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Viewpoint
El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, March 9, 2016
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Pickles, planes & prayer: Diary of a Dad-man March 7, 10 p.m. – I pack my bag for an upcoming flight to Miami, Fla. Overcome with a sense of worry and trepidation, I make the following post on social media: My very, very pregnant wife and I are making an emergency flight to Florida tomorrow because my father-in-law has been diagnosed with what could very well be a life-threatening illness. Because our little son has already been super impatient about arriving into the world (in addition to the fact that we’ll be flying through ridiculous thunderstorms), needless to say this could be a scary and dangerous trip. We ask for prayers for our safety and return, that little EJ stays in the womb at least a few more days, and for a big-time recovery for Michelle’s dad. I’ve witnessed at least a couple of miraculous events with my own mom and therefore steadfastly believe in the power of prayer. So even if you’re not a Christian, please put in a good word to Yahweh, Siddhartha Gautama, the mother goddess or just send some positive vibes of energy our way. Peace and love y’all. March 8, 4:30 a.m. – The alarm on my phone alerts me that it’s time to rise and shine. Or at least rise. My wife and I hurriedly get dressed for the car ride to Bush IAH. While I’m still stumbling around and getting my bearings, she’s already prepared the most delightful breakfast of
smoked salmon and cream cheese on a toasted bagel. I’m reminded again why I’m blessed to have this woman in my life. I grab an iced coffee from the fridge and away we go.
My eyes widen. I somehow manage one of those half-smiles that ay you have to present to trasner folks who give indications that they have a subscription to Cat Fancy magaInk By The Barrel zine. 6:48 a.m. – I’d already “Dear Jesus,” my inner decided that an undulatdialogue begins. “Please ing ride in one of those parking shuttle vans don’t let Crazy Cat Lady be seated beside us.” – you know, the ones that seem to have been designed with the suspension of an Old West 7:31 a.m. – Crazy Cat Lady (CCL) has horse carriage – might be the very worst way somehow managed to get in front of me. Probto prepare my wife for flying. So we pull into ably occurred when I stopped to put my belt the valet slot at Terminal A. back on. I may or may not have become so angry that I’m no longer nervous. 7 a.m – Boarding passes secured, we stroll through security without incident. 7:36 a.m. – Now onboard the plane, CCL is Wait holding up the line. Evidently, Pickles has a Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. skin disorder that requires a separate bag for “Please remove your belt, sir.” all of his balms and ointments. Geez. Another bag holds his lamb-flavored kibble. A third even larger satchel contains vari7:01 a.m. – We stroll through security with- ous grooming combs and brushes for the furry out incident. Seats 8A and 8B await us. darling. Oh boy ... 7:27 a.m. – While in line for boarding, I look With hands waving wildly, CCL frantically behind me and notice a disheveled lady drag- explains to the stewardess that her baggage ging her cat carrier to the line. cannot be “smooshed” overhead and that she She appears to sense me checking out her needs a separate seat for Pickles’ belongings. feline companion. The stewardess somehow talks her off the “His name is Pickles,” she spurts. “He’s my proverbial ledge and secures Pickles’ prized special boy!” possessions.
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CCL and Pickles lumber past Row 8 and all is right with the world. 7:55 a.m. – We prepare for take off and roll onto the runway. Pickles blurts out a hissing meow from two rows behind me. I say a prayer. Then another. 7:57 a.m. – Gaining altitude, I’m watching my wife like a Mama gator hovering over her nest. Each time she shuffles in her seat or touches her belly, I cringe. 8 a.m. – “Are you okay?” I ask Michelle after another belly rub. “Yes, are you?” She smiles. “No!” I say emphatically. She laughs and reassuringly rubs my arm. 8:30 - 11 a.m. – Shhhh. I’m sleeping. 11:02 a.m. EST – Landed safely. Thanks for all the prayers. We’d appreciate positive thoughts for our return Thursday as well. Heck, you might even put in a good word for Pickles. You know. The skin condition and all. –Jay T. Strasner is publisher of the El Campo Leader-News.
Have An Opinion? WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR lettertoeditor@leader-news.com Letters to the editor run as space is available in both the Wednesday and Saturday edition. To be considered for publication, letters must be received before 1 p.m. Monday for the Wednesday edition or 1 p.m. Thursday for the Saturday edition. Publication in a specific paper is not guaranteed. Please limit your letters to no more than 350 words. Letters must be signed by at least one person and a telephone number is required. An individual can submit a letter for publication once every eight editions (generally once a month) unless it is in direct response to another letter at the discretion of the newspaper. The Leader-News allows representatives of clubs or other fundraising organizations to thank up to five individuals or corporations by name in a letter to the editor. Please note that the Leader-News will not publish letters advocating a specific choice on an election issue immediately before or during a balloting period.
