What follows are questions that the El Paso Times has submitted to me to answer for a story they say they are doing. Because I have been misquoted and vilified by the Times in the past and because Dionicio Flores, the editor, wrote in an editorial in November 2007, just three months ago, that my campaign would be "grist" for future editorials, I only deal with the Times in writing if I deal with them at all.
Here are the questions posed to me and my answers.
1) A year ago you told me if elected to office you would put an end to the "illegal system of DIMS." Is that still your plan and why do you think DIMS is illegal?
Answer: Doing away with DIMS will be my first act in office for the citizens of El Paso County. DIMS is illegal because the District Attorney has put himself in the place of the judge; my opponent sets bonds and makes arrest approval decisions. Setting bonds and making arrest approval determinations are the function of a judge and not the DA. Fifth graders know this. Under DIMS a person is jailed without seeing a judge and the DA sets the bond. DIMS is also illegal because it has created two legal systems in El Paso. According to my opponent's DIMS manual which he wrote himself the following persons are exempt from DIMS. I quote from the manual, "Non DIMS CASES: Cases involving employees of the District Attorney's Office. Cases that involve a public official." The public needs to know this. In this country there is one law and it is supposed to apply equally to everyone. My opponent treats people in power specially.
2) Campaign Contribution reports indicate your opponent has raised more money than you have. Do you think you are getting the financial support you need to run an effective campaign?
Answer: I have raised thousands of dollars which combined with my own resources have enabled me to get my message out through direct mailouts, a billboard, signs, cards, website and newspaper ads. I have spent my contributors' money honestly and wisely in getting my message out. My opponent has used his money to contribute to other politicians' campaigns (some of them targets of the FBI investigation) and to pay for $320 meals at fancy restaurants in Mexico City. It's all about how you spend your money. The fact that people know my name, that I am running for District Attorney and that I want to clean up this town shows me that I have been very effective. I have also used my own shoe leather to walk El Paso precincts all over town. I have many supporters who help me every day to get my message out. The debate I did on KVIA resulted in more people calling me to offer their support and help.
3) How do you think your campaign is going so far? What is your campaign platform?
Answer: My campaign is going very well and gaining more support every day. My campaign platform is to:
a) Restore the rule of law to the District Attorney's Office: One law for everyone. Get rid of DIMS.
b) Set up a special mental health unit to properly evaluate cases involving the mentally ill.
c) Set up a special financial crimes unit with accountants and lawyers with financial forensic expertise to investigate local public corruption at the taxing entities and entities like the Housing Authority.
d) Reform the corrupted grand jury process. House them in a neutral place, properly train grand juries and discontinue my opponent's policy of using the grand jury as a weapon and restricting the public's access to the grand jury.
e)Take citizen complaints directly from the public: Encourage citizen whistle-blowers to come forward and report corruption and crime.
f) Make it unneccessary for the federal government to have to step into local politics by investigating and prosecuting corruption myself as your next District Attorney.
g) Give the accused a fair trial and be even handed with the power vested in me by the public.
h)Convene a grand jury to investigate public corruption.
4)What do you think are the top three issues in this race?
Answer:
-DIMS and the erosion of the constitution and our checks and balances in the arrest process that my opponent has created and nurtured for years.
-Public corruption going unaddressed for years by my opponent.
-A properly trained DA staff to investigate and prosecute the crimes facing this community and destroying this community, i.e. public corruption and the fleecing of the taxpayers. The public needs to understand that public corruption simply means that our politicians are stealing our money by selling their votes to engorge their friends' pockets (voting to pass bonds and certificates of obligation on the public). This increases our already crushing tax burden which in turn is driving people out of El Paso and out of their homes.
Theresa Caballero
Here are the questions posed to me and my answers.
1) A year ago you told me if elected to office you would put an end to the "illegal system of DIMS." Is that still your plan and why do you think DIMS is illegal?
