I’ve been curious all primary season long about the attacks on Judge Theresa Chang. Other than “she’s a terrible judge” from a couple of attorneys that don’t like her, no one has been able to explain why the pay-for-play slates have been opposed to her. The little fella put this in his Link Letter:
but said nothing about why he chose to “endorse” Erin Swanson over Theresa Chang.
Well, finally, we have a clue:
Now, I don’t know if Judge Chang performs gay weddings in secret or not. Nor do I care. It is legal after all and it isn’t like any judge that does officiate a wedding between two people of the same sex is forcing a heterosexual to marry a homosexual. Good grief I hate the marriage of religion and politics.
Where was this article placed, you ask? In something called the Houston Church News, a project of Phillip Paul Bryant. I don’t know how many people received it but it was mailed to “Resident” of at least one home. Mr. Bryant worked with Republicans to overturn Mayor Parker’s men in women’s restrooms edict. The resident that received the “newspaper” photographed it for me and I compiled it into a pdf – click here if you would like to see the entire mailer.
Three Republicans helped Mr. Bryant circulate this trash:
- Alyssa Lemkuil –
$250$240 (running against Melanie Flowers) - Erin Swanson – $325 (running against Judge Theresa Chang)
- Dan Simons – $3,191 (running against Judge Jay Karahan)
Yeah, that’ll drive voters to the polls.
You will note an ad in the “newspaper” for Kevin Fulton for State Rep. I made a mistake earlier and attributed a donation to Mr. Fulton of $1,500 from Phillip Paul Bryant as an expenditure. Mr. Fulton says that he did not pay for an ad in the “newspaper”, even though the ad contains “pd for by Kevin Fulton for State Representative”. I apologize to Mr. Fulton and take him at his word that he did not pay to circulate this “newspaper”. He also told me that he is returning Mr. Bryant’s contribution. That is a stand up move by a good man.
And just to further the notion of diversity, Mr. Bryant mentioned on Facebook that 6 candidates “preferred to have the QLGBT support over a bunch of Black Christians”:
So how did one campaign operative that is employed by Republicans to help get out the vote respond?
In addition to being paid by Judge Sheri Y. Dean and Sen. Joan Huffman, Burt is besties with Rep. Ron Reynolds, who should be going to the big house any day now.
Does anyone really think that voters are going to run to the polls to support Republicans that resort to these tactics?
The best thing about that “newspaper”? It was reading that Erin Swanson was an “experienced trial attorney”. Folks, if that doesn’t make you laugh, nothing will.
Foolme says
Looks like Eric Dick’s client has all of the Change doctored photos and just set up his website in October of 2016
David Jennings says
What website are you referring to?
Disgusted says
Can Burt Levine be any more clueless and hateful. It’s hard to be in the same room with that man.
Foolme says
The one that his church has hcn1.org, or something like that. It’s on Godaddy and showed a filing date in October 2017
Sheri Y Dean says
I have made no comment regarding any judicial candidate for or against. Nor have I authorized any person nor funded anyone working for me to speak for me. To do so would be against the judicial canons.
Howie Katz says
I don’t think we should have any furriners on the bench. Chang sure doesn’t look American.
Gay marriage? Holy shit, Houston is becoming Sodom and Gomorrah! What’s next … people marrying their dogs?
Seriously though, I’m sorry to say that it looks like a sweep for the Democrats in Harris County this coming November.
Alyssa Lemkuil says
I am not responsible for the content of any publication in which I advertise. I spent $240 (not $250) to advertise in Mr. Bryant’s publication in an effort to get my message to 65,000 voters. I was not aware that it would contain that article about Judge Chang, just as I was not aware that it would contain articles about water or coffee. Anyone who has heard me on the campaign trail knows that I have stayed away from the type of negative campaigning in which others have participated. If elected, I will follow the law and treat all people in my court with courtesy and respect, just as I did when I was previously on the bench.
Mainstream says
I still voted for you Judge Lemkuil, but I disagree that the candidates do not bear some level of responsibility when they advertise in election-time publications, especially where they know the viewpoint of the publication, whether it is Terry Lowry’s The Link Letter, or Gary Polland’s Texas Conservative Review, or this holier-than-thou “Houston Church News.”
David Jennings says
Judge Lemkuil,
You are correct, it was $240, not $250. I have corrected it. My apologies.
You might be interested to know that on your report you list the expenditure to COGIC PAC, dated 1/12/18. The Texas Ethics Commission lists the start date for that PAC as 1/25/18. It is also interesting that they have not filed any campaign finance reports to date.
Theresa Chang says
In response to your story 03/02/18 “Harris County Republicans are so diverse they attack diversity,” I would like to set the record straight, I have never performed a gay wedding in secret or anywhere else. I’ve never been asked to, because everyone who knows me is well aware I am a devout Catholic knows where I stand on these issues.
But, it is very unfortunate that you took the bait from my opponent and/or her supporters and published a slanderous attack for them. The previously unheard-of publication, the so-called Houston Church News, is nothing but cowardly unsigned rubbish. The author purposely does not include their name because they know this is completely untrue. It is mailed in anonymous brown craft envelopes.
I am proud of the support I have earned, and it speaks to my conservative record.
David Jennings says
Judge Chang,
I’m sorry that you think that. I did, in fact, name the person who put it out. The only way to combat this nonsense is to name the people that did it and paid for it. Perhaps one day people will understand that it is wrong to slander people. Candidates paying for this stuff will perhaps be more careful who they deal with in the future.
Good luck tomorrow.
QUILTBAG says
Before June 2015, a judge had to “uphold the law and not legislate from the bench.” Now, apparently, there is an asterisk that says, “except when it comes to gay weddings.”
I remember how before HERO the cry was “the vast majority of pedophiles are homosexual men!” Then during the HERO debate it was, “protect girls from predatory pedophiles” who are apparently heterosexuals now.
Such goes the politics of convenient “truths.”
*For what it’s worth, if someone is sexually attracted to both children and adults, there is not necessarily a correlation between genders of the age groups. Someone may be attracted to adult men and young girls, or adult women and young boys, or adult women and boys and girls up to a certain age, then just girls or just boys, and so on. Then there’s people who are attracted only to children and not to adults at all.