It isn’t often that I agree with Houston Chronicle columnist Lisa Falkenberg but her column on the Perry grand jury that indicted the Texas governor is spot-on.
In Harris County and other Texas jurisdictions where judges use the “pick-a-pal” system to empanel grand jurors, bias and corruption are natural byproducts. The judge picks a pal, called a “commissioner,” to go out and find some more pals to serve on a grand jury and supposedly mete out justice. The process, as I’ve written, has been outlawed in the federal system, and is still only used in Texas and California.
But it wasn’t used in this case.
Richardson didn’t ask a buddy to empanel the grand jurors. The members were randomly selected from Travis County jurors who answered a summons – a similar process to the one used to select regular trial juries.
Attorneys on both sides didn’t respond to my questions on whether potential grand jurors were screened for any conflicts or biases that would keep them from fairly considering the case. Tyus hasn’t returned phone calls or email, either. But a few other grand jurors have told the Chronicle that the indictment had nothing to do with politics.
And who is Perry to say it did? A presidential contender and a man facing two felonies, that’s who.
Even veteran criminal defense lawyer Dick DeGuerin, who has defended Perry saying he appropriately used his veto power, hasn’t blamed the indictment on politics.
“This is not one where Rick Perry’s lawyers can say ‘this is Ronnie Earl at it again’,” DeGuerin told me, referring to the former Travis County district attorney often criticized for going after political enemies.
(click here to read the entire column on HoustonChronicle.com)
Judge Bert Richardson picked the grand jury from among regular folks responding to a jury summons. A cross section of the community is what grand juries should be made of. If people are upset that more Republicans weren’t on the grand jury, perhaps they should tell Republicans to respond to those summonses.
As we’ve documented many times, the “pick-a-pal” grand jury system used in Harris County is ripe for abuse and has been abused. Mrs. Falkenberg’s recent spotlight on the system is very much welcome and we hope the judges in Harris County stop using the system until state law is changed to do away with it.
I am curious to know if she now wishes that she hadn’t praised the 185th Grand Jury that was used to oust former DA Pat Lykos. Here is what Falkenberg wrote back in October, 2011:
Grand jurors of the 185th criminal court, you are my heroes.
I had lost all faith that any elected official would get to the bottom of the BAT van controversy, that any of them would care enough to figure out whether the Houston Police Department or Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos‘ office were trying to cover up faulty evidence. Or whether the DA’s office tried to retaliate against the whistle-blower who brought problems with HPD’s blood alcohol testing vans to light.
Heroes? Hardly. Useful tools for a DA candidate named Mike Anderson and his trusty consultant? Absolutely. Led by a Wyatt-Earp wanna be foreperson? Without a doubt. Facilitated by a judge that didn’t like Pat Lykos? Yep.
Remember, not a single indictment was handed down after this prolonged witch hunt, the two fired lab clerks also lost in Federal court and are being forced to cover court costs, and those BAT vans are still in use today.
Perhaps her earlier column explains why Falkenberg has refused to write about the 185th in her series on abusive grand juries in Harris County. Hopefully she can get past that and shine some light on the abuse that took place in the 185th courtroom.
“If people are upset that more Republicans weren’t on the grand jury, perhaps they should tell Republicans to respond to those summonses.” How ridiculous. You simply assert that Republicans didn’t respond with no evidence. The problem is the jurisdiction itself. It is not statewide but only a local area which is heavily Democrat.
Lisa Falkenberg a CFR Hearst paper shill for Planned Parenthood via the Houston Chronicle contrasts outcomes from two types of grand juries for Rick Perry acting as governor: “Pro-life” Governor Perry’s ‘pro-choice” appointee for Harris County DA Devon Anderson’s “pick a pal” Key Man Grand Jury System “exoneration” on 11/12/13 Houston’s own Kermit Gosnell, Dr. Douglas Karpen, of literally beheading with powerful forearms late term aborted infants delivered live into Karpen’s grip, and the Travis County Grand Jury that indicted Gov. Perry himself for abuse of power and coercion. Falkenburg gloats over Perry’s indictment by a Travis County Grand Jury in her recent Chronicle column: “No Pick a Pal (Key Man) Grand Jury for Perry”
In Harris County and other Texas jurisdictions where judges use the “pick-a-pal” (i.e. Key Man Grand Jury-KMGJ) system to empanel grand jurors, bias and corruption are natural byproducts. The judge picks a pal, called a “commissioner,” to go out and find some more pals to serve on a grand jury and supposedly mete out justice. The process, as I’ve written, has been outlawed in the federal system, and is still only used in Texas and California.
