I heard on NPR that they fled to Oklahoma, and the Republicans sent the Texas Rangers after them. Then a judge (IMO correctly) ruled that the Texas Rangers were supposed to be actually fighting crime instead of being used for political squabbles by one side against the other side. So now apparently, the Dems can just sit in their backyard grilling and call in sick and the Republicans can't do anything about it.
Personally, the whole thing is messed up. From what I've read of the redistricting, it's a farce. On the other hand, it's crappy when elected officials don't go to work and face up to their job. But then on the other, other hand they are doing their job by taking advantage of a political process. It's all enough to keep Molly Ivins busy till she dies. -Kevin ----- Original Message ----- From: "Doug White" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2003 7:47 PM Subject: Re: Emergency: Democracy under attack in Texas > Actually they are not hiding - they are absent from the Senate who, without them > cannot do business without a quorum. They are in an adjoining state, because > they would be subject to arrest if they were inside the state. As it is all the > state has been able to do is to cancel their reserved parking spaces at the > state capitol. > The called session is about over and they can come home, however the Governor > has said he will keep on calling special sessions for the redistricting purpose > BEFORE any other state business can be completed. > When he does that, the Democrats in the House will then go out of state to cause > another lack of quorum. I predict this will continue right up to the > re-election campaign starts for dubya. > > Only a casual look at any of the proposed redistricting maps will readily see > that it is intended to dis-enfranchise the rural and the Hispanic vote. > > The Governor is holding all legislative business hostage to the redistricting > issue which is being orchestrated out of Washington DC. > > Those who support the dirty tricks by the republicans who fear for their > re-election despite raising tons of special interest money for campaigns, are > the same people who criticize Israel for defending itself and do not condemn the > Hamas and other Terrorists. > > ====================================== > Stop spam on your domain, use our gateway! > For hosting solutions http://www.clickdoug.com > ISP rated: http://www.forta.com/cf/isp/isp.cfm?isp_id=772 > Suggested corporate Anti-virus policy: http://www.dshield.org/antivirus.pdf > ====================================== > If you are not satisfied with my service, my job isn't done! > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Kevin Schmidt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2003 6:33 PM > Subject: FW: Emergency: Democracy under attack in Texas > > > | "I know, it sounds more like a banana republic than the dignified democracy on > which we have long prided ourselves." > | > | Last time I checked, running and hiding wasn't Democracy either. The people > of Texas elected their officials. If they want to redistrict and shatter a > "tradition" (not a law mind you) they can. If the Texas voters don't like it, > then they can vote out the reps who made the changes. Even though I don't like > the fact that Democrats in Congress are filibustering Bush judicial nominees, > they are operating within the confines of the law. It's up to the voters to let > them know whether or not they agree. Just like in California, the laws are > being followed, just the same as in Texas. > | > | > | >I don't normally pass this stuff on, but I think this one deserves some > | >attention. However I have to warn you that their donation page is not > | >secure. I am currently getting information on how to donate via PayPal and > | >will be glad to pass that on to those who want the information off list. > | > > | >Sandy > | > > | > From: Zack <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Exley, MoveOn.org > | >To: > | >Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2003 6:04 PM > | >Subject: Emergency: Democracy under attack in Texas > | > > | >Dear MoveOn member, > | > > | >Impeachment. The 2000 Election. The California Recall. The pattern is > | >becoming clear: there's a group of men in power who will do anything to > | >consolidate that power, including undermining our democratic institutions. > | >We've got to fight back. In Texas, they are fighting back. And while the > | >world is focusing on the California mess, they are fighting alone. They need > | >our help. > | > > | >A partisan plan pushed by Karl Rove and Tom Delay will redistrict up to 7 > | >Democrats out of Congress. Right now, 11 Democratic State Senators are > | >hiding across state lines -- with the Texas Governor calling for their > | >arrest -- to prevent this illegitimate plan from being strong-armed into > | >law. They have put their reputations and careers on the line for all of us. > | >A letter below from State Senator Rodney Ellis explains the situation in > | >detail. Please read it, and then please help us launch a hard-hitting ad > | >campaign to fight back in Texas. Whether you donate $5 or $5000, you will be > | >helping to hold accountable reckless leaders who think they can get away > | >with anything. Please contribute to this effort now: > | > > | >http://moveon.org/texasads > | ><http://moveon.org/texasads?id=1595-2240002-M3WjX6jzxSCzgvKUUyXKeA> > | > > | >The Texas special session that was called to gerrymander the Texas > | >congressional districts ends early next week, and the pressure is building. > | >These courageous leaders need to see real support now, or they won't be able > | >to hold out. > | > > | >Our numbers our great enough now to fight back effectively against these > | >attacks on democracy. Please get even more people involved by forwarding > | >this email to everyone you think would like to help. > | > > | >Thanks, > | > > | >--Zack and Wes > | > MoveOn.org PAC > | > August 20th, 2003 > | > > | >Below is the letter from State Senator Rodney Ellis. > | >___________________ > | >August 18, 2003 > | > > | >Dear friends, > | > > | >I am writing to you from a hotel room in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I > | >and 10 of my colleagues in the Texas Senate have been forced to reside for > | >the past 20 days. If we return to our homes, families, friends, and > | >constituents, the Governor of Texas will have us arrested. > | > > | >I know, it sounds more like a banana republic than the dignified democracy > | >on which we have long prided ourselves. We are effectively exiled from the > | >state due to our unalterable opposition to a Republican effort -- pushed by > | >Tom Delay and Karl Rove, and led by Texas Governor Rick Perry -- that would > | >rewrite the map of Texas Congressional districts in order to elect at least > | >5 more Republicans to Congress. > | > > | >You may not have heard much about the current breakdown in Texas politics. > | >The Republican power play in California has obscured the Republican power > | >play in Texas that has forced my colleagues and me to leave the state. > | > > | >Recognizing that public pressure is the only thing that can break the > | >current stalemate, our friends at MoveOn have offered to support our efforts > | >by sharing this email with you. In it, you will find: > | > > | >* Background information on how the situation in Texas developed; > | > > | >* Analysis of what's at stake for Democrats and the democratic > | >process; and > | > > | >* How you can help by contacting Texas politicians, signing our > | >petition, contributing funds, and forwarding this email! > | > > | >The Republican redistricting effort shatters the tradition of performing > | >redistricting only once a decade immediately after the Census -- making > | >redistricting a perpetual partisan process. It elevates partisan politics > | >above minority voting rights, in contravention of the federal Voting Rights > | >Act. It intends to decimate the Democratic party in Texas, and lock in a > | >Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. And Republican > | >efforts to force a vote on this issue by changing the rules of legislative > | >procedure threaten to undermine the rule of law in Texas. > | > > | >We do not take lightly our decision to leave the state. It was the only > | >means left to us under the rules of procedure in Texas to block this > | >injustice. We are fighting for our principles and beliefs, and we can win > | >this fight with your support. > | > > | >Sincerely, > | > > | >Rodney Ellis > | >Texas State Senator (Houston) > | > > | >Background > | > > | >During the 2001 session of the Texas Legislature, the legislature was unable > | >to pass a Congressional redistricting plan as it is required to do following > | >the decennial Census. A three judge federal panel was forced to draw the > | >plan. Neither Governor Rick Perry or then Attorney General John Cornyn, both > | >Republicans, objected to the plan, which was reviewed and approved by the > | >U.S. Supreme Court. > | > > | >The 2002 Congressional elections, the first held under the new redistricting > | >plan, resulted in a Congressional delegation from Texas consisting of 17 > | >Democrats and 15 Republicans. However, five of the 17 Democrats prevailed > | >only because they were able to win the support of Republican and independent > | >voters. All statewide Republican candidates carried these five districts. > | >Most experts agree that the current plan has 20 strong or leaning Republican > | >districts and 12 Democratic districts. > | > > | >Meanwhile, the 2001 redistricting of Texas legislative seats (which was > | >enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislative Redistricting Board, after > | >the legislature again gridlocked in its efforts) resulted in wide Republican > | >majorities in both the Texas House and Texas Senate. Now Tom Delay has made > | >it his priority to force the Republican-controlled Legislature to enact a > | >new redistricting plan to increase the number of Republican-leaning > | >Congressional districts. Republicans believe they can manipulate the > | >districts to elect as many as 22 Republicans out of the 32 member Texas > | >Congressional delegation. They achieve this by packing minority voters into > | >as few districts as possible and breaking apart rural districts so that the > | >impact of independent voters will be reduced and suburban Republican voters > | >will dominate. > | > > | >During the regular session of the Texas Legislature, Democratic members of > | >the Texas House of Representatives exercised an unprecedented