The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 90, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 13, 2000 Page: 4 of 38
thirty eight pages : ill. ; page 17 x 10 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
PAT ON THE BACK
... to the new officers who recently took office for the Exxon Annui-
tants Association of Baytown.
FEEDBACK: To comment on this page, write us ore-mail us atsunnews@baytownsun.com.
Wt)t paptoton grnn
Wqnda Gamer Cash
Editor and Publisher •
Established 1922
Taylor B. Camp
Managing Editor
Richard Nelson
Asst. Managing Editor
Information must be
released promptly
j I n the Wednesday edition of The Baytown Sun, we reported on
j I darkly contrasting approaches to open government. Unfortunate-
, i 1 ly, the local approach was wrong.
! The front page reported the local issue involving a convoluted case
»qf alleged mobile home theft and embezzlement in Chambers County.
Among the witnesses is a sheriff’s deputy who happens to be running
fj>r sheriff.
[But the Mont Belvieu police chief and a Texas Ranger involved in
the investigation refused to answer questions and said they would not
discuss the case at all.
j Further aggravating this obstruction of public access, the police
chief also refused to release arrest information about the suspect in
the case — although the Texas Open Records Act clearly allows
ajccess to the so-called cover sheet of arrest reports. State law makes
tthat information available to anyone, newspaper reporter, school
teacher, sales clerk — anyone, with no questions asked. The chief
apparently realized his error later in the week and did finally release
die report. That hardly meets the standard set by the Texas Open
Rfecord Act.
ffhe Texas authority on open government laws is Attorney General
" J«hn Comyn. Since he took office, his rulings have upheld existing
provisions of the Texas Public Information Act, clarifying and under-
lihing guarantees which define the letter and spirit of public access.
jAnd in that Wednesday issue of The Baytown Sun, Comyn was fea-
dust release public information promptly, that means it “requires
release as soon as possible under the circumstances, that is, within a
reasonable time, without delay.”
pis ruling effectively put local governments on notice that they can
n| longer use the “once-hazy” definition of promptly.
• fcomyn’s activism in the area of public access reinforces the idea that
most information held by government agencies should be considered
open and available to anyone — except in very specific situations.
•Among the obvious exceptions to disclosure would be information
thjat could derail a criminal investigation. We agree with that excep-
tion. But in the Chambers County case, secrets are not being sought.
Olhly basic arrest information, plainly allowed, inarguably public.
Refusing to comply with state law only delays the inevitable and
crates a suspicious public.
f-
'foday’s editorial was written by Wanda Garner Cash, editor and
publisher of The Baytown Sun, on behalf of the newspapers editorial
board.
i-*-
Why shouldn't Clinton be disbarred?
On Jan. 26, William Jefferson Clinton
talked about his legacy on the Public
Broadcasting System’s “The News Hour
With Jim Lehrer.” The host said diffi-
dently that he was “compelled” to ask
the president about the unpleasantness
concerning his having been impeached.
“I believe I defended the Constitution
andihe presidency against a serious
threat,” said Clinton — more than
implying that his travail was caused by a
right-wing conspiracy.
■
NAT
HENTOFF
■\r-
actioh by the executive director or the
committee before the committee must
begin its procedures in notifying (Mr.
Clinton) of the charges ...so the attor-
ney (Mr. Clinton) can explain or refute
them.”
According to the Washington Times,
the procedure is that if the president
j £ does hot explain orTWfutc thd^dharg®'
within 30 days, the director of the ethics
committee has to issue ballots to the
committee members who will vote, and
Editorial board
' The Baytown Sun’s editorial board meets weekly at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Individuals are encouraged to visit the editorial board to discuss issues
affecting the community. To make an appointment, call Managing Editor
Tajylor B.Camp, 281-422-8302.
Members of the editorial board include: Wanda Garner Cash, editor and
publisher; Taylor B. Camp, managing editor; Eric Bauer, marketing direc-
tor Dee Anne Robbins, business manager; and Richard Nelson, assistant
aging editor.
~ sion - and of course, the president’s wllII1IIllce mcmuci5 wuu wlIl vulC) aiu
Lphrer failed to ask this most shame- then White House counsel, Charles Ruff wbo are empowered to punish Clinton,
less of all our presidents to respond to — who assured us that the president had TVl. fVlf> A rhnc„
,he fee, £ h/isthe firs, fUianin been TRUTHFUL in h,s8ra„d jury ,eS.
history to be held in contempt by a fed- * t.mony? ; moving, Frank Murray of the Washing-
eral district judge. j , On th.s president,al record that should ton Times reported: “White House
Judge Susan Webber Wnght from’ plearly have led the Senate to convict spolcesman James Kennedy refiised
Arkansas said that Clinton s unabashed Chnton - if that body had enough pro- t0 whether such cha ever
lying m his deposition in the Paula, files qf courage and dedication to the were forwarded t0 the president and
Jone|case violated this court s orders /Constitution - ,t is not surprising that <8nswered byhim. -WeVe never chosen
by gif ing false, misleading and evasive the Supreme Court of Arkansas has
answlrs that were designed to obstruct ordered its bar ethics committee to get
the jiidicial process... He has engaged.,* going on a complaint by the Southeast-
in ... conduct that undermines the ern Legal Foundation that Clinton be
integrity of the judicial system!” disbarred.
