I confess - I like the way this story ends. It began innocently enough - a young Houston prospective college student has dreams of higher education, so she sells her car - and in return takes money orders.
Most of the funds were to go to pay tuition at Texas Southern University. However she stops in a Houston area Wal mart to purchase some retail items. There, when she wants to pay with the money orders, Wal mart has her arrested. She spends two days in jail. Wal Mart sends threatening letters demanding she pay them $200.00 and asserting she was trying to pass fraudulent money orders and essentially taking the position that she pay the $200.00 bucks or they will report her for shop lifting.
The Harris County D.A.'s office investigates and finds out - the money orders were genuine.
The story concludes below:
http://www.chron.com/...
Nitra Gipson is now a graduate of TSU - having perservered. She also had the temerity to bring a lawsuit against Wal mart.
Although it took years - a Houston jury - upon hearing the evidence - delivered a $9 million dollar verdict against Wal mart.
It could not have been rendered against a more deserving party. Wal mart is known for being a scorched earth - blame the Plaintiff - belittle the jury system litigant. One suspects that the utter arrogance of Wal mart may be catching up to them.
Stories like this give me real hope for our economic turnaround. Juries - the most powerful form of participatory democracy and involvement in self-government are beginning to declare again that the business model of the corporate crony and insider hack has run its course. Even if you are rich and powerful and can buy corporate attorneys by the bushel - a day of judgment will come. When the message gets through - even Republicans will know it is time to go back to work -- and earn money through productive efforts and not just slick marketing.
Of course - a note of caution is in order. The Texas appellate system is chock full of corporatist apologists - so it will be interesting to see how the story turns out in the final leg of the story - but a soft aroma of hope is returning even down here in the fetid swamps of Republican infested Houston.