| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Harry Hope" |
| Date: |
11 Jun 2005 05:53:45 PM |
| Object: |
Republican chairman shows the world how U.S. democracy doesn't work |
http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1118520876.shtml
A POOR MODEL For Iraq's Democracy
by Joe Gandelman
Attention F. James Sensenbrenner Jr.": far be it for me to lecture you
on democracy-- you are professional politician" but you and any who
defend what you did shouldn't lecture Iraqis or anyone else about
democracy:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/10/AR2005061002110.html
After repeated criticism of the Bush administration, the Republican
chairman of the House Judiciary Committee yesterday gaveled a hearing
to a close and walked out while Democrats continued to testify -- but
with their microphones shut off.
What adjectives come to mind?
How about:
graceless...undemocratic...autocratic...deserving of contempt by all
Democrats, Republicans and independents who not-unmistakenly thought
they were taught that in our democracy you allow the opposition to
speak their peace, even if you totally disagree with it.
MORE:
The hearing's announced topic was the USA Patriot Act, which granted
broad new powers to federal law enforcement after the attacks of Sept.
11, 2001.
The Republicans had presented several witnesses at earlier hearings
who supported the administration's call for reauthorizing the
legislation.
But yesterday, when four witnesses handpicked by the Democrats
launched into a broad denunciations of President Bush's war on
terrorism and the condition of detainees at the U.S. prison at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.)
showed his pique.
He urged witnesses to "wrap it up" and repeatedly told committee
members that their time for questioning had expired.
"We ought to stick to the subject," the chairman scolded at the end.
"The Patriot Act has nothing to do with Guantanamo Bay. The Patriot
Act has nothing to do with enemy combatants. The Patriot Act has
nothing to do with indefinite detentions."
"Will the gentleman yield?" Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) asked.
"No, I will not yield," replied Sensenbrenner, 61, the heir to a paper
fortune who is known for a brusque insistence on decorum.
He completed his reproof of the witnesses and left the Rayburn House
Office Building hearing room amid a cacophony of protests from
Democrats seeking to be recognized.
Democrats charged that the episode was another example of Republicans
abusing their control of Congress and trying to stifle dissent over
Bush's approach to counterterrorism.
During the two-hour hearing, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) accused Amnesty
International of endangering U.S. soldiers because a top official of
the group had called the prison at Guantanamo Bay a "gulag."
Sensenbrenner did not allow a group official who was testifying, Chip
Pitts, chairman of Amnesty International USA, to respond until Rep.
Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) raised a "point of decency."
The Amnesty International issue (and we have criticized the group on
this site for their comments) is another issue.
And, yes, the chairman may have been right that Guantamo was another
issue for another day (people can debate that).
His action -- and attitude -- goes to the heart of democracy: simply
walking off with a gavel and shutting off the mike so the opposition
can't be heard doesn't cut it.
An elected leader who does that doesn't deserve to be elected again.
And neither do those who support him in what clearly is a violation of
the basic way American democracy is supposed to work.
At the least, an apology is in order.
PS:
From a purely political point of view, this was stupifyingly dumb.
We can't come up with any other word.
All the talk about Guantamo Bay and even the fact it came up would not
have merited much of a story if he had just let it go on.
But by making a scene and acting like the House is in a Banana
Republic Sensenbrenner gave his foes lots of high-profile publicity
and will provoke lots of outrage from people who may even agree with
him that Guantanamo Bay was straying off the designated topic under
discussion.
You'd think a guy who made his fortune in paper would know how to
successfully fold.
_____________________________________________________
Heil Sensenbrenner!
Harry
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| User: "Political Pagan" |
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| Title: Re: Republican chairman shows the world how U.S. democracy doesn't work |
11 Jun 2005 06:50:28 PM |
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Harry Hope <rivrvu@ix.netcom.com> wrote in
news:krqma11fedk37aejoc3v786vejmucr3mju@4ax.com:
Heil Sensenbrenner!
Take it from a Wisconsinite, Sensenbrenner is a moron and he's useless. The
replies I always receive back from him are canned, and he's a pure puppet.
--
"It's interesting. I see all these political ads and all these
commentators say it's our job as Americans to vote. Let me tell
you something, with Bush in charge of the economy, this might
be the only job you have all year." -Jay Leno
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