Today's entry is The New Oklahoma Democrat and here are some samples of what passes for political debate in OK about the Presidents various nominations:
Justice Janice Brown (California)You see because she's black she has to think a certain way. And the First Amendment applies only to desired speech, not all of it.
Brown is a California Supreme Court Justice and daughter of an Alabama sharecropper. As such, one would think she would have a pretty good idea what racism is and how harmful it can be. To see how she feels about equality and justice for all, let's take the case of Aguilar vs. Avis Rent A Car Systems, Inc. In this case, the majority of her fellow justices decided that the employer (Avis) had used racial slurs toward Latino employees and thus created a harmful work environment. Brown dissented, arguing that the First Amendment protects the use of racial slurs in the workplace.
Judge Richard Griffin (Michigan)Of course, if a judge hands down a decision Democrats don't agree with, said judge must be "out of the mainstream" - jeez, this guy can't even get the talking points right.
Griffin is an extremely conservative judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals. Bush has nominated him to the U.S Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Like Brown, he is another scary individual. In the case of Cunningham vs. Dearborn Board of Education, he dismissed a sex discrimination claim by a pregnant woman who was suspended after her employer decided she wasn't eligible for its "favored work" program. The program would have allowed her to work within the restraints of her pregnancy. Despite the doctrine of the Federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which states that employers cannot make a distinction between work-related and non-work related disabilities, Griffin ruled that the employer was within its rights to penalize an employee for not being able to perform regular job duties because of pregnancy.
William G. Myers III (Idaho)More smears and politics of personal destruction. That sort of thing worked really well against President Clinton, didn't it. This sort of attack is the worst kind of ignorance...
Myers is yet another scary person that has caught Bush's eye. His extreme anti-environment and pro-business views have prompted Bush to nominate him to the U.S Appeals Court, 9th Circuit. First of all, this man isn't qualified to be a Federal Judge. He has never been a judge and has never participated in a jury trial. He's somewhat insane, calling Federal land management regulations "tyranny" and suggesting that these "abuses" could lead to a "modern-day revolution." He was been quoted as saying that the Federal Clean Water Act would impede the rights of Americans. Yes, clean water is such a crime! In addition to hating the environment, Myers seems to hate Native Americans as well. In 2001, Bush nominated him to Interior Department Solicitor. In this office, he allowed the Glamis Company (gold mining operation) to operate a mine on land sacred to the Quechan Tribe. With his lack of experience in law, his hate of the environment, his seeming calls for a revolution and his almost racist dismissal of the rights of Native Americans, does Myers seem like the kind of guy you want as a Federal Judge?
John R. Bolton (Nominee for U.S Ambassador to the U.N)At least he's honest on this one: this liberal's problem with Bolton is that Bolton will act in America's best interests FIRST, LAST, and every opportunity in between. Yes, that IS who I want representing us at the UN. This is my favorite bit: "Honestly, would you send the Grand Wizard of the KKK to be your chief diplomat in Africa?" - You see, this is bad because Democrats would send him to the Senate instead...
Well, if Bush's judicial nominees aren't scary enough, Bolton can almost certainly take away any confidence you might have still had in Bush's ability to nominate qualified people. The first thing Bolton said that scares me is, "diplomacy is not an end in itself if it does not advance U.S. interests." That is a scary thing right there considering that Bush wants this man to be the chief diplomat to the United Nations. The second thing he said that scares me is, "there's no such thing as the United Nations. If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference." What kind of nut is this guy? I guess the problem I have with Bolton is that he is too outspoken in his hatred of the U.N and that makes him absolutely wrong guy for the job. Honestly, would you send the Grand Wizard of the KKK to be your chief diplomat in Africa? No. The same goes for the U.N. As bad as they are and as out of touch with reality, you don't send someone who hates someone else to be your chief intermediary.
Conclusion: Passionate America has nothing to fear in Oklahoma...
