IT'S A DEMOCRACY, STUPID, NOT A MONARCHY: Airline makes room for Sheila Jackson Lee

THE HILL ^ | 9/3/03

[Liz]

Members of Congress often use weekend plane trips back to their districts as a way to unwind after a hectic bout of lawmaking. Which could explain why Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) demanded a whole row of seats to herself on a recent Continental flight from Washington to Houston.

Jackson Lee usually gets first-class upgrades from the airline. But on this particular flight first class was full. After cabin attendants delivered the bad news and showed her to the coach section, Jackson Lee exploded, said one witness.

“When she saw that she had to sit with other people, she started shouting that she was in Congress and worked hard. She was really loud. Everybody in the plane could hear.”

Frequent flyers say that such outbursts are common whenever Jackson Lee is on board. The Continental crew seemed to take the whole situation in stride. Attendants scurried around to find her other accommodations, and once Jackson Lee got her own row of seats she quieted down.

Later in the flight she even paid a friendly visit to the people she had refused to sit with. According to a nearby passenger, Jackson Lee “handed out her business cards and invited them to stop by her office.”

[xsmommy]

pathetic moronic despicable b!tches need love too!; )

[hattend]

You do that and they'll remove you from the plane and you'll spend a night with airport security. After all, it's the law. Oh wait, SJL is above the law.

I would have thrown her card back in her face.

[Liz]

" ....can it go over to where our astronauts planted the flag?"....

"Here, Sheila, go ahead. Take the next flight and plant the flag on Mars yourself."

[dogbrain]

Come to think of it, who would want to sit next to her anyway?
Can you imagine trying to have a conversation with her?

I'm hoping everyone was just to stunned to react.

[Liberal Classic]

That is an insult to Phacochoerus africanus everywhere!

[Protagoras]

This woman is confused.

She ain't the only one. Thankfully this country isn't a democracy, by design.

[Kozak]

Nope. Dead serious. A minor scandal in San Antonio when it happened in the late 80's. Gonzalez claimed the Citizen had "insulted his mother", only witnesses being his paid goons. Claimed right to assault Citizen ( again while goons pinned him down ) under "fighting words" clause in Texas law ( like insulting someone's mother).

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Later in the flight she even paid a friendly visit to the people she had refused to sit with. According to a nearby passenger, Jackson Lee “handed out her business cards and invited them to stop by her office.”

Then she added, "But don't think you'll be sittin' in any of my chairs!!"

[wildbill]

She has a district that is completely safe. She is so deepley entrenched even a black Democrat could not take her on and win.

As far as the Houston Chronicle is concerned, it is staunchly liberal--enough said?

Why didn't anyone speak up? You'd simply have to be there and see the type of screaming verbal abuse this woman routinely uses on anyone who balks her. Even her staff.

She goes through staff people like you wouldn't believe. Can you imagine young eager black staff resigning from a prestigious post like being on a congresswoman's staff. It happens all the time with Lee.

[hattend]

Also, I can't believe NOT ONE PERSON spoke up!

I wouldn't make that assumption. Why else would she get up, hand out her business cards and start telling people to come to her office.

I'll bet she had a flight from hell for the most part. She quit caring later in the flight when she realized her constituency can't afford to fly.

[SkyPilot]

I love the story about how the pilot's dropped her purse on the tarmac and how she flew into a rage at the gate.

[StolarStorm]

Hellooo. You can't blame Continental as a company for this. If the CEO was on board he would have thrown her sorry butt off the plane, Bethune is that kind of guy (and a republican). He's done it before. An FA isn't going to do that. What average employee of a corporation would?

[Liz]

Next time she oughta try this for transportation.

[Liz]

Flew into a rage? The woman needs serious professional help as soon as possible.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Upgrade her next ticket to First Class. On the Amistad. :)

[Liz]

I hear that CBS-TV's "Survivor" is considering a local version tentatively called "Survivor - Texas Style!"

Sheila Jackson Lee and the eleven absconding Democrats will start in Dallas, travel to Waco, Austin, San Antonio, back to Houston and down to Brownsville on the border. They'll proceed up to Del Rio, on to El Paso then to Midland, Odessa, Lubbock and Amarillo. They turn back east to Abilene, Fort Worth and Dallas.

Each person will be driving a pink Volvo with a bumper sticker that reads: "I'm gay. I'm a vegetarian. I voted for Al Gore. I love the Dixie Chicks. Your BBQ sucks, and the Alamo was a waste of time. I want Hillary in 2004, and I'm here to confiscate your guns!"

The contestant that makes it back to Dallas, alive, wins.

[StolarStorm]

Do you have any idea where I could find that article? I've looked on Yahoo and have had no luck.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

LOLOL!!

When is it on? When is it on??

[dogbrain]

"...Jackson Lee exploded, said one witness."

“When she saw that she had to sit with other people, she started shouting..."

I'll try to imagine what would happen if I "exploded" declaring that I pay an congress critters salary and I work hard and started shouting.
What would an average employee do about that?
Something quite different probably.

And I will place blame on THAT airline until they make a public statement acknowleging poor judgment in that instance.
I may be under the impression that CEO's get paid to take responsibility.

[Kozak]

I stand corrected about FF miles. Still don't think you can upgrade to a whole row however....