Farewell Betty and Al
Today, two well known figures passed into the great beyond.
First, let us recall the life of the less famous of the two, Al Lewis, alias Grandpa Munster. He was famous both for his appearance on the TV Show, the Munsters, as Grandpa Munster, a Vampire in a bad Dracula costume. He also was a basketball recruiter and a political candidate. In the 1998 Gubernatorial Elections in New York, Lewis managed to capture at least 25.000 votes.
Secondly, a great heroine for women in America, we all mourn the loss of Betty Friedan. She was an avowed and activist feminist, who did her best to help mainstream the Feminist movement, by opposing more radical elements in the movement.
We recall with great emotion the passing of these two Americans, who had significant impacts on their fellow men and women.
BOEHNER WINS!!!!!!!!!!
John Boehner of Ohio just won the Majority Leader Contest in the US House of Representatives. In a vote of 122-109, Boehner beat Blunt and Shadegg.
I am really glad that Boehner won over Blunt. There are three reasons I am glad of this.
1) Boehner is a fiscal conservative. After DeLay's moronic comment last year about how all the fat had been cut out of the federal budget, the Republicans needed a leader who would not back down on fiscal issues. It's time to cut earmarks, all spending, streamlining contracts, and lots more that can be done.
2) Boehner is not Blunt, nor significantly socially conservative. He is not going to be pushing for bans on gay marriage, overturning Roe v. Wade, yadda yadda yadda, as significantly as Blunt or DeLay did.
3) Boehner was less tied to Abramoff. Frankly, Roy Blunt was far too tied to both DeLay and Abramoff. Boehner will help take that corruption away.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.
It is official. The Senate has confirmed Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. to be an associate Justice of the United states Supreme Court. It is clear that he was not only qualified, but a good choice for the Court. Despite his obvious personal leanings, as well as his staunchly conservative personal views, what he is, according to those who have worked with and for him, is a careful jurist with a willingness to look at all sides of an issue, a jurist who does not prejudge a case, and who will not side with any specific side of a case, nor allows his own biases to interfere with the law. Frankly, I tend to trust the colleagues and former clerks of a judge rather than his or her record, and the interpretation by detractors and friends, as well as Senators.
It is clear that neither Ted Kennedy nor Lindsay Graham was the one who should speak about Samuel Alito's positions, nor should have people like Laurence Tribe or Robert Bork. No, the testimony of colleagues and former clerks, who cover the entire political spectrum, is the one we needed to listen to.
Welcome to the most important job of your life, Justice Alito.
Requiescat in Pacem
Another long-standing Civil Rights icon has died, Coretta Scott King passed away today at age 78. All those of good will mourn her loss. Requiescat in Pacem, Amicus Populorum.
2005, The Year in Review: A Summary
To sum up this year, it has been disappointing. We were to start it off on a good note, with a Presidential inauguration, with good cheer, coming off of a year of ups and downs, we ought to have been on the upswing.
Now to mention a few bright points: The appointment of Dr. Benjamin Bernanke, an eminently qualified, and effectively non-partisan person to be Fed Chair. A wise choice. American Charitable giving is up this year. That also is a bright spot. Elections in Iraq and Afghanistan...we actually have come a long way. Finally, the President taking responsibility for a failure.
Overshadowing this, however, is the stink of corruption, in the states and in Washington. It's time to rid ourselves of corruption, from partisan redistricting (Let's all follow Illinois' lead and say that we're going to be good about fairly redistricting), to indictments, money laundering scandals, to bribery, this has been a bad year overall.
Here, then, is to a good 2006. Let us raise our glasses and hope for a better New Year. May we all enjoy peace, prosperity and joy in the coming year.
2005, The Year in Review: President Bush
A Look at the Administration of George W. Bush:
This has not been a good year for George W. Bush. From Katrina to Harriet Miers to his slipping poll numbers, George Bush is in rough shape.
I will start off by clarifying what ought to be already clear, that I can not abide this Presidency, and I keep hoping and praying for it to be over as expeditiously and inauspiciously as possible.
Let's take a look at some of the highlights from Hurricane Katrina. Everybody from Ray Nagin to Michael Brown, Kathleen Blanco to George W. Bush. Every single leader involved dropped the ball from time to time. Let's put blame where blame is due, and dispel some myths. First off, Global Warming, while I do believe strong evidence exists for Global Warming, Global Warming was not the cause of Hurricane Katrina nor was it likely even remotely involved in the intensity of the storm. The National Weather Service, and other organisations devoted to good, well founded science, and not the hysteria of the far left, point to a trend of twenty or thirty years with large numbers of devastating storms, followed by a similar period with very few devastating storms. Secondly, in handling the issue of the evacuations, race was not an issue, nor was economic status taken into account, at least that is what I find the evidence clearly saying. There are many things I dislike about George W. Bush, but he is no racist, and certainly less of a classist than most of the people in this world. He did not do anything to hurt non-white people intentionally. Yes, he dropped the ball, and cut funding for the levees, but hindsight is 20/20, and it was done to fund a war, not because George Bush hates black people. Where George Bush dropped the ball most gravely was in appointing a college buddy to be his FEMA Chief, despite a lack of experience. In short, did the President handle Hurricane Katrina well, perhaps not. Was he biased or somehow racist in his dealings, absolutely, and unquestionably no.
