Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to modernize archaic legal language by striking the term “lunatic” from federal law. The measure passed resoundingly, with only one vote against: conservative East Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert.
Former Austin scribe Jennifer Bendery writes for Huffington Post that while Gohmert’s office didn’t expand upon the representative’s vote, his words in the House chamber provided some context:
"To keep spending and not pay the price, that is immoral," Gohmert said. "That's why we shouldn't eliminate the word 'lunatic.' It really has application around this town. … We want to eliminate the word 'lunatic' from the federal code?" Gohmert asked. "That's lunacy."
It’s not Gohmert’s first run in with questionable definitions: The five term representative set off a firestorm in 2010 with remarks positing the specter of “terror babies,” or terrorists illegally entering the U.S. and birthing so-called “anchor babies” to secure an American base for their fiendish plots. Gohmert’s remarks lead to a confrontational appearance on Anderson Cooper’s CNN program, seen below.
