Political Correctness run amok

[SuperScout]

National recall, first and foremost, was simply referring to recalling all currency in existence, which can be accomplished via Executive Order. The voting variety, alas, awaits a legal skeleton upon which you plastic surgeons of plurality can ply your practice. (Gawd, don't you just love alliterations early in the morning?) By bankrupting the drug cartels, a positive blow would be struck in the overall war on terrorism, black marketeering and other illicit means of financing ops that bring us harm.

1. Electoral process is ailing, and in need of serious repair. And now, to invite the dogs of democracy, with their snarling vicousness to fetch their slobbered and sad rejoinders, I declare that a new form of voters' rights be present: the mere ability to fog a mirror is not sufficient to participate in the process. How about a new criteria, e.g., the ability to read (in ENGLISH, he hastened to add), evidence of a receipt for paid property tax, and the correct answers on the test of Who Was Walt Kelly?

2. Liberation, that pesky little condition that has brought you such angst, is one of the precursors of better things to come for those nations who have experienced the wonders of our military might. Democracy is not the end-state, as evidenced by post WW II Japan, Germany etc., but liberation was; fear not, O Befuggled One, for your very nearsightedness will soon be replaced by clearer vision.

3. See Answer #1 above (pardon the redundancy!) But wait! If a better electoral process was in place, the leaders thereby selected would be held to a higher standard, and thus, more trusted. But harkening back to another Solon, Ronaldus Maximus, we might also embrace his thoughts of "Trust, But Verify."

4. Bad leadership. Period. Happens every time.

Now, do I get that damned nomination for Emperor, or not?

[BLUEHAWK]

Sgt Tropo -
Not being a Texan I have very limited understanding of how your legislature functions. However, this flap over gerrymandering got my attention enough so that I am looking into it deeper, so far as is possible for a furiner.

What I found is that a Federal 3-judge panel drew up a districting plan because your congress was unable to agree on one in a timely manner, as you said, following the last census.

The effect of the current republican-sponsored plan would be to manipulate new districts intentionally so as to minimize or lessen the influence of rural voters and emphasize or increase that of suburban ones. Is that so?

Your legislature meets once in every two years... which does, I must say, seem rather too seldom considering how huge and complicated Texas is! So, there is additional pressure to get a plan in place.

It is being claimed that Karl Rove and Tom DeLay are engineering the Texas republican plans. Do you regard this as a true statement?

It is also said that the required and lawful 2/3rds vote on such actions as districting was done away with by your Governor and Lieutenant Governer. Is that true?

There also appears to be a serious question as to whether or not the newly proposed districts actually do reflect the most recent electoral decisions of those who reside in them. Is that your view of it?

While it is idealistically plausible that districting could work to assure the fairest representation for the people, as it is always put into practise redistricting seems to be little more than vote counting manipulation under a fictitiously superimposed two-party system which is, I would argue, unconstitutional. It gives every appearance of being a sophisticated form of "Jim Crow" electoral control over which the voters have no say whatsoever.

[BLUEHAWK]

Emperor Scout,
No doubt your expertise with a rifle is unassailable and well-earned. The question, still, is whether or not the correct target has been selected.

And, though you have yet to answer the query I most recently put to you, I will venture more of the same based upon your last posting:

- In what way, and by what authority, can our national currency be recalled solely "via Executive Order"? Chapter and verse would be sufficient explanation.

- Do you deny the existence of plurality in America? Careful now Scout, this IS an uncensored public forum.

- Your post specified, this time, only "drug cartels". Are there not other cartels one might as well wish bankrupted?

- I have no argument to make as to a requirement of English in return for the right to vote. However, dear Scout, "evidence of a receipt for paid property tax"? Heavens and forsooth! Surely you do not wish to disenfranchise in defiance of our constitution's amendments! Do you?

- Liberation is not what vexes us, Oh Learned One, nor have we angst. It is Imperialism in the guise of democratic freedom which does.

> "Liberate: To give liberty to; set free, especially to free (a country) from foreign control."

- "... those nations who have experienced the wonders of our military might."
Yes Scout, America does have the baddest biggest meanest best military ever known in the history of our planet. Your point is what, again? My point would be, Goliath fell to a boy with a single rock. That young boy went on to become King of Judea, commemorated in psalm and national emblem.

- "Trust, but verify", is the equivalent of the Bedouin, "Praise Allah, but tie your camel first."

I hereby declare you Emperor. We'll all be watching your six, medics at the ready.

[Sgt_Tropo]

You wrote the following questions:

<<<
What I found is that a Federal 3-judge panel drew up a districting plan because your congress was unable to agree on one in a timely manner, as you said, following the last census.