Answer: Doing away with DIMS will be my first act in office for the citizens of El Paso County. DIMS is illegal because the District Attorney has put himself in the place of the judge; my opponent sets bonds and makes arrest approval decisions. Setting bonds and making arrest approval determinations are the function of a judge and not the DA. Fifth graders know this. Under DIMS a person is jailed without seeing a judge and the DA sets the bond. DIMS is also illegal because it has created two legal systems in El Paso. According to my opponent's DIMS manual which he wrote himself the following persons are exempt from DIMS. I quote from the manual, "Non DIMS CASES: Cases involving employees of the District Attorney's Office. Cases that involve a public official." The public needs to know this. In this country there is one law and it is supposed to apply equally to everyone. My opponent treats people in power specially.
2) Campaign Contribution reports indicate your opponent has raised more money than you have. Do you think you are getting the financial support you need to run an effective campaign?
Answer: I have raised thousands of dollars which combined with my own resources have enabled me to get my message out through direct mailouts, a billboard, signs, cards, website and newspaper ads. I have spent my contributors' money honestly and wisely in getting my message out. My opponent has used his money to contribute to other politicians' campaigns (some of them targets of the FBI investigation) and to pay for $320 meals at fancy restaurants in Mexico City. It's all about how you spend your money. The fact that people know my name, that I am running for District Attorney and that I want to clean up this town shows me that I have been very effective. I have also used my own shoe leather to walk El Paso precincts all over town. I have many supporters who help me every day to get my message out. The debate I did on KVIA resulted in more people calling me to offer their support and help.
3) How do you think your campaign is going so far? What is your campaign platform?
Answer: My campaign is going very well and gaining more support every day. My campaign platform is to:
a) Restore the rule of law to the District Attorney's Office: One law for everyone. Get rid of DIMS.
b) Set up a special mental health unit to properly evaluate cases involving the mentally ill.
c) Set up a special financial crimes unit with accountants and lawyers with financial forensic expertise to investigate local public corruption at the taxing entities and entities like the Housing Authority.
d) Reform the corrupted grand jury process. House them in a neutral place, properly train grand juries and discontinue my opponent's policy of using the grand jury as a weapon and restricting the public's access to the grand jury.
e)Take citizen complaints directly from the public: Encourage citizen whistle-blowers to come forward and report corruption and crime.
f) Make it unneccessary for the federal government to have to step into local politics by investigating and prosecuting corruption myself as your next District Attorney.
g) Give the accused a fair trial and be even handed with the power vested in me by the public.
h)Convene a grand jury to investigate public corruption.
4)What do you think are the top three issues in this race?
Answer:
-DIMS and the erosion of the constitution and our checks and balances in the arrest process that my opponent has created and nurtured for years.
-Public corruption going unaddressed for years by my opponent.
-A properly trained DA staff to investigate and prosecute the crimes facing this community and destroying this community, i.e. public corruption and the fleecing of the taxpayers. The public needs to understand that public corruption simply means that our politicians are stealing our money by selling their votes to engorge their friends' pockets (voting to pass bonds and certificates of obligation on the public). This increases our already crushing tax burden which in turn is driving people out of El Paso and out of their homes.
Theresa Caballero
on February 1, 2008, 2:17 pm
Esparza and Caballero Debate
I thought Moderator Gary Warner was superb and at his best. I also thought it was a fairly civil debate between the two candidates. I believe Theresa Caballero had a "for the people" approach to justice. I felt Jaime Esparza thinks of the people as being in the way and not relavant to the process of law. I enjoyed the exchanges and felt Theresa Caballero made the best impression. -- Arlene
---
There main issue in this campaign seems to be the DIMS system. The framers of our constitution were trying to protect citizens from the police, that is why they wanted someone who was arrested to be taken straight away to an impartial judge, to see if that person was to be jailed and to set bond if needed. The present system is clearly unconstitutional. As for a $400,000 yearly cost to taxpayers without DIMS, that makes no sense. There are plenty of Judges around, J.P.s, Municipal Judges, County and District Judges. Wake them up. If all these people who profess the need to serve as Judges are serious, let them work for it. -- Jerry
Reply to this comment