Steve's Soapbox

Brownwood Drugs gone AWOL ? Raise your hands if you think this is the first time !

Steves' Market & Deli — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:01:00 +0000

Wednesday February 7, 2007

News

Missing drug evidence brings trial to early end

By Steve Nash — Brownwood Bulletin

District Judge Steve Ellis ended a drug trial Tuesday because key evidence — methamphetamine allegedly seized from the defendant — could not be found in the Brownwood Police Department’s evidence room.

Former Brownwood police officer Britt Brownlee, who faces sentencing Friday in a federal drug case, was the custodian of evidence when defendant Harvill Blackshere was arrested in May 2004, narcotics officer Bruce Spruill told Ellis in a hearing outside the jury’s presence.

Prosecutors learned Friday as they were preparing for trial that police could not find the evidence, and immediately notified defense attorney Nathan Butler, Assistant District Attorney Perry Sims said.

Ellis did not dismiss the case outright against Blackshere, who was accused of possessing less than a gram of methamphetamine. Neither did Ellis declare a mistrial.

Ellis did, however, grant a defense motion to exclude the drug evidence. Butler argued the state had violated Blackshere’s rights under the Texas constitution “in that the state has ‘misplaced’ the alleged controlled substance.”

The state can appeal Ellis’ ruling to the 11th Court of Appeals in Eastland.

Brownwood Police Chief Virgil Cowin said he won’t comment until he has reviewed the matter with other police officials.

The indictment against Blackshere alleged he had previous felony convictions of burglary and retaliation.

Ellis said the district attorney’s office, as well as current or former police officers who were witnesses in the case, were not at fault.

Spruill told Ellis he knew of no evidence that would show Brownlee had anything to do with the methamphetamine missing.

“We’re pleased with the result,” Butler said after Ellis ended the trial. “We feel justice has been served in this case. Obviously (Blackshere) is relieved to have this behind him.

“We had unexplained missing evidence. Obviously we would have grave concerns about missing evidence from any police evidence locker. That is certainly unacceptable.”

Sims said, “We will be reviewing the ruling and the case law. Obviously we disagree with the court’s assessment. ... I believe the law would’ve allowed us to proceed despite the missing evidence.”

“Law enforcement agencies here in Brown County do a good job of investigating crimes as well as maintaining evidence,” Sims said. “Clearly the law allows, in certain circumstances, prosecution to proceed if evidence has been lost or displaced or destroyed” if it has not happened “in bad faith.”

Sims said police had sent the methamphetamine to a Department of Public Safety crime lab for testing, and the crime lab sent it back to the police department in August 2004.

He said prosecutors had asked officers to retrieve evidence and bring it to meeting between prosecutors and witnesses Friday. “They found it was missing,” Sims said. “At this point we do not know if it was simply misplaced or not.”

A jury was seated Monday, and testimony began Tuesday morning. The state had elicited testimony alleging that Blackshere was one of two people in a parked car and that methamphetamine found in the car belonged to him.

Butler then filed a motion asking Ellis to exclude testimony about the seized drugs, as well as lab reports, results or “other evidence pertaining to the alleged controlled substance in this matter.”

Ellis said the matter presented him with “the horns of a dilemma.” Ellis said on balance he could not admit the evidence and that “justice can’t be done” because of the circumstances.

http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2007/02/07/news/news01
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UPDATE:
Thursday February 8, 2007

News

Investigators suspect evidence tampering

By Steve Nash — Brownwood Bulletin

Investigators believe former Brownwood police detective Britt Brownlee “tampered with” some evidence in the Brownwood Police Department’s evidence room, Brown County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tony Aaron said.

Aaron was part of an investigation involving the sheriff’s office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency into Brownlee’s activities.

The initial investigation had nothing to do with Brownlee possibly taking evidence, Aaron said. After Brownlee was arrested in July 2006, evidence suggested that “some evidence was tampered with” by Brownlee, Aaron said.

He declined to elaborate.

District Judge Steve Ellis ended a drug trial Tuesday after it was revealed that a small amount of methamphetamine, alleged to have belonged to the defendant, could not be found in the police department’s evidence room.

Brownlee was the evidence custodian when the methamphetamine was sent back from a crime lab in August 2004 and placed in the evidence room, police have said.

Police Chief Virgil Cowin said the police department has changed its methods in maintaining the evidence room — partly because of the events involving Brownlee and partly because of a new computer system.

The department has changed the way it logs, marks and maintains evidence, resulting in tighter controls, Cowin said.

Cowin said police don’t know if Brownlee had anything to do with the methamphetamine in that case being missing. He said police officials want to learn more about Brownlee’s possible involvement with missing evidence.

source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2007/02/08/news/news03.txt

Thursday February 8, 2007

News

A promise unfulfilled — Britt Brownlee awaits sentencing on Friday

By Steve Nash — Brownwood Bulletin

Britt Brownlee

Brownwood Police Chief Virgil Cowin recalled the fall day in September 2005 when a troubled young officer entered his office and said he was resigning.

“Britt, have you done anything wrong?” a surprised Cowin asked the man seated in front of him.

“No,” Britt Brownlee replied.

The 28-year-old officer started to cry.

Now, Brownlee is in federal custody on a methamphetamine distribution charge. Brownlee, now 29, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Lubbock and will be sentenced Friday.

Investigators have revealed few specifics about the case against Brownlee.

“I never saw this coming,” said Sgt. Dennis Weathermon, Brownlee’s supervisor and head of the criminal investigation division, where Brownlee had worked as a detective since April 2003.

“It just makes you want to feel sick.”

“It wasn’t pleasant for our department,” Cowin said. “If a cop’s dirty ... I like Britt. I don’t like what he did. I don’t dislike Britt, but it hurts the trust people have for us.”

Brownlee’s once-promising career with the Brownwood Police Department had lasted not quite five years. He became a police officer in October 2000 and resigned Sept. 28, 2005.

The resignation was voluntary, but Brownlee had lost favor with his superiors about six months earlier. In fact, Brownlee was on the road to being terminated, Assistant Police Chief Garry Page said. Brownlee had developed personal problems, and he became withdrawn, shutting himself up in his office. “He wasn’t that good of an employee anymore,” Weathermon said.

———

“Please be kind to our family,” Brownlee’s mother, Glenna, sobbed in a phone interview. “This is so hard.”

She said she doesn’t know if her son was involved in drugs or what caused his problems. “It hurts the family very deeply,” Glenna Brownlee said.

Before her son’s troubles began, she said, his name and picture had been in the newspaper numerous times for something good.

Now, she said, his troubles have been played out in the newspapers and on television.

“I don’t think one bad thing should tear down all the good things in his life,” she said. “He’s always been a good son. We’re going to miss him.”

“ ... This is like having a death in the family. We’ve never been through anything like this. He’s always been a perfect son.”

She said Britt had spent his adult life helping care for his disabled father, Bennie.

Glenna Brownlee said she doesn’t know what kind of sentence her son will receive Friday.

———

In May 2001, Brownlee wore the crisp blue uniform of a Brownwood patrol officer when he was featured in a Bulletin article.

Handsome, husky and square-jawed, he sported a reddish-brown flattop. By all accounts he was personable, outgoing and affable, immensely polite and possessing something of an “aw, shucks” demeanor.

A 1996 graduate of Brownwood High School, Brownlee said then that he’d planned to go to college or work in real estate, but he got hooked on law enforcement after riding with a sheriff’s deputy.

He became a reserve officer with the Brownwood department in April 1999, then became a full-time officer in October 2000.

In April 2003, Brownlee applied for a vacancy in CID and was selected for the slot. “It was an awesome feeling,” Brownlee told the Bulletin.

He said then he wanted to become a police officer because of a desire to help people, and he figured working in law enforcement would allow him to do that.

“I’m living my dream. It’s what I love to do,” Brownlee said.

As a CID detective, he traded his uniform for street clothes, his patrol car for an office. “I think I’ll miss putting on the blue uniform and jumping in the patrol car,” Brownlee said.

Weathermon said Brownlee started off well in his new assignment. “He was good. He was aggressive,” Weathermon said.

“He appeared to love his job,” Cowin said.

———

About six months before Brownlee resigned, his superiors began to notice that some things weren’t right. They knew he had personal problems that apparently stemmed from a relationship he was involved in outside the police department.

“We all counseled him about it. We told him it could blow up in his face,” Page said. He declined to elaborate.

The quality of his work deteriorated, Page, Cowin and Weathermon said. He didn’t follow up on investigations, didn’t complete assigned tasks.

“We had detected some irregularity in reports that led us to believe he was not tending to business,” Page said.

Weathermon informed Brownlee that he was being reassigned to patrol, and Brownlee went on vacation without ever resuming patrol duties.

While Brownlee was on vacation, Page learned that he had failed to execute some “legal documents” in a criminal case. “He had advised he had done it,” Page said.

That, Page said, “was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” He said Brownlee was going to be terminated.

But while Brownlee was still on vacation, he went to see Cowin and resigned.

———

Well before Brownlee turned in his badge, rumors were swirling that he was being investigated for illegal narcotics.

On July 30, 2006, Brownlee was arrested at his parents’ home on a federal drug warrant. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.

Brownlee was among two-dozen-plus people who were arrested in a roundup by federal, state and local officials of methamphetamine suspects.

The indictments against the suspects were issued as a result of a joint investigation by the Brown County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Sheriff Bobby Grubbs then.

Brown County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tony Aaron said at the time that the arrests stemmed from an investigation that began in Brown County more than a year earlier. He would not reveal details of the case against Brownlee, saying only that he was alleged “to have been involved with a group of others in the distribution of methamphetamine.”

The indictment against Brownlee alleged that he was involved in illegal activity from 2003 to the time of the indictment.

Brownlee pleaded guilty on Nov. 16.

———

Brownlee has been incarcerated since his arrest. Glenna Brownlee said she’s not allowed to say where he’s being held.

“He’s a very religious young man, and he’s depending on his faith to help him get through this, like we all are,” Glenna Brownlee said.

The family has some good news on which to focus — her 22-year-old granddaughter, Kim, a member of the San Antonio Spurs’ Silver Dancers, has been selected to the NBA All-Star Dance Team in Las Vegas, Nev.

Glenna Brownlee said she wants to thank people who have prayed for the Brownlee family. “I think we’ve been on every prayer list of every church in Brownwood,” she said. She also said she wants to thank the police department for the way it treated the family and Brownlee when he was arrested. “Special thanks to (Police Cpl.) Troy Carroll for his courteous professionalism,” she said.

Police officials, meanwhile, said they’re working to regain the public’s trust in the aftermath of Brownlee’s arrest.

