House Rules Quotes
The “People of the Book” were the Jews and Christians who received special status in Muslim lands and societies. Despite the enmity and Muslim fundamentalist terrorism of modern times, Jews have historically lived in relative harmony in Islamic lands, and with the exception of the Christians in the Crusades, Christians were also given a place in Muslim societies. The “Book” refers to the Bible.
Many people notice that in the House of Representatives in a debate or a speech the speaker always addresses “Mr. Speaker.” This was the rule voted on by the first House. The purpose was to avoid the legislators shouting at each other and getting into personal arguments and insulting each other. Try it. It’s hard to be angry with someone when you have to argue through a third person.
Newt Gingrich, then speaker of the House, for years had used campaign donation money which was supposed to be used for promoting Republican candidates and political positions, to do so by purchasing Gingrich’s books with which to educate and inform people. The speaker had written them for a course in politics and was paid a significant amount for each sale. So Gingrich used campaign donation money to implement programs which happened to enrich him personally. The House had a rule limiting the amount of money that any Congressperson could earn beyond their salaries and Gingrich had gone way over that amount as a result of his book sales. After denying anything was amiss, he finally admitted to a technical violation of the House rules, but argued that he had broken no laws and should retain his Speakership. He was forced to resign, but later tried an unsuccessful run for the Republican Presidential nomination.
This resolution passed and remained in effect for one session. It was one of the first attempts to limit and regulate lobbying.
After it was revealed that his apartment was used for purposes of male prostitution, the congressman called for an ethics committee hearing on his own behavior, adding:
