Volume 2 Issue 71

May 13, 2003

On the Run

Texas drifts towards war, the Treasury rolls out the new money, and the Republicans can't keep bill numbers straight

Early edition today, off to the Hill for hearings. Man...enjoy this Texas story below. Sometimes I'm just amazed.

Don't Mess With Texas: Is it too late to let Texas become it's own country again? I mean...let's look at it really. Both George W. Bush and the Dixie Chicks came out of there. That should be reason enough. But anyway...things in Texas aren't too good these days. In fact, war may actually be about to break out there, with the Governor threating to invade Oklahoma and New Mexico. Why you ask? Well, it seems that the Texas GOP, in control of the legislature for the first time since Reconstruction, has decided to gerrymander the congressional districts to give them a majority. And when I say gerrymander, I mean it. An example from the Los Angeles Times -

In a ploy audacious even by the standards of Texas politics, one of the GOP's new congressional districts would be composed of two Republican-leaning areas, one north of Austin and one in the Rio Grande Valley — 300 miles away. The two areas would be connected by a mile-wide ribbon of land and have been dubbed a "community of interest."

This reminds me of a district in Georgia once that the Supreme Court ruled out, it stretched along an interstate most of the way to create a majority-African American district. Sandra Day O'Connor, in noting how illegal this was commented, "If you drove down the highway with the doors open, you'd kill half the people in the district."

This plan has been pushed by Texas Congressman Tom Delay, who wants to ensure GOP domination of the Congressional Delegation, despite the fact Texas just redistricted 2 years ago. In addition, the GOP has frozen Democrats out of almost all legislative proposal development, which is a change from the bipartisan nature of Texas government over the last decade or so (strangely enough, partly under George W. Bush). So the Democrats, knowing they could not defeat the plan, and being shut out by a tyrannical majority...walked out. Actually, they fled. You see, in a rule right out of high school student government, the Texas Legislature needs at least 100 of its 150 members to meet. There are only 88 Republicans. But, in a great twist, the Speaker of the House can arrest any member that doesn't show up. So, the hunt was on, as 50 some Democrats raced for the border, with the Texas Rangers on their tail. Most apparently got out of the state, and are hiding out in a Holiday Inn somewhere in Oklahoma. Texas tried to get permission from both New Mexico and Oklahoma to invade their states to arrest the legislators, but both said no.

So, we're decided. The gym until 2, then we'll hang out at the pool for a few hours, and hit the dinner buffet down the street around 7. Everyone good with that? (Actual cutline: Texas Democrats in hiding in Oklahoma.)

This story is so amazing, it just boggles the mind. Unfortunately, some important legislation will be pushed aside, but it even seems like a majority of the state agrees with the Democrats on this one. Anyway, here's the news coverage...

On them going missing -
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/politics/stat e/stories/051303dntexrebel.11e85.html

Showing up in Oklahoma -
http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/051303dntexawol .ca25.html (Note in this one how the GOP has put the missing Dems on playing cards...)
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/1906961

How it was planned, and how they evaded capture -
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/special/03/legislat ure/1906463

How it's playing in Texas and in DC -
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/editorial/1906814
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/special/03/legislat ure/1906424

Finally, our quote of the day, from New Mexico attorney General Patricia Madrid (D), refusing Texas' request to invade to pickup legislators - "Nevertheless, I have put out an all-points bulletin for law enforcement to be on the lookout for politicians in favor of health care for the needy and against tax cuts for the wealthy."

The New Money: Here it is, your new money -
The Front -
http://www.moneyfactory.com/newmoney/images/currency/big_bil l_front.gif
The Back -
http://www.moneyfactory.com/newmoney/images/currency/big_bil l_back.gif

Apparently the new color background is blue on the $20, and will be different on each one. The back seems to have yellow on it though, tough to tell. Also note that the photo may not load, it's been tough getting on the Treasury's site this morning. Here's the official press release -
http://www.moneyfactory.com/newmoney/main.cfm/media/05132003

And CNN is baffled by it apparently -
http://money.cnn.com/2003/05/13/news/economy/twenty/index.ht m

Hunting Saddam: Is the US close to finding Saddam? And to the great relief of fans everywhere, it appears the Iraqi Information Minister is alive and well, hiding at his Aunt's house in Baghdad. Come out Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, you have a great career ahead of you in the West!
http://slate.msn.com/id/2082813/

Where's Osama? Looks like Al-Queda was behind the attacks in Saudi Arabia yesterday that at last count have killed 7 Americans -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/13/international/middleeast/1 3BOMB.html?pagewanted=all&position

Why the Bush Administration Must be Stopped: So the whole idea of "winning" a nuclear war is over with right? I mean, no one out there would seriously suggest that 25 million American casualties in a war would be acceptable, I mean that's right out of Dr. Strangelove, isn't it? Not in the Bush Pentagon...where it's becoming policy, as well as allowing the use of Nuclear weapons in campaigns like the one in Iraq -
http://slate.msn.com/id/2082846/

That Other Country: North Korea apparently has some sort of new laser weapon -
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030513-47005.htm

The Washington Post had a great article Sunday about some of Kim Jong Il's quirks -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A40505-2003May10?language=printer

Heads Rolling on 42nd St? Some folks at the New York Times are pissed at the top 3 editors, over their "whitewashing" of the Blair scandal -
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/75604.htm

Heads rolling in Westminister? Claire Short, the member of Tony Blair's cabinet who bashed him while resigning yesterday, added one last punch in by calling on him to resign -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-678820,00.html

And these people run the country? The Senate's passage of Bush's latest tax cut has been delayed...because they were debating the wrong bill -
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20030513_577.html

Look Who's Running for President: Wesley Clark was in New Hampshire yesterday, saying presidential sounding things, and sort of finally admitting he's a Democrat -
http://www.politicsnh.com/archives/pindell/2003/may/5_13.sht ml

Look Who's Running for President 2: Yet another Theresa Heinz story. Keep 'em coming boys!
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/13/politics/campaigns/13HEIN. html?8hpib=&pagewanted=all&position

Stopping Testing: A group of Floridians are calling for a tourism boycott of their state until the Governor drops the high stakes testing scheme he's put in place -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/13/education/13EXAM.html

Trivializing a Holiday: A NJ state legislator wants to ban Memorial Day sales, after major retailers told the VFW and American Legion they will not allow them to see their poppy pins outside their stores on Memorial Day. Yet another example at the hollowing out of a holiday designed to honor America's war deaths, but instead just another crass commercialized opportunity by big business. -
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/morris/index.ssf?/base/news-1/105280761859170.xml

Microsoft's "Problem" office: Ok...so that whole Microsoft toilet thing was apparently a hoax. But, it wasn't like something that was perpetrated by outsiders or hackers. No, apparently the Microsoft London office has gone "rogue." No word if the killer robots have been dispatched by Gates yet -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/05/13/microsoft.hoax.a p/index.html

When Animals Attack! A badger went on a 48 hour rampage in England near Birmingham, seriously injuring one man and attacking at least 4 others -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1-679107,00.html