Detective Larry Owings, who replaced Brownlee in CID, said Brownlee’s actions hurt law enforcement but, he said those actions don’t represent the police department.

Ironically, Brownlee had gotten his job in CID after Owings resigned from the police department, creating a CID vacancy. Owings came back to work as a patrol officer a few months later, and rejoined CID after Brownlee left.

Cowin said he can forgive Brownlee personally, “but not for what he did to the people he served and the department.”

source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2007/02/08/news/news01.txt

Did the Pecan Valley Republican Women get David Davies message prior to the Perry Ball ? Holy Moly !

Steves' Market & Deli — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:05:00 +0000

Thursday February 8, 2007

Parracks, Kings attend Inaugural Ball

Special to the Bulletin

Roy and Charlotte Parrack and Bill and Nancy King attended the Governor’s Inaugural Ball in Austin on Jan. 16. The theme for this year’s event was “Texas: Imagine the Possibilities.”

The ball was held at the convention center downtown, and in spite of the wintry frozen weather; thousands attended the black tie affair. Beautiful roses in a variety of colors adorned every table and the lavishly decorated dessert buffets.

Entertaining the crowd was Mary Wilson, of the original Supremes, Clay Walker and Ted Nugent.

“I was surprised by the younger people attending,” said Charlotte Parrack.

Of course, interest in politics knows no age boundaries, and young and old alike were dressed to the nines. Perry sang a song with Clay Walker, danced on stage with his family and greeted guests. “We met some very interesting people and had a wonderful time. I am glad we had the opportunity to attend,” said Charlotte Parrack.

Charlotte Parrack and Nancy King are both members of the Pecan Valley Republican Women.

source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2007/02/07/news/news06.txt
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Let David Davies explain his message, which includes Ted Nugent,

here

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Note from Steve, This article also featured a photo of Rocker Ted Nugent sporting his Confederate Shirt (see story below).

Jan. 18, 2007, 1:34PM
Perry's talk of unity hits a sour note, some say

By LISA SANDBERG
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN — At his inauguration, after being sworn into office by the first black chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court — a man he appointed — Gov. Rick Perry spoke wistfully of a tolerant Texas, where "no one is invalidated because of their heritage, but valued because of their humanity."

If you ask critics, the spirit of unity didn't last through the governor's $75-a-ticket inaugural ball, held later Tuesday night at the Austin Convention Center.

Rocking the house as the night's final act was singer Ted Nugent, a friend of Perry's known as the "Motor City Madman." Nugent appeared onstage wearing a cut-off T-shirt emblazoned with the sure-to-draw-headlines Confederate flag and shouting some unflattering remarks about non-English speakers, according to people who were in attendance. His props were machine guns.

Spokesman defends event

Perry's spokesman, Robert Black, downplayed the incident.
"Ted Nugent is a good friend of the governor's. He asked him if he would play at the inaugural. He didn't put any stipulation of what he would play," Black said. He added that "Most people had a really good time and enjoyed the show."

However, some within Perry's party said the appearance was unbefitting a governor who may have national ambitions. "I think it was a horrible choice," GOP strategist Royal Masset said. "I hope nobody approved it."

The black-tie ball was just hours after an inauguration notable for its conciliatory tone. Perry was sworn into office by Wallace Jefferson, who descended from slaves to become the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

In his speech, Perry extolled the virtues of bipartisanship, compassion for the poor and racial and class unity. The rhetoric was so moderate for a Republican governor from Texas that some news stories speculated Perry must have vice-presidential ambitions.

News of Nugent's appearance drew barbs from Democrats and civil-rights leaders.

"Whenever someone sports the Confederate battle flag, many Texans will be offended, and rightly so, because of what it symbolizes — the enslavement of African-Americans and more recently the symbol of hate groups and terrorists," Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, wrote in an e-mail. "The politics of the Confederacy and the Old South are out of step with mainstream America."

State Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said the choice of entertainers reflected poorly on the Republican Party, and Perry in particular.

"This is clearly not the behavior of someone who's ready for the national stage. It's a sign of the times for the Republican Party. It's a divisive party. Perry knows his views and to feature him front and center, that alone says a lot."

Shocking people is nothing new for Nugent, and he's done it before in Texas. In 2000, he was banned from performing in The Woodlands after he let loose an expletive-filled tirade about illegal immigrants.

A hunting and gun-rights advocate, Nugent could not comment on his appearance at the inaugural; he was hunting, a spokeswoman said.

lsandberg@express-news.net

source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4478848.html

Welcome to Steve's Blog

Steves' Market & Deli — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:28:00 +0000

Blogger Steve

is just one of the millions of Bloggers on the World Wide Web who are discussing some of the hottest topics ( A to Z ) going on around the Global Village

Example: The Brown County $500.00 Sandwich

. You'll notice our interests include "Quality of Life Issues" which universally include Justice & Injustice

Brownwood Cold Case Murders

Politics ( Local, State, National, International )

We're Independent Texans By Birth & We Support KINKY FRIEDMAN

, Religion

Brownwood: 100 Churches & City Budgets !

, Health

Brownwood Asbestos

Education

Big Country HIV/Aids, Big Country Press, & Big Country Blogger

, Brownwood YMCA ?

Starts with the Salt

More Health

Brownwood PTSD

Food

Frito Chile Pie

Environmental

Greening up Brownwood

Economics, Camping

Classic RVing...

Media, Snow Skiing

WolfCreek Colorado Ski Conditions...

Civil Rights & Equality Issues, Movies

Brownwood Midnight Cowboy & Brokeback Mountain

and Historic Preservation ( especially Historic Downtown Brownwood ).

How do you see Historic Downtown Brownwood...

While visiting our site you may discover information and topics that interest you or that you may not have seen before !

Here's an example...

You might also want to visit www.brownwoodtx.com ( a creation of an advertising firm (GSDM) which focuses exclusively on the " Brownwood Feels Like Home " theme.

Brownwood Feels Like Home

After reading ( Greg Palast's - New York Times " Things like that do happen here " and Bill Crist's " Balance of news makes for a tough call " ( explaining why local reporters often have a hard time asking the tough questions when it involves their neighbors and club members who may also be their friends ! ) Brownwood Bulletin 2/20/04 ) you may better understand why documentation of " Historical Facts " ( often not reported by local media ! ) may be considered important to some. A towns " Unreported " History often speaks volumes ( see Brownwood Civil Rights History as a prime example ! ) about that community.

"Difficult history is difficult to handle"

Have you been exposed to Brownwood "Neo-Con Hate Radio" ( there is a difference between conservative and neo-conservative ! ) ? The Brownwood Bulletin Editorializes it as " Venom of the Airwaves ". We agree ! Many of our postings are a direct response to local " Extreme right " talking head propoganda ! We offer a Diverse Assortment of Corn Pone and our posted articles are a reflection of that !

Corn Pone ?...

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Brownwood and Brown County is on the move and you never know who's coming for a visit...

who’s coming to Brownwood ?...

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Have you seen the Brownwood Vultures circling and roosting

here

Note: Brownwood is rich in diversity & has a colorful history. Brownwood's truly got it all, from The Brownwood Mafia

Bush Library ?

, The Brownwood Taliban (Those Republicans who "will do or say anything in the name of GOD"! ( Google Lt Governor Bill Ratliff Taliban ) and

The Brownwood Yard Nazis

, to everything and everybody in-between !

Ted Haggard should set up shop in Brownwood !

Steves' Market & Deli — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:41:00 +0000

Haggard Agrees Not To Discuss Scandal Publicly

Years-Long Recovery Lasted 3 Weeks

POSTED: 8:22 pm MST February 7, 2007
UPDATED: 4:30 am MST February 8, 2007

DENVER -- Ted Haggard and the mega church he founded in Colorado Springs have signed an agreement that bars him from speaking publicly about the scandal that led to his departure from the church, co-pastor Rob Brendle said Wednesday.
Haggard resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and was forced out as senior pastor at the 14,000-member New Life Church last year after a Denver man made sex and drug allegations against him. Haggard publicly admitted to "sexual immorality."
Haggard told church members in an e-mail Sunday that his family planned to leave Colorado Springs and that he and his wife planned to pursue master's degrees in psychology.

Haggard signed an agreement last week that he would not rejoin the ministry at New Life Church, which he founded in 1985, Brendle said. Haggard agreed to relocate from Colorado Springs and not to speak publicly about the scandal.
The agreement included a financial settlement -- and a stipulation that neither the church nor Haggard would disclose the amount.
Brendle said that the decision for the Haggards to leave Colorado Springs was mutual.
"We recognize that his contributions to our church are immeasurable, as our founder and as our senior pastor for 22 years. At the same time, we recognize that his indiscretions are inexcusable," Brendle said.
Haggard went to a Tucson, Ariz. religious retreat after his resignation, where he was to undergo a "restoration plan" for his problems. The counseling team charged with restoring Haggard spiritually said earlier that the process could take as long as five years.
He stayed three weeks.
Haggard's intensive counseling was geared toward returning him to a life "that conforms with the teachings of the Bible and the example of Jesus," a pastor at his former church said.
"Beyond that, it's fruitless to speculate," associate New Life Church Pastor Rob Brendle said regarding claims that Haggard is "completely heterosexual" after counseling. "That (his sexual identity) is something that likely only Ted knows for sure."
Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur, one of four ministers who oversaw Haggard's three weeks of intensive counseling, told The Denver Post that Haggard is convinced he's heterosexual and his behavior wasn't a constant thing. Ralph said their investigation found Haggard was only involved with a former male prostitute, Mike Jones, who came forward with sexual allegation.
"Give me a break," Jones told The Gazette of Colorado Springs Wednesday, adding that Haggard performed oral sex on him over the three years they saw each other.
"Until he's honest with himself, he'll never be happy," Jones said.
Haggard's intensive counseling was geared toward returning him to a life "that conforms with the teachings of the Bible and the example of Jesus," a pastor at his former church said.
"Beyond that, it's fruitless to speculate," associate New Life Church Pastor Rob Brendle said regarding claims that Haggard is "completely heterosexual" after counseling. "That (his sexual identity) is something that likely only Ted knows for sure."
Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur, one of four ministers who oversaw Haggard's three weeks of intensive counseling, told The Denver Post that Haggard is convinced he's heterosexual and his behavior wasn't a constant thing. Ralph said their investigation found Haggard was only involved with a former male prostitute, Mike Jones, who came forward with sexual allegation.
"Give me a break," Jones told The Gazette of Colorado Springs Wednesday, adding that Haggard performed oral sex on him over the three years they saw each other.
"Until he's honest with himself, he'll never be happy," Jones said.
Haggard's intensive counseling was geared toward returning him to a life "that conforms with the teachings of the Bible and the example of Jesus," a pastor at his former church said.
"Beyond that, it's fruitless to speculate," associate New Life Church Pastor Rob Brendle said regarding claims that Haggard is "completely heterosexual" after counseling. "That (his sexual identity) is something that likely only Ted knows for sure."
Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur, one of four ministers who oversaw Haggard's three weeks of intensive counseling, told The Denver Post that Haggard is convinced he's heterosexual and his behavior wasn't a constant thing. Ralph said their investigation found Haggard was only involved with a former male prostitute, Mike Jones, who came forward with sexual allegation.
"Give me a break," Jones told The Gazette of Colorado Springs Wednesday, adding that Haggard performed oral sex on him over the three years they saw each other.
"Until he's honest with himself, he'll never be happy," Jones said.
Haggard's counseling after his gay affair have rekindled debate over the controversial premise that people can overcome same-sex attractions through "reparative therapy." It's a concept espoused by many religious conservatives, and disputed by many mental health experts.
"After three weeks of counseling, you suddenly become completely heterosexual after a three year homosexual relationship? That's not the way things work in real life," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the Washington-based National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which in the 1970s worked to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

source: http://www.rawstory.com/showarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedenverchannel.com%2Fnews%2F10958240%2Fdetail.html%3Frss%3Dden%26psp%3Dnews

