Not only have we seen hundreds of nominations undermined, and bill after bill sidetracked, but just last month, a secret hold was used to block a bill that would have helped us reduce fraud and waste in the federal government.
The government sold its golden share, which could have been used to block a takeover, three years ago.
Senate Republicans failed to break a filibuster that Democrats have used to block a vote on the confirmation of William Pryor Jr. to a federal appeals court.
But critics worry about the lack of transparency and say the filter could be used to block a range of morally hazy topics, like gambling or euthanasia.
Richard C. Holbrooke, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, threatened last month to veto any more resolutions condemning Israel, but the United States mission has not indicated whether a veto would be used to block a resolution on a protection force.
The once grand gallery was shabby and damp; one beautiful watercolour in the Tate collection was used to block a broken window, and another has the paw prints of the cat that walked across it.
The center-left opposition voted against the measures, but did not present the kind of obstructionist amendments that are often used to block a bill's passage in debates over budgets.
The Voting Rights Act has recently been used to block a voter ID law in Texas and delay the implementation of another in South Carolina.
Paul Recreation Center.' " Nearing the end of their evening shift, about a dozen Northwest Airlines baggage handlers relaxed near the restroom, tracking travelers who entered with a suitcase, which could be used to block an outsider's view of sexual activities.
