An excerpt from Pilot Point for Passion Week

In many church traditions, including my traditional Anglican one, of course, this week is Passion Week, which focuses on the Passion of Christ.  It serves as good preparation for Holy Week, which begins this Palm Sunday.

I think this a good time to post the following excerpt from Pilot Point based on a location on Interstate 20.  For years, the Kendrick Religious Diorama portrayed Bible events, including the Passion.  And they placed on a mound just off the north side of I-20 in West Texas a freestanding portrayal of Jesus carrying his cross to remind people of Christ’s Passion and to make people aware of the diorama.

Here you may find some history concerning the Kendrick Diorama.  I’ve called a number I found to see if perhaps it has reopened.  But I received no answer.  So I guess it is still closed.  And, as it has been many years since I’ve driven that stretch of I-20, I do not know if any remains of the little statue remain on the mound.

Here is the passage in which the 13-year-old orphan Clayton Hays first sees the statue of Jesus in the midst of a dust storm.  Yes, this location is of significance to the novel more than once.  But I shall not say more.

Grains of sand blew away from him. He focused on them, following them until they disappeared. Then, he made out waves of dust and sand surrounding him. The waves blew past and away from him. He gazed at them, wave after wave. Soon, the sand blowing away from him looked to him like a tunnel of dust with never-ending walls. The walls of dust led to a point of nothingness. The point shifted around with the shifting wind. Laying his head against the seat, he kept gazing out his window at the dust blowing away from him in a tunnel of chaos. His mind drifted off with the dust. It seemed time and the world was being blown away past him into an infinity of dust.

         He was almost drifting off to sleep when something caught his eye. He lifted his head and saw something to the left of the road that he had noticed on drives before. But seeing it through the dust made it strange and haunting. He turned toward it. On the side of a rough, steep mound were large letters stuck into the soil. Clayton could make out “KENDRICK RELIGIOUS DIORAMA.”

         On top of the hillock was a lone small statue of Jesus. The statue was draped in a light blue tunic—light hues out of place in the brown darkness—and crowned with a garland of thorns. His eyes were fixed downward on the dark way ahead of him. He was walking weighed down, carrying a cross amidst a field of crosses.

         Wind and dust were whipping around him. And the cross was heavy. But, though burdened and weary, he did not totter or waver.

         The boy had seen many paintings and statues of Jesus, but this one was different somehow. This Jesus was so forlorn and windblown, and so alone, as he carried his cross. Seeing the lonely shadow of Jesus bowed over through the dust, it seemed he was carrying the whole weight of the dust storm as well.

         The dust thickened and obscured the lonely hillock, and Clayton could see it no more.

         Before, the boy had always thought the mound was overly religious. But now he was strangely moved by it. He stared back into the dust toward the veiled hill.

         He turned back forward in his seat and let his mind wander.

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Pilot Point is available in both print and Kindle on Amazon.

This Friday and Saturday, I will be doing book signings for Pilot Point in Denton and in the town of Pilot Point itself.  The schedule is as follows:

Denton:

Friday, March 27^th

3-6pm    Recycled Books  (A great used book and music store, by the way, where I’ve bought any number of books, including from the Victorian era.)

Pilot Point:

Saturday, March 28^th

10am-noon Sweetwater Coffee House

1pm           Pilot Point Community Library

around 2pm  Lowbrows

And do be sure to like Pilot Point on Facebook.

More on the Hannah Overton Ruling

Yesterday morning, I greatly rejoiced in the overturning of Hannah Overton’s absurd murder conviction.  Now I’ve had some time to digest it.  With the caveat that I am not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV, I find the following most interesting.

Pamela Colloff, who has done a praiseworthy job of following this story through the years, posted a good summary of the case and of the ruling yesterday evening.  If you are not familiar with this case, I would definitely start there.

I think the opinions themselves are also well worth reading.  And they are neither long nor hard to read. 

