Homeland Security Department Used to Track Texas Democratic Legislators

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Glenn S. Tenney KCTJ CISSP" <gtenney () think org>
Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 15:00:52 -0700
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Homeland Security Department Used to Track Texas Democratic
Legislators

(someone sent me this url... here it is for the IP if you wish)

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0514-07.htm

Published on  Wednesday, May 14, 2003 by CommonDreams.org

Homeland Security Department Used to Track Texas Democrats
by Glenn W. Smith


Republicans in Washington and Austin, Texas apparently used a
Homeland Security Department agency to track Texas Democratic
legislators who left the state to block passage of a GOP-backed
Congressional redistricting bill.

This is the same Homeland Security Department that is supposed to be
making America safe from foreign terrorists. It's the agency we were
told would never be used for domestic political purposes.

But 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.

Republican Craddick, at the request of U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, is
pushing a redistricting plan that would eliminate five Democrats from
the U.S. Congress. Currently, the Texas delegation contains 17
Democrats and 15 Republicans.

While saying they "called someone," Craddick denied making calls to
any federal agency, but DeLay confirmed that Republicans sought the
assistance of federal law enforcement.

The action by the House Democrats, dubbed the "Heroes of the House"
and the "Killer D's" (a reference to a similar quorum-busting action
by Texas Senate Democrats in the late 1970s), has gained national
attention. Their action has also received a surprising amount of
support from Texas newspapers, which have criticized the deeply
partisan actions of Texas Republicans.

Republican leaders in Texas and Washington are furious. They have
called the Democrats, holed up in a Holiday Inn in Ardmore, "cowards"
and "terrorists."

State troopers have followed the Democrats wives, parents and
children. Troopers even staked out a hospital where one lawmaker's
premature twins  are being cared for. Staffers have been harassed.
All this has happened after the location of the Democrats was known.

Now, in a chilling revelation, we discover  the Homeland Security
Department was apparently used to try and track the Democrats'
whereabouts.

It was no doubt a ham-fisted, incautious and bungled attempt (like
the Watergate burglary) by Republicans to use all the law enforcement
they could find to overcome the Democrats' temporary advantage.

But the use of the Homeland Security Department for partisan
political purposes should alarm all Americans. It deserves a full,
complete and independent investigation.

The warnings of civil libertarians appear to have been justified.
Even if it turns out that some half-crazed Republican staffer or
independent investigator called the Air and Marine Interdiction and
Coordination Center, it raises disturbing questions about the
operations of Homeland Security and the lengths Republicans will go
enforce their will.

Americans deserve to know the details of this scandal. And they
deserve to know them now.

Glenn W. Smith is managing director/consultant to the progressive
Rockridge Institute of Oakland, California. Smith lives in Austin,
Texas. His email is glenns () affinitydynamics com .

###


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