The temperature was in triple digits in far West Texas Tuesday, August 8th as El Paso Judge Bill Moody began his 1000 mile walk across Texas. The Judge’s son, Joe, reported Wednesday that he couldn’t keep up his dad’s pace the day before. His dad has been training for six months, preparing to take his campaign on the road, literally walking across Texas.
What motivates a Judge to walk across Texas?
“It’s time we had Supreme Court justices who will be open and impartial, who will listen to both sides of an argument. We need to restore confidence in our Texas Supreme Court.”
– Bill Moody
Moody is a populist Democrat who agrees with Attorney General candidate David Van Os, (D-Attorney General) and Hank Gilbert (D-Agriculture Commissioner) that governmen must be returned to the people. Fred Head (D-Comptroller of Public Accounts) and Land Commissioner challenger VaLainda Hathcox are also bypassing conventional campaign media strategies to take their messages directly to the people. Lt. Gov. challenger Maria Luisa Alvarado and RR Commissioner challenger Dale Henry fit into the populist niche by having declared for office without seeking endorsements and support from powerful political and economic interest. These candidates, and Judge Moody, are waging direct to the people campaigns which involves continual travel, listening to citizens and speaking directly with people in eye-ball to eye-ball encounters across Texas.
The “Walking Judge” will break his journey into three phases, returning to El Paso between legs or taking “faster modes of transportation” to other parts of the state for campaign rallies.; He always marks where he discontinued his walk, and return there to resume his eastward walk. Here are Texas Supreme Court Candidate, Judge Moody’s first journal entries:
August 8, 2006
The Journey of A Thousand Miles Begins With One Step…
Hello!
This is the first in what I hope to be many journal entries about our day-to-day activities on this Walk for Justice; Today we kicked off the walk at the steps of the El Paso County Courthouse; We were joined there by friends and family, and began our walk at about 12:45 in the afternoon; For the first several blocks we had a group of supporters from the Courthouse rally join us; We were also joined by 2 other statewide candidates, Valinda Hathcox and J.R. Molina; Valinda is running for Texas Land Commissioner, and she brought along her 85 year-old mother who walked the first mile of the journey with us; J.R. is running for presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and he walked the entire 11 miles on our first day. It was good to have them with us today, and I am sure we will run into them again down the road.
Our walk today took us through the heart of El Paso, and concluded at Album Park on the east side of town; There we spoke with more supporters, and enjoyed some music and food; It was quite a day, and quite a way to kick off the campaign; Tomorrow we will begin at the house where I was raised, and conclude at the Socorro Mission where my wife and I began our life together; Check back in soon for more entries and updates; Hope to see you all on the road; This promises to be a campaign like no other!
-Bill Moody
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Phase 1 began August 8 in El Paso and will conclude in Midland. After a break, the Judge will return to Midland in September and continue walking to Abilene. He’ll travel (not walk) to Lubbock and resume his eastward journey from Junction to Austin. He’ll travel (not walk) to Arlington for the Take The Truth to the Streets Festival and Street Fair on September 30th.
In October he’ll return to Austin and resumewalking from Austin to San Antonio, to Houston and to Orange, Texas on the Texas Gulf Coast.
August 9, 2006.
He’ll travel to the DFW metroplex the first of November and walk through Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant Counties (Nov. 1-4). He’ll return to El Paso, cast his vote, and prepare for a victory celebration with family and friends back in El Paso.
Memory Lane
Hello,
I began the second day by picking up my 5th grade teacher, Virginia Mills, and driving her to my mother’s house in east El Paso; There we picked up my mother from the family home where I grew up and lived with my parents and two sisters (Carolyn Drake and Helen Wagner, now both in Houston, Texas); My mother has lived in that home for 48 years, and was widowed in 1992.
