Let's put a stop to the Earle of Injustice! (Texas)

Republican Party of Texas ^ | March 2, 2004 | TINA J. BENKISER

[anymouse]

Dear fellow Texan,

Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle’s partisan witch hunt against Republicans has gone too far, and it’s time for Texans to take action!

Because this liberal Democrat prosecutor is elected by voters in only one county, unfortunately most Texans don’t have the chance to make their voices heard at the ballot box – but all Texans deserve the opportunity to express their outrage at the Democrats’ vicious attacks on Republican leaders.

I have posted an online petition on the State Party’s website that you can sign and send the message that you want to bring integrity to Ronnie Earle’s Public Integrity Unit.

By signing this important petition, you are encouraging Texas legislators to immediately cease wasting your tax dollars on Ronnie Earle’s partisan witch hunts, and to transfer his investigative authority to the Office of the Attorney General.

Every two years, the state gives Ronnie Earle $1 million of your money – money that he uses to pay for his partisan political attacks against Republicans.

It makes absolutely no sense for a local District Attorney to have such broad powers arbitrarily assigned to him just because he lives in Travis County, especially since it can clearly be abused for partisan purposes. No other District Attorney in the state is given such far-reaching authority.

Please go to www.texasgop.org/features/earlePetition.php and sign the petition right now! Let’s put a stop to the Earle of Injustice’s partisan attacks once and for all and bring some integrity to the Public Integrity Unit.

Sincerely,

TINA J. BENKISER

Chairman, Republican Party of Texas

P.S. You can learn more about Ronnie Earle’s attacks on Republicans by visiting this link: http://www.texasgop.org/features/earle.php. You can even download a resolution to submit to your precinct, county and senatorial district conventions so that the Party’s position may be incorporated into the 2004 State GOP Platform. Please don’t forget to forward this email to all of your Republican friends and family!

Paid for by the Republican Party of Texas, 900 Congress Avenue, Suite 300, Austin, Texas 78701.

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Petition

I believe that Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle has launched another baseless partisan witch hunt against Republicans under the guise of investigating the 2002 elections.

I agree with state newspapers that in the past have accused Mr. Earle’s Public Integrity Unit of “selective partisanship”; conducting investigations that are “politically motivated”, “horribly mishandled”, on “legally shaky grounds”, and covered beneath a “partisan cloud”; and using a “double standard” for Democrats and Republicans.

I believe that it is ridiculous for a local District Attorney to have such broad powers arbitrarily assigned to him just because he lives in Travis County when no other District Attorney in the state is given such authority.

I believe that as the chief law enforcement officer in the state of Texas, the Attorney General is best positioned to carry out the duties of the Public Integrity Unit, whose main responsibility is to prosecute fraud cases on behalf of the state.

I believe that the $1 million in taxpayer dollars that the state allocates to the Travis County D.A. every two years is being wasted on nothing more than partisan political attacks to help Democrats.

Therefore, I join Republican Party of Texas Chairman Tina Benkiser in calling on the Texas Legislature to immediately cease wasting my tax dollars on Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle’s partisan witch hunts. I also support Chairman Benkiser’s call for legislators to transfer the authority of the Public Integrity Unit to the Office of the Attorney General.

I support bringing integrity to the Public Integrity Unit!

[anymouse]

Texas FReepers need to sign this petition.

Travis County FReepers (H.O.T. Chapter) really, really need to get their fellow Austinites to sign this to help put this Rat on notice that elephants do ocassionally stop on upity Rats.

[anymouse]

Ping for Austin FReepers and other active Texas FReepers.

[MeekOneGOP]

Here is an article about Ronnie Earle, fyi:

Inquiry by Travis DA irks state's Republicans (Ronnie Earle)

I pinged the other Freep thread yesteday:

The Earle of Injustice (Texas)

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', btw !

[jobshopper]

Tried to sign the petition, but it wouldn't let me click on the sign petition button. Will try later

Eric

[Arrowhead1952]

Unfortunatley, I live in Travis county. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle is one of the dirtiest, nastiest, elected officials in Texas. There are many articles in the Austin Un-American Ultra-Liberal Rag that indicate how many partisan political attacks he has conducted against Republicans.

The problem with his practices, is that the Austin Rag actually believes he is doing the right things.

[anymouse]

Probably need to allow access to the sites cookie on your browser.

[ChowChows]

Done!
Ronnie Earle needs to be neutered! Enough of his partisan witch hunts.

[WOSG]

I heard very good news on the Earle front... I challenged a speaker yesterday at a Republican event about challenging Earle. He mentioned that the state officials were bandying an idea about: To put the Public Integrity Unit under the Attorney General's office. They could do this by state law.

I urge all of you to call your reps and support this idea.

Right now we have a wacky system: A state function done by a local DA. It makes not a lick of sense, except that the DA happens to cover geographically the capital. This is a bit like making the DC police chief in charge of investigating Federal corruption charges.

Since the AG is an independently elected position, and has a staff of attorneys, the state AG is in at least as good a position to preside of public integrity investigations and prosecutions. Moreover, this is better for Travis county, since the cost is borne statewide and not by the county only.

I am saying this all in a non-partisan context, but we all know that the partisan context is that Earle has engaged in repeated politically motivated and unfair investigations. He went after Kay Bailey Hutchison on what amounted to the ethical equivalent of jaywalking (doing stuff like using her phone that it transpires many other officials like Ann Richards abused to far greater extent with zero consequences). Now he is going after TAB, a PAC that despite the heat and smoke of investigation, seems to have clearly made every effort (and imho succeeded) in following ethics guidelines and the law. So why the grad jury? Because their poliical activism *WORKED* and won the GOP a majority. This is a massive, expensive fishing expedition, paid by us the travis county taxpayer. We should end it.

[WOSG]

Hi, fellow travis county freeper.

see my previous note on how we can end Earle's reign of error, and my FR 'homepage', I live in SW Austin.

[Extremist]

My comment:

Mr. Earle should be investigated to determine if his actions are politically motivated. If they indeed are, he should be forced to reimburse all moneys spent in an effort to bring down the Majority. Austin may be forced to tolerate Mr. Earle but the rest of Texas must put a stop to his foolishness.

[Arrowhead1952]

I live in Lago Vista and am appalled by Earle's terror tactics the past few years. I hope there is some way to stop his constant "investigations" of Republicans. He should be investigated, if anyone deserves it.

[Regulator]

Goddamn! This crap is still going on?! I was working in Austin 11 years ago when he went after Kay B. Hutchison. The idiot ended up with egg on his face when he had to drop all the charges for lack of evidence IIRC. He's still doing it?!