Words Of Wisdom From My Friend The Oyster

From my friend the Oyster:

Saddam's trial may not have been perfect, but it was millions of light years away from what he offered for 30 years to his own countrymen. We've been at it for 230+ years and we're still not perfect.

Read the whoe thing and the links as well. Way to go Oyster, way to go!

Filed Under: The Courts

Filibuster, John Kerry, Kennedy and Judge Alito

There are a lot of things in politics that deserve a rip-roaring belly laugh; JFK excuse me, John Friggin Kerry being chief among these. Kerry is most noted for being elected as Mr. Flip-Flop of 2004. Of course, he was running for president at the time, but so what?

Kerry (and his partner in crime - T. Kennedy) have decided that they would like to filibuster the vote on the nomination of Samuel Alito to the United States Supreme Court. Senator(s) can you say STUPID? You two have got to be the dumbest of the dumb.

From the CNN folk comes this:

Sources close to Kerry, who lost to Bush in the 2004 race, told CNN that the senator was calling colleagues from Switzerland, where he was attending the World Economic Forum. He announced his decision to support a filibuster Wednesday at a meeting of his Democratic colleagues.

The White House believes Alito's supporters have the 60 votes they need to block any filibuster, spokesman Steve Schmidt said, and suggested that Kerry's move was designed to buttress a possible 2008 presidential run.

The Washington Post's Charles Babington reports:

Several prominent Democratic senators called for a filibuster of Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s Supreme Court nomination yesterday, exposing a deep divide in the party even as they delighted the party's liberal base.

The filibuster's supporters -- including Sens. John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts -- acknowledged that the bid is likely to fail and that Alito is virtually certain to be confirmed Tuesday. But they said extended debate may draw more Americans' attention to Alito's conservative stands on abortion, civil rights, presidential powers and other matters.

"Judge Alito will take America backward, especially when it comes to civil rights and discrimination laws," Kerry said in a statement issued by his office. He added: "It's our right and our responsibility to oppose him vigorously and to fight against this radical upending of the Supreme Court."

The Democrats are divided? News to me! On the other hand, that famous entertainer Will Rogers once noted: "I don't belong to any organized political party. I'm a Democrat."

Senator Kerry, you greatly remind me of a saying by Dietrich Bonhöffer:

Folly is a more dangerous enemy to the good than evil. One can protest against evil; it can be unmasked and, if need be, prevented by force. Evil always carries the seeds of its own destruction... Against folly we have no such defense. Neither protests nor force can touch it; reasoning is no use...

So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self-satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take much to make him aggressive. A fool must therefore be treated more cautiously than a scoundrel.

H/T to Stop the ACLU

Alito Passed by Committee - Next, a full Senate vote!

The Judiciary Committee voted 10 to 8 to pass the nomination of Samuel Alito to the full senate:

The Judiciary Committee recommended Tuesday Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito’s confirmation to the full Senate on a 10-8 vote.

All committee Republicans voted for the nomination, saying Alito was “one of the most qualified� nominees ever. Democrats warned that he could swing the court to the right and all eight members voted against the conservative jurist’s nomination.

The Senate Democrats opposed President Bush’s pick to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor worried publicly that Alito might not be neutral if confirmed to the high court. [Source]."

That's funny, I don't remember any Democrats saying Ginsburg would "swing the court to the left." Wonder how they forgot to make that assertion? Guess they must have overlooked the concept at the time.

Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wisconson):

Judge Alito's record as a professional � both as a Justice Department official and as a judge � reflects something more than a neutral judicial philosophy," said Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis.

The Senate Democrats really don't think the public has any smarts at all.