Please sign the petition to bring justice for Michael Nicholson: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/justice4michael/index.html

“Knowledge and human power are synonymous.”

- Sir Francis Bacon

No one enjoys paying taxes. We are told that is part of what we do as a society – we pool our resources to create programs and services for the common good. We are frequently reminded that we all benefit from a well-educated society. And who can say no to more money going to children or law enforcement of any sort.

Like throwing a buck at the homeless guy on the corner, we vote, we pay, we feel good. We’re proud of ourselves, and we tell our neighbors how good we are. Feel-good taxes are designed this way – a sort of societal penance. Nothing wrong with that, but let’s look at what actually happens to that feel-good money we are all obliged to pay.

Your taxes fund public education*.

Your taxes fund the Texas Education Agency, charged with oversight of public education*.

Your taxes fund state schools.

Your taxes fund DADS, the agency charged with oversight of the state schools.

*If everyone had access to appropriate public education, fewer people would need institutions like the state schools – more people would have the skills to live independent, productive lives.

Some really horrible things have occurred in state schools. Your taxes fund agencies to oversee the state schools to make sure these types of things do not occur.

Your taxes fund Adult Protective Services, part of the Department of Family and Protective Services, which you also fund.

Your taxes fund the police departments that investigate when horrible things occur.

Your taxes fund the district attorneys charged with prosecuting people who carry out horrible deeds in state schools.

That’s a lot of money.

Michael Nicholson was murdered in the Lubbock State School over clothes. To date no one has been prosecuted, and the Lubbock D.A. has stopped talking.

State School Death a Homicide

Improving Care Environment Proves Difficult for Lubbock State School

Officials Say They Started Making Changes Right Away

From Michael Nicholson’s mother:

“I am Michael Nicholson’s mother, he had an obsession with his clothing and would only wear one set (they had all his other clothing locked in a closet) and got agitated when they were being laundered. That is what was happening on the morning he was killed. Mr Smith decided to put other clothing on him and Michael would remove the clothing as soon as he could. Mr Smith was restraining him while other staff members dressed him and Mr Smith got violent after about two hours of abuse where he choked him with a towel while restraining him. MICHAEL WAS NEVER TO BE RESTRAINED DUE TO A REPAIRED BROKEN NECK , for some reason that was left out of this addition of the story. The State School had inserviced all staff a couple of weeks earlier that Michael was never to be restrained. Michael was not fighting back he was trying to get away from the three staff that were torturing him, he was cornered in HIS bedroom with no way out. I have the reports from Adult Protective Services, the Lubbock State School and the Medical Examiner’s autopsy report. The reports prove that Mr Smith laid across his torso until he was asphyxiated, blue and not breathing, the staff finished dressing him and then went to get an oxygen bottle (which they could not figure out how to use for a while) before CPR was started. He never recovered. The DA in Lubbock has informed me that a decision will be made this week about charges sent to the grand jury. So far the only punishment for the staff has be losing their jobs.”

In San Antonio a state school employee physically forced a resident to perform oral sex on another resident. Although this happened nearly a year ago, there have been no charges or arrests. A pervert was fired, and that was that. When the City of San Antonio received a public information request for information related to the police reports in this case, the city went straight to the Office of the Attorney General for a ruling. San Antonio State School Worker Fired for Sexual Abuse

Haseeb Chisty was beaten so severely by a Denton State School employee that he went from being able to walk, talk and eat the cheeseburgers he loved to a life confined to a wheelchair and fed by a tube. Although Chisty’s abuser confessed his crime to a drug counselor who then reported the confession, investigators still refused to issue a finding of abuse. Obstacle Hinders Family’s Quest for Justice / State School, Where a Retarded Man was Beaten Severely, Has Legal Immunity

In Corpus Christi state school employees used cell phones to film staged fights between disabled residents. Corpus Christi State School Investigated after ‘Fight Club’ Videos of Residents Found

So much money from hardworking Texans – your money – is going to fund people who do not do their jobs. It is going to fund and protect murderers.

When Hannah Overton’s disabled foster son, unbeknownst to her, got into the pantry, she was charged with murder when he died from salt poisoning. She sits in prison awaiting appeal while true murderers from the state schools walk free. The Wrongful Conviction of Hannah Overton

The obvious lesson is to be sure you work in the right environment if you get that itch to murder. If you are an exhausted tax paying adult with a disabled child, paying and paying and getting no respite, no access to appropriate education, no response from the agencies responsible for oversight… When these things happen, you’d better not go to sleep. You’d better not collapse from exhaustion. Texas government protects Texas government, and it comes after you, the sugar daddy, if you make a mistake.

Your taxes also fund the prison where this mother sits, charged with murder.

Still feeling good?

Vote carefully. Call your representatives. Demand answers from the Lubbock D.A. with a quick call to 806-775-1118 – ask them who is being prosecuted for the murder of Michael Nicholson in the Lubbock State School. Who has been arrested? A bad ass dude walks in to a disabled man’s room and puts a towel around his neck until the man turns blue and dies. Five witnesses, NO CHARGES FILED. A mom takes a nap and is in prison for MURDER.

