Free Republic

FORT WORTH -- David Van Os, Democratic candidate for state attorney general, proposed a state constitutional amendment Monday that would allow the use of eminent domain to seize property only in cases that involve public safety and security. The San Antonio lawyer made the announcement to about 50 supporters at a rally in front of the Tarrant County Courthouse. It was the 250th county courthouse Van Os has visited this year as part of his "whistle-stop tour" of all 254 county courthouses in Texas that ends Friday in Austin. Van Os said his proposed amendment is a direct response...

The attorney for the man who leaked discredited memos to CBS News' Dan Rather is a Democratic Party activist in Texas who has vowed to defeat what he says is a White House "master plan" for "a one-party America." David Van Os, a San Antonio lawyer and defender of retired Texas Air National Guard Lt. Col. Bill Burkett's role in supplying forged memos detrimental to President Bush, has held a number of local party posts, including chairman of the Travis County Democratic Party. Mr. Van Os referred to the suspect memos this way in a Sept. 15 e-mail to reporters:...

The Washington Timeswww.washingtontimes.com Memo lawyer is party activistBy Rowan ScarboroughTHE WASHINGTON TIMESPublished September 22, 2004 The attorney for the man who leaked discredited memos to CBS News' Dan Rather is a Democratic Party activist in Texas who has vowed to defeat what he says is a White House "master plan" for "a one-party America."     David Van Os, a San Antonio lawyer and defender of retired Texas Air National Guard Lt. Col. Bill Burkett's role in supplying forged memos detrimental to President Bush, has held a number of local party posts, including chairman of the Travis County Democratic Party.     Mr. Van...

According to the Associated Press, Bill Burkett is a broken man, a loose cannon seeking to share "the truth" about President Bush's military record. State and National Democrats, including Max Cleland (whom Burkett claims to have contacted), seem to know little about Burkett. But according to Bill Howell, Dallas County Chair for the Texas Democratic Party 1999-2002, Bill Burkett is not only connected to the Texas Democratic Party - he is a major player in the Texas Democratic Party. As first reported last night,, Bill Burkett is certainly well known within the Texas Democratic Party. Tonight, new documents reveal that...

[graphic similar to what NYT tried to do with Bush/Swift Boat connections]

Although Free Republic isn't credited in this article, it is a good recap of RatherGate. -------- Week of September 20, 2004Media names Burkett as source of forged Bush memos. Burkett also linked through Veterans for Peace to Tides Foundation. That link ties Burkett to Kerry.Newsweek was the first mainstream mass circulation publication to identify a disgruntled former Texas National Guardsman, Lt. Col. Bill Burkett as the source of the forged Bush memos. After Newsweek named Burkett, several other publications including the Washington Post, New York Times and Washington Times named him as the elusive source of the memos. Newsweek revealed...

Bill Burkett - Crazy. Isolated. A nut-case. The press would like us to think that Bill Burkett is an alienated lone wolf, a disabled former member of the National Guard working independent of all power bases. Nothing is further from the truth. Far from being a wacked-out loner, Bill Burkett is powerful and influential figure in TX Democrat Circles... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Texas-Democrats/message/7278From: "Stan Merriman" Date: Fri Sep 17, 2004 2:11 pm Subject: Bill Burkett and David Van Os vs. Karl Rove Fellow Progressive Populist Caucus Members: Our brother, Bill Burkett is under siege by the Carl Rove smear machine. Bill is a...

Karl Rove's Master Plan Started With the Texas Courts Getting David Van Os elected to the Texas Supreme Court is not just about winning one race. It is about charging straight at the heart of Karl Rove's master plan. From best-selling author James Moore's (author of Bush's Brain and Bush's War for Re-election) BuzzFlash essay, "Karl Rove's Master Plan: A One-Party America:" "It began here in Texas when Rove was rebuilding the Republican Party in the Lone Star State. Rich people were asked to contribute to an organization called the Civil Justice League. They were billed as a grass roots...

