Texas Gov. Perry indicted for coercion

[Crabtownboy]

No different than the president threatening to veto legislation if he doesn't get what he wants. That's the way the system works.

They have no case.

There is a big difference. No president, including Obama, has said that if such and such a congressman/woman does not resign I will veto this bill. What would you say if Obama threatened a veto if a Tea Party congressman/woman did not resign from Congress?

Perry has every right to veto a bill. He does not have the legal right to intimidate government employees jobs to that veto. That is where he stepped over the line.

If he wanted her out of office I am sure there are Texas state procedures to do so and he should have followed them.

 

[carpro]

There is a big difference. No president, including Obama, has said that if such and such a congressman/woman does not resign I will veto this bill. What would you say if Obama threatened a veto if a Tea Party congressman/woman did not resign from Congress?

Perry has every right to veto a bill. He does not have the legal right to intimidate government employees jobs to that veto. That is where he stepped over the line.

If he wanted her out of office I am sure there are Texas state procedures to do so and he should have followed them.

No case at all. It'll be laughed out of court.

 

[Revmitchell]

No case at all. It'll be laughed out of court.

Yea even Axelrod thinks it is spurious.

 

[church mouse guy]

Just a few FACTS from somebody who actually LIVES in Texas.

Yes, there are liberals in Texas. Travis County, where our capital, Austin, is located, is called the "blue berry" of Texas. It is completely liberal.

The DA who presented the "information" to the grand jury was a protege of the drunken DA who was arrested for drunk driving, then resisted processing and assaulted the police officers who were trying to book her.

In case you missed it, being drunk in public is one of the three causes for a DA to be removed from office in Texas. This woman purchased and consumed more than 23 gallons of vodka in a 15-month period. She is an alcoholic who is said to have been "half in the bag" while in her office trying to fulfill the duties of her office. "The Texas Local Government Code, in Chapter 87, allows public officials like district attorneys to be removed from office for "incompetency, official misconduct, habitual drunkenness, or other causes defined by law." The 1987 revision to the law added a single incidence of intoxication on or off duty as a potential cause for removal."

And lastly, anyone with any knowledge at all of our grand jury system is aware of the old saying, "A DA can indict a ham sandwich."

Lehmberg’s refusal to resign and maintaining his position that someone who had committed her offenses was not fit for office, either as the district attorney or as head of the Public Integrity Unit, Perry announced plans to veto funding for the Public Integrity Unit (which Lehmberg heads up) unless Lehmberg resigned. Texas law clearly grants the governor the power to veto funding for the Public Integrity Unit. The indictment is, therefore, fake.

The fake indictment is political pay back for Perry following Texas LAW and calling for the alcoholic DA's resignation. If she does not resign she will be removed from office pursuant to The Local Government Code, Title 3, Subtitle B, Chapter 87.

In the meantime, Lehmberg is facing a new set of legal troubles, as an ethics complaint was filed against her last week, accusing her of failing to properly report on her campaign finance reports the source of the more than $227,000 in attorneys fees she paid to her defense counsel. Can you say "money laundering?"

This isn't about left verses right or Republican verses Democrat. This is about an alcoholic who drives drunk and endangers everyone in the community. One whose judgement is so bad that she drives drunk certainly lacks the good judgement necessary to be the top Law Enforcement Officer of Travis County, and as director of the Public Integrity Unit has demonstrated a remarkable lack of integrity

TCassidy, thanks for the excellent post!

Now here in Indiana we have a very small agency called the Indiana Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (JLAP), which has the power to disbar lawyers with alcohol, drug, or mental illness problems unless the offender cooperates with a treatment program and stays clean.

Does Texas have something like that? I would think that they did. This woman should be disbarred for alcoholism in my opinion.

 

[church mouse guy]

There is a big difference. No president, including Obama, has said that if such and such a congressman/woman does not resign I will veto this bill. What would you say if Obama threatened a veto if a Tea Party congressman/woman did not resign from Congress?

Perry has every right to veto a bill. He does not have the legal right to intimidate government employees jobs to that veto. That is where he stepped over the line.

If he wanted her out of office I am sure there are Texas state procedures to do so and he should have followed them.

I think that what you are advocating is what Alan Dershowitz calls un-American:

"This is another example of the criminalization of party differences," said Dershowitz, a prominent scholar on United States constitutional law and criminal law who writes the "Legally Speaking" column for Newsmax. "This idea of an indictment is an extremely dangerous trend in America, whether directed at [former House Majority Leader] Tom DeLay or [former President] Bill Clinton."

Further, Dershowitz said, such indictments are something that's done in totalitarian countries and should not be done in the United States.