The lead opinion, to which the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agreed by a 7-2 margin, pointedly overturns the conviction on narrow grounds as conservative appeals judges are wont to do.  Judge Lawrence Meyers writes that Overton’s Defense greatly erred in not presenting Dr. Michael Moritz, an expert on salt poisoning and pica, to testify. He contends this omission meets the tests of determining ineffective counsel, and then in effect says that’s all we need to rule.

But the conclusion is rather pointed in saying what is left unsaid:

Because we are granting relief on Applicant’s first claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, there is no need for us to address the second issue of whether the State failed to disclose exculpatory evidence. We reverse Applicant’s conviction and remand her case to the trial court for a new trial.

A very interesting concurring opinion by three of the judges just as pointedly says the unsaid.  It in effect says that the issue of ineffective counsel is enough to rule, but we are going to talk about the prosecution anyway.  In their own words:

The majority does not address applicant’s Brady claims because it grants relief based on one of her ineffective assistance of counsel claims. It is helpful, however, to place that ineffective-assistance claim within the broader context of applicant’s claims concerning the fundamental unfairness of her trial.

And they are withering in critiquing the conduct of the prosecution in the Overton trial, especially in withholding exculpatory (Brady) evidence from the Defense.  They certainly do not hold much back on the subject of lead prosecutor Sandra Eastwood:

At the habeas hearing, the lead prosecutor conceded that, during this 2007 trial, she was an alcoholic who was also taking prescription diet pills that affected her memory. She was later fired by the District Attorney (who had been the second-chair prosecutor during this trial) for unrelated ethical violations. During the habeas hearing, the prosecutor repeated seventy-two times that she did not recall or did not know the answers to questions concerning the investigation or trial of applicant. She could not remember documents that she had written during the trial and did not recognize her handwriting; she did not remember writing the e-mails that came from her e-mail address, nor receiving other e-mails at that address; she could not remember if she saw any vomit when she previewed the evidence with one of applicant’s counsel before trial, and she did not remember asking the police to have it tested.

The second-chair prosecutor (later appointed as the District Attorney by the Governor) testified that the lead prosecutor told her that “she would do anything it would take to get an advantage over the Defense,” including sending a “spy” to applicant’s church group to learn the defense strategy. The second-chair prosecutor testified that the lead prosecutor was not ethical and was “not truthful.” She said that the lead prosecutor told her that no vomit samples had been saved as evidence. She said that she was “concerned with the fact that [the lead prosecutor] was violating the Court’s orders.”

And that’s for starters.  Again, I am not a lawyer.  But I find it remarkable the three appeals judges feel it right so to call out the prosecution when that was not necessary to make the ruling in question.  It is safe to say that they were provoked by the egregious misconduct of the Nueces County D.A.’s office.

Not only that, the three question (page 2) the jury instructions issued by trial judge Jose Longoria, although they do not mention him by name.  Those instructions have also been an issue through the years.  They certainly contributed to the over-the-top verdict of guilty of capital murder.

As for the two judges who dissented, this is the last straw for me.  If they are so blind as to think Overton received a fair trial….  Given their short opinion, they hardly seem to care and hardly address the issues raised by the majority.  The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is elected.  And I will never vote for Judges Keller (aka Sharon Killer) and Keasler again.  I counsel all Texans to do likewise when the time comes.

The ball is now in the court, if you will, of the current Nueces County District Attorney, Mark Skurka.  His options range from trying Ms. Overton for capital murder again to dismissing all charges against her.

Hannah Overton has already served seven years in prison for a crime she did not commit.  Even if she was criminally negligent in the death of Andrew Burd – and that is a big “if” not at all supported by the body of evidence – seven years is certainly more than enough to serve for that.

D.A. Mark Skurka did not do the right thing when her conviction was appealed.  He now has the opportunity to make some amends.  Mark Skurka should dismiss all charges against Hannah Overton post haste.

I am among those who will be watching his conduct closely.  Eight years of injustice from the Nueces County D. A.’s office is enough.