Then my mother, Mrs. Mills, and I arrived at Scottsdale Elementary School, where I attended 4th through 6th grade; We visited my old classroom and shared stories with Mrs. Mills, who was the first teacher who inspired me to go into a life of public service through her teachings of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln; We then went on to Eastwood High School where I graduated from in 1968 in the top 10% of my class of 200 students;
After that we went back to my mother’s house and said goodbye; Then my son and I began our second day of the walk; Our next stop brought us to Cadwallader Elementary School in El Paso’s lower valley, which is where I attended 2nd and 3rd grade upon our family’s arrival in El Paso back in 1957; We lived first with my grandfather, Arthur E. Moody, a local businessman; My father started out in business with my grandfather and later opened his own business as a wholesale and retail car dealer;
From there we walked to the oldest mission in the United States, the Ysleta Mission founded in 1681; There we met with the Tigua War Captain who blessed our journey in his native language;
We then moved on to the Socorro Mission, the oldest continually functioning church on the same site in the United States; The evening rally was attended by many friends and my wife’s family who have been in the Socorro area for over 100 years; My wife’s grandfather Yrineo and her mother Consuelo are buried in the nearby cemetery; It is also where my wife and I were married 31 years ago on November 1st, “All Saints Day.”It is also where we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary last year;
We walked about 16 miles today in about 8 hours, which included breaks and meals; It was truly a remarkable and wonderful day that reemphasized the importance of the most important women in my life:my wife Maggie and my mother Marie.
-Bill Moody
Judge Moody refuses to hear a case involving any party who has contributes $1000 or more to his campaign; Money has tainted the political process in Texas (and many other states). Special interests have contributed “generously” to most of the campaigns of most of the Supreme Court Justices; It is difficult to find a judge who has not benefited from campaign contributions from some of the larger corporations and money interests in Texas;
August 10, 2006
No Contribution is Too Small, but Many are Too Large
Hello,
My daughter Emily, a 20 year-old pre-med junior at Texas Tech University, began the walk with me today starting at Socorro Mission; We walked first to San Elizario Mission; This walk completed the historic mission trail of El Paso; While nearing San Elizario, my daughter and I spotted several quarters along the roadside and recovered them; As we continued to walk towards San Elizario, we found 6 quarters, 5 dimes, 2 nickels, 15 pennies, and 1 five peso piece; I plan to report these finds to the Texas Ethics Commission in my next financial report as money found on the highway; At the present rate we should accumulate at least $50 on our 1,000 mile walk; in all likelihood a new record for political fundraising through finding lost change.
When we reached San Elizario Mission, I was able to speak to a group of senior citizens about my campaign; I passed out envelopes to all of them merely wanting them to pass on their contact information to me; I usually use these envelopes to additionally request political contributions in small sums and telling the people “no contribution is too small, but many are too large.”In this instance I did not speak about contributions, but rather sought names and phone numbers; I then thanked the people for their time and left the hall to visit the Mission Church; As I was leaving, one of the women from the mission approached me with an envelope with a donation to the campaign; I was very moved by her generosity and sincerity; Even though I have received much larger contributions, this one has been the most meaningful to me;
We then proceeded on to Clint and the San Lorenzo Church; Then it was on to Fabens and Our Lady of Guadalupe Church; I was greeted at the church by State Representative Chente Quintanilla, former County Commissioner Rogelio Sanchez, and a good gathering of local political activists.We had a wonderful meeting where the needs of their small community were expressed to me; Of all the issues that they could be concerned over, I found out that their primary concern was over the closing of their branch of the County Library.Being a historian and a lover of books, it was gratifying to see these people’s quest for knowledge for not only themselves but more importantly for their children. I hope my campaign plays a part in many Texans’ quest for knowledge by spreading information about our judicial system and about how important the Texas Supreme Court is to their everyday lives.
– Bill Moody
Why This Race Matters to You
The Texas Supreme Court is the court of last resort for civil cases. It’s the last place people turn to for justice. That’s why the Texas Supreme Court must be absolutely neutral and fair to all: a court that is balanced philosophically, a court that is accessible to all Texans. And that’s also why all of the justices who serve on the Texas Supreme Court must be fair, deeply experienced, and tested by years of public duty on the bench. But some of the members of the Supreme Court, including Judge Moody’s opponent, have no judicial trial experience at all. Working your way up each step of judicial responsibility matters a great deal – especially in the highest court in the state.As a district judge who has tried over 400 felony and civil jury trials, Judge Moody knows what it takes to dispense justice with integrity and efficiency. He has been doing it for over 16 years.
