Now I have to write on Judge Alito.
Oh shit. We are going to hell in a hand basket. And might quick.
I subscribe to a bunch of little e-zines. And I have to share this one with you.
I have bitched about Alito in the past regarding his goal to change the ruling on Roe v. Wade (okay….you get the point).
Earthjustice is about preserving the earth. Simple enough. What I was made aware of by this little zine that I received was all about Alito. Turns out our Nominee-turned-Judge has a thing for destroying land.
Let me interject with some personal feelings for a moment…..
Does NumbNuts have any fucking clue how to do his job? Yeah, I am going to Monday-morning quarterback and Barbershop this one to death that I can do his job. In reality, I cannot. However, I am a person that does tend to observe the whole enchilada before making a decision. Apparently our good buddy here is not a fan of Mexican food.
Does he not know that there are certain precedents set for a reason? That his job involves preserving the human rights that have already been established? This does not necessarily mean to go backwards with his decisions to get us back to the old school. Back to the Good Ole Boys Club. What the fuck?
Then again, we can point fingers at Bush for just being an incompetent prick for picking this guy. Funny thing…when there was a woman up for nomination, the world made her life a living hell. But now that there’s a man that insists on bringing us backwards, that’s okay. But hell…..who am I but a single, female taxpayer.
Okay, enough of the soapbox. I wanted to post this letter so you all know what the fuck is going on in the real world. I received this on January 31. Also, feel free to check out their site: Earthjustice
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Okay, here’s the letter:
Today, after heated debate, Judge Samuel Alito Jr. was confirmed by the Senate to a seat on the Supreme Court. Forty Democrats, one Republican, and one Independent voted against Judge Alito’s nomination. We are deeply disappointed in the outcome of this vote.
Earthjustice and more than 60 other conservation groups urged the Senate to oppose the confirmation of Judge Alito, due to concerns that he would roll back protections for public health and the environment. This was the first Supreme Court nomination opposed by Earthjustice and other environmental groups since Robert Bork nomination in 1987.
We knew going in that this was an uphill battle. But the stakes are too high for us to stay out of the fight. The American public needs to know about Judge Alito’s record of siding with polluters over communities. We made a difference. In the end, Judge Alito received more “no” votes than any other confirmed Supreme Court nominee in the last 100 years except Justice Clarence Thomas.
Our heartfelt thanks to the almost 15,000 friends and supporters who took action to write, email, and call their senators, asking them to carefully consider Judge Alito’s alarming record. From the committee hearings to the Senate’s floor debate, to editorials and media coverage across the country, Judge Alito’s extreme record on Congress’ authority to pass laws protecting the environment and on citizens’ access to courts were major points of contention. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) stressed environmental issues in her statements about Alito, citing the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Endangered Species Act, and concluded, “Our ability to legislate in these areas is very much at stake with this judge.”
Many senators, including more than a dozen who had voted to confirm Chief Justice John Roberts, cited issues that had been raised by Earthjustice and other environmental groups in explaining their decision to oppose Judge Alito. Without the attention of the environmental community and the actions of concerned citizens like you, Judge Alito’s extreme legal opinions limiting the ability of government to protect communities from pollution could have avoided scrutiny.
We remain extremely concerned that Justice Alito may reverse decades of progress in protecting public health and the environment as part of our nation’s highest court. Alito replaces Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who was a swing vote on the Supreme Court, casting decisive votes in favor of protecting environmental safeguards enjoyed by all Americans. But with your help and support, we remain more committed than ever to fighting for judges at every level of our federal court system who will uphold and enforce the environmental safeguards on which we all depend.
As always, thank you for standing with us.
Sincerely,
Vawter “Buck” Parker
Executive Director
Earthjustice
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That said….I leave you with this:
“Judge Alito was confirmed today as the nation’s 110th Supreme Court
justice. President Bush congratulated Alito and said he hopes he gets along
with the other 109 judges.” –Conan O’Brien
