House Leadership Invokes "Martial Law" [on legislation!!!!]

[antigop]

http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/newsprint.cgi?file=/news2006/0728-13.htm

House Leadership Invokes "Martial Law," Forcing Members to Vote On Key Bills Without Full Knowledge of What They're Voting On


The House Republican Leadership has announced its intention to have the House vote, before adjourning on Friday or Saturday, on several major pieces of legislation that are not yet available to House members in final form because behind-closed-door negotiations on the proposals are still going on. The Leadership apparently intends to use a process known as “martial law” to allow these bills to be brought to the floor very shortly after negotiations are completed, with the result that Members of the House are likely to have virtually no time to examine and consider the details of the legislation before they will be required to vote on it.

Among the matters the House may be asked to vote on under martial law are a major conference report on pension legislation, a costly bill that would permanently reduce the estate tax and extend certain expiring tax provisions, and a bill that would combine a controversial health insurance proposal with an increase in the minimum wage. The House Rules Committee on Thursday afternoon reported a resolution that would provide martial law authority in relation to all of these bills.

Under the martial law procedure, longstanding House rules that require at least one day between the unveiling of significant legislation and the House floor vote on that legislation — so that Members can learn what they are being asked to vote on — are swept away. Instead, under “martial law,” the Leadership can file legislation with tens or hundreds of pages of fine print and move immediately to debate and votes on it, before Members of Congress, the media, or the public have an opportunity to understand fully what provisions have been altered or inserted into the legislation behind closed doors. This is the procedure that the Leadership intends to use to muscle through important bills in the next two days.

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Unbelievable.

[TayTay]

1. We have to vote these bastards out of office

Democracy has been hijacked by a bunch of self-serving jerks. Honestly, this is enough to make you sick.

[zreosumgame]

49. this is why repukes wasted so much time

on funs, god and gays, so they could pull this slimey trcik now.

[mom cat]

2. Anyone who does not vote NO! on principle is a stooge and

should be defeated. This dictatorship must be stopped.

[yankeeinlouisiana]

3. Yep, they should all vote no

and make a big deal out of what the repigs are doing.

[glitch]

31. But the law might be worded that a no vote gives the pukes what they want.

If they can't read it how do they know?

[Liberty Belle]

4. Outrageous. I would refuse to vote, period.

this has got to stop!

[w4rma]

5. This BS should be filibustered. (nt)

[Toots]

25. House doesn't filibuster but they should just refuse to vote

Anyone that votes for legislation they have not read or has no knowledge of is not representing the people period...

[ChairmanAgnostic]

35. they CAN filly-buster, but they also have differnt rules

the leadership can put a stop to it immediately.

In the 1980s, there were several efforts to filibuster, and both sides decided that they had more effective ways of being bribed by lobbyists, so they unanimounsly agreed to the rules.

[anotherdrew]

6. force them to use the sargent at arms to get a quorum.

everyone should stay in their offices

[emald]

7. this is so simple

just call the bluff, vote NO goddamit. Just vote NO. If you can't get the information before the vote than the vote has to be against. Simple, seems to me. Guess thats why i live in a cabin in alaska.

[OnionPatch]

45. Exactly, just vote no

and scream why from the roof tops, press conferences, etc. This is total BS. When will someone stand up to these monsters?

[Tellurian]

8. It might be as dangerous to vote NO and end up with martial law anyway

If the unseen legislation is worded like something to this effect:

"It may be deemed irresponsible of this Congress, that the agency known as
The National Security Agency, not be empowered with full vesture of authority
to protect the security of the USA, would anyone then be opposed to Homeland Security's
use of their full power (including but not limited to martial law) prevent them from
protecting US citizens at home and abroad?

Yes? No?

[Tellurian]

9. The Demos CAN'T back down on this..but this could also be a trick..

[Nikki Stone 1]

10. A trick?

?

[Tellurian]

13. You don't think the Demos were tricked into voting for the Iraqi War?

All of them, except Feingold, voted for <without reading> the Bill
to go to war with Iraq.

This is another deja vu moment. The Republicans stampeding the cattle
to vote on their unseen, unread, not up for discussion, Bills.

[screembloodymurder]

11. Surely the people can shut down the House.

March on.

[Zorra]

12. Dems need to shut down the House and picket. That would make

the republicans look so bad they would never even be able to steal another election.

[ticapnews]

14. Use this to our advantage...

Just have Conyers or Lewis "accidentally" slip Articles of Impeachment for Bush and Cheney into the middle of that estate tax cut bill before it goes to the printers...

Oh dear...every Republican member of the House just voted to impeach the president....

[Pierre.Suave]

29. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

BEST IDEA EVER, DO IT!!!!!!!

I want that to happen now!!!!!!

[MsMagnificent]

44. Thing is, Conyers voted for the Pension bill

:(

[grilled onions]

15. Why Is So Much Behind Closed Doors?

Why aren't our reps seething that they can't even find out what is going down? Why isn't this screaming headlines across the nation?Bush talks FREEDOM and OUR LEGAL PROCESS yet this under-the-table kind of dealing does not sound at all legal and gives our reps no time to argue this issues before vote time. What are they trying to pull on us this time??????????? What IS tucked inside these bills they don't want us to know about until its too late?:grr:

[dogfacedboy]

20. Dontcha know??? National Security reasons! n/t

[TankLV]

42. They do it because they CAN. To hell with the law and decency.

And parliamentary rules of order.

