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 Good
morning!
I am,
by nature, an optimist, but I must admit that I am getting
worried. The world and the web are full of conspiracy theorists.
I have worked hard not to become one of them, but I am on
the verge…
 Like
almost every progressive in this country, last fall’s
election left me depressed. Still, I managed to find a silver
lining in the fact that the “most liberal senator”
came very close to beating a war-time sitting president with
limitless funds. More depressing than the Presidential election
was the result in the Senate and House of Representatives.
It is not that Republicans now control all three, but that
they are dominated by Republicans who are steadfast representatives
of the Radical Right. Former U.N. Ambassador John Danforth
wrote an
excellent article about how he, as a former Republican
Senator (now Episcopal priest), despairs at the loss of his
party to the Religious Right.
What has
added fear to my despair in recent days has been the threat
to the third branch of government.
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It
began with the President and other leaders of the Republican
Party denouncing “activist judges” who ruled
that same-gender taxpayers should not be discriminated
against in Massachusetts. Of course, the same language
was used when the Courts sought to end racial discrimination
during the 1960s, but people apparently have a short memory.
The Court is the only branch of government not elected
and, therefore, the one most free from the tyranny of
the majority. They alone can defend the rights of minorities
without fear of electoral defeat. |
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Now,
Senator Bill Frist, in his own quest for political capital
with the Right, is seeking to change the rules of the
Senate to even further disempower the minority party in
the Senate. The arrogance of this is staggering, because
it presumes that his party will always be the majority.
It also ignores the previous eight years when Republicans
obstructed, and even rejected, the judicial nominations
of Bill Clinton. The real issue is that Democrats have
resisted the appointment of several right-wing ideologues
to the courts. |
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The
President and Congressional leaders thumbed their nose
at the courts, states’ rights and family rights
by seeking to intervene in the Terri Schiavo tragedy.
Outsiders believe that it was pandering to the Radical
Religious Right and that they were being foolish. Those
of us who dismiss them, though, obviously don’t
listen to talk radio. Rush Limbaugh and others have used
Terri Schiavo’s death to castigate the courts and
build a ground swell of support against the judiciary.
Once again, progressives in this country are missing what
is really happening because we listen to NPR and dismiss
the Limbaughs who have even greater listenership. |
 House
Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who has been completely immune
from the ethical rules of the House, is in danger of being
indicted by the court. Is it mere coincidence that he is calling
for judicial reform? Several bills pending in Congress seek
to tell the courts how to do their jobs. In the House, one
bill would instruct the courts not to consider international
law in making their decisions. This is the result of the Supreme
Court striking down the death penalty for teenagers. In doing
so, they noted that the U.S. was the last civilized country
on earth to execute children.
While
all of this may seem like a peripheral issue to some of us,
we ought to be afraid, very afraid. Indulge my paranoia for
a moment. Imagine our country suffering another terrorist
attack, which most believe is inevitable. Imagine this happening
while, as some sources report, Vice President Dick Cheney
decides that he will run for president. Imagine 12 years of
the Radical Right shaping our country with control of the
White House, Congress AND the Judiciary. Karl Rove and company
have used fear to effectively manipulate the electorate, but
this is what we should really fear.
After
the Supreme Court struck down the Texas sodomy law, Pat Robertson
expressed a longing for the death of several Justices. After
the murder of a judge in Atlanta and a judge’s family
in Illinois, perhaps we need to be praying for their health
and safety. At the very least, we need to work for the preservation
of their independence.
Hope
for Peace & Justice needs you! With your support,
we can change the world. |
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 Welcome
to the web presence of Hope for Peace & Justice!
Many of us have grown weary of our faith being used to
advance the political agenda or the radical right, nationalists,
and social conservatives. MORE... |
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The
Gun Industry Immunity Bill: Immunity for Negligent Gun
Sellers
In
an act of incredible hypocrisy by a congress with absolutely
no sense of irony, legislation has been proposed by
those who advocate a “culture of life” to
protect gun dealers from liability in the event their
greed results in the murder of a innocent person. MORE...
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Texas
Critics Question Bush's 'life' Culture
Speaking of no sense of irony…how could
the politician who executed more people than all the
other governors of his day combined , and cut medical
spending for the poor, and health care for uninsured
children utter the words “culture of life”
with a straight face? MORE...
Culture
of Life or Culture of Living Death?
Apparently that only applies to women in states
where your brother is governor. MORE... |
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The
"Nuclear Option"
Speaking of paranoid…Is it possible that
Senator Frist is considering a procedural rules change
so severe that it is referred to as the “nuclear
option” because they anticipate the President
nominating a right-wing extremist (or a pro-torture
Attorney General) to the Supreme Court? MORE... |
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Tom
DeLay: Don't Resign
And to prove that there are two ways to look
at everything – Ralph Nader is advocating AGAINST
Tom Delay’s resignation. Nader thinks we need
Delay as the symbol of political corruption and what
we can look forward to if we continue to let money decide
who runs the county. MORE... |
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The
disassembly of Tom DeLay
A new drama of survival has begun here – political,
not physical; legal, not spiritual. The central character
isn’t a woman in a hospital bed but a controversial
Republican leader in the House of Representatives. Rep.
Tom DeLay may not want to admit it to himself, but he’s
fighting for his political life. MORE... |
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It’s
My Party Too!
There is a Republican response to the religious right
strangle on the Republican party. Christine Todd Whitman
wrote a book and founded a PAC called It’s My Party
Too! MORE... |
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The
Alliance for Justice is a national association
of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's,
children's and consumer advocacy organizations. Since
its inception in 1979, the Alliance has worked to advance
the cause of justice for all Americans, strengthen the
public interest community's ability to influence public
policy, and foster the next generation of advocates. MORE...
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World
Divided on Ethics of Terri Schiavo Case
From the Netherlands, where euthanasia and assisted
suicides are legal and common, to India, where no doctor
is allowed to deny lifesaving treatment to any patient,
no matter how hopeless, governments are struggling to
draft ethical and practical laws governing so-called
mercy killing. MORE... |
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|  Troy
Sims
Board of Directors
“It
is important that there, finally, be an alternative
voice that speaks for the Religious Left. Hope for Peace
& Justice will be that voice.” MORE...
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