The English term “filibuster” derives from the Spanish filibustero, itself deriving originally from the Dutch vrijbuiter, ‘privateer, pirate, robber’ (also the root of English freebooter).[3] The Spanish form entered the English language in the 1850s, as applied to military adventurers from the United States then operating in Central America and the Spanish West Indies.[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster_(military)#:~:text=With%20the%20end%20of%20the,territories%20by%20force%20of%20arms. Several people, including my wife, have asked me to explain this filibuster business in the U.S. Senate, when it can be used by the minority to thwart the majority, and how it works in practice. This struck me as an exquisitely boring topic, about which … Continue reading The F*#@ing Senate Filibuster (A Primer)