BS: Morality : noted without comment

Subject: BS: Morality : noted without comment
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 09:33 AM

House G.O.P. Acts to Protect Chief
By CARL HULSE

Published: November 18, 2004

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 - Spurred by an investigation connected to the majority leader, House Republicans voted Wednesday to abandon an 11-year-old party rule that required a member of their leadership to step aside temporarily if indicted.

Meeting behind closed doors, the lawmakers agreed that a party steering committee would review any indictments handed up against the majority leader, Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, or any other members of the leadership team or committee chairmen, to determine if giving up a post was warranted. The revision does not change the requirement that leaders step down if convicted.
        
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The new rule was adopted by voice vote. Its chief author, Representative Henry Bonilla of Texas, said later that only a handful of members had opposed it.

The Republicans' old rule was adopted in August 1993 to put a spotlight on the legal troubles of prominent Democrats. Mr. Bonilla said revising it had been necessary to prevent politically inspired criminal investigations by "crackpot" prosecutors from determining the fate of top Republicans.

"Attorneys tell me you can be indicted for just about anything in this country, in any county or community," said Mr. Bonilla, an ally of Mr. DeLay. "Sometimes district attorneys who might have partisan agendas or want to read their name in the paper could make a name for themselves by indicting a member of the leadership, regardless of who it may be, and therefore determine their future. And that's not right."

Mr. DeLay said he had not instigated the change. But he applauded it nevertheless, saying it could deprive "political hacks" of an ability to influence the makeup of the Republican leadership.

Republican lawmakers "fixed the rules so that Democrats cannot use our rules against us," he said.

Mr. DeLay said he did not expect to be indicted, but added, "This has nothing to do with whether I was going to be or not going to be.''

The comments of Mr. DeLay and Mr. Bonilla were clearly directed at Ronnie Earle, the district attorney in Travis County, Tex., including Austin, who won indictments earlier this year against three political associates of the majority leader. The investigation by Mr. Earle, a Democrat, involves charges of illegally using corporate money to help Republicans win state legislative races in 2002. Those Republican victories in turn gave the state party enough legislative muscle to win redistricting changes that helped Congressional Republicans gain five additional seats in Texas on Nov. 2.

Despite the indictments of his associates, Mr. DeLay has not been called to testify, and Mr. Earle has not said whether the congressman is a target.

Not all Republicans agreed with Wednesday's rule change, which was adopted after some two and a half hours of debate.

"This is a mistake," said Representative Christopher Shays of Connecticut.

When the Republicans gained control of the House in the elections of 1994, "we were going to be different,'' Mr. Shays said.

But "every time we start to water down what we did in '94," he said, "we are basically saying the revolution is losing its character."

Democrats and outside watchdogs bitterly criticized the change.

"Today Republicans sold their collective soul to maintain their grip on power," said Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic whip. "They unabashedly abandoned any pretense of holding themselves to a high ethical standard, by deciding to ignore criminal indictments of their leaders as reason for removal from leadership posts in the Republican Party."

Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a group that follows campaign finance issues, said: "With this decision, we have gone from DeLay being judged by his peers to DeLay being judged by his buddies. It's an absurd and ludicrous new rule and an affront to the American people."

Republicans said Democrats had no standing to criticize them, since House Democratic rules have no provision to remove indicted party leaders, though they do require indicted committee chairmen to step aside. The minority leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, said Wednesday that her party would quickly expand the provision to cover leadership posts as well.

Subject: RE: BS: Morality : noted without comment
From: mack/misophist
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 09:58 AM

Noted

Subject: RE: BS: Morality : noted without comment
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 11:32 AM

There's a "I read it in the Newspaper" thread that also works for this kind of thing, if you want to avoid starting a new thread every time you find one of these.

I glanced at this headline--as a resident of Texas I am all-too familiar with the details of this story. It's more of the depressing rule changing that deLay has been getting away with. Lowering the bar again.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Morality : noted without comment
From: GUEST,Chief Chaos
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 12:02 PM

The worst thing is that he already has two strikes against him. If you were a criminal and had three strikes you could be put away for life. If your a congressman with three ethics violations you can still be the leading republican?

Subject: RE: BS: Morality : noted without comment
From: GUEST,TIA
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 12:05 PM

Apparently it helps.

Subject: RE: BS: Morality : noted without comment
From: Rapparee
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 12:08 PM

No problem. Convict the sucker of a felony, and since he's already indicted he might be convicted.

Just another li'l ol' double standard, that's all.

Subject: RE: BS: Morality : noted without comment
From: SINSULL
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 12:09 PM

Second term = SCANDALS! Oh goodie. Now all we need is another OJ type murder trial and I will abandon reading a newspaper or watching TV news for a few years. I can handle 5 minutes of radio news.

I do note it and will only comment that I am not surprised. They are politicians, you know.

Subject: RE: BS: Morality : noted without comment
From: GUEST,Chief Chaos
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 12:14 PM

Well, at least their backing the boss. He just pardoned several people whose crimes all seem to have had something to do with money.

Subject: RE: BS: Morality : noted without comment
From: Rapparee
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 10:20 PM

According to CNN:

Among those pardoned Wednesday was Richard Arthur Morse of Rowley, Mass., who was sentenced to five months in jail in 1963 in Mississippi for interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.

Others pardoned were:

# Meredith Elizabeth Casares, of Kansas City, Kansas, who was convicted in 1989 of embezzling U.S. postal funds. She was placed on probation and ordered to pay $1,534 in restitution.

# Gerald Douglas Ficke, of Lincoln, Nebraska, for a 1992 conviction on charges of evading federal currency reporting requirements.

# Fred Dale Pitzer, of Xenia, Ohio, who was sentenced to three years in prison in 1976 for interstate transportation of fake securities.

# Cecil John Rhodes, of Dallas, Texas, sentenced to six months in jail in 1981 for making a false statement on a bank loan application.

# Russell Don Sell, of Independence, Missouri, placed on probation in 1995 for aiding and abetting the making of a false statement to a credit union.

Bush also pardoned two turkeys named Biscuits and Gravy.

Subject: RE: BS: Morality : noted without comment
From: Bobert
Date: 18 Nov 04 - 10:26 PM

Rom DeLay is the biggest crook in D.C., bar none! The problem with him is that he doesn't care. He thinks he is exempt from prosecution...

Yeah, his Repub buddies can protect him if he should be indicted as well they should because an indictment isn't like a conviction but should DeLay be convicted, he should be booted just like any other crook...

I'd love to see him go. He has thumbed his nose at the law for way too long...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Morality : noted without comment
From: dianavan
Date: 19 Nov 04 - 01:11 AM

Just read the list of pardons. Amazing! ...and how many years did Martha get?

d