The Heretik: A Flash of Light, Then A Dark Age?

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April 15, 2005

A Flash of Light, Then A Dark Age?

UPDATED: APRIL 15, 2005 01:15 PM EST

WAS THAT A FLASH OF LIGHT I JUST SAW?
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is all but certain to press for a rule change that would ban filibusters of judicial nominations in the next few weeks, despite misgivings by some of his fellow Republicans and a possible Democratic backlash that could paralyze the chamber, close associates said yesterday.

from The Washington Post

AND THE HERETIK ASKS: When will enough be enough for the Republicans?
They control the White House, they rule both houses of Congress, they have lackeys planted in the press pressing their planted stories upon us, the unsuspecting who believe we get information unvarnished and clean without the sliming of a sludge horrific. Now the Republicans want to end a tradition of open debate and jam something down our throats.

That image is graphic, but apt. The Republicans will not settle until they control all things, all the time. We have seen them come for the judges recently with threats. Now they mean to make politics more mean through complete control of the judiciary. What we see here is a most gross misunderstanding of what purpose and independent judiciary serves in and open, democratic society. What we see here is a threat overt, a lunge so naked, that its motives must be clear to all but the minds most cloded by partisan passion. What we have here is a cry to hell to bring down our heaven to a New Dark Age.

What we also have here is hubris. What gods may be will not long look kindly on what mortal men as Senator "Medical Bill" Frist would do.

FROM WIDIPEDIA: Hubris is a common theme in Greek tragedies and mythology, whose stories often featured protagonists suffering from hubris and subsequently being punished by the gods for it. In Greek law, it most often refers to violent outrage wreaked by the powerful upon the weak. In poetry and mythology, the term was used of those individuals esteeming themselves as equal to or greater than the gods.

Those whom the Gods would destroy they first make all powerful.
Those whom the Gods would destroy they first make proud.

THE HERETIK ASKS JUST WHAT IS BILL FRIST THINKING?
What Frist feels he has no acceptable options to seeking the rule change unless there is a last-minute compromise, which neither party considers plausible, according to senators and aides close to the situation. "I think it's going to happen," Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said this week, although he would prefer that Frist wait to allow more legislation to pass before the Senate explodes in partisan recriminations. Aides privy to senior Republicans' thinking concur with Thune.

from The Washington Post

Re: Hubris.
Notice has hereby been served to Senator Frist

OTHER PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO TAKE NOTICE:

From Edward @ Obsidian Wings: Let's expose this secular power-grabbing freak show for what it is: spiritually and politically corrupt. There is no justification for the so-called nuclear option (other than arrogance and a grossly overdeveloped sense of entitlement). Here's some facts to write down and post on your refrigerator:

As Dwight Meredith notes: "If the Federal Judiciary is comprised of a bunch of liberal activists, it is the GOP who put them there. "

Of the nine current members of the Supreme Court, seven were appointed by Republicans. In the last thirty-five years (since 1969) there have been thirteen appointments to the Supreme Court. Republican Presidents have made eleven of those appointments while Democratic Presidents have made two.

At the Circuit Court of Appeals level, the pattern remains the same. Since 1969, Republican Presidents have appointed 211 Judges to the Circuit Courts. Democrats have appointed 122. Since 1969, Republican Presidents have appointed 813 trial Judges to the District Court bench while Democrats have made 508 such appointments.

According to the NYTimes: "The Democratic minority has blocked confirmation of 10 of President Bush's judicial nominees by preventing Republicans from gaining the 60 votes needed to close debate." Ten! Out of 229 in his first term, only 10 were blocked. That means about 95% of his choices were approved.

Even moderate Republicans agree there's nothing new here that warrants this kind of action: "On Thursday, one wavering Republican, Senator John McCain

of Arizona, told a television interviewer, Chris Matthews, that he would vote against the change. [...] "By the way, when Bill Clinton was president, we, effectively, in the Judiciary Committee blocked a number of his nominees," Mr. McCain said.

FROM A WISE FROG :
ON THE HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE OF THE FILIBUSTER.

n a discussion with a conservative blogger, he tried to make the point that the filibuster was not a Constitutional rule, but a rule of the Senate. In addition to this, FactCheck.org, in a recent article, examined the ad campaign of the Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary and found fault with the CfaFaIJ's portrayal of the filibuster. I want to address both of these positions and explain why saving the filibuster is not only important to preserving our democracy, but is in keeping with the original intent of the Constitution.

History of the Filibuster
With respect to the filibuster rule being constitutional or unconstitutional, the Constitution gives the Senate the right to set its own rules. Clearly, the filibuster is constitutional in that regard. It was established in 1806 and is based on the principle that Senators should be allowed to speak for as long as they want in debating an issue. The House of Representatives once had the same tradition, but this changed because the number of members in the House grew so large. The real Johnny-come-lately rule is cloture, the rule that allows the Senate to end debate, which was introduced in 1917. Originally, the number of votes required to invoke cloture was 67, a two-thirds majority of Senators. The number of votes required to invoke cloture was changed in 1975 to 60 votes. Consequently, it is now harder to sustain a filibuster and easier to invoke cloture.

