Free Republic

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee on Sunday called for congressional hearings to investigate what she calls ''the many downfalls" of the Harris County judicial system. Recent incidents, including a grand jury's decision not to indict a Pasadena man who shot and killed two men suspected of burglarizing his neighbor, have brought into question whether the system is fair and unbiased, she said. The Democrat, who represents District 18, said she is also concerned and frustrated about derogatory e-mails circulated in the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the handling of DNA evidence by the Houston Police Department crime lab and the number...

U.S Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee today said she has called for congressional hearings to investigate what she calls ''the many downfalls" of the Harris County judicial system. Recent incidents, including a grand jury's decision not to indict a Pasadena man who shot and killed two men suspected of burglarizing his neighbor, have brought into question whether the system is fair and unbiased, she said. The Democrat, who represents District 18, said she is also concerned and frustrated about derogatory e-mails circulated in the Harris County Sheriff's Offices, the mishandling of DNA by the Harris County District Attorney's Office and the...

A Thursday afternoon meeting between Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus grew tense and emotional for a moment -- perhaps illustrating that weeks after Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., suspended her presidential campaign, some nerves remain frayed. Sources at the meeting said that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, a Clinton supporter, expressed the desire that Obama and his campaign would reach out the millions of women still aggrieved about what happened in the campaign and still disappointed that Clinton lost. Obama then said, "However, I need to make a decision in the next few months...

Jackson Lee's bill could aid Skilling, Fastow, Wyatt and thousands of other federal prisoners WASHINGTON — Drug traffickers, white-collar criminals, corrupt congressmen and thousands of other federal inmates could see their prison time slashed in half if legislation drafted by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee becomes law. The House Judiciary crime subcommittee on Thursday will examine a bill by the Houston Democrat that would mandate early release for federal inmates convicted of nonviolent crimes if they are 45 or older, have served at least half their sentence and have not engaged in violent conduct behind bars. Jackson Lee described her legislation...

Mack Daddy Hillary? Not once but twice, Chris Matthews today accused Hillary Clinton of "pimping" for having staged a fundraiser that brought together high-rolling homeland-security lobbyists and the congressmen with power over their pet interests.Matthews leveled the charge on this afternoon's "Hardball" in the course of an interview with David Bonior, John Edwards's campaign manager. The Edwards campaign, in an email from campaign advisor Joe Trippi, has swiped hard at Hillary over the fundraiser, calling it "corrupt."View video here.

When it comes to investigating Dems, the MSM is all Moveon.org. But when a Republican is potentially in the crosshairs, the liberal media suddenly goes Eliot Ness . . . Take the New York Times editorial of this morning, Mr. Rove Gets Out of Town, which amounts to an extended plea to Democrats to investigate Karl Rove on matters sundry. Huffs the Times:The American public needs to understand the full story of how this White House — with Mr. Rove pulling many of the strings — has spent the last six and a half years improperly and dangerously politicizing the...

CARACAS, Venezuela -- A U.S. congresswoman called on the Bush administration Wednesday to reconsider its ban on selling parts for U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to Venezuela, urging improved ties between the two nations. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, told reporters that she was making the first U.S. congressional visit to Venezuela since President Hugo Chavez's December re-election with the message: "I want an immediate repairing of the relations between the United States and Venezuela." Jackson Lee described Venezuela as a friendly nation that the U.S. should cooperate with and said that the F-16 jets, which are built...

NewsMax.com   Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2002 Sheila Jackson Lee, Limousine Liberal On her Web site Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee claims, "As your Representative in Congress, I feel that it is my duty to ensure that the government tirelessly works on your behalf." But in reality she seems to think taxpayers must work tirelessly on her behalf so can be chauffeured one block to work. United Press International noted today that "the fiery liberal" Texas Democrat is under fire in the latest issue of the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard. "According to writer Sam Dealey, Jackson Lee has a staff member ...

Muslim religious leaders removed from a Minneapolis flight last week exhibited behavior associated with a security probe by terrorists and were not merely engaged in prayers, according to witnesses, police reports and aviation security officials. Witnesses said three of the imams were praying loudly in the concourse and repeatedly shouted "Allah" when passengers were called for boarding US Airways Flight 300 to Phoenix. "I was suspicious by the way they were praying very loud," the gate agent told the Minneapolis Police Department. Passengers and flight attendants told law-enforcement officials the imams switched from their assigned seats to a pattern associated...