parliamentary > | >move to prevent the House from passing Tom Delay's redistricting plan. While > | >Democrats are in the minority of the House of Representatives, the state > | >constitution requires that at least 2/3 of the House be present for the > | >House to pass a bill. Because it was clear that the Republicans would > | >entertain no debate and brook no compromise in their effort to rewrite the > | >rules by which members of Congress are elected, the Democrats were forced to > | >break the quorum to prevent the bill from passing. Because the Republican > | >Speaker of the House and Governor called on state law enforcement officials > | >to physically compel the Democrats to return, the lawmakers removed > | >themselves to a Holiday Inn in Ardmore, Oklahoma -- outside the reach of > | >state troops(1). In there effort to apprehend the Democrats, Tom Delay > | >officially sought the hel! p of the Department of Homeland Security, the > | >Department of Transportation and the Department of Justice. > | > > | >The House Democrats (nicknamed the "Killer D's", based on an earlier episode > | >in Texas history in which a group of Democratic state senators called the > | >"Killer Bees" broke the quorum in the Senate over a similarly political > | >stalemate) succeeded in stopping Delay's redistricting plan during the > | >regular session, returning to Texas after the legislative deadline had > | >expired for the House to pass legislation. However, because the Texas > | >Legislature meets in regular session only every two years, the state > | >constitution gives the Governor the power to call a 30-day special > | >legislative session at any time between regular sessions. Despite statewide > | >protests from Texas citizens who oppose Tom Delay's redistricting plan, the > | >Governor has called two special sessions(2) already this summer to attempt > | >to force the legislature to enact a new plan. > | > > | >The first called session expired in a deadlock, as 12 of 31 Texas > | >Senators(3) opposed the plan. Under Senate rules and tradition, a 2/3 vote > | >is required to consider any bill on the floor of the Senate, giving 11 > | >Senators the power to block a vote(4). The Republican Governor and > | >Lieutenant Governor then determined they would do away with the 2/3 rule, > | >and called another special session, forcing 11 Democratic Senators to break > | >the quorum and leave the state.(5) These Senators have spent the past 22 > | >days in Albuquerque, New Mexico. > | > > | >The Governor has indicated he will continue calling special sessions until > | >the Republican redistricting plan is enacted, despite the fact that the > | >Republican-controlled Texas Supreme Court recently rejected the Governor's > | >writ of mandamus filing to compel the Senators to return to the Senate. > | >Meanwhile, eleven Democratic state senators are exiled from their state, > | >unable to be with their families, friends, and constituents, for fear of > | >being arrested as part of a partisan power play by Republicans. In the most > | >recent indignity, Republican Senators voted to fine the absent Democrats up > | >to $5,000 per day, and to revoke parking and other privileges for their > | >staffs as long as the Senators are away. > | > > | >What's at stake > | > > | >At stake, on the surface, is whether Tom Delay will succeed in exploiting > | >Republican control of the Texas Legislature to add to the Republican > | >majority in the United States Congress. But deeper issues are also at stake. > | > > | > > | >* If the Republicans succeed in redrawing the Texas Congressional > | >lines to guarantee the election of five to seven more Republicans, it will > | >ensure that Republicans hold the majority in the U.S. House of > | >Representatives for the entire decade and will likely result in Tom Delay > | >becoming Speaker of the House.(6) > | > > | >* The Republican advantage would be gained by removing many African > | >American and Hispanic voters from their current Congressional districts and > | >"packing" them into a few districts that already have Democratic majorities. > | >The voting power of these minority voters would be dramatically diluted by > | >the Republican plan, in contravention of the federal Voting Rights Act. If > | >the Republicans succeed, over 1.4 million African American and Hispanic > | >voters will be harmed. It would be the largest disenfranchisement of > | >minority voters since the Voting Rights Act was passed. > | > > | >* Redistricting exists for the purpose of reapportioning voters among > | >political districts to account for population shifts. The purpose of this > | >reapportionment is to ensure a roughly equal number of voters in each > | >district, to preserve the principle of "one man, one vote."