The Llano Ledger
Newsletter Text V73
Accessing The Llano Ledger Website Without Generously
Providing Financial Assistance To This Non-Profit
Publication Not Only Denies Desperately Needed Funds
For Investigative Expenses, But Amounts To Theft Of
This Writer's Labor.
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Welcome. This Website Is Indeed An Expansion And
Continuation Of The Llano Ledger. Earlier Editions,
Letters To The Editor, Llano County Jail-Rape
Depositions, And Numerous Other Documents Can Be Found
By Clicking http://maxpages.com/llanoledger.
*************January 8, 2001*************
The following e-mail was sent to the General Services
Commission:
Jim Muse, Executive Director
General Services Commission
P.O. Box 13047
Austin, Tx. 78711-3047
Re: Open Records Stonewalling
January 4, 2001
Dear Mr. Muse:
On May 25, 2000 an Open Records Request seeking access
to Llano Independent School District (LISD) records
was filed with Superintendent Jack Patton. The
documents sought involved outrageous financial
irregularities costing taxpayers at the very least
thousands.
Patton stonewalled the request, unethically attempting
to charge for copies and "research" never requested.
Despite this demonstrable fact, the Open Records
Division refused to take action, throwing the
complaint into the purview of the General Services
Commission.
Numerous hardcopy documents and e-mails were exchanged
with Open Records Administrator Hadassah Schloss in
regard to this matter and other matters unrelated.
Despite months of effort by this publication and due
to outrageous footdragging by both the Open Records
Division and General Services Commission, the
Superintendent of Schools has successfully
circumvented the Texas Public Information Act.
The apparently corrupt and abusive influence of
District Attorney Sam Oatman is clearly evident in the
intransigence and refusal of both the Open Records
Division and General Services Commission to take
action and force disclosure of public documents as
required by Ch.552, Gov't Code, Public Information.
From the substance of recent correspondence from Ms.
Schloss, she apparently intends to take no further
action against Patton. -- Despite recent
correspondence from the Superintendent she knows to be
false.
Mr. Patton's letter of October 27, 2000, finally
received November 29 from the General Services
Commission, is a remarkably well-written work of
fiction, cleverly designed to distort reality and
obfuscate the truth.
The Superintendent falsely claimed: "We have not
provided you copies of Mr. Chorney's responses because
we have have not received any from him." Sadly, Mr.
Patton is a liar. A scathing letter dated June 1, 2000
was sent in response to his correspondence of May 30,
2000 and April 28, 2000. In those two letters, he
brazenly and unethically attempted to charge for
copies and research never requested. Ms. Schloss is in
possession of all this correspondence. Should she have
misplaced them, additional copies will be furnished.
Patton further falsely claimed: "Our School District
has provided many public documents to Mr. Chorney
through the years." Not only is this statement untrue,
it is nonsense. This publication has only been in
existence one year and nine months. He further
ludicrously claims: "We have never denied him "access"
to records." If true, why hasn't he honored the Open
Records Request dated May 25, 2000, currently the
issue in dispute?
His next assertion is not only nonsense, but a
bald-faced lie: "In fact, Mr. Chorney never came by to
inspect the documents that he requested to see."
Bluntly, Patton is a liar. "Access" was NEVER granted.
The May 25, 2000 Open Records Request has NEVER been
honored by the Superintendent.
Regarding the same precise issue, Patton again falsely
claims: "He has failed to respond to our estimates or
review the documents he requested access to see." Once
again, the Superintendent is a liar. Sadly, his
statement is outrageously untrue, -- and he knows it.
Documentation already furnished to the office of the
Open Records Administrator proves his statement to be
false. Yet, she has refused to take action.
Mr. Patton clearly espouses the clever philosophy: "If
you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with
BS." Pitifully, this inept and bumbling bureaucrat has
egregiously failed on both counts. The truth is still
the truth. No amount of distortion changes it. When
will your agency finally wake up? ... Or is the GSC as
corrupt as the "Open" Records Division?
