Watching the Republicans - Runaway Train

[Lamplighter]

There are moments in legislative proceedings when someone must "think on their feet".
Last night, the Texas Senate demonstrated this to a world of viewers
while Senator Wendy Davis was filibustering the latest circus on abortion.
But Sen Davis was only one of three heroines of the night.

Heroine # 1
#StandWithWendy Trends Online During Texas Senator's Abortion Filibuster

Without putting the issue to a vote, Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst ruled
that an attempt by Davis to talk about a previous sonogram bill in the context of SB5
was not "germane" to the SB5 bill.

Heroine #2
Senator Judith Zaffirini brought up the rule that the topic of "germaneness" must be
brought up three times or more before a strike could be issued;
however, at that point, the acting chair, Senator Robert Watson, dismissed her point of order
as having come after the ruling on Davis' topic was made.

Now enters Senator Leticia Van de Putte Heroine #3 to deliver a perfect "estocada"...



"At what point," Senator Leticia Van de Putte asked in the wake of the overridden objections,
"must a female senator raise her voice or hand to be recognized over male colleagues in the room?"

Throughout the night the public in attendance frequently disrupted the proceedings
with chants of "Let Her Speak," making it so hard to hear on the Senate floor
that they had to be ordered out of the courtroom at one point.

But at the last minute, the crowd noise proved to be the real deciding vote.
Tensions were visibly high, and as the final vote to dismiss the filibuster and pass the bill began,
at just ten minutes until midnight, the noise of the crowd rose to a fever pitch,
in one last desperate attempt to disrupt the assembly and forestall the debate.

On the floor was utter chaos.

UPDATE: Wendy Davis and the Texas Democratic Party confirmed that Senate Bill 5 is dead.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

UPDATE: Wendy Davis and the Texas Democratic Party confirmed that Senate Bill 5 is dead.

But not before the Republicans tried to fraudulently alter the timestamp on the vote to make it seem to have occurred before the deadline.

[Lamplighter]

And now, Mr Brooks, have you ever used the word "mutt" ?

NY Times
DAVID BROOKS
Published: June 27, 2013

A Nation of Mutts

<snip>
Moreover, up until now, America was primarily an outpost of European civilization.
Between 1830 and 1880, 80 percent of the immigrants came from Northern and Western Europe.
Over the following decades, the bulk came from Southern and Central Europe. In 1960,
75 percent of the foreign-born population came from Europe, with European ideas and European heritage.

Soon, we will no longer be an outpost of Europe, but a nation of mutts,
a nation with hundreds of fluid ethnicities from around the world, intermarrying and intermingling.
Americans of European descent are already a minority among 5-year-olds.
European-Americans will be a minority over all in 30 years at the latest, and probably sooner.
<snip>
Because high immigration is taking place at a time of unprecedentedly
low ethnic hostility, we’re seeing high rates of intermarriage.
This creates large numbers of hybrid individuals, biracial or triracial
people with names like Enrique Cohen-Chan.
These people transcend existing categories and soften the social boundaries between groups.

Will someone please tell David his star has faded.