Texas Republican Uses Porn to Kill Science Bill

US Rep. Ralph Hall misused a House procedural rule, meant to insure that minorities have a voice, to effectively kill a science funding bill last week. Hall killed a bill that would renew Bush-backed support for science innovation and education by tying a vote to stop it from reaching the floor with a measure punishing people who look at porn at work.

Democrats then bailed on voting the bill back out of committee, because Republicans would be able to use that vote against them, saying they declined to punish adults who look at porn at work—when indeed Hall was the one who tied the porn legislation to the science funding bill in the first place. Discover calls it "cynical manipulation" and deplores the fact that the future is being compromised by Republican Political tricks. Read the full article.