Yesterday the Republicans pulled a really disgraceful, nasty move in the US House of Representatives. The Neocons were trying to push through another bill in favor of their Oil Friends. It didn’t go very well on the vote. 212-210 NAY was the first result. No wonder:

H.R. 3893 would authorize new programs and spending related to the supply and use of petroleum and other energy products. It would provide subsidies to small refiners, make certain federal lands available for siting new refineries, and revise the terms and procedures for approving these and other energy projects. The bill also would modify various standards in the Clean Air Act, direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue and enforce regulations regarding gasoline price gouging, and create two new funds to cover certain costs incurred by energy firms. Other provisions would authorize appropriations for the construction of a refinery for the Armed Services, for several energy studies and conservation initiatives, and for a Commission for the Deployment of the Hydrogen Economy. Finally, H.R. 3893 would authorize the Department of Energy (DOE) to increase the capacity of the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve and allow oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to be sold for new purposes.

As usual, pork for friends and, ahem, study for alternatives.

So, in the tradition of great democracies, the Chair held the vote open for nearly an hour until republican goons and hacks could get out the rubber hoses and strong-arm a couple out-of-line representives into changing their votes. That’s right. You read that right. They voted, and then they changed their votes. Keep counting until you get it right, right? The final “vote” was 212-210 YEA. Watch the QuickTime movie below to see the chair recieve the acceptable vote on a slip of paper, read it out and immediately close the vote. Amazing. This kind of stuff should be seen only in historical newreels.


Goons Attack!