Our democracy at work.

In the House, a vote on the Patriotic Act was, oh, shall we say, tampered with by Republicans. This bill would've put a halt to allowing the FBI to monitor people's reading, e-mail and Internet habits at public libraries. There was a winning 219-201 margin to pass the bill by the end of the 15-minute scheduled time limit. However, the Republican-controlled House allowed the voting to continue for another 23 minutes, as Democrats chanted "shame, shame'' and Tom DeLay promptly pressured several members to switch their votes. In the end, the final vote count was 210-210.

As one member said, "You win some, and some get stolen." Rep. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, sponsor of the bill, said "I resent on behalf of the American people that the Republican leadership rigged the game. At the end of 15 minutes, we won, and it wasn't even close."

Another in a series of examples of where the Republicans do whatever it takes to win. The sad part is the voting public has no clue that this event occurred.