saddle up! Democracy TEXAS style!

[mburbank]

(From Newsday.com)

"The DPS (Texas Department of Safety) memo ordering the documents be destroyed was e-mailed May 14, the day after the search for the legislators was called off, DPS spokesman Tom Vinger said.

The order stated: "Any notes, correspondence, photos, etc. that were obtained pursuant to the absconded House of Representative members shall be destroyed immediately. No copies are to be kept. Any questions please contact me." It was signed by L.C. "Tony" Marshall, commander of the DPS Special Crimes Service.

Marshall Caskey, chief of the agency's criminal law enforcement division, told Marshall to order the documents destroyed, Vinger said."



from the Houston Chronicle, we have:

"The Texas Republican Party chief told colleagues last week that she was deliberately using language in public statements that connoted "criminal wrongdoing" in a Democratic walkout that shut down the state House.

She acknowledged at another point in the conversation that the act was not criminal, but that it "probably should be," according to a tape of a conference call with party leaders obtained by the Chronicle."


Since no law was broken, the use of the Texas Rangers and state police was a waste of taxpayer money. Before anyone complains about the reps wasting money by not showing for work, they make $600 a month, far less than a state trooper. Oh, and the chronicle reports most of the dems forfeitted their per diems and are not accepting pay or benefits for the missing days. I don't think any of the troopers have offered to do the same while they neglected chasing criminals or enforcing laws. The dems also paid for their own hotel rooms.