County judge reviews annual criminal proceedings Today’s column is an annual review of the criminal, probate, guardianship and juvenile proceedings filed in Wharton County during 2015. Locally, the Constitutional or judicial court convenes most Wednesdays when defense attorneys, defendants, prosecutors and the county judge work through an average 85 to 120 Class A and Class B criminal misdemeanor cases. These judicial sessions start at 9 a.m. and typically run into the late afternoon hours. Class A Misdemeanors are crimes punishable up to one year in the county jail and/or a fine not to exceed $4,000. The county court can additionally assign the defendant up to two years of community supervision (probation) or three years with an extension. Class A misdemeanors include assault with bodily injury, burglary of a vehicle, driving while intoxicated (second offense), evading arrest on foot, possession of 2 to 4 ounces of marijuana and the unlawful carry-
ing of a weapon. Class B Misdemeanors are crimes punishable up to 180 days in the county jail and/or a fine not to exceed $2,000. Defendants can additionally receive up to two years of community supervision or three years with an extension. Class B offenses include criminal trespass, first DWI, false report to police officer, harassment, possession of 2 ounces or less of marijuana, prostitution and terroristic threat. Other Crimes And Their Jurisdictions: The justice of the peace and municipal courts preside over the lower range Class C misdemeanors which are only punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 (no jail time). Class C charges include assault by threat, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, gambling, public intoxication, minor in possession, open container and issuance of bad check. Felonies are deemed the most serious of criminal charges and carry harsher fines and possible two years to life imprisonment depending on
THE EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS (USPS 169520) is published semi-weekly on Wednesday and Saturday for $48 per year in Wharton County; $63 per year out of county; and $87 per year out of state; and $48 per year for the online edition only, by Wharton County Newspapers, Inc., 203 E. Jackson St., El Campo, Texas 77437. Periodical postage paid at El Campo, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS, P.O. Box 1180, El Campo, Texas 77437. © 2016 Wharton County Newspapers, Inc.
979-543-3363 Fax: 979-543-0097 Website: www.leader-news.com Email address: lettertoeditor@leader-news.com Opinions or views expressed by individual columnists or in Letters to the Editor are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper. Also, while the Leader-News strives for accuracy, errors may occur, and will be promptly corrected once they are brought to the attention of the editor.
Phillip Spenrath Wharton County Judge
the degree of the crime and any extenuating circumstances related to the offense. Felonies are heard in State district court and include, but are not limited to, murder, sexual assault, robbery, arson, indecency with a child, burglary, fraud, forgery and a number of drug offenses. Judges Randy Clapp and Ben Hardin preside over our local district courts.
Summary of 2015 County Court Criminal Docket (As a comparison, the bracketed number is 2014)
Total: 1,115 (1,205 in 2014) new cases were filed in addition to 612 (590) pre-existing cases.
Types of New Cases: 171 (214 in 2014) drug possession- marijuana; 124 (155 in 2014) DWI first; 83 (88) theft; 92 (66) assault family violence; 95 (56) drug offenses-other; 32 (31) theft by check; 89 (126) driving with license invalid; 37 (47) DWI second; 29 (26) assault-other; 39 (41) traffic; and 324 (355) other misdemeanors. Cases disposed: 1,238 (574 convictions, 439 dismissals, 164 deferred adjudications, and 61 motions to revoke probation). More than 85 percent of the dismissals resulted from the defendant entering a guilty plea to a related higher felony charge. Age of Cases Disposed: 690 cases were disposed in 30 days or less; 161 cases in 31 to 60 days; 247 in 61 to 90 days; and 140 cases took more than 90 days. DWI’s make up the bulk of lengthier cases as defendants grudgingly play out all options in hopes of retaining their commercial driver’s license and curtailing increases to insurance premiums. Sentencing Information: 458 sen-
tenced to local jail and another 116 received probation. Attorney Representation: 330 defendants retained their own council and 39 received court-appointed counsel. The lion’s share of county court misdemeanor defendants chose to go pro se by working out a plea agreement with the prosecutor on their own. Non-Criminal Cases: 194 civil, 134 new probate and guardianship cases, and four mental health probable cause hearings. My fellow citizens, Wharton County remains safe, strong and well protected. We have highly skilled law enforcement officials, a very effective and efficient judicial system, and one of the most secure and acclaimed county jails. As county judge, my primary objective continues to be preparing Wharton County for the future while always maintaining our unique small-town way of life.
