Right Rhetoric 3/27/09

No one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut.

Sam Rayburn
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Hello.
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I actually met Sam Rayburn one day. When I was in high school our class took a trip to Washington D. C.. It was a very educational experience. We met some interesting people and went on some tours, a few of which were fun. We had a guided tour of the FBI which was fascinating and a tour of the Treasury Building which wasn't, (at least not to me since I don't know anything about money).

We met with one of our Senators, Jacob Javits, who spoke about how the Senate was reaching out to governments around the world from a position of bipartisan strength.

We met with Justice Harold Burton of the Supreme Court who explained how he went back over other relevant Supreme Court decisions since the beginning to help him reach a decision.

We had a brief chat with Margaret Chase Smith, who was the first and only female Senator at that time. She was from Maine. (Leave it to the New Englanders to kick down walls. My New England friends will agree.)

We got to watch the Senate in session which was by far the least interesting thing we did. Unlike members of the House of Representatives, who have a time limit, Senators can basically speak for as long as they want to. It takes a vote of the whole Senate to shut them up.

Sam Rayburn was a man of few words, but they were eloquent ones. During the few minute we were with him he described the machinations of Congress and what his responsibilities were. as Speaker of the House. I came away with the impression that the country was run by conversations in private, over the telephone and by inter-office memos, what today would be emails and faxes, and that a lot of it takes place in what they call "behind closed doors" and not on the floors of the House or Senate. Those are where the votes take place, of course. But by the time things get to a vote there are very few surprises.

All in all it was a fascinating venture into the jungle of big government and anyone who can should do it.

DB - Vagabond Journeys
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Blessings on your day.
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