The “Ridiculous” and Outrageous Rick Perry Indictment

Those who followed my twitter feed over the weekend know I can get a good rant on about the indictment of Rick Perry.  But I will try to keep this to a readable length.  As any number of good lawyers can tell you, the indictment is absurd.  The veto is part of a Texas governor’s powers, and threatening a veto is part of expected political give and take.  One prosecutor has even called out the prosecutor who talked a grand jury into the indictment:

The indictment against Perry is such a groundless, utterly shameless criminalization of politics that the prosecutor, Michael McCrum, and Travis County as a whole should be mercilessly mocked, insulted, and made to feel the pain for supporting officials willing to run the criminal justice system like a banana republic. Here is the letter that Patterico, an prosecutor himself, sent to McCrum:

Mr. McCrum,

You should be deeply ashamed of yourself. This prosecution is a joke. It is perhaps one of the most outrageous abuses of power by a prosecutor I have heard of in years. I'm a prosecutor myself - writing you on my own and not speaking for my office - and I just want you to know that your actions tar good prosecutors everywhere. Thank God you never became U.S. Attorney. I hope you lose quickly and are drummed out of public life in disgrace.

Patrick Frey

Los Angeles

Even a number of left of center people have spoken out against this indictment.  David Axelrod called it “pretty sketchy.”  Alan Dershowitz is outraged by it.  And Jonathan Chait even wrote a piece entitled “This Indictment Of Rick Perry Is Unbelievably Ridiculous”.

Which it is.  But some Democrats still have no shame and are cheerleading this travesty, namely scumbags Jim Messina and Joaquin Castro.

This indictment is part of a pattern of Democrats engaging in bogus prosecutions to take down opponents.  It is more worthy of Putin’s Russian than of America.  It also part of a problem that transcends politics – the willingness of too many prosecutors to indict for reasons other than justice and evidence.

Travis County, Texas, from whence the Perry indictment comes, has a shameful history of being a part of both patterns.  I remember that past Travis Co. DA Ronnie Earle’s indictment of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison pretty much got thrown out of court.  The trial lasted about 30 minutes with the judge instructing the jury to give a directed verdict of Not Guilty.  (I’ve never been a fan of Hutchison, by the way.)  And Earle’s conviction of Tom Delay was thrown out, but not after destroying Delay’s career.

As for the current Travis County DA, she is a corrupt drunk, convicted of DWI. (She was three times the level limit.) She should have been convicted of resisting arrest as well.  The purported reason Perry was indicted is he threatened to veto public integrity funds for her office if she did not resign.  She did not, and he did.

I thought vetoing funds to corrupt partisan power-hungry drunks is good government.  I guess to some Democrats, it is a criminal offense.

Or is standing up to Obama and running for the Republican nomination for President the real criminal offense here?

Tea Party Wins Big in Texas Runoffs

If the Tea Party is dying, someone forgot to tell Texans. 

In the Republican Primary Runoffs yesterday, sitting Establishment GOP Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst was wiped out by almost a 2-to-1 margin by Sen. Dan Patrick.  And good riddance to Dirty David, a notorious big money gutter campaigner. 

In the race for Attorney General, it again was not close as Tea Party fave Ken Paxton won with 64% of the vote.

Ted Cruz-backed Konni Burton won the GOP nomination for Wendy Davis’ State Senate seat with over 60%.

And the Tea Party won again in a mild upset in the 4^th Congressional District Congressional race with John Ratcliffe defeating Rep. Ralph Hall.  Hall used to be my congressman and certainly had an honorable and venerable career.  At 91, he has served in Congress for 34 years and served well.  For much of that time, he was the House’s most conservative Democrat, voting to impeach Bill Clinton and refusing to vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker.  (He switched to the Republican Party in 2004.)

Although it may have been time for a change, I thank Congressman Hall for his honorable service.

Julian Castro pushes Anti-Christian Anti-“bias” Ordinance

It is hard not to notice that San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is Obama’s fair-haired boy.  He was even was the Keynote speaker at last year’s Democrat National Convention.

