Texas Democratic legislators still in Oklahoma - AWOL House members, GOP leaders stick to guns

The Dallas Morning News ^ | May 14, 2003 | By GEORGE KUEMPEL and PETE SLOVER / The Dallas Morning News

[MeekOneGOP]

To preserve the story, here is the link and the text:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,6436924%255E401,00.html

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Democrat bolters shut down Texas
By Phillip Coorey in New York
15may03

MORE than 50 Texan politicians are wanted by police after fleeing the state to prevent the local parliament from passing legislation they believe is "undemocratic, unjust and unprecedented".

In one of the more bizarre moments in American political history, 51 Democrat state politicians fled across the border to Ardmore, Oklahoma on Tuesday and are holed up in a hotel there, refusing to return to the state capital Austin.

Their absence means the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, the Texan lower house which has 150 lawmakers, cannot gather the minimum 100 votes required for a quorum and, therefore, cannot sit. A rough Australian equivalent would be the NSW Liberal Opposition fleeing to Victoria to paralyse the state parliament and prevent the Carr Labor Government from passing legislation.

The Texan Democrats oppose a Republican Bill which would redistribute federal electoral boundaries in the state.

They say if the Bill were passed, the Democrats would lose at least five seats in Congress.

The Bill must be voted on by tomorrow when the current parliamentary session ends.

The Republicans also control the Texan Senate, meaning if the legislature was able to sit, the Bill would pass in both houses.

Incensed Republicans called in the police and the Texas Rangers, but the law enforcers' jurisdiction does not extend across the state border and they cannot touch the Democrats.

The officers are authorised to seize and return the Democrats to Austin if they re-enter Texas.

In a statement issued from the Oklahoma hotel yesterday, the Democrats say that under state law, federal electoral boundaries are redrawn every 10 years and the last redistribution was only two years ago, in 2001.

"We do redistricting every 10 years, not whenever those in power demand it," they said, and blamed powerful Texan Republican Congressman Tom DeLay as being behind the Bill.

Texan Republican Governor Rick Perry called the rebels "cowardly and childish" while Republican MPs pasted faces of their missing colleagues on milk cartons and joked about releasing a pack of cards bearing their images.

Mr DeLay called the rebels disloyal to their state.

"I have never turned tail and run. Even when I'm losing, I stand and fight for what I believe. It's so Texas contrary," he said.

At last year's mid-term elections, the Republicans took control for the first time in 130 years.

The State lower house has 88 republicans and 62 Democrats. Texas has 32 federal House of Representatives seats, of which the Republicans hold 15 and the Democrats 17. One of the rebellious Democrats, Steve Wolens of Dallas, rejected allegations that critical business was being held over.

He likened the walkout to other parliamentary manoeuvres used to routinely kill legislation: for instance, under Senate rules, any bloc of 11 members can prevent a Bill from being considered.

A spokesman for state Attorney-General Greg Abbott said First Assistant Attorney-General Barry McBee had inquired about federal assistance on the case but that officials in Washington said there was no basis for the Justice Department to get involved.

[Texagirl4W]

Did you notice that Steven Wolens, husband of Laura Miller (Mayor of Dallas) is on the list of dems who ran in the face of controversy? Are taxpayers paying for their trip, room and board, etc., to Oklahoma? If so, will we ever know how much this is costing us?

[Pippin]

Hey!

A tolkien fan?

[MeekOneGOP]

LOL ! . . . I think.

[Pippin]

Hi, Oh eradicator of dixie chimps!

[MeekOneGOP]

Miller's hubby, huh? That doesn't surprise me. Miller didn't go to the Dallas Pro-America Rally in March. But I saw Mary Poss there. She even spoke to me. Too bad Miller won again. Sigh !

If we're to believe the media, the reports are that these scoundrels are forgoing their pay and paying their own expenses on this escapade. We'll see . . .

[potlatch]

What a HAPPY looking group, up on that balcony! /S

[sparkydragon]

One could argue that the home owners' association is violating private property rights. It depends on whether this rule was in effect when the home was bought or after.

[MeekOneGOP]

Howdy !

. . . eradicator of dixie chimps!

Oh, if it were true ! :O)

[MeekOneGOP]

hehe ! The one on the right: He looks to me like he might be smokin' somethin'.

[potlatch]

LOL! Fine looking group aren't they / NOT!!

I enjoyed your pictures, and signed your guestbook!! Logging off for now, till tonight.

[Austin Willard Wright]

I don't think that is the case here. If I buy a home governed by such an association, I also agree to all the covenants which run with the land. If those covenants autherize the association (of which I am a member) to enact regulatory rules, I don't, and shouldn't have a leg, to stand on....at least in a society which values freedom of contract, freedom of association, and property rights.

Now....if you can show in a court that the Association violated its own rules, you might have a case, however, this bill does not seem concerned with such niceities.

[GUIDO]

They must have fired the guy in Menendez office that answered the phone because the guy I got just sat and listened and then said he appreciated my opinion. Just giving my opnion of these swines was enough to make my blood boil.
guido

[RoseofTexas]

AND WHO THE F IS PAYING FOR THIS??!! The taxpayer is! I wonder if they can just vote and let the RATS vote absentee?!

[MeekOneGOP]

Thank you !

I'll be heading out to my Dad's in East Texas shortly. Tomorrow's his 72nd birthday. Be back tomorrow evening.

I doubt I'll have any FReep time til I get back.

Have a great evening. I'll see ya when I get back.

[sparkydragon]

You're probably right. I have no experience with home owners' associations. I do have to say though, any time someone feels it necessary to enact a law enabling you to fly the American flag then a very pathetic situation has cropped up.

[potlatch]

Hope you have [had] a great visit with your Dad, M&M!!

[BOBWADE]

How about prosecution (rico)for obstruction. Its easy to prove that their actions were ochestrated to render the current session useless. What kind of criminal charges could we utilize for this one? Why not just declare vacancy and call for a new election ASAP.

[Graewoulf]

Ping.

[Austin Willard Wright]

We agree on that. The Homeowners Association has enacted a silly rule but they have a right to be silly.