Richardson ISD, part of which lies in Allen Vaught’s District 107, made the Dallas Morning News Saturday in a story that parents of children with disabilities have heard over and over again across our state. A child with disabilities was not provided with an appropriate public education. The family, acting out of parental duty, withdrew the child and placed her in a private residential treatment center that has a charter school on its campus. 

The family sought reimbursement from Richardson ISD for the private placement of their daughter in the residential treatment center, and the family was awarded $91K. Richardson ISD parents were outraged at this huge amount of money going to one flawed child.

“Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good.”
- Mahatma Mohandas K. Gandhi

During a recent Texas Advocates conference, Mike Bright of The ARC of Texas presented an award to Addie Horn of the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services.

A little background on these organizations:

The Texas Advocates is a group of self-advocates from across the state. The Texas Advocates, whose website is part of The ARC of Texas site, receive grant money through the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities. That grant money is administered through The ARC of Texas.

The ARC of Texas is a group that is supposed to advocate for people with disabilities.

The Arc of Texas is the oldest and largest nonprofit, volunteer organization in the state committed to creating opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be included in their communities and to make the choices which affect their lives. The Arc supports families, advances public policies, provides training programs, and builds a statewide network of advocates.

Mike Bright is executive director of The ARC of Texas.

“Allen Vaught unquestionably supports public education and is proactive in finding solutions that improve and strengthen our neighborhood public schools.”

- Pam Meyercord, Texas Parent PAC

Here is your promised update: The new sprayground at Ferguson Park has 2 new porta-potties, including one with handicapped accessibility, so that may help the nearly 1300 kids at Truett who have to share one restroom.

Word on the street says 60 Iranian families are moving into one of the neighborhoods that feed into Truett Elementary. In response, Truett is getting 2 more trailers.

“The uncontested absurdities of today are the accepted slogans of tomorrow.”

- Ayn Rand

First off, congratulations to Truett Elementary for winning $326.71 in the Crappiest school in America contest. Spend your winfall wisely!

At the same time, I am sorry to learn that the city is cutting the funds for the after school program at Truett which serves 50 students from 3-6pm every day. This program provides a safe place and after-school tutoring for many children in Allen Vaught’s District 107.

We would all like to see things get better instead of worse for the children and neighborhoods in our community. It’s the reason you were elected.

“Allen Vaught unquestionably supports public education and is proactive in finding solutions that improve and strengthen our neighborhood public schools.”

- Pam Meyercord, Texas Parent PAC

Ready for this? Here’s the latest from Truett Trailer Park deep in the heart of District 107:

This school in Allen Vaught country is begging for $10K from a private company’s “shittiest school in America” competition. If you’d like to vote for Truett Elementary as the shittiest school in America and help them get $10K from Big Lots, please click here and vote 3 times a day until July 12.

Be sure to watch the video, because there are some things I’d like you to notice aside from the obvious which I profiled in Welcome to Truett Trailer Park last year.

“By dividing the people we can get them to expend their energies in fighting over questions of no importance to us except as teachers of the common herd.”

- Civil Servants’ Year Book

Although there is no history of asthma in our families, our son suddenly developed severe asthma when he was a toddler. He must carry an albuterol rescue inhaler with him at all times, and during certain times of the year his activities are limited by his health. He also has a nebulizer at home, but he cannot leave the house without his rescue inhaler.

In the past we were able to get his inhaler every month for $4. The major pharmacies provided a list of commonly prescribed medicines at this cost, and it was a huge help to consumers who either do not have access to health insurance, do not choose to purchase health insurance or who, like us, purchase health insurance which we can hardly afford to use.

“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.”

- Anais Nin

Allen Vaught said of SB 1000, no way lady, that’s a voucher. No way am I going to support something that would reiterate existing federal disability law at the state level. No way am I going to support something that says if your crappy neighborhood school cannot or will not provide FAPE to your child with autism they must fund that child’s FAPE in a private setting. Vaught was perfectly aware of the major regression our son faced after only 3 months trapped in an inappropriate classroom. Our son and our family have been through a lot in his short life, and that is one huge nightmare we should never have been put through. Like thousands of others, we were stuck with a suffering child and a school that was daring us to sue.

“A lot of people were salivating over the funds and the patronage, and picturing the precious little poster child for their gigantic graft scheme.”

- Anonymous

“I’m opposed to the voucher program, I campaigned against it, I voted against it, but my heart goes out to these people because to them that’s the only ray of hope they see”

- Allen Vaught, co-author of HB 130 voucher

This was a good move, Governor Perry – one that quite possibly avoided a huge class action discrimination suit from Texas parents of children with disabilities.

Raise Your Hand Texas/Vaught/Texas Parent PAC/Bill Ratliff/Mike Moses may have dropped some tears in their beers last night, but despite not getting this massive babysitting program, they still got their money.