With the recent Supreme Court decision allowing Texas to resume
executions, Charles Dean Hood is scheduled to die next Tuesday, June
17th, for the murders of Ronald Williamson and Tracie Lynn Wallace on
November 1, 1989. Yesterday, his attorneys filed an interesting appeal, alleging that the judge in his capital murder trial was sleeping with the prosecutor.
Judge Verla Sue Holland, now retired, could not have
provided Hood with a fair and impartial trial while involved in a
long-term intimate relationship with then-Collin County District
Attorney Tom O’Connell, the appeal said. O’Connell played an active
role in prosecuting Hood for the double murder that put him on death
row.
Like I said, interesting. Although this alleged relationship has
been the subject of media reports before, this is the first time his
lawyers have raised the issue in court because they were able to get an
affidavit from a former prosecutor.
This summer, with a new execution date approaching,
Hood’s lawyers caught a break when a former assistant district attorney
signed a sworn statement June 3 calling the Holland-O’Connell
relationship “common knowledge” in the prosecutor’s office.
Matthew Goeller, now a Plano lawyer in private practice, said the
relationship was in existence in 1987, when Goeller joined the district
attorney’s office.
Goeller also said it “existed during the trial of Charles Dean Hood” and ended in 1993.
Following the recent green light from the Supreme Court of the U.S.,
the State of Texas resumed executions of cold-blooded killers
yesterday. Karl Eugene Chamberlain was pronounced dead at 6:30 pm after receiving a lethal combination of drugs.
On August 2, 1991, Mr. Chamberlain raped and murdered Felecia Prechtl
in her apartment, leaving her to be found by her 5 year old son when he
returned with his uncle to the apartment. Ms. Prechtl’s mother, Ina
Prechtl, posed a very good question.
“One question I ask myself every day,” Ina Prechtl said. “Why does it take so long for justice to be served?”
No doubt that some of that time spent waiting for justice is well
served. Our society does not wish for innocent people to be put to
death by the state. But most of that time is spent on frivolous appeals
by death penalty advocates, appeals which do nothing to further justice
at an excruciating cost to the victim’s families.
“It has been 11 years since his conviction,” said Ina
Prechtl, whose daughter was murdered. “He has been housed, clothed,
given blankets, pillows. at some point TV, mail, sunlight, clean
clothes, food and drink, appeal lawyers all paid by our tax dollars…
“The victim, Felecia, our daughter and mother, has been in a sealed
concrete vault and casket 6 feet under dirt for the past 17 years,
since the crime was committed. Paid for by her family.”
In addition to the frivolous appeals, much time is spent by the
media on what amounts to nothing more than a public relations makeover
for these deviant creatures. The Huntsville Item helps them out by
including an article on the perpetrator’s family and their “feelings”
each time one of these murderers is executed. Here are some excerpts from the one for Mr. Chamberlain.
Memorial Day was just about the best one I've ever had because of the way we "celebrated" it. Really, it wasn't so much a celebration as a remembrance and enjoyment of family and friends.
Had a nice day at church on Sunday. Class was decent, down a bit because of the three day weekend and great weather but decent still. We finished up our study of faith in Genesis and move this week to Acts for a while. After the morning service, SU and I went to Pop's new residence and had lunch.
SU rode on the bike to the evening service, that's a first. I liked it!
Monday was perfect. Worked outside most of the day, making space in the garage. Amazing how garages can fill up over time. Gonna take a few more of those workdays to empty it out but I got a good start. Hero came over and sorta helped, if help is someone walking around looking busy. Just kidding, wasn't his job to do.
Put a pork shoulder on the pit early in the morning. Around 4 o'clock, I'd had enough of the heat, so we all jumped in the pool. Very relaxing and enjoyable. After chillin' in the pool for awhile, I pulled the shoulder off and let it rest a bit, then shredded it into pulled pork. Awesome. Threw on a few brats as filler, they were good too!
Watched a goofy movie after that, National Treasure 2 . Good way to end the weekend.
Last night, SU and I watched a really good movie, Believe in Me . I like sports movies in general because they are usually about striving to be your best but this one had a twist because it was about a girls basketball team. Excellent, uplifting movie.