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Note from Steve, Ted Haggard could office out of the petitioned G.W. Bush Library in Historic Downtown Brownwood. Maybe in the Jeff Gannon Suite ? He could serve SNICKERS to his clients as well. I wonder if Haggard's 3 week treatment included intense course study from a David Davies C.H.O.P.S type of program ? Brownwood would be a perfect match for Bush connected, and Big Time Republican, Ted Haggard ! Wonder if he'd be inducted into the Brownwood Mafia as well ?

What is C.H.O.P.S ?

find out here

You're invited to a Windshield Tour of Brownwood Texas

Steves' Market & Deli — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 15:00:00 +0000

Here's the challenge. Spend several hours in the comfort of your own home visiting

this site

and then load up the kids, the family, friends, your pets and drive to Brownwood and spend several days touring Brownwood on your own. No special festivals, no tour guides, etc., just on your own checking out "everyday" Brownwood and what Brownwood has to offer. Your self guided "windshield tour" could include the following: Eat in our restaurants, spend the night in our hotels/motels, shop in our stores (chains and independent), drive our streets, read our newspaper and listens to our radio stations, visit our churches, check out our parks, listen to our police scanners, talk/visit with our citizens, tour the countryside and our lake.

After completing your "windshield tour" ask yourself if what was advertised is what you found when you toured Brownwood for yourself. Below you'll find two recent letters to the editor from The Brownwood Bulletin. Feel free to offer your comments and observations by sending them to steve_squared@verizon.net

P.S. _ Before you leave Brownwood, you might want to stop in to Brownwood City Hall to request being inducted into the Brownwood Mafia. I hear and read where the City of Brownwood is facing difficult, or soft, money issues, so they may exchange a Mafia Certificiate for a hefty donation if asked ? Worth a try !
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Make Brownwood look, as well as feel, like home

To the editor:

I wish to urge the Brownwood Bulletin to take a stand in supporting the creation of a landscape ordinance for the city of Brownwood.

I was born and raised here in Brownwood. I graduated from Brownwood High in ’72 and from Howard Payne University in ’76. After traveling around the U.S. and Europe for two years I found myself in Thousand Oaks, Calif., where I lived for 28 years. I recently returned to live here in Brownwood.

An overwhelming difference between the two cities is the attitude toward appearance. When asked to describe Thousand Oaks I immediately respond, “It’s like living in a park.” For example, the local Home Depot has 20 King Palms lining the entrance to their property. Separating the parking lanes are medians planted with smaller palms and flowering bushes. Each convenience store is landscaped with grass, trees and flowering bushes. Many even have water fountains and/or sculptural works of art. The building housing the Thousand Oaks Star, the local paper, has a lush lawn with fountains at the entrance.

When asked to describe Brownwood, my past response has been, “Black asphalt as far as you can see.” From the Heartland Mall to Commerce Square, what you see is parking lots.

At major intersections such as Austin Avenue and Coggin, you see the immense empty lots of the old JRB and Brookshire’s markets.

I was pleased to notice on my return this past August that there have been attempts made to beautify downtown Brownwood. I applaud those beginning attempts and urge the City Council as representatives of the residents of Brownwood to move forward in adopting a landscape ordinance. Brownwood’s current motto is “Feels like home…” How do you want your home to look? Well-landscaped and green, even park-like, or asphalt as far as your eye can see?

David Dillard

Brownwood

source: source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2007/01/31/op_ed/letters%20to%20the%20editor/letter01.txt
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Tuesday February 6, 2007
Op Ed: Letters To The Editor

Turn beautification focus to neighborhoods

To the editor:

To the city of Brownwood: I was born and raised in Brownwood, Texas. I am a proud graduate of Brownwood High School and am privileged to have been a part of the Gordon Wood era of Texas high school football! I moved away from Brownwood in 1982. I do still have family there and visit approximately five to six times per year. For the past few years it has been nice to see the city do something to beautify the areas in town that those people traveling through will see. The downtown area now looks inviting with the new intersections and lighting. There are new businesses cropping up and new economic opportunities available.

Even so, there is still much work to be done in areas not quite as visible. The city needs to turn its attention to the heart of Brownwood — the neighborhoods. This is where potential residents look. This is where their children are raised. If I were looking to move back to Brownwood, I would visit the neighborhoods and see how well the city takes care of its own. I would look at things such as street maintenance, code enforcements, safety, etc. It shouldn’t matter whether it is the old part of town or the new part of town. This is the heart and soul of Brownwood, Texas! This is where the people who pay their hard earned tax dollars live! These are the people who support the town! These are your friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors, and constituents. They deserve the same privileges as those just passing through. The city of Brownwood has done a disservice to these folks. The city council and city government has done a disservice to these folks!

In the 25 years that I have lived away from Brownwood, I have watched the city let the residential streets deteriorate at a shameful rate. It is a disgrace, not only to the city, but also for those hardworking taxpayers of the city to see where their tax dollars have not been spent! Don’t just take my word for it. Go to some of the older sections of town. Check out the streets and see for yourself. Travel down 16th, 17th, 18th, or 19th streets, between Coggin Avenue and the Brady highway. Or, drive up and down Avenues B, C, D and E. You had better drive slow or your car will be out of alignment. What little maintenance the city has done is worse than no maintenance at all. These streets have been “patched to death.” At what cost?

At some point in time, it has got to be more cost effective to repair these streets the correct way than to keep putting patch upon patch upon patch. At the price that asphalt and other road materials are, this is nothing but a flagrant abuse of tax dollars! Not to mention the man hours involved! And don't even get me started on the junk cars, trash around residences and in vacant lots. It looks like the city landfill has moved into town!

I used to be proud to be from Brownwood, Texas, but now it is becoming an embarrassment. Can Brownwood not take care of its own residential neighborhoods? Maybe the city should hire an outside maintenance company to tend to what they are unwilling to do. Would you want to live on the corner of 17th and Avenue D? Or maybe you would move your mother into one of the trailers around 17th Street and Coggin. Why don't you drive your new Mercedes or Cadillac down 17th Street between Avenue E and the highway?

Please, give pride back to the neighborhoods. Fix the streets, enforce the codes. If you want to bring in new economic development, you need to start at home. That is the heart and soul of the town — the neighborhoods.

An embarrassed former resident,

JK Anglin

Temple
source: source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2007/02/06/op_ed/letters%20to%20the%20editor/letter01.txt
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Breaking Bread in the Big Country !

Steves' Market & Deli — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:39:00 +0000

Posted on Thu, Feb. 08, 2007

Settling our differences, thank you very much
By Garrison Keillor

Special to the Star-Telegram
As a clean and articulate man, I was surprised to see the Biden for President movement run over a bicycle while backing out of the driveway and then take out the gladiolas, but there it was, and the distinguished gentleman from Delaware had to go on Comedy Central to explain himself and then clarify his explanations.

All of us little macacas derive some pleasure from this, of course, seeing big guys stumble. It's Darwinism in action. Your head gets too big and your pants too tight, and you trip and fall down.

Amid all the stumbling and spinning and clarifying and angling in Washington, Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., is walking tall these days. A man who can look at a disaster and call it a disaster when other people are trying to pretend it's a cabbage or a 1957 Chevy is always admirable, and of course it helps to have that heroic Roman visage of his and that rumbly Nebraska twang. If you were casting the role of Presidential Nominee, he would be it. He is a Republican dissenter, a rarity in our time, a caribou among Holsteins.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., accuses opponents of the war, including Sen. Hagel, of having no plan to bring it to an end. This is brazen nonsense: You drive down the wrong road, and then you yell at the people in the back seat because they can't tell you an easy way to get where you want to go. You lie to the American people and invade a small country, and four years later you're bogged down and boys from Nebraska and Minnesota are trying to police a religious-ethnic war that has nothing to do with us, and you accuse your critics of being unhelpful. Is this what passes for debate these days?

The Current Occupant has been very cordial to folks in the Democrat Party lately, which a Publican president ought to be, especially when there are mo' Crats than there are Licans. This is the beauty of democracy: You are more or less forced to sit down and break bread with people you might prefer to despise, and they with you. Some Democrats are in a mood to kick shins, and they look on bipartisanship as wimping out, and that's fine for columnists and cloistered nuns, but in real life, as a rule, we coexist with the opposition.

Not so long ago, I sat down to dinner with a band of rock-ribbed conservatives in Virginia -- one of those little accidents in life -- and we were elaborately polite to each other, as our mothers taught us to be. Our mothers believed that showing good manners instills respect, and they were right. And thus we don't have Republicans blowing up cable cars in San Francisco or Democrats sending suicide bombers into Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

A couple of weeks ago, I rode in a cab driven by a young Iraqi exile who said sadly: "My wife's family is Sunni and I am Shia, and this used to make no difference at all. We all lived together and nobody paid attention to whether you were one or the other."

That's the voice of humanism speaking: Live and let live. It's a quiet voice, often drowned out but persistent, especially in a democratic society operating under the rule of law. Tread lightly. Be patient. Try to work things out.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is speaking in that voice, and her poise and intelligence stand out in the field of candidates. She's had so much experience in the limelight that she's no longer enchanted by it.

One of Clinton's visible assets is the army of enemies she has accumulated, the carpet-chewers of AM radio and the right-wing trolls who go berserk in their webby caverns whenever Madame comes trotting over the bridge.

