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Special Orders

created by pingouin

(thing) by pingouin (4.3 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Mon Feb 07 2000 at 18:09:28

Of course, there's "hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us..."; that's part of the "Have it Your Way" Burger King jingle that has been in and out of circulation since the 1970s.

In the US House of Representatives, Special Orders give a member up to an hour to speak on anything, once the House's business is done for the day. It's often used for self-aggrandizement of one kind or another. Texas congressman Henry Gonzalez might use the time to push his possibly-valid conspiracy theories or point out the decline in quality of the nation's political culture. Bob Dornan might use his hour to rant rant rant, usually quite entertaining. Members can share the time, yielding the floor back and forth; these are especially tendentious, since this polite atmosphere allows for no debate.

In the early days of C-SPAN, the cameras were trained only on the well of the house floor, trained on the member who had the floor; it looked like that person was speaking grandly to a full House, when, in fact, only a handful of staff were milling about (I think the main culprit back then was Gonzalez). So a rule was added to the TV coverage guidelines: have the director take periodic shots of the empty House when Special Orders were going on. "Special Orders don't upset us..."


printable version
chaos

Never give an order you know will not be obeyed Bob Dornan Special Orders 191 The first time I knew I was different
C-SPAN Beemans Gum General Orders Jingle
Self-aggrandizement Infinite Jest
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