The term filibuster originated from the 18th-century word “flibustier,” which referred to pirates who pillaged the Spanish colonies in the West Indies, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

A filibuster is a political strategy in which a senator speaks—or threatens to speak—for hours on end to delay efforts to vote for a bill. The unusual tactic takes advantage of a U.S. Senate rule that says a senator, once recognized on the floor, may speak on an issue without being impeded by anyone. While various rule changes have tempered the filibuster’s power over the past century, it still offers unique leverage to the minority political party in the Senate.

The term filibuster originated from the 18th-century word “flibustier,” which referred to pirates who pillaged the Spanish colonies in the West Indies, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. By the mid-1800s the term had evolved to filibuster and taken on political meaning, describing the process by which long-winded senators hold the legislative body hostage by their verbiage.

history.com

Tell McConnell, in the Senate to Vote for HR1

This bill passed in the House of Representatives already!

• 09/14/2021 – Inslee updates wildfire state of emergency proclamation
• 09/13/2021 – Inslee amends Washington Ready proclamation
• 09/13/2021 – Inslee appoints Judge Erik Price to Court of Appeals, Division Two
• 09/11/2021 – Inslee statement on 20th anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks
• 09/10/2021 – Serve Washington receives $17.6 million to support 1,445 AmeriCorps members statewide
• 09/03/2021 – Inslee amends Washington Ready proclamation, issues new COVID-19 proclamation for nursing homes
• 09/02/2021 – Inslee updates proclamation on truck driver hours
• 09/01/2021 – Inslee statement on SCOTUS failure to pause Texas anti-abortion law
• 09/01/2021 – Inslee amends WSDOT heat damage proclamation, adding Chelan County
• 09/01/2021 – ICYMI: Inslee signs onto letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer supporting climate action
• 08/31/2021 – Inslee statement on end of military presence in Afghanistan
• 08/27/2021 – Inslee updates higher education proclamation to align with recent vaccine requirement announcements
• 08/26/2021 – ICYMI: Inslee letter to President Biden reaffirms Washington’s support for Afghan refugees
• 08/23/2021 – Inslee statement on FDA approval of Pfizer COVID vaccine
• 08/20/2021 – Inslee issues two proclamations for facial coverings, vaccine requirements
• 08/18/2021 – Inslee announces educator vaccination requirement and statewide indoor mask mandate
• 08/16/2021 – Inslee to provide clemency relief to individuals still serving community supervision solely on invalid drug possession convictions
• 08/16/2021 – Inslee updates wildfire state of emergency proclamation
• 08/13/2021 – Inslee names Tara C. Smith director of the Washington Department of Enterprise Services
• 08/11/2021 – Inslee statement on death of Lorraine Loomis, chair of NW Indian Fish Commission
• 08/10/2021 – Inslee announces two appointments to Pierce County Superior Court
• 08/09/2021 – Inslee issues proclamation requiring vaccination for most state employees, health and long-term care workers
• 08/09/2021 – Inslee announces vaccination requirement for most state employees, private health care and long-term care workers
• 08/05/2021 – Inslee updates wildfire state of emergency proclamation
• 08/05/2021 – Inslee statement on suspected death of Southern Resident orca K-21

AZT, also called Zidovudine (ZVD) and Retrovir, was the first approved HIV/AIDS drug. It is a reverse transcriptase inhibitor. This type of medicine stops the reproduction of DNA and reduces the amount of the virus in the blood (the viral load).

AZT samples in the museum’s collections

AZT was approved by the FDA on March 19, 1987. It was approved in record time with only one trial on humans instead of the standard three and that trial was stopped after nineteen weeks. The study was stopped because the patients on the placebo were dying faster and the need for a treatment outweighed the need for full testing.

 Pamphlet, “100 Questions and Answers: AIDS”, New York State Department of Health, July, 1991.

AZT is a controversial drug. For example, some physicians say that a patient can start taking AZT at any time. Some say the threshold is five hundred CD4 cells (T-cells) or below. Others say never take AZT. AZT is also used to reduce the transmission from mother to child during pregnancy and labor. The pro side says it reduces transmission; the con side says it may cause birth defects. Another issue is whether it makes symptoms worse. The medicine can prolong life but it might also kill healthy cells. There are stories of children dying from AZT.