Sold-Out Event Raises More Than $620,000 for Civil Rights Work More than 1,000 people turned out on Saturday at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) banquet in Arlington, Va., to hear addresses by several elected officials, including Keith Ellison, the first Muslim in Congress. The event raised more than $620,000 to support CAIR's civil rights and advocacy work on behalf of the American Muslim community. (Another dinner held by CAIR's Southern California chapter (CAIR-LA) over the weekend raised more than $430,000. Some 1,800 people attended that event.) Elected officials who spoke at the sold-out event included Representative- elect Ellison (D-MN),...

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee took time out from her busy schedule of showing up at every funeral, press conference and C-SPAN event February 23 to appear on stage with comic Dave Chappelle. Chappelle brought his Block Party Tour to the Verizon Theater that night, and Lee –- who recently has wormed her way into pictures with such notable celebrities as Michael Jackson -– knew a good publicity opportunity when she saw it. Just before intermission, Chappelle invited Lee on stage, where she reminded everyone they were currently in the midst of her very own 18th Congressional District and welcomed...

Freeper and Lurkers because of you the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is starting to feel the heat from you who have signed the letter demanding the release of all donations made in the name of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The CBCF is in full defense mode and it is refusing comment on the growning scandal that this foundation and its members are withholding donations, while attacking President Bush, federal officials Republicans and Conservatives as being racist in responding to the needs of the victims. There is still time to apply heat to the CBC as they hope to duck...

Do devastating hurricanes need help from affirmative action? A member of Congress apparently thinks so, and is demanding the storms be given names that sound "black." The congressional newspaper the Hill reported this week that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, feels that the current names are too "lily white," and is seeking to have better representation for names reflecting African-Americans and other ethnic groups. "All racial groups should be represented," Lee said, according to the Hill. She hoped federal weather officials "would try to be inclusive of African-American names." A sampling of popular names that could be used include Keisha,...

I was just listening to the Ed Schultz show on Air America. He was trying to defend the whipping he got from Dennis Prager of Schutlz's misquotes of Bill Bennett. Needing help, he brought on Sheila Jackson Lee (I wonder if she has found the flag that our astronauts placed on Mars). In speaking about how bad Bennett's comments were to the black race, she said, "Bill Bennettt's comments set back civil rights 50 years".

Sheila Jackson-Lee says the complete meltdown in New Orleans was due to the federal government not taking actions from lessons learned from 9-11. Ann Coulter succinctly argued that local and state governments were responsible for the problems suffered in New Orleans. Right on Ann! The segment on Geraldo, was far too short. They did not allow Ann to engage Jackson-Lee directly.....I would've enjoyed the exchange!

I'll make a deal. If politicians will follow two simple rules, I'll put the blame game under a two-week moratorium. • Rule #1: If you're not one of the elected officials who has operational responsibilities, do NOT elbow your way into a news conference simply for the pleasure of getting face time with a television camera. We need to hear details from the governor, the county judges, the mayors. We don't need to hear every member of Congress or City Council congratulate each other for the wonderful work they're doing. We don't even need to hear from the majority leader,...

Sheila Jackson Lee, from Houston, is the congresswoman who thought our astronauts had landed on Mars. Does anyone know if she is helping the evacuees or doing anything for the people of Houston? I hope she is...just wondering.

Hello Everyone, Having had personal experience as a volunteer at one of the Astrodome complexes and other areas, I am disappointed, upset and somewhat angered by several comments made by national figures, including a Congressman and Jesse Jackson, equating the shelters, including the Astrodome, to slave cargo ships coming from Africa to the U.S. . . one comment was that evacuees at the Astrodome were being treated like slaves. Nothing could be farther from the truth. On Saturday morning from 7:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the Astro Arena and other complexes in the Astrodome area, evacuees were served breakfast...

New York film critics have been barred from tonight's (Thursday) premiere of Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, leading New York Times columnist Campbell Robertson to wax poetic -- Yeatsian, really -- to speculate whether the snub might have something to do with star Tom Cruise's Scientology beliefs, or last weekend's incident in which a bogus reporter squirted him with a phony microphone, or his bizarre behavior on Oprah Winfrey's talk show. ("The press lacks all conviction, while TOM CRUISE/Is full of passionate intensity, /Really, really passionate intensity.") Meanwhile, film critics in Germany threatened Wednesday to boycott War of the...

