It's possible, though it seems more likely he's an older brother of Michael Moore 
Posted on 05/17/2003 9:50:45 PM PDT by GOPcapitalist
Was it mere coincidence that in the same week Democratic legislators in Texas hit the road and Tom "I am the federal government" DeLay announced that Republicans in the U.S. House would let the federal ban on assault weapons expire? It shouldn't be too hard to connect the dots.
DeLay, the U.S. House majority leader, may have reasoned that the FBI, ATF, CIA, DEA and Agricultural Extension Service would refuse his order to make the Holiday Inn in Ardmore, Okla., look like Ruby Ridge and Waco? DeLay might then have had to turn to Republican vigilantes (folk who have not been out from under their rock since Tallahassee, November 2000) and send them north of the Red River to take matters into their own hands. Surely you wouldn't have wanted them to rely solely on hand guns and hunting rifles.
No way. Those Democrats (thankfully) had tough hides. Republican commandos would have needed AK-47s and Uzis. Or any of the dozen or so other semiautomatic weapons that the GOP stands ready to allow back on the shelves and into gun shows. What's a slender congressional majority for if not to allow Charlton Heston or his successor NRA shill to brandish a trusty new Kalashnikov instead of some antique Winchester?
And you can more or less forget the little quibble that Speaker Dennis Hastert said he hadn't really decided if the House would be allowed to vote on extending the assault-weapons ban. One, Hastert comes from that virtue-soaked political environment in Illinois, so he doesn't understand the need for partisans to be armed to the teeth. And Hastert has a bunch of weepy suburban women in his district who let worries about another school shoot-em-up get in the way of a clear-eyed view of the Second Amendment. Certainly there are none of those sissy soccer moms out in Brazoria and Fort Bend counties to bother DeLay. Two, Denny shouldn't forget who put him in the top job. Just keep dancing with DeLay, Mr. Speaker.
The White House is also counting on DeLay to tamp down any enthusiasm for renewing the ban, so President Bush won't have to do anything about the support for the measure he voiced in the 2000 campaign -- which ticked-off his erstwhile gun-toting supporters.
If DeLay was willing to attempt to mobilize federal law enforcement agencies to bring the Democrats home, why would he balk at carrying some more water for the gun lobby? DeLay seemed to be irked that the Texas Rangers were standing on formality (not to mention the law and shrieks of laughter from Oklahoma officials) and not storming the Ardmore motel to enchain the lamming legislators and return them to their overupholstered chairs in Austin.
One of DeLay's flacks contended that the majority leader's office was just passing along to federal agencies an inquiry from Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick as to whether they could help in the roundup. Can't you envision it: DeLay takes a tiny, faint "Just passing it along" sticker, pastes it on Craddick's entreaty and sends it by surface post in an unmarked envelope to the mail room at the Justice Department.
All the investigations proposed by Democrats into the Republican over-reaching are unnecessary. It was just DeLay and Craddick and Gov. Rick Perry acting like jerks. The voters seem to have caught on. Although state Rep. Craig Eiland may want to punch out whoever sent Department of Public Safety agents to the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, where his premature twins are being treated. That would be legal in Texas, wouldn't it?
A snippy restaurateur in Washington was lucky last week that the assault weapon ban won't really come off the books until September 2004.
According to the Washington Post, DeLay was insistent on lighting up a cigar amid a fund-raising dinner at a D.C. outpost of Ruth's Chris Steak House. Manager Tom Khandker told DeLay that as the building was owned by the federal government it was a wholly no-smoking facility.
"I am the federal government," DeLay responded, Khandker told the Post. A DeLay spokesman insisted to the Post that the reply was only, "I'm with the federal government."
Come on. This is Tom DeLay, we're talking about, not some wet, centrist cretin. Everyone who believes DeLay said, "I'm with the federal government," hold up your hand. Yes, thank you. I thought as much.
Without any heavy artillery legally at hand, there was nothing for DeLay and friends to do but puff their way down the street to a nicotine-friendly establishment.
Smoke was, no doubt, coming out of more than one orifice.
Hines is a Houston Chronicle columnist based in Washington, D.C. cragg.hines@chron.com
viewpoints@chron.com
readerrep@chron.com
Were Gene Lyons, Joe Conason and Cragg Hines triplets, separated at birth?
On the brighter side, he probably just cost the RATS another 500 votes in Houston next year. The more hate they spread, the more voters jump ship.
