The word boycott is used FOUR times in this article (I counted). When I think of boycott, I think of consumers refusing to buy a certain product or refusing to buy from a certain company.I suspect bias in this Austin American-Statesman's article. The proper word is Obstruct, imho !!! That word doesn't find its' way into their article.
1. Sen. John Whitmire, the longest-serving Democrat, said he would not vote for redistricting and would not rule out the possibility that 11 senators would boycott so the Senate could not conduct business.2. In May, House Democrats left the state for four days so the House could not conduct business. But a boycott during a series of 30-day special sessions is another matter.
3. Armbrister had threatened to lead a boycott if Dewhurst changed a Senate rule requiring a two-thirds vote to debate the redistricting bill.
4. Meanwhile, the Senate's sergeant-at-arms, Carleton Turner, said he thinks the Senate eventually will resolve the issue without a boycott.
MSN/Encarta Dictionary
boycott
WAV Select an audio format to hear this word. AIFF boy·cott [ bóy kòt ] transitive verb (past boy·cott·ed, past participle boy·cott·ed, present participle boy·cott·ing, 3rd person present singular boy·cotts) refuse to deal with something: to cease or refuse to deal with something such as an organization, a company, or a process, as a protest against it and to force it to become more acceptable Some called for the elections to be boycotted, insisting they were rigged.
noun (plural boy·cotts) refusal to deal with something: a refusal to deal with something such as an organization, a company, or a process, as a protest against it and to force it to become more acceptable
[Late 19th century. Named for Captain Charles Boycott (1832\endash 1897), an estate manager in Ireland, whom workers and tradesmen stopped dealing with after he refused to reduce rents.]
obstruct
WAV Select an audio format to hear this word. AIFF ob·struct [ ob strúkt, b strúkt ] (past ob·struct·ed, past participle ob·struct·ed, present participle ob·struct·ing, 3rd person present singular ob·structs)
transitive verb 1. block: to block a road, course, or passage
2. hinder: to hinder or impede somebody or something
3. impede view: to be in the way and prevent a clear view
[Early 17th century. From Latin obstructus , past participle of obstruere , to build up against, from struere to heap up, pile.]