But if San Antonio eventually doesn’t share the love anymore and boots him as mayor, his support of this proposed ordinance will no doubt be a big reason why:

“No person shall be appointed to a position if the city council finds that such person has, prior to such proposed appointment, engaged in discrimination or demonstrated a bias, by word or deed, against any person, group or organization on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, age or disability,” the ordinance reads.

Critics argue that the ordinance could ban Christians who believe homosexuality is a sin from serving on the city council.

They also believe the ordinance would also ban the city from doing business with anyone who fails to espouse politically correct views and businesses run by people of faith would be subject to criminal penalties if they refused to provide services that conflict with their religious beliefs related to homosexuality.

And before one thinks the Christians are overreacting here, note that the ordinance outlaws demonstrating “a bias.”  Really?  So I cannot even be biased against someone because I consider their conduct perverted or because I think their “disability” is a sham or because I think their religion promotes terrorism or baby-killing?  Not to mention the implications if my religion happens to be biased against certain things like, oh, SIN.

The ordinance invites an alarmist reading because its wording begs an alarmist reading.

Anyway, as I said, I will not be the least bit surprised if this proves to be Julian Castro’s Waterloo.  The proposed ordinance is that broad and outrageous.  San Antonio is much more far gone than I think if it does not.

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A big hat tip to MCJ.

Eric Holder’s Attacks Against Red States and Clean Elections Continue

I should not have been surprised by this morning’s news, but I was.  I thought the Supreme Court, in their Voting Right Act ruling, had said enough of the Justice Department treating some states as if it were 1960 and they were still knee-deep in Jim Crow laws.  And I thought Eric Holder would get the message and turn his efforts elsewhere.

But I have over-estimated Barack Obama and his Attorney General Eric Holder yet again. 

First: Attorney General Eric Holder will announce that the Justice Department will initiate broad nationwide attacks on election integrity measures like Voter ID using the remaining portions of the Voting Rights Act. Last month, the Supreme Court struck down the 1965 triggers that forced 15 states to submit election law changes to Washington D.C. for federal approval.

Second: despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Justice Department announced it will try to recapture Texas under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act by showing the state continues to act with a racially discriminatory intent when passing voting laws.

Meaning Texas would have to continue to pre-clear any election law changes with Holder, with predictable results.  Never mind the Supreme Court and Constitutional Federalism.  Obama and Holder must have the red states, especially Texas, under their thumb and must have their rigged elections.

. . . this announcement is all about the midterm elections. Obama wants the House back, and the Justice Department is again being turned into a political weapon using the cloak of Civil Rights. This has become the new civil rights model. Because Democratic interests are so perfectly aligned with the civil rights establishment — in no small measure because of extreme block voting by American blacks — the DOJ is now an arm of the DNC.

Exactly.

By the way, the penchant of the Obama regime and allies to use race as a weapon is a big reason race relations in this country are plummeting.

About West, Texas

First, my prayers are among the many prayers ascending for the town of West, Texas after the awful fertilizer plant explosion.

But I thought it might be helpful also to add a little background about the town.

And, yes, West, (comma) Texas in this case is a town, and it’s not in West Texas.  It’s in North Central Texas, more or less, between Waco and Hillsboro.  And it’s certainly not “Western Texas” as I think I heard BBC Radio Worldwide refer to it a couple hours ago.  They can be forgiven as it confuses even us Texans!

The reason I am familiar with West is that I have stopped many a time there to buy pastries and other food when driving on I-35.  The town is of Czech heritage and knows how to cook.

So watch how those who drive on I-35 will band together to help out the town.  They have already won our hearts via our tastebuds.  And the CzechFest they have every Labor Day weekend will surely be very well attended this year.

If you would like to chip in and help out the town of West, here are some ways.  In addition, Glenn Beck’s people are helping out as well.

As if I don’t like Ted Cruz enough already . . .

This morning I am still slightly giddy over Ted Cruz’s crushing landslide defeat of establishment sleazebag David Dewhurst by almost a 57%-43% margin in the Texas Republican run-off.

As if I don’t have enough of a man-crush on Cruz, guess what he served at his victory party?