They vote, act and live like they will never be out of power.

So far, they have been "correct" in their behavior - they're still in cotrol, in spite of all efforts to the contrary.

I wonder how they'll react IF and when they're out?!

I can just hear their self-righteous indignation now...

[antigop]

16. DAMN!!!! 76 of the Dems voted for the pension bill sight unseen

They voted for it without even know what was in it.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll422.xml

I'm convinced the Dems really don't want to be the majority party.

[AliceWonderland]

19. Exactly. How hilarious that folks here are outraged at Repubs

when Dems are just bending over and saying, please sir, I want some more.

Ugh.

[jazzjunkysue]

28. My Nita voted no. Love her.

[laylah]

30. Hell

with the exception of Russ Feingold, NO ONE read the freakin' Patriot Act before voting for it!

Editor’s note: In an address given October 12, 2001, to the Associated Press Managing Editors Conference at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sen. Feingold (D-Wis) explained why
Text he, alone among United States Senators, Text (emphasis mine) voted against the Administration-sponsored “U.S.A. Patriot” Act. The text below followed his introductory remarks.
http://www.archipelago.org/vol6-2/feingold.htm
I cannot believe people are not in the streets! GAWD forgive me but I hate these people :mad:

Jenn sorry for all of the bold...I am somewhat technically challenged :silly:

[VP505]

17. Flipping through

the channels and stopped to watch some of the House debate on the minimum wage bill. The one the Repukes subverted with more tax cuts for top 2%, it's unbelievable. I can't believe some of complete nonsense and crap coming out of the mouths of those people. They stand up there and speak complete gibberish then have the nerve to accuse the Dem's of not being serious about increasing the minimum wage because they don't want to include their tax cut for the wealthiest 2% in the bill. If ever there was a time when the Dem's need to take back the House and Senate, it's now, I just hope enough voters hit the polls in November to get it done.

[HuffleClaw]

18. that is utter madness

ya just know they'll have snuck some real scary stuff into those bills. for example, a little provision stating that bush has 'permission' to attack iran, or a blanket immunity for any bush crimes.

[OneBlueSky]

21. kinda like how the USA Patriot Act got passed . . .

no one in Congress could possibly have had time to read it before the votes . . .

[radfringe]

22. it's a sign of desperation

repubs are trying to cram all their eggs in the basket for campaign season

[earth mom]

23. My Gawd-what in the HELL are these nutjobs up to now???!!!

:scared:

:tinfoilhat:

[LynnTheDem]

24. And this is "democracy" how?

Stop fooling yourself, America...a democratic nation you ain't.

[BlueIris]

26. Insanity.

Good god. That is terrible.

[jazzjunkysue]

27. www.congress.gov Go write your congressperson NOW!

This is total BS.

[Mountainman]

32. You don't have to read the bills to know the intent of them.

If the bills were good for people the repukes would not be in such a hurry to pass them. Also if it is a repuke bill is hurts working class people and rewards the wealthy and corporations. Anyone knows repukes do not do things to make life better for most of us.

[zann725]

33. Demcracy is action. As Chimpy says, "Other countries envy our 'freeDOM.'

...so life goes in "Alice's" rabbit-hole.

[Up2Late]

34. Well, I sure this will be fully reported by the MSM...

...or Not.

Unbelievable.:banghead: :mad: :nuke:

[Miss Chybil]

36. What country is this again?

There must be some really powerful shifts going on the the tectonic plates, because I keep waking up thinking I'm someplace else.

[Lindacooks]

37. I cannot believe how un-American these repukes are.

This is a dictatorship.

[Seabiscuit]

38. Simple response to such fascist tactics: vote against such legislation

[outofbounds]

39. If ever there was a time

for democrats to unify now would it. Put the infighting on the back burner and refuse to vote. The media coverage of that would certainly allow the nation to see democracy being subverted. I would think this alone would be one hell of an campaign issue for dems as a whole. Its time for a Tea Party!

[Pawel K]

40. And guess what, because of the middle east distraction they will get away

with it.

[eppur_se_muova]

41. In addition to "Yea", "Nay", or "present", a vote of "in protest"

should be introduced ... for use whenever the Senator or Rep feels that the legislation is something so underhanded or coercive that it is violating the legitimate voting procedure.

[Jazzgirl]

43. I hate these motherfuckers...

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[gulfcoastliberal]

46. If our dem reps were true patriots, they'd not show up for this BS.

Sadly, I'm feeling there's less and less difference between the dems and repugs.

[The Backlash Cometh]

47. Vote, NO!

[Reckon]

48. What this law really means is

all they would have to do is MAKE CLAIMS of ties and NEVER have to prove it to anyone.

[RamboLiberal]

50. F'ing Repukes have been doing this all along

John Dean covers this procedure in his new book "Conservatives without Conscience" which everyone needs to read.

It's a f'ing dictatorship we're under in all 3 branches of government now!