lawsuits")
* With Doctors Bloodied, Toomey & Weekley Should Consider Christian Science.
* Did Cornyn Agree To Broker A Compromise With A Politicized A.G. Opinion?Aug 2, 2001 [ABOT] Insurance carriers hit with fines Must pay medical bills By CLAY ROBISON Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau . Perry vetoed the measure at the urging of civil justice reformers and other business groups because it would have removed arbitration as an option for settling health insurance claims. [Mandatory and binding arbitration is NOT an option. It is the ONLY option.]
Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which urged the veto, praised the fines. "Governor Perry promised Texas doctors he would help them with slow paying insurance companies, and he has," said the group's president, Dick Weekley.
NOTE: Dick Weekley is the brother of David Weekley. See also July 20, 2001 Perry's veto still a bitter pill for doctors By Gary Susswein American-Statesman Staff. Binding Arbitration clauses rip hearts out of doctors. "Perry said he vetoed the bill because it would have prevented insurers from settling disputes through alternate methods or binding arbitration, would have encouraged frivolous lawsuits and would have driven up the cost of health insurance."
July 19, 2001 Doctors feel the wrath of Texans for Lawsuit Reform on binding arbitration clauses.Viewpoints Houston Chronicle. One of the most notorious take-it-or-leave-it clauses is a requirement that doctors waive their legal rights under state law (and, by extension, patients' rights) by agreeing that all disputes be sent to mandatory, binding arbitration, which is expensive, cumbersome and lengthy.
NOTE: TLR is headed by Richard Weekley, brother of David Weekley, Texas Homebuilder.The TLR is a so called "grassroots" organizations with the consumer in mind. See: Redefining reform Big business proponents contrive some of the worst bills of the 74th session By Molly Ivins "Say a builder has been using some cheesy materials that fall apart after 10 years. No responsibility falls to the builder--you have to sue the manufacturer"
Feb 7, 2001 From The Dallas Observer concerning "tort reform" and David Weekley Homes: Redefining reform Big business proponents contrive some of the worst bills of the 74th session By Molly Ivins "Say a builder has been using some cheesy materials that fall apart after 10 years. No responsibility falls to the builder--you have to sue the manufacturer"
Feb 5, 2001 Slab o' Trouble Some David Weekley homebuyers discovered their dreams were built on shifting sands. What's worse, they say, is that Weekley knew. By Bob Burtman The Houston Press. "When Weekley failed to take care of the unfinished items after more than a month of requests to do so, however, Carlos posted a sign in the front yard that said, "Come Talk to Me Before You Buy a David Weekley Home." That day, says Claudia, a crew arrived and tackled the checklist."
Feb 5, 2001 Weekley for the Defense By Bob Burtman The Houston Press." If the Murillos, Townsends and Ganjis tried to bring their suits against David Weekley Homes today, they might have a tougher time in court, thanks to revisions in the law approved during the 1995 legislative session. Those changes were largely due to the efforts of Texans for Lawsuit Reform and its founder, shopping center developer Dick Weekley, David's brother."
July 7, 2001 On Guard Against Mold by Jaime Levy Austin American Statesman. Joel Katz, president of Katz Builders Inc. and chairman of a state task force to study indoor air quality and moisture control, acknowledged that building defects can occur, but he stressed the role of the homeowner in preventing and eliminating mold.
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