Talk:John Whitmire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography. For more information, visit the project page. | ||
| ??? | This article has not yet received a rating on the project's quality scale. [FAQ]
Please rate the article and, if you wish, leave comments here regarding your assessment or the strengths and weaknesses of the article. |
||
 |
This article is part of WikiProject Texas, a WikiProject related to the U.S. state of Texas. |
| Start | This article has been rated as Start-Class on the quality scale. |
| Low | This article has been rated as Low-importance on the importance scale. |
 |
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Houston, an attempt to better organize information in articles related to the Greater Houston area. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project where you join the group and contribute to the discussion. |
 |
|
| Start | This article has been rated as Start-Class on the Project's quality scale. (If you rated the article please give a short summary at comments to explain the ratings and/or to identify the strengths and weaknesses.) |
||
 |
This article is part of the WikiProject University of Houston, an attempt to improve coverage regarding the University of Houston. If you would like to help, you can edit this article or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion. |
 |
| Start | This article has been rated as Start-Class on the quality scale. | |
| Low | This article has been rated as Low-importance on the importance scale. |
I guess I'm gonna do a longer article tomorrow on the whole redistricting saga, and link to it from here. Dunno what to call it, and I dunno if one's been done before. For the uninitiated, I think the basic chronology goes something like this:
- Texas Republicans (including TX state House o' Reps speaker Tom Craddick, governor Rick Perry, and, on the national level, Tom DeLay) decide to push through redistricting plan that would shift the balance of the national-level House o' Reps delegation from TX
- 51 Dems in the TX House (total membership: 150) flee by bus to Oklahoma (Ardmore) to deny quorum until the end of the legislative term (the TX legislature meets for no more than 140 days, generally from january through june - and only on odd-numbered years) and thus kill the legislation. They succeed in this effort.
- However, governor Perry declares a special session of the legislature, during the summer, for (apparently) the TX Senate, in which he seeks to get the legislation passed
- Traditional rules of the TX senate (total membership: 31) require a 2/3 majority of members to agree to debate a bill before it can be voted on. TX Senate democrats, numbering 12 in total, make use of this tradition to continue blocking the redistricting bill
- Inevitably, TX Republicans (notably lieutenant governor david dewhurst) declare their intentions to do away with this 2/3 rule and simply vote on the legislation, in which case a simple majority would pass it
- TX Senate Dems (11 of 12) flee the state, heading to Albuquerque, NM, denying quorum to the special session and hoping that this will kill the bill again.
- Whitmire defects, giving the enate Republicans quorum and thus allowing passage of the bill.
now, IANAT, I Am Not A Texan, so, lone-star staters, please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm mostly just setting this down as a skeleton frame for the article I'll write up tomorrow (or whenever). Mcsweet 07:01, 28 Apr 2005 (UTC)
[edit] maybe this can help
[edit] Returned without fear.
A number of Democrats left the state, going to Oklahoma and later New Mexico, to deny a quorum for voting. The court with all do speed ruled, the Attorney General signed letter was not a warrant. Stopping the Texas Rangers from arresting the legislators. Senator John Whitmire only then returned without fear of being arrested by a Redistricting warrant. The rest of the Democrats followed complaining they maxed out their credit cards and struggling to pay lawyers. Eventually the Democrats returned to Austin to face defeat. In the Texas Senate, the Lt. Governor broke precedent in letting something not supported by a two-thirds majority come to a vote. For example, the vote to arrest the Democrats legislators without a court signed warrant was enacted without the oath of office required quorum.
One representative, Helen Giddings, was arrested in May of 2003, but was later the arrest is called a mistake. State of Texas had ordered a police dragnet across the Federal Interstate Highways Texas in a desperate attempt to stop Democrats Legislators form reaching sanctuary in another State or inside of Texas on property solely operated by the US Federal Government like Big Bend National Park on the Rio Grande River. Big Bend National Park agreed to give sanctuary to Democrats legislators if they could get to the park.
But the Federal Highway Administration repeatedly refused safe passage to the Redistricting Dragnet Sanctuary , and offered to cooperate with the Texas Rangers in arresting the Democrats Legislators on the Federal Interstate Highways of Texas. Rep. Helen Giddings was captured and driven to the capitol against her will. Compelling the Democrats legislators to take a plane with the ID number N711RD to sanctuary. "Our position is that, without a warrant signed by a judge, we have no authority. Even under those circumstances, we are hesitant to get pulled into a Texas political battle. If we're going to do battle with Texas, we prefer that it be on the football field," Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry said through his spokesman.
IN THE NAME AND BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, STATE OF TEXAS TO: The Sergeant-At-Arms of the Texas House of Representa1tives and to any Peace Officer of the State of Texas: GREETINGS: Pursuant to Art. 3, Sec. 10, Texas Constitution and in accordance with the Rule 2, Section 4(6) and Rule 5, Section 8, Rules of the Texas House of Representatives, by order of the majority of the members of the Texas House of Representatives present: You are hereby directed to send for and arrest The Honorable Juan Escobar, Member of the Texas House of Representatives, wherever he may be found, and to return that person to the Hall of the Texas House of Representatives and there secure and retain that person. Herein fail not. So ordered this 12th day of May, 2003. [original signed] Tom Craddick Speaker, Texas House of Representatives Attested by: [original signed] Robert Haney Chief Clerk, Texas House of Representatives
Political hack 20:43, 29 Apr 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Nickname is uncorroborated.
There is no source listed for the claim that Whitmire was ever tagged with any nickname. That information is frivolous and innaccurate.
