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WASHINGTON - The last House vote before a vacation usually sparks a stampede toward the doors and waiting planes. Not so on Friday, when Republicans occupied the House floor for a rare, and at times bizarre, protest against Democratic energy policies.

The microphones were off, the House had stopped TV feeds to C-Span and the lights dimmed after the pre-noon vote to adjourn for the August recess. That didn't deter Republicans, who one after another rose to demand that Congress stay in session until it does something about high gas prices.

Unlike a normal session where the rules of decorum are strictly enforced, GOP lawmakers and their aides who filled the chamber clapped, chanted, gave standing ovations and booed the Democrats.
"Madame Speaker, where art thou?" shouted out Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, in a glancing rhetorical shot at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "Where oh where has Congress gone?"

It was a rare treat for tourists. Republicans invited many, in their shorts and sandals, into the chamber, usually strictly off-limits, to better hear the revivalist-like speeches.

The talkathon finally ended around 5:00 p.m. EDT, more than five hours after it began and 30 minutes after police escorted tourists out of the chamber. The Capitol closes to tourists at 4:30 p.m. In a grand finale, lawmakers led a roomful of aides in a rendition of "God Bless America" and walked off to chants of "USA, USA."The event, said Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona, one of the organizers with Reps. Mike Pence of Indiana and Tom Price of Georgia, was "the equivalent of the Boston Tea Party over the energy issue."

but with lower prices people will naturaly drive more and bring up the price

then people need to stop complaining about the prices and realize they are responsible for them

Ugh; this event is the quintessence of why the American legislative system is so ineffective. First off the session was going to end before, the issue had been resolved; secondly, the Republican congressman began to make boors of themselves by breaking quorum and mocking the opposition, for no reason whatsoever. WTF House of Reps.! I hope Luis Fortuño wasn't involved in this, since he is the Rep. for Puerto Rico, and a Republican. gonk

obama says we should sell our reserve oil sweatdrop

going green is merely a fad, I predict that in about 25 years we will be laughing at those who went green.

Also windmills kill hundreds of poor defenseless birds each year, we must think of the poor winged annoyances, in addition to the fact that windmills are powerless when the wind is not blowing as one Texan town that was entirely wind powered painfully discovered earlier this year when for about an hour the wind stopped and the town was plunged into darkness.

agreed