One could not hope for better enemies. They illustrate everything about Republican dominion that the country has come to loathe: the blithering arrogance, the cynicism and corruption, and this wretched war that drags on and on.

Garrison Keillor's show "A Prairie Home Companion" can be heard Saturday nights on public radio stations across the country, including KERA/90.1 FM

source: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/opinion/16651787.htm

Brownwood Baptist's step up too ? Don't hold your breath !

Steves' Market & Deli — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:33:00 +0000

Texas Baptists oppose coal power plants

But Southern Baptist Convention forbids environmental activism.

By Matt Curry

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Thursday, February 08, 2007

DALLAS — Texas Baptist leaders are working to block Republican Gov. Rick Perry's plan to speed the approval process for 18 new coal-fired power plants — an unusual move because the largest national Baptist organization officially opposes environmental activism.

The Texans stress that they're not jumping into full-blown activism, avoiding high-profile marches and demonstrations, but even a small move toward environmentalism is significant.

"This is cutting-edge stuff for Baptists — even moderate Baptists," said Bruce Gourley, associate director of the Center for Baptist Studies at Mercer University in Macon, Ga.

Even though Christian evangelicals nationwide are making forays into environmentalism, using phrases such as "creation care," an informal survey by the Georgia center didn't turn up a single Baptist pastor who acknowledged giving a sermon about the environment in recent months.

In Texas, the Christian Life Commission, the public policy agency of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, is mobilizing Baptists to oppose the coal-fired plants by urging members to contact legislators.

"A lot of people felt like our industries, our policy leaders, are going to take care of these big issues like air quality; it's not going to be something our local people are going to have to get up every day and worry about," said Suzii Paynter, director of the commission. "It can't be left to big interests to make these decisions in our behalf."

The Baptist convention, largest of the state conventions, with more than 2.3 million members, approved a resolution in November affirming "that we advocate for sound environmental policies in the public square."

That runs counter to the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the country, with more than 16 million members, which adopted a resolution last summer denouncing environmental activism and warning that it was "threatening to become a wedge issue to divide the evangelical community."

The moderate Texas group, which is autonomous but considers itself part of the Southern Baptist Convention, clashes frequently with the larger group's leadership.

Paynter said Texas Baptists' involvement stems from heightened concern over how dirty air is affecting the health of church members.

TXU Corp.'s coal proposal is on the fast track under an executive order Perry issued last year to expand the production of electricity and lower its cost. The company says the plants will meet growing demand for power, boost the economy of small towns and reduce toxic emissions by replacing older plants.

But critics — including environmental organizations, a coalition of Texas cities and counties, and a group of influential Dallas business executives — contend that the company is driven by profits and is rushing to beat more stringent federal restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions.

"I do not believe God wants us to continue to pollute and cause the world to degenerate the way it is," said Mary Darden, a Baptist deacon and president of Keep Waco Green.

Darden, whose congregation is affiliated with the moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, said the coal issue is rarely discussed at her church because members include power company employees. Sometimes people offer support in hushed tones, when she wishes they would "come out of the closet and help."

Coal plant opponents have planned a "Stop the Coal Rush" rally on Sunday and a lobbying day Monday at the state Capitol. The two-day campaign is being organized by groups such as the Sierra Club — organizations conservative-minded Baptists may not be eager to support.

But Paynter said the Texas Baptists, while not opposing the demonstrations, won't be involved.

"I know environmentalists. They want to see a bunch of Christians marching on the Capitol," she said.

"I don't really want to be seen as out there beating the drums to try to get people to the Capitol. We have a longer-term goal, which is about the stewardship of creation."

source: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/08/8txbaptists.html

What you "will not hear" over the Brownwood Talk Radio Airwaves ! Why do Brownwood Republicans defend law enforcement coverups ?

Steves' Market & Deli — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 16:28:00 +0000

Posted on Sun, Feb. 04, 2007

Remember: Honor first
By David Sedeño
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Over the years, I probably have encountered a couple of hundred U.S. Border Patrol agents in the course of my work along the southern frontier.

Some previously served in the military, others in law enforcement. Still others entered the agency after leaving their jobs as teachers or construction workers, or several years out of high school.

The pay is not terrific, the hazards can be many, and the agency frequently finds itself in the middle of the never-ending immigration debate. Yet these men and women get up daily, don their olive green uniforms and badges -- reminders of the oath they took to uphold the law -- and plough through their work under the motto "Honor First."

With few exceptions, I have been impressed with their dedication and commitment to dispensing and upholding the law.

I guess that's why I'm having a difficult time understanding why José Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos have become near-cult-like heroes for various groups and individuals who say that border enforcement is a joke and lawlessness runs rampant on the U.S.-Mexico border. The former Border Patrol agents broke the law.

And I wonder, too, whether the presidential pardon that is being sought for them by these groups is anything similar to the amnesty being sought for illegal immigrants by others.

If you're not familiar with the story, here it is.

On Feb. 17, 2005, Compean and Ramos were patrolling near Fabens, Texas, when they encountered a van driven by Osvaldo Aldrete-Dávila, who failed to pull over. After he stopped, Aldrete-Dávila got out of the vehicle, ran, went into a ditch and surrendered.

As he was coming out of the ditch with his hands raised, Compean tried to hit him with a shotgun butt and fell back into the ditch, where he had gone to get Aldrete-Dávila. That's when the van driver ran again.

Compean fired 14 rounds but missed. Ramos fired once and struck Aldrete-Dávila in the buttocks. Aldrete-Dávila fled into Mexico. The agents picked up the empty shell casings and disposed of them.

It was later determined that Aldrete-Dávila was in the country illegally and that he was transporting more than 700 pounds of marijuana in the van that he had abandoned. The agents were charged with various crimes, including assault with a deadly weapon, tampering with a crime scene and lying about the incident, among others.

Aldrete-Dávila was granted immunity to testify against the agents after federal prosecutors determined that no charges could be brought against him because the agents had tainted the crime scene.

The agents were convicted in federal court last year and appealed their convictions. They began serving their prison sentences last month. Ramos was sentenced to 11 years in prison and Compean to 12.

Lawmakers, bloggers and even the union that represents nonsupervisory Border Patrol agents are seeking a pardon. President Bush has been sympathetic but noncommittal, saying that the case must take its course.

Several of my various Border Patrol sources said that although they want to side with the former agents as a show of solidarity, they believe that the agents knew they had done something wrong.

"If you're a patrol officer, for example, and you come upon a crime scene, you have to stay away and wait for the detective who is trained to investigate," said a former Border Patrol agent and federal investigator who asked not to be named. "In the Border Patrol, it's the same thing. You have to keep the integrity of the crime scene or else it messes up the prosecution up the line."

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton said his office had no choice but to prosecute even though Aldrete-Dávila was a drug smuggler.

"In America, law enforcement officers do not get to shoot unarmed suspects who are running away, lie about it to their supervisors and file official reports that are false," Sutton has said. "That is a crime, and prosecutors cannot look the other way."

This is a tough case, and I sympathize with the families of the former agents who are reeling emotionally and financially. In the end, however, it's unfortunate that the agents forgot about the motto that should have reminded them about the huge responsibility that their agency has to keep the border secure.

"Honor First."

David Sedeño is publisher of Diario La Estrella and a member of the Star-Telegram's Editorial Board. dsedeno@star-telegram.com 817-390-7322

source: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/opinion/16615500.htm
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Note from Steve Harris, Thank you David for putting the story into easily understood words and based with the facts. Maybe those readers in Brownwood will "get it now" ! Too bad Brownwood Republican Controlled Talk Radio listeners will not get to hear it. If you are in Brownwood listening to KXYL Talk Radio "The voice of Brownwood Law Enforcement" (as defined by Brownwood Juvenile Probation Officer JR Williams and KXYL Talking Head) you will hear current and former Brown County Law Enforcement officials defend these agents actions. They obviously have no problem with law enforcement coverups !
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UPDATE:
Report: Agents in Border Shooting Lied
Feb 7, 9:27 PM (ET)

By ALICIA A. CALDWELL and SUZANNE GAMBOA

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - A federal report released Wednesday on the shooting of a suspected drug smuggler by Border Patrol agents concurs with prosecutors that the men failed to report the shooting, destroyed evidence and lied to investigators.
Some members of Congress have criticized the case against Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, who were fired after their obstruction of justice convictions and have each been sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison.
Congressional critics, who say the men were doing their jobs when they injured Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila in 2005 near El Paso, had sought the release of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security report.
The report "has just emboldened our position because there is nothing in there that indicates these agents were not justified in shooting this individual," said Tara Setmayer, a spokeswoman for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. "This finally sheds some light on what these agents were thinking."
She pointed to a written statement by Compean in which she said reflects that he "clearly believed the drug smuggler had a weapon and feared for his life."
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., agreed Wednesday to allow Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to hold a hearing on the case, as she requested.
"I strongly believe that the sentences in this case are too extreme, given the criminal nature of the defendant and his possession of large quantities of drugs," Feinstein said in a statement. "These men were given sentences that some individuals who are convicted of murder wouldn't receive."
The heavily redacted, 77-page report, drafted last year, offers few new details. It primarily outlines what Aldrete said happened on Feb. 17, 2005, as he tried to run from Border Patrol agents after trying to elude them in a van loaded with marijuana.
According to the report, Aldrete, who was given immunity and has filed a multimillion-dollar claim against the federal government, told investigators he was unarmed and was shot as he ran from Compean and other agents. He said he tried to surrender and ran again after Compean slipped while trying to hit him with the butt of a shotgun.
The report also notes that other agents on the scene that day could not confirm whether Aldrete was armed and initially lied about whether they were aware of the shooting. They later cooperated with authorities. Those agents, whose names were removed from the report, were not prosecuted.
In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Rep. John Culberson, a Texas Democrat, said Ramos and Compean "may not have followed proper procedure following the shooting, which at most should have resulted in their suspension from the force, but not criminal procedure."
A spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, whose office prosecuted the case and who has been widely criticized for pursing the agents and not the drug dealer shot, declined to comment.
Lawyers for Ramos and Compean did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.
The former agents were sentenced in October and reported to prison in January. Federal prison officials confirmed Tuesday that Ramos was attacked in a Mississippi prison after the airing of an episode of "America's Most Wanted" that highlighted his case.
Rohrabacher and other supporters of the agents have criticized President Bush for not pardoning them.
---
Associated Press writer Suzanne Gamboa reported from Washington, D.C.

source: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070208/D8N58LF00.html

Brownwood Mafia Bus Tours to Crawford ? Susan Combs at the wheel ? Snacks by Snickers ? Entertainment by Ted ?