Outrageous financial irregularities lie at the heart
of the stonewalled Open Records Request of May 25,
2000. Patton's egregious obfuscation is apparently a
desperate attempt to protect his cronies and other
officials from exposure.
The Texas Public Information Act means nothing if the
Open Records Division and General Services Commission
are unwilling or unable to enforce it. Sadly, our
apparently corrupt and abusive County Attorney and
District Attorney have no interest and protect their
own. Worse yet, taxpayers are being looted to fund two
state agencies impotent in the face of inept
bureaucrats outrageously stonewalling the release of
public information.
Sincerely,
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
http://maxpages.com/llanoledger
Rt 2 Box 464A
Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609
cc: Llano Ledger website
cc by e-mail: Hadassah Schloss, Open Records
Administrator, General Services Commission; State Sen.
Troy Fraser; Katherine Minter Cary, Interim Division
Chief, Open Records Division; June B. Harden,
Assistant Attorney General, Open Records Division;
David Mendoza, Legal Assistant, Open Records Division;
David Short, Investigator, Open Records Division; John
Cornyn, Attorney General, State of Texas; Jack Patton,
Superintendent, LISD.
************************
Months ago, domestic violence was addressed at length
in this publication. Most victims of this horrendous
crime are women. ... Not always, however. A growing
number of men have been assaulted by wives and
girlfriends.
Saturday morning, this writer had the opportunity to
talk to a Marble Falls man who had been horribly
battered by the woman he is living with. In a recent
drunken rage, she swung a BB gun at his head, nearly
knocking out an eye.
The injury required emergency medical care, -- and
numerous stitches. It has not yet completely healed.
Equally sickening, he brought my attention to human
bite marks clearly visible on his right forearm.
Still think this abuse doesn't go on? Think again.
From the substance of the conversation, the man is not
a coward. He was brought up not to strike a woman, --
and will not. The attending physician questioned both
the victim and his girlfriend. As most victims, the
man protected his batterer. Both stories, however, did
not jive. Yet, the physician took no action and did
not report the injury to law enforcement.
The victim by his own admission, however, had been
repeatedly assaulted by this woman , --often in front
of her children. Having pushed her away during one
violent episode, she had him falsely arrested and
jailed.
Although the battering took place in Burnet County,
similar cases occur all over the United States. Unlike
women, battered men do not often get the help or have
the resources available to women.
Every violent incident, however, should be reported to
law enforcement. Every one. Without exception. If not,
the violence will never end. The victim was repeatedly
urged to report the abuse. Although fully
understanding his life is indeed in danger, he is
quite reluctant, however, to "ruin" this woman's life.
-- Sadly, an agonizingly frequent but mistaken
response from female victims of domestic abuse as
well. Interesting, isn't it?
If you're battered, get out. Now. Don't wait. Report
the abuse. If you don't, the batterer will not stop.
-- Despite assurances to the contrary. -- Despite
promises to change. Either you or someone else will
continue to be victimized. Worse yet, consider the
message the battering sends to your children. ...
Think history doesn't repeat itself?
As strongly asserted in Special Edition V65, the clock
is indeed ticking... The combined visitor count of The
Llano Ledger and Llano Ledger 2 websites stands in
excess of 56,100, -- another excellent week and true
testament to the shameless willingness of the
readership to "steal" this writer's labor. Certainly,
you ought to be proud of yourselves. Nothing quite
like character, is there? Readers are advised this
writer receives no renumeration from the banner and
pop-up advertising. They only pay for the website
itself. There is no personal compensation, nor are
there desperately needed funds for investigative
expenses. Non-profit and outrageously unfunded by the
readership it serves due to greed, gut-wrenching fear,
and the continuing relentless intimidation of corrupt
and abusive Llano County officials, this publication
remains as always beholden to NO ONE.
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
Tim Chorney, Publisher
P.O. Box 997
Buchanan Dam Tx. 78609
llanoledger@mailcity.com
Page Updated Fri Jan 12, 2001 4:27pm EST