When I heard that Assemblyman Chris Norby was being accused of pushing his wife, Martha, I had to read it for myself. I was not surprised to see that the story was broken by the Voice of OC news blog, which is run by a board full of Democratic trial lawyers and is funded by Nick Berardino and his Orange County Employees Association. Objective? Not.
Here are a few excerpts from their post:
Chris Norby (R-Fullerton) and his wife, Martha, acknowledged having an argument during the afternoon of Sept. 2 that caused a deliveryman to call the police. But both also say there was no physical altercation or anything else that would warrant a police investigation.
However, a public summary of the police report stated that Chris Norby pushed Martha Norby during the argument. Reading from the report, Sgt. Andrew Goodrich said the report stated that “female advised male pushed her.”
I met Martha Norby shortly after she married Chris, at a function in Fullerton. She is very beautiful and charming – and she doesn’t have a good grasp of English yet. When we talk we always do so in Spanish. She is from Columbia, where she grew up helping her family run a coffee business. As a little girl she was already working in the office, and she grew up quickly.
As one might imagine, Martha is very grounded and confident. And she clearly loves her husband. The last time I spoke to her, at another function in Fullerton, she expressed concern for Chris’ well-being. Apparently he has taken to going for long bicycle rides in Sacramento, which really worries Martha.
Martha already had three kids when she married Chris. I have NEVER seen him be anything but warm with these kids. Just look at the pictures I have embedded in this post. They look like a happy family because they are a happy family.
So why did Martha say that Chris pushed her? According to media reports, Chris didn’t want Martha to go pick up the kids from school, and so they argued. She is pregnant and apparently her doctor wants her to limit her activity.
The police report says Martha told the cops that Chris pushed her. Here is the problem – were the cops Latino? Did they speak Spanish? Doubt it. You see there are TWO definitions of the word “empujar,” which is how we say “push” in Spanish.
The common definition is to push someone. But there is a second use of the word. It also means “Hacer presión, influir,” which means to pressure or influence.
Was Chris trying to pressure Martha into staying home? You bet.
She now says he didn’t push her. That’s because he didn’t! I believe that she was referring to the second use of the word “empujar,” when she told the cops he pushed her.
Do I know this for a fact? No. But I know Spanish. So does Norberto Santana, the editor at the Voice of OC. The difference is that he was ordered to conduct a hatchet job on Norby. I have no interest in doing that.
It is a known fact that Santana’s boss, Berardino, hates Norby, so no one should be surprised by any of this.
I know what it is to be on the receiving end of such attacks. Not a day goes by that Berardino’s stooges at the Liberal OC don’t attack me over at their lame blog. I’ll be damned if I am going to stand by and say nothing when they try this crap on Norby, who isn’t a bad guy at all.
Norby has been divorced a few times, that is true. I bet Berardino has had a divorce or two. Most Americans get divorced. It is a rare man who stays married, as I have, to the same woman. In my case I celebrated my 23rd wedding anniversary this year. If Norby had met the right woman long ago perhaps he too would be in such a position.
This case stinks and I guarantee the O.C. District Attorney will drop it, particularly when they look into the fake objectivity at the Voice of OC.
By the way, does anyone think the Voice of OC would have reported about Tom Umberg being a carpetbagger and an adulterer, when he ran for the First Supervisorial District? Of course they wouldn’t have. Umberg was Berardino’s handpicked lame candidate…
I can only imagine the hatchet job this place and FFFF would have made of this story if Norby had crossed you guys at some point. Lucky for him he is still in your good graces. Since his wife is not pressing charges, and unless there is physical evidence (bruises, abrasions etc) that there was violence, or another eyewitness, you are correct, the DA will drop the case. But for you to make a comparison between domestic violence and “carpetbagging” is fxxxing ridiculous. Carpetbagging is political term, what Norby is being investigated for is abuse and a serious crime. You seriously need to think before you start typing crap like this Art. If you want to defend a friend of yours fine. If your point is that your personal experience with Norby is that he is a nice guy and that he should have the expectation of being innocent until proven guilty, you could have said as much without diminishing the real problem of domestic violence. Since this is his Norby’s 4th wife, I’ll take your word for it. Norby is a kind gentle man that treats women with respect, maybe the first three broke up with him because he was too clingy.
She is from Honduras, not Colombia. You are as fake as they come if you don’t know the difference.
Mr. Norby is a gentleman and loves his wife. All you haters out there should just be quiet. Your girl Linda got her booty kicked and won’t let it go. And now for some music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9G_HAjTkyU
If you think for a second that I supported Linda Ackerman you are out of your skull.
And now for some music:
Norby’s a classic example of a mistake waiting to happen. Doesn’t anyone remember his sleeping one off on the Courthouse steps around the time of his last divorce. And all his time in hotels due to that — did anyone ever figure out if he paid for that with campaign funds?
The guy’s an axxhole. It’s that simple.
It’s a free shot for those people, so they’ll take it. Berardino still has it in for Chris because he fought the disastrous 2.7 @ 55 at the County.
And baxter you’re pretty pathetic. Hope you never argue with you old lady only to have your neighbor call the cops. But you really won’t have to worry. Since nobody knows who you are the Voice of OCEA won’t report it.
P.S. Just to show you what a total tool that Santana is, he had all the goods on the Tom Daly $2.1 million boondoggle and never wrote a single word about it. Why not? Because Daly is a pro-union Democratic office holder, that’s why.
Haven’t they been married for a couple of years now? How long has she been in the U.S.? As an assemblyman, Mr. Norby goes to functions and such. Shouldn’t his wife be more affluent in English by now so that when she accompanies her husbant to these functions she would be able to communicate with non-Spanish speakers?
Porque.
Without labeling you a racist you might add our wives, or significant others, who may join us at various events yet detest discussing politics.
Didn’t I just read about Meg Whitman’s husband who has avoided her campaign?
Until this fired employee hit the news we heard zero about him.
That is funny, my husband does not like to discuss politics either; were I like to discuss it whenever possible!
I must check with my husband, to see if he is really my wife!
Larry, women love to discuss politics, they just don’t do it because it is not very popular for a woman to be smart!
MQ. My wife is tired of hearing me discuss politics 24/7. You have no idea of the number of political related phone calls I get not just emails.
One of the city’s highest profile founding residents just called me to ask if I can explain why every campaign sign along Marguerite Parkway, a major arterial in Mission Viejo, was removed last night. His was the third call on that single issue today.
Well, I suggest that you talk about the weather with your wife and she will quickly turn the conversation to politics….because woman hate small talk!
K 🙂
MQ.
No, the talk in our home will focus on what I plan to do after Nov 2nd.
That lengthy honey do list is so difficult to hide, but I’m working on it.
Empujar means push . Sounds like this Norby dude might have problems getting along with his esposa , after his predecessor Michael Duval’s sloppy sexcapades problem it’s surprising that these OC right wingers keep electing these gems.
“these OC right wingers keep electing these gems.”
MQ says:
NO, NO… I am a right winger, Norby is what would be referred to as a RINO!
The republican party of Orange County are nothing about liberals in suits!
Orange County is not the concervative etopia everyone claims…You just need to look at who’s running all are public facilities…They live in bloody Orange County!
Like (puking right now) Dean Chemistinki – UCI Law school!
He needs to take the esposa out to the movies more often at the newly redeveloped downtown Brea area that Norby loves to hate. Must have been a really good argument to have the police show up, I guess the police weren’t too busy sitting around at starbucks