Steves' Market & Deli — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:09:00 +0000

Bush's hometown of Crawford, Texas, sees tourism slowdown

His waning popularity is blamed

By Angela K. Brown
ASSOCIATED PRESS
12:11 p.m. February 6, 2007
CRAWFORD, Texas – Near the lone stoplight on Main Street, a for-sale sign hangs from a dusty window where a souvenir shop used to sell cufflinks, cowboy boots and denim shirts emblazoned “The Western White House.”
Another gift store across the street is shuttered too, though a sign says it will reopen elsewhere. And the biggest souvenir shop in Crawford is reporting a drop in sales.

The Washington professionals have their polls, their focus groups and their newspaper editorials. But Crawford, the 700-person town where President Bush's ranch is located, has its trinket stores, and they have fallen on hard times, in what some say reflects the president's sinking popularity over the war in Iraq and a daunting influx of anti-war protesters.
Norma Nelson Crow closed her Crawford Country Style store three months ago.

“I feel so strongly about the president that I wanted to continue to support him any way I could,” she said. “But I'm distressed about the poll numbers and think it was a combination of things: that and the protesters.”

It was in 1999 that then-Gov. George W. Bush bought his 1,600-acre ranch seven miles from downtown in this ranching and gas-drilling region 20 miles west of Waco. A year later it became known as the Western White House, drawing thousands of visitors a year hoping to see the ranch, which is not even visible from the road.

Although locals were thrilled to see more tourist traffic, they opted for small ventures like souvenir shops. Crawford still has only one restaurant, two gas stations and no hotel.

“Our economy didn't depend on him before he was elected, and it won't depend on him after he's out of office,” said Kenneth Judy, vice president of Security Bank of Crawford, which opened in 2002 and is the town's first bank since the Depression.

After reporting nearly $813,000 in gross sales in 1999, Crawford's souvenir shops and other retail businesses generated $1.03 million in 2000, the year Bush was first elected. Sales climbed steadily during Bush's first term to $2.66 million in 2004.

But in 2005, sales had dropped to $2.3 million. They were down as much as 20 percent in each of the first two quarters of 2006. And while the third- and fourth-quarter figures are not yet available, all indications are that the slide continued.

The Crawford Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture said it had no figures on how many visitors the city gets.

Crow suggested that the anti-war demonstrations that Cindy Sheehan started in Crawford in 2005 have led some tourists to stay away.

“When the president would be home, more people would come hoping to get a glimpse of him,” she said. “But with the frustrations caused by the protesters, it wasn't as popular to come to Crawford and pick up trinkets.”

Another possible reason given for the downturn in business: Bush did not visit his ranch in 2006 as often he used to. In past years, more visitors flocked to town when the president was here.

Bill Johnson, owner of Crawford's largest gift shop, Yellow Rose, said he plans to continue running his store, which also sells crosses, saddles, guns and Western clothing in addition to coffee mugs, T-shirts and other souvenirs.

“I think the president's ratings will go up, and when that happens, the sales go up,” he said. “As far as Crawford's future, I think it looks bright. Is it going to be as hectic as it was a few years ago? No. But Crawford's name is known far and wide, and when he retires, people who are endeared to him will want to come to Crawford.”

source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20070206-1211-crawford-bush.html
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Published on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 by the Lone Star Iconoclast / Crawford, Texas

'Kerry Will Restore American Dignity'
Bush's Hometown Paper Endorses Kerry
Editorial

Few Americans would have voted for George W. Bush four years ago if he had promised that, as President, he would:

Empty the Social Security trust fund by $507 billion to help offset fiscal irresponsibility and at the same time slash Social Security benefits.
Cut Medicare by 17 percent and reduce veterans' benefits and military pay.
Eliminate overtime pay for millions of Americans and raise oil prices by 50 percent.
Give tax cuts to businesses that sent American jobs overseas, and, in fact, by policy encourage their departure.
Give away billions of tax dollars in government contracts without competitive bids.
Involve this country in a deadly and highly questionable war, and
Take a budget surplus and turn it into the worst deficit in the history of the United States, creating a debt in just four years that will take generations to repay.
These were elements of a hidden agenda that surfaced only after he took office.

The publishers of The Iconoclast endorsed Bush four years ago, based on the things he promised, not on this smoke-screened agenda.

Today, we are endorsing his opponent, John Kerry, based not only on the things that Bush has delivered, but also on the vision of a return to normality that Kerry says our country needs.

Four items trouble us the most about the Bush administration: his initiatives to disable the Social Security system, the deteriorating state of the American economy, a dangerous shift away from the basic freedoms established by our founding fathers, and his continuous mistakes regarding terrorism and Iraq.

President Bush has announced plans to change the Social Security system as we know it by privatizing it, which when considering all the tangents related to such a change, would put the entire economy in a dramatic tailspin.

The Social Security Trust Fund actually lends money to the rest of the government in exchange for government bonds, which is how the system must work by law, but how do you later repay Social Security while you are running a huge deficit? It's impossible, without raising taxes sometime in the future or becoming fiscally responsible now. Social Security money is being used to escalate our deficit and, at the same time, mask a much larger government deficit, instead of paying down the national debt, which would be a proper use, to guarantee a future gain.

Privatization is problematic in that it would subject Social Security to the ups, downs, and outright crashes of the Stock Market. It would take millions in brokerage fees and commissions out of the system, and, unless we have assurance that the Ivan Boeskys and Ken Lays of the world will be caught and punished as a deterrent, subject both the Market and the Social Security Fund to fraud and market manipulation, not to mention devastate and ruin multitudes of American families that would find their lives lost to starvation, shame, and isolation.

Kerry wants to keep Social Security, which each of us already owns. He says that the program is manageable, since it is projected to be solvent through 2042, with use of its trust funds. This would give ample time to strengthen the economy, reduce the budget deficit the Bush administration has created, and, therefore, bolster the program as needed to fit ever-changing demographics. Our senior citizens depend upon Social Security.

Bush's answer is radical and uncalled for, and would result in chaos as Americans have never experienced. Do we really want to risk the future of Social Security on Bush by spinning the wheel of uncertainty?

In those dark hours after the World Trade Center attacks, Americans rallied together with a new sense of patriotism. We were ready to follow Bush's lead through any travail.

He let us down.

When he finally emerged from his hide-outs on remote military bases well after the first crucial hours following the attack, he gave sound-bytes instead of solutions.

He did not trust us to be ready to sacrifice, build up our public and private security infrastructure, or cut down on our energy use to put economic pressure on the enemy in all the nations where he hides. He merely told us to shop, spend, and pretend nothing was wrong.

Rather than using the billions of dollars expended on the invasion of Iraq to shore up our boundaries and go after Osama bin Laden and the Saudi Arabian terrorists, the funds were used to initiate a war with what Bush called a more immediate menace, Saddam Hussein, in oil-rich Iraq. After all, Bush said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction trained on America. We believed him, just as we believed it when he reported that Iraq was the heart of terrorism. We trusted him.

The Iconoclast, the President's hometown newspaper, took Bush on his word and editorialized in favor of the invasion. The newspaper's publisher promoted Bush and the invasion of Iraq to Londoners in a BBC interview during the time that the administration was wooing the support of Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Again, he let us down.

We presumed the President had solid proof of the existence of these weapons, what and where they were, even as the search continued. Otherwise, our troops would be in much greater danger and the premise for a hurried-up invasion would be moot, allowing more time to solicit assistance from our allies.

Instead we were duped into following yet another privileged agenda.

Now he argues unconvincingly that Iraq was providing safe harbor to terrorists, his new key justification for the invasion. It is like arguing that America provided safe harbor to terrorists leading to 9/11.

Once and for all, George Bush was President of the United States on that day. No one else. He had been President nine months, he had been officially warned of just such an attack a full month before it happened. As President, ultimately he and only he was responsible for our failure to avert those attacks.

We should expect that a sitting President would vacation less, if at all, and instead tend to the business of running the country, especially if he is, as he likes to boast, a "wartime president." America is in service 365 days a year. We don't need a part-time President who does not show up for duty as Commander-In-Chief until he is forced to, and who is in a constant state of blameless denial when things don't get done.

What has evolved from the virtual go-it-alone conquest of Iraq is more gruesome than a stain on a White House intern's dress. America's reputation and influence in the world has diminished, leaving us with brute force as our most persuasive voice.

Iraq is now a quagmire: no WMDs, no substantive link between Saddam and Osama, and no workable plan for the withdrawal of our troops. We are asked to go along on faith. But remember, blind patriotism can be a dangerous thing and "spin" will not bring back to life a dead soldier; certainly not a thousand of them.

Kerry has remained true to his vote granting the President the authority to use the threat of war to intimidate Saddam Hussein into allowing weapons inspections. He believes President Bush rushed into war before the inspectors finished their jobs.

Kerry also voted against President Bush's $87 billion for troop funding because the bill promoted poor policy in Iraq, privileged Halliburton and other corporate friends of the Bush administration to profiteer from the war, and forced debt upon future generations of Americans.

Kerry's four-point plan for Iraq is realistic, wise, strong, and correct. With the help from our European and Middle Eastern allies, his plan is to train Iraqi security forces, involve Iraqis in their rebuilding and constitution-writing processes, forgive Iraq's multi-billion dollar debts, and convene a regional conference with Iraq's neighbors in order to secure a pledge of respect for Iraq's borders and non-interference in Iraq's internal affairs.

The publishers of the Iconoclast differ with Bush on other issues, including the denial of stem cell research, shortchanging veterans' entitlements, cutting school programs and grants, dictating what our children learn through a thought-controlling "test" from Washington rather than allowing local school boards and parents to decide how young people should be taught, ignoring the environment, and creating extraneous language in the Patriot Act that removes some of the very freedoms that our founding fathers and generations of soldiers fought so hard to preserve.

We are concerned about the vast exportation of jobs to other countries, due in large part to policies carried out by Bush appointees. Funds previously geared at retention of small companies are being given to larger concerns, such as Halliburton -- companies with strong ties to oil and gas. Job training has been cut every year that Bush has resided at the White House.

Then there is his resolve to inadequately finance Homeland Security and to cut the Community Oriented Policing Program (COPS) by 94 percent, to reduce money for rural development, to slash appropriations for the Small Business Administration, and to under-fund veterans' programs.

Likewise troubling is that President Bush fought against the creation of the 9/11 Commission and is yet to embrace its recommendations.

Vice President Cheney's Halliburton has been awarded multi-billion-dollar contracts without undergoing any meaningful bid process -- an enormous conflict of interest -- plus the company has been significantly raiding the funds of Export-Import Bank of America, reducing investment that could have gone toward small business trade.

When examined based on all the facts, Kerry's voting record is enviable and echoes that of many Bush allies who are aghast at how the Bush administration has destroyed the American economy. Compared to Bush on economic issues, Kerry would be an arch-conservative, providing for Americans first. He has what it takes to right our wronged economy.