DemoRATS once again prove they have a mental disorder: So-called Congresswoman Jackson was asked by Linda Vester her opinion about Sen. Durkin and Gitmo. Not surprising, Jackson started droning on as if a programmed Android supporting Sen. Durkin's comments. Linda Vester couldn't get a word in edgewise. Finally Linda got in that Jackson was conducting a 'filibuster.' Jackson finally shut her leftist piehole long enough to tell Linda Vester, "I don't like being interrupted."

FReepers from the DC Chapter conducted a FReep of the Downing Street Memo Rally  at Lafayette Park next to the White House on June 16. The DSM Rally was sponsored by Code Pink and Progressive Democrats of America (the outfit of William Rivers Pitt of DUmmie FUnnies fame) in an attempt to refight their crushing defeat in the last election. The leftists, including John Conyers (D-Michigan) and other members of Congress who spoke or attended, are trying to impeach President Bush by using a triple-hearsay, ambiguous memo (read great National Review article here) of a lower level British Foreign Office...

At a press conference and Congressional briefing on Wednesday, May 25th, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) will introduce federal legislation that could cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in federal law enforcement grants to local anti-drug task forces. The legislation, which is being co-sponsored by Representatives John Conyers (D-MI), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Donald Payne (D-NJ), and Ed Towns (D-NY), would prohibit states from spending federal Byrne grants on regional narcotics task forces unless they adopt laws preventing people from being convicted of drug offenses when the only evidence against them is the uncorroborated testimony of a law enforcement officer...

WASHINGTON (AP) - With U.S. military action in Iraq under way, some anti-war House Democrats sought Thursday to continue a debate within their party on more peaceful ways to disarm Saddam Hussein. However, freshman Rep. Jim Marshall of Georgia objected to convening a Democratic caucus to debate the war so soon after it started. "The time for debate is past," Marshall said, interrupting a news conference called by Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who gathered the 50 signatures necessary to convene the caucus on short notice. "Even in the face of war, voices for peace and reconciliation can be raised,"...

Posted By: Rob_Booth | Write the Editors | Permalink.. In today's Chronicle, Gebe Martinez mentions Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's participation in the Democrats' objection to certifying the presidential election results. "The Senate voted 74-1 to uphold the election results, with Boxer casting the lone dissenting vote. The House voted 267-31. Jackson Lee and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas were the only two Texas Democrats to support the election challenge." He didn't mention this gem of a quote from Rep. Jackson Lee during the proceedings: "I came here as a slave, and I deserve to vote." For someone old enough...

WASHINGTON - A group of congressional Democrats is asking President Bush (news - web sites) to dismiss a senior military intelligence officer who made church speeches that included inflammatory religious remarks while discussing the war on terrorism. In a letter to Bush released Thursday, Rep. Barney Frank (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., and 10 others said action in the matter of Lt. Gen. William Boykin is long overdue, and he must be removed from his post as deputy undersecretary for defense. A Pentagon (news - web sites) investigation concluded that Boykin violated regulations by failing to make clear he was...

Omega Letter Christian Intelligence Digest Ten Congress Members Call For Boykins' Removal They Were Appalled By His Mention Of GodCommentary on the NewsSaturday, September 04, 2004OL StaffTen members of Congress wrote a letter to President Bush stating that Lt. Gen. William Boykin should be dismissed as the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. In case you don't remember, Boykin is the man in charge of hunting for Osama and was caught speaking to a church while in uniform. The letter states that Boykin has offended Muslims and he lacks objectivity. They seem to be overlooking the fact that it...

Debate is ongoing ...

On September 2, eleven members of Congress, led by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), submitted an official 'Dear Colleague' letter to President Bush calling on the dismissal and firing of Lt. Gen. William Boykin as Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence for his anti-Muslim remarks made while in official military uniform. The letter reads, in part: "One such step…is for you to dismiss Lt. Gen. William Boykin as the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. We were appalled when we learned of the comments General Boykin had made invoking religion in an inflammatory and inappropriate way while in uniform. Many of...

An independent candidate who hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston contends that she is ineligible for the November election.In a lawsuit filed this week, Houston businessman Tom Bazan alleges that Jackson Lee did not file in time for the March 9 Democratic primary and thus is not eligible for the Nov. 2 general election.Jackson Lee, who represents the 18th Congressional District, denied missing the deadline."I physically went over there (to file)," she said Friday. "I take filing very seriously; I do it myself. There's absolutely no question that it was timely."Jackson Lee's primary election application is...