Tonight is date night but SU has decided we can no longer go to the remote because she's tired of it! What to do?
Over the past two years, I’ve had
the honor to escort far too many of our nation’s finest to their final
resting place with the SE Texas PGR. I’ve learned a lot about the men
and women, and their families, that willingly stand in the gap to
preserve and protect our freedoms. While all of these missions have a
special place in my heart, one stands out for many reasons.
Pfc. Nathaniel A. Given was killed in action on December 27, 2006,
by an improvised explosive device in Jumbalatiyah, Iraq while
conducting dismounted patrol. From all accounts, Nathan was first and
foremost a person that cared about others. His father related to me how
Nathan would accompany him to visit the kids at Shriners Hospital in
Galveston.
I have been a Shriner at El Mina Shrine for the past 7
years. Nathan has always been by my side along with his little brother
Emery doing everything they can to help me with the children at El Mina
Shrine Burns Hospital, they never had to they just enjoyed working with
the kids as I do.
In an interview with the Galveston Daily News , Nathan’s father recalled a conversation with his son about their shared bulk.
Nathan’s 6-foot, 4-inch frame proved useful for the Army’s needs, which were not altogether to his own liking.
“He would complain to me: ‘Dad, how come you made me so big? They make me carry the big weapons,’” Scott Given said.
That big frame also left a mark at the family home. During a visit home
before heading to Iraq, Nathan attempted to hop the fence in the
backyard. Instead, he bent the frame.
Nathan’s father, Scott, also shared with me an email from Nathan’s
First Sergeant, Aldo E. Galeana that talked about Nathan’s growth as a
soldier. It also speaks of the bond that soldiers have for each other
and a remarkable display of humanity on the battlefield.
As the senior sergeant of the company it is my job to
make sure the Soldiers are trained and ready for combat. When your son
arrived in the unit, I was the one that went to pick him up from the
Battalion Headquarters. All the new Soldiers arrived there. When I
arrived there, I started yelling like all first sergeants do. He looked
a little nervous and a little scared. After about 5 months or so he
started to do pretty good, nothing special or extraordinary. You know
when we are in garrison the soldiers that talk a lot of trash are
usually the ones that are timid in combat. Well sir, your son was not
timid in combat whatsoever. When we arrived in Kuwait for a little bit
of training and acclimatization, your son’s platoon sergeant used to
come up to me and tell me that he was starting to see a lot of changes
in your son, good changes. He used to clean his weapon without any one
telling him to do it, squaring away his gear, squaring himself away, by
studying his equipment capabilities. When we arrived in Iraq, you could
tell your son was coming on his own. What I mean by that is that he was
doing excellent. Every time his platoon got hit by an IED or enemy
fire, he pulled security and scanned his sectors of fire. This might
not seem like very important to other people, but for us in the
Infantry it is. He scanned his sector and kept at the ready. His
platoon sergeant was very impressed by him, he was happy he had a
Soldier that he did not had to worry about. Your son always had a good
attitude. He was always happy, and was well liked in his platoon. He
had the respect of his peers, and his leaders had confidence in him. I
do not know how much he told you about the situation over here, but it
is pretty bad. We are in a very bad sector. Your son handled himself
pretty good in combat. He was brave and strong. He received a coin from
a 2 star general, which are very rare. His platoon nominated him to get
it. He was ahead of his peers, and I was about to promote him to E-4.
When your son passed away, the platoon was conducting a dismounted
patrol. They got hit with a dismounted IED that was pretty big. Your
son and sergeant Messer were knocked out immediately. He did not
suffer, and he did not pass away alone and in pain. I was the one that
went to pick them up, and brought them to the medics here in our patrol
base. I was in there with the medics when your son passed away. Mr.
Given I am of the Christian faith, and I knew this boy lying in the
stretcher in front of me, was somebody’s son. I hope you do not mind me
telling you this. I gave your son a kiss on the forehead and said a
prayer right then and there to guide him to heaven and God. I assure
you, that your son did not suffer. He was unconscious all the time. I
just wanted to tell you that your boy was a brave MAN here with us. He
did his job well, fought well, took care of his duties, and was a
trusted Infantry Soldier. I am not writing this letter to you, because
I want forgiveness. I have been in the Infantry for over 20 years, and
been in Iraq 4 times already. I am telling you this because it is the
truth and I wanted to tell you a little about your son. Please forgive
me if I am writing this letter out of place, it is not my intention. I
am attaching a couple of pictures of the memorial wall we have for the
2 Infantrymen that passed away that day. We look at it every day, and
we do not forget about your son and SGT Messer at all.