September 16, 2004 Ex-Guardsman Is Said to Be a CBS SourceBy RALPH BLUMENTHAL OUSTON, Sept. 15 - Bill Burkett once said his job was to make Gov. George W. Bush a hero. As a lieutenant colonel working on the readiness of the Texas National Guard, Mr. Burkett, a lay preacher's son from Portales, N.M., was brought in with a high commission in 1996 to work on mobilization plans that would make the Guard shine. "I was very supportive of Bush," he said in an interview this year.But it was not long before Mr. Burkett, whom colleagues call a stickler...

Date: 8/8/02 Case Style: Bill L. Burkett v. William W. Goodwin, Jackie L. Taliaferro and Archie M. Meador Case Number: 03-01-00302-CV Judge: Puryear Court: Texas County of Appeals, Third Appellate District Plaintiff's Attorney: David Van Os Defendant's Attorney: Kamilla L. Stokes Description: Bill Burkett, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Texas Army National Guard, brought a personal injury action against appellees, William Goodwin, Jackie Taliaferro, and Archie Meador, all of whom were his superior officers. (1) Burkett appeals from the trial court's order dismissing his lawsuit. While Burkett sets out his appellate issue as "whether the court below erred in...

SOMEWHERE BEHIND THE LINES, TEXAS - The Cast of the Rather-Gate scandal are connected in a stunningly simple way. The Travis County [, Texas] Democratic Party, Dan Rather, Robin Rather, Ben Barnes, James C. Moore, Bill Burkett, and others used the machinery of Autin4Kerry.org, OnlineJournal.com, GreaterDemocracy.org, and CBS 60 Minutes to publicize allegations supported by fraudulent documents. Some cable news pundants hope that Dan Rather was conned by a devious but well meaning Bush-hater. Others theorize that CBS was duped by Karl Rove who may have planted the fake documents in a way that Dan Rather could find them and...

David Van Os Summarized Biography  Born:   February 19, 1950, Kilgore, Texas   Age:    54  Personal Son of Seymour and Francene Van Os, of Tyler, Texas Married to Rachel Barrios-Van Os, a native of San Antonio Four children, B.J., son, age 20; Kay, daughter, age 19, freshman at UTSA; Maya, daughter, age 7, second grade; Leya, daughter, age 6, first grade Family resides in San Antonio Educational Background National Merit Finalist Graduated Kilgore High School, May 1968 Awarded General Motors Scholarship (competitive) to attend University of Texas at Austin Entered U.T. Austin September 1968, in Plan II, interdisciplinary honors degree...

Here's a photo of David Van Os, the spokesman for Bill Burkett of Memogate fame, addressing a major John Kerry for President rally in Austin last month. This is the same rally that was headlined by HOWARD DEAN and made pretty big media coverage around the state at the time.

Gen. Daniels is on the Vetrans for Kerry steering comittee and was in the TANG although I haven't been able to find out when. David Van Os is the lawyer for Burkett and may have a connection with Daniels. I've found 2 different connections between Van Os and and somebody named Tom Daniels. One on an old website from 2000 that was very loose. Basically just showed they were both in the democratic party and active. I also found a little better connection on on www.opensecrets.org. Both of them have given money to various democratic organizations, no big deal there...

"His Lawyer is a Dem Activist" (title on Drudge), links to bio of David Van Os "David Van Os, Democrat for Texas Supreme Court" Represented Central Texas ACLU in federal suit over re-segregation of Austin AISD elementary schools Ø Traveled to Palm Beach, Florida, November-December 2000, to assist Democratic Party in vote recount efforts

Thursday, September 9 False claims that Killian memos are modern forgeries by lindastarr on September 9, 2004 07:37PM (CDT) You may know by now that the Republicans are using a bogus "forged documents" gambit to attack the CBS and Boston Globe stories on Bush's ANG service. This one was originated by the idiots over at the Power Line Blog. (http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/007760.php) They're claiming that the documents were created using modern word processing equipment, not on a typewriter -- because, they claim, superscripts, subscripts and proportional spacing couldn't have been done on a typewriter in the early 1970s.