Hypocrisy, thy name be Pelosi

"Bug Eyes" Pelosi, that is. You see, when the Defeat-ocrats voted for a minimum wage hike/increase in unemployment a couple of days ago, they exempted American Samoa from the increase.

So what?

Oh, nothing really. Except that StarKist Tuna owns two packing plants in American Samoa.

And StarKist is owned by the Delmonte Corporation.

And Delmonte is headquartered in San Francisco.

And San Francisco is represented by . . . (together, everyone) . . . Bug Eyes Pelosi.

The bill also extends for the first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. However, it exempts American Samoa, another Pacific island territory that would become the only U.S. territory not subject to federal minimum-wage laws.

One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island's work force. StarKist's parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi. The other plant belongs to California-based Chicken of the Sea.

"There's something fishy going on here," said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina Republican.

During the House debate yesterday on stem-cell research, Mr. McHenry raised a parliamentary inquiry as to whether an amendment could be offered that would exempt American Samoa from stem-cell research, "just as it was for the minimum-wage bill."

A clearly perturbed Rep. Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who was presiding, cut off Mr. McHenry and shouted, "No, it would not be."

"So, the chair is saying I may not offer an amendment exempting American Samoa?" Mr. McHenry pressed.

"The gentleman is making a speech and will sustain," Mr. Frank shouted as he slammed his large wooden gavel against the rostrum.

Poor liberals, they just can't help themselves.