In such countries, "if you don't like them, you indict," Dershowitz said. "In America, you vote against them...this should be up to the voters. There is no room in America for abuse of office charges, and this has to stop once and for all. This is a serious problem."

And indicting a politician, rather than fighting back through a ballot box, "is so un-American."

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/der...-outraged/2014/08/16/id/589179/#ixzz3AcMRKX5F

Dershowitz is a liberal Democrat and no favorite of the GOP.

 

[Salty]

There is a big difference. No president, including Obama, has said that if such and such a congressman/woman does not resign I will veto this bill. What would you say if Obama threatened a veto if a Tea Party congressman/woman did not resign from Congress?

Lets suppose Tea Party Member Congresswoman Crabtowngirl, was the major Sponsor of a Bi-Partism bill on taxes. Well, Congresswoman Crabtowngirls is driving DWI on the way to the House for an important vote. On the way, while DWI, she hits and kills another driver. President Obama then demands her resignation from Congress, or he will veto the bill. She refuses.
I think in this case, I would agree with Obama.

NOTE: under Article I, Section 6, A Congressman cannot be arrested while going to a House Session.

Perry has every right to veto a bill. He does not have the legal right to intimidate government employees jobs to that veto. That is where he stepped over the line.

You do have to admit that he is being very transparent in this issues.


Didn't some Federal elected official say something about being transparent?

 

[church mouse guy]

Salty, if Dershowitz thinks what's going on in Texas is un-American, it's un-American.

Apparently this woman in Texas is a terrible alcoholic and the public called the police on her because she was weaving in and out of a bike lane. She had an open bottle of vodka in the car with her. What a Democrat doll!

 

[TCassidy]

. . . driving DWI on the way to the House for an important vote. On the way, while DWI, she hits and kills another driver. President Obama then demands her resignation from Congress, or he will veto the bill. She refuses.

The actual facts are even worse. She drove drunk, interfered with police operations, and assaulted a police officer.

The drunk was sued to remove her from office, but won the suit due to her huge influence over the election of judges in Travis county.

She was also head of the Public Integrity Unit and was asked to resign because her actions showed she had no professional integrity.

What is ironic is that the main function of the Public Integrity Unit is to, yep, you guessed it, investigate fraud regarding state liquor licenses.

Can you imagine the conflict of interest of an alcoholic who bought more than 23 GALLONS of vodka over a 15 month period (and that was from only ONE liquor store using a credit card. We don't know how much MORE she bought at other liquor stores or by paying cash) being the one to head up investigates of liquor stores?

This whole thing is nonsense. Utter stupid Democrat nonsense. The Democrats hate Perry because he has led the state of Texas in job growth (half of all job growth in the US was in Texas in the past 5 years), energy independence, and Texas has consistently been ranked as one of the best places to do business in the nation under Gov. Perry’s leadership. As the national and global economies struggle to recover from their financial woes, Texas is displaying strength that is built on intelligent, consistent fiscal discipline. His policies overcame the budget shortfall, reduced spending, and cut business taxes bring many more businesses to Texas thus INCREASING business tax revenue.

Perry was a US Air Force pilot with the rank of Captain, flying C-130 heavy lift jets. He has a proven track record in Texas. He was born in Texas, graduated from Texas A&M University, was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1984, where he was one of the "Pit Bulls" who pushed for austere state budgets during the 1980s to the point that The Dallas Morning News named him one of the ten most effective members of the legislature.

Perry was elected Agriculture Commissioner (a very powerful office in Texas) in 1990 and worked to clean up the corruption of the former leadership.

And, of course, in 1998 he was elected Lt. Governor and assumed office as Governor when George W. Bush resigned to become President.

Perry has been re-elected by substantial margins ever since. He is the longest serving Governor the state of Texas has ever had. And could easily be re-elected this year, but he chose not to run again.

And that popularity with the people of Texas, and his incredibly effective leadership, is why the Democrats hate him so much!

 

[TCassidy]

Does Texas have something like that? I would think that they did. This woman should be disbarred for alcoholism in my opinion.

Yes, the Texas Local Government Code provides for the removal, but that, in Texas, is not done by a committee or board. It is a civil action that must be fought in court. And, of course, such judges in Texas are elected and only those who are political cronies of the DA will be elected so no judge will every sustain a charge against a sitting DA. Disbarment is a function of the Office of the General Counsel of the State Bar of Texas which must recommend a disbarment hearing then the State Bar of Texas will hear the complaint and either sustain the complaint and issue punishment up to and including disbarment or will issue a "no bill" indicating the complaint is unfounded. But again, political cronyism runs rampant in Texas so such a disbarment in a case like this is rare.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Lets suppose Tea Party Member Congresswoman Crabtowngirl, was the major Sponsor of a Bi-Partism bill on taxes. Well, Congresswoman Crabtowngirls is driving DWI on the way to the House for an important vote. On the way, while DWI, she hits and kills another driver. President Obama then demands her resignation from Congress, or he will veto the bill. She refuses.
I think in this case, I would agree with Obama.

