I had the great privilege of watching the group The Musical Box perform this piece last night in San Juan Capistrano. I had a front row center seat, and they did this piece with the exact same old man mask that made this so effectively spooky. The bit beginning around 7:45 always sends shivers down my spine, and last night’s recreation did the same.

[guest post by Dana]

I guess because females are always manipulative, even on the floor of the Senate. Oh. Wait. Maybe it had nothing to do with being female, maybe it had everything to do with being Asian! Either one works in this game, right?

In spite of efforts to persist, State Sen. Janet Nguyen was not only silenced on the floor of the Senate, but hands were laid on her as she was escorted away:

A Republican legislator and Vietnamese refugee was dragged from the state Senate floor Thursday morning when a Democratic leader ordered her removed after she tried to criticize the late Tom Hayden, a former state senator and vocal opponent of the war in Vietnam.

State Sen. Janet Nguyen, R-Garden Grove (Orange County), who was born in what was then Saigon, spoke briefly in Vietnamese, but her microphone was shut off less than 30 seconds after she began to repeat her remarks in English.

State Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County), who was presiding over the short floor session, called on Nguyen to sit down a dozen times, telling her she was out of order. But when Nguyen continued to read her statement into her dead microphone, Lara took stronger action.

“Sergeants, please remove Senator Nguyen from the chamber,” he said. “Have her removed immediately.”

A pair of sergeants-at-arms who were on their way to Nguyen’s seat on the Senate floor grabbed her by the arms and pulled her off the floor. But Nguyen, still shouting out her statement, tried to turn back toward Lara, forcing the sergeants to redouble their efforts to hustle her away.

But hey, she got what she asked for:

Democrats insisted that the incident was caused by Nguyen’s choice to use what’s known as a “point of personal privilege” to close the session — a choice they said was inappropriate. Dan Reeves, chief of staff to Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), told reporters that Nguyen had been offered the chance to speak at a different time.

“She got exactly what she wanted, which wasn’t to speak,” Reeves said. “She wanted to cause a scene for her district.”

Outcry from the left over this female elected official being silenced?? Crickets. Enraged editorials on the pages of The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and The Washington Post decrying the sexism of an elected official being condescended to by the powerful patriarchy?? Crickets. Furious tweets from Hollywood celebrities over the bigotry?? Crickets. Powerful state officials Nancy Pelosi and Diane Feinstein standing in solidarity with other California female state representatives on the steps of the capitol, demanding that NO female politician should be silenced, let alone have hands laid on them?? Crickets.

And what was the response of the state governor Jerry Brown? Crickets. And from California State Sen. Kamala Harris (on track for a possible future run for governor) and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (actively working to become governor): Nothing but crickets.

Note: If you cannot even live out your espoused principles and stand up for one single, solitary minority woman, and politician in the minority, who boldly represented her constituents before a powerful group of state officials, then you are undeserving of my vote for anything. Because if you cannot even muster the courage to do that, then you have demonstrated that you will lack the courage to do that which is unpopular, yet beneficial for the people of this state. And let me remind you, it is your party which recently announced that once again, dissent is patriotic.

Oh, California, we can always count on you to consistently play a lopsided game of selective moral outrage when determining whether expending your political capital is worth the risk of angering voters. It’s a simple weighted standard of measure: Does a (D) or (R) come after the person’s name?

Although Sen. Nguyen can, with unquestioned honesty, check off a number of liberal political identity markers, she also has a big check against her because she a Republican. What is particularly ironic about that is, by being a Republican lawmaker in California, Sen. Nguyen automatically becomes a member of yet one more minority group. Check off another box!

As a reminder, here is what the ultimate champion of oppressed women and minorities everywhere (except when an (R) follows their name), Hillary Clinton had to say about the silencing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren:

She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted. So must we all.

And here is Sen. Chuck Schumer, who deemed the silencing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren as “totally unnecessary”:

A senator’s mouthpiece is larger than the senate floor, but it’s even larger when her constituents rally w/ @SenateDems to #LetLizSpeak.

California Senator and former State Attorney General Kamala Harris said:

By silencing Elizabeth Warren, the GOP gave women around the world a rallying cry. #ShePersisted #LetLizSpeak
9:19 AM – 8 Feb 2017

And let’s not forget the powerful voices of The Celebrities :

Sarah Silverman said, Rules made as they go to serve their agenda. It’s mob Ego. SAD!”