The re-election of George W. Bush would be a mandate to continue on our present course of chaos. We cannot afford to double the debt that we already have. We need to be moving in the opposite direction.

John Kerry has 30 years of experience looking out for the American people and can navigate our country back to prosperity and re-instill in America the dignity she so craves and deserves. He has served us well as a highly decorated Vietnam veteran and has had a successful career as a district attorney, lieutenant governor, and senator.

Kerry has a positive vision for America, plus the proven intelligence, good sense, and guts to make it happen.

That's why The Iconoclast urges Texans not to rate the candidate by his hometown or even his political party, but instead by where he intends to take the country.

The Iconoclast wholeheartedly endorses John Kerry.

Reprinted from The Lone Star Iconoclast: http://www.iconoclast-texas.com/Columns/Editorial/editorial39.htm
source: http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0929-14.htm
-------------------------
Lone Star Iconoclast
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lone Star Iconoclast was founded in 2000 in Crawford, Texas, as a community newspaper that also emphasized politics in its coverage. Crawford is the adopted hometown of President George W. Bush.
The newspaper is published by Smith Media, Inc. The newspaper’s editor-in-chief is W. Leon Smith, and its senior editors Don. M. Fisher, Nathan Diebenow and Deborah Mathews. The publication is also host to columnists Jerry Tenuto, Paul Derrick, Melinda Pillsbury-Foster, Lloyd Garver, Bartee Haile and Ned Hickson. Additionally, The Lone Star Iconoclast features Investigative Reporter Stephen Webster, who has penned a number of the publication's more widely read features since 2005.
The Lone Star Iconoclast is perhaps best known for its 2004 editorial endorsing John Kerry for President. In 2000, prior to the creation of The Iconoclast, another of Smith’s newspapers, The Clifton Record, had endorsed Bush as perhaps becoming “a uniter, not a divider” in Washington.

* The result of the 2004 editorial was a boycott of the newspaper in Crawford and other areas of Central Texas, including cancellation of most of its subscriptions and virtually all of its advertisements. Retribution in the form of threats and promises of financial ruin followed, with thousands of phone calls, letters, e-mails, and personal visits to the newspaper.
But as people from throughout the country became aware of what happened and the editorial began to be republished in newspapers throughout the world and on Internet sites, new subscriptions came in, as did several support advertisements, which have helped the newspaper survive.

The editorial “John Kerry Will Restore American Dignity” was eventually read by millions worldwide, becoming one of the most-read single editorials ever, and catapulted The Iconoclast to worldwide attention and resulted in scores of international media interviews of its publisher. The editorial uncovered the “hidden agenda” of the Bush Administration and took to task the federal debt, attempts to privatize Social Security, the Administration’s staunch opposition to stem cell research, the President’s failed handling of the aftermath of 9/11, and the lies that led to the war in Iraq.
Shortly after publication of the editorial, due largely to a favorable response from coast to coast, the newspaper was transformed into an independent national publication, with emphasis on politics and stories that other members of the mainstream media often tend to ignore, such as the dangers of depleted uranium radiation, certain attacks upon First Amendment rights and the costs of America's War on Drugs.
In August 2005, the Iconoclast provided extensive coverage of Cindy Sheehan’s journey to Crawford to ask the President “for what noble cause” her son Casey died in Iraq. This coverage resulted in the Iconoclast staff writing a book, “The Vigil — 26 Days In Crawford, Texas” which was designed to detail how a peaceful series of protests can be held and to document an event that gave life to this century’s first major anti-war movement.
In August 2006, the Iconoclast published a story titled "Under Fire! U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst Targeted For Suggesting New Independent 9/11 Investigation". The investigative piece was penned by reporter Stephen Webster, and was widely circulated among the 9/11 Truth Movement. The story detailed the plight of Sergeant First Class Donald Buswell, an Army Intelligence Analyst and Veteran of both wars in Iraq. SFC Buswell is the holder of a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in April of 2004, when his convoy was hit by a rocket.
SFC Buswell, the Iconoclast revealed, had responded to a mass e-mail about the September 11, 2001 conspiracy theories. Buswell argued to the sender that there are many unanswered questions about the events of that day, and claimed he feels a new investigation is necessary. The following day, Buswell was placed under investigation by Colonel Luke S. Green, Chief of Staff of Fifth Army in Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, for "making statements disloyal to the United States."
Due to the publication of the article and its follow-up, "Filmmaker: Sergeant Buswell is a True Patriot", Fifth Army at Ft. Sam Houston ceased the investigation into SFC Donald Buswell, and the Iconoclast enjoyed a raised status among the 9/11 Truth communities. The main source of the follow-up article was Kyle Hence, director of the popular documentary "9/11: Press for Truth". The film details the story of the "Jersey Girls", five women who lost husbands on 9/11, and their subsequent campaign for transparency in the U.S. government's September 11 investigations.
Usually featured each week in The Iconoclast is a cover story (an interview). The contents include national, state, and local news stories, plus a wide variety of opinion columns by writers from throughout the country, plus a staff-written editorial on a current topic.
The online edition newspaper may be accessed at its website, www.lonestaricon.com. The print edition is published monthly and is available through subscriptions.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Star_Iconoclast
-----------------------
Note from Steve, I wonder how many Crawford business' who boycotted the Iconoclast (*see above) for voicing their "politically incorrect" opinion are closing ? Maybe the Brownwood Mafia can organize weekly bus tours to Crawford to pump up the economy of one of Bush's favorite get-a-ways !

Let's go camping in Crawford. How about it ?

now I better understand this !

---------------------
Brownwood Mafia Newsflash:

" Texas Comptroller Susan Combs is inducted into the Brownwood Mafia by Brownwood Mayor Bert Massey assisted by Terry Wilson, left, and Robert Porter, right. The ceremony took place Tuesday afternoon in the Old Supreme Court Room at the Texas Capitol. Photo by Gene Deason "

source: Thursday, February 08, 2007 Brownwood Bulletin Front Page Photo

Silver Streak Crawford

Steves' Market & Deli — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:26:00 +0000

Silver Streak Crawford
Originally uploaded by photosteve.

Cody Roberson: Early Texas Arrest, "Unacceptable" Charter Schools, and Politicians in the News

Steves' Market & Deli — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:37:00 +0000

A pair of senators push to make charter schools more accountable
Senators want troubled ones shut faster, more successes rewarded

By Mike Ward
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Troubled charter schools would be shuttered faster, they would all face increased accountability, and the best ones would be eligible for state facilities money for the first time under an initiative unveiled Tuesday by state Senate leaders.

Called the Champion Charter Schools Act, the measure would automatically revoke for two years the charters of schools with unacceptable academic or financial ratings and would provide for expedited closure of poor-performing campuses.

Sen. Florence Shapiro 'We need to weed out the bad and make the good ones solid,' lawmaker says.
Charter schools are publicly funded schools given more financial and instructional freedom than regular public schools.

Charter schools that do not have at least 25 percent of students consistently passing state assessment tests would face closure.

Senate Bill 4 — sponsored by Sens. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, and Kyle Janek, R-Houston — would also give money for facilities to charter schools and districts with exemplary or recognized ratings, the two highest marks, for two years in a row.

The bill also seeks to dissolve every charter in the state and require schools to re-apply for the state licenses. Only those that meet minimum standards would be relicensed, lawmakers said.

In recent years, some of Texas' charter schools have made headlines because of low performance, financial mismanagement and fraudulent practices, problems that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and other Senate leaders said should be quickly curbed.

"We need to weed out the bad and make the good ones solid," said Shapiro, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, insisting that she will "lead the charge" for change.

"Those schools that do well must have the freedom and encouragement to continue to do well, and those that don't must close. That alone will help the charter school movement and therefore the students of Texas."

The facilities incentives would go up to $1,000 per student, she said.

"This is not a funding mechanism for these schools; it is an incentive program for these schools," Shapiro said. "These are public schools, just a different type."

In 2006, just less than 12 percent of Texas' charter schools were rated unacceptable, compared with slightly more than 3 percent of regular public schools, according to a Texas Education Agency Web site. About 15 percent of charter schools were rated as exemplary or recognized last year, compared with almost 44 percent of regular schools.

Currently, there are 191 operational charter holders operating 438 campuses and educating 70,000 students, said DeEtta Culbertson, a spokeswoman for the education agency.

Many of the students in charter schools are at-risk youths who have failed in traditional public schools, according to the education agency.

House Public Education Committee Chairman Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, said he supports the plan. Even so, legislative leaders acknowledged, passage into law is far from certain.

Charter-school reform bills have been approved by the Senate three times since 2005. They went nowhere in the House.

"This is one of these groundhog bills. . . . It just keeps coming back," Shapiro said.

Dewhurst said is confident the changes will be enacted this time. "While we have a long list of reforms, the goal for each one is the same, providing Texas children with the best education possible."

mward@statesman.com

source: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/02/07/7charter.html
------------------------
Teen charged in mother's death
17-year-old allegedly used baseball bat in beating

By Celinda Emison / emisonc@reporternews.com
February 1, 2007

A 17-year-old Erath County youth is in custody charged with the beating death of his mother, according to the Erath County Sheriff's Department.

Cody Roberson, 17, was arrested in Brown County early Wednesday and was held on an evading arrest charge and another Erath County charge until the murder warrant was issued Wednesday afternoon by the Erath County District Attorney's Office.

He is charged with the beating death of his mother, Jana Roberson, 50. She died as a result of blunt force trauma to her entire body, according to Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant.An aluminum baseball bat, believed to be the murder weapon, was found late Wednesday afternoon about eight miles north of Stephenville, on Highway 281 North, Bryant said. Bryant said the bat was covered in blood.The Stephenville Police Department was notified of the incident around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday night.

Investigators believe the suspect's 15-year-old girlfriend was inside the home when the homicide occurred and that she was with him when he disposed of the bat.

''The suspect's girlfriend notified (her) family members what had happened, and they called police,'' Bryant said.

Police discovered Mrs. Roberson's body at the family's home in the 300 block of County Road 568 in Erath County.

''At that time they secured the location and waited for deputies to arrive,'' Bryant said.

Roberson was arrested after Brown County authorities received a bulletin from Erath County around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday to be on the lookout for him.

''We had reason to believe he was headed to Brownwood, we did not know why,'' Bryant said.

Roberson was spotted by authorities about 1:30 a.m. at a convenience store on East Commerce Street in Early, but the teenager fled on foot.

A sheriff's deputy and a Brownwood Police Department officer arrested Roberson at 2:06 a.m. Wednesday.

