Time to Convene the Do Nothing Congress

Having survived a torturous process and passed legislation that raises America's debt ceiling, Congress has decided to go on vacation. One problem: the debt ceiling nightmare pushed nearly all other important work to the back burner and Congress recessed before accomplishing some important matters such as continue funding the Federal Aviation Administration. So because of yet another political stalemate, Congress went home and their negligence has left 74,000 FAA workers out of work--not exactly a stimulus to the sagging economy.

There is one thing that one person could attempt to do about all this: President Obama has the constitutional authority to order Congress back to town to deal with this issue. According to Article II, Section III, of the U.S. Constitution, the President "may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses." The partial shutdown of the FAA would certainly qualify as an "extraordinary occasion" which potentially puts public safety and the health of the economy at risk.

Convening Congress via the extraordinary occasions clause has not been done since 1948 when Harry Truman ordered the do-nothing 80th Congress back to Washington to deal with the issues of the day--a tactic many credit with allowing Truman to embarrass Congress and win a close reelection. Truman had it right and today's 112th Congress can similarly be described as do-nothing. It is time for this President to act boldly, especially when many Americans, his base most of all, view this President as too willing to capitulate to his political enemies. This President should bring Congress back to town and keep them there until they carry out their responsibility and fund the FAA.

Eugene Allen: A White House Butler's Amazing Journey

Last year, one of my students gave me a copy of a Washington Post article about a former White House butler who passed away March 31, 2010, who had worked at the White House for 34 years. It got buried in a pile of papers. I unearthed it and am very glad I did. The man's name was Eugene Allen and his story is fascinating. Allen, an African-American, grew up in Virginia during segregation. Working in the White House, he witnessed many of the pivotal historical moments of the 20th Century and was on hand in 2009 for the swearing-in of America's first president of color: Barack Obama.

Allen started at the White House in Harry Truman's last year: "In 1952, a lady told him of a job opening in the White House. 'I wasn't even looking for a job,' he says. 'I was happy where I was working, but she told me to go on over there and meet with a guy by the name of Alonzo Fields.' Fields was a maitre d', and he immediately liked Allen. Allen was offered a job as a 'pantry man.' He washed dishes, stocked cabinets and shined silverware. He started at $2,400 a year. There was, in time, a promotion to butler. 'Shook the hand of all the presidents I ever worked for,' he says.

Allen retired in 1986 after having served eight presidents. His tenure spanned many great moments in history, both for the country and himself. Perhaps his highest moment happened when he and his wife Helen attended a State Dinner as guests of the Reagan: "First lady Nancy Reagan came looking for him one afternoon, and Mr. Allen wondered whether he or a member of his staff had done something wrong. She assured him that he had not but also told him that his services would not be needed at the upcoming state dinner for German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Mr. Allen tensed, wondering why. "She said, 'You and Helene are coming to the state dinner as guests of President Reagan and myself,'... Mr. Allen thought he was the first butler to receive an invitation to a state dinner."

Read both WaPo articles linked above for more details on Allen's amazing career and life. It is a fascinating read about a fascinating man and his journey.

Area 51: A Military Base Which Does Not Officially Exist

I was driving home from work today and tuned into a story on NPR's Fresh Air about a new book about Area 51. The book, Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base, was written by Annie Jacobson, an editor at Los Angeles Times Magazine. The interview was mesmerizing and covered a variety of subjects. I haven't read the book yet but if it's anything like the show today, I expect it is damn good.

Here is an excerpt from the book: "Area 51 is the nation's most secret domestic military facility. It is located in the high desert of southern Nevada, seventy-five Miles north of Las Vegas. Its facilities have been constructed over the past sixty years around a flat, dry lake bed called Groom Lake. The U.S. government has never admitted it exists. Key to understanding Area 51 is knowing that it sits inside the largest government-controlled land parcel in the United States, the Nevada Test and Training Range. Encompassing 4,687 square miles, this area is just a little smaller than the state of Connecticut — three times the size of Rhode Island, and more than twice as big as Delaware. Set inside this enormous expanse is a smaller parcel of land, 1,350 square miles, called the Nevada Test Site, the only facility like it in the continental United States. Beginning in 1951, on the orders of President Harry Truman, 105 nuclear weapons were exploded above ground at the site and another 828 were exploded underground in tunnel chambers and deep, vertical shafts. The last nuclear weapons test on American soil occurred at the Nevada Test Site on September 23, 1992. The facility contains the largest amount of weapons-grade plutonium and uranium in the United States not secured inside a nuclear laboratory."

The Penultimate Decision

Before a president signs an important piece of legislation, as President Barack Obama did when he signed the historic health care reform legislation into law, his staff has a trivial yet interesting decision to make: how many pens will POTUS use and who will receive them as gifts afterward? President Obama used 22 pens to sign the legislation. That is not a typo--22 pens to sign his name. With 11 letters in his name that averages out to a half of one letter per pen. According to Politico, the recipients were:

1. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

2. Sen. Dick Durbin

3. Sen. Max Baucus

4. Sen. Tom Harkin

5. Sen. Chris Dodd

6. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

7. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer

8. Rep. James Clyburn

9. Rep. George Miller

10. Rep. Henry Waxman

11. Rep. Sandy Levin

12. Rep. John Dingell

13. Rep. Charles Rangel

14. Vice President Joe Biden

15. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

16. Vicki Kennedy (Senator Ted Kennedy's widow)

17. Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform

18. Phil Schiliro, assistant to the president for legislative affairs

19. Sister Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association

20. President Obama himself

21. & 22. NARA

The multiple souvenir pen tradition began with Harry Truman. Lyndon Johnson's signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 where he gave a pen to Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. is perhaps the most famous of all pen giveaways. Using all those pens to construct a legible and flowing signature has to be a difficult task unless the president prints his signature.

Harry Truman, Grandpa

I came across an amazing article in Prologue magazine about Harry Truman, written by Clifton Truman Daniel, the President's grandson and Margaret's eldest son. Imagine being six years old when you find out that your grandfather had been president of the United States. Daniel's portrait of Truman provides an fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Truman the man, as well as some interesting tales of Lyndon Johnson. Here is just a taste:

"My favorite story is about the man whose car blew a tire on Delaware Street, right in front of the house. Not knowing where he was or whose house he was approaching, the man walked through the unlocked gate and up to the front door where he rang the bell. Grandpa answered in his shirtsleeves. 'Can I use your phone, please?' the man said. 'I have a flat.' 'Sure,' Grandpa said. 'Come on in.' The man called a local mechanic, who said it would take 20 minutes or so to get to him. 'I'll wait outside,' he told Grandpa. 'Nonsense,' Grandpa said. 'Have a seat. Relax.' As far as we know, they spent the next 20 minutes chatting amiably in the living room. When the tow truck arrived, the man stood, shook Grandpa's hand, and thanked him for his hospitality. 'Not at all,' Grandpa said, showing the man out. 'It was nice talking to you.' The man got halfway down the front steps before he stopped and turned. 'I hope you won't take offense,' he said. 'But you look a lot like that son of a bitch Harry Truman.' 'No offense at all,' Grandpa said with wide grin. 'I am that son of a bitch.'"

Hat Tip: American Presidents Blog