Moreover, Richard Posner, Chief Said Matthew Glavin, president of
Judge olthe U.S. Seventh Circuit Court that organization, to the Washington
of Appals, says of this “defender of the Times: “He lied and he obstructed the
Constitution” in his book, “An Affair of judicial process and was held in con- - ,
State: The Investigation, Impeachment, tempt for this.” faith in his dedication to the Gqnstitu-
and Trial of President Clinton” (Har- Why has it taken 16 months since the f’on. ^ust as ~~ at beginning of this
vard University Press, 1999): complaint was filed (Sept. 15, 1998) for re’2n — be asked us to believe^that he
“Clinton engaged in a pattern of crim* , : the Arkansas Supreme Court Commit- would have the most ethical adtftjflistra-
inal behavior and pbsessive public tee on Professional Responsibility to act bon in American history,
lying^the tendency of which was to dis- on these charges? This is not an ordi- “It’s hard for me to think about all that
para^^derminp, and even subvert the nary lawyer. This is the chief executor stuff,” Clinton said to Jim Lehrer about
judiclfr system of the United States, the of the laws of the United States! the impeachment. And many Americans
American ideology of the rule of law, - On Jan. 27 of this year, the Supreme seem to think it happened tong ago. But
and the role and office of the President.” Court of Arkansas finally emphasized
Posner also cites Clinton’s “obstruc- that “our procedures mandate that the
tion of justice... which includes perjury, (ethics) committee accept and treat as a
when committed in either a civil or formal complaint any writing signed by
criminal proceeding.” Do you remember a judge of a court of record. Thus, a
all those legal experts on cable televi- judge’s complaint requires little or no
to comment. We’re just not commenting
ohe way or another,’ Kennedy said.”
This president, who keeps repeating
in public that he was defending the
Constitution add the rule of law during
his impeachment, refuses to tell the citi-
zenry why he shouldn’t be disbarred.
Presumably, we should simply have
they will surely be reminded during the
present presidential campaign.
Nat Hentoff is a nationally renowned
authority on the First Amendment and
the rest of the Bill ofRights.
m
Tjday in history
’ ? uf
ty is Sunday, Feb. 13, the 44th
of 2000. There are 322 days left
in fie year.
lay’s Highlight in History:
Feb. 13,1935, a jury in Fleming-
torj N.J. found Bruno Richard Haupt-
m$nn guilty of first-degree murder in
J kidnap-death of the infant son of
rles and Anne Lindbergh. Haupt-
in was later executed,
n this date:
Ip 1542, the fifth wife of England’s
Kirjg Henry VIII, Catherine Howard,
wafe executed for adultery.
' ly’s Birthdays: Actor Lyle
f is 85. Former test pilot
Cfferles E. “Chuck” Yeager is 77.
Aciess Stockard Channing is 56.
' musician Peter Hook is 44.
— The Associated Press
Sun Files
From The Baytown Sun files, here
are the headlines from...
10 years ago:
Baytown police broke up a bur-
glary ring that operated in Baytown
and Chambers County.
25 years ago:
Petitions were circulated in Bay-
town seeking to change the city gov-
ernment from a council-manager to
mayor-council system.
50 years ago:
A cold front moved toward the
Baytown area following a wet and
windy weekend.
Texas Officials
Governor
George W Bush (R-2002)
State Capitol, PO. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711
800-843-5789
Lieutenant Governor
Rick Perry (R-2002)
State Capitol
Austin, Texas 78711
800-441-0373
Attorney General
John Comyn (R-2002)
800-337-3928
EL
O F
713-948-0111
Susan Combs (R-2002)
512463-7435
Senator District 15
r John Whitmire (D-2000)
Railroad Commissioners
Charles Matthews (R-2000)
Michael Williams (R-2002)
Tony Garza (R-2004)
Texas Legislate
Senator District 4
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Carole Keeton Rylander (R-2002)
800-531-5441
Land Commissioner
David Dewhurst (R-2002)
512-236-9798
Commissioner of Agriculture
David Bemsen (D-2002)
409-839-4444
Senator District 6
Mario Gallegos (D-2000)
P.O. Box 41
Galena Park, Texas 77547
512-463-0106 713-678-8600
Senatqr District 11
Mike Jackson (R-2002)
1109 Fairmont Parkway
Pasadena, Texas 77504
803 Yale, Houston, Texas 77007
512-463-0115 — 713-864-8701
Representative District 20
Zeb Zbranek (D-2000)
PO Box 2050 : <
Liberty, Texas 77525 \
512-463-0488 80043^6202
Representative District 127
Joe Crabb (R-2000)
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, Texas 78768
512463-0502 281422-2233
Representative District 128
Fred.Bosse (D-2000)
885-A Uvalde Road ^
Houston, Texas 77015
512463-0660 800-388-3359.
713453-6336
II
Pe
old i
awaj
attic
Til
closi
awaj
Ca
As
they
clos<
Al
mor<
Did1
1938
Ac
floor
and!
the!
coun
inga
0\
a dri
andi
Seen
ingl
In
Worl
walk
to sti
the a
wasi
and!
W.
Junic
head
cand
In
then
nerc
learn
Goo!
r
4
%
i
V-
L—
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Cash, Wanda Garner. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 90, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 13, 2000, newspaper, February 13, 2000; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1020973/m1/4/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.