MESSAGE
FROM THE CHAIR:
Harris County Democratic
Party Chair Commends "Killer D's"
 I want to commend those members of the Harris County delegation to
the Texas House of Representatives who stood up to Tom DeLay's dictatorial
power grab by refusing to be present for the railroad job the Republican
tyrants had planned on the outrageous congressional redistricting
bill. Our representatives understand the monumental constitutional,
as well as political, significance of the outlandish gerrymandering
of Texas' congressional delegation that bill would accomplish, in
ways designed to deprive working men and women, and the sick, and
the elderly, and the children of this state and indeed, this nation,
of representation and meaningful say in matters of urgent - in fact,
in some respects life and death - consequence to them, solely to
give Tom DeLay more power and influence in congress.
Congratulations
to Jessica Farrar and Scott Hochberg and Sefronia Thompson and Garnett
Coleman and Rick Noreiga and Kevin Bailey and Joe Moreno for standing
up for all American families by what they did today. And I praise
Rep. Sylvester Turner, too: since his absence wasn't needed to make
the walkout work to defeat a quorum, he stayed behind so he could
speak up for Democratic values at a critically important conference
committee meeting fashioning a state budget. So long as the walkout
could succeed without him being a part of it (and it did), he did
the right thing, in my opinion, by being sure we have a voice in
the all-important budget process. But that was a very special circumstance,
and acceptable (even laudatory) because we were in a position to
achieve both objectives - forestall action on the outrageous redistricting
bill and participate meaningfully in an effort to minimize the horrors
of the unconscionable and wholly unacceptable Republican budget.
The other Democrats who stayed in Austin today should be ashamed
of themselves. They disserved their party, their state, and their
nation.
Gerry Birnberg
Chair, Harris County Democratic Party
May, 2003
Archive
of Gerry Birnberg's Messages
|
Make
a Donation!