The Fall of the Other Roman Empire

WASHINGTON, DC -- Under the martial law procedure, long-standing House rules that require at least one day between the unveiling of significant legislation and the House floor vote on that legislation so that Members can learn what they are being asked to vote on are swept away.

Instead, under "martial law," the Leadership can file legislation with tens or hundreds of pages of fine print and move immediately to debate and votes on it, before Members of Congress, the media, or the public have an opportunity to understand fully what provisions have been altered or inserted into the legislation behind closed doors. This is the procedure that the Leadership intends to use to muscle through important bills in the next two days.

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, MD 9-29-8

My Name is Michael Sterling, and thank God for the West Wing. Aaron Sorkin's West Wing. It's down to Dennis Kucinich, Lawrence O'Donnell Jr, and Rachel Maddow... or maybe it's now up to them. And, of course, Science Fiction, especially when it describes our current predicament --- 21 years ago.