It’s Sensenbrenner’s gavel. All his.
So, Sensenbrenner challenged Tom Delay’s “Silver Hammer” title on Friday, declaring every concern about the Patriot Act to be irrelevant, indeed everyone in the room who wasn’t Republican was irrelevant, he slammed his gavel down and then picked it up and walked off the scene of the crime bearing what I can only presume he believed by now to be Thor’s magic hammer from which he’d slung lightning bolts paralyzing the Dems. Slap. Wham. I would do a cartoon down this line or one of Tom Delay, Sensenbrenner and Frist on “What’s my line”, “Will the real Silver Hammer please stand up!” but I don’t have time tonight or tomorrow and my computer’s acting funky tonight, just froze up and I lost a lot of work and I’m now in even a fouler temper than I was ten minutes ago.
Posted over at Americablog was the following comment:
The House Republicans just shut down the Patriot Act hearings while the Democrats were still talking. It was absolutely amazing. Then they shut the mics off on the Dems. Even more amazing is that the House Republicans have the nerve to do this during a hearing on, what?, the Patriot Act! A hearing about our concerns about shutting down free speech and civil rights and the Constitution. So what do they do, they simply shut down open debate in the US Congress. Horrifying.
My husband and I watched on Cspan online.
My husband was mortified. “This is horrifying,” he said.
My sense of outrage was unstirred. Maybe because Sensenbrenner, who sponsored Real ID (here, here, here) and The Safe Access to Drug Treatment and Child Protection Act, just wasn’t going to surprise me too much by shutting down the hearing…
Considering the Patriot Act is his baby.
On October 2, 2001 (Sensenbrenner) introduced H.R. 2975, the PATRIOT Act of 2001. On October 23, Representative Sensenbrenner introduced another bill, H.R. 3162, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, as a replacement for H.R. 2975. Although Representative Sensenbrenner made no introductory remarks, the legislation was part of a number of post-September 11 bills introduced to address potential terrorist threats by various means, intelligence information sharing, and law enforcement issues. H.R. 3162 was passed by the House on October 24 and by the Senate on October 25. The measure was signed by the President on October 26, 2001, as P.L. 107-56.
The Patriot Act is his demon offspring, his legacy.
The same Patriot Act that was already written and raring to go before 9/11, that Sensenbrenner introduced a brief 6 weeks after 9/11, and which went through 9 major committees, was passed by the House then the Senate and signed by Bush within 72 hours.
This Sensenbrenner, who sponsored the Patriot Act, Real ID and The Safe Access to Drug Treatment and Child Protection Act…
Who the hell is this evil bastard?
Sensenbrenner of the Sensenbrenner Kimberly-Clark family. Sensenbrenner whose family established itself with Kotex feminine napkins, who hates to be reminded of this and for which reason Americablog says he shall from now on be known as “Tex” Sensenbrenner.
The IFC finances and provides advice for private sector ventures and projects in developing countries in partnership with private investors. Among its private sector partners: ExxonMobil, BP, Coca-Cola, Kimberly-Clark and Marriott.
Source: Whispermedia
Kimberly-Clark, which hates forests in Canada and Brazil. and other old growth forests around the world.
Killing off the world’s old growth forests isn’t an excuse for Sensenbrenner eager intent to make everyone in the US a potential criminal on one charge or another and subject to mandatory minimum jail time measured in the years. Is it?
What fuels him? Certainly couldn’t all be ire over being teased as a youth that a penny went in his piggy bank every time a woman menstruated.
Every time a baby poops.
(He’s going to get that penny whether a woman is procreating or not.)
I read he’s a Fundie.
I read he’s an Episcopalian.
A fundie Episcopalian?
Whatever.
I read he’s difficult to get along with.
I find myself trying to imagine dinner at the family table when he was a boy and wonder what the normal topics of conversation were.
I picture the band’s manager in Spinal Tap getting macho with his rugby stick but it’s now Sensenbrenner with his gavel.
