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http://gawker.com/5861210/professor-spars-with-tree+hating-gnome+like-congressman-at-hearing Professor Spars With Tree-Hating, Gnome-Like Congressman at Hearing
Alaska Congressman Don Young, who has trouble showing up for work, actually rode his snowmobile all the way to Washington to attend Friday's House Natural Resources Committee hearing and say swear words, most notably in the direction of fancy historian Douglas Brinkley.
Brinkley, who's a professor at Rice University and an author (Teddy Roosevelt and Hurricane Katrina are two of his covered subjects), attended the committee hearing in order to promote national monument status for various Alaskan natural wonders that Young and like-minded Congressfolks are always trying to destroy. All his fancy professor-talking agitated Young, who called Brinkley "Dr. Rice" and referred to his testimony as "garbage." And then Brinkley became agitated:
"It's Dr. Brinkley, Rice is a university, and I know you went to Yuba Community College and couldn't graduate . . ." Brinkley shot back.
A fiery Young then interrupted Brinkley, saying: "‘I'll call you anything I want to call you when you sit in that (witness) chair. You just be quiet."
"You don't own me," Brinkley replied. "I pay your salary. I work for the private sector and you work for the taxpayers."
Committee chair Doc Hastings then threatened to toss Brinkley from the meeting if he didn't follow the rules, even though we're not entirely sure Brinkley broke any rules. He described Young's use of "Dr. Rice" as a "faux pas"—pronouncing it "foo pas" in the right-wing Republican style. Some order was restored. But Young wasn't done venting—calling people who visit Alaska's national wildlife refuge to go camping "an elitist group," and attacking Brinkley for working at a university: ....
http://gawker.com/5855157/which-congressperson-has-skipped-the-most-votes-this-yearWhich Congressperson Has Skipped the Most Votes This Year?
The New York Times analyzed the attendance records of our industrious Congressional representatives and learned that almost 20 members—including presidents of The Future Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann—missed 10 percent of the votes this year. But one Congressman outshone his peers in the art of absenteeism: time-traveling garden gnome Don Young of Alaska, who missed 16 percent of the votes.
This makes Young the most-absent person in Congress, if you don't count the members who are running for president or those like Gabrielle Giffords (technically this year's winner) who are suffering from serious health issues
. What makes him think he's so special, that he can go gallivanting about and miss work all the time? Mainly his sexy ways and his pretty smile, but also clout: He's been a part of Alaska politics since before Jesus was born (1967) and a Congressman since 1973. He's an institution. He doesn't need you, or your rules.
When the Times tried to get a more precise answer as to why he's such a work-avoiding slob, "Mr. Young did not respond to a request made on the House floor last Thursday to discuss the matter, because, in fact, he was not there." In his stead, a spokesman pointed out that "Alaska is over 10,000 miles away round trip," which is far. Yet not too far for any of Alaska's other elected Congresscreeps to show up to work on the regular. Then again, they're not as sexy.
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