On the strength of Falkenburg’s excellent 2013 Chronicle expose on Harris County “pick a pal” Key Man Grand Juries cataloging miscarriages of justice back to 2004, a Chronicle Editorial just days before Karpen’s KMGJ exoneration by DA Devon Anderson’s Judge Susan Brown 185th Criminal Court Grand Jury, righteously called for abolishing Key Man Grand Juries in Texas. Days later, Falkenberg and the Chronicle Editorial crew gloated in print together with Karpen’s Defense Attorney Chip Lewis of Ken Lay/Enron fame over the “exoneration” of Douglas Karpen by Perry’s pic-a-pal KMGJ.
“Pro-life” AG Greg Abbott running to replace Perry as governor against Abortion Barbie, quietly orchastrated Karpen’s exoneration by pic-a-pal using Perry’s timely Harris County DA appointment of Devon Anderson. No other qualified applicants were ever considered by Perry for Harris County DA. The fix being in, Devon Anderson did not bother to complete her own application.
Falkenberg references former Judge Devon Anderson along with her late husband Michael continually in her Chronicle KMGJ expose as the king and queen of Harris County pic-a-pal coercion and KMGJ miscarriage of justice. Chip Lewis , the Andersons’ campaign manager against former Harris County “pro-life” DA” Pat Lykos (Chip carried out a personal/professional vendetta against Lykos via KMGJ) used the same Anderson pic-a-pal KMGJ Susan Brown 185th Criminal Court to publically besmirch Pat Lykos’ re-election (just as Perry did by politicizing Lehmberg’s DUI videos) for Harris County District Attorney to get Michael Anderson elected, to later have his client Douglas Karpen exonerated of infanticide by the same KMGJ.
As in the case of Karpen’s exoneration by Anderson’s Susan Brown 185th key man grand jury which Chip Lewis used to destroy “pro-life” Pat Lykos’ reelection, Falkenberg ( media shill for Planned Parenthood) proclaims the Anderson/Brown/Lewis 185th KMGJ that tarred and feathered “pro-life” Pat Lykos and exonerated Douglas Karpen her “heroes”.
Perry desperately sought the exoneration of Karpen by Anderson pic-a-pal to keep his and his United Surgical Partners government lobblyist sister Mila Perry Jones, and Baylor Medical School lobbyist Buddy Jones (Baylor Medical School supplies abortionists for Planned Parenthood I-45) partial ownership of Karpen’s Aaron Women’s clinic house of horrors from coming to light in a grand jury infanticide investigation of Karpen.
The initial homicide investigation of Karpen was handed over to HPD homicide and Sgt Robert Odom by interim Harris County DA Belinda Hill. Mayor Parker whose “wife” is treasurer at Planned Parenthood I-45 orchestrated as mayor a “non investigation” of Karpen for murder, but fairly routine for HPD Homicide in numerous other select cases as exposed by the Chronicle. The investigation for murder of Douglas Karpen not done by Odom and HPD though ordered by Lt. Gov. Dewhurst and DA Hill was never mentioned by the Chronicle or of course Mayor Parker decrying the scandal of HPD Homicide not investigating select murders for decades. Again, Perry appointed Devon Anderson in the wake of the HPD Homicide select non-investigation of murderers scandal to put the kabash on Planned Parenthood’s USP’s relationship with Karpen’s Aaron Clinic to keep his own conflict of interest in signing HB2 from coming to light.
