Some people are paper thin. You can see through them. They snipe at each other,
bicker, quibble, argue and settle into little concrete-like, holier-than-thou petty bunkers.
I’m talking about, of course, the United States Congress in this frightening time of crisis.
Some eye-witnesses say Mr. Brooks struck Senator Sumner as many as twenty times over his head. Senator Sumner was sitting in an arm chair when the assault was made upon him. He had no opportunity to defend himself. There are various opinions on the subject, and quite contradictory. Many were applauding the act, whilst others were denouncing it as a cowardly attempt to beat down freedom of speech. The affair will, undoubtedly, cause great debate in the Senate tomorrow. Mr. Brooks was arrested shortly after the affair… and held to bail in $500 to answer. Mr. Sumner has two severe but not dangerous wounds on the head. Mr. Brook’s cane was shattered in many pieces, demonstrating the violence of the assault.
In 1856, House member Brooks from South Carolina burst into the Senate and beat Massachusetts Republican Sumner into unconsciousness with a gutta percha cane.
When I got to the Senate, I was told that the only rule is: There are no rules.
Quotation from Sen. John Thune, Republican/South Dakota