Whipped Cream Difficulties

I have previously written about the strange case of Maurice McKnight, the dancer at a male strip club who allegedly punched struck a patron, causing the patron to fall, hit his head, and die.

Yesterday, Mr. McKnight pled guilty to manslaughter. He will serve 5 years in prison.

Back on the “if you go clubbing downtown, you’re clubbing with Hezbollah” beat, the Statesman has a long article about Yassine Enterprises, the people behind it, and their legal problems. Interesting:

• “Despite persistent surveillance, the Yassines and their associates are not accused of any wrongdoing after 2009…”
• “Investigators testified that Steve Yassine has not paid his taxes in years. Hadi Yassine did not file tax returns in 2009 and 2010, and ones he did file did not match his income, IRS agent Neff said. Neff also said Yassine Enterprises was underreporting its income. “

Also noteworthy: the state wants to take away their liquor licenses. I don’t think it is so much because of the criminal charges, as it is because…

• “…the clubs owe a local liquor distributor more than $210,000.”

• “… businesses linked to Mike Yassine, the company’s president and owner, were almost $600,000 behind in sales and mixed-beverage taxes as of late March.”

The State of Texas really does not like it when you get behind in your sales and beverage taxes. They tend to get cranky and start seizing things, like bottles and money in the cash register. Of course, the latter might not be a problem for Yassine Enterprises, since eight of their nine businesses are closed.

And what does this mean for Sixth Street?

Owners of other downtown bars said they initially feared the closures would deter people from heading downtown but, so far, that hasn’t been the case.

…

If they remain dark long-term, landlords shouldn’t have a hard time finding new tenants, said Michele Gary, a vice president in the commercial retail division at the Weitzman Group.

My first thought is that Ms. Gary is a lot more optimistic than I am. Would you want to open a club downtown in this economy? Then again, people are going to drink no matter what…maybe she’s on to something.

Can a legally dead man be tried, convicted, and sentenced to the death penalty?

If this was a movie with Ashley Judd (perhaps as a sexy public defender), it would probably gross $200 million at least.

Unfortunately, it isn’t.

Thomas Steven Sanders was declared “legally dead” in 1994. His family brought the action, claiming Sanders had abandoned them in 1987.

The thing is, he wasn’t actually dead dead:

Sanders was unquestionably alive, living and working at odd jobs across four southeastern states and Nevada, and reportedly racking up a number of traffic tickets and a sentencing in Georgia for simple battery.

Now he’s suspected of killing a 12-year-old girl and her mother. He’s apparently confessed, but his lawyers are trying to get the confession thrown out because Sanders asked for a lawyer first.

One thing is certain: somebody’s going to get a book deal out of this case.

I previously noted the indictments of 11 people associated with Yassine Enterprises, owners of a string of downtown clubs.

Today’s Statesman covers a hearing yesterday in the case, and…better start making popcorn, folks, because this is going to be even more entertaining than I expected:

• One of the suspects is allegedly associated with the Texas Syndicate (one of our homegrown prison gangs).
• “… thousands of dollars were transferred to a Yassine relative in Lebanon who is reportedly connected to the militant group Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.”
• The owner of Yassine Enterprises was named as a “person of interest” in an unsolved homicide.

(I note that today’s article lists 10 people as being involved in the case, while previous coverage specified 11 people, one of whom was unnamed at the time. I’m not sure what is going on with that.)

How often do you read a story in the newspaper that tugs at your heartstrings…at least at first? And then, when you think about it, the questions become overwhelming?

There’s a story like that in today’s NYT. Michael Romanelli was a firefighter until he was injured on the job in 1989. He’s been fighting since then for a full disability pension (which would work out to 3/4ths of his salary, tax free) and took out a full page ad in the New York Post yesterday to continue his lobbying.

At first glance, this sounds awful. Guy was hurt on the job, surely he’s entitled to a disability pension, right? I have a lot of respect for firefighters, and frankly I feel awful for him.

But wait a second…

Ultimately, and despite help from politicians of all stripes, he lost his case before the medical board, and he has lost squarely in the courts.

There’s got to be more to the story than the NYT playing the violin here. If he’s been through the system, and been through the courts, and lost his case for a full disability pension (even though the department found him not fit for duty), I have to think there’s something the Times either isn’t telling us, or didn’t look into.

(“He said he had no job, lived on an annual pension of $22,000 and had no money in the bank. “ So is he getting a pension from the NYCFD, just not the full disability one he wants? What would a full disability pension for a firefighter injured in 1989 work out to, compared to the $22,000 he’s getting now? Are there cost of living increases built into those disability pensions? Who are the politicians who became involved in this?)

In May of 2009, a man named Robert Carroll Gillham set a fire at a Gallery Furniture store and warehouse in Houston. The fire did $20 million worth of damage; fortunately, nobody died.

(For those of you outside of Houston: Gallery Furniture is run by a colorful local character named Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, and is somewhat famous for their commercials. Especially the tag line: “Gallery Furniture SAVES. YOU. MONEY!” Their YouTube channel is here.)

Gillham began working at the store in 1989 and was fired in 2007, for allegedly running a de facto loan sharking business.

What, pray tell, is a “de facto loan sharking business”?

But that’s not what I wanted to talk about. You see, Mr. Gillham’s trial has been delayed, and he’s being sent to a state mental hospital.

Why? Is he crazy?

No. He has a brain tumor.

“He’s got a growth between his brain and his skull that’s pushing down into his brain that’s causing significant cognitive defects,” said Gillham’s attorney, Brett Podolsky.

Well, okay. If he’s having cognitive problems, well, part of the foundation of a fair trial is that you be able to effectively participate in your own defense.

So what’s the problem?

Podolsky said he hopes doctors at the state hospital where Gillham is transferred will remove the non-malignant tumor, which is just smaller than a golf ball.

He hopes? He freaking hopes that the doctors are going to remove the tumor, rather than letting Mr. Gillham continue to suffer from cognitive issues? Hopes?

What. The. F–k. Dude. I see this kind of thing a lot; as a matter of fact, I was discussing it with some coworkers this morning.

Hope is not a strategy.

It is nice to hope things go well. It is nice to hope everything works properly. But it is much better to plan and prepare and make sure, whether you’re jumping out of a helicopter with jet engines and a kitchen table strapped to your back, or defending a client with a brain tumor. Hope is never a substitute for planning and preparation. Hope is not an effective backup plan. Nor, for that matter, is it an effective plan for much else.

I understand, of course, that Podolsky isn’t going to be doing the operation himself. But…

Podolsky said he does not know why it has not been removed.

Yeah, well, if I were you, dude, I’d be asking some pretty hard questions, especially since Gillham has already been in the hospital several times because of this.

“A Canadian appeals court in Ontario ruled Monday that banning brothels is unconstitutional and could put prostitutes in danger by not allowing them to work in a safe location.”

A Smith County man busted for making his own liquor claims he was inspired by the cable TV series, ”Moonshiners,” authorities said.

Helpfully, the HouChron story includes an embedded commercial for “Moonshiners”.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m a chemist or anything, but the first alcohol that comes off the still is going to be a methane gas,” Stokke said. “You can’t drink it, and it’s probably more flammable than gasoline.”

Huh? Is he perhaps talking about methanol, not methane gas?

In other news: I really haven’t been paying attention to the trial of John Goodman (mostly because he seems to be FARK’s favorite d’bag, so my coverage would be redundant), but I am happy to report that he has been found guilty of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter. More coverage here. I’m hoping he gets the full 30 years and does every day of that time.