Yeah, They Went There…

mushroom-cloud

“The threat to change Senate rules is a raw abuse of power and will destroy the very checks and balances our founding fathers put in place to prevent absolute power by any one branch of government,” – Senator Harry Reid, 2005.

“The American people want less partisanship in this town, but everyone in this chamber knows that if the majority chooses to end the filibuster – if they choose to change the rules and put an end to democratic debate – then the fighting and the bitterness and the gridlock will only get worse,” – Former Senator Barack H. Obama, 2005.

“I say to my friends on the Republican side, you may own the field right now, but you won’t own it forever,” Biden concluded. “I pray God, when the Democrats take back control, we don’t make the kind of naked power grab you are doing.” – Former Senator Joe Biden, 2005 as quoted on Mediaite.com.

Now more than ever, Libertarians, Republicans, and Conservatives need to put aside their differences and show a somewhat unified front.  The only option left open to them is to ensure that they acquire a majority in the Senate and maintain it in the House if there is to be any hope that we retain some semblance of the nation our Founding Fathers fought so hard to achieve.

I cannot believe I am saying this, but screw Obamacare!  Take care of the constituents who have been harmed by this Socialist Manifesto disguised as health care.  Once Obamacare implodes (and it will) they all need to work together to ensure that the “fix” is not automatically switching to single-payer – which I believe was the plan all along.  I am not a conspiracy-type person, but there are so many aspects of our government involved in this abortion that it seems all but impossible that it was not their goal from the get.

Do not fool yourselves that the use of this option will be limited to secondary court judges.  History shows once the Anointed One is given an inch, he attempts to take the world.  It can now be used ad nauseum to pass whatever he feels is for “the greater good”.

We can only hope that the moderate Democrats who have been fleeing the sinking ship that is the Obama Administration stay the course and are not coerced into following the Democrats very narrow, very defined party line.  We can only hope that our fellow citizens in red states with Democrats as their Representatives and Senators in Congress stay angry enough to vote them out of office.  And, we can only hope that the Administration does not “encourage” those liberal Supremes who are close to retirement to do so within the next 3 years and use the nuclear option to push through someone who is even more Progressive than even Kagan or Sotomayor.

I fear that many Americans do not understand the dangerous path Harry Reid has chosen to take the Senate down.  Not only for our time, but for our children and grandchildren.  If I were to use a “what if” scenario to show just how much impact giving control to one party could have on this country, it would be this –

What if one of Osama bin Laden’s sons stayed in the United States after he attended college, became a citizen, married a citizen and had children?  What if he began a movement that resulted in courts across the nation recognizing Sharia Law as a right protected under the guise of religious freedom?  What if many in whatever party is in control in the future agree with those rulings and a bill was presented to accept Sharia Law as a federally protected First Amendment right?   Only 51 Senators would have to agree.  What if…

Reality v. Leahy

Senator Leahy threw down the gauntlet today.  If he ever hoped to get any kind of support from the Republicans in the future, he’s S.O.L. now!  He probably screwed things up for the Dems in the House as well.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor should be judged on the merits of her 17-year judicial record and the week of confirmation hearings that just ended rather than on suspicions about her racial allegiances.“You had one leader of the Republican Party call her the equivalent to the head of the Klu Klux Klan,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy said on CNN’s State of the Union. “Another leader of the Republican Party called her a bigot,” Leahy added, later explaining that he was making reference to comments by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

After Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Ranking Republican on the committee, referred to Sotomayor’s past involvement in the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund, Leahy again suggested that some Republicans were being unfairly critical of Sotomayor.

“I hope we don’t go back to the day when we used to have African-Americans up for confirmation and say ‘Yes, but you belong to the NAACP so, you know, we’re really suspicious of you,’” Leahy said CNN’s State of the Union.

“C’mon, stop the racial politics,” Leahy added.

Leahy remarks drew an immediate response from Sessions.

“Oh, c’mon, Pat. I’m going to disagree on that,” Sessions said.

“No but that’s the way it comes across . . . It comes across — if you belong to a group that tries to help Hispanics, help them in school, help them in other things, somehow you’re suspicious. The same arguments were used against Thurgood Marshall and others. I think it’s wrong,” Leahy said.

