So now we have Judge Alito, who is unassailable on the issues of experience and intelligence. He will surely vote to end abortion.
Actually, some of his opinions have not been at all bad -- this page offers some hopeful items. For example, he wrote
A majority opinion in Shore Regional High School Board of Education v. P.S., 381 F.3d 194 (3d Cir. 2004), holding that a school district did not provide a high school student with a free and appropriate public education, as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, when it failed to protect the student from bullying by fellow students who taunted the student based on his lack of athleticism and his perceived sexual orientation.Well, that's something. The thug-uglies who still solidly support Bush are the sort who favor the bullies over the bullied.
But nothing can change the fact that his position in Planned Parenthood v. Casey was retrograde. His opinions on family leave and privacy have been appalling.
The religious right must be celebrating. Alito is their man.
Once again, organized Jesusmania has proven its clout, while the left has proven impotent. This, in a nation where the majority of Americans veer left on most issues, and would vote for the opposition party.
I had planned to write something jolly and non-political for Halloween. Right now, though, I'm a tad depressed.
3 comments:
As I noted earlier, the suspicion has to remain that Miers was a place-holder who would conveniently retract her nomination at the time of the release of the indictments. Of course the non-release of pertinent documents would kill her nomination. Now there can be lots of other news to mask the sorry state of affairs of Libby, Rove and players to be named later.
If this judge already is known as 'Scalito', we have much to fear.
The only thing I can think to advise even the cynics on this board to do is call your reps, even if you live in areas in which phone calls, e-mail, letters and e-faxes will do you little good. And maybe donate to the pro-choice organization of your choice. It may not help, this, along with the House vote to split the 9th circuit the other day, has done little to assuage my raging fears for the future of civil liberties in this nation--but at least resist. You'll have a chance at being able to respect yourself five years down the line.
I'm withholding judgment, although generally I believe that ANYONE Bush nominates should be filibustered. As for Roe vs. Wade, I'm not so certain that Alito would reverse. At least, the evidence proffered by the left is so far not definitive. Alito's position for spousal notification is not untenable. Impractical, maybe, but not unreasonable. So what else has he done that's so very awful? Scalia is a disaster as a justice not because he's is a strict constitutionalist, but because he is inconsistent about it, strict on intent only when it fits his biases, and eager to defer to the Republican administration when it doesn't, as in Bush vs. Gore. He and Thomas are the worst of all possible worlds. Is Alito? Convince me.
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