Chick-fil-a.

By the way, overlooked in the great Cruz victory last night – veteran RINO State Senator Jeff Wentworth went down . . . big: 66%-34% to Donna Campbell.  Wow.

The Sandra Fluke of Voter ID

Really this is so rich, you can’t make this up.  One Victoria Rose Rodriguez, 18, testified in a Washington, D. C. federal court about how haaard is it for her to get a ride to get an ID to vote in Texas.

Yet she somehow managed to make it all the way to Washington to whine about it.  Hmmm.

You know I bet if this lazy (or is it dissembling?*) girl wants to go to a show or the mall, she probably can manage to get a ride from friends.  And then there is public transportation.  But even putting those options aside, there are any number of groups who would be glad to help her get an ID for voting.  One commenter did a little homework on that:

I called 6 different "organizations" including a LULAC office, an NAACP office, the local National Council of La Raza office, local Democratic Party headquarters, local Republican Party headquarters and my Congressional Representative's office and they all told me that they could and would arrange for a ride.

But, but calling and getting a ride is so haaaard.  No, it isn’t, you lazy princess.

Ms. Rodriguez deserves to become the Sandra Fluke of Voter ID, i. e. a woman with such an overweening sense of entitlement and giving such absurd testimony that she famously helps make the case against the position she espouses.

And this is the best Eric Holder’s vote fraud enablers can come up with to make their case against Texas’ Voter ID law?  You think just maybe they do not have much of a case at all?

(*If the suggestion of the possibility of less than truthful testimony offends, remember that the Roe of Roe v Wade lied about being raped by her own later admission.  Liberal causes are so much more important than truthful testimony, don’tcha know.  And this young woman’s testimony strains credulity at best.)

Texas Chainsaw Prosecution Massacre

At the risk of sounding like a bleedin’ heart lib’rul, I cannot help but notice a rash of news from Texas that does not reflect well on prosecutors.

First, another two Dallas County men have been cleared of previous convictions thanks to advances in DNA evidence.  That brings to 32 the number of men so cleared of past Dallas County convictions.

Now it is a good thing DNA science has advanced to make more clear the guilt or innocence of many.  And the current Dallas Co. District Attorney Craig Watkins is to be commended for being proactive in reversing past wrongful convictions which did not happen under his watch.  May his tribe increase.  And it is good that under Texas law, if you have a conviction reversed and receive a declaration of “actual innocence,” you are entitled to $80,000 for each year of wrongful imprisonment.

BUT if so many men in one county have had convictions reversed, it makes one wonder just how many innocent people are rotting in prison.

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Just Northeast of Dallas, in Denton County, one judge was so enraged by two prosecutors withholding evidence from the defense, he has banned the two from his court, adding that they lack “the innate intellect of a fifth-grader”.  Read more to get an idea of the displeasure of Judge Burgess and the cause thereof.

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Down in South Texas in Nueces County last week was the sensational hearing on the infamous 2007 capital murder conviction of Hannah Overton for allegedly poisoning her foster child . . . with salt. 

Yes, the conviction was absurd and aided by questionable and confusing instructions to the jury by Judge Longoria.  Some jurors polled afterward indicated they voted to convict because of supposed slowness of Overton to get medical attention (But she wasn’t slow, and testimony last week indicated greater speed probably would not have saved the boy anyway.), not because they thought she intentionally and with malice and aforethought killed him.  But by definition you have to have that intent to convict for capital murder.

With evidence of prosecutorial misconduct arising since, an appeals court ordered a hearing in Longoria’s court.  In it, the 2007 prosecutor Sandra Eastwood (since fired, thank God) did not come off well.  Testifying reluctantly under a subpoena, many of her answers were of an “I don’t remember” variety.  And a member of her 2007 prosecution team, Anna Jimenez, frankly testified that she was so troubled by Eastwood’s ethics that she complained to the District Attorney.  Then there was this:

According to Jimenez, Eastwood told her, “I will do anything to win this case.” Jimenez also recalled Eastwood sending someone to spy on Hannah’s fellow church members in order to determine what sort of defense strategy would likely be pursued at trial. (Eastwood denied Jimenez’s allegations.)

