Stacking the Court

There's a big hullabaloo about Bush's nomination of Roberts for the Supreme Court, and whether he rushed the nomination in order to take attention off Rove and Scooter Libby. Some people laugh at the notion, but they weren't laughing when Clinton was accused of ordering bombing to take the heat off the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

This is a big deal, sure. But, compared to the Plame affair, it's small potatoes. The fact that this treasonous act came from the White House puts in question (at least to me) whether a President complicit in the betrayal of a secret agent and the exposure of hundreds of contacts specifically engaged in the search for WMDs can be trusted to choose a Supreme Court justice.

Whatever may be said about Clinton (and plenty is) it's hard to argue that he would put the needs of his party or himself above the needs of the American people. Some would, but some would also argue the Earth is flat.

People are terrified that Roe vs. Wade will be overturned, and thus turn back the clock to the days before legal abortion. Added to the issue of pharmacists refusing to fill birth control prescriptions and you have a strong indication that women are to be considered second-class citizens, their rights and privileges curtailed except in instances where a male authority figure agrees with them. In this respect it seems fundamentalist Christianity isn't all that different than fundamentalist Islam. Two sides of the same coin.

If the electronic voting machines didn't hand the election to Bush (and there's considerable controversy over this very possibility) a small majority of Americans chose to slide a knife into the backs of their fellow Americans by voting this man into office again. Most deeply betrayed, I think, are the women in this country.

Very sad. They deserve better.

It may take years to repair the damage these knuckleheads have done. I just pray (figure of speech) that we have the time to do so before we run out of oil or China calls in its markers.