D.C. delegate to Congress silenced at hearing

[RitchieRich]

Source: Washington Post

"... Rep. Trent Franks’s district in suburban Phoenix is two time zones away from Washington, a fact not lost on D.C. leaders as the Arizona Republican presided Thursday over the latest in a long series of attempts to control social issues in the nation’s capital.

At issue this time was his bill, with 193 co-sponsors, to ban all abortions in the District beyond 20 weeks, except to save the life of the mother.

Adding insult to injury, from the point of view of local officials, was that Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the District’s lone, nonvoting member of Congress — sitting in the front row of a subcommittee hearing room — was not allowed to speak.

Presiding over the hearing, Franks, who frequently cites the U.S. Constitution, said Congress has the authority to “exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever” in the District. He also described late-term abortions as “inhumane” and “torturous,” and he called them “the greatest human rights atrocity in the United States today.”

..."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/2012/05/17/gIQAAcEGXU_story.html

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(my comments as "DickyByrd&quot

[duhneece]

1. The Republicans arrogance and disdain for women screams at me

And I want to scream back

[qb]

2. The Republicans in Congress are an Abomination

[OmahaBlueDog]

3. DC citizens pay tax, and get to vote for a non-voting, non-speaking rep

They get no voice at all in the Senate.

"Home Rule" only applies to issues Congress finds too trivial.

The rest of my reaction may be found here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002700378

[ProfessionalLeftist]

4. “the greatest human rights atrocity in the United States today”. . .

. . . is that HALF of its population - women - still don't HAVE any human rights! They have no rights to save their own lives if carrying pregnancy to term would kill them or if it is not a viable fetus or if the 'child' would have no quality of life whatsoever due to deformities and would be an unaffordable financial and emotional expense to the family just to keep it breathing. They have no rights to their own bodies. They have no rights to self-determination or to make any decision about their own health, their own lives or futures and by extension, those of their own families or children either.

THAT is the greatest human rights atrocity in the United States today.

Fuck YOU Trent Frank. You Goddamned American Taliban!

[felix_numinous]

6. Wow there's only one representative

on this ideology chart to the right of Trent Franks (scroll down):

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/trent_franks/400141

Why do these extremists have so much influence, and how can a Delegate be silenced? The woman Delegate--not being allowed---to speak, in a hearing about women's rights--in her own district is----->“the greatest human rights atrocity in the United States today.” Well this is the latest atrocity, add it to the list.

You know, we laugh at Mitt Romney, meanwhile the RW are stealing women's rights right out from under us--they will not quit. I am beginning to think Mitt is just a ruse to keep the left distracted while their agenda goes full steam ahead.

Who is defending us, if women are not allowed to speak or appear at hearings??? WTF is going on??? There are too many influential groups lobbying against women's rights.

Huffington post -The men behind the war on women:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/01/the-men-behind-the-war-on_n_1069406.html

[midnight]

7. I wonder if these silencers think taking food and jobs from families to pay for their

enormous tax breaks also falls into the "inhumane" category?