Excuse me while I rage a bit…

In June 2004, President Bush promised he’d fire anyone found to have anything to do with the Valerie Plame outing. He’s now added the qualifier that it must be proven that a crime was committed. Apparently, reckless endangerment of human life and national security, wasting ten years’ worth of work and funding and, lying about it, don’t disqualify a person to serve as the President’s foremost political advisor. It’s disgusting that that sorry excuse of a person, let alone a President should not only defend Karl Rove but also keep a seat nice and cozy within whispering distance for him. I can’t even describe my contempt for these people. The question now running through my mind is what, “What does it take to incite the American people to action?” President Bush won the 04 election, by all accounts, because of 9/11. Why is it then that, seeing the evidence that this administration continues to make the country less safe, people STILL don’t demand an answer? Ugh! (Please read this article from the Seattle P-I)

So, it’s about time I mention the Supreme Court. Sandy’s retiring, Roberts has been nominated. Now the fight begins. Appointing a Supreme Court Justice is one of the most important jobs of the President. It has now become clear however that President Bush has not really spent much thought on the issue. Of the short list, only about half were interviewed before the White House announced that Roberts was their man. Originally, the President was going to announce on July 26 or 27, before leaving for a month to go to the ranch on vacation. (Who gets a month-long vacation?) Anyway, two administration sources have confirmed what we’ve all expected: Bushie announced Roberts in a desperate attempt to take the media attention off of Rove. So, rather than fully doing his job, President Moron has jumped the gun and named a man that will surely be a fight.

Roberts looks ok at first glance but once you learn a bit, you see the slime:
Excerpted from “People for the American Way”:

• Reproductive and Privacy Rights: Roberts urged the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade while arguing before the Court as Deputy Solicitor General in a case that did not even directly concern that issue. His brief plainly states that "Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled."
• Separation of Church and State: Roberts argued against clear First Amendment protections for religious liberty and in favor of officially sponsored school prayer at graduation ceremonies before the Supreme Court, which rejected his argument.
• Environmental Protections: As a judge, Roberts suggested in a dissent that the Endangered Species Act was unconstitutional as applied to a California development case.
• Veteran Protections: Roberts argued American POWs tortured in Iraq during the Gulf War should not be able to utilize federal courts to pursue their claims.
• Excessive Arrest Procedures: Roberts ruled against a 12-year old girl who was handcuffed, arrested and taken away by police for eating a single French fry on the D.C. Metro, even though an adult would only have gotten a paper citation in that situation.

I hope everyone realizes the import of this moment in our continuing histories. Particularly, as a gay man, it frightens me that there could be a very anti-gay man, someone capable of undoing the few advances toward equality that we’ve achieved, sitting on the highest bench for a LONG time. His arguing, especially, that “Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled”, points to his lack of regard for privacy. Surely, he would think that Lawrence v. Texas was also wrong and should be undone. That CAN NOT happen! Therefore, I urge everyone reading this to contact their Senators and demand a full and comprehensive hearing of this man. We must know how he stands on every issue. Those of you with children, consider their futures. Those of you that know me or another gay person, consider them. Those of you who enjoy privacy, think about losing it. Those of you with parents, consider their retirement and access to prescriptions. Absolutely everything hangs in the balance and our representatives must do this, their most important task, well.
Please go to this website to find your senators’ contact information. Get the word out and gear up for a fight.

Also, there’s this quote, just to remember what fools Americans look like in the eyes of the rest of the world. This is our international representative:

"The best place for the facts to be done is by somebody who's spending time investigating it."
-President Bush