Harry recalls the Feds asking for a “candy search” during Vic Feazell’s trial in 1987.
Today I woke up to Trump saying “If you come after me, I’m coming after you”, and it occurs to me that Trump has spent a lot of time in State Court and hasn’t figured out yet that in Federal Court, they don’t play that game.
During the United States of America v. Vic Feazell, we had one Federal Judge, Walter Smith, sit in and listen to the case from the presiding Judge’s office. Walter hated us, it was personal, and years later he was worth a fortune after being the only witness Belo Corporation put on in Feazell v AH Belo libel and slander. Judge Smith had me fingerprinted and investigated for shooting at HIM, yes, Walt got shot at, probably by a jealous husband, and told the FBI it could be me so they served me with a Grand Jury subpoena for my fingerprints. Oh, that was a fun day. All this was because I testified against Walter’s buddy in a Supreme Court Case in 1972.
He knew I didn’t shoot at him, but, he had the power to mess with me and so, he did, for fun.
It wasn’t until years later that his womanizing, drunken rages, and alcoholism finally earned him his legacy as the “Groping Judge” but he was more than that, and still is, evil, petty, and with a Blaze Face that screams too much gin.
Back them the big “tell” was “301” forms, I suspect they still have those. The FBI generates 301 forms like crazy, everything they do gets one. This was before “google” and Federal Judges can do whatever they want to do.
Lucius Bunton, in the Western District of Texas was the Head Judge for at least 100 years, he was awful. He would take a two month trial and knock it down to one week. If he got tired of a witness, or a lawyer, he squirted them with a water gun he had at his desk. No lie. Federal Judges can comment on the veracity of the witness from the bench, and you just don’t play in Federal Court or the Federal Courthouse. Nope.
I also smoked Marlboro cigarettes throughout US v. Feazell, like a chimney, every day was something new and horrible, when I wasn’t smoking I was disolving various peppermints and cinnamon penny candy in my mouth to keep from chewing on my own gums. I walked through the pink through blue and purple Xanax.
Our butt hurt Prosecutor, one Jack Frels, hated us, and was highly pissed that HIS first witness, one Ron Boyter, DPS, told the jury that the last time he talked to Vic, Vic told him he didn’t think that he (Boyter) and poisoned our Sheltie Dog, Spanky. THAT sentence caused a juror to spin around in his chair and retort, “them people be killing that man’s dog”, which didn’t help things one bit.
Jack Frels, the prosecutor, then heard me either crunch something or put a cellophane wrapper in my pocket. He asked the Judge for a “Candy Sweep”, obviously, I was not their first, AND they did it.
They had a “Candy Sweep” and we were all reminded not to do that anymore.
Federal Judges don’t play.
Federal Judges don’t play with their food either.
They also slapped on “gag orders” and that’s going to happen with Trump too, if he makes it through this week after that “you come after me I come after you” thing last night.
State Court is a rock and roll fun place, you can be an ass or say what you want and pretty much get away with it, Trump can say whatever he wants to and is pretty much “safe” from a State Court Judge.
He isn’t safe from a Federal Judge.
I’m sitting here wondering what’s going to happen when I wake up and see where the FBI has just taken him to jail duriing the night because that can easily happen.
In May of 1979 Charles Harrelson, Woody’s dad, shot San Antonio Federal Judge John Wood.
ONE Federal Judge was murdered and that led to metal detectors in every Federal Courthouse in the United States. Think about that. They think they’re precious and they have the power to think that all the way to installing those early cumbersome metal detectors and the minions of men there to pat you down etc. when it goes off.
That my friend is power.
Seth Sutton’s trial is coming up and I am looking forward to the free for all it should be, very exciting. State Court gets wild, and most people are used to that, not Federal Court. The show trials on the tv, OJ, Johnny Dep, and Murdaugh, are all State Court.
Lawyers who practice in Federal Court don’t “play” either.
Trumps lawyers have got to be going nuts. How I feel about him doesn’t matter, I just wish he had better lawyers. Pretty bad when your friend of forty years, Alan Derschowitz said not to call him anymore, that’s true.
Feazells had a brilliant lawyer, ex Federal Prosecutor, total Narcissist, terrible to work with and for, BUT, brave, brilliant, a strategist, and a winner. He also was “the boss”, of all of us. Trump’s lawyers are not the boss of him and that’s a bad mindset for a client.
I am trying to maintain a “blank” mind, some folks probably think that’s my every day state, but it isn’t. I mean “blank” to be open and fair when it comes to Sutton’s trial and also to see what happens with Trump.
I wonder if he wants to go to jail and what follows is for some Tom from Nam off his meds decides to lock and load and shoot something up thinking he has been chosen for this message. Certainly Trump won’t be getting HIS hands dirty just wait for some poor bastard to forgo the payment on the bass boat and head for DC.
Sutton on the other hand has LAWYER OF THE YEAR a few years back in Clint Broden.
In Federal Court the Judge can punish the defendant, or he can punish the lawyers for not having their client under control.
Seems people want us to give up on the jury system. Then what do we have?
That is an insult to jurors and a system that works most of the time, YOU have a chance to tell your story. Jurors and Grand Jurors are picked randomly from the voter registration roles, your lawyer and their lawyer get to investigate those jurors and pick the ones you want.
What more do you want?
Trials are very difficult to “fix”, before you see another conspiracy, please read the entire Civics book, or go to the courthouse and see an interesting trial with a good lawyer, don’t just sit in front of your tv and listen to the news on any station.
I have seen McLennan County jurors, the people of this county in that jury box become little soldiers, yes, they do, they take that oath seriously, they fight it out in the jury room, and believe me, they can be fair.
We’ll have to see what happens, I’m pretty sure Jack Smith uses bar soap on his hair and wasn’t prosecuting War Crimes in Den Haag for nothing.
Please don’t write me about being pro or anti Trump or Biden, I have to believe that in a country this large we have to have many men and women that are YOUNGER, brilliant, and can lead the country. Don’t start with me, I’ll just erase you. I want and struggle to be open minded.
The best we can hope for, and this goes for Harry, is to bring forth “that which makes others stop and ponder”, I hope we all can do that in the future as we see this play out.
Remember, I worked for the Committee to Re Elect the President under Nixon, and the Texas Republican Party in Austin in the 70’s, so I live through Watergate and remember Barry Goldwater finally talking Nixon into resigning, this is just exciting for me, and I have the area around where I sit look like a mini mart until it’s over.
H
