It comes at no surprise to anyone visiting the Capitol or any other government building in the area these days to have dangerous metal things like knives, nail files, or tweezers confiscated. Everything else goes through the x-ray machine, excessive numbers of papers are questioned (”Is a staffer meeting you?”) holding up the line on your way to the meeting where you planned to hand these out to the 150 attendees (thus necessitating giant reams of paper), and I usually have to take off my shoes.
Apparently my heels have giant spikes in them that could theoretically be turned into a shiv.
Annoying, yes. But not shocking.
What was shocking this morning as I and some cohorts went to watch, support, and then blog about the proceedings on the House floor where some members are demanding a vote on energy, making speeches long after the House has recessed for August - is that I wasn’t even able to take a pencil and paper in.
I had wanted to take pictures. That was forbidden.
Cell phones and any other electronics were likewise not allowed.
But I had been asked to attend for the express purpose of telling the world what went on! With the House formally in recess until September, even C-Span wasn’t covering the events unfold on the floor. As people walked in an out the gallery and tours were allowed onto the floor by staffers, Congressmen again and again asked that people write down the number of Speaker Pelosi so that they could call her and ask for a vote on energy.
But of course, no one could. No one had anything so dangerous as a crayon on their person with which to record the historic occasion and jot down some observations.
Luckily, after learning that the general populace is required to leave all writing implements behind (and reading materials! There is no reading or writing in the gallery. I would love to see people trying to take the Constitution in) I got an escort through the cloak room to a seat where I could jot notes so that I could accurately relay what our leaders were doing.
Because no one else could.
