Three-Point Shots, Vol. 2, No. 4: May 17, 2024
A tribute to Bill Lawson, the Alito Flag Kerfuffle, and the latest in criminal investigations of Texas politicos!
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Friday, May 17, 2024
Reverend William Lawson, 1928 – 2024
If you’re familiar with Houston and Houston politics, then you join me in mourning the passing of Reverend William Lawson Tuesday morning. He was a towering figure in Houston’s transition into a modern American city during the last half of the 20th century, and then a world colossus in this one.
William Alexander Lawson grew up in St. Louis, earned a college degree in Tennessee, and returned to his hometown for divinity school, where he met and married his wife, Audrey. They came to Houston in 1955, where he directed the Baptist Student Union and taught at Texas Southern University.
At the Baptist Student Union, he counseled his students against getting involved in the nascent civil rights movement in Houston. But when a group of his congregants were arrested at a lunch counter sit-in, he and Audrey raised money to bail them out. They never looked back.
In 1962, he established Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, which he pastored until he retired in 2005. Bill Lawson and Wheeler Avenue were at the center of the civil rights and social justice movements in Houston for over half a century. He hosted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the latter’s 1963 visit to Houston, and helped smooth Houston’s transition to an integrated community. Over his long career, he also advocated for greater inclusion of women, the poor and the homeless in Houston’s dynamic economy.
My take: I met Reverend Lawson several times when I worked with then-Senator Rodney Ellis as his chief of staff between 1998 and 2004. Any time Rodney wanted to educate and engage his constituents, whether it was organizing a health fair or a voter registration drive, his first call was to Rev. Lawson. Lawson’s focus and energy were prodigious – he was in his 70s by then – and his leadership and vision guaranteed success. In person, he was a remarkably gentle and good-humored man, but one who never forgot – nor let you forget – his prophetic calling.
Martha-Ann and the Upside-Down Flag
The New York Times reports that Martha-Ann Alito, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, hung the American flag upside down in their front yard for at least a day, but probably more, in January of 2021, during the period between the January 6 insurrection and the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
(The Alitos’ fence needs painting. Oh, and Old Glory is upside down.)
We know this happened at Martha-Ann’s instigation because her husband told us so. This, in legal terms, is called “throwing her under the bus” or “dropping her in the grease.”
For those unfamiliar with the protocols in such matters, the American flag is never to be displayed upside down “except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.” This commandment arises in the United States Flag Code which, yes, exists. The Code also prohibits the use of the flag “for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever” or “as a costume or athletic uniform.” You can readily vouch that enforcement of these provisions is, at best, spotty.
Thus, while I would like to spend the remaining years of my life criticizing Justice Alito and his spouse for their sacrilegious handling of the flag, the truth is that their offense is, unfortunately, more common than we would like, and anyone who thinks this is Samuel Alito’s greatest offense against the spirit of the Constitution has obviously not read the Dobbs decision.
The Alito Flag Kerfuffle puts me in mind of a similar drama that unfolded around the same time. A neighbor of mine was an enthusiastic supporter of Donald Trump during the 2020 election, and proudly hung a “Trump 2020” banner from his flagpole. Another neighbor, who opposed Trump’s presidency and re-election, had for some time hung, in lieu of the American flag, a Puerto Rican flag from his flagpole, since his family was from there. This was the state of affairs until the Saturday after the election when, you may recall, the race was finally called for Joe Biden by the AP.
My pro-Trump neighbor replaced his Trump flag with an upside-down American flag, while my pro-Biden neighbor replaced the Puerto Rican flag with the Stars and Stripes. To celebrate the occasion, that neighbor also set up a loudspeaker on his lawn, playing patriotic songs like “Stars and Stripes Forever” and “The Marine Corps Hymn” on a loop for several hours a day.
No shots were fired or curses exchanged between the neighbors, who, except for their disagreements about politics, were cordial. After a few days, life went on. As far as I know, this is the first time the story has been told, and I only hope the New York Times doesn’t put it on the front page.
This Week in Criminal Investigations
From time to time, Yours Truly likes to remind readers of the status of criminal investigations involving Texas elected officials. The fact that there are several such investigations ought to be a source of embarrassment to us. The investigations fly under the radar, only popping into public view when there is a spicy development. Here for your edification is an incomplete list of investigations and prosecutions of noteworthy Texas elected officials.
Congressman Henry Cuellar was indicted a couple weeks ago for accepting over $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani oil and gas company and a Mexican bank. His wife has also been indicted, and two of his political associated have already taken plea deals.
Congressman Troy Nehls, who favors using law enforcement drones to tase civilians, is still under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, apparently for using campaign donations to pay rent to himself. Troy-Boy is a favorite of Life Its Ownself readers, principally for his sartorial elegance at the State of the Union address.
I swear, I am not making this up. The people of Richmond, Texas, and environs should be embarrassed he dresses like that, much less commits crimes. But then, they elected Tom DeLay multiple times.
Three staffers for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo have been indicted and are awaiting trial for an alleged scheme in which they steered a public awareness and education contract during the COVID pandemic to a friend. Hidalgo herself is not implicated in the scheme.
And, of course, our all-time champion scumbag Attorney General Ken Paxton remains under investigation by the FBI for his alleged misdeeds as set forth in the whistleblower case filed by eight of his deputies, which itself became the basis of his impeachment by the Texas House of Representatives last year.
Convenient! Was the end, but my spastic fingers slipped! ❤️
As always you said it best!
Our political outrage has sunk to to new lows, without consequences, until such time , (as was the case with the Failing once great New York Times)as it becomes