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‘‘So That’s Where He’s Been All This Time."
Yeah, the Osama jokes are gettin’ a bit stale...
By I.Ficm
Perry
Continued from page l
Democrats have a 17-15 advantage in the Texas
congressional delegation. Republicans, led by
U.S. Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Sugar Land,
say they want a majority in the delegation and cite
GOP-leaning voting trends in the past few
statewide elections.
Last week, the Texas House approved a plan
that could give the GOP as many as 21 seats in the
delegation. Some senators, unhappy with that
plan, are drafting their own maps.
Senate tradition dictates that it takes two-
thirds, or 21 senators, to agree to bring a bill up for
debate before it can be considered on the floor of
the Senate, which is ruled 19-12 by Republicans.
Ratliff, the former acting lieutenant governor,
and the 10 Democrats would be enough to stop the
bill under the rule.
Dewhurst, however, said he would evaluate all
of his options, including changing the tradition, if
it becomes clear that there are not the 21 votes to
bring the bill up for debate.
Senators appeared divided on whether the tra
dition should be changed.
Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, said he
would support changing the rule but only on the
issue of redistricting and only in a special legisla
tive session.
“I ran for public office the first time in 1974
and I've watched the Democratic majority kick
Republicans around for 30 years and we’ve just
taken it because we have been out-voted and the
very first time we get a majority, what do they do?
They run off and hide in Oklahoma in a parlia
mentary sneak attack and if that’s the way they are
going to play the game, the majority needs to
exercise its will,” Wentworth said.
Republicans in the House tried to get a plan
passed during the regular session, but 51
Democratic representatives tied to Ardmore,
Okla., and blocked a quorum in the chamber,
killing the redistricting bill.
Sen. Ken Armbrister, a Democrat from Victoria
who said he is undecided about whether to support
a redistricting plan, said he would not support sus
pending the tradition.
“There is no issue that I have seen in 20 years
that is more important than the traditions and pro
tocol of the Texas Senate and I will never vote to
suspend the two-thirds rule,” Armbrister said.
Under Senate rules, senators are required to
debate bills on the floor in the order they get out
of committee. Senators typically put a “blocker
bill” at the top of the list, forcing lawmakers to get
support from two-thirds of the senators if they
want to take up another bill first. A blocker bill
already is on the agenda this session.
If Perry calls another special session, lawmak
ers may decide not to put a blocker bill at the top
of the list, which could mean that only a majority
of senators could be required to support a bill for
it to get a Senate floor debate.
Armbrister warned against that type of
“gamesmanship.”
“Any kind of gamesmanship that violates the
traditions of the Texas Senate, they won’t have a
quorum,” Armbrister said, suggesting that a num
ber of senators would boycott the Senate.
The two-thirds rule has served the Senate well,
said Sen. Robert Duncan, a Lubbock Republican
who is chainnan of the Senate Jurisprudence
Committee. The committee continued to take tes
timony on the House redistricting bill Tuesday
even though a new Senate bill had not been
unveiled.
Some Republicans say there is precedent for
not following the tradition and point to a 1992 spe
cial legislative session when senators did not use
the two-thirds rule when debating redistricting.
“I think on redistricting, the precedent was set
in the past,” said Sen. Jon Lindsay, R-Houston. “I
would predict that in 18 months everyone will
have forgotten about it, and the two-thirds rule
will be back in place. But in the meantime there
will be some pretty raw feelings.”
DeLay, meanwhile, attempted to play down
Ratliff’s declaration.
Ratliff “has grave concerns that he wants to see
met and he’s sort of exercising his prerogative as
a state senator and publicly airing those con
cerns,” DeLay said.
Ratliff said Monday he was planning to add his
name to a statement signed by 10 other senators
promising their “unalterable opposition ’ to any
motion to bring up congressional redistricting for
debate.
Claudette
Continued from page 1
stuff in the streets.”
By 10 p.m. Tuesday, the
center of the storm, downgrad
ed again to a tropical storm,
was about 70 miles south-
southwest of San Antonio. All
weather warnings for the Texas
coast were discontinued.
As Claudette closed in,
Gary Lawrence watched the
wind topple the roof over gaso
line pumps at a Shell Food
Mart where he works just east
of Carancahua Bay on Texas
Highway 35 between Palacios
and Port Lavaca.
“It was real gradual, then it
went down,” he said, speaking
through a broken front window
of his store as he was pelted
by rain.
Palacios, a coastal fishing
community of 4,500 bordered
by rice fields and grazing pas
tures, was without power
Tuesday. The roof at the
municipal airport was damaged
and a shed covering golf carts
at a golf course blew apart.
At Bayfront RV Park,
directly on the shore of
Matagorda Bay, three trailers
were flattened and two others
were overturned.
“I went around and checked
all of them and there is nobody
inside,” Jack Linney, who was
securing his boat nearby, said.
“We do have a lot of tree
damage, roof damage too,”
Matagorda County Judge Greg
Westmoreland said. “We’ve
got a lot of cleanup to do.”
