TWO GOOD ONES FROM THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Believe it or not...

Underlying Durst acquittal, a contrast in justice

For most criminal defendants facing years in prison or even a possible death sentence, the ability to put on a top-shelf defense is often out of reach. The courts provide the poorest defendants with an attorney at no charge, and judges, at their discretion, sometimes allow a certain amount of money to be spent on expert testimony and additional forensic testing.

But no indigent suspect -- even those facing the death penalty -- will have access to the substantial resources that prosecutors have at their disposal, including crime investigators, expert witnesses, DNA and other scientific evidence testing, along with knowledgeable analysts to explain results to jurors.

What's more, defendants' rights advocates complain that appointed attorneys often urge defendants to plead guilty to reduced charges -- regardless of actual guilt or innocence -- in exchange for a lighter sentence rather than go to trial. That helps the judges on whom they depend for appointments keep a current trial docket.

Something weird is going on when the local daily from "The Death Penalty Capital of the World" starts bashing the courts. But then, these guys have been bashing favorite son George W. Bush for some weeks now, too, so maybe it's not so weird.

Click here for the rest.

Living American Dream or `just getting by'?

This one's actually from the NY Times, syndicated to the Chronicle, but the point is that they're running it.

It's interesting that so much attention is being paid to the modest job creation numbers for October, and so little is being given to a much more significant issue that Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is homing in on.

Over the past couple of decades, Edwards said last week, "the American Dream of building something better" has been replaced by the reality of "just getting by."

It has become increasingly difficult to get into -- or stay in -- the middle class. In speeches, reports and interviews, Edwards has been pointing out that despite income gains, most families have been unable to save money and are dangerously vulnerable to setbacks like job losses and illnesses.

I wonder if anybody in Houston's actually reading this stuff. From where I sit, people are still pretty damned conservative here. Oh well...

Click here.

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