Monday, March 27, 2006
Freedom of Speech for Senators? 1/19/06
OK, so you and I won’t get to speak in the halls of Congress, but surely it’s OK for our Senators to do so! Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist won’t allow any time for speeches regarding Samual Alito until Jan 25th, the day after the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on his nomination. It is normal practice for the majority leader to give senators time to make speeches about the nominee, but Sen. Patrick Leahy, Sen. Ted Kennedy & Sen. Dick Durbin are being forced to make statements every other place to get heard.
The right wing media machine is telling us the nomination is a done deal, but there are many people who are deeply worried. In 1984, as assistant to the U.S. solicitor general, Alito started the ball rolling by writing that government officials should be able to order domestic wiretaps without fear of legal retaliation. He also found more power for the government and doesn’t seem to be interested in individual rights. I thought that was what American history is all about.
Do we really need to give up our rights? Are we in more danger today than when the British Army surrounded our American ancestors fighting for the Republic, or in more danger than during the 1st and 2nd world wars, or in more danger than when the Soviets had nukes aimed at us? We didn’t give up our rights then, why are we being terrified and brainwashed into allowing it now?
The right wing media machine is telling us the nomination is a done deal, but there are many people who are deeply worried. In 1984, as assistant to the U.S. solicitor general, Alito started the ball rolling by writing that government officials should be able to order domestic wiretaps without fear of legal retaliation. He also found more power for the government and doesn’t seem to be interested in individual rights. I thought that was what American history is all about.
Do we really need to give up our rights? Are we in more danger today than when the British Army surrounded our American ancestors fighting for the Republic, or in more danger than during the 1st and 2nd world wars, or in more danger than when the Soviets had nukes aimed at us? We didn’t give up our rights then, why are we being terrified and brainwashed into allowing it now?
# posted by Florence Vincent @ 5:37 PM 