(7) For this > | >reason, redistricting has always been conducted immediately following the > | >U.S. Census' decennial population reports. Tom Delay now proposes a new > | >redistricting plan two years after the Census report simply because > | >Republicans gained control over the Texas Legislature in 2002 and now have > | >the power to enact a much more Republican-friendly plan than the one drawn > | >by the federal courts two years ago. This is an unprecedented approach to > | >redistricting, one that subordinates its original purpose of ensuring the > | >principle of "one man, one vote" to the purpose of perpetual partisan > | >politics. Redistricting, in this model, would never be a settled matter, and > | >districts would constantly be in fl! ux depending on the balance of > | >political power in the Legislature. > | > > | >* The Texas Legislature has traditionally been defined by a spirit of > | >bipartisanship and cooperation. This issue has polarized the legislature in > | >a way that threatens to destroy that tradition. The Republicans have > | >effectively exiled their Democratic counterparts in a power play that makes > | >our state look more like a banana republic than a dignified democracy. The > | >arbitrary decision to discard the 2/3 rule in the Senate sets a precedent > | >that undermines that body's tradition of consensus and cooperation. The > | >deployment of state law enforcement officials to apprehend boycotting > | >legislators erodes the separation of powers between the executive and > | >legislative branches of government, and diminishes legislators' ability to > | >represent their constituents as they see fit. The unilateral Republican > | >effort to penalize Democratic Senators and their staffs > | > > | >What is needed > | > > | >The Democratic Senators currently in Albuquerque have two critical needs. > | >The first is to generate increased public awareness of the situation. By all > | >reason, every day the Senators are out of the state this story should get > | >bigger. Instead, news media have gradually lost interest in the story. The > | >California recall has dominated the attention of the national media, and the > | >Texas media has largely lost interest in the story -- out of sight, out of > | >mind. Without public attention to this story, the Republicans have all the > | >leverage -- if it does not cost them politically, it costs them nothing(8) > | >to continue calling special sessions until the Texas 11 are forced to come > | >home. > | > > | >The second critical need is funding. The cost of hotels, meeting rooms, > | >staff support, and public relations efforts is mounting. In addition, the > | >Senators must defend themselves legally against Republican efforts to compel > | >their return, while also filing legal claims against the Republican power > | >play. The Senators are actively raising money for the Texas Senate > | >Democratic Caucus Fund to offset these costs and prepare themselves for a > | >stay of indefinite duration in Albuquerque. > | > > | >Notes > | > > | >1. A recent Department of Justice investigation chronicled Republican state > | >officials' illegal attempts to use federal resources -- including > | >anti-terrorism resources from the Department of Homeland Security -- to > | >compel the Democratic lawmakers' return. See > | >http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51520-2003Aug12.html for a > | >news report on the Justice Department investigation, or > | >http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/03-08a/final.pdf for a copy of the complete > | >Justice Department report. > | >2. At a cost to taxpayers of over $1.5 million per session. > | >3. House Republicans passed a redistricting bill in the special session > | >despite an outpouring of public opposition in hearings across the state. All > | >12 Democratic state senators opposed the plan, along with Republican state > | >senator (and former Lieutenant Governor) Bill Ratliff. > | >4. The "2/3 rule" requires the Senate to reach broader consensus on > | >difficult issues than a simple majority vote. It is a combination of > | >official Senate rules and tradition. The rules of the Senate require a 2/3 > | >vote to suspend the "regular order of business" to consider a bill that is > | >not the first bill on the Senate calendar. By tradition, the Senate has > | >always placed a "blocker bill" at the top of the Senate calendar, so that > | >every bill requires a suspension of the regular order of business to be > | >considered. The process requires compromise and consensus to achieve a 2/3 > | >majority on each bill. One Texas insider has said that the 2/3 rule is "what > | >separates us from animals." > | >5. In fact, the Governor and Lt. Governor attempted to "surprise" the > | >Senators by calling the second special one day early and "trap" them in the > | >Senate Chamber. The Senators were able to escape the Capitol with literally > | >minutes to spare. > | >6. Republican party activist Grover Norquist, head of the Washington > | >D.C.-based Americans for Tax Reform, was quoted as follows in the August 17 > | >Fort Worth Star Telegram: "Republicans will hold the House for the next > | >decade through 2012 if Texas redistricts.It depresses the hell out of the > | >Democrats and makes it doubly impossible to take the House and probably > | >depresses their fund raising.Anything that helps strengthen the Republican > | >leadership helps DeLay become speaker someday if he wants it." > | >7. Established in the landmark case Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962) > | >8. Notwithstanding the millions of dollars it is costing taxpayers. > | > > | > > | > > | > > | > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm?link=t:5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm?link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com
