From the United Church of Christ Justice and Peace Network Action Center:
Keep the Courts Fair
“After weeks of wrangling, the Senate has moved no closer to resolving debate about the filibuster rule and judical nominations. In fact, the rhetoric has grown increasingly heated and divisive. Most alarming has been the abuse of religious claims by those seeking to eliminate the filibuster rule. This rhetoric has blurred the debate and distracted the public from the core issue: the troubling civil rights records of several of the nominees now before the Senate. Contact your senators and urge them to preserve the filibuster rule as an essential part of the Senate’s constitutional advise and consent role.”
Follow this link to send your Senator a fax or an e-mail.
Hold the phones…
Here at the Action Center, we’ve just received a counter-perspective from the “Traditional Values Coalition”:
Tell Your Senators To Support Efforts To End Judicial Filibusters!
Time is of the essence in the battle to break the stranglehold on President Bush’s judicial nominees. Left-leaning Senators and their leftwing special interest groups are using the filibuster to block numerous fine judicial nominees to receive a fair up or down vote on the Senate floor.
The Senate leadership has a plan to break this unprecedented use of the filibuster, but many Senators are waffling on helping restore 214 years of Senate tradition. As you know, until two years ago, there was no widespread use of the filibuster against judges.
It is imperative that you contact your two U.S. Senators this week and ask them to vote YES on efforts to restore Senate tradition.
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Go here to send them a letter:
Take an extra step, TELEPHONE THEM.
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Time is short and the list of judicial nominees is long—and growing longer. Bush candidate Priscilla Owen, a fine member of the Texas Supreme Court, has just passed the FOUR YEAR anniversary of her being nominated for a federal judgeship. FOUR YEARS! Enough is enough.
Judge Mary Sean O’Reilly, a Texas Democrat who has known Justice Owen for more than 10 years, says this of her: “She’s very intellectually honest. She has an uncommon ability. She just gets it completely.”
California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown is another Bush nominee who has been waiting for an up or down vote! She deserves to have her nomination voted on by the full Senate. Justice Brown is the first African-American woman to serve on the California court and was retained by 76% of the vote in her last election. She is the daughter of an Alabama sharecropper and was nominated for a federal judgeship in July, 2003.
Both of these highly qualified women, as well as many others, are being blocked by the Senate minority in an unethical attempt to prevent them from receiving a fair up or down vote on the Senate floor.
Please contact your two U.S. Senators through CapWiz and tell them to support Senator Frist in his efforts to obtain a fair up or down vote in the Senate on all judicial nominees. Senator Frist has offered the minority party the opportunity to debate 100 hours for each candidate—and then to vote. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NM) has rejected this compromise offer.
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Go here to send them a letter:
Take an extra step, TELEPHONE THEM.
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Please, won’t you do it for little Priscilla? For little Janice? Please, won’t you go to the phone for them?
Seriously, freep that freaking phone line. And remember: if the other side is this nervous, it means nobody knows where this thing is headed.
Why am I suddenly getting a mental image of a blow-dried Ken Doll looking very seriously into a camera?
Don’t say that. I try to avoid those mental images.
ALL DONE! You make it so easy, Dan! Love your church and its messenger!
Thank you ma’am. We try to provide service with a smile…
Based on the recent post regarding the Unitarian church and threats from the Republican party, the UCC should probably be cautious about its future tax-exempt status. Seriously. (Albeit very sad)
I wouldn’t put it beyond the RNC to come up with some phony-balony challenge, but this is pretty comfortably advocacy, and not partisanship. JPAN’s been pushing buttons for a long time, and I’m sure they have a lawyer or two letting them know their limits.
But thanks for your concern!
PastorDan, PastorDan, PastorDan. You make it sound as though the legal system is still in existence for those of us not affiliated with the GOP.
Seems like kind of a precious sentiment these days.
(Now I need to excuse myself to go spread joy and good tidings throughout the rest of this site :^)
Just a quick confirm to let you know I had a very nice, polite chat with Norm Coleman’s office about this subject a couple weeks ago. Yup. Had a nice little discussion about the importance of democracy for this nation, and how I knew – as a strong supporter of Mr. Coleman – that he would do the right thing.
Yes, I know. The wording may have contained a fib. But from my perspective I think Jesus would’ve approved of it. (I’d hate for the GOP to be the only ones speaking on behalf of the Lord)
And, seeing as Mark Dayton always comes through, I felt comfortable in not incurring the long distance charges to call his office. (Although it wouldn’t have involved any fibs)
Done! Thanks for making it so easy, PD!
Thanks! Wrote tonight and I’ll give a call tomorrow morning.