Free Republic

LUFKIN — Mae Smith, the 64-year-old mayor of the teeny Central Texas town of Holland, seized the civic center lectern like a dragon-slayer ascending the throne. In a fiery red pantsuit and a voice that echoed without the help of a malfunctioning microphone, she and her cohorts revealed to a crowd of about 50 souls clad in denim and plaid a little-known weapon against the foe of all in the room: Gov. Rick Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor. The weapon, Smith said, doesn't involve marching on the Texas Capitol, like more than 1,000 did last year, some on tractors and horses. It...

Candidates lining up to replace longtime Travis County district attorney. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who has led that office since 1977, told his staff today that he will not seek re-election. He was expected to issue a statement later. Earle, 65, will serve the one year remaining on his term, but his retirement will end an era. "Is the district attorney's job an elective office?" Ken Oden, a former county attorney, once quipped about his friend's long tenure. Earle, a Democrat, might not be done with politics. By retiring, he would be available for a gubernatorial bid in...

A coalition to stop the Trans-Texas Corridor voiced its concerns Sunday in Austin, citing border security and gun rights as key issues not being addressed. The large crowd in attendance at the meeting represented a cross section of Texans and included a veterans group out of Houston. “We didn’t fight a war so our government could give away our land,” said ret. Col. Sam Horton of Houston. World War II veteran, ret. Col. Arthur Peterson of Houston, said national security is at stake because the Gov. Rick Perry-supported transportation project would help erase borders between the United States and Mexico...

When a close call like last week's train derailment in Beacon Hill happens, the "what if" questions — as in what if a deadly poison had been released near so many homes — soon are followed by questions about what can be done. But answers to how long it will take to reroute most trains out of San Antonio's core, how much it will cost and where the money will come from don't come easily. And the best guesses on fixing the problem — a decade or more and billions of dollars — don't help people sleep much better. "It's...

Democrats want to force the GOP to mount a write-in effort in November AUSTIN - A fight between the state Democratic and Republican parties over replacing Tom DeLay on the November ballot has moved to federal court. State Republicans filed papers Thursday to move from state to federal court a lawsuit filed last week by the Texas Democratic Party. The Democrats sued to block Republicans from picking a replacement for former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on the ballot for the 22nd Congressional District. The Democrats are hoping to keep DeLay's name on the ballot against their nominee, Nick Lampson. Since...

HILLARY RAISES BIG BUCKS IN TEXAS BUSH COUNTRY. Senator Clinton did a great deal of fundraising around the country in March, and her private fundraising schedule -- which was passed along by a source -- shows that she raked in big bucks in that most impenetrable of red-state strongholds: Texas. The schedule lists a dozen events in four states, in the space of just two months, March and April. This is very significant, because all the activity shows just how determined Hillary's advisers are to stockpile an enormous campaign warchest at a time when she is facing only token opposition...

A Texas prosecutor on Monday announced he would not pursue misdemeanor criminal charges against Ralph Reed, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in Georgia, for violation of Texas lobbying laws. Travis County District Attorney David Escamilla said Reed's activities raised "legitimate" concerns, but a two-year statute of limitations prevented him engaging in a formal investigation. Travis County includes the state capital of Austin. "There's smoke," said Escamilla. "But all of the smoke relates to a period I can't do anything about."

Some people say Don Zimmerman stood with Ted Kennedy. Then there are those of us in the reality-based community . . .

Dozens of Central Texas drivers got pulled over Thursday for doing absolutely nothing wrong. Travis County deputies kicked off what has become a controversial reward program. You know that heart stopping feeling you get when seeing the flashing red lights of law enforcement in the rear view mirror. Well, you won't see that if you're a good driver, but you may get pulled over. Getting pulled over for doing nothing wrong may not sound right to a lot of people. Travis County Deputy Derrick Taylor says his job is to not only look for bad drivers, but reward and encourage...

November 09, 2005 Mary Mapes Names Names ("Anonymous" Ones) Posted by Bill An excerpt from page 201 of her new book: Within minutes of Buckhead's original posting, Freepers began to repeat and embellish Buckhead's thoughts. Not surprisingly, they all agreed with him, they all agreed with one another, and they all agreed this should be pursued aggressively. Freethinkers they are not. The Freepers and their lockstep like-minded fellow travelers moved as a group, like a school of sharks sweeping toward an unaware and unarmed victim. CBS was like some sunburned, overweight Florida tourist with a cut foot, floundering and flapping...

(snip) The resulting film is called The Big Buy, made by Texas filmmakers Mark Birnbaum and Jim Schermbeck. (emphasis added) Jim Schermbeck is not just a filmmaker. I have been looking into Schermbeck's odd connection to the DeLay case for the past couple of weeks. Go to this web site, and scroll down to the bottom. See a familiar name? It's Jim Schermbeck, "filmmaker." And leftwing activist. Check out this sympathetic story in the Dallas Observer, which identifies Schermbeck not as a filmmaker, but as an environmental activist. A couple of weeks ago I spoke via phone with Harold Green,...

