Angered, TEA Partiers Honk Their Disapproval At Chet

"There's just no right way to do the wrong thing." - Waylon
Jennings

A dozen cars circled the 600 block of Austin Aveue during
noon hour under leaky skies in downtown Waco Tuesday.

The building houses one of the regional offices occupied by
the staff of U.S. Representative Chet Edwards, a multi-term
conservative Democrat.

A small group of bedraggled TEA Partiers stood soaking in
the rain under umbrellas brandishing protest signs that told
passersby of their displeasure with Democratic tactics on
health care.

Mr. Edwards issued a statement from his Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C., office on Monday, saying he intends to
vote against the Obama Care health reform package the Senate
delivered to the lower chamber earlier in the day.

Came the dawn and the revelation from House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi that the the Representatives will be asked to employ
the "Slaughter" rule in which the chamber approves only the
amendments to the bill and it will be deemed passed without
their having to cast votes for it - up or down.

Predictably, this brick through the window development had
the central Texas Congressional District in an uproar on
Tuesday.

It's a tactic Republicans have used a number of times during
their ascendancy and dominance in Congress in previous terms
on various matters - but never a trillion dollar overhaul of
a sector of the economy that occupies one-fifth of the gross
domestic product pie chart.

In a quick visit to District 56 State Representative Doc
Anderson's office down the street, the receptionist greeted
the visitor warmly, answered the proffered request for
information, then commented stone-faced on small talk about
the "Senate health care bill" in this way.

"There is no bill."

Asked if she meant that the Senators had not delivered a
bill reforming the American system of health care to new
specifications hammered out in the upper chamber, she would
only repeat thusly.

"There is no bill."

The TEA Partiers had delivered a couple of giant greeting
cards signed by their members in big letters that urged
their Representative to vote against the measure - or else.

They quickly signed the guest register, then, umbrellas and
protest signs dripping rainwater, filed out of the offices
to take up their posts again on the corner.

A television newsman who had been sent with a mini-cameraman
to cover the event smiled and said, "Sounds like New York
City out here!"

Cars continued to circle the block, honking madly.