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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Hippocampe
Published Letters: 14 Editor's Choice: 1
I would personally like to see a lesbian on the Supreme Court. Or a woman who is capable of considering the modern experience of the LGBT community, as well as other minorities. That is, the antithesis of Justice Thomas, whom some call the token judge. It is fairly obvious that his nomination (by Pres. Bush Sr.) was analogous to Sen. Palin's selection for candidacy (by Sen. McCain) in 2008. During his tenure, Thomas has not, in my opinion, fully upheld the motto of "Equal justice under law." He is socially and politically conservative. Furthermore, he is constitutionally conservative. Some praise him, taking into consideration, for example, his dissent in Gonzales v. Reich, but, in actuality, his opinion in that case clearly illustrates his regressive views (what he might consider his "historical" or "academic" interpretation) of the Constitution. He wrote:
... in the early days of the Republic, it would have been unthinkable that Congress could prohibit the local cultivation, possession and consumption of marijuana.
to which I respond that in the "early days" of the Republic, Mr. Thomas, it would have been unthinkable that Congress could confirm your nomination to the Supreme Court, let alone free you from the bonds of slavery. His efforts to assert the "historicity" of the Constitution render him the more ridiculous. And his apparent condonation of the free use of cannabis comes off as "token."
The Court desperately needs a woman, a modern woman, who does not read the Constitution as a fundamentalist zealot reads the Bible. The year is 2009, not 1809. The Constitution was intended to expand liberties, not contract them. And by liberties, I mean not legal superfluities, as mentioned above, but true liberties, such as civil rights. I would bet my bottom dollar that, if an issue like gay marriage were to reach the Court tomorrow, Thomas would dissent.
So, President Obama, nominate a woman, and let her be a woman of today.
If there is any blame to go around here, lay it on the Media, which is promoting this "debate in Washington", as it has too many other political idiocies in the past. These days, the Press seems to prefer fiction to objective journalism. Obviously, the Papers are struggling to survive economically, but slackening their standards of reporting should never be an accepted solution, just as, martially, loosening morals should not be allowed when danger of attack impends.
Each and every day, my respect for Obama lessens. When he said he would fight to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," I believed him. When he said he would set out to shut down Guantanamo Bay, I trusted him...
...Now, it seems that he has spent the past month or so -- rather than upholding the values of our constitution, indeed, the very basic moral principles of western civilization, the great charter of freedoms -- appeasing a moribund right wing.
The men detained in Cuba are NOT prisoners of war. There is no war. There never was a war. These men are captives. They are caged on grounds that would be untenable in a court of law (...perhaps not in Burma). They may be vile, their zeal for jihad may be unrelenting. Nonetheless, they have yet to commit a crime against the US. They are held for "future crimes."
Obama contradicts himself in this speech.
Did they ever have a reasonable argument in the first place ?
If religion were not in the picture, would so-called "gay marriage" even be a debate ?
... I don't understand why these people have to bring their asinine, medieval "views" into the public arena. I have never proselytized my atheism. And yet, every day, my peace of mind is upset by these vociferous idiots, quoting the irrelevant legends and lore of antiquity.
Organizations such as NOM are less a threat to civil rights than they are to secular society.
I'm sorry, but any parent who would even consider to pull their child out of class for this speech is racist. There is no way of arguing around it. (Especially the one that invokes the "over-reaching" of the executive office. Give me a break! For the past eight years, Bush Jr. behaved as if he were King of America and the World!)
I mean, come on! This is the
President of the United States! For all my disgust of Bush, I would have NEVER had the slightest concern about a speech delivered by him to public school students. After all, he was our President! And what a teachable moment it would have been -- for students to learn a little about civics, government, our capitol... and to have Mr. Bush send a positive message about the importance of education and staying in school.
This gush of fury and vitriol is frighteningly reminiscent of the hatred many (in the South) had of Lincoln in 1861. These people scare me!
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
