Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Slouching Toward Gomorrah...

is the title of the book by Robert H. Bork, the supreme court nominee who was honest and forthright during his hearings and ended up not getting the job. I'm beginning to think the slouch is getting more pronounced. Hearings have begun for a man who has yet to say anything of substance. It's the old I don't remember or I did it to get a job ploy. Senator Joe Biden even said such is the norm for these hearings. What is going on?

John Roberts was confirmed because he had no paper trail and his Catholicism was verboten. Harriet Mier withdrew because of the flak she was taking because of her religious beliefs. It appeared the fact she was one of the least qualified candidates that could have been chosen seemed secondary. Alito has a huge paper trail and at every turn we're hearing that was then - it doesn't apply. Bear in mind these are lifetime appointments. Aren't we leary what might be done once they are firmly in place?? Wouldn't answers before the fact be better than after? Isn't that what the hearings are for? These people are to be part of the checks and balance system - not the puppets of the executive branch.

Then I read exerpts from Bush's speech before the VFW. In coming weeks " a good deal of political turmoil" is likely as the power struggle plays on. Like there isn't political turmoil now and hasn't been? Rather than being alarmed by such developments, he goes on, "we should welcome this for what it is: freedom in action." Welcome this?

I'm not sure how many Iraqi's are going to welcome this with quite the same spirit. What we've done is depose one dictator who kept historically opposing factions in place and replaced him with a free for all among those very factions. A civil war is brewing and the weak central government won't be able to contain it no matter how much we meddle.

We don't understand the middle eastern cultures - it is not a simple package to be easily manipulated. It has the potential of becoming as horrible as the Hutsis and Tutus in Rwanda and the ethnic cleansing that took place in Bosnia Herzegovina.

All of our huffing and puffing about a democratic Iraq might ring more noble if we didn't have an administration with tunnel vision and the corrupt, self-serving power brokers that we elected still jockying for power and calculating escape routes.

Let's get real with Judge Alito's hearings. Let's pay attention to the prosecution of our government. Let's CARE about our country and get our heads out of the sand! I have a friend in Iraq who tells me being surrounded by sand isn't all that great.

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