I am encouraging everyone to go out and rent Mr. Smith goes to Washington and have a movie night with friends and family.

Why you ask, to help in deciding if you and others think the Filibuster should be voted out by the republicans.

Yes, I’m getting on my soapbox for just a minute, but if nothing ells rent or recall the movie and think to yourself is it a good thing. Allowing senators the ability to do what Mr. Smith (Jimmy Stewart) does in the movie. Pick any issue you find dear to you and decide if you want your representatives to have this option in the future.

YES! This is an option to keep in place.

The filibuster can’t stop legislation if there are enough votes (right now 60 witch the republicans all most have anyway) there is no filibuster with the majority vote.
But what it can do is provide a last stand for issues that would become law if not for passionate debate.

I am encouraging everyone I can to stop shortsighted politicians from getting rid of one of our central tools of checks and balances in conquest of some short-term goals.

For information on the filibuster you can go to the U.S. Senate’s web site at:
I haven’t posted enough to put in the full links If anyone wants to reply and put the full links that would be great. I promises their not selling any products.

senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Filibuster_Cloture dot htm

Here are a couple of sites that have petitions to stop the republicans from getting rid of the filibuster.

This one is a little more straightforward but some might find it a bit dry if you send friends, family or co-workers to it. But it has a good basic privacy policy.

commoncause dot org/site/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=317178&en=bjLTI4MEJbKMKXPDJeIVL2NDJdKVLfMXJoISL1NIKlJ5LmJ

This one is more slick and has a video to watch but they may provide your info to other special interest groups.

pfaw dot org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=17697

Kerry lost the election and Republicans control the Senate/House...........

Democrats are sore losers and just trying to change the rules.....again.........

see below....

For anyone who doesn't know what a filibuster is, Wikipedia has an article on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster_(legislative_tactic)

I don't see how this is a check or a balance, nor can I see how getting rid of it is a bad thing. Rather than produce an empty press release, why not tell us what good it does and how it adds to debate?

Its not. Its a waste of peoples time the tax payers money and a childish method at that. I mean honestly? You are forcing people to change their vote just to shut you up and not because its what best for their state or the country

Filibuster, is there a slack pack for that, or just RPM?

Well then stabile007, I presume you did not nor have you any intention of watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Which is fine your mind is already made up, my post is to encourage those who aren’t sure or don’t know to look at a fictional representation of a filibuster and decide if they think it’s a good thing. Then I followed it up with my opinion. I know it’s not republican and there by doesn’t qualify as American in Bush’s regime.

As far as being a check and balance, the desires of the many shouldn’t trample on those of the few. Imagine the Democrats are in the same position the republicans are in right now. Gay marriage is about become legal can you say FILIBUSTER I knew that you could. The best part, if the country really needs or wants it, it will pass. Vs. if those in power are just feeling potent and want to run ruff-shot over the country and a little exhaustive debate will bring them back to the land of the sober, great.

The filibuster isn’t necessarily used with the best of intentions but for the times it is keeping part of the nation from feeling to disenfranchised it is well worth it.

As for Debate look up the meaning of filibuster:
http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/...er_Cloture.htm

Here are the links I couldn’t add before, for those who are interested in singing a petition to keep the filibuster.

http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps...oISL1NIKlJ5LmJ

http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=17697

I must apologize to stabile007 I put your name in place of XavierP I got careless with my cut and paste, I’m sorry about that.
I would encourage you to read the second paragraph and see if you’d feel the same way when an issue you care about is on the line. Yes, it is sometimes childish we are talking about the US Senate after all and as long as it is populated by humans it will probably remain that way.


>>>>>>

Here is the post as it should have looked.

Well then XavierP, I presume you did not nor have you any intention of watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Which is fine your mind is already made up, my post is to encourage those who aren’t sure or don’t know to look at a fictional representation of a filibuster and decide if they think it’s a good thing. Then I followed it up with my opinion. I know it’s not republican and there by doesn’t qualify as American in Bush’s regime.