; – from Judge Moody’s campaign website
August 11, 2006
The Old Road
Hello,
Today was a little bit quieter out on the road; We chose to travel down the old highway leading out of El Paso rather than try and go up towards I-10; We began the day in Fabens, and moved towards Tornillo; It was somewhere along this road that the legendary golfer Ben Hogan had a near-fatal car accident back in the early 1950’s; The road to Tornillo was lined with cotton fields and pecan orchards; The small town of Tornillo had once been heralded as a great agricultural center, but the town was hit hard by the depression and never quite recovered; But the farms are still being worked out on the old road, and the pecan trees gave us some much needed shade on this 95 degree day.
After Tornillo we walked to Ft. Hancock; We took a lunch break and headed into the town by car, marking where we left off on the road; We ate at Angie’s Cafe, which sits up near the interstate at the Ft. Hancock exit; There we met Angie, who cooks all of the food for her cafe; Her daughter works there as a waitress; The menu had a caption that said the cafe had been written about as having the best salsa in Texas; I can say that I have had few salsas better than the one made fresh daily by Angie; While at the cafe we chatted with some other patrons about our walk and talked to them about the Texas Supreme Court; After saying our goodbyes at the cafe, it was back to the road; We went back out to the marked spot and continued towards Ft. Hancock; We arrived in Ft. Hancock after a walk totaling 22 miles; We met with a few more residents of the town once we arrived, and then headed for home; Tomorrow will be even quieter as we head out on a dirt road towards Sierra Blanca;
-Bill Moody
JUDGE MOODY’s WEBSITE: http://www.moodyforj…>
He’s gotten excellent news coverage this week. His journey has been covered by the Associated Press, The Dallas Morning News, The Austin American Statesman, The Houston Chronicle and the Fort Worth Star Telegram and TV coverage on WFAA Channel 8 DFW and Channel 6 News KRISTV.com in Corpus Christi!
Channel 6 NEWS KRISTV said:
As far as political campaign gimmicks go, Moody’s border-to-border walk isn’t a novel idea. Former Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles walked 1,000 miles across Florida in 1970 during a campaign for a U.S. Senate seat, and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander covered the same distance on foot during his bid for Tennessee governor in 1978.
“The only two times it’s been done, they won,” Moody said.
Here’s the google search link with links to these news stories: http://tinyurl.com/...
Judge Moody’s Campaign Expenditure Report shows he invested in specialized gear for his walking tour. Mrs. Moody and the Judge wear hats to help them in the sandy, West Texas sun.
He’s worked with trainer Leon Daniels for the past six months training for this 1000 miles walk. Trainer Leon Daniels is pictured with the Judge and Mrs. Moody on the road between Sierra Blanca and Van Horn…with a storm on the way.
Land Commissioner Candidate VaLinda Hathcox and her mother joined Judge Moody for the first day of their journey.
He stopped and visited his school teacher Ms. Virginia Mills.
August 13
Wandering in the Desert
Hello,
(I am submitting the journal entries for Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th on the 13th because the thunderstorm that I describe below made it impossible to get access to the internet on Friday or Saturday night. Sorry for the delay).
Today we took a rarely traveled route between McNary and Sierra Blanca. Following an unmarked dirt and occasionally gravel road that roughly follows the Union Pacific railroad tracks, we ventured into uncharted terrain. With the assistance of my Court Coordinator of 20 years, Pam Foster, who took a vacation day to lead us with her 4-wheel drive truck through her native Hudspeth County, we encountered a long, rough, and quiet day. The stillness of the desert was invigorating, but the 97 degree heat soon made the going tough. The mountainous terrain was beautiful as we approached Sierra Blanca Peak (Elev. 6,890 ft.). We only encountered one Border Patrol vehicle and one Union Pacific vehicle on that stretch of nearly 14 miles. It’s fortunate that we brought the 4-wheel drive truck because several places proved nearly impassable by vehicle and a very rickety wooden bridge nearly forced us to turn back to the interstate. We drove ahead to Sierra Blanca for a very late lunch around 2:30 at La Familia. The meal was an excellent interlude to the morning session.
