Thursday, October 17, 2013

House Stenographer Loses It As House Votes To Raise Debt Limit To End Government Shutdown


House stenographer Diane Reidy apparently could take no more of the madness that evolves around the way our elected officials in Washington are driving us right off a financial cliff by continuing to borrow and print imaginary money. Reidy erupted as the House prepared to concur in a Senate-passed resolution that kicked America's day of reckoning down the road by extending the national debt limit another 90 days. Reidy had to be led off the House floor after she erupted before an open microphone about the deception that the United States is "one nation under God," referring to the freemasons who drafted the U.S. Constitution as devil worshipers. “He will not be mocked, don’t touch me, he will not be mocked,” Reidy ranted as she was being led off the floor, adding, “The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God, it never was.” Looking at the video, it appears that Indiana's Rep. Susan Brooks was in the chair at the time Reidy walked to the microphone in a trance-like state and began her rant. UPDATE: Scratch that. It was Florida's Ileana Ros Lehtinen who was in the chair when Reidy began her rant.

Indiana's congressional delegation divided on the 285-144 vote. The state's two Democratic members, Andre Carson and Pete Visclosky, joined Republicans Susan Brooks and Todd Young in voting for the resolution. Republicans Larry Buschon, Luke Messer, Todd Rokita, Marlin Stutzman and Jackie Walorski joined the majority of Republican members in voting against the resolution. Sen. Dan Coats and Sen. Joe Donnelly both voted for the resolution in the Senate where it passed on an overwhelming vote of 81-18. The nearly two-week government shutdown produced no fundamental changes in the way Washington conducts our government's business, leaving Americans shaking their heads in bewilderment at the sight of members of Congress playing their typical political games while wallowing in the corruption that permeates our nation's capital as Rome burns. What is the definition of insanity? Who is the insane one here? Diane Reidy or our leadership in Washington?

UPDATE: Law professor Jonathan Turley shares his thoughts about this incident at his blog:
For many of us, Congress has become a circus like environment with two parties exercising a duopoly of power despite record levels of contempt from voters for their conduct and policies. For sane people, Congress simply could not get more bizarre. Think again. At the height of the vote to end the government shutdown, Dianne Reidy, an official reporter with the Office of the Clerk, took the mike and began to condemn Congress (starting out well) and then rave against Freemasons (ending not so well). The most troubling thing about the scene? For many voters, she still seemed the most sane and honest person in the chamber.
Reidy calmly took the rostrum and began shouting “the House is divided . . . He will not be mocked . . . This is not one nation under God. It never was. . . The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under god! It never was. Had it been, it would not have been! The Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons!”
Members immediately demanded that she be withdrawn. Only 435 unhinged individuals are allowed to scream uncontrollably in the chamber so Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen, R-Fla. ordered her removed. Besides any of the members could easily show that this was nearly the “greatest deception” in Congress.

Meanwhile, a Chinese rating agency responded to the debt ceiling increase by downgrading our credit-worthiness as a nation. 
"The fundamental situation that the debt growth rate significantly outpaces that of fiscal income and gross domestic product remains unchanged," Dagong said in the statement, adding Washington's solvency was vulnerable as old debts were still repaid through raising new debts.
"Hence the government is still approaching the verge of default crisis, a situation that cannot be substantially alleviated in the foreseeable future," it said.

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