OPINION PIECE: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of Her Campus Agnes Scott.
“She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.” These were the words said by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in response to the backlash that arose after Senator Elizabeth Warren was silenced by GOP members of the Senate for violating policies (dispute the truth, validity, or honesty) that prevent senators from impugning another senator.
(Senator Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts)
Warren “violated” congressional procedure by reading a letter written by Coretta Scott King that criticized Jeff Session’s work in Alabama. Coincidentally, two other senators,who happened to be male, read the same letter to members of the Senate. However, when these male senators read the letter, no one objected.
Warren was silenced because she dared to go against an oppressor who has perpetuated racial discrimination in Alabama for years. So this is the world we live in? Truth about violators of human rights is silenced while “alternative facts” are boasted across the media. Moreover, if a woman dares to speak out against these issues it is seen as blasphemous.
I refuse to accept this as my reality.
Senator Elizabeth Warren has been a bulldog for the working class, and a procedural gag on her voice in the Senate regarding Jeff Sessions will not deter her from seeking justice for the underrepresented. Nor will it deter the American people from rising up against these unjust acts.
(Jeff Sessions, United States Attorney General)
What the GOP doesn’t seem to understand is that the American people are now more invested in the bureaucratic process more than ever. Constituents across party lines are concerned with the state of the president’s administrative appointments. We are not being quiet on the issue.
But what’s more, we will not be silenced on the issue.
Sources: http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/07/politics/elizabeth-warren-silenced/