Rep. Tom DeLay said District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who is prosecuting him for trying to involve corporate money in Texas politics, has taken such contributions himself. "It's real interesting he has this crusade against corporate funds. He took corporate funds, and he's taken union funds, for his own re-election. That's against the law," Mr. DeLay told The Washington Times yesterday. A review of Mr. Earle's campaign-finance filings in Texas shows that he has received contributions from the AFL-CIO, including a $250 donation on Aug. 29, 2000. He also has received contributions listed on the disclosure forms only as coming from...

If there is one thing liberals and conservatives ought to be able to agree on, it is this: Ronnie Earle, district attorney of Travis County, Texas, has no business wielding the enormous powers of prosecution. I don't know Congressman Tom DeLay, the House Majority Leader. I certainly don't know if he's done anything illegal, let alone something so illegal as to warrant indictment. It doesn't look like it — and at least one grand jury has already refused to indict him (a fact Earle appears to have tried to conceal from the public as he scrambled to find a new...

WASHINGTON -- A Texas prosecutor tried to convince a grand jury that Representative Tom DeLay gave tacit approval to a series of laundered campaign contributions, and when jurors declined to indict, he became angry, according to two people directly familiar with the proceeding. The grand jury was one of three that considered whether there was probable cause to indict DeLay. Two other grand juries did indict the former House majority leader, who had to step aside temporarily under Republican rules. Both indictments focused on an alleged scheme to provide corporate political donations to Texas legislative candidates in violation of state...

Ronnie Earle, Travis County's Democratic district attorney, vows to proceed with vigor, while U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay of Sugar Land, forced to resign as House majority leader, charges foolish partisan persecution. Earle, first elected district attorney nearly 30 years ago, may have cushioned personal risks by forgoing re-election plans — or has he? "I never say never," Earle said Wednesday of what would be an unexpected 2008 campaign. "I've got other things on my mind right now than politics." Maybe, though another Earle swirl could be building. Earle's son, Jason Earle, seeks to succeed state Rep. Terry Keel, R-Austin, representing...

Before former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay began playing Texas statewide politics the same way Democrats had been playing the political game in the Lone Star state for years, the Democratic legislative delegations in Texas and the U.S. House of Representatives had a great ride, which lasted far longer than it should have. No wonder Democrats in Texas and Washington despise him so much. With the exception of the post-Civil War period of Reconstruction, for more than a century, beginning in 1845 when Texas joined the Union, the Democratic Party thoroughly dominated Texas, the home of hundreds and hundreds of...

DeLay Attorney Accuses Ronnie Earle of Grand Jury Shopping After one panel refused to indict him on charges of money laundering, another one did By R.G. RATCLIFFE and CLAY ROBISON, Houston Chronicle, Austin Bureau Oct. 6, 2005, 12:07AM AUSTIN - An attorney for U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on Wednesday accused prosecutors of engaging in unethical grand jury shopping to obtain criminal charges against the former House majority leader. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle had gotten one grand jury to indict DeLay on Sept. 28 on a charge of conspiring to violate state election laws. Two days later, a second...

Maybe Travis County DA Ronnie Earle was just being careful when he persuaded a new grand jury to issue another indictment of U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay as its first order of business. But even without the heated rhetoric of DeLay's lead attorney, Houston's Dick DeGuerin, it made some Democrats nervous. "This is a mess," DeGuerin said Monday, while Earle was silent on his reasons. "This looks like the Keystone Kops." Even-handed mishandler ---------------------- Money laundering is a first-degree felony with a penalty intended for drug kingpins: a maximum of life in prison. Earle included some new evidentiary detail in the...

New evidence obtained during the weekend prompted the money laundering charges that were brought against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay this week, Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle said Tuesday. Earle said the grand jury that indicted DeLay last week on the last day of its term "declined to indict" on charges other than conspiracy to violate the election code. Earle said in a statement that "additional information" that he would not detail came to him during the weekend, leading him to present the money laundering charges to a new grand jury Monday. DeLay's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, of Houston, dismissed Earle's...

The 12-member grand jury that indicted U.S. Rep. Tom Delay, R-Sugar Land, faces scrutiny from critics who say they are lackeys for Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle. Foreman William Gibson lives in a Northeast Austin neighborhood. It's been his philosophy not to have his picture taken because he doesn't want to be harassed, Gibson said. Gibson isn't really afraid of that. He did his duty and that bound him to look at Tom Delay as just another Texan accused of criminal conspiracy, he said. "I like his aggressiveness and everything, and I had nothing against the House majority man,...

