So, unless you live somewhere within spitting distance of the Southwestern* part of the United States, you probably don’t have Sonic. The drive-in restaurant, not the hedgehog. Let me start by saying that I feel sorry for all of you people, as you don’t have regular access to their chili-cheese tots, or their SuperSONIC green chile bacon cheeseburger. [1]

If you are one of these people, you probably have not heard their latest radio commercial. It is introducing their new hot-dog menu, including the New York Dog and the Chicago Dog. The commercial goes on to explain the absence of Dogs from other cities. There is no Dallas Dog because they could not find one big enough. There is no Los Angeles Dog because it wanted a reality show.

There is no D. C. Dog because, among other reasons, it was filibustered by the House.

Sonic, the filibuster was eliminated in the House of Representatives in 1842. Today, in the United States, filibusters happen in the Senate.

If we can not rely on our fast-food restaurants to accurately portray federal parliamentary procedures, what hope is there for America?

[1] Full disclosure. I no longer have access to these things either, since going pretty much vegetarian, but I can still vouch for their awesomeness.

*Update: Following a comment on twitter, I have discovered that it would have been better to say, “South-Central.” See the follow-up post for a map.