Thread: That Old Washington Shell Game And the Supreme Court

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That Old Washington Shell Game And the Supreme Court
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By JB Williams
Feb 3, 2006

Working under the assumed ignorance of average American voters, Washington politicians played another round of hide the real issue throughout the Alito confirmation process, much like the New York street magician makes that always elusive little pea vanish from under the nutshell you just saw him place it under.

Politicians usually win this game too, just like the street magician. Not because Americans are actually stupid, but because that are totally predictable.

Focusing the attention of an overly socially selfish nation upon the single issue of abortion rights, as though that is the sole reason to confirm or reject a Supreme Court nominee, the real issues at stake in the current round of Supreme Court appointments somehow vanished from thin air.

Bush, his staff, their supporters, pro-lifers, proudly proclaim their victory with the swearing in of new Justice Alito, as if they all know for certain how he will rule from this point forward, as if they too forgot that there are issues facing our nation that just might trump the abortion debate.

To be sure, confirming Justice Alito may in fact be a step in the right direction and the abortion debate is important. But there remains a lot of ground to cover before we can actually claim any real victories. We might want to focus on the pea instead of the shell for a bit, before returning to daily life as though all is well now that one confirmation is behind us.

The truth remains, even if we count Justice Alito, there are only four true conservatives on the Supreme Court, Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito, leaving five liberal justices still well capable of continuing the judicial activism they have come to love so well. Future 5-4 decisions may still go the wrong way.

For this reason, pro-life activists may want to step carefully in their rush to reverse Roe vs. Wade, or they could end up with yet another affirming vote from this group.

As I see it, there are at least three issues that are more pressing than abortion rights today and how the new Supreme Court addresses these issues will certainly have a more profound impact on America’s future than any issues squabbled over during the confirmation hearings.

Immigration (Legal and Illegal)

“Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be freeâ€

Washington politicians are starting to resemble the fabled Used Car Salesman. They tell you theirs is the best. They pretend they are your friend. They tell you they care. But in the end, you end up getting screwed and feel ashamed you actually fell for something you've been burned on before.

We need to replace our politicians come November

That's true, carsan...they've been out of hand far too long...the word that I hate most in reference to a politician is 'powerful'...he has power only so long as WE grant it...but they seem to forget that once they get entrenched..

RR