“Her behavior during the entire course of this trial was so—” Jimenez said, taking a few moments to search for the right words, “—far out.”

I think that cuts to the core of the problem with Sandra Eastwood and with too many prosecutors.  They will “do anything to win” regardless of ethics, the evidence or lack thereof, and justice.  Given the choice of laying a case aside when the evidence for guilt is lacking or going for a scalp, they will go for a scalp.  And if innocent people are sent to prison . . . well defending them is neither their job nor their concern.

I wish I could say the current Nueces County D. A. is not of this ilk.  But Mark Skurka’s office is fighting the effort to overturn Overton’s conviction.

Pamela Colloff’s reporting on this case has been stellar.  Recent posts from her may be found here.  And be sure to read her excellent Texas Monthly article on Hannah Overton.

I continue to pray for real justice for Hannah Overton and all who are wrongfully imprisoned.

MORE: I forgot to mention that the similarities between the Hannah Overton case and another wrongful conviction for alleged salt poisoning are remarkable and relevant.

He ever lives to intercede for us . . . in Texas courts.

One of the most comforting doctrines, and one particularly relevant to Easter and the upcoming season of Ascension, is that Jesus ever lives to intercede for us.

And, apparently, that includes intercession in Texas courts.  Jesus himself has purportedly joined a court filing of Warren Jeffs, commanding that said leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints be freed.

I do hope the appeals court asked if Jesus got his statement notarized.

Texas Defies Obama, Defunds Planned Parenthood

I am glad to see that Texas’ response to the Obama regime’s insistence that Medicaid Women’s Heath Program money goes to Planned Parenthood in Texas is . . . pound sand:

If there was any hope that the state was seeking a compromise with the federal government over Texas’ Women’s Health Program, it’s fading fast.

At the direction of lawmakers and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Texas Health and Human Services commissioner signed a rule on Thursday that formally bans Planned Parenthood clinics and other “affiliates of abortion providers” from participating in the program – something the Obama administration has said is a deal-breaker for the nearly $40 million-per-year state-federal Medicaid program.

The rule, signed by Commissioner Tom Suehs on Thursday, takes effect March 14.

“Under federal law, states administer Medicaid and have the right to set the criteria for providers in the program. That is what Texas is doing,” said Stephanie Goodman, a spokeswoman for the agency. “We have a state law that our Attorney General says is constitutional, and it clearly bans abortion providers from taking part in the Women’s Health Program. We can’t violate a perfectly valid state law just to appease Washington. We hope CMS will reverse its position and allow the program to continue.”

Unless some last-minute agreement is brokered, the program, which receives $9 in federal funds for every $1 in state funds, will be either phased out or cut off by the end of March.

I hope this will be one of many areas in which Texas and other red states just say NO to Planned Parenthood and to Fed tyranny.

Eric Holder at the LBJ Library – How Appropriate

Eric Holder gave a little speech in Austin yesterday on how he wants to rig elections. The venue was the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum.

How appropriate.

LBJ got elected to the Senate due to ballot stuffing in Duval County. So his library is the perfect venue for Holder’s speech.

Like all good Democrats, Holder sticks his head in the sand concerning election fraud.

[Holder] said there is widespread agreement that in-person voting fraud -- the chief target of the new laws -- "is uncommon."

Well, maybe most voters are not ineligible felons or illegal aliens or voting multiple times or had their votes bought etc. etc., but somehow enough of them are to help Democrats win in close races. But it’s “uncommon.” No problem here!

But Voter ID laws to make vote fraud even less common, why we can’t have that. That’s vote fraud suppression, I mean, “voter suppression.”

And we must make sure the right people are elected.

Holder reiterated the department's assertion that Texas "has failed to show the absence of discrimination" by not drawing new congressional districts that would strengthen the voting power of Hispanics, who fueled much of the state's population growth over the past decade.