Principles of the Republic Embodied in the Filibuster
James Madison wrote, in Federalist Paper 51: "It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure."

Madison averred that the diversity of interests in the colonies would, in the new government, prevent the tyranny of the majority by making it impossible for coalitions to develop stable majorities. He likewise felt that the vastness of the country would enable people to move to areas where they felt more at home, in manner of speaking, and prevent the formation of special interests from taking over the show (I think that position was described in Federalist Paper 10).

Well, I think we all know how that turned out.

Nevertheless, the principle underlying Federalist 51, the importance of guarding society against injustice by a majority, remains alive and well.

MORE HERE >>>>

April 15, 2005 at 10:15 AM in ARMAGEDDON ON THE POTOMAC | Permalink

Comments

Great work Heretik!

The Radical Neo Conservative (RNC) party are going for total power. They already have cotrol of the exectutive branch and legislative branch, now they want control of the judiciary. I am afraid we are headed toward a fascist state. At the current rate it could be as little as 5 years before the Bushstapo breaks down your door, destroys your computer, and ships you off to Syria as an enemy combatant.

Take a look at the 14 points of fascism presented by http://www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm

Sounds like the RNC to me!!

1.) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism

2.) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights

3.) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause

4.) Supremacy of the Military

5.) Rampant Sexism

6.) Controlled Mass Media

7.) Obsession with National Security

8.) Religion and Government are Intertwined

9.) Corporate Power is Protected

10.) Labor Power is Suppressed

11.) Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts

12.) Obsession with Crime and Punishment

13.) Rampant Cronyism and Corruption

14.) Fraudulent Elections

Posted by: Neo Con Crusher | April 15, 2005 at 10:23 AM

Agreed... good work. This stuff is really scaring me... it's a multi-fronts attack. I blogged about another aspect of this war on judges (from the theocracy angle). I have a feeling you and I are about to be crucified alongside one another, my fellow heretic. Er, heretik.

Posted by: UnapologeticAtheist | April 15, 2005 at 12:41 PM

Bill Frist: pussy, personified. Can't stand up to George W. Lameduck Bush. Can't stand for his principles, or remember what they were.

"What Frist feels he has no acceptable options to seeking the rule change unless there is a last-minute compromise," this is a cynical game of chicken.

Posted by: AF | April 15, 2005 at 01:40 PM

Heretik, I deem that picture threatening! You are treading on thin ice. :)

Posted by: blondesense | April 15, 2005 at 02:10 PM

Thanks for linking me. Good thing I'm pleased with it. In Florida, I could shoot you for it now.

Posted by: G. D. Frogsdong | April 15, 2005 at 02:59 PM

these folks are hellbent on destroying the earth.

hate to tell them.....jesus might be pissed off them wasting God's handiwork.

Posted by: jillian | April 15, 2005 at 03:48 PM

Fantastic.

Posted by: bitchphd | April 15, 2005 at 08:19 PM

95 per cent of W.'s judges have been approved. 95 per cent! Reagan didn't get that many through. Seems to me the GOP could hardly do better even without filibusters in their way. There's no good reason for this. Either it's pure spite or they know W.'s got somebody up his sleeve that is so awful, so repulsive, so obviously a disaster that they know that there's no way he'd get appointed unless the game is rigged.

Even Scalia for Chief Justice would get by these Democrats, filibuster or no, so who in the name of David Duke do they plan to put on the bench?

Roy Moore?

Posted by: Lance Mannion | April 15, 2005 at 08:35 PM

Roy Moore will be their nominee for the Supreme Court.

As for why they're doing all this crap: They're doing it *BECAUSE THEY CAN*. Because those of us who give a shit are a tiny minority, under 25% of the voting age population. Because the vast majority of Americans DO NOT CARE as long as they can still watch the latest episode of Survivor or The Apprentice on their widescreen tee-vee. Because, in the end, Americans no longer believe in democracy, except as some vague thing that makes sure that they're kept fat and happy with bread and circuses when not at work, and kept working longer hours than in any other civilized country in order to make sure they have no time or energy to make "trouble" (i.e., demand that our leaders properly represent our wishes).

I noted, once, that the war on Iraq could have been prevented if just 10% of the American population gave a shit enough to put their own personal health, welfare, and safety on the line. But see, the deal is, we'll gabble here on the Internets, but take a risk? Take a chance? Actually stand up for some principle besides "I got mine, and screw you"? Surely you jest!

I'm too old now to contemplate moving to another country. It takes decades to integrate into a new culture, and I don't have that many decades left to me. But I swear, if I were younger, I'd be seriously considering heading for the nearest country that practices TRUE democracy, where government represents the will of the people instead of the will of a few extremists who care enough to terrorize the rest into submission... there are dark times ahead, my friends, dark times, times that will make the 1,000 years of darkness after the fall of the Roman Empire look like child's play...

- Badtux the Apocalyptic Penguin

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