After lunch, we were back to the road. This time we followed the access road to I-10 for the last 8 miles into Sierra Blanca. I arrived on schedule at 6pm at the Sierra Blanca Court House and was warmly greeted by the people there. After a brief speech, we toured the Court House; the oldest and one of the few adobe Court Houses in the United States. I was able to sit again in the judge’s chair that I used when I presided over trials between 1986 and 1996. My wife and daughter Melissa were able to join us for the event and we then drove to Van Horn to spend the evening. We had cut short our Sierra Blanca talk because a thunderstorm was rapidly approaching from the east. We ran right into the brunt of that storm as we drove to Van Horn, and were very surprised to find that the storm had caused the power to go out in town. We had to travel back to Sierra Blanca to spend the evening at a rock built hotel named The Lodge. We finally got to bed near midnight of a long and eventful day. We walked over 20 miles in about 8 hours of walking.
A West Texas Thunderstorm
Hello,
We were on the road at a good time today after breakfast in Sierra Blanca. The walk along the access road from Sierra Blanca to Van Horn was uneventful for the most part. My son and I were able to cover nearly 14 miles before our lunch at 1:30. We drove into Van Horn for lunch at Chuy’s, a well-known restaurant where Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach John Madden stops to eat while traveling on this stretch of I-10. My personal trainer, Leon Daniels, and my younger daughter Emily met up with us in Van Horn. After lunch, my wife, Leon, and myself returned to the road and began our walk into Van Horn on a pace to exceed 25 miles for the day. It was then that we were hit by an afternoon thunderstorm, which forced us to stop at 5pm. The large storm system extended past Van Horn so we drove there and waited at Okey Lucas Park for our scheduled 7 p.m. rally. My wife and brother-in-law had done some excellent advance work here and a large crowd was expected. Unfortunately, the rain continued until past 7:30 and we had to cancel the event. As we were leaving town, 12-term Mayor Okey Lucas arrived and we had a fine conversation about the times that I had been a prosecutor and a judge in Van Horn. He also told me about the many changes that had taken place in Van Horn, and where he saw the town going in the future.
We returned to El Paso after our visit with the mayor. We had walked about 20 miles in about 8 hours. During this entire week my wife’s brother, Pilo Morales traveled with my son and I driving the motor home, setting up signs, passing out fliers, talking to local citizens, and helping to gather crowds for each event. His work was outstanding for a man who had never really been involved with campaigning before this week. I owe him a huge debt of thanks for taking a week of his life to help me.
August 15, 2006
Few People and Two Snakes
Hello,
A new week began at first light with a walk through Van Horn. While I was walking, my son encountered a problem with the van we are using on this journey…it wouldn’t start. However, a friendly local mechanic took a look at the van and found that we only had a loose battery cable. George, the mechanic, even remembered serving on a jury trial that I presided over in Van Horn several years ago.
After completing 14 miles in 5 hours and 40 minutes under heavy cloud cover and a cool breeze, we returned to Van Horn for lunch at the Sands Restaurant. A recently released independent film entitled “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada” starring Tommy Lee Jones was partially filmed at the Sands Motel and Restaurant, and the proud owner described the experience to us as we enjoyed a fine lunch. We then returned to the Culberson County Court House where I reminisced about the time in September of 1985 when I prosecuted Charles Harrelson for possession of cocaine and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon (below is a picture of Harrelson’s plea of nolo contendere, which contains my signature just above my hand at the bottom of the picture). Charles Harrelson, the father of actor Woody Harrelson, had been convicted of murder and was a notorious hired hit man. Harrelson was the prime suspect in the assassination of Federal Judge John Woods of San Antonio. After my trial in Van Horn, Harrelson was convicted in Federal Court for the murder of Judge Woods and is still serving a life sentence for that crime.
August 16, 2006
Out in the Mountains
Hello,
Today was my grandson Jaydon’s third birthday. He was born two months premature and weighed only 3 pounds 7 ounces at birth. He had to stay in the intensive care nursery for 5 weeks. We are very fortunate that he arrived and is now a healthy happy young boy. I had not missed any of my grandchildren’s birthdays before today and was saddened that I could not share this day with him but we did get to talk on the phone this morning.
We left Kent under heavy clouds and a light rain. A five-mile section of I-10 East was closed for construction so I was able to walk down the smooth concrete surface that was easier on my feet and increased my speed from my normal 3.2 mph to 3.4 mph. While walking down I-10 I received a call from my Court Coordinator that an emergency hearing needed to be heard by me on a case set for jury trial next week; when I am scheduled to return from the road. I was able to discuss the motion with the attorneys on a conference call through my cell phone. I entered my ruling and continued to walk.
