Congress votes to rid "lunatic" from federal law

The definition of "lunatic" in the American Heritage College Dictionary. / CBS News/Sara Dover

WASHINGTON You can say "lunatic" all you want, but you probably won't have the government's blessing.

The word "lunatic" will be stricken from federal law under legislation that passed the House Wednesday and is headed to President Barack Obama for his signature.

The congressional action is the latest effort to remove language from the U.S. code that has become outdated or demeaning. Two years ago Congress took out references in federal law to the term "mental retardation."

"The term `lunatic' holds a place in antiquity and should no longer have a prominent place in our U.S. code," said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., shortly before the 398-1 vote in the House. The word is derived from the Latin word from moon and ancient beliefs that people could become "moonstruck" by lunar movements.

The legislation cites one instance in banking regulation that refers to the authority of a bank to act as "committee of estates of lunatics" on guardianship issues.

The measure passed in the Senate in May, sponsored by Sens. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho. "Federal law should reflect the 21st century understanding of mental illness and disease, and that the continued use of this pejorative term has no place in the U.S. code," Conrad said.

The legislation had the backing of mental health groups, including the coalition organization Mental Health Liaison Group, which said that use of outdated and offensive terms such as "lunatic" "only serve to perpetuate this stigmatization" against people with mental health conditions.

Bob Carolla of the National Alliance on Mental Illness said another phrase that is stigmatizing and obsolete and should be removed is "a mental defective."

The lone "no" vote was cast by Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, who said in a statement that "not only should we not eliminate the word `lunatic' from federal law when the most pressing issue of the day is saving our country from bankruptcy, we should use the word to describe the people who want to continue with business as usual in Washington."

[ptolemycraig]

If you cant use "lunatic" in the legal code, what about she-ra mother of all Muslim warrior pysch-patients? "5 star all pro psychotic?"
jet-powered space cookie? Super Mario-brothers Jacked-over?

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Guess what! Texas Republican congressman Louie Gohmert arguably the biggest LUNATIC in congress was the only person to vote against it. I think he wantes to make sure the right word is abvailable to describe him in federal legislation if necessary.

[Yellow_Devil]

Louie Gohmert was the only sane person who didn't drink from the same well water as the others. What a waste of time and vote. Seeing as you Neo-Liberals fit the definition of Lunacy quite well, why they get rid of it is beyond me.

[sueb45]

So with all the really important stuff this is for Congress to do...all these lunatics can get together on is a bill to do away with the world lunatic....self serving of them, don't you think?

[sueb45]

That should be:

with all the really important stuff THERE is for this Congress to do....

Get an edit funtion!!!!

[BWB2020]

The word is derived from the word "luna" (moon) and originally meant "affected by the moon".

Any cop, musician, waitress, hooker, or anyone else making their living at night can tell you about "full moon Fridays" when more strange public human behavior invariably occurs.

Because of this empirically measurable phenomenon, the word need not be expunged from the books, but a more accurate term for incapacitating mental illness would be the way to go.

A caution, such mental illness must be carefully defined, because the current political agenda of the right wing in the US and internationally actually fits officially accepted symptoms of the mental illness ASPD.

While the banks would love to be able to use such a law to take ASPD-afflictes bagger property, I must admit that it would not be fair, even if it would be quite funny and satisfying.

[WhereisOT]

"This administration sent planes and bombs and support to oust Qaddafi so that al-qaeda and the Muslim brotherhood could take over Libya"

Said the far gone Reality challenged "terror baby" joke gohmert

[ludvig1-2009]

I do see the word was historically used as I was researching the Civil War in Missouri and saw that the "Lunatic asylum" in Fulton had blankets stolen by the rebel forces.

[Ulgnud]

Politically correct lunacy strikes again. As if the Lunatics in Washington didn't have valid and pressing work to be done. What a bunch of retards.

[nehicks]

Congress has time to spend on something this trivial, yet can't manage to balance the budget, or deal with immigration, or the fiscal cliff. Wow, what leaders we are stuck with!

[Groundhog666]

The lone "no" vote was cast by Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, who said in a statement that "not only should we not eliminate the word `lunatic' from federal law when the most pressing issue of the day is saving our country from bankruptcy, we should use the word to describe the people who want to continue with business as usual in Washington."

He is the only one who is not a lunatic

[julesarcher1]

They're replacing it with Ignoramous.

[BigMykul]

Actually they are replacing it with Congressperson.