Thursday, May 05, 2011

Boehner refuses to honor successful bin Laden mission

The Senate already passed their own resolution but Speaker Boehner won't allow the House to honor the team that took down bin Laden. Boehner cites the new House rules passed along party lines in January that "prohibit the consideration of any measure that “expresses appreciation, commends, congratulates, celebrates, recognizes the accomplishments of, or celebrates the anniversary of, an entity, event, group, individual, institution, team or government program; or acknowledges or recognizes a period of time for such purposes.”

However, the House was allowed to pass measures naming a Texas courthouse for the two Presidents Bush and a post office for a U.S. soldier slain in Iraq. The rules apparently allow this sort of tribute one day a month. But that aside, if memory serves, those new House rules were passed on January 5, 2011. Yet on Jan. 12, 2011 a sobbing Boehner called up a resolution honoring those killed and wounded in the Gabrielle Giffords shooting. "First responders and those who helped subdue the gunman were also noted in the resolution and Boehner pointed out their contributions."

Furthermore, the rule doesn't appear to prohibit the introduction and tabling of resolutions. A look at the list of current House actions lists 251 single resolutions alone. Among them are resolutions "Calling on the State Department to list the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as a 'Country of Particular Concern' with respect to religious freedom", expressing condolences with Australia over the deadly floods, recognizing the anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, supporting the contributions of Catholic schools, supporting "Hockey is For Everyone Month" and "Celebrating the life of President Ronald Wilson Reagan on the 100th anniversary of his birth." Granted none of these appear to have come to a vote but they still take up time on the floor to introduce.

Also, it's not like the GOP doesn't have a history of pushing numerous honoray resolutions themselves. In July of 2010, Boehner co-sponsored a resolution honoring the troops in Iraq. And no complaints about wasting time when the House similarly honored a basketball player/jazz musician in July 2009, honored a pro-surfer in May 2010, and honored a former Congressman in December 2010.

And of course, the most infamous resolution of all was when 32 Republicans sponsored a resolution honoring serial liar James O'Keefe stating that O'Keefe was "owed a debt of gratitude by the people of the United States" for doctoring the videos that led to the demise of their hated enemy ACORN.

Funny, I'm so old I remember when every other phrase out of the GOP's mouths was "honor the troops." Now that these same troops took down US Public Enemy Number One after he was at large for almost ten years, Boehner's response is meh? Don't suppose that has anything to do with the fact there's a Democrat in the Oval Office, does it?

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4 Comments:

Blogger Capt. Fogg said...

Anyone born a week ago can remember when honoring the troops filled the air thicker than Ole's at a bullfight, but of course who know they defined "honor" and "support" as ignoring them?

12:25:00 PM  
Blogger Ruth said...

Those troops are only useful when they excuse cutting support services to anyone constituting the public ... themselves included.

12:45:00 PM  
Blogger Capt. Fogg said...

Evidently so and I guess those services include adequate medical care, combat pay, endurable tours of duty and a living wage for the military.

1:13:00 PM  
Blogger Libby Spencer said...

It's a mystery to me why any serviceperson would ever vote for the GOP. They use them as props but screw them over every time otherwise.

6:23:00 PM  

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