20170211 (persistence)

New order flummoxing old order

Of laws and sausages, 

Bismarck advised, it is best

Not to view their making. But 

From a mix of idleness and 

Curiosity I watched the senate

Wranglings regarding whether

Jefferson Beauregard Sessions

Should be confirmed Attorney

General of the United States.

Elizabeth Warren, Democrat,

Senior senator of Massachusetts,

Inveighed against his approval

To what appeared to be a virtually

Empty chamber. According to her

There were a long list of reasons

He should not be given the supreme

Authority for strenuously defending

The laws of our nation. His history

Of repeatedly failing to ensure the

Voting rights of numerous Black 

Americans and his often acting to

Support policies discouraging

Or limiting their franchise was

For her, the major disqualifying 

Note among many others. As she 

was reading a letter from Coretta

Scott King (which had already

Been entered into the record 

During the body’s 1986

Consideration of his suitability

For a federal judgeship), the 

Turtle-faced majority leader

From Kentucky rose to invoke

Senate rule 19 forbiding one 

Member from attributing behavior

Or intentions unbecoming a member

Of that august assemblage to 

Another member under penalty

Of denying them the floor.  

Someone (?) had once said

Knowingly, “The senate is where

Scoundrels refer to each other

As gentlemen.” Another lonely

Soul had called her on it earlier

When she quoted Ted Kennedy’s

Comments that Mr. Sessions had 

Proven himself unworthy of

The federal robes: “Mr Sessions is 

A throwback to a shameful era in

Our history . . . He is a disgrace to 

The Justice Department . . . .”

Now I guess whether one calls a 

Spade a spade directly or quotes 

Another who does the same, the

Spade, having been identified, might

Well take umbrage over his naming

Despite it’s having been made thirty

Years ago if it still applies for the

Current position. So, lest anyone

Beyond these mere few be scandalized

By such shameful, but accurate, speech

The leader, called the presiding officer

To rule on Ms. Warren’s accusations.

Which he did as expected (knowing

His cojones were tightly in the

Grasp of der leader). But Ms. Warren,

Bless her Yankee (via Oklahoma)

Heart, was having none of it,

Appealed, thereby bringing on 

Nothing less than ninety minutes

Of mind numbing procedure to 

Make the whole senate reassemble

To consider and adjudicate her 

Defiance.  This required at my

Count no less than six tedious

Callings of the one-hundred person

Roll. By the sixth not only had 

I memorized their surnames 

But could predict how they’d vote.

From my observations I concluded

The US Senate is not, as I learned

Long ago in civics class, a

Deliberative congregation where

Informed and reasonable arguments

Were widely discussed in open

Debate ultimately yielding the

Wisest policies possible. No, it

Is Kabuki theater, wherein the

Unchallengingly powerful can

Make one stupid move and ensure

His opponent the widest publicity,

Recognition, and admiration.

c. J.S.Manista, 2017