Kind of a shame. The guy has guts, unlike most of the DIMocRATS.
Posted on 07/24/2002 10:51:15 PM PDT by kristinn
The House of Representatives gathered tonight to cast judgment on one of their own for besmirching the reputation of that august body.
James Trafficant, the rogue Democrat from Youngstown, Ohio faced expulsion for being convicted of taking bribes and other assorted felonies involving chump change that wouldn't get Terry McAuliffe's nipples hard. His judges in the House were fellow members who have betrayed their country, gutted the Constitution, looted the treasury, abused their governmental power, obstructed justice, physically assaulted their fellow citizens, and did nothing about a member who impeded what turned into the murder investigation of one of his mistresses.
I arrived in the House gallery around 8 p.m. as a motion to delay the vote to expel Trafficant was being debated. The visitor, staff and press galleries were just about filled, as was the floor of the House chamber.
The condemned, dressed in a black suit and skinny tie, sat just off to the well of the floor on the Republican side listening to his fate being discussed by those he had served with for many years. Most of the members paid attention to the debate over the fairness of voting to expel Trafficant this evening after a juror in his federal trial had expressed doubt about his vote to convict. A freshman from California rose and spoke in favor of postponing the vote until after the August recess. When he was finished he sat next to Trafficant and commiserated with him for a few minutes.
Another Californian, Loretta Sanchez, seemed more interested in her Palm Pilot than the proceedings on the floor. Her fingers were constantly working the buttons on the electronic gizmo throughout the evening.
The motion to postpone the vote on expulsion failed decisively. In the intervening moments before the scheduled one hour debate on the motion to expel, Trafficant wandered the floor engaging members in conversation. He had a pointed talk with former madam Barney Frank who had kept his seat even though he was found to be hosting a house of prostitution and fixing parking tickets for his male 'lover'. Frank did not look very gay when the conversation ended.
When the time came for Trafficant's expulsion to be debated, he stood in the well of the House and faced his condemners. Trafficant was given an extra 15 minutes to make his case and opened with a story that ended with potty humor that had the galleries tittering.
He meandered though the various counts he was found guilty of, explaining them away as witnesses being pressured by the government to lie or evidence that wasn't evidence of guilt. It was hard to follow, especially because he didn't have a good technique with the microphone and was hard to hear at times.
The highlight was when Trafficant called former Clinton Attorney General Janet Reno a traitor for her failure to properly investigate the Chinagate scandal. He scored the Republicans for not pressing the issue because they wanted PNTR with China and he lambasted his fellow Democrats for not wanting to hurt their party by the fully investigating the scandal.
Loretta Sanchez stopped playing with her Palm Pilot while Trafficant addressed her about his vote against her in the dispute about her winning her seat through the votes of illegal immigrants. She resumed fiddling with the Palm Pilot when he was done speaking to her.
I was rotated out of the chamber midway through the proceedings and did not make it back in until the votes were being cast. The thing that stuck out to me as I waited to get back in was the lack of righteous indignation from those who rose to speak in favor of Trafficant's expulsion. Sure I heard some strong talk about the House's reputation being besmirched, but I didn't hear any blistering 'how dare you' kind of language. Maybe I missed that when I was outside, but I doubt it. The mood I sensed on the floor was of a dirty deed that needed to be dispensed with as quickly and cleanly as possible.
And it was. Right after Speaker Hastert announced the passage of the motion to expel Trafficant and that the governor of Ohio would be notified of the action, a motion on the 2003 budget was put forward and the House went back to plundering the wealth of American taxpayers.
There were no cheers or huzzahs for the upholding of the minimal standards of the House of Representatives. Just the red light being turned back on signaling the whores on the Hill were open for business--except the one with the bad hair and cheap suits.
:-)
That pretty much sums it up.
You have a way with words, my dear. Kudos for the excellent reporting!
Subject: .The Bankruptcy of The United States United States Congressional Record, March 17, 1993 Vol. 33, page H-1303
Speaker-Rep. James Traficant, Jr. (Ohio) addressing the House:
"Mr. Speaker, we are here now in chapter 11.. Members of Congress are official trustees presiding over the greatest reorganization of any Bankrupt entity in world history, the U.S. Government. We are setting forth hopefully, a blueprint for our future. There are some who say it is a coroner's report that will lead to our demise. It is an established fact that the United States Federal Government has been dissolved by the Emergency Banking Act, March 9, 1933, 48 Stat. 1, Public Law 89-719; declared by President Roosevelt, being bankrupt and insolvent. H.J.R. 192, 73rd Congress m session June 5, 1933 - Joint Resolution To Suspend The Gold Standard and Abrogate The Gold Clause dissolved the Sovereign Authority of the United States and the official capacities of all United States Governmental Offices, Officers, and Departments and is further evidence that the United States Federal Government exists today in name only.
The receivers of the United States Bankruptcy are the International Bankers, via the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. All United States Offices, Officials, and Departments are now operating within a de facto status in name only under Emergency War Powers. With the Constitutional Republican form of Government now dissolved, the receivers of the Bankruptcy have adopted a new form of government for the United States. This new form of government is known as a Democracy, being an established Socialist/Communist order under a new governor for America. This act was instituted and established by transferring and/or placing the Office of the Secretary of Treasury to that of the Governor of the International Monetary Fund. Public Law 94-564, page 8, Section H.R. 13955 reads in part: "The U.S. Secretary of Treasury receives no compensation for representing the United States."
Image: United States Congressional Record, March 17, 1993 Vol. 33, page H-1303
If he hadn't tried to educate America he would be doing just fine like the rest of the cowards in the Congress and Senate. The truth is a forbidden topic in DC.
Seriously though, great report !!
Thank you for the first hand and INSIGHTFUL report Dear Lady Freeper. Your comment quoted above pretty well describes our illutrious congress-critters.
Nam Vet
OOPS! Screen names are gender neutral, but kristinn is most definitely a gentleman!
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