He's talking about US. Those of us stood out in the cold and shouted "Get out of Cheney's House", and those of us kept an eye on the Dimocratic dimpled chad cheaters in Florida.
It's possible, though it seems more likely he's an older brother of Michael Moore
Yep. Cragg Hines is one vile piece of journalistic trash...as in the kind that makes Geraldo look like a professional.
The left often complains about the low quality of the commentary coming from the right, about "mean spirited diatribes" and the "politics of personal destruction."
But, frankly, a right winger with Hines' venom couldn't find a respectable outlet for such hateful expression. But the leftist media doesn't seem to have any trouble giving guys like Hines and Mark Morford their full measure of column-inches and face time.
You are absolutely right. Hines makes Begala and Carville look civilized. The truly sad thing about it is that this type of stuff is par for the course with Hines. It's the same thing every single week - vitriol, hatred, personal invective, bilge - that's all that the guy produces. He's a giant walking flatus vocis, perhaps in more ways than one.
If I were a publisher, even a committed liberal publisher, I can't imagine wanting Hines in my newspaper. This is the kind of vile slime that pollutes everything it touches -- it makes my entire op-ed page sour and, well, unpleasant. Allowing this degree of bias, even on the opinion page, threatens the credibility of my news reporting.
Would Cragg be in possession of some Polaroids, perhaps...
That is what the Texas Constitution provides, that is the ability to compel errant legislators to return to their duties.
Texas Constitution Art 3 section 10
Two-thirds of each House shall constitute a quorum to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner and under such penalties as each House may provide.
Most states have similar provisions, as does the U.S. Constitution with regard to federal legislators.
Art I. Sec. 5
Section. 5. Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.
One of DeLay's flacks contended that the majority leader's office was just passing along to federal agencies an inquiry from Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick as to whether they could help in the roundup. Can't you envision it: DeLay takes a tiny, faint "Just passing it along" sticker, pastes it on Craddick's entreaty and sends it by surface post in an unmarked envelope to the mail room at the Justice Department.
Isn't that one traditional duty of a Congressman, to grease the federal bureacratic skids in support of the the folks back home?
Somebody send the DEA over to this guys office. I don't know what he's smoking, but it must be some goooood ... er... stuff, and they may want to bust his supplier.
Can anybody make sense out of this... sentence(?)? (Or is it a question?) I find it difficult to continue reading a column when I figure the author is simply a poor writer. Of course, the Houston Chronicle is pretty far down the totem pole anyway, but you would think they could do better than this.
What a fine column I received, written by your Mr. Cragg Hines, concerning Texas rep. Tom DeLay. You shipped him out to Washington, D.C. on purpose, didn't you? I would hope so, since having his vitriol and slimy attitude around must be a burden too great to bear for very long.
For all of the whining from the "Left" side of the political divide about 'intolerance, mean-spiritedness and hate', Mr. Hines should be a Conservative. No, wait! His spew is much too juvenile and moronic to be compared to the reasoned writings of an Ann Coulter or a Wesley Pruden. Surely, Mr. Hines attended journalism classes with Jayson Blair. Maybe the Houston Chronical is now part of the New York Times media cabal?
Mr. Hines' invective is enough to have made Mother Theresa want to kick his rump. Perhaps the Houston Chronical could salve Mr. Hines' poor sense of self and hire a purveyor of nocturnal pleasures for him. Male or female. Though, the former probably would be best. That way, Mr. Hines can enjoy the rump rooting he so generously metes out to others.
Everything on their editorial page is hard left, but it also extends blatantly into their news coverage without shame or guilt. A few months ago they accidentally posted an internal memo on their website from one of the chiefs of the editorial staff. It gave lengthy and detailed directions to writers on slanting both editorial and news coverage in favor of an upcoming referendum. Included in the memo were the details on conducting a smear campaign against Tom DeLay. It appeared online for less than an hour, but fortunately got copied before they took it down. The next week a local throwaway paper that they give out in the supermarket called the editor-in-chief of the Chronicle to ask him about the memo and its violation of honest journalism. He basically told them "so what" then said "I have nothing to apologize for." This kind of stuff is a regular happening there. The paper openly donates money to left wing political groups like Planned Parenthood and tilts its news accordingly. It's reporters are universally lazy, reprint material from their own previous articles a few weeks and even years later as if it were new, and, from time to time, engage in activities that could reasonably be characterized as plagiarism.
Some people think the Jayson Blair thing is a big deal - I guarantee you, the NY Times holds nothing against the daily happenings at the Houston Chronicle.
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