Answer: This is true. The reason the 3-Judge panel had to perform this task, is that the state legislature could not reach a concenus or a 2/3rds majority to approve the plan drawn up by the the Democratic controlled State House and Senate. To meet the legal requirements of having the districts redrawn according to census results, the court stepped in. This was, in my humble opinion, uncontituitional and illegal.

The effect of the current republican-sponsored plan would be to manipulate new districts intentionally so as to minimize or lessen the influence of rural voters and emphasize or increase that of suburban ones. Is that so?

Answer: That or the reverse. The objective of the redistricting is to insure that the district reflects the political leanings of the populous (Dem or Rep). This is because, in Texas, a lot of self-rule authority is given to the districts / counties.

Your legislature meets once in every two years... which does, I must say, seem rather too seldom considering how huge and complicated Texas is! So, there is additional pressure to get a plan in place.

Answer: Yes, I agree that it is too seldom, but then again, we don't have a huge legislative payroll either. Infact, we pay our state legislatures a very paltry sum. I guess it keeps the "professional" politicain from homesteading in the capital. The "once every two years" philosophy has served us well up to now, and I'm sure it will continue to do so for many more. Maybe the federal governement should take note !?!

It is being claimed that Karl Rove and Tom DeLay are engineering the Texas republican plans. Do you regard this as a true statement?

Answer: I don't doubt this one bit. However, the reasoning probably has a lot to do with the fact that the previous redistricting plan was drawn up by a democratic 3-judge panel. The Republicans undoubtedly want a republican led effort this time around.

It is also said that the required and lawful 2/3rds vote on such actions as districting was done away with by your Governor and Lieutenant Governer. Is that true?

Answer: The state Constitution allows for the Governor and/or Lt. Governor (President of the Senate) to waive the 2/3 majority rule, when it is impossible for a 2/3 majority to be present to conduct the business of the Senate. This was written into the Constitution in case the legislatures were imprisoned or killed or forced to flee, due to an enemy force. Unfortunately, the democrats have filled a court suit to stop the waiver of the 2/3 rule, because they are claiming that they are not absent by imprisonment, dead (a matter of opinion), nor are they fleeing an enemy force (again, a matter of opinion). The democrat senators, in my humble opinion, have abandoned their office to which they were elected, by refusing to attend legally called sessions. They had to leave the state, because the law allows the governor to have the state police arrest and escort the senators to the senate chamber, if the senators do not make themselves present within a specified time frame after being dully notified of a called session. The senators are simply behaving like spoiled brats because we have a republican majority in both houses of the state congress and a republican governor, for the first time since the end of the civil war. The democrats simply don't want to play by the rules, so they took their marbles and left. I only hope the courts up-hold the governor's pertition that the fleeing" democrats be found to have legally abandoned their posts and permit the governor to either waive the 2/3 rule (since the absent senators cannot vote), or allow the governor to appointy replacements to fill out the unserved terms of the absent democrat senators.

There also appears to be a serious question as to whether or not the newly proposed districts actually do reflect the most recent electoral decisions of those who reside in them. Is that your view of it?

Answer: I believe the new districts are drawn in accordance to the census answers. However, as usual, you are only hearing the biased viewpoints of the liberal press and the small number of democrat supportors, who would support the democrats regardless of what their stance on this or any issue is, simply because they are democrats. However right or wrong on the issue of redistricting is, the senate members owe it to their constiuents (sp) to be at their desks and voting. The redistricting still has to be approved by a court-appointed independent board before it can become law. This is to help insure that partisan politics play as little role as possible in the redrawing of the district lines.

[BLUEHAWK]

Sarge T -

Well now, that is a whole new spin on the bottle. Thank you for such complete answers. It was not easy to discover which questions to ask you.

I see much more clearly what probably did, could and should happen... but, of course, won't when so many of Texas' lawmakers are AWOL.

It appears that even in the likely event that were the Dems to "lose" the vote they are preventing, there might actually be very little meaningful permanent consequence for anyone in Texas.

This suggests, perhaps, that your legislature (and the national federal one) might better convene only once in TEN years, so as to oversee timely completion of the required census, or in cases of emergency. :-o

Civil disobedience is something I can relate to as an individual. I can even understand the dramatic symbolic gesture of an entire party-based enclave going to Oklahoma for a spell, to make a point, which has indeed been well and fully made. However, being AWOL, twice, is pushing it too far under the circumstances as you have described them. I believe their action would be best characterized, in terms a vet understands, as dereliction of duty.

