I thing you should the collect the jug.  Curators in future generations
will be grateful and will have an artifact to chuckle over.  The story is
compelling--alluding to political folly and compassion--and possesses
considerable educational value especially when linked to similar political
issues and political processes.  Hopefully, you collect other stuff related
to this political 'pissing match'.


At 05:28 PM 2/24/1999 -0600, you wrote:
>Long story - Contemporary political collecting in Alabama
>Greg Koos
>
>MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
>
>The pitched battle in the Alabama State Senate featuring the 18 Senate
>Democrats allied with Governor Don Siegelman (D) versus 17 conservatives
>(12 Republicans and 5 Democrats) allied with Lieutenant Governor Steve
>Windom (R) has finally ended.  Unfortunately, the bitter fight turned
>these politicians into a national embarrassment before it ended this week.
>By state law, the Lieutenant Governor only presides over the Senate
>sessions and votes in case of a tie.  However, by Senate rules, the
>Lieutenant Governor traditionally held the powerful role of picking
>committee chairs and assigned Senators to committees.  But when Windom was
>elected last year -- the first Republican to be elected Lieutenant
>Governor in this century -- the pro-Siegelman Democrats simply repealed
>the former rule and stripped Windom of all his powers.  That event set off
>the chain reaction in the sad story.  While presiding over a Senate
>session, Windom simply recognized a supporter who moved to reinstate the
>old rules.  By a simple voice vote, Windom gaveled the measure to passage
>and declared that his side won -- even though the Windom supporters are a
>minority in the Senate.  That set off a lengthy screaming match, with the
>Democrats threatening to impeach Windom and the Republicans threatening to
>impeach Siegelman.  Extra police officers were forced to maintain order in
>the Senate -- and the hostilities forced an adjournment to cool tempers.
>Both sides picked mediators to resolve the crisis but the talks collapsed.
>When the Senate returned to session a few days ago, tempers were higher
>than ever before.  Windom refused to leave the presiding officer's chair
>-- even for a few minutes -- because he feared that the Democratic leader
>and Senate President Pro Tempore Lowell Barron would quickly call a vote
>to repeal Windom's powers.  Barron decided to get tough, requiring the
>Senate to remain in session around the clock starting on Sunday to force
>Windom to leave the chair.  Windom instead had an empty water cooler
>bottle brought to him -- enabling him to urinate from the chair without
>leaving the Senate Chambers.  By Monday morning, an exhausted Windom was
>still in the chair and continuing to use his blue bottle.  The fiasco was
>finally too much for even his allies, as they finally forged a compromise.
>Among the terms: Siegelman-ally Barron will now select the chairs of all
>committees, both sides will each appoint an equal number of Senators to
>the budget review committees, the pro-Siegelman side will hold a majority
>on all other committees, each side will appoint Senators from their side
>to the allocated number of seats on each committee, Windom will get to
>select one-third of the bills debated on the floor, allow a simply
>majority (18) to overturn any decision Windom makes about Senate
>procedures or rules, and allow any four senators require that any Senate
>vote be a recorded, roll-call vote to stop Windom from being able to
>decide which side won by voice votes.  It is probably too early to tell if
>the shaky peace accord will survive.  As the Senate is allowed by state
>law to meet in session for only 30 days each year, nearly half of the 1999
>session was wasted on the fight.  Alabama House members began sporting
>lapel pins this week that read: "I'm in the House. I work."  Meanwhile,
>State Archives Director Ed Bridges said he would like Windom's jug for a
>museum exhibit.  Bridges -- possibly in a fit of lunacy -- told the
>Birmingham News in all seriousness that the bottle could be an
>attention-getting part of a serious exhibit to illustrate "the
>re-emergence of a serious two-party political life in Alabama."  Just
>think of the tour guide's speech: "And this large bottle of urine is
>symbolic of the rise of the Alabama Republican Party ..."
>