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In reply to the discussion: Bush's Foiled NSA Blackmail Scheme [View all]Bill USA
(6,436 posts)18. Homeland Security agency used to track down Texas Democrats - 2003
the rabid Right chants about "limited Government" but given the opportunity [font size="4"]the Republican party consistently shows a frightening facility with the techniques of totalitarianism[/font].
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/16/national/16TEXA.html
The Bush administration said today that the Department of Homeland Security had inadvertently become enmeshed in a partisan dispute in the Texas Statehouse this week when the department agreed to try to track down a private plane owned by a leading Democratic state legislator.
Department officials said Texas law enforcement officials had misled them into believing that the plane might have been in mechanical trouble or had crashed.
In fact, department officials said, the Texas state police, acting on orders of Republicans who control the Texas House of Representatives, were searching for the plane on Monday to try to track down the Democratic lawmaker and several of his colleagues, in hopes of forcing them home and establishing a quorum that would allow a vote on a disputed Republican redistricting plan.
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The disclosure that the resources of the Department of Homeland Security had been diverted to such a local, partisan dispute drew angry denunciations from Democrats in Texas and Washington.
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Homeland Security Dept used to Track Texas Democrats
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0514-07.htm
...today's edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Air and Marine Interdiction and Coordination Center, in Riverside, California, became involved in the Republican search for 51 Democratic state representatives who went to Ardmore, Oklahoma to break a quorum of the House and block action on the redistricting bill.
Here's what the Star-Telegram reported: "The agency received a call to locate a specific Piper turboprop aircraft. It was determined that the plane belonged to former House Speaker Pete Laney." Laney is one of the Democrats who is fighting against the redistricting bill.
The newspaper said, "Laney's plane proved to be a key piece of information because, (Republican House Speaker) Craddick said, it's how he determined that the Democrats were in Ardmore. 'We called someone, and they said they were going to track it. I have no idea how they tracked it down,' Craddick said. 'That's how we found them.'"
The Interdiction and Coordination center "falls under the auspices of the Homeland Security Department," the Star-Telegram reported.
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Eyes of Texas, U.S. on truant legislators - Star Telegram article
http://www.refuseandresist.org/police_state/art.php?aid=788
[a name="here"](emphases my own_Bill USA)[/]
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One federal agency that became involved early on was the Air and Marine Interdiction and Coordination Center, based in Riverside, Calif. -- which now falls under the auspices of the Homeland Security Department.
The agency received a call to locate a specific Piper turboprop aircraft. It was determined that the plane belonged to former House Speaker Pete Laney, D-Hale Center.
The location of Laney's plane proved to be a key piece of information because, Craddick said, it's how he determined that the Democrats were in Ardmore.
[font size="3" color="red"]"We called someone, and they said they were going to track it. I have no idea how they tracked it down," Craddick said. "That's how we found them." [/font]
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[font size="3"]
DeLay admits to role in hunting Democrats[/font]
http://www.chron.com/news/article/DeLay-admits-to-role-in-hunting-Democrats-2121359.php
U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay admitted Thursday he provided Texas Speaker Tom Craddick with the same information that state police used to enlist a homeland security agency in the search for runaway Democratic legislators.
DeLay said his staff used public information at the Federal Aviation Administration to track former Texas Speaker Pete Laney's airplane.
Laney was among 55 Democrats who broke a House quorum on May 12 to kill a congressional redistricting bill sought by DeLay, R-Sugar Land. Craddick and DeLay wanted the errant legislators arrested and returned to the House to force a vote on the bill.
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Texas Department of Public Safety officers working in Craddick's office had the same information when it contacted a federal air interdiction agency to seek its help in finding Laney's airplane. The federal agency has since said it was misled into believing Laney's airplane was missing and possibly had crashed.
Homeland Defense Secretary Tom Ridge, meanwhile, said Thursday his agency is investigating "potentially criminal" misuse of the federal air interdiction service by the DPS.
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So what is forcing Democratic acquiesence now? From the Oval Office, to the Senate?
villager
Dec 2013
#2
So the NSA works for Republicans and against Democrats? If you believe that...
Demo_Chris
Dec 2013
#4
Is Tony Blair is a Democrat or a Republican? I can't form an opinion about this story
GoneFishin
Dec 2013
#15