|
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
|
|
|
|
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
|
|
And Grind Exceeding Small
A wise old crow caws in Static’s ear some curious news about the child molestation case against Wirt Norris. The district attorney’s office has been saying for months now that it was waiting on the sheriff’s department to conclude its investigation before presenting the case against the well-connected former diving coach to the grand jury. Sheriff’s investigators have been waiting for film reels seized at Norris’ home on Eagle Mountain Lake to be copied. The reels have now been copied, but the case apparently will not be presented before the existing grand jury calls it quits at the end of the month. Scheduling conflicts within the DA’s office, or so says the crow, apparently led prosecutors to delay presenting the case until later this summer. Relatives and friends of some of Norris’ accusers complain that police and prosecutors have been slow to act on accusations against the affluent real estate broker, and this latest delay is sure to add fuel to such suspicions. Static understands that the wheels of justice turn slowly but hopes for the sake of the accused and his accusers alike that they are moving at all.
Worst Case
Fort Worth State Rep. Lon Burnam’s elevation to Texas Monthly’s list of worst legislators was taken more philosophically than Static would have expected from this rebel-with-a-hundred-causes. “Oh well,” he said, “to quote Jim Hightower, ‘One day you’re a peacock and the next day you’re a feather duster.’
“My vote against Craddick doomed me to the list,” he said, “a classic case of blaming the victim.” (That’s Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick, who got TM’s “dishonorable mention” for running the House like a piece of dry wood — where oh where is Gib Lewis when we need him?)
TM’s reasoning went something like this: Burnam votes his conscience and casts the lone “nay” vote against Republican Craddick being speaker; Craddick punishes Burnam by taking the inner-city Democrat and tilter at insurance windmills off the insurance committee and putting him on agriculture; therefore, TM says, Burnam lost his chance to save the day on insurance. “Yeah, right, like there weren’t 88 Republicans pandering to the insurance companies this session,” Burnam said. “My insurance reform bills would have never gotten to the floor regardless.” Is Burnam burned by TM’s award? Nope. “It’s the best vote I’ve cast in four sessions.”
Email this Article...