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El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, December 14, 2016
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Viewpoint
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Baseball victory arrives despite big doubts Growing up in rural Arkansas, I loved sports. Still do. For the past four decades, I’ve remained obsessed with sports. Need sports in order to achieve optimal happiness. Let me be clear: I darn well can’t live without sports. I’ve always been drawn to the underdog, just like my grandfather was. A former fire-ball pitcher who would have probably had a professional career if he hadn’t been busy fighting in WWII, my grandpa loved the Chicago Cubs. Mostly, because their games were on TV quite regularly back home. Also because they were the “Loveable Losers.” The underdogs. After a big win, he’d take a “victory shot” of bourbon to celebrate when the Cubs came out on top. He’d also sing along to the “Go Cubs Go” anthem that is played after each Chicago triumph. Over the years, he watched the Cubs field their typical team that had individual talent, but because of various curses, bad luck, injuries, inability to keep free agents, etc. – never fielded a regularly competitive squad. Unfortunately for me and my
grandpa, rooting for the Cubs during most seasons has been like watching a drunk guy chase a balloon near the edge of a cliff. Never quite able to grasp success. Yet there I was, year after year. Root, root, rooting for the Cubbies. I missed a lot of the misery that occurred before the 1980s, because I was too young to witness it. My grandpa passed away, so I was left alone to endure years of heartache such as the Bartman debacle a few seasons back and various other collapses. Most years, the Cubs never even sniffed the playoffs. Until 2015, that is. The season that Back to the Future predicted in cinematic lore 30 years ago that the Cubs would win the World Series. They came close, but lost in the NLCS. Which set the stage for this year. Picked by prognosticators as the favorite to finally break the 108-year championship drought, the Cubs roared out of the gates and kept the best record in the league for much of the regular season. They added the best closer in baseball at the trade deadline and the team had the look of a true World Series team. But then again, these ARE the
Jay T.
Strasner Ink By The Barrel
Cubs. My Cubbies blasted through the playoffs and entered the World Series against the Cleveland Indians with great momentum. In true Cub fashion, they fell behind 3 games to 1. Here we go again, right? But magically, they rallied to tie the series and force a winner-takeall match. When Game 7 arrived Wednesday, I was a mess. All day long. Couldn’t concentrate at work. Thought about all the years of Loveable Losing. Thought about my grandpa and how much he’d enjoy the opportunity to watch this game. Game 7 arrived and was downright gut-wrenching. The Cubs were ahead. Way ahead. The score stood at 6-3 in the 8th
inning. Victory was imminent. Then, predictably, the Indians tied the game on a dramatic home run when the Cubs’ manager overused that talented closer and left him in too long. The game went into the 10th inning. Then there was a rain delay. It was too much for my old, sad heart to take. Having seen this scenario play out one too many times, I turned the TV off and shuffled to bed, certain the Cubs would once again fall short of the championship. “What are you doing??” The Official Supportive Sports Wife asked incredulously. “F*** this. I’m going to bed. I can’t handle having my heart ripped out again. I’ll check the score in the morning and either be happy or start getting ready for next year.” My wife is a Yankees fan. Therefore, she’s very unfamiliar with this baseball pessimism. Her grossly successful Bronx Bombers have won more titles than any other major league team. So she still had hope. Hope? How odd is that? Supportive Wife laid down beside me and checked the score on her phone a few times while I angrily tossed and turned.
“Ummm, you might want to go back to the game,” she eventually offered. The Cubs had loaded the bases, so I reluctantly trudged back into the living room for what I expected to be more unbelievable failure. Then my Cubs scored two runs to take the lead and quickly got two outs in the top of the next frame. Alas, another Indian got on base, bringing the potential tying run to the plate. I simultaneously had a headache and heartburn as the Cubs went to the bullpen to get lefty Mike Montgomery. “Who’s this guy?” the wife asked. “He’s good,” I said, hoping I didn’t just curse the outcome. The first pitch was a beautiful, looping curveball for a strike. The second pitch was tapped to third base, resulting in the final out and the first Cubs title in 108 long, long years. I poured the victory shot and thought about many things, but mostly my grandpa. Go Cubs go, Pops. Go Cubs go. Jay T. Strasner is publisher of the Leader-News.
