During the hearing about the Gracias' animals, the defense counsel used the term "raid" with regard to the search and seizure of the Gracias' animals. Prosecutor Linda got all huffy and objected to the search/seizure being characterized as a "raid". SURELY Prosecutor Linda, Chief of Special Prosecutions in the Harris County Attorney's office is familiar with the Houston Humane Society (HHS) R.A.I.D.E.R. program. Don't ya think? Before I go off on HHS and the Gracia case, here's a bit about Prosecutor Linda's office.
About the Harris County Special Prosecutions Unit: "The Special Prosecution Unit in the Compliance Division works with law enforcement agencies to enforce the county’s sexually oriented business regulation and the laws prohibiting drug and prostitution-related nuisances. This section also coordinates with local law enforcement and government agencies to mobilize our efforts and participate in community crime prevention." Interesting that there's NO mention of animal cruelty in there!
Oh, I see, it falls under the Compliance Division: "The staffers in this practice area specialize in collecting liens, fines, taxes, judgments and other monies owed to Harris County and enforce a wide variety of laws protecting your neighborhood and community. They handle deed restriction cases, enforce county subdivision regulations, and prosecute civil cases involving animal cruelty." Looks like it kinda got tacked on there to me.
If animal care issues are about public health, one would kinda think that would fall under the Environmental Division, maybe the Litigation Division. No, instead it's in the Compliance Division which is best at collecting money and sub assigned to the Special Prosecutions Unit, the morality cops, er, lawyers. I'm actually a bit surprised it isn't assigned to the Protective Division since it's clear they want to elevate the status of animals above that of children. Well, I guess that would be too obvious, maybe offensive to the attorneys who represent the truly abused children seen by that Division (not that they do a decent job of representation but still...)!
The current Harris County attorney is Vince Ryan. Maybe we should all email him what we think of Prosecutor Linda Geffin's conduct. Time to get back to Prosecutor Linda's whining about the term "raid".
Raid:
- –noun
- 1. a sudden assault or attack, as upon something to be seized or suppressed: a police raid on a gambling ring.
- 2. Military . a sudden attack on the enemy, as by air or by a small land force.
- –verb (used with object)
- 5. to make a raid on.
6. to steal from; loot: a worry that the investment fund is being raided.
- — n
- 1. a sudden surprise attack: an air raid
- 2. a surprise visit by police searching for criminals or illicit goods: a fraud-squad raid
Hm, assault, attack, seizing, sudden, loot, steal, surprise search. Raid sounds pretty accurate to me. Now, personally, I've been using the term "raid" to be nice. In fact, I think there are several other terms that are more appropriate: pillage, plunder, destroy, despoil, devastate, devour, gut, invade, lay waste, loot, maraud, nab, pilfer, purloin, ransack, ravage, rob, ruin, sack, spoil, steal, strip, thieve, trespass.
Prosecutor
Linda likes to use the term "rescue" which is no kind of synonym for
search and seizure to most people. Despite that lawyers are allowed to say
just about anything in opening statements, I think I would have leapt to my
feet to object to THAT characterization each and every time it came out of her
mouth. Then I looked it up.
Rescue:
- –verb (used with object)
- 1. to free or deliver from confinement, violence, danger, or evil.
- 2. Law . to liberate or take by forcible or illegal means from lawful custody.
- — vb
- 1. to bring (someone or something) out of danger, attack, harm, etc; deliver or save
- 2. to free (a person) from legal custody by force
- 3. law to seize (goods or property) by force
Hm, I guess if Prosecutor Linda means seized by force or taken by forcible or illegal means from lawful custody, then maybe "rescue" is an appropriate term. I still don't think that's what gets heard when people hear the word "rescue" so I think I'd still object at least until Prosecutor Linda clarified her characterization. Still, if she wants to stick to "proper terminology", then "search" and "seizure" are the proper terms but she seems to be trying very hard to avoid those. Gee, do that have a negative meaning even to JPs?
Prosecutor Linda, like so many prosecutors, likes to toss out terms like "cruel" and "abuse" as though they were facts rather than the more appropriate use of allegations. Trying to influence what the judge hears? Yeah, I think so and inappropriately so in my opinion.
Today, I'm more interested in raiders than what terms AR types use to promote their cause. The raiders of the Gracia animals were Houston SPCA (HSPCA) and Constable Deputies from Precinct 1. The Gracia property from which their animals were raided is squarely within Precinct 3. Prosecutor Linda filed in Precinct 6.
I suspect the answers are pretty simple but they have to do with HHS rather than HSPCA. If R.A.I.D.E.R. is some kind of acronym, it's rather interesting that what it stands for is NOT on the Raider page of the HHS website. Here's what is on that page:
Wow, it that clear enough? Their deputies from Precinct 6 are bought and paid for by THEM, by HHS! Ya think those deputies probably do what they are told by their HHS employer rather than abide the law? At a very minimum, I see a HUGE conflict of interest in having HHS pay for their very own private enforcers!
"The Houston Humane Society (HHS) is a non-profit animal shelter..." This non-profit private corporation is openly claiming it can:
- "Enforce animal protection laws through the civil court system" although the Texas Health and Safety Code designates that as a government function.
