Here's the Story of Mike Martin

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

This is a really bizarre story and not well known

 

New York Times. August 29th, 1981. Retrieved via Lexus-Nexus.

 

Last summer, Texans were caught up in the fictional shooting of J.R. Ewing. This summer they are talking about a real shooting that involves, depending on the teller, either a satanic cult or a politician ready to give an arm to advance his career.

 

In the early morning of July 31, State Representative Mike Martin, a Republican, returned from his Capitol office to the recreational vehicle where he was living during a special legislative session. As he left his car, four rounds of buckshot struck him in the left elbow.

 

At first, Mr. Martin told the police that he knew of no motive for the shooting and that he had not seen his attacker. Later, he told a Texas Ranger that the shooting was the result of his contacts with a group of devil worshipers, the ''Guardian Angels of the Underworld,'' who claimed to control high-ranking officials in Texas government. State and local authorities said they could find no trace of such a group.

 

Cousin Asserts a Role

 

Now, a cousin of Mr. Martin says he and the freshman lawmaker set up the shooting in an attempt to further the legislator's career. Charles Goff told the police he was offered a high-paying state job, plus cash, to help stage the shooting. Mr. Martin denies that.

 

Investigators say they believe that the pair rehearsed the shooting in a secluded area of East Texas a week beforehand. Mr. Goff has been quoted as saying that his cousin told him, ''I'm willing to give my arm for this.''

 

Mr. Martin, a 29-year-old carpenter, upset veteran Democratic Representative Jimmy Mankins of Kilgore in 1980 for the House seat from Gregg County.

 

In this year's legislative session, Mr. Martin offered one bill, a proposal to require the teaching of ''scientific creationism'' along with the theory of evolution in public school science classes. It never came to a vote.

 

After the shooting, Mr. Martin was subpoenaed to appear before the Travis County Grand Jury. He contended, incorrectly, that lawmakers did not have to answer such summonses during legislative sessions. He also failed to appear on a subsequent date, having returned to his home in Longview.

 

Mr. Martin contended that he was afraid to return to Austin until the police had located the ''madman'' who shot him and that he had been denied police protection. Local officials said he had not sought any.

 

Mr. Martin then told reporters that he no longer believed the shooting to be the work of a satanic cult. Instead, he attributed it to ''Gregg County politics'' surrounding his intention to seek a State Senate seat, which he thought he could win.

 

No Charges Filed

 

On Tuesday, Mr. Martin appeared voluntarily before the grand jury in Austin. Officials indicated that he provided no new information, and no charges have been returned.

 

However, Mr. Martin's political problems continue to mount. The House Administration Committee has suspended payments on his expense account, reporting that he is $11,000 over his $4,500 monthly spending limit.

 

Questions have also been raised over his failure to report on his financial disclosure statement the fact that he owned a state beer and wine license for a Longview restaurant.

 

Gregg County Republican Party officials have called for his resignation, but Mr. Martin has refused to give it. There are no legal grounds thus far for his removal. He could lose his seat only if the Legislature were to be called into another special session to allow the House to consider his expulsion, which would require a twothirds vote.

 

Meanwhile, bumper stickers have appeared in Longview providing multiple choices to answer ''Who shot Mike Martin?'' A Capitol prankster also circulated a set of news releases purporting to be from Mr. Martin and naming as his assailant such figures as the Devil, Charles Manson, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya and J.R. Ewing.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Big deal, we had a guy in PA 20+ years ago shoot himself on TV...

[Ted the Poster 0]

R. Budd Dweyer trumps everything.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Big deal, we had a guy in PA 20+ years ago shoot himself on TV...

Is that the infamous scene they always show on Faces/Traces of Death kinda shit?

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Big deal, we had a guy in PA 20+ years ago shoot himself on TV...

Didn't you guys just have a Congressman allegedly strangle a 26 year old girl after giving her a massage?

[Guest MikeSC]

R. Budd Dweyer trumps everything.

That was some screwed up crap.

-=Mike

[Ted the Poster 0]

Yep.

[Gary Floyd 0]

Yep.

Damnit, you beat me to it.

 

Why did he do it? I used to know, but for some reason, it escapes my memory.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Something involving a tax refund scandal I think? Personally, I think he could very well have been innocent, and the fact that the judge was practically jacking it over getting to sentence a public official, saying how exhilarating it would be to give him a maximum sentence to prove a point, sort of muddies the water a little.

 

I had R. Budd in my sig until somebody conceived an Invision Forum dedicated to bitchslapping me. Ah, simpler times.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Big deal, we had a guy in PA 20+ years ago shoot himself on TV...

Didn't you guys just have a Congressman allegedly strangle a 26 year old girl after giving her a massage?

Someting like that (I haven't paid much attention to it), but I think it's still in the "allege" stage.

 

My former state rep -- who I voted for several times -- Jeff Habay has "allegedly" done some really messed up stuff, too. Sigh...

[Guest Mike Martin]

Something involving a tax refund scandal I think? Personally, I think he could very well have been innocent, and the fact that the judge was practically jacking it over getting to sentence a public official, saying how exhilarating it would be to give him a maximum sentence to prove a point, sort of muddies the water a little.

 

I had R. Budd in my sig until somebody conceived an Invision Forum dedicated to bitchslapping me. Ah, simpler times.

 

Actually, this guy is closser to the truth than the guy who wrote the main article. If you want to get the closest thing to facts, check out Wikipedia. At least those who wrote it did a bit more research than this article. The media makes up things to build a story flashy and then have a tendency to quote their own stories as fact later. The thing to ask yourself in this story is who in his right mind would stand in front of a 12 gauge shotgun, filled with double-ought buckshot, at 90 yards in the dark, and deliberately let his cousin fire at him until something hits the arm. Oh, by the way, there was a 300 gallon propane tank directly behind me.....Opps!, I must have overlooked that when I set this idea up.

 

No one wants to know the truth but here it is: Goff was wanted on three warrents for burglary at the time I was shot. He was arrested the day after I was shot on those charges; police not knowing his relationship to me. While in the slammer he heard I was shot and that the Texas Rangers were told to stop at nothing until the case was solved. He conveniently offered a confession in return for the withdrawal of the 3 felony charges. From that point on it became my word against his because he had nothing to back up his claim. Ronnie Earle, also the prosecutor of other Republican politicians, gladly took the word of a criminal over the word of a man nominated as "One of the 10 Most Outstanding Young Men in America" (Bill Clinton was also in that group the same year).

 

This taught me two valuable lessons: Conservatives will never get a fair shake with the media and you'll never make it in politics without powerful friends.

[Star Ocean 3 0]

 

Did you know your last name's an adverb?

[BUTT 0]

Oh man if this is the real thing it will be a watershed moment in TSM history.

[Copper Feel 0]

The chances of that are of course somewhat slim, call me a skeptic, but I am not convinced.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Clever bump.

[Craig Th 0]

Wow, someone has NO life.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

I don't know what to think. If it isn't real, it's kind of disappointing cos it's not really funny enough to warrant bumping a two year old thread. But if the real guy bumped a two year old thread, on TSM, then wow. Doubt it though.