June 4, 2007 Pirates of the Legislature or The Great Filibuster
June 4, 2007
Coming soon to a Web page near you!
Pirates of the Legislature or
The Great Filibuster: Jason Mumpower
By Johnny Depp Watcher
Stay tuned!
June 4, 2007 @ 11:30 AM
Today could mark the beginning of the last days of the 2007 Annual Session of the 105th General Assembly in the state of Tennessee.
Then, on the other hand, the Pirates of the Legislature (filibustering legislators in the Tennessee House Republican Caucus) could just talk endlessly -- as they did for hours last Thursday evening (May 31, 2007).
Terms Defined:
Filibuster:
Legally Speaking:
Black's Law Dictionary (Abridged Seventh Edition) defines filibuster as:
1. A dilatory tactic, esp. prolonged and often irrelevant speechmaking, employed in an attempt to obstruct legislative action. [bold bullet] The filibuster is common in the U.S. Senate, where the right to debate is unlimited. 2. In a deliberative body, a member in the minority who resorts to obstructive tactics to prevent the adoption of a measure or procedure that is favored by the majority. -- Also termed filibusterer. 3. Hist. A person who, together with others, works to invade and revolutionize a foreign state in disregard of international law. -- filibuster, vb. See CLOTURE.
Etymologically speaking:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=filibuster
filibuster (n.)
1587 as flibutor "pirate," probably ultimately from Du. vrijbuiter "freebooter," used of pirates in the West Indies as Sp. filibustero and Fr. flibustier, either or both of which gave the word to Amer.Eng. (see freebooter). Used 1850s and '60s of lawless adventurers from the U.S. who tried to overthrow Central American countries. The legislative sense is first recorded c.1851, probably because obstructionist legislators "pirated" debate. Not technically restricted to U.S. Senate, but that's where the strategy works best.
Modern Meriam Webster meaning:
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/filibuster
Main Entry: 1fil·i·bus·ter
Pronunciation: 'fi-l&-"b&s-t&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Spanish filibustero, literally, freebooter
1 : an irregular military adventurer; specifically : an American engaged in fomenting insurrections in Latin America in the mid-19th century
2 [2filibuster] a : the use of extreme dilatory tactics in an attempt to delay or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly b : an instance of this practice
Main Entry: 2filibuster
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -tered; fil·i·bus·ter·ing /-t(&-)ri[ng]/
intransitive verb
1 : to carry out insurrectionist activities in a foreign country
2 : to engage in a filibuster
transitive verb : to subject to a filibuster
- fil·i·bus·ter·er /-t&r-&r/ noun
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