Dale Porter, 52, owner of
the Ace Hardware in Palacios,
already was doing that, sweep
ing away debris from broken
windows and a damaged ceil
ing so he could be back in busi
ness quickly..
“If I’ve got to get a calcula
tor with a hand crank on it,
we’ll do it,” he said. “We
won’t let our customers down.”
No serious injuries were
reported along the 350-mile
Texas coast, which for several
hours was entirely under hurri
cane watches or warnings.
The Coast Guard had to res
cue two men, brothers Tony
and Lam Nguyen, of Biloxi,
Miss., after their 92-foot
shrimp boat based in Houma,
La., began sinking about five
miles off Sabine Pass at the
extreme eastern edge of the
hurricane warning area. They
were not hurt.
Once the storm fueled by
the warm waters of the Gulf of
Mexico made landfall, it began
losing its punch as it swept
west across South Texas and
headed into northern Mexico.
Preliminary radar estimates
showed heaviest rain, from 4 to
6 inches, hit Matagorda and
Brazoria counties along
the coast.
At Sargent and Surfside
Beach, cars were overturned
and stairways on the beach
front homes built on stilts were
swept away by the waves and
tidal surge.
At Galveston, waves
crashed over the 17-foot pro
tective seawall.
With the storm moving on,
oil and natural gas companies
quickly began sending workers
back to Gulf of Mexico pro
duction platforms and drilling
rigs that had been evacuated in
the previous days.
Houston was only grazed,
with highways wet but no
flooding.
In Austin, Gov. Rick Perry
signed a disaster relief procla
mation to help speed state and
federal response and author
ized use of Texas Naiioc
Guard soldiers and equips
to assist in rescue and ietj
ery.
Later Tuesday he ash
President Bush for a let
disaster declaration tomaltl
counties eligible for feiti
grants and employment a
housing assistance, Coin
cited were Aransas, Es
Brazoria, Calhoun, Del
Fort Bend, Galveston, Coin
Jackson, Karnes, Malawi
Refugio, San Patricio, Vici#
and Wharton.
The Texas Department
Health warned people Ida
eat food that had been in[«
tact with flood water andin
warned of dangers fromsntt
and other wildlife that mi;
have sought shelter in Ik
homes and vehicles.
The Matagorda Bay are
no stranger to hurricanes?;
O'Connor was destroyedh
hurricane in 1919 and again!
Category 4 Carla in 1
Hurricane Celia struck July,1
1970, the last major hum
to hit the region.
Claudette had defiedpre;
lions, heading north of A
forecasters initially anticip:
ed.
“It’s called the unp:
dictability of tropical stoi
Gene Hafele, a Houston-te
National Weather Sen.
meteorologist, explained.
Claudette had developd
week ago in the Caribte
brushing Jamaica, the Cayr;
Islands and Mexico’s Yucat;
peninsula before enteri;
the gulf.
It’s the first hurricane
strike Texas since 1999,rt
Bret slammed into a laigtl
unpopulated stretch betw
Corpus Christi an
Brownsville.
Iraq
Continued from page 1
political system was already under way
with the establishment of the 25-member
council — the first national postwar
Iraqi political body, largely hand-picked
by him.
“The next step is the launching of a
process to write a new constitution for
Iraq. ... Once approved, democratic, free
and fair elections can be held in Iraq for a
fully sovereign Iraqi government. Then
our job, the coalition’s job, will be done,”
Bremer said.
“We have no desire to stay a day longer
than necessary,” he said. “The timing of
how long the coalition stays here is now in
the hands of the Iraqi people.”
The Governing Council, whose mem
bers were selected rather than elected, is
meant to be the forerunner of a 200-250
member constitutional assembly that is
planned to start drawing up a draft consti
tution in September. That process is
expected to take nine months to a year and
free elections to pick a government are
expected to follow.
FJSA
Continued from page 1
Bryan-College Station
Eagle and Class of 1989,
said she wants Johnson to
get a better understanding of
what students and employ
ers want.
“I don’t expect Johnson
to change his mind
overnight,” she said. “But
my hope is that he walks
away with a better under
standing of the needs of
both journalism students
and employers in the com
munication industry.”
Steffy said he thinks it is
vital for students to empha
size how important this
issue is to them and voice
their concerns by writing
letters to the administration.
“For a university the size
of Texas A&M, this is a big
step backward,” he said.
“Once A&M has a repiiii
tion of not having ajotrai-
ism program, it will it
damage to future, cuiitii
and even former student!
A group of students*’
started a petition to gal
support for the prog*
Johnson said he \M
ing forward to havingnf
itive meeting and skatitg
different concerns \vitlii :
who attend.
“I want to talk to (FBI
about ideas and paths*
students might take for a
journalism career,” he si
Johnson said he wants
to invite FJSA to bepartol
the process for that
consideration.
“I recognize the stront
feelings about the recom
mendation, but my aim is#
listen, explain and invit
them to be part of th£
process,” he said.
POLICE BLOTTER
CSPD
7/14/03 10:29 a.m. Recovered
stolen vehicle, Wellborn/Tee.
