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**Cyclotron** · May 13, 2003, 20:21

Hmm, apparently warrants have been issued for their arrest. Can the legislature get quorum with 58 members in jail?

**Dinner** · May 13, 2003, 20:22

Originally posted by cyclotron7
Apparently, legislators wanted to do some really serious gerrymandering, something along the lines of some districts stretching over a hundred miles while being only two blocks wide at places. I'm looking for a source for that, so far I only heard it on the radio.

Dems did this about 10 years about in Tennessee. the supreme court eventually knocked down the gerrymandered districts but the Dems still got two election victories before they were forced to play fair.

Personally, I think they should pass a law requiring all districts to be as close to a square shape as possible so as to prevent politicians gerry-mandering and cheating all the time.

**Gatekeeper** · May 13, 2003, 20:24

This is hilarious to a lot of people outside of Texas.

**Dinner** · May 13, 2003, 20:26

So what exactly are they being charged with? Refusing to show up for work?

**SlowwHand** · May 13, 2003, 20:27

Outside? Hell. It's hilarious to people IN Texas.

**Cyclotron** · May 13, 2003, 20:29

Originally posted by Oerdin
So what exactly are they being charged with? Refusing to show up for work?

That's what I'm wondering. What's the warrant for?

**Gatekeeper** · May 13, 2003, 20:29

I dare the Rangers to cross the border into Oklahoma. I double-dare them!

**SlowwHand** · May 13, 2003, 20:31

HA!
Like the Okies caould stand before Texans. Please.

**Gatekeeper** · May 13, 2003, 20:33

Okies! Dem fightin' words! (Like I'd know, since I'm north of Nebraska!)

**Shi Huangdi** · May 13, 2003, 20:34

Oklahoma has a GOP gov, can't he extradite them south across the border?

**SlowwHand** · May 13, 2003, 20:36

That's not an Okie.

Seriously though, old Rick Perry the governor is hot.
I don't blame him really.
And not all Democrats left. Some realized they have obligations and stayed.

**DRoseDARs** · May 13, 2003, 20:48

Haven't noticed if anyone else has said it:

1) It's actually against the law in Texas to hold up legislative sessions in such a manner. Read it somewhere in some non-editorial article recently.

2) The redistricting was supposed to happen in 2000 after the 10yr national census, but it got held up (don't recall why). In 2001 the court settled the issue, but now the GOP dominated legislature wants to resettle the issue. That's why the Dems are throwing a fit. They feel (rightfully so) that Texas shouldn't be redistricted 3yrs after the the traditional time, nor after a settlement was already in place. While I don't agree with the manner that the Dems are going about this, I do agree that the GOP needs to drop their plans to force redistricting so late after the last census.

Suck it up and wait until the 2010 census is completed.

**SlowwHand** · May 13, 2003, 20:51

A census taken isn't a census complete.

And no, that isn't just true in Texas.
New York and many, many other states had to re-work their figures.
We just waited for the completion.

**Lincoln** · May 13, 2003, 21:21

I smell another Waco coming...

**JohnT** · May 13, 2003, 21:25

Originally posted by Boris Godunov

The real problem was that the GOP was ramming through something that wasn't called for. Redistricting is done every 10 years, and the GOP decided to redraw things to their liking once they got into power, well short of the normal timeframe. Since their only reason for doing so is blatant partisan politics, I don't blame the Dems one bit for walking out.

Oh, puh-leeze. I'm not casting aspersions on your claim, but on your implication that this is a new tactic by the GOP. Fact is, Boris, redistricting is ALWAYS a priority whenever a state has power switch from one party to the other, regardless of what the current law says.

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