Blog Heap o'Transport Links 25 May 2011

A boisterous group of protesters angry over the Texas Senate's failure to vote on the airport groping bill tried to enter the public gallery this afternoon and were blocked by state troopers. Shouting "treason" and "cowards" and carrying signs and placards, the group of perhaps as many as 100 people entered the State Capitol shortly after 3 p.m. and first went to the House chamber. There, House members quickly informed the shouting group that it was the Senate that had failed to take action late Tuesday on House Bill 1937, which would have made it a crime for security checkpoint screeners to handle the private parts of anyone they screened. The group then marched to the Senate side of the Capitol and tried to enter the third-floor public gallery. Troopers with arms folded blocked them from entry. They stood outside for several minutes, chanting: "Co-wards, co-wards," Trea-son, trea-son," and shouted slogans accusing senators and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst of being "federal pimps" and "scallawag trash." They vowed to vote out of office Dewhurst and the senators who opposed passage of the bill. After shouting chants for about 30 minutes, the group left and troopers reopened the gallery doors. The activists then went to other parts of the Capitol to continue their protest.