The Coleman Police Department also received a bulletin that Roberson may be headed there because his father, Jim Roberson, chief financial officer of the Coleman County Medical Center, may have been in danger.

Coleman Police Chief Jay Moses said he posted officers at the hospital until they received word that Roberson had been apprehended in Early.

''We understand Mr. Roberson (the father) had already been notified of a family emergency and was already on his way back to Stephenville,'' Moses said. ''We were concerned about the welfare of the hospital employees and patients.''

''That was a good proactive move on their part,'' Bryant said.

Roberson was returned to Erath County late Wednesday, Bryant said.

''We still don't have all the details and will not until we have time to interview him,'' Bryant said.

The case remains under investigation by the Erath County Sheriff's Office, Stephenville Police Department and the Texas Rangers.

source: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_local/article/0,1874,ABIL_7959_5319979,00.html
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Thursday February 1, 2007
News

Murder suspect chase ends in Early

By Steve Nash — Brownwood Bulletin

Cody Roberson

A Stephenville teen sought in connection with his mother’s death was arrested in Early Wednesday morning after a police officer saw the 17-year-old’s pickup in a convenience store parking lot, authorities said.

Cody Roberson was arrested at 1:46 a.m. after a foot chase involving Early police, Brownwood police and Brown County Sheriff’s deputies, sheriff’s officials said.

The Stephenville Empire-Tribune reported in today’s edition that authorities there expect to charge Roberson with murder in the death of Jana Roberson, 50. She was beaten to death by an aluminum baseball bat Tuesday night, the newspaper reported.

Jana Roberson was found dead in her home by authorities who responded to a 9-1-1 call they received at 10:53 p.m., the newspaper reported. The call was apparently made by relatives of the suspect’s 15-year-old girlfriend, who was with him at the time of the murder, according to the newspaper.

Cody Roberson was taken to the Brown County Jail after his arrest and transferred to Erath County Wednesday, Brown County Jail officials said.

Early Assistant Police Chief Butch Lawson said Stephenville police had broadcast an attempt-to-locate message on Roberson. He said Brown County lawmen learned Roberson was seen in Comanche and believed he was likely headed toward Brown County.

Early officer John Mills saw the teen’s black 2005 Dodge pickup parked outside the Food Plaza store on Early Boulevard, on the city’s east edge, at 1:34 a.m., sheriff’s officials said.

Mills parked his patrol car and watched the truck, and the officer saw Roberson come out of the store, Lawson said.

“John attempted to contact him and identify him, and he broke and ran,” Lawson said.

Mills radioed that the suspect was running behind the store, and deputy James Stroope went to the intersection of Longhorn Drive and Early Boulevard to stop him from getting to the highway, Stroope’s report states.

Stroope heard deputy Carlyle Gover radio that the suspect was running on Longhorn near Autumn Drive, and Stroope drove to that area. Then Mills radioed the the suspect was running near the Hope for Tomorrow on Early Boulevard, Stroope’s report states.

Stroope and Early officer Steven Means set up a perimeter at Eastwind and Hanson, and Stroope saw the suspect running. The suspect jumped a fence and ran through a field with Means chasing him, Stroope’s report states.

Stroope drew his pistol and yelled at the suspect to stop. He kept running but finally lay on the ground, and Brownwood officer Troy Grusendorf handcuffed him, Stroope’s report states.

Gover asked the teen why he ran, and he replied he “did not do it,” the report states. Gover replied “did not do what,” and the teen said “I don’t know what happened. I went outside to smoke a cigarette and when I came in my mom was laying in the floor bleeding,” Gover quoted the teen as saying.

The teen then said a female’s name and said she had hit his mother, Stroope’s report states.

Texas Ranger Joe Hudson came to the Law Enforcement Center and spoke with Roberson, the report states.

The Stephenville newspaper reported in today’s edition that authorities said they have found what they believe to be the baseball bat about eight miles north of Stephenville, on U.S. Highway 281.

The newspaper reported that Jana Roberson received a phone call from her son, Cody, Tuesday evening asking for a ride for he and his girlfriend from an undisclosed location.

But when the three arrived back at the family’s home, something went wrong, the newspaper reported. It quoted Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant as saying investigators hadn’t learned Wednesday what caused the incident.

Bryant told the newspaper that Stephenville police arrived to find Jana Roberson’s body in an enclosed porch.

The newspaper reported that the suspect and his girlfriend had apparently left the home in the victim’s vehicle and headed to Mineral Wells to stay with a friend. When that friend could not be located, the couple came back to Stephenville, where Roberson dropped off his girlfriend and fled once again, the newspaper reported.

This story includes reports provided by Sara Vanden Berge, news editor of the Stephenville Empire-Tribune.

source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2007/02/01/news/news01.txt
----------------------
Baseball bat murder -- Jana Roberson remembered as ‘talented,’ caring individual

By ANGELIA JOINER Staff Writer
Thursday, February 1, 2007 12:27 PM CST

Jana Roberson was known as a talented individual who loved computers and crafts and will be deeply missed by many. Her adopted teenage son, Cody, allegedly killed Roberson Tuesday night.

Rhonda Platz, Harvey Baptist Church secretary, where Roberson regularly attended said she had received maybe 35-40 calls Wednesday morning from shocked parishioners inquiring about Roberson’s death.

“Is it true? Did it really happen?” is what Platz heard from concerned church members inquiring in disbelief about the events occurring Tuesday night.

“She took it upon herself to fix up our library,” Platz said. “It was a real mess and she made it a nice place. She was very well liked here.”

Roberson had been employed for 17 years by the Texas Cooperative Extension at the Texas A & M Research and Extension Center.

She had received numerous awards including national awards for her work as Webmaster according to her direct supervisor, Ron Wooley, district extension administrator.

Wooley said he received a phone call about 7 a.m. Wednesday morning regarding the death of his employee and friend.

“We’re all pretty shook up,” he said. “We’re shocked and saddened.”

Several of Roberson’s coworkers are members of Valley Grove Baptist Church. They called their pastor, Glenn Shock, to help them through a difficult emotional morning, Wooley said.

“She was a self-starter, a dedicated staffer, and over the years she taught herself quite a bit about the computer,” Wooley said. “She was invaluable as the Webmaster for the center.”

Vickie Norton, office manager said she had known Roberson the entire 17 years of her employment with the company.

“Jana could do anything she set her mind to,” Norton said. “She made quilts, painted crafts and was always redecorating her house. We cover 21 counties through our office and she was well known for her computer service. She helped everybody. Jana will be extremely missed by our whole district.”

Norton said Roberson was known for having a soft spot for babies and children.

“Anytime anyone came to the office with a baby, she was the first to jump up and ask if she could hold it,” Norton said.

Norton said their office would close in order to allow the employees to attend funeral services.

source: http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2007/02/01/news/news02.txt
---------------------------
Baseball bat murder -- Mother killed, adopted teen-aged son arrested

By SARA VANDEN BERGE News Editor
Thursday, February 1, 2007 12:27 PM CST

A mother is dead and her 17-year-old son is in custody, accused of beating her to death with an aluminum baseball bat Tuesday night inside the family’s Stephenville residence.

Jana Roberson, 50, was found dead in her home by authorities who responded to a frantic 911 call they received at 10:53 p.m. The call was apparently made by relatives of murder suspect Cody Roberson’s 15-year-old girlfriend, who was with him at the time of the murder.

Authorities confirmed late Wednesday that they located what they believe to be the murder weapon - the baseball bat - about eight miles north of Stephenville, on U.S. Highway 281.

The investigation into what actually transpired before, during, and after the crime remains ongoing.

What’s known is that Jana Roberson received a phone call from her son, Cody, Tuesday evening asking for a ride for he and his girlfriend from an undisclosed location.

But when the three arrived back at the family’s home, something went terribly wrong.

“We don’t know yet what sparked the incident,” Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant said. “But we hope to find out.”

Bryant said when officers with the Stephenville Police Department arrived at the scene, they discovered the body of the deceased in a section of the house described as an “enclosed porch.” She had been beaten to death.

The suspect and his girlfriend had apparently left the home in the victim’s vehicle and headed to Mineral Wells to stay with a friend. When that friend could not be located, the couple came back to Stephenville, where Roberson dropped off his girlfriend and fled once again.

He was apprehended in Early shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday by an Early police officer and a Brown County sheriff’s deputy after a foot-chase.

He was arrested and transported to the Brown County Jail.

The suspect has a history of family violence, and was arrested in December for allegedly assaulting his mother in a separate incident. He was then released on probation, but a warrant for his arrest was recently reissued after he violated probation. The mother did not have a protective order against her son, Bryant said.

“She loved him so much that she did not want to sign a protective order that would keep him away,” Bryant said.

Authorities said the suspect was adopted by Jim and Jana Roberson when he was an infant, and lived in Stephenville for the majority of his life. According to Stephenville Independent School District officials, Roberson attended Stephenville High School for four months — from August through December of 2004 -- then transferred to Erath Excels! Academy.

“Erath Excels wishes to express our deepest sympathy to the family of Jana Roberson,” said Debra Miller, director of Excels! Academy.

“For the short period of time Cody was enrolled in EEA, school personnel were in daily contact with his mother concerning academic issues,” Miller said. “We grieve the loss of a wonderful, caring parent and our prayers are with her family, including the son she loved. Administrators and counselors met with students and staff for a crisis debriefing. Counselors will be available for students, parents, and staff as needed.”

Meanwhile, Bryant said Cody Roberson is expected to be transferred to Erath County “very soon” to face murder charges.

Sara Vanden Berge covers courts, law enforcement, and business and political issues for the Empire-Tribune. She can be reached at sara.vandenberge@empiretribune.com. Her work number is 968-2379, ext. 240.

source: http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2007/02/01/news/news01.txt

---------------------
Co-workers feared for Roberson’s safety

By ANGELIA JOINER and DOUG MYERS Empire-Tribune
Friday, February 2, 2007 10:39 AM CST

Apparently Jana Roberson had been grappling with issues regarding her son, Cody, for months prior to the brutal beating that resulted in her death.

Jana Roberson’s 17-year-old adopted son was arrested and accused of beating his own mother to death with an aluminum baseball bat Tuesday night.

Texas A&M spokesman Dave Mayes said Roberson’s co-workers at Texas Cooperative Extension - located at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center at Highway 281 and Highway 8 - approached officials about 90 days ago with concerns involving Roberson’s son.

They feared for Jana Roberson’s safety and their own.

“She was very fearful … that he would hurt her,” said a “family acquaintance” who asked to remain anonymous.

“He (Cody Roberson) had a lot of anger issues. He was a social misfit.”

In addition, others said she understood Jana Roberson had requested prayer for her family this week.

