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Respecting Our
Constitution
Posted 4-27-2005
The recent right wing verbal assault on judges has taken their
hatemongering to a new, dangerous level. Throughout the history of our
nation, the judiciary has made decisions that some people view favorably and
some don't. That is the way it goes in a society that respects the different
branches of government and those branches' roles in upholding our
Constitution.
The reckless verbal assault
by Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas took things to a new low. Cornyn
suggested recent violence against judges might be somehow justified because
of people's frustration with the judges' decisions. His statement is foolish
because the recent violence had nothing to do with decisions by a particular
judge. The violence against the family of a federal judge's family in
Illinois had to do with a mentally unstable person killing a judge's family
members because a case without merit was thrown out. The instance in Atlanta
wasn't even in the federal courts, but the state courts of Georgia, where a
terrible breach of security allowed a violent criminal to gain access to a
deputy sheriff's weapon and then shoot a judge in a courtroom.
The irresponsible Senator
Cornyn may encourage some unstable person to think, "If a United State
Senator says violence against judges is okay, why not do it?" The reason
Senator Cornyn was talking so stupidly is that he and his right wing
colleagues were upset that they couldn't "motivate" some activist judge to
carry out their wishes in the Terry Schiavo case. Then, his fellow Texan,
Tom Delay, called for action to be taken to "rein in" judges that make
decisions that are not in accordance with their right wing agenda. What the
heck is this county coming to?
Do these Texans need a
remedial lesson in civics? The legislative branch makes the laws, the
executive branch administers them, and the judicial branch interprets them.
At least that is how it has been for over two hundred years. But now because
they aren't getting their way, these strident extremists want to not only
change the rules as Senate leader Bill Frist has been suggesting, but also
to impeach certain judges for their decisions, or as Cornyn has done,
condone acts of violence.
Frist's plan to do away with
the age-old practice of filibustering is not only unfair, but just plain
wrong. First of all, when the Republicans were in the minority in the
Senate, they used the filibuster to block not only appointments to the
federal bench, but to thwart legislation they opposed. Like it or not, those
were the rules of the game. But, that is no longer good enough for the
Republican party of today. Over one hundred of Bush's nominees for the
federal bench have been confirmed, yet his ten most far out nominees have
been held up. The republicans used whatever means they could muster to
reject sixty-nine of Bill Clinton's nominees. So sixty-nine to ten, and that
isn't good enough?
Trying to change the rules of
the Senate is a bad idea. Even some republicans are uncomfortable with such
a strategy because they are smart enough to recognize that someday, they
might be in the minority and filibustering is a tool that would not be
available to them. The filibuster has been a tradition in legislative bodies
since the days of the Roman Senate, but now Bill Frist doesn't like the
rule, so he is going to try to change it.
Delay's idea to "rein in" the
judges that render decisions he disagrees with is both crass and tasteless.
From the hopefully "soon to be indicted" Hammer, should we expect anything
less? But it is Cornyn's advocacy of violence that is the most dangerous.
There are a lot of unbalanced people out there, looking for affirmation for
their wacky ideas. Many view statements like Cornyn's as a green light for
violence. If one federal judge is harmed, that Senator from Texas should be
held responsible.
Is there a pattern developing
here? Anyone who disagrees with the right wing should be reined in,
impeached, or maybe even acted upon violently. If rules are in place that
impede their agenda, just do away with them. We are nearing a dangerous
crossroads for our freedoms and our form of government. Democrats can only
do so much; it is time for reasonable Republicans to step forward and ensure
that the clear lines of responsibility between the branches of our
government are maintained, that the rules of the legislative bodies are
preserved, and that calls for violence such as Senator Cornyn's are strongly
condemned.
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