I passed through the I-10/I-20 interchange approximately 10 miles beyond Kent and then continued on towards Toyah and pushed on until about 9:15pm. This was the latest I have walked so far. It got so dark out that my son traveled behind me in the van lighting the path ahead as we moved down an unused access road. A late dinner was followed by a meeting with Reeves County Democratic Chairman Bob Dean. Finally we arrived at our hotel, and while Tom Bodett forgot to leave the light on for us, he did manage to leave the air conditioner on so the room was nearly an icebox. We traveled close to 24 miles today in about 10 hours of walking.
-Bill Moody
August 17, 2006
Passing Through Pecos
Hello,
I picked up the walk at Toyah this morning and moved towards Pecos under cloudy skies and moderate temperature. As I traveled down the access road, I was interviewed by Pecos radio about the walk and its significance. I explained that no one had ever walked across the entire state of Texas as part of a political campaign, and only two recent politicians had attempted walks of this distance. Democrat Lawton Chiles walked Florida when he ran for the U.S. Senate, and Republican Lamar Alexander walked Tennessee while running for governor of that state. Both were elected. I explained during both the interview on the radio and the one by the Pecos Enterprise that the walk was a unique way to reach the people of Texas, and would afford me the opportunity to get a closer look at every aspect of this diverse state. I hope to return Texas politics to a purer, simpler, and more issue oriented process. It is also a much more economical way to campaign thereby limiting the need to seek large contributions from those with highly vested interests in the outcome of Supreme Court decisions. I have been able to meet so many more people from different backgrounds and been able to spend more time conversing with them because a walking campaign is by its nature much slower moving.
Pecos was the focus of today’s walk. Pecos is a community of almost 10,000 people, and in 2002 I received 70% of the vote here in my race for the Texas Supreme Court. The city is the site of the first rodeo in America as well as the first producers of cantaloupes in the world. I have a little cantaloupe in every fruit cup that I eat before I start my walk in the morning. Pecos is also a city of warm and friendly people who are willing to help strangers. I had at least 4 cars pull off of I-20 and come down the access road to see if I needed any help. Each thought I had broken down and needed a ride into town, but actually I just needed their prayers and their votes.
Democratic County Chairman Bob Dean dropped everything he was doing to take me around Pecos to meet as many of the fine people of this city as possible. We went through the County Court House and met elected officials and employees. The people in the Court House were extremely kind and gracious as they offered us water and encouragement.
The afternoon walk was made more tiring as the humidity from recent rain began to make its presence felt. Light evening showers slowed my pace, and then finally a thunderstorm at about 8:30pm brought the day’s walk to an end. I did cross over the Pecos River today, which this year has much more water than it did four years ago when I visited during my previous campaign. We covered over 21 miles today in a little over 8 hours of walking.
-Bill Moody
August 18, 2006
Entering Oil Country
Hello,
After crossing the Pecos River last night, we continued on toward Pyote and Monahans this morning. Alongside the road to Pyote there was a marker that indicated the site where a DPS trooper was killed in 1935, and it was still very well maintained. There is a lot of time to think out here on the road, and seeing that marker reminded me of the many dedicated law enforcement officers I have worked with over the years. As 1st Assistant District Attorney in El Paso, I personally prosecuted criminal defendants who had killed El Paso Police Officers. Officer Carreon was killed by a reckless driver while directing traffic at the scene of a freeway accident and Officer Heinrick was shot and killed by a person on the streets. Both trials ended in convictions, and the latter defendant received a life sentence. Those types of cases will always stick out in my memory. Almost every time I go to Austin I stop by the wall of honor dedicated to those law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty and pay my respect.
I kept on walking past the marker and on to Pyote, a town of only 131 people. We had lunch at a very fine deli called Cheyenne Grocery & Deli. I also stopped by the juvenile facility located near Pyote. The Texas Supreme Court is the court of last resort for juvenile criminal cases. My opponent has no trial or appellate experience, and clearly no criminal experience to handle these important cases. I would bring a unique background of experience to the Supreme Court in handling these cases.
After Pyote, I walked to within 8 miles of Monahans and we spent the evening at a very small but very warm and comfortable motel in town called the Silver Spur. This was the longest walk I have made to date. I went over 26 miles today in about 10 hours of walking. Tomorrow it is on through Monahans.
-Bill Moody