Wee the People: A Filibuster Pee Break Flowchart

Planning to speak for 12 hours without heeding nature’s call? Here’s a flowchart to help you slow your flow.


It’s on everyone’s minds every time a legislator heroically stands up to speak for hours on end for one reason or another: Just where do they go when they have to, you know, go? It turns out each politician has his or her own strategy. Some, like segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond, spent days prepping to hold the floor, even taking steam baths to dehydrate themselves. Others have tried to maintain a modicum of discretion, surrounding themselves with sheets and answering nature’s call right there in the chamber. But take a minute and put yourself in Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis’ shoes—how would you fare if you had to hold the floor and hold it in?

 

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With just 4 days left, we need a huge surge in reader support to get to our $400,000 year-end goal. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters. All gifts are 3X matched and tax-deductible.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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