Austin, TX protest Monday noon Sept. 15 @ State Capitol !

[Gingergal]

SHOWDOWN AT HIGH NOON, MONDAY, SEPT. 15. The third special session is set to begin at "high noon" on Monday, September 15. Please come out to the Senate Gallery at the Texas State Capitol in Austin to watch the proceedings. Plan to take your seat at the Senate gallery by at least 11:30 a.m.
(Corpus Christi Democrats are taking buses to Austin and the announcement says:
Be there for the 1st day of the new special session.
Let's go and tell the Governor that we don't want redistricting!}
So check with your county party and see if they are coming Monday!!
I wonder if there will be a welcome for the Texas Ten before the session starts?
Support our DEMOCRATIC Senators!

[Gingergal]

1. What to do if you can't make it Monday:

WHAT TO DO IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT MONDAY

If you can't make it to the gallery Monday, but want to show support, please call Republican leadership and let them know that "Enough is Enough". Redistricting should end. They are trying to cancel our vote. End redistricting and fund education.

Governor Perry- 512-463-2000
Lt. Governor Dewhurst- 512-463-0001
Senator Robert Duncan, Chair, Senate Jurisprudence Committee- 512-463-0128
Speaker of the House Tom Craddick- 512-463-1000

[sonias]

2. Message from MoveOn.org about Monday's action

We need your help on Monday morning at the Capitol.

The Texas Legislature returns Monday for its third special session
on the Republican Congressional redistricting plan. As you know,
that plan will toss out the votes of many rural Texans, Hispanics,
African Americans and others. Karl Rove, Tom Delay, Rick Perry,
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick want to
toss six or seven Texas Democrats from Congress and hand-pick
their Republican successors.

The courageous Democratic Senators who have successfully delayed
this unprecedented plan will arrive on the floor of the Senate not
long after the gavel falls at High Noon Monday. We need to be
there to support them, and to let the Republican leadership know
that Texas voters oppose their power-grab.

We are asking people to arrive at the Capitol's Senate Gallery
(Third Floor, East Wing) by 11:15 on Monday. Gallery Captains
will be wearing red bandanas on their arms. They will give you
further instructions on this respectful show of support.

When the ten Senators enter the chamber, we should clap. The chair
will no doubt pound the gavel and ask for silence. We should respect
his wishes.

Where: Senate Gallery
Third Floor, East Wing
Texas State Capitol
1100 Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78701
(go to http://maps.yahoo.com for directions)

When: by 11:15 on Monday, September 15th

look for Gallery Captains wearing red bandanas

The Republican redistricting effort is a serious and regrettable
attack on cherished democratic institutions. It will disenfranchise
1.4 million Hispanic and other minority voters. We will be in the
gallery to represent a Defense of Democracy, and we should conduct
ourselves in a respectful and patriotic manner. We will remain as
long as is possible given personal circumstances. And we will be
present as many of the following days as our personal schedules allow.

This is the time to make our voices heard. Please join us in the
Defending Democracy Campaign. Time is running out on the Republicans.
We will win this battle through persistence.

Thanks for all you have done,

--Wes Boyd
MoveOn.org
September 12th, 2003

[Gingergal]

3. Good luck tomorrow if you

get to go. Sonia, let us know about it in detail!!

[sonias]

4. I will Ginergal I plan to be there

I hear there will be buses of out of town folks coming in too. Not as big as our anti-redistricting rally but a good show of support for our faithful solid 10. Whitmire can kiss my Democratic ass.