“I want to correct something,” interrupted Sessions. “No Republican leader said she was a bigot. You’ve overstated that. There’s nothing wrong with us asking her about the personal views about positions – legal positions – that she took as the member of an organization. That’s a normal thing to do. I don’t think that was unfair.”  –  CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

The “Republican Leaders” he was referring to are Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich.  Gee, I didn’t know they got elected to the Senate.  I thought the only “entertainer” on the Senate Judiciary Committee was Al Franken.

You see, Senator, they are commentators.  Unlike you, I can tell the difference between reality and entertainment.  I like Glenn Beck, but he is a commentator.  I like Peter Griffin, but he is a cartoon character.  Mr. Steele is the head of the GOP, he is a Republican leader.

Sonia Sotomayor herself started this whole mess by making some pretty stupid remarks in public.  Just like anyone else, she has to live with the consequences.  Besides, why are the Democrats whining so much?  She’s going to be confirmed.

A Novel Approach

Jeez.  I am such a geek.  I have been watching the Sotomayor confirmation hearings from beginning to end every day.

What I have learned is this:

  1. The Democrats would wipe her butt with a silken cloth if given the chance; and
  2. The Republicans can’t get over the “…wise Latina…” comment.

Here’s a thought.  Why not limit the questions to those concerning the legal basis for her decisions as both an attorney and a Judge.  What precedent?  What case law?

There is much that can be learned from her record without wasting our time singing her praises or rehashing her “modest upbringing in the Bronx…raised by a single parent…”  Blah, blah, blah.

I know that many people will disagree with me.  And, truly, this is all moot because she will be confirmed.  The only power we have in this decision is the right to phone our Senators and state our opinion of Judge Sotomayor as these proceedings progress.  I don’t believe “We the People” will change their minds one way or the other; however we can make our opinions known.

I want to know if she truly based her decisions on Constitutional Law.  Does she respect the Constitution and strictly adhere to its fundamental principles as is her duty as a Jurist?  Has she attempted to set precedent or make laws? If so, she should not be confirmed.  There has to be a record of the cases and precedents she cited in each decision she made.  Personally, I don’t care what was in her heart as she put pen to paper…I care what was in her head.

If it can be proven that she has made decisions outside of the fundamentals of the Constitution, she should not be confirmed…period.

After listening to the hearings for the past three days, I believe that she has not always made decisions based upon the Constitution.  I do not feel that she will make future decisions based upon the Constitution and I would not like to see her confirmed.

When All Else Fails…DIVERT and DESTROY

There must be a DNC policy manual out there that contains guidelines for “Managing People Who Won’t Play in Our Sandbox.”  It probably contains a list of the uncool kids.  You know, the ones who get picked last for the pick-up baseball game.   I’m sure there are also sections dedicated to the “kids with cooties”, “those who color outside the lines” and “the kid who dresses funny”.

Yeah, I was THAT kid...

Yeah, I was THAT kid...

The reason I am putting it in these terms is because politics today has  become downright childish.   The whole “Nanner, Nanner, Boo, Boo…I won and you didn’t!” mentality has gotten out of hand.

Another unattractive aspect of all of this is the divert and destroy tactics being used against those who choose to color outside the lines.  If you want to divert attention from the fact that you candidly stated that Americans need to share the wealth, destroy the person who asked you a question.  If you wish to divert attention from the fact that you over-glorified your military record, attempt to destroy your opponent by accusing him of secretly funding the organization who exposed you.

The latest victim of the divert and destroy tactics is Firefighter Ricci.  Sotomayor made a bad decision.  SCOTUS  reversed it.  Period?  End of story?  NO!  Let’s divert attention from the borderline racist statement she has made (more than once, so don’t give me that “her words were misconstrued” crap) and destroy one of the plaintiffs in the case against “reverse racism”.  Why doesn’t the administration just go for broke and attack the characters of the other 19 plaintiffs in that case?

When someone attacks your ideas or your words, it is unnecessary and unwarranted to attack their character.  As a matter of fact, it is just downright wrong. Attack an idea with an equal or better idea.

I have just one final question for the DNC…How the hell did Al Franken become one of the “cool kids”?