Today's NYT: Ethics Committee Afraid of Tom DeLay

[CitySky]

Hi DUers:

Please check this out (excerpts below) -->

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/20/opinion/20mon2.html

If it ticks you off, then please CALL the members of the Ethics Committee and tell them to do their job: appoint outside counsel to investigate the charges against Texas Republican Tom DeLay. Here are their names:

http://www.house.gov/ethics/CommitteeMembers.htm

This weekend I also heard that committee member REP MOLLOHAN OF WEST VIRGINIA -- a Democrat -- has been negotiating with the Republicans to have the charges dropped! :mad:

Thanks.

*** New York Times***
The House ethics committee, ever the Capitol's hibernating watchdog, has been dithering for months about allegations that the majority leader, Tom DeLay, abused his office when he engineered the gerrymander of Texas House seats to cushion his Republican edge in Congress. The committee should have at least approved a formal inquiry by now, but the latest reports indicate that the issue will soon be deep-sixed as the Republican Congress shows no appetite for investigating Mr. DeLay, one of Washington's most feared and bare-knuckled partisans.

Committee leaders claim to be still fact-gathering, but it has becoming clear that their mission is to dismiss this hot potato yet not seem cowardly about it.

***

The far better option is to appoint an outside counsel to look into the charges, as was done in earlier ethics investigations of Speakers Jim Wright and Newt Gingrich.

[punpirate]

1. One more thing which convinces me...

... the only way to put DeLay down is to vote him out. I hope the Texas Democratic Party is putting its full resources into Richard Morrison's campaign.

If they aren't, there's going to more of the same....

[CitySky]

2. Anyone who wants to help...

Can donate to DeLay's opponent via www.morrisonfor22.com -- he has a terrific commercial & plans to buy as much cable time as he can afford. Also has a big need for volunteers, as they are doing a lot of old-fashioned block-walking and phone banking.

I had a chance to meet Richard Morrison, and he is really as straight-up, humble, and sincere as he appears in that ad. But also tough enough for this fight. Heard him say, "I'll be fighting for the people till hell freezes over. Then I'm gonna fight on the ice."

Latest AP feed on the Ethics complaint says the Committee let its fact-finding period expire but hasn't yet decided whether to investigate.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-DeLay-Ethics.html