Have An Opinion? WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR lettertoeditor@leader-news.com Letters to the editor run as space is available in both the Wednesday and Saturday edition. To be considered for publication, letters must be received before 1 p.m. Monday for the Wednesday edition or 1 p.m. Thursday for the Saturday edition. Publication in a specific paper is not guaranteed. Please limit your letters to no more than 350 words. Letters must be signed by at least one person and a telephone number is required. An individual can submit a letter for publication once every eight editions (generally once a month) unless it is in direct response to another letter at the discretion of the newspaper. The Leader-News allows representatives of clubs or other fundraising organizations to thank up to five individuals or corporations by name in a letter to the editor. Please note that the Leader-News will not publish letters advocating a specific choice on an election issue immediately before or during a balloting period.
New adminstration has many improvement opportunities We are now in a kind of political no-man’s-land between an administration on its way out and a new administration taking shape. Predictions are always risky — and nowhere more so than in times like these. What we can do, however, is assess where we are, and what some of the opportunities and dangers are. The opportunities are many, which is to say that many things are in desperate need of changing, beginning with rebuilding our dangerously neglected and undermined military forces. The monstrosity of ObamaCare needs to be gotten rid of, not just cosmetically adjusted. Our fundamental freedoms under the Constitution are at stake in the choice of the next nominee to become a Justice of the closely divided Supreme Court. We need someone with both the depth and the strength to resist the pressures and the temptations that have seduced too many supposedly “conservative” justices, over the years, into betraying Con-
stitutional principles. The current hysteria over “fake news” — including hysteria by people who have done more than their own fair share of faking news — shows the continuing efforts of the political left to stifle free speech in the country at large, as they already have on academic campuses. These are just some of the opportunities the incoming administration has, now that the Republicans finally have control of both Houses of Congress and the White House — which is to say, now that they no longer have any excuses for not doing what they said they were going to do, when they were running for election. Opportunities are of course also challenges, and few of these challenges can be met without paying a price. Will the slim Republican majority in the Senate put bipartisan cooperation ahead of the Constitution, when it comes to choosing a Supreme Court Justice based on principles, rather than on avoiding a
Jay Strasner...................................................Editor & Publisher THE EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS (USPS 169520) is published semi-weekly on Wednesday and Saturday for $48 per year in Wharton County; $63 per year out of county; and $87 per year out of state; and $48 per year for the online edition only, by Wharton County Newspapers, Inc., 203 E. Jackson St., El Campo, Texas 77437. Periodical postage paid at El Campo, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS, P.O. Box 1180, El Campo, Texas 77437. © 2016 Wharton County Newspapers, Inc.
979-543-3363 Fax: 979-543-0097 Website: www.leader-news.com Email address: lettertoeditor@leader-news.com
Thomas Sowell nasty fight with the Democrats? The same question arises when it comes to repealing ObamaCare. Democrats threw bipartisanship to the winds when it came to passing ObamaCare. Republicans who wanted to have an input on this sweeping legislation were bluntly reminded of the outcome of the elections. “I won,” President Obama told them. Now that the Republicans have won — not only the presidency but also the Congress, as well as most governorships and state legislatures across the country — do they have the guts to do what they were elected to do? Surely no one can be unaware that one of the reasons why such
an unorthodox outsider as Donald Trump won the Republican nomination, and then the election, is that Republican voters were fed up with the repeated betrayals by the Republican establishment, going all the way back to President Bush 41 and his betrayal of his bold assertion: “Read my lips, no new taxes!” What do we know, at this point, about the people being tapped as nominees for key positions in the incoming Trump administration? By and large, they are of a higher caliber than usual, especially General James N. Mattis who has been selected to become Secretary of Defense. The love of rhetoric by both the media and Donald Trump has caused General Mattis’ nickname of “Mad Dog Mattis” to become a distraction from the facts about a man of both high intellect and a great concern for the troops he commanded. He has, for example, taken it upon himself to personally visit many families of those who died fighting in the bat-
tles he led. As a personal note, I have had the privilege of having discussions with many military people who have visited the Hoover Institution over the years, and have been impressed with officers of many ranks, including General Mattis. The young officers I have encountered are head and shoulders above so many young people of similar ages who are graduates of even our most prestigious colleges and universities. The liberal media are already expressing worry about the number of military people being considered for key positions in the new administration. They would be worried about anyone who has not been brainwashed in the political correctness that reigns among the intelligentsia. The key individual in any administration, however, is the President — and that remains the key mystery in the new administration. www.creators.com