Now for a recap of the Supreme Court. While I am disappointed that President Bush did not appoint a woman, a Hispanic or an openly gay person, qualifications withstanding, to the Supreme Court, I do respect his choices. Fundamentally, Chief Justice Roberts was, in my opinion, unquestionably the best choice for the job. The new Chief Justice does not have the firebrand temperament that has plagued the court since Justice Frankfurter was appointed. So far, he seems fair, wise, and well spoken. His show for the Senate Judiciary Committee certainly impressed many people, the Far Lefties and Far Righties notwithstanding. Not since Justice Souter was appointed has the Judiciary Committee had such an eloquent testimony before it. In that vein, I expect that Chief Justice Roberts will find a niche in the mingling of his two Judicial mentors, Chief Justice Rehnquist, a great man, and Judge Henry Friendly, as well as his grand master, Justice Jackson.
Then along came Harriet Miers. This was certainly dropping the ball in the public's eyes. We had been given a spectacular nominee with a wise, respectful and intelligent mind, and a tongue not suited to partisanship. To fill the other seat, we were given Justice Fortas in a dress, almost literally. This was a purely political appointment, without any concern for the Court, or its needs. It was wise in the end for her to withdraw her nomination, and left her to another smaller court, where she would be better suited.
Finally, there is Judge Samuel Alito. Now here is a man believed to have firebrand tendencies, because of his long history of being a Conservative legal scholar and opinion writer. What I see, and what many of the more liberal end of the legal establishment who are intellectually honest see, is a thoughtful man, committed to precedent above all else. He is a wise judge who makes relatively complex decisions, and does so well and within the framework set down.
Then there was the War in Iraq. I commend the President for stepping up to defend the war, and also to defend and explain his actions as Commander in Chief. Perhaps it will keep us from making the same huge mistakes nw that we have been making since the start of this war. The President, for the first time in his life, it would seem, stood up and took responsibility for a poorly managed decision he made. While I understand the need to topple Saddam, however, we ought to have gone after nuclear arms salesmen like Kim Jong-Il.
Finally, a word on corruption within the Bush Administration, and his approval ratings. As I've hopefully made clear, I am one of a majority of Americans who disapproves of the current Administration. I believe overall that the Bush Administration has been a corrupt administration, with no outside air to improve the quality of the Administration. There have been very few replacements, and none of the ones needed have been replaced. On the other hand, he does not beat Congress anywhere near.
That leaves his poll numbers. Bush no longer reverberates with the American Psyche like he used to. He never has been the Harry Truman, FDR, or Ronald Reagan that he wanted to be. No, he's never been that bright, but now we are only starting to see through it. That's why his poll numbers are slipping.
2005, the Year in Review: Elections
This has been a year that shocked and severely wounded the United States. Maybe it is the pessimist in me, but I have not heard or seen much that makes this year, on any playing field, a good year.
Let's start with some of the recent issues circulating.
The 2005 Elections Cycle:
This was not a good year for Republicans electorally, and they know it. They did not regain either of the Governorships up for grabs this year, and they should have had a better shot at regaining Virginia.
Congressional races did not fare as well as was hoped for the Republicans either. In the California John Campbell did very well, winning a significant portion of the vote, but let us not forget that Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, took almost as many votes as the Democrat. That can not bode well for the Republicans. As for the Ohio race, Jean Schmidt eked out a victory. What this bodes I can not say, however, as I believe the significant force that made the Schmidt campaign falter was the sheer flakiness of Schmidt, and her lack of wisdom. This race was not a win for the Democrats, but rather a loss for the Republicans.
This may seem to be ill news for Republicans, and it very well may be. The circumstances are not that far off from 1993, when in the next year they took the Majority from a similarly dispirited country in a landslide election. On the other hand, this could be a 1980, if the Republicans can turn themselves around and show themselves in the light of being the party of reform. In 2001 however, the same sort of incident, with Democrats taking away the Governorships from the Republicans, happened, and in 2002,we saw a Republican Sweep of the open seats. Will this be a 1993 or a 2001? We have yet to see. What the future holds I can not predict, but I do expect that 2006 may be good for the Democrats.
