Posted on 06/10/2005 2:05:01 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
WASHINGTON - The Republican chairman walked off with the gavel, leaving Democrats shouting into turned-off microphones at a raucous hearing Friday on the Patriot Act.
The House Judiciary Committee hearing, with the two sides accusing each other of being irresponsible and undemocratic, came as President Bush was urging Congress to renew those sections of the post-Sept. 11 counterterrorism law set to expire in September.
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the panel, abruptly gaveled the meeting to an end and walked out, followed by other Republicans. Sensenbrenner declared that much of the testimony, which veered into debate over the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, was irrelevant.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., protested, raising his voice as his microphone went off, came back on, and went off again.
"We are not besmirching the honor of the United States, we are trying to uphold it," he said.
Democrats asked for the hearing, the 11th the committee has held on the act since April, saying past hearings had been too slanted toward witnesses who supported the law. The four witnesses were from groups, including Amnesty International USA and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, that have questioned the constitutionality of some aspects of the act, which allows law enforcement greater authority to investigate suspected terrorists.
Nadler said Sensenbrenner, one of the authors of the Patriot Act, was "rather rude, cutting everybody off in mid-sentence with an attitude of total hostility."
Tempers flared when Rep. Mike Pence (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., accused Amnesty International of endangering the lives of Americans in uniform by referring to the prison at Guantanamo Bay as a "gulag." Sensenbrenner didn't allow the Amnesty representative, Chip Pitts, to respond until Nadler raised a "point of decency."
Sensenbrenner's spokesman, Jeff Lungren, said the hearing had lasted two hours and "the chairman was very accommodating, giving members extra time."
James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, speaking immediately after Sensenbrenner left, voiced dismay over the proceedings. "I'm troubled about what kind of lesson this gives" to the rest of the world, he told the Democrats remaining in the room.
Senate Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, in a statement, said the hearing was an example of Republican abuse of power and she would ask House Speaker Dennis Hastert to order an apology from Sensenbrenner.
Just like the democrats, TEN meetings and they didn't get
the answer THEY wanted, so call in the "expert" witnesses
and demand acceptance of their testimony.
The repubs in this case have nothing to apologize for.
Those Dems have no idea how to fight a war -- readily inviting a Trojan horse into their own home and coddling it.
I don't hear any Muslims in the U.S. standing up and saying, "We love America. Here, these are the bad guys and we are not like them". No, they just cry "Unfair, unfair".
We give away education through high school for free to all visitors and illegals in this country. They flock to take advantage of our schools. We are more than generous to all. Yet, the Dems aren't satisfied and want to give them our military as well. Protecting them and not us.
about time the Republicans get some balls and stop putting up with this crap.
Getting big rain, blitsca and germi* right now.
Democrats are just praying, I mean hoping, for another attack on Bushs watch. That's why they will stop at nothing to undermine our security. Because every terrorist cell or suspect that is rounded up in this country, is one less voter and/or contributor to the democrat party.
Typical slanted reporting...
11 Paragaphs in the story
8 devoted to Democrat talking points, quotes or blaming Republicans
2 devoted to Republican quotes
1 neutral reporting
The woman cannot even close her eyes. She is an absolute horror of a human being, and no smarter than my chair.
It pisses me off that she is even allowed to speak in public, let alone take up the time of my government.
Cudos to Sensenbrenner! Usually, it's the dummies who protest and cut people off. He did the right thing. Why are the dummies so supportive of our enemies and so Anti-American?
Tempers flared when Rep. Mike Pence (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., accused Amnesty International of endangering the lives of Americans in uniform by referring to the prison at Guantanamo Bay as a "gulag." Sensenbrenner didn't allow the Amnesty representative, Chip Pitts, to respond until Nadler raised a "point of decency."
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Atta boy Pence!
No MRI for him.
Hastert to rubber-face...."nuts"
pence ping
"Tempers flared when Rep. Mike Pence (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., accused Amnesty International of endangering the lives of Americans in uniform by referring to the prison at Guantanamo Bay as a "gulag." Sensenbrenner didn't allow the Amnesty representative, Chip Pitts, to respond until Nadler raised a "point of decency."
This is one reason why I have affection for the House. They treat Democrats with the respect they deserve. In this instance, they turned their backs and walked out.
If the Democrats have anything of worth to bring to the discussion other than targeting the character of our country, servicemen and worrying about the health of terrorists they'll receive attention. If not, the door is shut.
Ahem. And does anyone wonder why Zogby's polls receive no respect?
They allowed a representative from Amnesty International to testify? I wonder if they questioned the guy about his groups directive for other countries to arrest Bush and other members of the administration and hold them for trial before the International Court?
Any valid point of decency would have objected to Nadler's size. Back in NY we used to call him "Waddler".
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