Do you remember when you were a kid, and members of the opposite sex had “cooties?” Some boys might have even gone so far as to post a sign like this
on the door of their hang out.
Sadly, some boys never grow up and never want to let the girls (of African-Americans, or Hispanics, etc.) in their club. This brings us to today’s installment of keep Alito off the Supreme Court.
In the early 70’s, Alito belonged to an organization called Concerned Alumni of Princeton(CAP). This article from the Princeton student paper does a good job getting some insight from alumni about CAP
http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2005/11/18/news/13876.shtml
Well you say, that was a long time ago. Even that 1985 job application was 20 years ago. People can change, right? Sure, but let’s make sure that our Senators do a good job of finding out if Alito’s attitudes have actually changed.
It was the Right’s concerns that Harriet Meirs past beliefs and actions meant that she wasn’t conservative enough for them. Perhaps, applying the same standards will reveal that Alito is too conservative.
I propose that you encourage your Senator to do the following:
Dear Senator,
The hearings for Judge Samuel Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court should shed light on the judge’s rather long legal history. He has written much and presided over many cases.
I urge you, however, to ask Judge Alito about an organization that he voluntarily joined, the Concerned Alumni of Princeton. This was an organization that dedicated itself to excluded women and minorities from attending Princeton. It is the actions of organizations like these that have driven the need for programs like affirmative action.
Judge Alito has even stated that he is “proud” that he has worked on cases that argued against affirmative action. Is that still the case?
It seems that an excellent predictor of a person’s future action is to look at past actions. This does not, of course, mean that people can’t change. It does mean, that your job is to determine if Samuel Alito has changed his views or are his ideas so set in stone, that no matter the case, his mind is made up beforehand.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
a concerned tax paying citizen
Please contact your Senators, newspapers, and everyone on Monday. Alito will probably play the amnesia card, as suggested by this Washington Post article: http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/campaignforthecourt/2005/11/alitos_recollec.html
Let’s jar his memory.
Update:
Cedwyn kindly passed along this article highlighting Alito’s snubbing of the Congressional Black Caucus.
http://www.politicalcortex.com/story/2005/12/13/115716/20