Moths to the Flame

Conflict Constitutionalists
As promised, the very reverent reading of the Constitution was staged in the hallowed halls of Congress today. The tragicomedic production was not without its moments of high drama. When they got to the "President shall be a natural born citizen" clause, a Birther in the audience burst out in an anguished solliloquy. Help us Jesus indeed. But the drama wasn't entirely confined to the gallery. The GOP went all PC on the script and decided on an abridged version of the Sacred Document, leaving ...

Jon Stewart Roasts The House's Reading Of The Constitution (VIDEO)
Jon Stewart was excited to hear that the Constitution would be read in its entirety on the House floor yesterday, but he ended up being less pleased with the results. "Well, you've done it," Stewart said last night. "You've managed to make the reading of one of our nation's most treasured and sacred founding documents and combined it with the efficiency of the DMV and the dramatic chops of family members who demand to be called to the bima during your bat mitzvah." [TPM SLIDESHOW: Sanest Of Th...

Birther Disrupts Congress
A woman doubting the natural born citizen status of US President Barack Obama disrupted a reading of the American Constitution during the Thursday morning opening of the US Congress. “Except Obama! Except Obama!,” shouted the woman, after Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., read the passage from the US Constitution that says “no person, except a natural-born citizen, or a citizen of the United States” is eligible for the presidency. “Help us, Jesus!,” the woman cried ...

Heckling birther disrupts Congress
Stumble This! WASHINGTON — A woman screaming that President Barack Obama was not legitimately elected to the White House disrupted a symbolic reading of the US Constitution in the House of Representatives on Thursday. Capitol police removed the Protester, who shouted "Except Obama! Except Obama! Help us Jesus!" as Democratic Representative Frank Pallone read the passage that spells out the requirements for becoming president. Some of Obama's arch-conservative opponents have leveled the un...

And on the second day, they read
Day Two of Republican control of the U.S. House of Representatives was highlighted with a reading of the 223-year-old Constitution — the document that formed the American government and guides it to this day. It’s often a raucous scene on the House floor. Today, it was raucous in the visitors’ gallery, when a woman calling herself “Theresa” disrupted the recitation of the Constitution at the exact point in which a lawmaker read that the president must be a “na...

Birther outburst during Pallone's reading of the U.S. Constitution
As designated by the House GOP majority, Thursday morning was set aside for a full reading of the U.S. Constitution. During one part of it, a spectator in the gallery exercised her First Amendment right of Freedom of Speech. What set her off? No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to th...

Birther interrupts the reading of the Constitution in the House (Video)
The Republican effort to improve their image by reading the Constitution aloud in the House has created Controversy on a number of fronts.  Earlier today Vanity Fair revealed the recital likely cost Taxpayers around $1.1 million due to staff salaries which had to be paid to hold the event.  Later critics noted the absence of certain provisions of the Constitution, which were conveniently edited out by Republicans.  When the House finally got around to actually reading the Constitu...

Birther Interrupts Reading Of Constitution
As New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone read the “natural born citizen” clause of the Constitution, a birther shouted from the gallery, “Except Obama, except Obama, help us Jesus!” He was, in particular, a great source to the late Robert Novak, who outed Daley in his memoir (page 451) as the anonymous Midwestern Democratic source of an incendiary remark on Michael Dukakis’s failed attempt to keep Jesse Jackson’s profile low at the 1988 Democratic convention. &...

Birther Reportedly Arrested After Interrupting House Constitution Reading (VIDEO)
A supposed birther spectator interrupted the House's reading of the Constitution Thursday, as a representative read the natural born Citizenship clause mandating that only Candidates born in the United States are eligible to serve in the Office of President. "Except Obama, except Obama, help us Jesus!" the woman interjected over Rep. Frank Pallone's (D-N.J.) recitation of the Second Article clause. Politico reports that the woman was arrested by the sergeant at arms after being scolded by Rep....

They're ba-a-a-ck
An apparent member of the Birther Movement seated in the gallery of the House of Representatives on Thursday interrupted a reading of the Constitution. The woman yelled out "Except Obama, except Obama, help us Jesus!" as Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) read the "natural born citizen" clause of the Constitution. ...TPM ...

Video: Protester Interrupts Reading of the Constitution in the House
A representative is reading about eligibility of the President and a Protester starts yelling from the gallery. He is removed politicoA woman was arrested in the House gallery Thursday after interrupting a reading of the Constitution by yelling out her belief that President Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen of the United States. When Frank Rep. Pallone (D-N.J.) read the part of Article II, Section 1 mandating that only a "natural-born citizen" may be president, the woman, seated in the...

No More Mister Nice Blog
YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW, WingnutS "Bummer," whined A -list right-wing blogger Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit after the House Republicans' Constitution-reading stunt was crashed by a birther. Well, boo-hoo, Jim -- your side enables these people, so you get what you deserve: An apparent member of the Birther Movement seated in the gallery of the House of Representatives on Thursday interrupted a reading of the Constitution. The woman yelled out "Except Obama, except Obama, help us Jesus!" as Rep. Frank...

Despite glitches, Constitution is read on the House floor
WASHINGTON — Republicans made history yesterday by staging the first-ever reading of the entire Constitution on the House floor. But that record may come with an asterisk: Democrats asked why original sections that later were amended, including references to slaves, were left out of the recital, and lawmakers initially did not catch that a couple of key paragraphs were omitted when two pages got stuck together. Disputes and glitches aside, Republican and Democratic lawmakers silenced thei...