This is straight from his website, Robin Rather is Document Danny boys Daughter The following fundraising events, given in Ronnie's honor, are hosted and sponsored by members of our community who have graciously offered their time, resources, and dedication to Ronnie's re-election campaign. Tuesday, October 3, 2000 "Protecting the Safety on which our Quality of Life Depends" Sponsored By: Mayor Kirk Watson Hon. Ben Barnes Lowell Lebermann Robin Rather & David Murray Mithoff & Jacks, LLP John Sharp Melissa Jones Stevens Thursday, October 12, 2000 "The Asian community celebrates Ronnie Earle's dedication and service to Austin" Sponsored By: Tommy Hodinh...

Travis County, Texas, District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who exploded upon the American scene as a result of a grand jury indictment against Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay, is a known partisan Democrat in Texas. His history of trying to prosecute Republicans such as Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson also is widely known in Texas. The Senator Hutchinson case was thrown out when Earle admitted he could not prosecute the case due to insufficient evidence which in legalese means he had no case. His attempt to do the same thing to Bush campaign consultant Bob Bullock also failed when a grand...

Travis County election officials have responded to complaints that voters casting straight-party Democratic ballots are discovering, when performing a final check of their ballots, that their votes for president have been changed from Kerry/Edwards to Bush/Cheney. The officials say that, after trying and failing to replicate the problem on its eSlate voting machines, they have concluded the vote changes are due to voter error rather than mechanical failure. Gail Fisher, manager of the county's Elections Division, theorizes that after selecting their straight party vote, some voters are going to the next page on the electronic ballot and pressing "enter," perhaps...

If nothing else, you have to give Travis County Democrats credit for thinking big, like real Texans. Apparently undaunted that the assault on President Bush's National Guard service blew up in their faces, they are now trying to bring down House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. All roads in the CBS memo scandal traverse Travis County. Dan Rather was the special guest at a 2001 fundraiser for the Travis County Democratic Party, and his daughter is active in the organization. Former National Guardsman Bill Burkett, the unstable Bush-baiter, who now claims he was the source of the forged documents, is represented...

In a familiar pattern, following Republican successes in the voting booth, Travis County’s Democratic District Attorney Ronnie Earle today indicted a bunch of the GOP’s corporate supporters, including Cracker Barrel and Sears, and three employees of a PAC Tom DeLay is on the advisory board of. Corporate contributions to PACs are not illegal in Texas. While corporate contributions to candidates are illegal; TRMPAC never gave corporate contributions to candidates and that is one of the main arguments in their defense. The indictments from Earle’s third grand jury follow a two year investigation. In 1993, Earle indicted Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison...

Date: 8/8/02 Case Style: Bill L. Burkett v. William W. Goodwin, Jackie L. Taliaferro and Archie M. Meador Case Number: 03-01-00302-CV Judge: Puryear Court: Texas County of Appeals, Third Appellate District Plaintiff's Attorney: David Van Os Defendant's Attorney: Kamilla L. Stokes Description: Bill Burkett, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Texas Army National Guard, brought a personal injury action against appellees, William Goodwin, Jackie Taliaferro, and Archie Meador, all of whom were his superior officers. (1) Burkett appeals from the trial court's order dismissing his lawsuit. While Burkett sets out his appellate issue as "whether the court below erred in...

I have committed myself deeply to the democratic political processes of our society, because I believe that “su voto es su voz” – your vote is your voice – and that participation in the political process is one of the highest marks of good citizenship. To that end, I have attended every Texas State Democratic Convention since 1974; I have served as Democratic County Chairman for Travis County, I have served as a Democratic Precinct Chair in both Travis and Bexar Counties, and I have served as president of the Northeast Austin Democrats and chairman of the North East Bexar...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 26, 2004 DFA Contact: Laura Gross, 802-651-3200 Gov. Howard Dean and Democracy for America Endorses David Van Os for Texas Supreme Court San Antonio, Texas—David Van Os, Democratic candidate for the Texas Supreme Court, has been endorsed by Gov. Howard Dean, honorary chair and founder of Democracy for America (www.democracyforamerica.com). Van Os is part of the “Dean Dozen,” a select group of socially progressive, fiscally responsible candidates that represent the spirit of grassroots democracy in this country. On behalf of the candidates, Democracy for America has reached out to their supporters to inform them that Van...

On behalf of our membership the Texas Democratic Veterans Executive Committee is proud to announce that we hereby endorse David Van Os for Texas Supreme Court Place 9. In this endorsement we are proud to join with: Texas AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Communications Workers of America, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, State Association of Electrical Workers, United Auto Workers, American Federation of Government Employees, Texas Carpenters & Millwrights Regional Council of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America, Texas Working Families Political Action Committee, Rio Grande Valley Teachers Association, Austin Black Lawyers Association, Hispanic Bar Association of...