Oliver Kellman has been trying to set up a meeting with his old boss, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). So far, she has not personally returned his calls and they have no set meeting. And it’s no wonder. Three years ago, Kellman, now 36, was an apparently happy Democrat working as the chief of staff for Jackson Lee, one of the more vocal liberals in the House. He had worked for other Democrats, such as Reps. John Conyers (Mich.) and Eliot Engel (N.Y.). But about a month ago, he severed ties with a party he had been affiliated with since...

Best-selling author Brad Meltzer's latest Washington thriller, The Zero Game, involves congressional staffers running betting pools on upcoming votes (naturally, things go awry, and the next vote is for…danger!). Since its publication, he's heard from lots of Capitol Hill folks regaling him with descriptions of real betting games that go on. One of which involves the loquaciousness of Houston's own (very loquacious) U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee. (Actually, Meltzer wouldn't identify the specific congressperson in question; one current Hill worker, though, says, "Lee is the only member I've heard of the game being played with.") How does it work? There's...

Sheila Jackson Lee just entered it into the House Records on live C-Span that the 2004 Super Bowl held in Houston Texas was the best one ever and the best one to uphold family values.

NASHUA, N.H. – The Iowa caucuses left Dick Gephardt without a political future and five Texas congressmen looking for a new horse to back. Reps. Chris Bell and Gene Green of Houston, Chet Edwards of Waco, Silvestre Reyes of El Paso and Max Sandlin of Marshall had all endorsed the former House Democratic leader, who dropped out of the presidential contest after Iowa. So far, none of the five has decided whether to endorse anyone else, according to aides. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat who has stumped for former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean in Iowa and New Hampshire,...

Fox News just broke into the NASA press conference. Doesn't sound good at all, seems like three failed comm attempts, two from orbiters and one from Earth; it's not just the bad weather in Australia. He was being a bit technical but it does not sound good at all.

Sheila Jackson Lee just said on Hannity and Colmes that she talked with Syrian Dictator Bashir Assad for three hours. She said that she invited him to the United States. She wants to engage him. She said that we shouldn't directly confront him, but rather engage him in some sort of debate/admission/submission. She debated this with Sean Hannity. Sean said that Bashir's father was a Baathist and that Bashir himself is a Baathist. Don't you find it interesting that a Democrat Congresswoman could talk with a practicing Baathist for three hours and then invite him to the United States!! Sean...

We're giving Saddam ally Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee exactly what she wanted, but will she thank us? She recently visited Syria although even the State Department admits it is a state sponsor of terrorism, and she says she was so impressed with dictator Bashar Assad that she invited him to her home state of Texas. "I'm sure someone will write a headline, 'Congresswoman invites a terrorist'," the Democrat is quoted as saying in today's Houston Chronicle. "But that's not what I'm trying to do." She did not specify what she was "trying to do" but said, "He's a 39-year-old president...

Jackson Lee said she was so impressed with Syrian President Bashar Assad during her visit that she invited him to speak in Texas, even though his country is designated by the United States as a rogue state and a sponsor of terrorism. "I'm sure someone will write a headline, `Congresswoman invites a terrorist'," Jackson Lee said. "But that's not what I'm trying to do." She said Assad showed his willingness to negotiate by meeting despite President Bush's signing on Friday of the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003, which could impose sanctions on Syria. "He's a 39-year-old...

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, said today that the capture of Saddam Hussein does nothing to change her opposition to the war in Iraq. "I believe we should have had a congressional vote before declaring war, and we should have allowed U.N. inspectors time to finish their work," Jackson Lee said during a news conference at Bush Intercontinental Airport. "As to WMDs (weapons of mass destruction), the fact they have not been found I believe shows I was right." One of the more outspoken congressional critics of the war in Iraq, Jackson Lee had returned to Houston from a...

The Harvard Salient November 20, 2003 Forced Abortions or Food? UNICEF is hardly something to trick-or-treat for By Adam D. Hilkemann, Staff Writer       Halloween. Candy, costumes, carnivals—it’s a wonderful time of year. But Halloween also has its dark side. Witches, ghosts, blood, and UNICEF are also just as much a part of Halloween. Yes, UNICEF.       Almost everyone knows the cute, orange boxes young supermen, gorillas, ghosts, and cartoon characters carry around collecting money for United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). This year even some religious groups on Harvard’s campus were duped into fundraising for them. But what they didn’t...

