SCOTUS Nominations
City of Man
Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s nomination process is still grounding itself out. While my general ruminations concerning these proceedings are worth less than the time it would take you to read, I do find myself feeling strongly about the issue. What follows is a smattering of other people's valuable thoughts on the issue.
Though frustrated by President G. W. Bush's spending habits, one of the main reasons I cast my vote for him was in this very issue: Supreme Court nominations.
Early in January, the ACLJ ran a story on the craftiness of the ACLU. Rather than attempting to deal with laws and customs through the slow, check-and-balanced legistlatures (the proper, legal avenue) the psychos went through the judges. Judges are not elected, tenured, and hold their position largely irregardless of public opinion.
This seemed to me the perfect opportunity to right some of these wrongs. While only time will tell if Chief Justice Roberts and Judge Alito (nominated) will prove the caliber of justice this country needs (and that I hope for), I was hoping a vote for W was a vote for conservative justices.
It seems for some reason I am unable to fathom the DFL wish to keep Nominee Alito's ever imminent confirmation from coalescing. More strange to me is the reason: the State of the Union address. Apparently this would be far too big a celebration from the GOP. What is evident is that I don't understand a lick of politics. How thankful you ought to be that I am not representing you.
Pastor Doug Wilson provides an excellent example for how a deranged worldview could be treated if a few of us were more man enough (not that Judge Alito isn't - quite to the contrary). Over at his Blog and Mablog, he dreams "if [he] could script the hearings," they might go something like this:
"Judge Alito, I am afraid that I must come right to the point. If confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, would you allow your personal beliefs and morals to dictate anything with regard to your behavior in office?"
"Senator, thank you for this opportunity to address this important question right away. I have had a lot of time to work through the ramifications of this question as I was preparing for this hearing. And after much meditation and prayer, I am prepared to say that I will not allow my personal beliefs to interfere in any way with my official behavior."
"I have to say that I am gratified to hear that, judge. Would it be too much to extend your remarks to the much debated question of Roe v. Wade?"
"I suppose you could do that, although that was not what I had in mind. I was thinking more of the possibility of taking bribes. There are some cases coming up where the appellant is dripping in money. That, and the fact that I was thinking about a little sexual harassment of some of the law clerks -- I have seen more than a few hotties up there, I can tell you that."
"Um . . . Judge Alito, I think you may have gotten a little, um, off message."
"Not at all, senator."
"So your testimony is that you plan on taking bribes and doing a little groping?"
"Yes, senator."
"You can't be serious."
"Deadly serious, Senator Kennedy. But please make no mistake. Taking bribes and being unfaithful to my wife remain deeply inconsistent with my core values. Nothing about that has changed."
"Why would you do it then?"
"To be honest, I am kind of new at this kind of thinking, and I haven't quite got that sorted out yet. How do you do it? Maybe we could get together for coffee and I could pick up a few pointers. But I am committed to this course of action. Unless I am lying right now, which is possible, because you could consider this hearing part of my official duty, and lying is very much contrary to my deeply-held personal convictions."
At this point in the hearings, the cable feed was cut off.
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