Runagate 10's return to Texas cheered by crowd of 'dozens' (Roddy Stinson Homerun!)

San Antonio Express News | 9/14/03 | Roddy Stinson

[The South Texan]

Roddy Stinson: Runagate 10's return to Texas cheered by crowd of 'dozens'

San Antonio Express-News

How pitiful was the homecoming of 10 Democratic state senators who returned to Texas last week after a lengthy sojourn in Albuquerque, N.M.? This pitiful:

"Several dozen supporters showed up at Laredo's airport to welcome the quorum-busters, along with a troupe of elementary school cheerleaders and a high school marching band." (Associated Press)

Give crowd organizers credit for doing the best they could in the light of the Runagate 10's unpopularity.

(A Scripps Howard poll found that 62 percent of Texans surveyed were critical of the senators' decision to hole up in Albuquerque to thwart a Republican redistricting plan. Only 29 percent said they approved of the skedaddling.)

The Democratic-leaning Austin American-Statesman was unusually candid in its report of the self-congratulatory "homecoming":

"(The 10 senators) threw themselves a triumphant welcome-home rally in one of the state's few remaining Democratic enclaves. ... A sign on the front of the stage said, 'Welcome back Texas heroes.'"

To their credit, the senators declined to ask the sign maker to make "martyrs" part of the home-welcoming ceremony.

That privilege was assumed by Laredo Sen. Judith Zaffirini, who told the crowd of dozens: "I can't tell you how many sacrifices the senators you see today have made."

It's all about them.

Zaffirini and her poor, sacrificing colleagues had to spend six weeks in two of Albuquerque's finest (Marriott) hotels and somehow sustain themselves on a budget of six figures.

Or as the AP reported:

"The tab for more than a month on the lam: about $100,000 and counting.

"(The senators) paid most of their hotel and meal bills by whipping out their own credit cards. But a good chunk may be reimbursed from donors sympathetic to their cause."

That includes their highly publicized backer, MoveOn, a liberal Democratic Internet organization whose Web site (MoveOn.org) features fund-raising for the Texas senators alongside a brag that the organization helped defeat President Bush's nomination of conservative legal scholar Miguel Estrada to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. ("Because of your help, we won a terrific victory.")

Your legislators and their patrons at work ... and cutthroat play.

Back to Zaffirini ...

During the six-week Albuquerque spectacle, nothing was more painful to watch than her strident performance.

Formerly a paragon of political grace and dignity, the Laredo senator's headlong dive into the muck of partisan demagoguery was as surprising as it was off-putting.

The race-baiting by Zaffirini and San Antonio Sen. Leticia Van de Putte was particularly shrill and reminiscent of the ugliest periods of Texas history.

(Zaffirini: "It is very clear. All of the Anglos who are representing Anglo districts are in Austin taking unprecedented illegal, immoral actions against all of us who are either minorities or representing minorities." Van de Putte: "It is unconscionable that these white Republicans would attempt to hurt our constituents.")

The two senators must also be ticked off at a white Democrat, Houston Sen. John Whitmire, who left Albuquerque and returned to Texas without getting their permission.

Whitmire subsequently "accused the runaway senators of forgetting Texas because they're star-struck over being the new darlings of national pro-Democrat groups." (Dallas Morning News).

He also suggested that "the Democrats in Albuquerque developed a 'hostage mentality' that promoted the cohesiveness of the group but also resulted in 'mind control,' which excluded individual decision making." (Houston Chronicle)

Zaffirini, Van de Putte and the other mind controllers haven't called Whitmire a "racist" yet, but it's just a matter of time. (When all other name-calling fails ...)

A final word from Whitmire concerning his return to Texas (as reported in the Houston Press):

"I was not elected to serve in New Mexico."

What a quaint view for a Democratic Texas senator.

The Runagate 10 must think he's wacko.

[The South Texan]

Leave it to Roddy to shine the light of truth on the Texas Democrats

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Ping

[Texas_Jarhead]

nice one

[Peace will be here soon]

"elementary school cheerleaders"

---

Huh ?

[BerniesFriend]

This could not have been written by the most lib texan writer..what a hoot..texas pig..get a load of this..