A whole lot of air blew through D.C. last week, not unlike the hot air that usually blows through. On Saturday, September 20, two days after Hurricane Isabel swept through the Washington region, leaving hundreds of thousands with no electricity, undrinkable water and many with no homes at all, I watched Mayor Anthony Williams being interrogated at a news conference by a group of mostly black residents in Northeast Washington. They wanted to know why they still had no power. Then I remembered Representative Sheila Jackson Lee’s recent comment that hurricane names were too “lily white.” She recommended that the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - To get international help to rebuild Iraq, Congress may have to eat some French fries and French toast, according to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. Saying it is time to put aside differences with France, the Texas Democrat circulated a letter on Monday urging the House of Representatives to put back the word "French" back in fries and toast on House cafeteria and dining hall menus. Lawmakers ordered them renamed "Freedom" fries and "Freedom" toast last spring, reflecting anger at France for its opposition to the U.S.-led war to topple Saddam Hussein as Iraq's president. But times have...

Members of Congress often use weekend plane trips back to their districts as a way to unwind after a hectic bout of lawmaking. Which could explain why Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) demanded a whole row of seats to herself on a recent Continental flight from Washington to Houston. Complete story at http://www.thehill.com

Members of Congress often use weekend plane trips back to their districts as a way to unwind after a hectic bout of lawmaking. Which could explain why Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) demanded a whole row of seats to herself on a recent Continental flight from Washington to Houston. Jackson Lee usually gets first-class upgrades from the airline. But on this particular flight first class was full. After cabin attendants delivered the bad news and showed her to the coach section, Jackson Lee exploded, said one witness. “When she saw that she had to sit with other people, she started...

"Do devastating hurricanes need help from affirmative action?" It might seem like a ludicrous question. And it is. But, nevertheless, at least one member of the House of Representatives thinks so. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, is suggesting storms be given names that sound "black" – names like Keisha, Jamal and Deshawn. She says she feels the current names are too "lily white," and is seeking to have better representation for names reflecting African-Americans and other ethnic groups. "All racial groups should be represented," Lee said, according to a report in the Hill. She hoped federal weather officials "would try...

Hurricane Hoopla Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, has detected racial discrimination in the naming of Hurricanes. She says names like Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Sam and Hurricane Wanda are just too white and, "all racial groups should be represented." But, as The Hill newspaper notes, Jackson Lee will have to wait until at least 2007, when the current roster of names runs out.

For Immediate Release - June 26, 2003 Contact: Nkenge Harmon (202) 225-3816 WASHINGTON, DC – This week the Harris County Republican Party of Texas sent an e-mail to its members soliciting their attendance at a redistricting hearing that will occur in Houston on Saturday. The Republican’s e-mail depicted Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee without mention of her name. (A copy of the e-mail follows this page.) After reading the offensive e-mail Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said: “In order to provoke their party members to attend redistricting hearings in the 18th Congressional District of Texas, Republican Party officials stooped to their lowest...

<p>BOSTON (AP) President Bush does not have the authority to launch a military invasion of Iraq without a congressional declaration of war, according to a lawsuit expected to be filed in federal court in Boston on Thursday.</p> <p>Six members of Congress, three U.S. servicemen and the parents of other U.S. military personnel said on Wednesday they would file the lawsuit that claims any U.S. invasion of Iraq without congressional authority would be unconstitutional.</p>

Hey, all! Just caught the beginning of Sean Hannity's Show - here's a Freeper alert. Yesterday, he had Sheila Jackson Lee (D-MARS) on, and someone called later in the show, telling Sean about the Mars Flag debacle. You know, when Ms. Lee asked in 1997 if the Mars Rover could take a picture of the flag planted by the Apollo Astronauts. He hadn't heard about that, so I gathered up some sources,and sent them to Sweet Baby James, his producer. It's gonna be on sometime today - he sounds like he's grinning about this one... :-)

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Pushes for the Repeal of the Authorization for Use of Force Against Iraq When? Tuesday January 21, 2003 11:00 AM Where? The Cannon Building Terrace, New Jersey & Independence Ave Why? Because pre-emptive aggression will not lead to a peaceful, stable world Washington, DC - Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee last week introduced legislation that would repeal the Use of Force Against Iraq Resolution that was signed into law last October. "Public Law 107-243 was enacted into law on October 16, 2002 prior to the deployment of United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq, and at a time...

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is a house afire. She speaks up at news conferences and on the House floor, with a knack for showing up in front of the news cameras and C-SPAN. Back in her Houston district, she jumps from funerals to birthday parties to school board meetings to job fairs, booked from early morning until late at night. Even her critics concede that she lives for her constituents in the 18th U.S. Congressional District, despite her New York roots and Yale education. But Jackson Lee's strengths also are her weaknesses. Some staffers and critics say...