2001 Ford pickup.
7/14/03 10:37 a.m. Major
accident, 200 Southwest Pkwy.
Head and neck injury.
7/14/03 3:20 p.m. Warrant
arrest, 1700 George Bush.
7/14/03 5:10 p.m. Theft, 1500
Harvey. One arrest.
7/14/03 7:56 p.m. Burglary of
a vehicle, 2102 Texas. Taken:
stereo.
7/14/03 8:29 p.m. Burglary of
a vehicle, 9104 Timber Knoll.
Taken: radar.
7/14/03 9:07 p.m. Burglary of
a vehicle, 2418 Texas. Taken:
stereo.
7/14/03 9:33 p.m. Burglary of
a vehicle, 1001 Harvey. Taken:
purse and accessories.
7/14/03 10:23 p.m.
Aggravated assault, 3511
Longmire. Scrapes.
7/15/03 12:20 a.m. DU1,
Southwest Pkwy/Wellborn. One
arrest.
7/15/03 1:06 a.m. Theft and
possession of marijuana, 301
University. Three arrests.
7/15/03 1:44 a.m. DWI,
Boyett/Church. One arrest.
7/15/03 1:43 a.m. Burglary of
a vehicle, 505 University. Taken:
drill in case, bag with tools.
7/15/03 3:04 a.m. Burglary of
a vehicle, 1100 Spring Loop.
Taken: wallet and contents,
cash, shoes, paintball gun,
watch and pants.
7/15/03 3:36 a.m. Burglary of
a vehicle, 1100 Spring Loop.
Taken: stereo.
7/15/03 3:38 p.m. Burglary of
a vehicle, 1100 Spring Loop.
Taken: stereo and wallet.
UPD
7/9/03 11:50 p.m. Minor in
possession, Parking Area 77.
7/10/03 10:09 a.m. Theft,
Heep Center. Taken: cell phone,
$20 stolen from fourth floor
room.
7/10/03 2:15 p.m. Theft, G.
Rollie White Coliseum. Taken:
monitor, DVD drive, ZIP drive,
RAM card stolen from first floor
room.
7/10/03 5:02 p.m. Warrant
arrest, North Bizzell.
7/10/03 10:25 a.m. Burglary
of a vehicle, Southside Parking
Garage. Taken: three pairs of
slacks from vehicle.
7/11/03 12:04 a.m. Minor in
possession, Parking Area 77.
7/11/03 1:31 a.m. Public
intoxication, Northgate Post
Office parking area. Two
arrests.
7/11/03 7:43 a.m.
Harrassment, Bell Building.
Arrest warrant issued.
7/11/03 11:47 p.m. Criminal
trespass warning, All Faith's
Chapel. Warning issued to sub
ject sleeping in a closet in
Chapel.
7/12/03 1:57 a.m. DWI,
George Bush Dr. One arrest.
7/14/03 9:34 p.m. DWI, Olsen
Blvd. One arrest.
7/14/03 11:13 a.m. Theft,
Physical Plant Carpentry Shop.
Taken: nine pieces of leatherette
with A&M logo.
7/14/03 9:34 p.m. Theft,
Student Recreation Center.
Taken: gym bag with clothing,
wallet, three credit cards, Texas
driver's license and keys.
NEWS IN BRIEF
A&M opens San Antonio
prospective student center
Texas A&M formally opened the new San
Antonio Regional Prospective Student Center
Monday to encourage more students from the
area to consider attending the state's first public
institution of higher learning.
The center makes it easier for parents to obtain
information about admissions, scholarships and
financial aid.
A&M President Robert M. Gates, who headed a
large University-wide delegation, said in A&M's
127-year history, much has changed.
"What not has changed, nor will it, is our com
mitment to developing leaders with the knowl
edge, skills, vision and principles to continue guid
ing Texas and the world through transformations
yet to come," he said.
Ag
Continued from page 1
years ago, the Department of Agricultural
Education evaluated the agricultural jour
nalism program. It found a need for agri
cultural journalists to communicate broad,
technical topics such as science, technolo
gy, food and natural resources to a variety
of audiences. It also needed faculty mem
bers able to train students to fulfill indus
try needs, he said.
Shinn said there are currently 78
official agricultural journalism majors,
but that the number is an underrepre
sentation of all who are actually
involved with the major. He said the
agricultural journalism program would
be able to meet industry needs when it
grows to 200 to 250 students in
the major.
Maintaining a good student-fadi!
ratio plays a major role in
Department of Agricultural Educatin'
strategy to becoming a mature progran
Shinn said. Agricultural journals
employs three full-time faculty memte
Gary Wingenbach, assistant profess*
for agricultural journalism, said®
important aspect of maintaining the god
student-faculty ratio is faculty bad-
ground.
“Our students take 30-plus hoursf
agricultural sciences, and as faculi!
members we all have backgrounds®
agricultural sciences,” Wingenbach sad
“So our students rely on that asset ami
bank of knowledge to talk about thin?
that aren’t necessarily related to agricd-
tural journalism courses but are still *
part of the bigger program.”
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