CALL THE SERGEANT-AT-ARMS

I'm serious. Compare this with this (from here, PDF file):

RULE XVII

DECORUM AND DEBATE

Decorum

1. (a) A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner who desires to speak or deliver a matter to the House shall rise and respectfully address himself to ‘‘Mr. Speaker’’ and, on being recognized, may address the House from any place on the floor. When invited by the Chair, a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner may speak from the Clerk’s desk.

(b)(1) Remarks in debate shall be confined to the question under debate, avoiding personality.

(2)(A) Except as provided in subdivision (B), debate may not include characterizations of Senate action or inaction, references to individual Members of the Senate, or quotations from Senate proceedings.

(B) Debate may include references to actions taken by the Senate or by committees thereof that are a matter of public record; references to the pendency or sponsorship in the Senate of bills, resolutions, and amendments; factual descriptions relating to Senate action or inaction concerning a measure then under debate in the House; and quotations from Senate proceedings on a measure then under debate in the House that are relevant to the making of legislative history establishing the meaning of that measure.

Rules, schmules, I guess. Via Billmon.

PS: The point of those rules is to lend the legislative body a certain seriousness befitting its responsibilities, as well as to help limit conflict between members. That includes partisan conflict. Since accusations of "partisanship" are tossed around with abandon these days, seems to me like a little trip back to Bible school might be necessary for some folks. Those who tend in the Christian direction, that is.

Thus endeth Friday's sermon. See you on Monday.