- "Remove animals from abusive situations more quickly than non-law enforcement investigators by stream lining the warrant process." Really? You can stream line the warrant process? You're including yourself as law enforcement? Yes, I see you buy deputies but I don't think that makes YOU law enforcement!
- "Prosecute abusers by filing criminal charges against them and imposing fines (emphasizing the seriousness of mistreatment or neglect of animals)." Really? HHS has the ability to PROSECUTE and impose fines?
- "Execute outstanding criminal warrants along with animal cruelty warrants since the deputies have immediate access to police records. (The deputies frequently discover that animal abusers also have criminal records)." Read that very carefully because it does NOT say the deputies can execute warrants but that HHS can execute warrants because the deputies have access to the police records. It also implies that HHS has access to those records. Executing criminal and civil warrants? Access to police records? REALLY???
If you don’t like someone who owns animals, just make something up and send it in to HHS. I’m sure the hired guns will be dispatched immediately and no fear of being prosecuted for false reporting because you aren’t actually filing with the police. You see, that's how this game is played. HHS has snuggled up so close to the government by paying for access. They've snuggled up so close that they portray themselves AS law enforcement on their website without fear of recrimination. Yet they aren't the government when it isn't convenient to be.
Is HHS and/or HSPCA paying Prosecutor Linda's salary? You have to wonder when HHS claims the ability to prosecute! Prosecutor Linda has even referred to HSPCA as her client a few times. No freaking wonder she's confused!
I have absolutely NO doubt that HSPCA's deal with Precinct 1 deputies is similar to the HHS deal with Precinct 6 deputies. I also have ZERO doubt that these 2 organizations are, directly or indirectly, MAJOR contributors to the JP election funds of those 2 precincts and may well be to other judicial campaign funds.
And THAT is very probably why Prosecutor Linda files her cases in Precincts 1 and 6 and why the Gracia case was filed in Precinct 6 instead of in Precinct 3 where it belonged (or even Precinct 1 as she indicated would have been her preference). If that isn't forum shopping and "bought and paid for", then I simply don't know what is!
By the by, HHS still has a case on their website they are pretending it is still ongoing and plead for donations. The update and fact that the dogs have long since been adopted out is tucked away elsewhere. That case involved Houston's HHS, at the urging of a "news" reporter, going all the way up to Tenaha, Texas (nearer Dallas by far than Houston), and seizing 80+ dogs. While you may not approve of how this 78 year old woman tended her dogs, you should realize that dog breeders have been virtually forced by animal rights activists to hide their animals away inside in an attempt to protect them from seizures and other harm from these nuts AND it should be significant to you that HHS, through their VETERINARIAN, threatened to have this woman CIVILLY COMMITTED to an institution when she expressed her desire to fight back and keep her animals. Personally, I have do doubt that they would have tried and possibly accomplished getting this poor elderly woman committed for the sole purpose of being able to keep her animals. The media outlet that instigated this seizure did a follow up on the dogs' adoption and the aided the HHS in threatening that civil commitment alleged to express concern for the elderly owner. I can find NO follow up story on HER.
In my opinion, anywhere animals are being crammed into small indoor quarters, they are probably there in an attempt to protect them from animal rights activists who are being allowed to run rampant right now. Any neglect or abuse from them being confined indoors should fall squarely upon the animal rights activists and their reign of terror. I don't use the term "terrorize" lightly but, when one threatens to take property (animals) and then take more property (money) and have people civilly committed for objecting, well, then, I start getting visions of Siberian death camps coming along pretty soon! To me, such threats are indeed terrorizing. And I think the way this particular case was handled was elder abuse at best and that all involved should be prosecuted for just that as well as any civil rights violations and anything else possible.
It is absolutely no wonder that the Harris County Attorney's office has gone on-line with its attempt to influence people about this case; to reduce support for the Gracias and their defense fund. If this case gets to a higher court, they could very well be as exposed as the HSPCA (and maybe the HHS). A higher judge might just hammer them for filing in the wrong court and summarily return all the animals and they are finally beginning to feel some earned and very well deserved heat.
Do NOT buy what the Harris County Attorney's Office posts on-line as fact or even evidence because it is NOT those things. This case is primarily about fundamental constitutional and property rights no matter how they try to spin it. This case is about taking people's animals summarily and charging them enormous sums of money that go to the NPOs like HHS and HSPCA to further fund abuses of fundamental constitutional and property rights. You can bet your boots this is similar to how it works everywhere. This NEEDS to be exposed and the opportunity to help do that is right here and right now.
Whether you own 1 animal or 25,000 animals, you could be the next one pleading for assistance to help raise an enormous bond or defense funds. Don't think for a second that you can't be demonized if, for whatever reason, they decide to come knocking on YOUR door. Whatever amount you think you can come up with, you can bet they will ensure you need 2 to 10 times that amount.
Let's support the Gracia Defense Fund to our best abilities. Let's start acting like the force of nature that we are with teamwork. Stand up for constitutional rights and our right to own animals each and every day because we ALL need them even if we are lucky enough to never have to find out how valuable they are. In fact, if you never have to learn that, it's probably because someone out there somewhere is standing up for YOUR rights and you don't even know it. Someone actually dies nearly every day protecting our rights and the very least we can do is speak up for them and part with a few measly dollars.
Every day that this defense fund isn't funded is another day of delay for the Gracia case and that there are Birds dying at Houston SPCA.