So the Texas congressional delegation must elect Democrats through gerrymandered districts based on race. Never mind that Texas is an overwhelmingly Republican state. Only groups favored by Democrats have “voting rights”, not those racist Republicans.

As if that is not enough, this gem came up after the speech:

In a question-and-answer session with library Director Mark Updegrove, after his 30-minute address, Holder said that after taking office, he chose to reinvigorate the department's Civil Rights Division because he felt the unit had "lost its way."

In other words, the Civil Rights Division was not as Leftist and devoted to rigging elections as Holder wanted. So he hired some real winners. Hire after hire are Leftists with a record of opposing efforts to prevent vote fraud. Some even oppose felon disenfranchisement laws.

Again, Holder’s (and Obama’s) determination to support election rigging and fraud is in the spirit of that greeeeat man, Lyndon Baines Johnson. The LBJ Library was indeed the perfect venue for yesterday’s speech.


MORE: J. Christian Adams was in Austin. The money line of his take:

[Holder] said that voter fraud “isn’t a huge problem,” perhaps marking the first time the nation’s chief law enforcement downplayed criminal behavior.

Texas Republican Crossovers

The evidence is anecdotal, but it appears many Texas Republicans crossed over to vote in the Democrat primary yesterday. (Yes, that’s legal in Texas.) That’s understandable given that, for the first time in many years, most of the real action was in the Democrat primaries here, not the Republican. And it appears a majority of those crossovers voted for Hillary Clinton.

This event brings back distant memories of when the Democrat primary was always the only political game in town in Texas. And, yes, back in the old days, many (most?) Republicans crossed over and voted in the Democrat primary.

I remember when “Mama”, may she rest in peace, crossed over to vote in the 1970 Democrat primary for Lloyd Bentsen for Senate against the sitting Senator Ralph Yarborough. Mama hated liberal Yarborough with a passion. With the help of such Republican crossovers, Bentsen won and went on to have a long Senate career.

The crossover Republican support for Bentsen had unintended consequences, however. It scuttled the chances of the Republican in the November election, one George Bush (the elder). And Bentsen turned out to be unbeatable, holding the Senate seat for 22 years until his retirement to become Secretary of the Treasury.

Such Republican miscalculation is understandable though. Back then, most Texas elections were decided in the Democrat primary as it had been since Reconstruction.

That would soon end, however. The “Yellow Dog” Democrats were already beginning to die off. 1972 and George McGovern would lurch the national Democrat Party to the left. In the Reagan years, Texas would become a strongly Republican state.

So it’s been many years since Texas Republicans had reason to cross over into the Democrat primary. Although it would be a cold day in Hell before I would do so (I do usually split my ticket in November though.), I think this development is healthy. Being a one party state or close to it breeds corruption and complacency regardless of which one party is in power. As a Republican precinct chair, I saw first hand negative effects of Denton County being a one party Republican county. It woke me up to the fact that the rot of one party politics isn’t just a Democrat problem. So I think the strong Democrat primary yesterday was healthy, both for Texas and for the Texas Republican Party.

And, yes, I’m also glad we slowed down Obamarama.

More here and here.

And I am ready to hear confessions from Republicans who crossed over.

The European Union Lectures Texas on the Death Penalty. :snicker:

Now I should let you know I’m not as big a fan of the death penalty as many Texans. When Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst backed expanding the death penalty to child predators, I e-mailed him saying he need not bother asking for my support ever again. And I think Texas overdoes it with executions in general.

But I suspect my reaction when the EU decided to lecture us about the death penalty was the same as many Texans. I just smiled. And apparently so did Governor Perry:

230 years ago, our forefathers fought a war to throw off the yoke of a European monarch and gain the freedom of self-determination. Texans long ago decided that the death penalty is a just and appropriate punishment for the most horrible crimes committed against our citizens. While we respect our friends in Europe, welcome their investment in our state and appreciate their interest in our laws, Texans are doing just fine governing Texas.

Meddling, condescending, and insufferable – very EU.
Clear, brief, to the point, and with a smile – very Texan.