Showing The U.S. Senate How It's Done

“Here is a chance to study AP Government in the flesh”, said the mother to the son. “Forget about the sterile AP government class with the right-wing Texas-approved text. Forget about the frakkin’ AP test! Forget about the canned classroom discussion about DPW, school vouchers, the cost of the Iraq war. Go and actually DO Democracy with your dad and David Van Os this weekend. Go participate in the Filibuster For Independence in Austin this weekend. Be prepared to filibuster, be prepared to defend Democracy. Don’t sleep for 24 hours. Do, instead of study”.

So, the boy says “OK”. Suddenly, to his mother, he is no longer a boy. He is actually putting his time where his considerable mouth is. He is going to practice Democracy in the august presence of some new-age Dems who are going to wrest Texas away from the knee-jerk stupidity of those lock-step radical right-wing freaks, and help Texas become independent once again. And he is dragging some friends along, too. It is no surprise to this mother that the guys in his class are too chicken to join him, but the women said, “Hell, yes! We’re goin’ too!”

So Billy Stallings, from the International School of the Americas in San Antonio, along with his female posse, is going to be participating in his first filibuster, helping show the U.S. Senate Democrats how Democracy is done. And this mother couldn’t be prouder.