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Texas Rangers going after


LowerCaseRepublican

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CNN is reporting that in Texas they are trying to redistrict a bunch of Democrat controlled districts out of existance and give the Republicans more districts [GOP controls Texas legislature] And from what I've read on a few different news sources [CNN, BuzzFlash, Salon, etc.], it's some pretty shady doings by the GOP. So right now, a bunch of members of the Texas legislature have refused to show up so they cannot meet quorum to vote. The GOP got their panties in a bunch and called the Texas Rangers to arrest them because the Dems aren't voting the way the GOP wants.

 

Roberto Alonzo, Dallas

Kevin Bailey, Houston

Lon Burnam, Fort Worth

Gabi Canales, Alice

Jaime Capelo Jr., Corpus Christi

Joaquin Castro, San Antonio

Garnet Coleman, Houston

Robert L. "Robby" Cook III, Eagle Lake

Yvonne Davis, Duncanville

Joseph "Joe" Deshotel, Houston

Dawnna M. Dukes, Austin

Jim Dunnam, Waco

Harold V. Dutton Jr., Houston

Craig Eiland, Galveston

Dan Ellis, Livingston

Juan Escobar, Kingsville

Jessica Farrar, Houston

David Farabee, Wichita Falls

Pete P. Gallego, Alpine

Timoteo "Timo" Garza, Eagle Pass

Ryan A. Guillen, Rio Grande City

Scott Hochberg, Houston

Terri Hodge, Dallas

Mark S. Homer, Paris

Charles L. "Chuck" Hopson, Jacksonville

Jesse W. Jones, Dallas

James E. "Pete" Laney, Hale Center

Ruth Jones McClendon, San Antonio

Jim McReynolds, Lufkin

John Mabry, Waco

Trey Martinez Fischer, San Antonio

Jose Menendez, San Antonio

Joe E. Moreno, Houston

Paul C. Moreno, El Paso

Elliot Naishtat, Austin

Richard J. "Rick" Noriega, Houston

Rene O. Oliveira, Brownsville

Dora F. Olivo, Rosenberg

Aaron Pena, Edinburg

Joseph C. "Joe" Pickett, El Paso

Robert R. Puente, San Antonio

Inocente "Chente" Quintanilla, Tornillo

Richard E. Raymond, Laredo

Allan B. Ritter, Nederland

Eddie Rodriguez, Austin

Patrick M. Rose, Dripping Springs

Jim Solis, Harlingen

Barry B. Telford, Dekalb

Senfronia Thompson, Houston

Carlos I. Uresti, San Antonio

Michael U. "Mike" Villarreal, San Antonio

Miguel D. "Mike" Wise, Weslaco

Steven D. "Steve" Wolens, Dallas

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Accusations flew across state lines as Texas House members remained holed up in an Oklahoma motel Wednesday, trading barbs with Republicans at home over their rebel effort to stymie GOP redistricting plans.

 

The 51 Democrats were in a Holiday Inn at Ardmore, Okla., safely out of the legal reach of Texas state troopers and effectively denying the House the quorum required for it to conduct business.

 

"Democrats should end their childish game of hide-and-seek and get to work for the people who hired them," said Susan Weddington, chairwoman of the state Republican Party.

 

But Democratic Rep. Garnet Coleman countered: "The issue is: Is democracy going to win over excessive political greed? The only way that we can make sure that it does is to stand up."

 

Democrats blame the standoff on the GOP's attempt to redraw the state's U.S. congressional districts, a process dictated every 10 years to reflect population shifts found in the U.S. Census.

 

Texas already has a court-drawn redistricting map, but Republicans say it doesn't reflect state voting trends and want to redo it. Their plan could add five to seven GOP House seats to the 15 the Republicans already have.

 

From their Oklahoma hotel, the Democrats blamed U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay for the shutdown of the Texas House of Representatives.

 

"We have a message for Tom DeLay: Don't mess with Texas," said House Democratic Legislative Caucus leader Jim Dunnam. "We did not choose the path that led us to Ardmore, Okla. Tom DeLay chose that path."

 

In Washington, DeLay mocked the Democratic legislators. "I have never turned tail and run," DeLay said. "Even when I'm losing, I stand and fight for what I believe."

 

Three Democrats returned to the Capitol on Tuesday but Republicans were still denied a quorum without at least 100 of the 150 members present. Four other Democrats remained unaccounted for.

 

When 58 of the 62 Democrats didn't show up Monday in Austin, House Speaker Tom Craddick ordered Texas troopers to arrest the missing lawmakers and bring them back. House rules allow for the arrest of members who intentionally thwart a quorum.

Texas troopers located the missing legislators but have no authority to make arrests outside Texas. Oklahoma law enforcement authorities, on the other hand, greeted the Democrats with big smiles and warm handshakes Tuesday.

 

"We're here to let them know we support them," said Harvey Burkhart, sheriff of Carter County, Okla. "Nothing's going to happen to them here. I can tell you we're certainly not going to put them in jail."

 

Back in the Lone Star State, where legislative business was brought to a halt for a second day because of the rebels, House Republicans and a few Democrats spent most of the day milling about the Capitol. The House was to reconvene later Wednesday.

 

Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick — all Republicans — appeared before reporters Wednesday after a weekly breakfast meeting and pleaded with the Democrats to return to Austin.

 

"We want our colleagues back," Dewhurst said. The lieutenant governor, who presides over the Senate, said lawmakers are only days away from completing "a historically successful session" that will balance the state's budget without a tax bill, despite a $9.9 billion shortfall.

 

Despite the work stoppage, Perry said, Republicans remain focused on legislative business.

 

"Texans need to know that this partisan disruption will not stand in the way of the greater good," Perry said. He added that he hasn't been pondering calling a special legislative session after the regular 140-day session ends June 2.

 

According to House rules, the deadline to preliminarily vote on House bills is Thursday. After that, it would take a favorable vote by two-thirds of the House to get legislation to the floor for a vote. Missing the deadline would delay several major bills, including a budget-balancing government reorganization proposal.

 

Republican Gov. Rick Perry also was among the state GOP leaders who lambasted the Democrats for fleeing to Ardmore, about 30 miles north of the Texas state line and about 270 miles due north of Austin.

 

"By taking refuge in Oklahoma, they are silencing debate on important issues, undermining our system of democracy and running out on millions of everyday Texans who are depending on their representation," Perry said in a statement Tuesday.

 

But Rep. Pete Gallego, a Democrat, said his party had shown a remarkable degree of unity, a sign that the redistricting issue was important to Democratic lawmakers.

 

"The reality is we hope the legislative leadership will take note of our position and will work with us in resolving what brought us to today," Gallego said from Ardmore. "It is not an easy thing to get over 50 members of the Legislature to agree on lunch, much less to agree on a trip to our neighboring state of Oklahoma."

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In every state redistricting for congress is done every ten years.

 

And Texas did it two years ago like everyone else.

 

But now the Republicans control both branches of the Texas legislature so Tom delay drew up one of the most outrageous gerrymanded new redistriicting maps ever to cut up the city of Austin in 4 ways so they can eliminate Democrats from congress.

 

Raw political power -

and I think the Democratic response to this power grab is fantastic. Deny them a quorom.

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