Perry’s family shares in United Surgical Partners of which Karpen’s Aaron Clinic is an “outpatient” doctor owned late term abortion “partner” reveals Perry’s conflict of interest and Perry’s abuse of power and coercion as Governor in signing HB2. UPS shareholders, coporate officers, and Planned Parenthood profit financially by Perry signing as Governor HB2 shutting down all non-USP affiliated abortion mills (90{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the surgical abortion business) in Texas creating an abortion monopoly for USP and Planned Parenthood’s out-patient mega clinics.
Months before, Planned Parenthood, Lisa Falkenberg and the Chronicle were lionized in defense of late term abortion rights via a front page defense of Dr. Douglas Karpen who was being targeted “next” by Operation Rescue and anti-choice activists in the wake of Gosnell’s indictment by a Philadelphia Grand Jury and subsequent conviction for baby murder. Falkenburg, speaking out of both sides of her mouth in defending the right of late term abortion via Karpen while righteously calling for ending KMGJ miscarriages of justice, is silent on Karpen’s exoneration by DA Devon Anderson’s Key Man Grand Jury as in the case of “pro-life” DA Pat Lykos because of a her professional conflict of interest as a Hearst Planned Parenthood media shill. Abortion ueber Alles! for Falkenberg.
For Falkenberg, “pro-life” Governor Perry, who signed HB2 into law shuttering all non-outpatient abortion mills in Texas ( 2013) is the enemy of women’s healthcare and freedom of choice. Perry as Governor opposed the very Planned Parenthood abortion friendly Obamacare because insurance coverage did not incorporate doctor owned outpatient clinics of which United Surgical Partners has a 100{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} franchise monopoly in Texas. Why? Such clinics are 20{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} to 30{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} more costly than hospitals because of needless testing. As such Falkenberg revels in Perry’s righteous indictment by an impartial grand jury for abuse of power and coercion as Governor.
And I agree with Falkenberg’s contention, the Travis County Grand Jury, Judge, and Special Prosecutor were impartial and dutifully and lawfully indicted Gov. Perry for his crimes crimes of abuse of power and coercion. No matter that Texans for Public Justice that brought the charge to a Republican judge in the first place against Perry and earlier against “Hot Tub” Tom Delay is a bought and paid for NGO shill of self-professed Nazi-collabortaor George Soros.
But, unlike Falkenberg, I revel in Perry’s indictment and hope for his conviction and imprisonment not because Perry is actually pro-life (he is not) and signed HB2, but because Perry is a crook and abortion profiteer (in a business partnership with Planned Parenthood and Karpen through shares in USP) and his singing of HB2 proves it. Perry and his whole family should be indicted by the Travis Public Integrity Unit for his signing HB2 as governor, truth be known.
I agree with Falkenberg, If Perry would have been subject to a Harris County KMGJ guided by Perry’s DA appointee Devon Anderson, just like Douglas Karpen, Perry would be exonerated of all charges via his pic-a-pal control as governor of the judge, prosecutor, jurors and Key Man Commissioners (Chip Lewis) just as Perry was in the KMGJ exoneration of Karpen.
Perry used the intrinsically corrupt Harris County KMGJ system and timely appointment of the Harris County DA to exonerate Douglas Karpen to keep his abortion profiteering conflict of interest in signing HB2 from coming to light.
Although parading a 26 year old legislative aid as the mastermind behind the composition of HB2 at a 2013 Texas Right to Life Gala in which Governor Perry received an award from Elizabeth Graham for being “pro-life,” cui bono? Who profits from Perry signing HB2?Unborn child and women subjected to the politics of abortion business?
The abortion mill shuttering mandates of HB2: thirty mile privileges ( a Red Herring if ever there was one) and ambulatory surgical that is outpatient capacity of doctor owned abortion mills do not benefit unborn children or woman, especially when USP out patient doctor own abortion clinics and Planned Parenthood mega clinics will simply replace the HB2 shuttered abortion mills. Perry, his sister Mila Perry Jones, Buddy Jones, profit from Perry’s misuse of his office as Governor signing HB2. Mila Perry Jones is a lobbyist for United Surgical Partners who currently has a 100{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} franchise monopoly in Texas of all out patient certified doctor own clinics. This includes late term abortion ambulatory surgical clinics, i.e. Planned Parenthood 1-45, the largest late term outpatient abortion clinic in the Western world, and Douglas Karpen’s Aaron Women’s Clinic. Perry through family shares in United Surgical Partners has a partial ownership of Karpen’s clinic along with Planned Parenthood.
