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Pete Stark Kicks Butt - GOP Use Police as Storm Troopers to Quell Democrat Dissent
Today, the Democrats, pushed over the limit by the GOP and led by the outrageously outspoken Pete Stark, finally found their voices!!
Anyone who has ever heard/seen Bill Thomas, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, on C-SPAN knows he's a pompous, self-rightous, obnoxious bully. Thomas, like sociopath Tom Delay tramples over rules and fairness as if they were dirt clods. Republicans are allowed to run over time in their statements without complaint, while Democrats are subjected to constant gavel pounding and shouts of "Time's up!" Republicans are allowed to be insulting, intimidating, patronizing, even threatening, without any censure, while Democrats, if they so much as sound impatient, are threatened or otherwise verbally abused. Republicans are allowed to dominate the floor for hours nitpicking over bills they don't like, while Democrats are routinely given the wrong times to show up for a vote so that they have no chance at all to voice dissent.
Now, today, during yet another frustrating committee meeting, Thomas abused the rights of the minority - and thus the Constitution- once more. The minority was closed out of debate (mark up) over a bill concerning pension plans for Americans - not exactly a SMALL ISSUE!! The Democrats were not given an opportunity to hear the bill fully read, nor allowed to object when Thomas declared that the Democrats had to "consider it read" even when it had not been. They were not given an opportunity to state their objections, nor for any sort of dissent. In short, the bill was shoved down their throats - and America's throats - without recourse. All but one of the Democrats withdrew to the nearby Ways and Means library to conference and decide what to do, thereby holding up the vote. Their RIGHT. The remaining Dem, Pete Stark lingered behind. The angry Stark got into an exchange of words with Republican, Scott McInniss, who provoked the fights, taunting Stark and shouting at him to "Shut Up!" Stark lost it and called McInnis a "fruitcake" and a "wimp" and said that if McInnis wanted to beat him up (paraphrase) then he could just come down and try it. Not exactly the sort of dialogue you want to hear on Capitol Hill, but hardly a violent confrontation. In fact, it is in the transcript of the incident that everyone was laughing. In any case, no one is responsible for Pete Stark's behavior but Pete Stark. Last time I looked, this was still, at least theoretically, a free country where people have autonomy.
...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11104-2003Jul18.html?nav=hptop_tb
Now, today, during yet another frustrating committee meeting, Thomas abused the rights of the minority - and thus the Constitution- once more. The minority was closed out of debate (mark up) over a bill concerning pension plans for Americans - not exactly a SMALL ISSUE!! The Democrats were not given an opportunity to hear the bill fully read, nor allowed to object when Thomas declared that the Democrats had to "consider it read" even when it had not been. They were not given an opportunity to state their objections, nor for any sort of dissent. In short, the bill was shoved down their throats - and America's throats - without recourse. All but one of the Democrats withdrew to the nearby Ways and Means library to conference and decide what to do, thereby holding up the vote. Their RIGHT. The remaining Dem, Pete Stark lingered behind. The angry Stark got into an exchange of words with Republican, Scott McInniss, who provoked the fights, taunting Stark and shouting at him to "Shut Up!" Stark lost it and called McInnis a "fruitcake" and a "wimp" and said that if McInnis wanted to beat him up (paraphrase) then he could just come down and try it. Not exactly the sort of dialogue you want to hear on Capitol Hill, but hardly a violent confrontation. In fact, it is in the transcript of the incident that everyone was laughing. In any case, no one is responsible for Pete Stark's behavior but Pete Stark. Last time I looked, this was still, at least theoretically, a free country where people have autonomy.
...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11104-2003Jul18.html?nav=hptop_tb
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The nice thing that happened here was the media frenzy, exposing the process itself, which we virtually never see otherwise - as though it all happens by magic.
Today someone was telling me about bumperstickers they saw after 9/11 in their area in NH - "Nuke their ass and Steal Their Gas!"
That's the level that the republican congresspeople are at, and the more it gets exposed, the better off we'll all be as more and more people get disgusted.
it's fascinating to watch the borg-like members of the republican party all defend such an obvious untruth while accusing the dems of lying and playing politics. their unity is awesome and formidable (and despicable and frightening).
if only the democrats could learn from their example, not of arrogance, deception and hypocrisy, but of unity and relentlessness.
this event offers a glimmer of hope.