Finally, a last note on campaigning. It is beginning earlier and earlier. I'm really getting to be nostalgic for days I was not alive to see, days when campaigning really was campaigning, not mudslinging from the trenches and not long, exhaustive, expensive campaigns. I strongly move, therefore, that we as a country adopt the Baker Carter Commission on Eletoral Reform's suggestions in the whole, if nothing else to shorten the Campaign Cycle, and to rest the choice of the nominees not on small, relatively rural states like Iowa, New Hampshire and the Dakotas, because this takes the choice away from the majority of the people and vests it in small numbers of people, where a small town in New Hampshire can determine a whole Presidential election.
An Apology
To my few, but loyal readers, let me apologise for not blogging for almost two months. I wanted to see how the Virginia AG race came down, and then I got caught up in the Holiday Season, yes, part of that was the Christmas Season, no I got caught up in more than just that.
Intelligent Design is NOT Scientific
I am of the belief that if you teach something as science it must pass muster under the Scientific Method. It is clear that Intelligent Design does not meet this criteria. As such
Dover Area School District should stop teaching it.
What the clincher is for me is that the topic has two goals, to promote a Deist ideal of a Universal Creator, which is an endorsement of Deist practices. While I have naught against Deism, and in fact find a lot of Deism to be true, it is not the place of the Government to endorse any religion in any form. Teaching Darwinism however does not impinge on the free exercise of religion, while teaching Intelligent Design does not impinge on anybody's free exercise right, it does rely on the demeaning its opponents, which is not good Science. As such, the Dover Area School District, and every other school district, ought to avoid the subject of Intelligent Design until and unless the hypotheses set forth rely solely on the Scientific Method, and not antagonism towards its opponents.
And Yet MORE in Favour of Alito
Things are looking up for Samuel Alito. The concept of a Judicial Conservative, read someone who is not a Judicial Activist, is exemplified in him. He has his own opinions, and what they are, we do not know, and nor should we.
Ann Althouse explains.
The Score is now Tied
In a recent show of Dirty Politicking, Rep. Tom DeLay asked for a new judge to field his corruption case. The judge stepped aside. To replace him, the Presiding Judge was supposed to appoint a replacement. Ronnie Earle, the Prosecutor, then applied to pull the Presiding Judge off that job, because the Presiding Judge had given to Republican Campaigns.
Today that judge recused himself!
Now tell me, does an innocent man request a new judge in a corruption case based on the political contributions of the judge? I think not myself.
Anywho, bad news day for DeLay.
For Once, I Agree With Robert Byrd
Yes, that's right, for once, I actually agree with Robert Byrd. This is a rare and hopefully one-time occurrence.
Today, on the floor of the Senate, Sen. Byrd introduced an Amendment to cut the budget, and it was a good idea.
Now, how did Sen. Byrd propose to cut the budget? He sponsored an amendment to cut out an expanded VISA Program into the United States for Skilled and Unskilled guest workers. The program would have given out an extra 350.000 VISAs to people who wanted to immigrate her to work.
Immigration costs us money we do not have, and taking jobs away from Americans is always a bad thing, especially skilled jobs and technological jobs. It is time to cut our legal immigration.
Schadenfreude in Washington
I have to wonder how Harry Reid's political manoeuver yesterday will play out in the public. So far, it seems to me, the people will be quite appreciative of the fact that Reid has forced the investigation to get going. Public approval of the war is down very low, and people are starting to believe that Bush and the Republicans are dragging their feet in the way the war is being run. It is good Schadenfreude for this former war supporter.
Harry Reid invoked Rule 21 of the Senate Rules closing the Senate to the public to confront the Republicans about their investigation into the intelligence errors that gave way to the War in Iraq.
I do think that this will play out well in the public if and only if the Democrats spin this correctly. It seems that they are doing that right so far. It is time now to see where this investigation leads.
Samuel Alito...Another Wise Move by Bush
I have to say, the most significant part of the reason I have not yet commented on the Alito Nomination so far is that I wanted to make a more thorough research effort into the nomination before I made any calls on Alito. As such, I am still waiting to see how he acts in the Judiciary Committee, but from what I am hearing, Alito will be a good choice for the Supreme Court.
His former clerks, associates, friends and enemies all speak highly of his judicial ability, and praise comes from both the far left and the far right on Alito.
His clerks are saying that he is a careful thinker who likes to discuss and debate issues before deciding. His clerks are mostly more liberal than he is, and they all hold him in the highest regard, and that is because he is a wise, impartial judge who is not a guaranteed vote for either side.
In fact, the opinions of Judge Alito, as well as what people are saying about him, is very much reminiscent of what was said about Judge Anthony Kennedy before he became an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. At the most conservative, I believe that Judge Alito will be about as conservative as William Rehnquist. At the most liberal, Judge Alito could become another Justice Souter. I think, however, that Bush may have made a serious political error in appointing Alito, and a year down the road, when a hot-button issue comes before the court, and Justice Alito is the swing vote and votes liberal, Bush is going to be in serious trouble.
