Can someone, please, explain this to me.

[mazzarro]

How can it be allowed that a legitimate party, though the minority party, can be denied the use of hearing room in congress by the majority party. Congress was built, paid for and maintained with the tax money of the general public - not republicans only or anyone party alone?
This is an unacceptable arrangement of whatever rules that obtain in congress and we should make some noise to have this stupid rule stricken from congress.

[dave502d]

1. Just one more thing to show how nuts they are.n/t

[babylonsister]

2. Oh, that ain't the best of it. A day or two before,

the house majority leader Sensenbrenner stopped a hearing concerning the Patriot Act by walking out w/his gavel, insulting and ignoring the people gathered for the hearing. He also ignored calls from his fellow reps. to continue. Very dramatic and emphasizes the assholery of this admin. I don't have a clue how to combat it other than to do what we're doing.

[rman]

9. Another parallel with pre-war Nazi Germany

Hitler's RW coalition walked out numerous times in order to disrupt proceedings during his rise to power.

see the docu-drama "Hitler: the rise of evil"

[mcctatas]

3. Because the party in charge is mostly composed of assholes,

dipshits and evil power-mad douche bags?

[The Jacobin]

4. The majority makes the rules

Why should they change it?

Look. Until we can make a creadable threat of taking back the Senate and/or House, they have no reason to change.

Don't like it? Then bust your ass to get seats in our hands in 2006.

[Hippo_Tron]

5. To be fair, the Democrats abused their power when they had the majority

But on a sacle of 1 to 10, the Dems ranked about a 4 or 5 as far as abusing their power went. The GOP is closer to 14 or 15. They've done everything but refuse to let the Democrats into the building. Since shrub was coronated in 2000, the "Peoples' House" has become either a rubber stamp for his policies or a de facto veto pen that prevents him from taking a real stand on some controversial issues. This Stem Cell research bill will be the FIRST time that the House has failed to give Shrub whatever the fuck he wants. FDR led the country through a depression and a war and had HUGE Democratic majorities and even he was more at odds with his congress than shrub is.

[ProudDad]

6. It's a good sign too

that the house finally started telling shrub, "fuck you"!

[Hippo_Tron]

11. Not really, the house started to get worried about being re-elected

Which is another good thing in itself. Stem cell research is supported by everybody but the hardcore religious wrong.

[WhollyHeretic]

7. The Republican party has gone off the deep end

in the last 25 years. It started with Reagan and since he got into office the Republicans have become increasingly power-crazed and vindictive. They really have pretty much totally devolved in to frothing raving lunatics.

[OneBlueSky]

8. for the next hearing, Conyers should just pick a room . . .

and bring the hearing there . . . along with the press . . . let the Repugs call the Capitol police to stop them . . . maybe even arrest them . . . make it a big enough story that the media will have to cover it, whether they want to or not . . .

[dbt]

10. That's how you do it!

Thank Goddess the Honorable* John Conyers reads The DU!

(*How many Members of Congress are actually worthy of being addressed that way?)

[theboss]

12. It's taken Republican ten years to surpass the Dems

The Dems were hardly angels during the 40 years they controlled Congress. But it was the late 70s before things started to get really bad and the 90s before the stench became horrific. The Repubs may have already surpassed them in 1/4 the time.