Filibuster

:This article refers to the political act of filibustering, for other uses see Filibuster (disambiguation).

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In a legislature or other decision making body, a filibuster is an attempt to obstruct a particular decision from being taken by using up the time available, typically through an extremely long speech.

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The term first came into use in the United States Senate, where Senate rules permit a senator, or a series of senators, to speak for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose. The term comes from the early 17th century, where Buccaneers were known in England as filibusters. This term had evolved from the Spanish filibustero which had come from the French word flibustier, which again evolved from the Dutch vrijbuiter (freebooter).

Related Topics:
United States Senate - Senator - Buccaneers - Filibusters - Spanish - French - Dutch

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A similar form of parliamentary obstruction practiced in the United States and other countries is called "slow walking". It specifically refers to the extremely slow speed with which legislators walk to the podium to cast their ballots. For example, in South Korea this tactic is known as a "cow walk". In general it refers to the intentional delay of the normal business of the legislature http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r107:S05JN2-0010:.

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