Roberts for Injustice

Mikaela says:
Another stealth job by the White House has put forward Judge Roberts as nominee for Supreme Court Justice to replace Sandra Day O'Connor.

The White House said it was looking at women candidates. It says it was looking at minority candidates. It said its pool of nominees "reflected" America.

It said the nominee would be chosen quickly. It said the nomination would be postponed to give as little time for grilling as possible. It said next week. It said today.

And then last night, it said this white man from Harvard, whose background is defending corporations and opposing Roe v. Wade, with so little experience (2 years in the federal courts=low profile and short paper trail) that it will be difficult to judge him based on his record.

It said the timing of this announcement had nothing to do with the heating up of the Karl Rove scandal and the desperate desire to knock it off the front page.

The sides are already polarized. Leftist organizations have raised about 5 million dollars from the filibuster crisis to fight a contentious Supreme Court nomination. Right-wing organizations have between $10-20 million. We have to fight this one with the strength of numbers and voices, because money just won't cut it. This one counts; this one matters.

Let's all do what we can. It's the patriotic thing to do. This is about justice, morality, and protecting the last of the progress the people have made to create a government in their own image. Of the people, by the people, for the people. Remember? Let's make sure our government does.

MoveOn.org has a petition ready and waiting. Here's my sample letter:

TO: (My senators)
FROM: (My Name and Email)
SUBJECT: Oppose John Roberts
__________
Dear Senator,

Being smart does not exempt a Supreme Court Justice from being honorable and standing up for the freedoms the people have fought so hard for in this country, including the right of ordinary people and workers to stand up to corporate interests for profit and the right of every woman to choose whether to use her body to bring life into the world.

Judge Roberts may be smart, qualified, and dignified, but he does NOT represent the pragmatic, moderate, and deliberative model of Supreme Court Justice that Sandra Day O'Connor embodied and whose balance is sorely lacking on the remaining Court.

He is NOT the right choice for the Court that plays such a crucial check and balance as one arm of a three-part government envisioned by the creators of the freest and fairest of nations.

The American people deserve a Justice who will help to ensure that the people have recourse in the nation's highest court to be heard fairly on issues where corporations and government officials paid off by them do not have the public's interest at heart.

That's why I'm writing you to ask that you oppose Judge John Roberts' nomination. We can't afford to have a right-wing ideologue on our nation's highest court.

Sincerely,
My name, My Address