A tender kiss on the forehead from the rough and tumble First
Sergeant to guide him home. Thank you Father for men like Pfc. Nathan
Given and First Sgt. Aldo Galeana.
If you have a story, why not share it in the comments below?
A wall in the barracks to remember Pfc. Given and Sgt. Messer.
From left: The platoon’s Iraqi interpreter, Nathan, Lares and
Messer. The interpreter was wounded in the attack, Nathan and Sgt.
Messer were KIA.
These words were found written on the wall of a military hospital in the Philippines after WWII.
A Prayer to St. Peter
Let them in Peter, for they are very tired;
Give them couches where the angels sleep and light those fires.
Let them wake a whole again to brand new dawns fired by the
sun not war time’s bloddy guns. And may their peace be deep
Remember where the broken bodies lie –
God knows how young they were to have to die!
Well, God knows how young they were to have to die!
Give them things they like. Let them make some noise.
Give dance hall bands not golden harps, to these are boys,
Let them love Peter, — for they have had no time –
They should have trees and bird song, hills to climb
The taste of Summer in a ripened pear,
Girls sweet as meadow wind, with flowing hair –
And Tell them how they are missed. But say not to fear;
It’s going to be alright with us down here.
Let them in Peter, for they are very tired;
Give them couches where the angels sleep and light those fires.
Let them wake a whole again to brand new dawns fired by the
sun not war time’s bloddy guns. And may their peace be deep
Remember where the broken bodies lie –
God knows how young they were to have to die!
Well, God knows how young they were to have to die!
Tell them how they are missed. But say not to fear;
It’s going to be alright with us down here.
As we pause to reflect upon the sacrifices that the men and women of
the U.S. Armed Services have made through the years, it is important to
remember that heroes aren’t made simply because they were killed by a
stray bullet or an IED. We call them heroes because they had the
courage to stand in the gap, to put themselves in harms way to defend
freedom.
One young man that stood in the gap for you and me was Sgt. Merlin
German. Perhaps you heard his story when he finally passed away last
month, three years after suffering injuries so serious that doctors
gave him little to no chance of surviving.
The young Marine came back from the war, with his toughest fight ahead of him.
Merlin German waged
that battle in the quiet of a Texas hospital, far from the dusty road
in Iraq where a bomb exploded, leaving him with burns over 97 percent
of his body.
No one expected him to survive.
But for more than three years, he would not
surrender. He endured more than 100 surgeries and procedures. He
learned to live with pain, to stare at a stranger’s face in the mirror.
He learned to smile again, to joke, to make others laugh.
Some say that there is no stronger bond than that between mother and son. In Sgt. German’s case, this was certainly true.
But he was closest to his mother. When the hospital’s
Holiday Ball approached in 2006, German told Norma Guerra he wanted to
surprise his mother by taking her for a twirl on the dance floor.
Guerra thought he was kidding. She knew it could be agony for him just to take a short walk or raise a scarred arm.
But she agreed to
help, and they rehearsed for months, without his mother knowing. He
chose a love song to be played for the dance: “Have I Told You Lately?”
by Rod Stewart.
That night he donned
his Marine dress blues and shiny black shoes — even though it hurt to
wear them. When the time came, he took his mother in his arms and they
glided across the dance floor.
Everyone stood and applauded. And everyone cried.
Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there’s no one else above you
Fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do
There were many dark days for Sgt. German, days of depression and of
wondering why? Why did I not die? Why didn’t God save me before I was
injured like this? Why should I live? A simple “Thank you for serving
your country” from President Bush changed that. In his own words;
That was a life changing moment. So I felt like I did something in Iraq that was worth something.
I started realizing that I was here and I was inspiring
a lot of people. People come up to me and say, ‘you’re so strong and I
look up to you. And some people call me their hero. The more people
were getting excited, the more I realized that I didn’t want to die and
I’m okay with the way I am and continuing inspiring people.