Where’s the revelatory biography on Sensenbrenner?
Who’s feeding him?
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are indispensable parts of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people — nearly a quarter of the world’s population — trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries.
Interesting, kind of, that he’s sponsored Real ID which will likely be using RFID tech. Of course, RFID tech is important to Kimberly Clark.
“Kimberly-Clark, SAP and OATSystems®, Inc. ..announced that the Kimberly-Clark Corporation has initially deployed the 1st standardized interfaces between SAP AII (Auto-ID Infrastructure) and the OAT Foundation Suite. Together, SAP and OAT will provide a complete RFID infrastructure that provides best-of-breed RFID functionality and fully leverages existing investments in SAP. The standardized interfaces are fully supported by both SAP and OAT to minimize the total cost of ownership (TCO) and optimize RFID integration for joint customers. Kimberly-Clark led the effort to develop a standardized RFID infrastructure. Working closely with SAP and OAT, Kimberly-Clark helped design the appropriate interfaces between SAP AII and the OAT Foundation Suite. SAP and OAT continued the collaborative effort to develop the most appropriate interfaces to support broad market needs. “
Tom Ridge delivered the key address to RFID Journal LIVE in April of 2005, discussing the” important role technologies such as RFID play in securing the supply chain and protecting against a terrorist attack. ”
Another speaker was Mike O’shea “director of corporate auto-ID/RFID strategies and technology at Kimberly-Clark”, and industry co-chair EPCglobal’s connsumer packaged goods market group.
EPCglobal is leading the development of industry-driven standards for the Electronic Product Code™ (EPC) to support the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in today’s fast-moving, information rich trading networks. We are a member-driven organisation comprised of leading firms and industries focused on creating global standards for the EPCglobal Network™. Our goal is increased visibility and efficiency throughout the supply chain and higher quality information flow between your company and its key trading partners.
The following is Nancy Pelosi’s statement on Sensenbrenner’s tantrum.
Pelosi: Republicans Once Again Abuse Power, Attempt to Silence Democrats in Hearing on the Patriot Act
Fri Jun 10, 3:59 PM ET
To: National Desk
Contact: Brendan Daly or Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616, both of the Office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
WASHINGTON, June 10 /U.S. Newswire/ — House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on Republicans’ shameful attempt today to silence Democrats at hearing this morning on the impact of the Patriot Act, when
Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin inappropriately adjourned the hearing.“The Republicans’ abuse of power reached a new low this morning when they tried to silence Democrats at a hearing on the Patriot Act by cutting the microphones.
“Chairman Sensenbrenner proved again today that he is afraid of ideas, and that Republicans will stop at nothing to silence Democrats. It is quite ironic that at a hearing on the impact of the Patriot Act on civil liberties, the Republicans attempted to suppress free speech.
“This is part of Republican abuses of power: to silence Democrats and the voice of the minority, to deny millions of Americans a voice in Congress. Republican leaders dictate the party line and ram bills through committees, and permit few if any amendments on the floor. Republicans are unwilling and unable to compete in the marketplace of ideas, so they have chosen to arbitrarily and capriciously abuse their power simply because they can.
“Democrats will not be silenced when we uphold our oath of office to protect and defend our Constitution and civil liberties as we protect and defend the American people. I commend Judiciary Committee Democrats for continuing to question witnesses after the Republicans’ shameful behavior, and for standing up for the institution of the House.
“This incident is the latest in a series of disgraceful conduct by Mr. Sensenbrenner. Last month, he misused an official committee report to mischaracterize in a derogatory manner amendments offered by three Democratic Members. As a result, the House was required to authorize the filing of a supplemental report, which contained significant changes, to correct the record.
“As House Democratic Leader, I expect all Members to be treated by the majority with dignity and respect. I will ask Speaker Hastert to order Mr. Sensenbrenner to apologize for his behavior to the witnesses at the hearing today, and to promise that this will never again happen.”
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