Click on the link "Photos of Rally Supporting Congressman Tom DeLay" to view the 64 photos in the on-line album. Here are some samples (click on thumbnail to view full size photo:
Posted on 09/30/2005 11:20:30 PM PDT by indcons
AUSTIN - Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Friday a documentary film crew's behind-the-scenes access to the Travis County prosecutors who indicted him proves Ronnie Earle is little more than a publicity seeker.
"He's got a film crew that has been following him around for two years to document how he's going to get Tom DeLay," DeLay said on a Houston radio talk show.
Earle led a two-year investigation into state campaign financing that resulted in a Travis County grand jury returning a criminal conspiracy charge against DeLay on Wednesday. Earle said he followed the same rules with the documentary filmmakers that he would with any journalist.
"When somebody said to (President) Harry Truman, 'Give 'em hell, Harry,' he said, 'I just tell 'em the truth and they think it's hell,' " Earle said. "I told them the truth, and they thought it was a movie. Go figure. I'm just doing my job."
Independent filmmakers Mark Birnbaum and Jim Schermbeck began making their documentary, The Big Buy, in February 2003. Schermbeck said the movie follows Earle's investigation to show how corporate money was used to fuel Republican efforts to win the 2002 Texas House elections.
Earle and his staff members sat for interviews, as they have with the news media, the filmmakers told the Houston Chronicle.
They said the only special inside access they received was being allowed into Earle's office in the minutes before he came out to announce indictments last October against DeLay associates John Colyandro, Jim Ellis and Warren RoBold.
Schermbeck said they never saw any legal documents or evidence before they became public. "Ronnie is too ethical a person to allow that to happen."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
r.g.ratcliffe@chron.com
The fact that Earle has allowed film makers access to his office proves he is nothing but a political hack and what they are doing to DeLay is purely political hatefulness with no base of fact.
Of course the film makers are a big deal. There is no film without a Delay indictment. So of course by inviting them in, Earle is confirming his bias and lack of concern for the law.
Click on the link "Photos of Rally Supporting Congressman Tom DeLay" to view the 64 photos in the on-line album. Here are some samples (click on thumbnail to view full size photo:
They had to sit. If they were standing they would have fallen over laughing.
It would be really cool if DeGuerin got a court order to supply copies of all raw and editited film and video tape to DeLay's defense team as part of discovery. I wonder how long it will take for this case to be dropped. When Earle indicted Sen. Hutchision, he was forced to drop all the charges in one day. Quite frankly Earle should be indicted. He frequently offers to drop charges in exchange for making donations to his pet foundations. I would think that that would count as extortion or soliciting bribes. I'd love to see Earle get disbarred.
Justifying Actions In Travis County
As I replied in #49, the GJ foreman said they DID NOT look at any other politicians EXCEPT Tom DeLay.
G-d damn right he should be indicted. This whole thing makes me furious.
....... more evidence that this trumped up charge is politically motivated and that Ronnie Earle should be disbarred!
Can you indict Earle for being a bad actor?
I'll bet Earle was really ticked that Michael Moore was otherwise occupied.
"Can you indict Earle for being a bad actor?"
That is the only thing that has been proven in this case! (lol)
How to begin? Would a petition for recall at the very least have to originate in his liberal democrat county? Or the Texas AG flooded with requests for investigation into his antics help? I want to see him do the "frog march" out of office and face serving time. Are there any Repub officials with spine to take him on?
This is a little parody that I played on an earlier liberal anti-2nd screed:
Make no bones about it: I am a conservative who believes that the press in themselves are not evil.
Are you shocked? You shouldn’t be. Some liberals like to present the cliché counterargument that “The pen is mightier than the sword” in debates about free speech. However, the question still remains: Exactly what argument do they think they are countering?
It is not the “conservative stance” that the presses in themselves have the ability to assassinate character and are evil. In fact, anyone who believes this nonsense, liberal or conservative, is just plain dumb.
In fact, I – and most intelligent people of any political leaning – am of the opinion that the printing press cannot really have ethical qualities, one way or another. Thus, the press cannot be evil, but they cannot be good either.
What is evil is a government that allows people to buy printing presses – offset and automatic electronic ones at that - who should not even be allowed to touch one.
Is the government limiting the first amendment right to freedom of speech if it says to someone: “No, you cannot own a printing press”?
No.
People who should not be allowed to own printing presses:
• anybody who has committed a felony, ever. Exceptions could be made for people who have clearly “recovered” and wanted a printing press to protect their character.
• anybody who has ever been in prison (not jail) for an extended period of time, especially for slander, defamation or hate speech crimes.
• anybody whose medical records show a history of mental illness.
• anybody on any wanted list or terrorist watch list or any list of that nature. No formal indictment and conviction is necessary. As long as you are on any list; no publishing rights for you.
Do I think it is acceptable for a “normal” citizen to own a printing press for the purposes of self-aggrandizement and self-promotion? Yes. In all likelihood, even if the government illegalized ALL publishing means, criminals would probably still be able to get their hands on them (although it might be a bit more difficult). Thus, if a criminal can get a publishing suite, legally or illegally, I should be able to own one in case he or she breaks into my house with the intent to libel and slander me or my family.
This right, however, should not extend into the realm of automatic electronic media. The electronic media must have a child safety feature, and it should be made illegal for that person to re-sell his or her electronic media tools to whomever he or she chooses because you never know what kind of psychotic individual might then be the owner of the electronic media tools.
Also, when the founding fathers wrote that all American citizens should have the right to free press and speech, there was no such thing as an automatic electronic media tool. Presses that printed more than one block of text per pull of the handle were not around. Now, there are electronic media tools that spray Megabits easier than you can pick your nose.
Should these automatic electronic media tools be legal?
NO. No, no, no.
If anybody can make a good argument as to why such media tools should be legal, or what positive purpose they serve in our society (or what purpose at all), please fire three shots or hang a lantern in the bell tower.
An electronic media tool that shoots images and words at a ridiculously rapid rate serves no real purpose in our society, other than killing people’s character. If somebody wants to own a webcam for the purpose of ridiculing an intruder in his or her home who may be threatening his or her character, I am not opposed to that. Should a person be able to own an automatic High-Definition studio for the same purposes? Absolutely not. It is unnecessary, and you are more likely to kill the intruder’s character rather than just ridicule him or her, which is also unnecessary.
So, in conclusion, the media are not evil. The acts they commit – via a person pulling the print lever – can be evil, but they are not always. I think it is always wrong to kill another person’s character, regardless of what they have done. But it is not wrong to ridicule one who is trying to ridicule you or your family. Automatic electronic media tools are just ridiculous and should be completely outlawed.
Unfortunately, in these modern times, the musket is no longer the most powerful weapon; the automatic electronic media has taken its place.
All the GOP has to do is adopt the Democrat rules.
Sadly, "spine" and "Republican officials" seem to be mutually exclusive terms.
That is so true. Some of them have already adopted their rules. The only part they haven't adopted yet, is to be as nasty and ruthless as the RATS are.
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