Sgt. German finally lost his battle on April 11, 2008. But not
before touching the lives of thousands of others. His story will
continue to change lives for years to come. Yes, Sgt. German, you did
something in Iraq that was worth something.
Regardless of whether you think, as I do, that our mission in Iraq
is right and just, or if you think, like legions of Americans that are
just as loyal and patriotic to their country as I, that the conflict in
Iraq was not our battle to fight and we need to exit as soon as
possible, we must never forget that we are one nation, under God,
indivisible only because of the sacrifice, courage and strength of
character of men and women like Sgt. Merlin German.
Memorial Day weekend. Thus far, it has
been everything that those who gave their lives to allow us to be
free could have hoped for. That's how I will choose to honor those
men and women - live life full and free.
Last night, SU and I had a very nice dinner with LB & T. I had
called him on another matter and he asked if we were doing
anything. Nope. So we me up at Chili's and had a great time. Nice
to sit and chat with no worries.
Today, I met up with Coach and General and made a run to the
Pickett House for lunch. The VTX performed flawlessly, averaging
right at 38 mpg, which is about 4 more than I've been getting
around town. We took the backroads up through Hankamer, Nome and a
bunch of others, including Fred. Ha, go up to Fred and take a left.
Inside joke, I guess. We tried to get close enough to see the big
sinkhole in Daisetta but they had it pretty well blocked off.
Bummer.
All in all, a great ride. Door to door was 261 miles. Overcast most
of the day, making for a pleasant ride. The new seat was really
nice, along with the highway pegs. Didn't take a single pciture!
Yikes. I suppose it isn't cost effective to ride 261 miles for
lunch but it sure was fun!
Topped the day off with a movie that AW has recommended several
times, PS, I Love You. Have to admit, for a chick flick, it wasn't
too bad. Actually, it was pretty good. But don't tell anyone, they
might get the wrong idea and think I have a sensitive side.
Like I said, a good start to the Memorial Day weekend. This weekend
is about all of those things that make America great, even the big
sale at Macy's or whatever. It seems strange to say that because
you really want to stop and honor those that gave their lives so
that we could have these things. And we should all take the time to
do that. But I don't think, as I have in the past, that we should
be critical of those things. Because, at the end of the day,
freedom is what we choose to do with it. All we really need to
remember is that we have that choice only because others have
sacrificed their lives.
“No one has greater love than this – that one laysdown his life for his friends.”
Army Pfc. Ross McGinnis put these words into action on Dec. 4, 2006.
A Pennsylvania soldier who jumped on a grenade in Iraq
to save the lives of his comrades at the cost of his own will be
awarded the Medal of Honor.
The nation’s highest military honor will be given to 19-year-old
Army Pfc. Ross McGinnis of Knox, Pa., on June 2, the White House said
Friday.
McGinnis “distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism,” White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto said.
McGinnis was in the gunner’s hatch of a Humvee on Dec. 4, 2006, when
a grenade sailed past him and into the vehicle where four other
soldiers sat. He shouted a warning, then jumped on the grenade while it
was lodged near the vehicle’s radio. It blew up and killed him.
Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb, an Army spokeswoman, said McGinnis easily could have jumped out of the vehicle and saved himself.
“The instinct is, jump out of the vehicle, but his four buddies were
in the vehicle with him … and he chose to place himself on top of the
grenade and absorb the impact, and it saved their lives,” Edgecomb said.
Yikes! Glad you made it. Thought I'd wander over here and look around. Too
strange OY. :>)
Too funny...I know it would be worth a call!!
Whoa now! so YOU get to change the oil, but you won't teach me how to do it?!
Not cool.
Ready for "later"...and the rest of the story
what a wonderful world we could have if ALL of us who say we are Christians
became Christlik...
Thank you so much for the listning and the kind words. I am very blessed to have
this outlet...
Sure. I tried to tell him that he needs a way to contact him from his Reverb
Nation site but...
Will you tell Bil I think he sounds great, and I'm glad we are still gifted with
his presenc...
I thought you must be taking a break. It sounds like it was a busy break. It's
great reading...
Welcome back..