I have a 30 plus year experience of working within and around litigators...I would guess that I have worked with over 100 attorneys and on and with about 40 cases... When I needed an attorney for a case of pure retaliatory abuse that denied me medical care that I had both earned and paid for, I studied the resumes and reputations of attorneys throughout Texas. David Van Os had and has the highest rating and reputation for ethics of any attorney in Texas. And after dealing with him, I would certainly confirm that he has been the most principled and...

    CARL BERNSTEIN: RATHERGATE MAY BE ANOTHER WATERGATE (viewing movie requires Flash Player 7, available HERE) NEW! compleatjohnkerry.blogspot.com NEW! unfitforcommand.blogspot.comjohnkerryisdangerousforamerica.blogspot.com   CLUELESS: O'REILLY AND PODHORETZ ON RATHERGATE THE KERRY-RATHER-BARNES FORGERIES DECONSTRUCTEDWHY JOHN KERRY IS DANGEROUS FOR AMERICA 9.14.04 Dear Mr. O'Reilly, Contrary to your discussion tonight with John Podhoretz ("The O'Reilly Factor"-FoxNew), the authenticity of the Dan Rather memos is no longer open to debate. Irrefutable proof on multiple levels now exists that the memos are forgeries. Your problem seems to be that either you lack the technical expertise to evaluate the material... or you never examined the...

THE KERRY-RATHER-BARNES FORGERIES DECONSTRUCTEDWHY JOHN KERRY IS DANGEROUS FOR AMERICA by Mia T, 9.14.04   (viewing movie requires Flash Player 7, available HERE)Q ERTY SERIES Thanx to Calpernia   COPYRIGHT MIA T 2004 The Kerry-Rather-Barnes forgeries and flip-flops aside, the attempted analogy is risible... A PRESIDENT KERRY MAY BE ABHORRENT...BUT IS IT EVEN CONSTITUTIONAL? WHY JOHN KERRY IS DANGEROUS FOR AMERICA     by Mia T, 8.21.04 "John Kerry gave the enemy for free what I, and many of my comrades in North Vietnam, in the prison camps, took torture to avoid saying. It demoralized us," says former Vietnam...

AUSTIN — A Travis County prosecutor says outside demands for his documents are slowing his investigation of pro-Republican campaign spending in 2002 — but a critic suggests the results so far show a pattern of pro-Democratic collusion with statehouse news organizations. In the latest round, Andy Taylor, a lawyer for the Texas Association of Business (TAB), filed more than 80 requests for possible communications between Travis County District Attorney Ronald Earle and Democratic partisans. Taylor's request arrived Tuesday, several days after Earle answered a request by the Republican Party of Texas with documents showing multiple media inquiries to his office...

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...

Republican infighting over West Texas keeps map from being final Austin's fate in Congress is suddenly tied to Midland, President Bush's childhood home in the oil-rich Permian Basin. Negotiators from the House and Senate both offered maps Friday that would split Travis County into three districts and put U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, in a Republican-leaning district stretching toward Houston. Only bitter Republican infighting over a Midland congressional district stopped negotiators from closing a deal Friday. The new political map for Travis County represents a change in direction from the maps approved last month by the Texas Senate and House...

Travis County calls for execution ban 05/18/2003 By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN – In an unprecedented request to the Legislature, Travis County commissioners have joined a chorus of death penalty critics across the nation and asked state lawmakers to temporarily halt executions in Texas. Led by Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe, the Commissioners Court made its county the first in the state to take such action, calling for a moratorium until the fairness of the capital punishment law can be assessed. This year, Houston Mayor Lee Brown asked Gov. Rick Perry to postpone executions of some...

Cornyn for Senate Update, Travis County Edition October 21, 2002 Early Voting With 15 days left before Election Day, John Cornyn needs your help. Early Voting is well under way and if you have not yet voted, please do so today. You never know what may happen on November 5th. Anything from car trouble to an unplanned business trip or infamous Austin traffic can prevent you from voting if you wait until the last minute. Don't delay, vote today at any of the following polling locations through Friday, November 1st. The following locations are open Mon-Sat 7AM-7 PM and Sun...

Texas Missing Persons Clearinghouse Online Bulletin Missing Person Details Date Picture Updated: 4/25/2002 Name: Sabrina Fair Allen AKA: Sabrina Fair Llorens Allen Case Number: A0204004 Case Type: Involuntary - Family Abduction Last Seen in: Austin (Travis County) Last Seen on: 4/21/2002 Height: 3' 6" Weight: 35 lbs. Age Missing: 4 Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Blonde Date of Birth: 5/30/1997 Race: White Sex: Female State Missing From: Texas Country Missing From: USA Circumstances: Sabrina was last seen wearing a knee length dark blue dress. She was also wearing earrings and a small silver cross necklace. Sabrina has a mole on...