Meanwhile, Mayes said security measures at the Texas A & M Research and Extension Center were stepped up as soon as possible, as concern heightened at a place where Jana Roberson worked for 17 years.

Mayes said there are a total of six doors that can be used to gain entry to the building. Five of those entrances are side doors and one is the front door. Before concerns were brought to company leaders, all six doors were left unlocked.

When company leaders realized the scope of what they were dealing with, things changed as soon as possible.

For a period of a few days, when company officials were first alerted to Roberson’s situation all six doors were kept locked, this included the front door.

During the time period the front door was locked, a receptionist kept watch to unlock the door for visitors so the company could continue normal business operations.

“Other employees knew about her personal situation and brought it to company leaders and this was their answer to help the situation,” Mayes said.

Mayes said signs were posted on side doors instructing visitors to enter through the front door. He said his company reacted out of concern for Roberson’s safety and others.

Mayes said employees had keys to the side doors and could come and go at will.

“He (Cody) did come out twice in the space of the three month time period,” Mayes said.

Mayes said his office was located in College Station and he didn’t have first hand knowledge of how the son’s visits occurred. He thought Roberson might have met her son at the front door but he said he was told that the visits were non-violent.

Meanwhile, the “family acquaintance” who asked to remain anonymous said Cody Roberson’s parents - Jana and Jim - tried "special schools and counselors and doctors" for their son as part of an effort to help him.

“His parents did everything they could to help him be a normal teen-ager,” she said, adding that the “special camps and counselors probably started by the time he was (age) 10.”

Even so, she said, “If Jana were alive now, she would be trying to help him.”

“She (Jana Roberson) was a good mother,” she said. “She took him to church and took him to everything you take little kids to and made his room cute. She was proud of him.”

source: www.empiretribune.com
---------------------------
Eating ice cream preceded murder

By SARA VANDEN BERGE News Editor
Friday, February 2, 2007 10:39 AM CST

Shortly before Jana Roberson was killed Tuesday night, allegedly at the hands of her 17-year-old son Cody, she was enjoying a quiet evening at home with her son and his 15-year-old girlfriend, according to the girlfriend’s mother.

The mother, who is not being named to protect the identity of her underage daughter, said the victim picked up the two teens early Tuesday evening and took them to Piggly Wiggly to buy ice cream before taking them to the Roberson home. She said her daughter told her that before the murder, Cody was calm and “everything seemed fine.”

“They ate ice cream and had popcorn,” the mother said. “They were settling in for the night, then something went wrong. I don’t know what happened.”

Authorities investigating the case are not saying much, but Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant said investigators spent Thursday interviewing witnesses and examining evidence. Bryant said there are no charges pending against the girlfriend at this time.

Meanwhile, a $1 million bond has been set for the suspect. Cody Roberson was transported to Erath County from Brown County late Wednesday to face murder charges. Authorities said they do not believe the suspect has retained an attorney or requested that one be court-appointed.

The suspect is charged with beating his mother “all over her body” with an aluminum baseball bat, killing her after some type of altercation arose. What sparked the dispute, however, is still not known.

The girlfriend’s mother said her daughter told her that she was in a bedroom eating ice cream when she heard the first sound of trouble.

“My daughter heard a thumping sound - she thought he (Cody) was hitting the table,” she said. “Then she heard her (the victim) calling for help so she came out of the bedroom to see what was happening, but Cody told her to get back.”

The suspect has a history of family violence, and was arrested in December for allegedly assaulting his mother in a separate incident. He was then released on probation, but a warrant for his arrest was recently reissued after he violated probation. The mother did not have a protective order against her son, authorities said.

Earlier reports stated the suspect was adopted by Jim and Jana Roberson when he was five years old, but he was actually adopted by the couple as an infant.

Roberson’s body was sent to the Dallas County Medical Examiner for autopsy, authorities said.

Sara Vanden Berge covers courts, law enforcement, and business and political issues for the Empire-Tribune. She can be reached at sara.vandenberge@empiretribune.com. Her work number is 968-2379, ext. 240.

source: www.empiretribune.com
----------------
Warrant for teen’s arrest issued before murder

By ANGELIA JOINER Staff Writer
Monday, February 5, 2007 10:46 AM CST

One day before Cody Roberson allegedly murdered his mother, Jana Roberson, in the family’s home, a warrant for his arrest was in the hands of law enforcement officials.

The warrant alleges that Roberson violated the terms of his pretrial release agreement after he was arrested for assaulting his mother in late December, Weldon Wilson, pretrial release agent, said.

Prior to his release, specific conditions were laid out for Roberson to follow. Among those provisions, Roberson was required to meet with Wilson weekly, keep scheduled appointments with counselors, attend school, and continue taking his medication.

Sheriff Tommy Bryant said Roberson’s parents requested the conditions be set, and law enforcement officials were attempting to work with the family. Bryant said the parents sat down with their son and laid out the conditions to him, as well.

Wilson requested the warrant after Roberson missed an appointment with him and Erath Excels! Academy called to report that Roberson had not been attending school.

Wilson said Jana Roberson had also contacted him and reported that she believed her son was not keeping counseling appointments and was not taking his medications.

Bryant said Wilson had talked to the Robersons, both Jim and Jana, four separate times the day of the murder and told them not to pick up their son if they learned of his location.

“I talked to both of them on four occasions,” Wilson said. “They were advised to let us know if they learned of his whereabouts so we could pick him up. We were looking for him.”

“At no time did we ever learn of his whereabouts,” prior to the murder, Bryant said. “If we would have known where he was, we would have come running. But we couldn’t make Mrs. Roberson not go pick up her son.”

Before her death, Jana Roberson allegedly picked up Cody and his 15-year-old girlfriend from an undisclosed location and brought them to her home. Later that evening, her son allegedly beat her to death with an aluminum baseball bat.

The suspect is incarcerated in the Erath County Jail, charged with murder. His bond has been set at $1 million.

source: www.empiretribune.com
----------------
Timing of Cody Roberson’s arrest warrant in question

By ANGELIA JOINER Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 6, 2007 1:54 PM CST

Questions are being raised about when exactly the warrant for Cody Roberson's arrest was issued, following a Sunday story in the Empire-Tribune.

Law enforcement officials claimed late last week the warrant had been issued one day before Jana Roberson's brutal murder, but a copy of the warrant obtained by the E-T showed that it was not issued until the day the homicide occurred.

On Monday, Pretrial Release Agent Weldon Wilson was asked to explain the discrepancy but said, “No comment.”

Meanwhile, Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant said he learned of the confusion after hearing from an acquaintance of Roberson’s Monday morning. The acquaintance had knowledge of Roberson’s activities the day she died and realized the firsthand information wasn’t consistent with Sunday’s article.

The latest information indicates, just hours before her death, Jana Roberson contacted law enforcement officials to inform them about her son's whereabouts and asked whether a warrant for his arrest had been issued.

She was told no warrant had been issued. Hours later, she was dead, the victim of an apparent beating, allegedly committed by her 17-year-old son, Cody.

In a telephone interview Monday, Deputy Jim Clifton said he spoke with Roberson about 4:30 p.m. the day she died.

“Mrs. Roberson asked if there was a warrant out for her son’s arrest,” Clifton said. “I told her I would find out, that I had just come on duty and I’d call her back.”

Clifton said Roberson told him her son was in the company of someone named Randy and he might be staying at a house near McCart and Frey streets.

In the process of checking to see if a warrant existed, Clifton said he learned from departmental investigators there was a warrant in progress. At that point, he checked with the County Clerk;s Office and was told they knew nothing of the warrant, he said.

He then tried calling Wilson’s office about 4:45 p.m., but there was no answer.

“I called Mrs. Roberson back and told her that there was no warrant out for him (Cody), but we would probably be getting one the next day,” Clifton said.

After looking into the situation further, Bryant said he realized his office did not obtain the warrant in question until after the crime took place on January 30 or 31.

Records show the warrant had been applied for on January 22, but no one is certain why it took so long to get issued.

Bryant said it is not uncommon for a misdemeanor warrant to take a few days to generate.

ANGELIA JOINER is a staff writer for the Empire-Tribune. She can be reached at angelia.joiner@empiretribune.com or (254) 965-3124, ext. 238.
source: www.empiretribune.com
---------------------------
Roberson injures jail staff

By ANGELIA JOINER Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 6, 2007 1:54 PM CST

Cody Roberson, recently incarcerated for allegedly murdering his mother Jana, attacked two Erath County Jail staff members during an altercation Monday evening at approximately 8:30 p.m., Sheriff Tommy Bryant said.

Bryant said Roberson had requested to be let out of his cell to visit the library. While there, Roberson assaulted the guard with the sharpened end of a toothbrush.

Bryant said the guard’s response and training kept him from being seriously injured.

A female guard attendant was also injured as she aided her co-worker in fending off Roberson.

Both guards were taken to Harris Methodist Erath County Hospital, treated and released, as neither were seriously injured, Bryant said.

Bryant said that Roberson had been placed on a 15-minute suicide watch and apparently had used the time in between guard checks to sharpen the end of a toothbrush on the floor. After the assault occurred, Bryant changed Roberson’s watch to five minutes.

Bryant said his department is required to give inmates toothbrushes.

Bryant said he was phoned at home and informed of the events and he plans on investigating further today with all parties involved.

"It was a heck of a scuffle," Bryant said. "I called in off duty jail staff to take the place of those that were injured and they were sent home."
source: www.empiretribune.com
------------------------
Cody's School Information:

" The list of "unacceptable" schools includes obscures little local schools such as the Theresa B. Lee Academy, Fort Worth Can!, the Richard Milburn Academy and Erath Excels."

source: http://blogs.dfw.com/big_plate/2006/08/from_forest_hil.html
------------------------------------------
For more Erath Excels Information go to: http://www.erathexcels.org/

Ms. Debra Miller
Secretary
Ms. Miller is the wife of State Representative Sid Miller. She and her husband have two sons, 18 and 20. Ms. Miller is the frounder and Director of Erath Excels! Academy. She received her bachelor's degree from Tarleton State University in Elementary Education with history and kindergarten certification. She received her masters's degree from Tarleton State University in Counseling in 1981, Elementary Music Certification in 1991, and Vocational Counseling Certification in 2002. Ms. Miller has ten years of teaching elementary education in grades K-3 and four years of counseling experience in grades K-12 and seven years of counseling experience in grades 9-12 before founding Erath Excels! Academy. She has served on the Board of Directors since the inception of the school. Ms. Miller serves on the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Board, is a member of the Twentieth Century Club, Cross Timbers Republican Women, and Green's Creek Baptist Church.

source: http://www.erathexcels.org/EEA%20Board.htm

----------------------------