A Progressive Call To Arms
Comrades! As I write, the RethugliKKKans are reading the United States Constitution in the well of the House! This has never been done before and is a horrible precedent--the United States Constitution is the biggest threat to the progressive dream of the complete and total evisceration of what it means to be a responsible human being and as such it must be undermined, scoffed at, mocked, ridiculed and trashed as much as possible. Why would anyone want a document which outlines basic freedoms? I...

Boehner on Birthers: "It's Not Up to Me to Tell Them What to Think"
House Speaker John Boehner was asked by NBC's Brian Williams today about how much responsibility he feels for an incident on the House floor this morning in which an apparent "birther" yelled out from the gallery while the Constitution was being read. As Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) read the portion of the Constitution mandating that only a "natural-born citizen" may be president, a woman in the gallery shouted, "Except Obama, except Obama." You can watch the video at left. Williams noted tha...

Historic Constitution reading comes with glitches
WASHINGTON -- In a symbolic move by a new Republican majority, the people who make our laws read the document that is the foundation for our laws in its entirety in Congress. Ga. Politics news, helpful links PolitiFact Georgia » David Wyss: State Governments have little ability to stimulate job growth in the short run. But like lawmaking itself, Thursday's unprecedented reading of the U.S. Constitution by members of the House didn't come without glitches -- including some involving Georg...

Boehner: Sure Obama's A Citizen, But I Won't Tell Others 'What To Think' (VIDEO)
In his first big interview as Speaker of the House, John Boehner (R-OH) told NBC's Brian Williams that he believes President Barack Obama is a U.S. citizen, but won't tell the other members of his Caucus "what to think." "The state of Hawaii has said that President Obama was born there," Boehner said. "That's good enough for me." [TPM SLIDESHOW: Meet The New House Republican Leadership] Williams then pressed Boehner on whether he will tell some of his colleagues -- who are co-sponsoring legisl...

Whatever happenedto real reporting?
I'm watching the coverage of the disruption of the House of Representatives during the reading of the Constitution today by a Protester who questioned Barack Obama's eligibility for the presidency. Here's what USA Today said: "A Protester who says President Obama wasn't Born in the USA was arrested this morning for disrupting the reading of the Constitution in the House chamber." Not true. That's not what Theresa Cao said. Even though we have all had the opportunity to watch the video and he...

Open tabs: Help us, Jesus
What good did the breathless early reports of the Daley hire do anyone? The Birther lady who interrupted the House Constitution class today has a great blog, of course. No one has been picked to replace Gibbs yet, so don't listen to anyone who says different. Tim Pawlenty wants you to know that he's "gritty" and "blue-collar." ...

News links: CBO says health care repeal will add $230 billion to deficit
The Congressional Budget Office says that repealing ObamaCare would add $230 billion to the federal Deficit. CBO>>> In light of a growing federal budget deficit, the Pentagon will have to make the biggest personnel cuts since 9-11, cutting up to 70,000 Soldiers and Marines in order to slow the growth of Military Spending over the next five years. Stars and Stripes>>> Ellen Weiss, NPR’s top news editor, has resigned after an internal review found that the news organiza...

'Birther' disrupts Constitution reading
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- A woman was arrested in the U.S. House gallery Thursday after shouting she believed President Obama wasn't a natural-born U.S. citizen. The woman shouted, "Except Obama" as Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., read the section of the Constitution mandating only a "natural-born citizen" may be president, Politico reported. After being ordered removed by Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, who was sitting in the speaker's chair, the woman yelled, "My name is Theresa," as an officer led ...

Birther Arrested During Reading of Constitution
(Politico) — A woman was arrested in the House gallery Thursday after interrupting a reading of the Constitution by yelling out her belief that President Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen of the United States. When Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) read the part of Article II, Section 1 mandating that only a “natural-born citizen” may be president, the woman, seated in the front row of the public gallery, screamed “Except Obama, except Obama. Help us Jesus.” R...

Constitution read on House floor
The U.S. House of Representatives today read - for the very first time - the entire text of the U.S. Constitution, on the House floor. Watch below (to go to the next video, click the link in the lower right corner of the video). Oklahoma's 5th District Congressman James Lankford read Section 3 of the 25th Amendment. Overall, there were few instances of the reading being interrupted. A Protester shouted "Except Obama! Except Obama!" during the reading of the section requiring the president to be ...

Birther Interrupts Constitution Reading
As Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) read the Constitution's stipulation that the president must be a natural-born citizen, a woman in the gallery of the U.S. House shouted, "Except for Obama! Except for Obama! Help us Jesus!" She was immediately removed. So much for the sanctity of our nation's most-revered document. Labels: birthers, Mental Illness, Racism, U.S. Constitution, U.S. House New! Share this on Facebook: Share ...

If Limbaugh Replaced Madison
David Cole has penned the Conservative Constitution of the United States of Real America. A sample: Article II. No person except a natural born Citizen who can produce video, photographic or eyewitness evidence of birth in a non-island American State shall be eligible to the Office of President. The President shall faithfully execute the laws, except when, as Commander in Chief, he decides he'd really rather not. ...