Monday, October 4, 2004

The Supremes

The election on November 2 is also going to decide who deciphers the Constitution for the next 40 years. Read this article by Ellen Goodman.

Say, aren't eight of the nine members on Medicare? Isn't John Paul Stevens 84? Didn't Chief Justice William Rehnquist just turn 80? How is Sandra Day O'Connor, a survivor of breast cancer? And Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had colon cancer? Everybody feeling OK? Anybody ready to retire to a golf course in Arizona

In speeches, the Bush-Cheney team talks in atmospheric terms about “activist judges” and “strict principles.” But on conservative talk shows and in rallies, people talk about overturning Roe v. Wade and getting prayer in the schools, about eliminating affirmative action and turning back gay rights.

Conservatives get it. As a lobbyist for the Christian Coalition said, “If you ask people in this group their top priority, the first thing they would say is changing the U.S. Supreme Court.” Activist Clint Bolick told a reporter, “This election could be a twofer -- we win the White House and the Supreme Court.

In presidential politics we're voting for four more years. In the Supreme Court, we're voting for 40 years.

Just another reason to not elect Dubya&Co. That bunch'll get a court in that'll turn back the clock to 1955. I was alive then and life was beautiful all the time. Unless you were black or pregnant and didn't want to be. The liberal court fixed a lot of problems and the next court might undo it all.

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