Keith Olbermann wrote, “I think it’s important to recognize that McConnell’s censorship of Warren tonight is part of a Republican process to curtail democracy.”

And George Takei offered, “The GOP suppressing free speech, silencing Warren tonight for reading Coretta Scott King’s criticism of Sessions. We need to shut down D.C.”

In regard to the Republican senators who silenced Warren, Amy Brenneman tweeted, “#f*ckthesemen.”

And Billy Eichner asked, “We all cool with this?”

More:

Paul Feig offered, “Women of the world, keep persisting. Strong men will hear you. Weak men will fear you. All will listen. Persist. Thank you, @SenWarren.” Michael Keaton exclaimed, “Go Elizabeth Warren go!” Connie Britton tweeted, “She persisted. #CorettaScottKing #LetLizSpeak.”

“‘Nevertheless, she persisted.’ So must we all. You go, girl,” wrote Stephen King. Busy Philipps commented, “I’m gonna need ‘nevertheless, she persisted.’ on multiple items of clothing, please. THANKS.” Samantha Ronson wrote, “‘Nevertheless, she persisted.’ #StillWithHer #IStandWithPP #letlizspeak #WomensMarch #CorettaScottKing #WeThePeople.”

Zachary Quinto gave one of the lengthiest responses, writing, “THEIR ATTEMPT TO SILENCE HER ONLY AMPLIFIES HER VOICE. once again i am inspired today by the truth and integrity and resolve of @elizabethwarrenma in the face of such blatant racism xenophobia homophobia sexism and fear mongering.”

He continued, “Her censure in the senate chamber further highlights the utter desperation of the old white men who are ruthlessly clinging to their stagnant and dangerous ideals. we are evolving beyond your hatred. we are rising above your smallness. she is a powerful embodiment of the unstoppable movement toward inclusion and equality. it is only a matter of time before truth and goodness prevail.”

Sadly, as we already know, all women and immigrants are not seen equally in the eyes of Democrats. Because just as abortion is the litmus test for feminists, whether a (D) or (R) follows your name is the ultimate litmus test for the left. If you’re a female Democrat silenced on a senate floor, you will become a cause célèbre. If you’re a female Republican silenced on a senate floor, yawn.

And it all becomes even more amusing when one considers that Sen. Warren is a faux-Native American who co-opted traditional physical features associated with America’s aboriginal people to claim minority status and a hoped-for professional advantage, while Sen. Nguyen is an actual living, breathing minority woman whose family was forced to flee their homeland in order to survive. I guess #OnlyWhiteWomenSilencedMatter.

Sen. Nguyen released this statement regarding the kerfuffle:

“Today, in a clear violation of my first amendment rights, I was silenced and forcibly removed from the Senate Floor during an adjournment in memory of Vietnamese and Vietnamese refugees which also offered another historic perspective on Former Senator Tom Hayden’s active support of North Vietnam’s Communist Regime during the Vietnam War.

I was especially perplexed by the actions taken against me because I notified the Senate Pro Tem’s office of my desire to speak on this subject matter and followed protocol. Out of respect for former Senator Hayden’s family, I also chose to wait to make my comments today rather than on the day they were present earlier this week. Nevertheless, the Senate leadership chose to censor me.

My family came to this country in search of the very freedom that was taken away from me this morning. I am deeply disappointed with Senate leadership’s actions because more than an act against me, Senate leadership silenced the voice of the residents of the 34th District, the more than 960,000 residents that I represent, whose freedoms of speech should never be silenced.”

Anywho, the 89th Academy Awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles tomorrow night. Given that Sen. Nguyen represents the 34th Senate District in California, and given the outrage by Hollywood when another female Senator was silenced on a Senate floor, I am calling on all Oscar presenters, award winners and industry luminaries to make a public stand on behalf of one real minority female and elected official who was also silenced at the behest of the patriarchy. Perhaps the much-celebrated and ardent defender of “outsiders,” Meryl Streep can lead the way when she is on stage as a presenter. Now that would truly be Oscar gold.

(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)

–Dana