Mayhem in Texas
In Colorado, a contentious fight over Congressional and state legislative redistricting has made the news. But no one is going to go to jail over the issue. It is not the same story in Texas. The Texas GOP-led state house is seeking the arrest of the Democrats who have stymied a gathering of a constitutionally mandated quorum by taking their party members – 59 of the 62 members of the Texas state house of representatives – to Oklahoma while they work out a deal to handle other issues instead of redistricting.
The current plan is to gut the court approved model and make a more GOP friendly version approved by U.S. Congress’s Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX).
According to the Associated Press “GOP House Speaker Tom Craddick locked down the House chamber so lawmakers who did show up Monday morning could not leave. After a roll call, he ordered the missing lawmakers arrested and brought back to the chamber.”
Ahh, Texas. You don’t mess with Texas.