Sonia

[sonias]

5. "I would rather die on my feet that live on my knees"

We had a full Senate gallery. I don't know how many seats are in the gallery but I estimate about 600-800. I do know that there were more people there than they let in. A lot of people were blocked from going in. They do not allow standing room, you must be seated in a seat - how open and accommodating to the people huh? Anyway, it was a quick session. Whitmire was there early and repukes came and greeted him happily and warmly. I saw a lot of "Quitmire" buttons in the gallery. Something maybe his district came up with, I don't know. Personally I think former ALF-CIO head Joe Gunn tagged him the best in the story that ran in the Austin Chronicle last week - he's a scab.
"Gunn is thoroughly familiar with the ethics of walkouts, and he could not find a diplomatic way to describe what Whitmire had done. "He crossed the picket line is what he did," Gunn said. "His friends were standing there on the line, and he laid his sign down and went back to work. He had a better choice."
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-09-12/pols_capitol.html

I never saw Ratliff approach and welcome Whitmire at all. Armbrister (D-Victoria) was there early too. He's the Dem that did not go to New Mexico but they didn't need him to go, if they could hold the other 11. The called roll and none of the courageous 10 Democrats were present. So they suspended the 2/3 rule and then assigned a few bills to committee and said they would meet in committee at 3:00pm and reconvene the senate at 10:00 tomorrow. The gallery booed them. Then they adjourned. After the repukes left the chamber, the Dems came in to a overwhelming show of support. Yelling, clapping, whistling etc. They stood together in the center of the chamber holding each others hands raised up in the air. After a while they went to the front of the gallery where there is a long table and had a press conference. Lots of media were there. Good speeches about protecting liberty, farmers, families and the rights of all Texans. Each Senator was supposed to speak. About half way though the speeches when Frank Madla (D-San Antonio) was speaking the microphone appeared to die. What in fact happened was that the mic, which is tied to the Senate p.a., was cut off on purpose. Senator Gonzalo Barrientos tried to get the Sgt at Arms to turn it back on, but there was no cooperation. Senator Leticia Van de Putte, who has a very strong voice, basically said these are the tactics of the republicans - to try to silence the voice of the people. "We will not be silenced, we will continue to fight."

I was very impressed with their demeanor and courage. They are very much united and saying all the right things. Senator Mario Gallegos (D-Houston) thanked Tom DeLay which got a lot of boos and hisses, but he said he was thanking him for uniting his colleagues and the Democratic party. My favorite speech was Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville) who quoted Emiliano Zapata (Mexico - revolutionary) and he said it both in Spanish and English. "I would rather die on my feet that live on my knees" Yes Senator Lucio!!

We then gathered in the rotunda for a round of prayers. I'm not big into religion but I went just to show more support. Senator Van de Putte even sang a chorus of "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" and the crowd joined in. The media covers this too you know. We can't be seen as the heathens. And religion is very big in both the Latino and African American communities. This was my silent prayer "And God if this helps at all, I do believe in a supreme being, and will you please cut us some slack and let us win one please - Amen"

So now on to the quickest path is to the courts.

Sonia

[Gingergal]

6. Thanks for a fantastic report!!

I wish that this had been recorded so it could be run on Cspan.
Thanks for going and being there when it counts. It sounds like they gave up and adjourned because of the crowd. Is that correct or did they always plan to make quorum and then adjourn?
I hear they have a senate committee hearing on Wed. as if they really care what the people who show up say.
Thanks again for a better report than the paper and for being there!!!

[sonias]

7. Gingergal I think they are scared of the media coverage

So their only plan for today was to get the quorum and go back to their low road tactics. I'm sure the crowd disturbed them. They hate it when the media gets any shots of large crowds against them. I haven't see the TV coverage so I don't know how it will look or be covered. I'll be mad as hell though if they don't mention the pettiness of turning off the microphone in the gallery. We kept yelling at the media to write that into their stories. We will see.

Yes they will be back on for public testimony on Wednesday. Below is the message that went out today on Travis lists.

Sonia
-------------------------
We have to continue to show the Senators that the "Eyes of Texas" are upon them.

TEXAS NEEDS YOU. The Texas Senate Jurisprudence Committee is currently scheduled to meet Wednesday, September 17th at 1:00 p.m. in E1.102 and is scheduled to take public testimony on yet another new plan. You can check the Senate schedule online at www.senate.tx.us to verify the time of the hearing. As many of your friends and family as can make it should attend this important hearing.

NEVER GIVE IN. NEVER GIVE UP. Tom DeLay won’t. Neither should you.