Trick or Treat! I want to be a Supreme Court Justice for Halloween
That has to be what Samuel Alito is thinking just a few days after Miers withdrew her nomination to the high court. There is no doubting that Alito has the judicial credentials to take on the job of Supreme Court Justice, so it turns into a matter of his politics.
According to various news sources, Alito is being referred to as "Scalito." This is in reference to Justice Scalia. From everything that I am reading, it would appear that Alito is a mixed bag. For one thing, there is this little snippet from a BBC
article.As a supporter of restricting, if not entirely abolishing, the constitutional right of American women to have abortions, Mr Alito's selection would galvanise the conservative base of Mr Bush's Republican party but horrify the US left.This statement about Judge Alito is supported by his dissent in a case that struck down a Pennsylvania law requiring a woman to notify her husband prior to having an abortion. The following is taken from this
article on MSNBC.
“The Pennsylvania legislature could have rationally believed that some married women are initially inclined to obtain an abortion without their husbands’ knowledge because of perceived problems — such as economic constraints, future plans, or the husbands’ previously expressed opposition — that may be obviated by discussion prior to the abortion,” Alito wrote.I'll be honest, I am not a supporter of abortion, but I don't believe that it is my place to tell a woman what to do with her body.
There are opinions from Alito though that I can't say I disagree with. At this point in the process, I am indifferent to him. Hopefully this time we will get to see the confirmation process through and learn more about this nominee before outright dismissing him.
Fort those of you wondering why I haven't written about Libby, I am holding off on my comments until he is proven innocent or guilty. You know, it's that whole thing called innocent until proven guilty.
Rosa Parks
There will be a lull in the commentary this morning in order to pay homage to a great American. Rosa Parks passed away last week. As of this morning until 10AM, she will be laying in honor in the Capital Rotunda.
There is no one from this modern era more deserving of a place of respect than this strong woman. She is considered the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." Everyone should take a moment to reflect and think what our nation would be like today if it were not for her simple act of deffiance in the face of injustice.
With much love and respect Mrs. Parks, may you find your place in heaven.
If you wish, you can read this
article which was written from a 1996 interview.
Check back later today for some more of my political commentary.
The Supreme Court - Harriet Miers
Todays source material is
this from CNN
I am not saying that I was for or against Miers. I was hoping that I would have gotten the chance to see her go through the confirmation hearings. Unfortunately, that won't happen thanks to pressure from conservatives. It seems to me that the whole nomination process has gone from ensuring that the nominee is capable of doing the job to ensuring that the nominee will be someone who will rule a certain way.
You hear this term of "judicial activism" a lot nowadays. What those who use that term a lot seem to not realize is that it is a double edged sword. I believe that placing someone on the court who would overturn Roe v. Wade would be considered by some to be judicial activism as well.
This is what the constitution says about the appointment process.
Clause 2: He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
Clause 3: The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.Given that, if there is continuous opposition from either party to the President's nominations, what would stop him from waiting until the Senate goes on recess and just appointing the next Justice? It's not like he has to run for office again, and it's ultimately his decision and no one elses. Going that route wouldn't necessarily effect the next Republican to run for office, and if it were to come down to this, people might actually see that a given appointee isn't so bad after all.
Ultimately, I believe that Miers' withdrawl was caused by the overreaction of conservatives who did not have as much information as they could have if the confirmation hearings would have happened. Let the hearings happen. If after the hearings you still have issues with the nominee, then openly oppose her.
By voicing your opinions so loudly that the hearings never happen and the nominee withdrawls, you not only make yourselves(whoever is in opposition) look like power mongering dilletantes only concerned with your own narrow views but you belittle the foundation of the whole process, our Constitution.
Virginia Elections - November 8
The Virginia elections are nearly upon us. For those wanting to know, a list of candidates and ballot issues can be found
here. It's not important who I vote for. What's important is that you get out there and vote.
Here are some links in order for you to make an informed decision. Today we will concentrate on the republican and democratic candidates for governor. If you follow the links, they will lead directly to the candidates page dealing with where they stand on the issues.
Time KaineJerry KilgoreAgain, it doesn't matter who you vote for. What matters is that you do and you vote your conscience.
Hurricane Wilma and the Other Bush
The following is contributed to Governor Bush of Florida. The article this is from can be found in an
article on CNN.
"People had ample time to prepare," Bush said. "And it isn't that hard to get 72 hours' worth of food and water ... just to do the simple things that we ask people to do."This statement was rather upsetting to me. My sister is one of those Floridians standing in line waiting for her basic needs. She did everything she could to prepare for this hurricane, but when you have everyone in the state looking for the same things, there will be people who don't get what they need.
Another problem I have with that statement is the lack of electricity. 72 hours worth of food is good for three days, at least if you were able to get food that didn't need refrigerated or cooked. The electricity won't be on for a couple of weeks.
Something else that bothers me with what Governor Bush said was this:
"If anybody wants to blame anybody, blame me," the governor said. "Don't blame FEMA. This is our responsibility, and we are doing a good job."Here's the problem I have with that statement. You can find the complete declaration on the FEMA webpage
here.The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) hereby gives notice that pursuant to the authority vested in the Acting Director, under Executive Order 12148, as amended, Justin DeMello, of FEMA is appointed to act as the Federal Coordinating Officer for this declared disaster.This disaster declaration if I am not mistaking puts responsibility on FEMA for relief from this disaster. It would seem to me that Governor Bush is trying to take attention away from the failings of his brother's administration concerning the government's response to the hurricanes devestating the gulf states.
FEMA actually knew how to do it's job before it was put under the Department of Homeland Security. Somewhere after 9/11 the government forgot that terrorist attacks aren't the only National Emergencies we have. There was all this talk about 9/11 not changing our way of life, and in essence the hurricanes this year have proven otherwise.