No, there are two issues here. One is the bill the other is drunkenness. A president, governor, any elected official should not threaten a veto unless another person does something. That is unethical.

A president, governor should sign or veto the bill on the merits of the bill.

A president, governor should go after a person on the attributes of that person. Procedures should be followed.

Salty, can you imagine what the Obama haters would do if he tried a Perry stunt?

 

[carpro]

But again, political cronyism runs rampant in Texas so such a disbarment in a case like this is rare.

Especially in the legal system. Amongst judges and lawyers.

 

[TCassidy]

No, there are two issues here. One is the bill the other is drunkenness. A president, governor, any elected official should not threaten a veto unless another person does something. That is unethical.

A president, governor should sign or veto the bill on the merits of the bill.

A president, governor should go after a person on the attributes of that person. Procedures should be followed.

Salty, can you imagine what the Obama haters would do if he tried a Perry stunt?

Once again you demonstrate a lack of understanding of the issue. The Public Integrity Unit is a function ONLY of Travis County. So, if it is a county function, why should the state pay for it?

If the state pays for it, it should be under the direction and administration of the Texas Attorney General.

An amendment to the funding bill was offered that does exactly that, but was voted down by RINO Republicans voting with the Democrats in order to get support for pork projects in their own districts.

If the state pays for it, the state runs it.

If the county wants to run it, the county can pay for it.

You can't have it both ways!

 

[Salty]

If the state pays for it, the state runs it.

If the county wants to run it, the county can pay for it.

You can't have it both ways!

I fully agree! Part of the problem is that the Feds or State/Commonwealth require something, but informs the State/Commonwealth or local govt they must pay for it.

 

[church mouse guy]

Lets suppose Tea Party Member Congresswoman Crabtowngirl, was the major Sponsor of a Bi-Partism bill on taxes. Well, Congresswoman Crabtowngirls is driving DWI on the way to the House for an important vote. On the way, while DWI, she hits and kills another driver. President Obama then demands her resignation from Congress, or he will veto the bill. She refuses.
I think in this case, I would agree with Obama.

No, there are two issues here. One is the bill the other is drunkenness. A president, governor, any elected official should not threaten a veto unless another person does something. That is unethical.

A president, governor should sign or veto the bill on the merits of the bill.

A president, governor should go after a person on the attributes of that person. Procedures should be followed.

Salty, can you imagine what the Obama haters would do if he tried a Perry stunt?

Your problem, Crabby, is that liberal Democrat Dershowitz, professor of law at Harvard, says that this indictment is un-American. I should hope that Dershowitz's statement would bother you.

 

[church mouse guy]

Yes, the Texas Local Government Code provides for the removal, but that, in Texas, is not done by a committee or board. It is a civil action that must be fought in court. And, of course, such judges in Texas are elected and only those who are political cronies of the DA will be elected so no judge will every sustain a charge against a sitting DA. Disbarment is a function of the Office of the General Counsel of the State Bar of Texas which must recommend a disbarment hearing then the State Bar of Texas will hear the complaint and either sustain the complaint and issue punishment up to and including disbarment or will issue a "no bill" indicating the complaint is unfounded. But again, political cronyism runs rampant in Texas so such a disbarment in a case like this is rare.

Well, we are luckier in Indiana because of our smallness. The Indiana Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (JLAP) has a Director appointed by the Governor. However, the current Director has served for many years for Governors of both parties. The Director is a lawyer and has expertise in mental illness and substance abuse. The other employees are counselors in addiction and mental illness. A lawyer, judge, or law student must comply with the course of treatment or face disbarment. The treatment is not done by JLAP but by private facilities.

I think that Texas needs to look into an administrative agency to weed out the mentally ill and addicts in the Texas legal and judicial system.

 

[Aaron]

Yeah, he did wrong. You don't get to use your executive power against individuals. I think there are mitigating circumstances, but it was coercion.

I seem to have misspoken. Some of the top legal minds are saying he didn't do wrong, that it wasn't an abuse of power.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

I guess if convicted, he may get to make a few new friends in Huntsville.

 

[church mouse guy]

I guess if convicted, he may get to make a few new friends in Huntsville.

In addition to calling this un-American, liberal Democrat Dershowitz is also calling it totalitarian and what happened in the Soviet Union.

Dershowitz realizes that Democrats serving the White House would be arrested for criminal activity in 2016. He is trying to save the Democrats from themselves. It is amusing to hear him bandy the term un-American about as he probably is an Obama Democrat and a Saul Alinsky fan.