MONEY IN POLITICS = TERRORISM?

Other jury declined to indict DeLay (Larry Margasak & Suzanne Gamboa, Associated Press, 10/06/05)

The two people interviewed, who commented anonymously because of grand jury secrecy, said Travis County prosecutor Ronnie Earle became visibly angry when the grand jurors last week signed a document declining to indict, known as a ''no bill."

One person said the sole evidence Earle presented was a DeLay interview with the prosecutor, in which DeLay said he was generally aware of activities of his associates. He is charged in an alleged money- laundering scheme to funnel corporate donations to Texas legislative candidates in violation of state law.

The person said that Earle tried to convince the jurors that if DeLay ''didn't say 'Stop it,' he gave his tacit approval."

After the grand jurors declined to go forward, the mood ''was unpleasant," the other person said, describing Earle's reaction.

Tom DeLay's righteous prosecutor (Byron York, The Hill, 10/06/05)

For the past two years, Earle has allowed two Texas filmmakers to follow him around as he conducted the investigation that led to the recent indictments. The resulting film, “The Big Buy,” features long interviews with Earle — DeLay did not cooperate — and, once more, Earle focuses on his pet cause.

“The root of the evil of the corporate and large-monied-interest domination of politics is money,” Earle says in the film.

“This is in the Bible. This isn’t rocket science. The root of all evil truly is money, especially in politics. People talk about how money is the mother’s milk of politics. Well, it’s the devil’s brew. And what we’ve got to do, we’ve got to turn off the tap.”

And just to make it completely clear that Earle considers corporate money in politics a very, very, bad thing, at another point in the movie he calls it “every bit as insidious as terrorism.”

Earle's actions, movie add erratic element (Austin American-Statesman, 10/05/05)

Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle has added several more acts to the already circus-like investigation of alleged Republican campaign funding illegalities.

The latest act unfolded on Tuesday afternoon when Earle disclosed that he had gone grand jury shopping on Friday after an indictment against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, which was returned last Wednesday, was questioned for its legality.

[snip]

Earle's panicked rush lends credence to those who complain that he is a partisan playing politics with the grand jury, and it gives ammunition to critics who argue that he has been hapless in his three-year probe.

Ronnie Earle seems to believe he's on an almost messianic mission to combat "abuse of power" and "money in politics" (as opposed to actual transgressions of law). That's fine. He should resign and run for political office, because when you've lost the Austin American-Statesman editorial board for the manner in which you've indicted Tom DeLay, you've certainly bungled matters as a prosecutor.