Aftermath
Well, Alito has been confirmed, and as I speak, Smirk is giving the State of the Union. Interesting when you look at the final vote tally: 42 against. If all of those 42 had voted against cloture just as they had voted against Alito, there would have been a filibuster, and who knows? The nomination might have been killed. Instead, we're going to have a justice just like Smirk wanted, in the mold of Scumlia and Uncle Clarence (Junior didn't unequivocally state he wanted a pal among the Supremes exactly like these two, but the implication was clear enough). Uncle Clarence, by the by, is only 57; Alito and Roberts are also in that same decade, so you can be sure this conservative troika, joined by Scumlia, will have quite an impact on the country for the next few decades.
A lot of noise has been made out in the liberal/progressive blogosphere that the next battle that counts will be the elections this year and in 2008. My opinion? *bzzz* WRONG. The election that counted was 2004. Congress can always amend/repeal/reverse their legislation with other laws; a President can review and submit new executive orders, lean on members of Congress, and otherwise influence changes in policy and law. We get a new "leader" every four to eight years; Congress can theoretically change hands every two years, at best; sometimes it takes longer, sure. But the Supreme Court? These guys (and they're mostly guys-- we only have one woman left, and she's only the second one ever appointed) get lifetime appointments. What part of that that the Democratic Senators failed to understand, I'll never know. Given the proclivity of presidents of late to ignore the fact that historically seats on the Court were considered to cap one's career, and instead appoint younger and younger nominees virtually assures that a particular nominee's sway upon the Court could have a long-lasting influence. At present, the conservative wing is poised to exert its opinions/influence for up to the next thirty years-- these fellas don't retire early, you know...
I did my bit-- my Senators are Feinstein and Boxer. I knew Boxer was reliable enough for a vote against both Alito and cloture, but Feinstein initially made the choice of political expediency: vote no on Alito, but yes on cloture. Such a vote is/was meaningless; with the current Republican majority, a "yes" on cloture is essentially a yes on Alito. So I joined hundreds, if not thousands, of others, and contacted her. I called, faxed, and e-mailed, just for emphasis. Surprisingly enough, she changed her mind. I'm not a one-issue voter, like lots of people in this country, but I'm glad to know Feinstein was responsive and thoughtful enough to change her mind. Too bad others didn't/wouldn't.
I'm a bit depressed; I could easily just say, "the hell with it." After all, this was *the* battle, and conceivably, the war. Whoever won in 2004 got the opportunity to shuffle the Court, and unfortunately, Junior snuck in and jiggered things for his buddies and supporters. But I've since reconsidered. I'll need to continue being an activist, because, lord knows, there's ever more stuff that needs to be fought off. Exhibit A: The renewal of the Patriot Act.
Right now, it expires very shortly, on Friday, February 3. But as I write this, it looks like it's going to be extended again. No matter; now that the House and the Senate are back in session, it's a good time, folks, to pick up the phone, man the keyboard, and warm up the fax machine, and let your representatives know you're against the Patriot Act. If you care at all about our Constitution or civil rights and liberties, then be an advocate just this once. Let's keep the United States we know and love the same, and not let it mutate into some unrecognizable morass, a shadow of its former self. Of course, that depends on how you feel about the right to privacy, invasive, secret searches, and a gummint increasingly unfettered by checks and balances. Regardless of where we all stand on myriad issues, I hope and pray that enough of us value the Bill of Rights and what they stand for to stand up now in defense of the grand experiment that is the United States.
A lot of noise has been made out in the liberal/progressive blogosphere that the next battle that counts will be the elections this year and in 2008. My opinion? *bzzz* WRONG. The election that counted was 2004. Congress can always amend/repeal/reverse their legislation with other laws; a President can review and submit new executive orders, lean on members of Congress, and otherwise influence changes in policy and law. We get a new "leader" every four to eight years; Congress can theoretically change hands every two years, at best; sometimes it takes longer, sure. But the Supreme Court? These guys (and they're mostly guys-- we only have one woman left, and she's only the second one ever appointed) get lifetime appointments. What part of that that the Democratic Senators failed to understand, I'll never know. Given the proclivity of presidents of late to ignore the fact that historically seats on the Court were considered to cap one's career, and instead appoint younger and younger nominees virtually assures that a particular nominee's sway upon the Court could have a long-lasting influence. At present, the conservative wing is poised to exert its opinions/influence for up to the next thirty years-- these fellas don't retire early, you know...
I did my bit-- my Senators are Feinstein and Boxer. I knew Boxer was reliable enough for a vote against both Alito and cloture, but Feinstein initially made the choice of political expediency: vote no on Alito, but yes on cloture. Such a vote is/was meaningless; with the current Republican majority, a "yes" on cloture is essentially a yes on Alito. So I joined hundreds, if not thousands, of others, and contacted her. I called, faxed, and e-mailed, just for emphasis. Surprisingly enough, she changed her mind. I'm not a one-issue voter, like lots of people in this country, but I'm glad to know Feinstein was responsive and thoughtful enough to change her mind. Too bad others didn't/wouldn't.
I'm a bit depressed; I could easily just say, "the hell with it." After all, this was *the* battle, and conceivably, the war. Whoever won in 2004 got the opportunity to shuffle the Court, and unfortunately, Junior snuck in and jiggered things for his buddies and supporters. But I've since reconsidered. I'll need to continue being an activist, because, lord knows, there's ever more stuff that needs to be fought off. Exhibit A: The renewal of the Patriot Act.
Right now, it expires very shortly, on Friday, February 3. But as I write this, it looks like it's going to be extended again. No matter; now that the House and the Senate are back in session, it's a good time, folks, to pick up the phone, man the keyboard, and warm up the fax machine, and let your representatives know you're against the Patriot Act. If you care at all about our Constitution or civil rights and liberties, then be an advocate just this once. Let's keep the United States we know and love the same, and not let it mutate into some unrecognizable morass, a shadow of its former self. Of course, that depends on how you feel about the right to privacy, invasive, secret searches, and a gummint increasingly unfettered by checks and balances. Regardless of where we all stand on myriad issues, I hope and pray that enough of us value the Bill of Rights and what they stand for to stand up now in defense of the grand experiment that is the United States.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 8:11 PM
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