Coup d' Rory
The katfight in the human fishbowl is not over! Not by a long shot. After slipping on a velvet glove before verbally bitchslapping speaker Judi Won Pat this past Saturday, senator Rory Respicio continues the political smackdown by slipping some brass (balls) into them thar gloves!
Apparently, Respicio has finally come to the realization that his finish last in the 2010 elections gives him no shot in hell to run for governor in 2014 and his only chance at making like George and Weezy Jefferson is to take out the increasingly-irrelevant speaker.
As chair of the committee that makes up the rules the legislature is supposed to play by, Respicio has cobbled together Resolution 181 - a smackdown set up that will remove Won Pat from her leadership role, with the help of the Republicans and the senators that gambling empresario Pedro Dongo Pangelinan has in his back pocket.
Currently, it takes 8 members of the Committee on Rules to remove the Speaker of the Guam legislature or any of the leadership. Respicio has now made it possible for any combo of 8 senators at-large to do the trick...and following the vote to legalize Dongo's gaming machines under the tricky ploy of helping the hospital, it looks like Respicio will do just that.
Resolution 181 says:
"WHEREAS, Part A Section 1.01 (b)(2) Removal of Officers and Attaches states: "Eight (8) votes of the Members of the Committee on Rules shall be required for the removal of the Speaker, the Vice-Speaker, the Legislative Secretary, or any Standing Committee Chairperson. Eight (8) votes of the Members of the Committee on Rules shall be required for the removal of any Legislative Attache...."
and changes the rules of the game to make it possible for Rory to remove Won Pat by now establishing that:
"I Mina 'Trentai Dos Na Liheslaturan Gudhan does hereby amend Standing Rules Part A, Section 1.01 (b )(2) Removal of 23 Officers and Attaches to now read: "Eight (8) votes of I Mina'Trentai Dos Na Liheslaturan Gudhan shall be required for the removal of the Speaker, the Vice-Speaker, the Legislative Secretary, or any Standing Committee Chairperson."
Signing off on the coup d' Rory plot are, of course democrat turncoat and Republican mole Dennis Rodriguez Jr, who brings with him to aid Repsicio, his normal Calvo contingent of fellow Republican lawmakers, Tony Ada, Brant McCreadie, Mike Limtiaco and Aine Yamashita.
What is surprising in this kitty coup are the Democrats who have signed off on the rules change with Rory and Dennis...Tina Muña Barnes, Tom Ada and Michael San Nicolas...all of whom seem to be running like mad for unelection in 2014.
This latest display of Democratic cannibalism only reaffirms the growing irrelevancy that Won Pat has allowed to define her last two terms and the desperation of veteran lawmakers who can't seem to otherwise progress their ambition.
It will be interesting to see what comes next....but it looks like I'm gonna have to stock up on some popcorn and butter. This circus is getting gorier than True Blood and more replete with intrigue than Game of thrones...fuck the Red Massacre! We have the Coup d' Rory!