As far as being a check and balance, the desires of the many shouldn’t trample on those of the few. Imagine the Democrats are in the same position the republicans are in right now. Gay marriage is about become legal can you say FILIBUSTER I knew that you could. The best part, if the country really needs or wants it, it will pass. Vs. if those in power are just feeling potent and want to run ruff-shot over the country and a little exhaustive debate will bring them back to the land of the sober, great.

The filibuster isn’t necessarily used with the best of intentions but for the times it is keeping part of the nation from feeling to disenfranchised it is well worth it.

As for Debate look up the meaning of filibuster:
http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/...er_Cloture.htm

Funny. Not that it is really my business since I'm not a U.S. citizen. But I very lively remember a President Clinton, complaining about the Republicans blocking everything with this filibustering, but the case was different then, I suppose.
Anyway, Mr. Bush may very well fail with this, he needs 51 votes, that is, not more than 4 of his fellow republicans may refuse to vote for the abolishment of filibustering, and John McCain already said no.

But why your founding fathers held filibustering as a proper means of democratic checks and balances remains a mystery to me as well.

Well damned if we know as well

Frankly in an ideal system we would have no need for a filibuster because people would vote based off information and what its good and what is not good for the country. However since we are ass backwards we instead vote on which political party we belong to. However either way I feel that Filibusters serve no purpose. It is a childish plan and still wouldn't be used for the good of the country. Could it potentially be used? Yes. But will it? I doubt it.

After all look who holds the record: Senator Strom Thurmond and what was it about: Civil Rights. You cannot tell me that it was a good thing then. I think it can be generally agreed upon that race should not determine your rights and that we are all equal. But this tactic was used to prevent giving black people the freedom they deserved. If you want more votes then you will just need to poltically motivate them through either a good speech or with facts but not by watsing everyones time.

So, in a nutshell, a filibuster is the grown up version of sticking your fingers in your ears and saying "la la la la la la I can't hear you?"

How is this a good thing?

The fillibuster is one of those things that is both as source of amusement and embarrasment regarding American politics. Technically, I believe the Dems in the Senate could fillibuster to prevent voting on the fillibuster issue itself...

But I'm in agreement that the fillibuster is an outmoded and ridiculous thing. If the Senators really want to kill a bill, they should do it in committee.

Because they tried to recreate rome, the senate and all, with many the same rules and regulations, including....get ready for it....THE FILIBUSTER.

There is a reason behind it, as there are for many political games, see if you can figure out what it might be.

To help you, I will give you an instance it was used in the roman senate...if my memory holds that is.

Once upon a time, the roman army was exclusively for the wealthy, in generalship, leadership, and in goals. The cannon fodder for it's leaders were the italians(yes, there was, once upon a time...a difference between roman and italian). A general, who later would be dictator, got the right to include the general population under arms. This was fought against, but when it came down to payment for the soldiers after they had saved rome, the senate decided to go back on it's word. They put through a law to not give land to these head count men, and to repeal the headcount's ability to serve. It very nearly passed...but it was filibustered, and ten's of thousands of men got paid and got to become the basis for the military might that was to come in the next few decades.

If the law had passed, thousands would have died for nothing, and the roman troops would have been too tiny to defend against the next invasion, rome would have been no more. Added to that law was a repeal of special priced grain for the population, who would have starved, and rioted. Rome would have ended several hundred years earlier than it did...and America might never have existed.

I do also believe that several bad things have been filibustered here in America, that if they had managed to pass...would have been a detriment to our nation.

IT IS ABOUT BALANCE OF POWER. Just because a majority comes to power, does not make it's decisions right. Sometimes a few have to stand up to the many, sometimes they get killed for it, as happened many times in the roman senate....but it does need done.

So you people complaining about the filibuster know, the filibuster can be ended if enough of the senators (60 I believe?), so it's not just some stall tactic that can be used by someone to completely hold things up for no reason.

No, I don't think that part has been listened to, by the media, or the population in general. In essence, the republican controllers are trying to make it so that even some republicans can disagree and something still be passed. Personally, I feel that if enough people in the senate don't agree on the thing to get it passed right now, it doesn't need to be passed. Bill pryor is from my state, and there is no way I want him in any position of power.