After Lt. Gov. Dewhurst’s very public knee jerk reaction to a horrific viral LifeDynamics You Tube featuring three of Karpen’s former employees at Aaron clinic, Dewhurst, emasculated by the Wendy Davis spectacle, called for a homicide investigation of Douglas Karpen. Dewhurst did not take a second to consult Governor Perry or AG Abbott about this unaware of Perry’s United Surgical Partners/HB2 conflict of interest surfacing if Karpen’s United Surgical Partner’s connected Aarons Clinic was spotlighted in an infanticide investigation of Douglas Karpen.
Simply put, Perry and his sister and brother in law are via shares of United Surgical Partners owners of Karpen’s Aaron clinic. By closing down abortion mills in Texas which have 92{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the abortion business by Hb2 outpatient mandate, Planned Parenthood and Surgical Partners create a surgical abortion monopoly which enriches Planned Parenthood and shareholders of United Surgical Partners alike. Cui bono from HB2? Planned Parenthood I-45 and Perry and his family members via UPS shares.
It is ironic justice that Perry in the Harris County KMGJ exoneration of Karpen escaped exposure of his pro-Planned Parenthood pro-Perry abortion profiteering abuse of power as Texas, Governor only to be caught by an impartial Travis County Grand Jury and indicted for his abuse of power as governor in trying to appoint, as he did with Devon Anderson, a DA heading up the Travis County Public Integrity Unit (PUI) investigating a Perry crony capitalism bio-firm receiving an 11 million dollar no bid contract under the auspices of AG Gregg Abbott:
“The PIU had been investigating the Cancer Research and Prevention Institute (CPRIT), a $3 billion dollar taxpayer funded project that awarded research and investment grants to startups targeting cancer cures. The entire scientific review team, including Nobel Laureate scientists, resigned because they said millions were handed out through political favoritism. Investigations by Texas newspapers indicated much of the money was ending up in projects proposed by campaign donors and supporters of Governor Perry. In fact, one of the executives of CPRIT was indicted in the PIU investigation for awarding an $11 million dollar grant to a company without the proposal undergoing any type of review.
Perry might have been the next target.
The same cronyism appeared to be at work in two other large taxpayer accounts called the Emerging Technology Fund (ETF), and the Texas Enterprise Fund, (TEF), which were supposed to be used to help technology startups and assist companies wanting to move to Texas. In total, the governor and his appointees had purview over about $19 billion and where they wanted it invested.
Why not make sure your contributors get some of that sweetness?”
If Perry were able to get Lehmberg to resign, he’d have the authority to appoint her replacement. We can assume that would have been a Republican, and that any investigations might have stuttered to a halt. The DA, however, refused, and began to field threats from the governor’s office that the PIU budget was to be zeroed out via line item veto. But the exercise of the veto is not what got Perry indicted.”
Appointing DA Devon Anderson to guide a Harris County KMGJ commissioned by her husband’s campaign manager Chip Lewis to exonerate Douglas Karpen to keep Perry’s abortion profiteering through HB2/United Surgical Partners shares from coming to lthe surface, is comparable to Perry attempting to coerce Lehmberg to resign. There is a Montgomery County Judge who has been convicted four times of DUI who was not coerced by Perry to resign and who still drinks and drives presumably. Two other Republican DA’s in Texas DUI’s were not confronted by Perry. There is a You Tube from 2011 inwhich Perry, not driving, but acting like a belligerent drunk towards an officer, a black woman, continually threatens the officer in the performance of her duty by saying in imitation of Lehmberg, don’t you know who I am. The officer did her duty.
When it comes to appointing DA’s to obstruct justice in grand jury investigations ultimately pointing to Perry’s own abuse of power as governor in profiteering from crony capitalism, Perry’s political character assassination of Lehmberg was not Governor Pony Boots first rodeo, let us hope it is his last.
Seems to me Gov’nor Rick Perry got the fairest grand jury possible in Travis County. Perry needs to man up and face these charges in court.