August 2008
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Day August 6, 2008

Entries 2 Total

Suing the Preacher’s Wife

Aug 6, 08 7:38 PM

Wow.  There’s so much going on right now I can’t keep up with it all.  It could just be that I’ve expanded my readership to a few other online outlets, but I’m seeing the same stories everywhere.

Today it was announced that they’ve seated a jury in the civil lawsuit trial against Victoria Osteen.  She’s the wife of superchurch preacher Joel Osteen (for those unfamiliar with Houston, Joel is the son of the late Steve Osteen, who led Lakewood Church to superstardom in Texas in the first place).  Back in 2005, the Osteen family was on a flight from Houston to Vail (yep, the ski resort–where else would a rich superpreacher go for vacation?) when Victoria asked a stewardess to clean a spot on the armrest of her first-class seat.  The Stewardess, busy seating other passengers, called for maintenance and continued in her duties.  Victoria grabbed another stewardess, who went to the cabin.  Apparently furious, Victoria followed her and ran into a third stewardess, whom she reportedly shoved and elbowed in the left breast.

The Osteen family voluntarily left the plane as they were about to be removed, delaying the flight over two hours.  The FAA, after an investigation, fined Victoria $3000 smackeroos for her behavior.  But the stewardess she assaulted is now suing for medical expenses–plus ten percent of Victoria’s net worth.  That’s quite a pile of moolah.

Okay…if the FAA found that the incident warranted a fine, then yes, Victoria should pay, and she apparently has.  Does it surprise me that the outburst occurred?  No.  My family was heavily involved in another Houston megachurch, where youth pastor Randy Woolstrum and head pastor Steve Riggle regularly showed their true colors.  Suffice to say it does not surprise me in the least when a member of a prominent mega-ministry family does something that is, shall we say, un-Christ-like.

But according to the report, the “assault” was little more than a shove and an elbow in the boob.  In a compact little space like an airplane, that’s not assault, it’s a fact of life.  It’s something I’m sure that stewardess was quite used to.  I don’t just seriously doubt her claim that she needed counseling after the incident…I outright refuse to believe it.  And I sure as hell can’t comprehend why she would need so much money for it.

The only reason for this lawsuit is that the Osteens have money.  It’s that simple.  I don’t like megachurches or those who lead them, but I like those who file lawsuits over stuff like this far less.  This is silly.  I hope she not only loses, but is required to pay the Osteen’s legal fees.

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The Deed is Done

Aug 6, 08 12:37 AM

The US Supreme Court made us all hold our breath today when it was announced that they would hear a last-minute argument and possibly issue a stay of execution for Jose Medellin.  His execution was scheduled for 1800 central time.  Three hours later, with the death warrant still valid and Medellin already moved from the Death Row housing unit at Polunsky to the death chamber at Walls (same facility, different units), it was announced that the Supreme Court would not issue any stay. 

So, at 2035 central, Medellin was strapped down to the table and allowed to say his last words.  At 2048 the first of the drugs, sodium thiopental, was administered, putting Medellin into a deep sleep.  Next came pancuronium bromide, a muscle relaxer given in such a high does that it paralyzes the diaphragm and renders the lungs useless.  Finally they gave him potassium chloride, interrupting the signals between the brain and heart, inducing cardiac arrest.  Essentially, the man died in his sleep.

Adolfo Pena, the father of murder victim Elizabeth Pena, said, “Fifteen years is a long time.  I wish those two girls could’ve lived that long.”  It’s sad that a man should have to say that–I wish my daughter had lived this long.  It’s sad that he’s saying it because a worthless flab of human debris robbed the world of his little girl and nearly got away with it.  What’s really incomprehensible, though, is that there are those out there who see this kind of crime and somehow still believe that the death penalty is cruel and unusual.  But since Medellin didn’t give his victims any painkillers before brutalizing them, I fail to grasp why his crime is not deserving of something far worse than what he received.

His final words, though, are worth repeating this time.  Usually, they’re not; usually, the condemned either claims innocence or says something completely off-kilter.  Medellin, in a strange turn, took responsibility for his crimes.  He said, “I’m sorry that my actions brought you pain.  I hope this brings the closure to what you seek.”

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