Breaking news that you may or may not see on the news.
The Democrats, led by Congressman John Lewis, are staging a sit in on the floor of the House of Representatives, demanding action on gun control legislation.
Sometimes old methods work best. Photo from CNN.com
Sometimes you have to do something out of the ordinary. Sometimes you have to make a way out of no way. We have been too quiet for too long,” the Democratic civil rights leader said. “There comes a time when you have to say something, when you have to make a little noise, when you have to move your feet. This is the time. Now is the time to get in the way. The time to act is now. We will be silent no more. (CNN.com)
In case you don’t know who Congressman Lewis is, here’s how Wikipedia opens his biography:
Lewis is the only living “Big Six” leader of the Civil Rights Movement, having been the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), playing a key role in the struggle to end legalized racial discrimination and segregation. A member of the Democratic Party, Lewis is a member of the Democratic leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and has served as a Chief Deputy Whip since 1991 and Senior Chief Deputy Whip since 2003. As Senior Chief Deputy Whip he has led other Chief Deputy Whips and serves as the primary assistant to the Democratic Whip.
This 76 year old man is sitting on the floor to force the House of Representatives to take some action. There are chants of “No Bill, No Break” referring to the upcoming Congressional adjournment/recess, which is extra long this year allowing members to go to their party conventions. Or, in the case of the GOP, not going to their party conventions.
The cameras that normally broadcast House action are off; they are controlled by House Speaker Paul Ryan who, naturally, won’t let it appear that either (1) he has lost control of what is happening on the floor of the House; or (2) that Democrats are trying to protect the lives of American citizens.
All I can say is: We Shall Overcome.
FiftyFourandAHalf 
I am depressed by the need.
I am saddened there wasn’t more coverage.
I am frustrated they remain in a party that is not supportive of real solutions.
The truth? The DNC did not fully support those sitting in. This wasn’t the full coalition, but only a small number of the Democrats in the House.
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True. It got more coverage than I expected (I wrote and posted this at lunchtime right after I read they were doing it). But much less than it deserves.
Today’s Supreme Court decision was a step in the right direction, even if one is required to say “Well DUH!” The abortion one was another win.
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Reblogged this on Kate McClelland.
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Excellent Elyse. Civil disobedience is a time tested method to insure change when all else fails – which it obviously has.
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Well, at least they are drawing a clear distinction between the parties on this issue — one a lot of people feel strongly about, and they can vote accordingly. We’ll see in November, and actually before that when we see the news of constituent meetings.
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They could get a vote …. but I would expect the bill to go down in flames – which could be a good thing.
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A vote on the record would do wonders for the new Dem House.
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Now that’s a difficult hill to climb.
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It seems to be getting a little less steep!
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oh yeah… still, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him think…
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But theGOP also can’t make them move. It’s democracy in action!
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it is a vicious, viscous circle…
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Seriously, while I applaud the objective, will this actually result in any action being taken? The circus continues across our elected officials front.
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It will result in forcing the GOP members to go on record. That’s important when 85-90% of Americans support these bills.
The members will have to defend allowing guns to be purchased by would-be terrorists, domestic abusers. And it may just lead to flipping the house away from GOP control.
At a minimum, it shows that Paul Ryan can’t lead his way out of a paper bag.
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I think this time it’s depressing rather than inspiring – members of the US Congress belonging the party that controls the White House (and expected to keep the control for at least another term) are staging a sit in because they’ve ran out of options to prevent terrorists from buying guns?
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Really? I love watching it. It’s a great tactic and it is wonderful to see Paul Ryan so flummoxed.
I agree that the need for it is disheartening. But they are finally saying “ENOUGH!” And that is a thing of beauty.
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I have a lot of respect for Congressman Lewis. He paid his dues with blood and bruises. Hopefully something useful will come of this. But as far as preventing GOP members from attending the convention, they might regard that as a blessing this time around.
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Good point!
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I remember the 60s. Good times. Lots of changes. Let’s hope.
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Fingers crossed
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The Senate filibuster, now this. Our Democrat lawmakers are doing all they can. What the GOP is doing is unbelievably outrageous. If the NRA is going to own our government then let them fund the whole damn thing and do away with income tax. Because we the people have lost all power in deference to a crafty trade association and I don’t understand why I have to finance the salaries of people who have consistently refused to do their job. It is infuriating. Let’s hope that people get angry enough for the Democrats to take back the Senate and even the House in November. And of course the White House…
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Let’s hope.
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Excellent! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if private citizens could join them either in the chamber, just outside the chamber, or on the steps outside the building. We need to show our numbers.
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Yes! But they’re even keeping people out of the visitors galleries.
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Folks are out on the Capitol lawn now (nearly 10 p.m.)
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I actually had the delicious pleasure of meeting Mr. Lewis in person a few years ago. My husband and I were at an art auction (we love that shit), and I turned around to see you-know-who sitting a few rows back from me. I sort of had a panic attack. Like, you would have thought that Ghandi was sitting behind me (which, in his own way, Mr. Lewis is Ghandi). Anyway, I wanted to go say hi to him, because, um, duh, he’s a freaking living legend, and who gets to meet actual freaking history??? My husband begged me to leave Mr. Lewis alone, and, like usual, I ignored my man.
I went up to Mr. Lewis, introduced myself, told him I was a huge fan, and then proceeded to nervously gush for a bit.
He was the NICEST guy ever. He could tell I was all twitterpated and was SO SWEET about it. We chatted for a few minutes, and he gave me his card and told me to contact him whenever. It’s still on my fridge. And, for the record, I finally used it today, to message him and tell him I’m proud of what he’s doing today.
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I’m not at all surprised that he’s a good man, Beka. I would be star struck too!
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