Stinger

Local political news for me... :D

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Republicans in the Texas Senate voted on Tuesday to fine 11 fugitive Democrats up to $5,000 a day each to force them to return from New Mexico to vote on a plan that would add Republican seats in the U.S. Congress.

The Democrats angrily vowed they would not pay the fines and would remain out of state and out of the reach of Texas police, as long as necessary to stop the Republican power grab.

The Senate vote came 16 days after the Democrats fled to Albuquerque in neighboring New Mexico to break a quorum in the state senate and stop a proposal to redraw the state's congressional districts.

The plan likely would change the state's delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives from 17 Democrats and 15 Republicans to 22 Republicans and 10 Democrats in the next election, adding to a narrow Republican majority in the House.

"It's a crime and it's called official oppression," Democratic state senator Juan Hinojosa said of the proposed fines.

The sanctions, which go into effect on Thursday, follow unsuccessful Republican attempts to first sweet talk the Democrats into coming back, then force their return through legal motions.

The Texas Supreme Court, made up of nine Republicans, on Monday rejected the party's request to order the Democrats home. The Democrats have filed lawsuits in state and federal court trying to derail the redistricting effort.

U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Houston is pushing the plan, with quiet backing from the White House on grounds that Republicans deserve more congressional seats from Texas.

Republicans control the Texas Legislature for first time in 130 years. They also hold all statewide offices.

Traditionally, the Texas Legislature has redrawn congressional districts after the U.S. census every 10 years. They were last remapped in 2001 by a panel of federal judges when the legislature could not agree on a plan. Democrats argue the state should stick to current practice, or risk redistricting chaos every time there is a change in power.

Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives fled to Oklahoma for several days in May to stop the same redistricting plan.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A51565-2003Aug12?language=printer

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ChrisF202

Why do those Dems run at the first sign of defeat?

bigross86

They're politicians. Who knows what they do and why they do it???

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Gio

lol! laugh laugh laugh big grin

Anon

LOL, this is priceless.

Lunatock

It just wouldn't be Texas if the didn't hogtie these Dem's that thought they could win be slithering away to Oklahoma.

And thier border crossing alone, is considered a flogging offense by most Texans.

ChrisF202

Cant the Texas Rangers just hunt them down and drag them back into the Texas Senate Chamber or something?

Stinger

Chris: the problem is that none of our state police forces have cross border jurisdiction, this includes the Rangers. It also somewhat of a grey area legally so we can't have them listed as wanted criminals in order to have them arested in another state and extridited.

ChrisF202

Hopefully New Mexico will come to its senses and order the NMSP to arrest them and extradite them.

Lunatock

Out of thier Jurisdiction. Never would of stopped Chuck Norris though. To bad Walker: Texas Ranger is over. Hunting down some awol Democrats might have been a nice change of pace from beating up the Terrorist in Delta Force. :Dbanana :twisted: Clp

ChrisF202

Im sure they could bring him back for another episode, the last one was kinda lame (with the baby and all), they should try and make him enter another Delta Force movie :D

Lunatock

Not sure they could top the first one. They made two sequals. Third one didn't have him in it. Not to mention Lee Marvin, a lost & irreplaceable part and reason, as to why it kicked ass.

Blackclaw

Well, the Republicans are violating tradition in a pretty blatant grab for power in Congress. I seem to recall the Republicans once fled the state during a Democratic redistricting, but I'd have to look for it.

The whole redistricting thing is an ongoing political sham in every state, every time it is done. There has got to be a better way than to let political powermongering decide a state's representatives.

bigross86

What are the Delta Force movies? I've heard of the games by Novalogic, but not the movies.

ChrisF202

The Delta Force was a movie made in the mid/late 1980's about a group of elite US Army commandos (this was before the government admitted to DF existing) who go on a mission to rescue a hijacked American airplane (based on a true story, but some parts were added to make it more action packed for the audiances), since then several other seaquels (at least 5 others) have been made (the latest was in 2001 i think). Very good movie, highly recomended.