[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11359]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TEXAS LEGISLATORS ARE HEROES

  (Mr. LAMPSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, my Governor, Rick Perry, called some Texas 
legislative members children, and Speaker Tom Craddick called them 
Chicken D's. Well, I am calling them heroes. Joe Deshotel, Allen 
Ritter, Dan Ellis, and Craig Eiland are heroes to the citizens 
throughout Texas because of their willingness to stand up against the 
heavy-handed tactics of personal politics.
  The Governor and Speaker sent Texas troopers to a hospital in 
Galveston where Craig Eiland's prematurely born children are being 
treated. And yesterday Tom DeLay said he was looking to get the FBI 
involved to arrest Texas Democrats because they refused to put his 
unconstitutional, gerrymandered restricting plan above an issue like 
school finance reform.
  When a man like Craig Eiland has to go to another State rather than 
being there for his children, we have gone too far. The sad thing is, 
Mr. DeLay, you do not need to use the State troopers or the FBI to get 
those brave Democrats back in Austin. All you need to do is start 
paying attention to the needs of Texans instead of your own personal 
political agenda. Mr. DeLay, do not mess with Texas.

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