Having lived in New Mexico quite a long time, the State troopers there would not be my first choice of people to defy, nor would I be quite as sanguine as your Democrats seem to be about those troopers' eternal willingness to fail in coming to the aid of their bretheren to the south... should they be prevailed upon to do so. New Mexico is a State wherein the rule of civilized law hangs onto civility by a beautiful but delicate thread. Perhaps your missing congress members ought to consider taking up residence someplace more dependably hospitable, such as in Rhode Island.

[SuperScout]

Brilliantly put, I must note!! Another question to pose to the AWOL thieves of state money: were you not elected to serve all the people in your district? If so, how can you sneaky bastards discharge your responsibilities by living in New Mexico? I even asked the local rep. here, Patrick Rose, who fled to Oklahoma, if he sent back his perdiem checks. Gloriousky, Bat Man, he never replied (and I'll bet, never returned the money either!).

Now on to Senor BLUE: for historical accuracy, my earlier exploits were in the Infantry, using pinpoint accuracy and finesse, not to mention adroit tactics and a healthy dose of modesty. But sensing the need for greater application of skills, I branch transferred to armor, being a happy tanker - more pinpoint accuracy, but bigger targets.

Currency is issued by and under the authority of the US Treasury, and its existence or lack thereof emanates from the Executive Office. Just as the valid and quaint slogan, "The Buck Stops Here," applies so too does its obverse: "The Buck Starts There." And if other cartels other than druggies were toppled as a result of a currency recall, well, tsk tsk. Crooked is as crooked does, as my friend Forrest Gump told me once.

Pluralities, schmuralities. Or as my friend Winston Churchill said, "Terminological Inexactitude!"

Well, tit for tat: (what the hell does that really mean, other than some sexist rejoinder?) Are you referring to Article XV, about that voting thing? Or Article XIX? Wherein does it preclude the ownership of property as a precursor to participating in the electoral process?

I tend not to see imperialism lurking about in the hallowed halls of liberation, Little Grasshopper. And similarly, liberation probably doesn't exist in an absolute form, and neither does absolute freedom of speech, freedom of religion or any other of the freedoms enshrined in Article I. Once liberation is ushered into a land, generally as the handmaiden of warriors, its effects take time to be fully comprehended by the liberatees. Moral of this Story: To preclude or minimize the angst of liberation, pour yourself another libation. Having this mighty army, navy, airpersons, marines, and three battalions of premenopausal wimmin means we can open up a serious can of Whupass in places and on persons when our national interests are threatened, coupled with having leaders with the cajones to open said can. Judicious use of force is that timely and appropriate discharge of gunpowder and projectile when uninvited visitors are breaking into your home. To ratchet this to the national level is something that requires wisdom, a profound sense of history, excellent leadership qualities and a few other traits. I for one, do not have any apology for our nation's strengths, military might, or the multitude of blessings that these gifts have brought, while acknowledging mistakes can and have been made.

Sgt. Tropo and I accept your apology for not being a Texan! And I hereby accept your appointment as Emperor, except, I have no clothes. Ah well, alas, nudity doth becometh some.

[BLUEHAWK]

Yer Royal Scoutness -

Prithee, Bluehawk thanks you for clarifying the progression of your military specialty, but how the the HELL did you get those heavy artillery up all them trees?

His majesty has yet to show me chapter and verse where it says that the president is aurthorized to recall our national currency via Executive Order, by the way. Which is not to say I yield on any of the other points to which you have failed to respond, and even some to which you have.

In any event, it has been an honorable contest thusfar...though our shirts be torn, and nicks appear here and there. We arrive at the gracious stage of supping libations on our chairs in the shade of our ever advancing wisdom, even in Texas.

I hope your forebears were on the correct side down there, in 1860.

[SuperScout]

Yess, indeedy, my forebears and my ancestors were on the correct (read that "right") side in 1860, and even before that, in 1835. That earlier date, for you folks in Rio Linda, is pre-Alamo, when we really screwed up and tasked a somnabulent yankee with the key to the back door of the fort. The rest of the story, as they say, is history. 1860 - we sided with Sam Houston, who was anti-slavery, anti-secession, and paid very dearly for his stand based on integrity.

[BLUEHAWK]

Emperor Scout -

No wonder you can find no wrong with Federalism.

[Boats]

massacre - the act or an instance of killing a number of helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty. Or; a cruel or wanton murder; wholesale slaughter, complete and utter destruction - slaughter - butchery - carnage
or ruthless killing of human beings.

When you look up the word massacre it sortof says it all.