Trivia for
"Green Acres" (1965)

Page 12 of 19

Adapted from the radio show, "Granby's Green Acres," which was on the air around 1950.


The first Arnold was a male. The others - 2-4 a year - were females.


The Douglass's cow was named Eleanor.


Canceled in 1971 when CBS decided to cancel all rural-based comedies.


Was one of the victims of the infamous rural purge in 1971 along with "Beverly Hillbillies, The" (1962), "Mayberry R.F.D." (1968), "Hee Haw" (1969) and the "Toast of the Town" (1948). These shows were perceived by then CBS executive Fred Silverman to only appeal to people who lived in rural areas and older people, so he decided to cancel them even though they were all still hugely popular at the time.


Arnold the pig was the only cast member of "Green Acres" to win an award for a performance in a sitcom. He won the coveted "Patsy" Award, in 1967, which is given to the best performance by an animal.


Set in the same town as "Petticoat Junction" (1963). Characters from the other series often appeared on Green Acres, and vice versa.


Oliver met Lisa after his plane was shot down during World War II,


The Douglass' rooster was named Bertram and their hen was named Alice.

[BackSlidenDemocrat]

Ah, “Taxation without fair representation” was the cry when the tea finally hit the water. Somehow the Dems in Texas think that affirmative action applies to politicians who represent the minority vote, so even if 60% or 70% of the voting public in Texas votes conservative or Republican, there still is a constitutional guarantee that the minority vote will be represented equally. On the Federal level, the Senate provides equal representation for each state based on the choice provided by the constituents of the state. On the state level, the state Senate gives equal representation on a County or Parish level based on the same that choice. If one would measure the amount of taxes collected from the majority vote in Texas, one would find an unfair balance of representation of tax paying constituents. This can go on only so long before the majority will rise up and demand to be equally represented. It is this age-old principal of our nation that the current dems don’t understand. You can’t keep promising those who pay the least in taxes the easiest ride in the wagon, while demanding those who pull the largest wagon pay the most. When he who pulls the wagon gets tired and fed up with the current arrangement, nobody moves another foot until all realize that the free ride is now over.

Why do we continue to allow our elected officials in Washington to write their own paychecks? Vote in their own pay raise? Create their own specialized benefits program? And, why are we the sole contributors to their retirement program? Think they might fix the Social Security problem if their retirement was depended on it? Wake up America! Our country is only a little over 200 years old, yet it is under siege from those within. They continue to spend three to four times the rate of inflation each year, but who has the balls to stop them? Won’t be long at this rate till the Federal government and most of all the states are in as bad a shape financially as California. May God have mercy on our soul!

[At _War_With_Liberals]

It is a war...

[okie01]

I know a guy running for Congress that just might suit you to a tee. Better yet, he's a FReeper

Click the link for his announcement, right here on Free Republic. Or go here for more information.

[Flyer]

along with a troupe of elementary school cheerleaders and a high school marching band

These kids didn't go there on their own. The who, what, when, where and why would be very interesting.

*PING!*

As always, a FReep mail will get you on or off this Houston topics ping list.

[maica]

Bookmarked to find out who exploited those kids. I thought public schools were non-partisan arenas of ideas. /sarcasm

[mathluv]

Well said!

[jmaroneps37]

The rats were greeted by "dozens" hmmm lets see: each of ten rats has a wife/husband and girlfriend/boyfriend plus a few kids ( some their own on paper, some just their own) add a few neighbor children....... How many people showed up?

[SwinneySwitch]

"...a triumphant welcome-home rally in one of the state's few remaining Democratic enclaves..."

Laredo is in AZTLAN!

"The tab for more than a month on the lam: about $100,000 and counting."

Their lawyer fees alone are over $300,000!

[Fighter@heart]

Managed to rally "dozens" of supporters to meet them. I know Texas is a "small state," but how could this event not be compared to a political "Woodstock" in the media!!??Whew, can't seem to unstick my sarcasm key!!

[freekitty]

These chickens may be cheered by "dozens", but the rest of us stayed away in droves.

[Humidston]

TYPE COMMUNIST PARTY USA INTO GOOGLE. GET THEIR HOME PAGE, AND SEE A DIRECT LINK TO MOVEON.ORG!

[The South Texan]

morning bump