Ira 'Bluebeard Homer' Goldman

Yet another thing they don't talk about on the parliament tour

A parody version of the MS NOW banner (formerly MSNBC): The actual MS NOW text on the actual blue background, but with their white and orange logo replaced by the MS Windows 2002 logo on the left, and on the right the long-ago retired Windows mascot/assistant, Clippy - that looked like a paperclip, modified to look like a face.

MS NOW, with Clippy.

you can remember which type of camel has one hump and which type has two humps by putting the first letter of their names on their sides:

Dromedary = one hump
Bactrian = two humps

The first 13 words, I thought this was rap.

She's not the only one affected. Afaik all other Dems in the TX House who broke quorum would be locked in w/ her rn if they hadn't agreed to have minders. She's the only one who said NO, which is her right to do.

The circumstances of that time, locking the doors, do seem interesting. So I may well look it up to find out why.

You doubted members had ever been locked in. I _showed_ you they had. But you're pissed that I didn't also tell you why? I didn't know why. I still don't. "Why" is about the politics. Deschler's isn't about the politics. And so it's called Deschler's Precedents, not Deschler's Politics…

"May He Rest In Pace"?

RIP does not mean Rest In Peace it means Requiescat In Pace, which loosely translated means May He Rest In Pace, and is derived from a practice during the Black Death of sprinkling a mixture of vinegar, tomatoes, and peppers on bodies waiting to be buried to disguise the odor of decomposition.

1/ Quick update on #fallvaccines:

Flu and RSV vaccines remain business as usual this fall: if you’re eligible, you should be able to get them without issue. Vaccinations should start in September.

Covid-19 vaccines are another story. There will be three key developments this week 👇

The dates are there. The Congressional Record page numbers are there. Now you just need to go to Congress.gov, grab the date's edition of the Record, and read.

Thanks. As I recall, the Senate can do it, but I don't know that it has. Otoh, I just knew the House had; it was simply a matter of cracking open my unified 15,370 page pdf copy of Deschler's to dig out some examples.

This is one of 4 screenshots of a full page from Deschler's House Precedents, 2 columns to a page. Here is Deschler's summary of this precedent, which appears on the page in boldface: "§ 6.5 The Speaker, in the absence of a quorum and pursuant to a motion from the floor, ordered the doors to the Chamber locked to prevent Members from leaving until completion of the pending business—reading and approval of the Journal."

This is one of 4 screenshots of a full page from Deschler's House Precedents, 2 columns to a page. Here is Deschler's summary of this precedent, which appears on the page in boldface: "Effects of Closing or Locking the Doors § 6.6 Where the House in the absence of a quorum and pursuant to motion had ordered that ‘‘those who are not present be sent for wherever found and returned here on the condition that they shall not be allowed to leave the Chamber until the pending business shall have been completed’’ and then ordered a call of the House, the Speaker interpreted the motion as requiring the retention in the Chamber of all Members responding on the call—not merely the retention of those Members who were absent when the order was entered into."

This is one of 4 screenshots of a full page from Deschler's House Precedents, 2 columns to a page. Here is Deschler's summary of this precedent, which appears on the page in boldface: "§ 6.7 Where the House had ordered the doors to the Chamber locked pending the disposition of pending business, it was not in order by way of a point of personal privilege or by raising a question of the privilege of the House to collaterally attack such order, since it had been adopted by the House at a previous time without challenge."

This is one of 4 screenshots of a full page from Deschler's House Precedents, 2 columns to a page. This is a continuation of the precedent that started in the prior page. Also, it continues onto the next page, which I've not posted as this was just to give a sample - and to answer the people who doubt that, in Congress, members had never been locked in their Chamber.

The presiding officer of House ordering that the doors be locked (to keep members in until the House finished certain business) seemed to have been quite the thing in the late 1960s.

#HRules Deschler's Precedents, Vol 5

4/

About congressional precedents, here's a personal favorite from the US House (1968): "Upon a personal instruction by the Speaker […] the Doorkeeper locked all exits […] and removed doorknobs from cloakroom doors to prevent Members from leaving during a call of the House."

Deschler's, Vol 1

3/

The presiding officer of House ordering the doors be locked seemed to have been quite the thing in the late 1960s.

#HRules Deschler's Precedents, Vol 5
1/

This one is so good: "Upon a personal instruction by the Speaker […] the Doorkeeper locked all exits from the House Chamber and removed doorknobs from cloakroom doors to prevent Members from leaving during a call of the House."

Deschler's, Vol 1

2/

The presiding officer of House ordering the doors be locked seemed to have been quite the thing in the late 1960s.

#HRules Deschler's Precedents, Vol 5
1/

I now await any booth review by doughnut Homer (or however that fried good is spelt in the UK).

5/

And (for now) finally, I understand that neither house of Parliament has had the power to have a member executed (or held in custody beyond the end of current session (except maybe the Lords, but not when they're sitting as a legislative body). Long story short, if they couldn't, Congress can't.

4/

… the most severe punishment could not be worse then expulsion.

Also, punishments may not last beyond the end of the current Congress – which would mean, even if a prison sentence were allowed, the maximum sentence would be under two years. So also on that basis, execution wouldn't be allowed.

3/

… in the future – but, short of ending the member's membership. We know that because punishment in general requires only a simple majority vote, while punishment that ends a member's membership – ie, expulsion – requires a 2/3 vote. So, to me, that suggests…

#HRules #SRules
2/

Interesting question. The short answer is: They could not execute a member. The longer answer: It would take some time to explain.

The purpose in general of punishment for bad behavior is to discourage it by that member (and by others, but also by that member)…

1/
bsky.app/profile/stro...

For executive sessions, yes. But also, on occasion, to keep members from leaving.

The US House has locked its doors to prevent members from leaving until work was completed on its pending business.

Texas Democrat trapped in House chamber after defying GOP escort rule "I'll just sit here, I don't know...I guess I'll wait til Wednesday."

Houston Chronicle story.

2/
www.chron.com/politics/art...

This is about the Texas House having locked Democratic Rep Nicole Collier in the House, preventing her from leaving until she agrees to being accompanied by a Texas LEO minder.

Next post has a link to a news report.

1/

THESIS: Each House of Congress could do that to its members – ie, punish them that way for the "disorderly Behavior" of having refused to respond to a quorum call.

Article I, Sec 5, clause 2
#HRules #SRules

The Republican Party today is a battleground. The confrontation isn’t between traditional conservatives and Trump supporters. Rather, it pits genuine MAGA reformers against MAGA-in-name-only lobbyists. It’s a fight over whether Americans will have equal justice under law, or whether preferential access to our justice system is for sale to the wealthy and the well-connected.

True maga has never been tried unherd.com/2025/08/what...

@prasad.bsky.social 🚨 SPECIAL DELIVERY 🚨

"They said there would be no math."