Have you noticed the number of pro-Alito TV ads that are still running? I see them frequently on CNN and MSNBC. Apparently, the pro-Alito contingent isn’t feeling safe yet!
ACLU Says Alito Confirmation Would Erode Balance of Powers, Harm Civil Rights and Liberties, Threaten O’Connor Legacy
In official testimony submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union offered a detailed explanation behind its decision to oppose the nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to the Supreme Court, citing his “proven record of undue deference to executive powers” and a hostility to civil liberties and civil rights that could “change the country for years to come.”
“We are witnessing an extraordinary time in history when our executive branch is centralizing power and bypassing other branches of government,” said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. “At a time when our president has claimed unprecedented authority to spy on Americans and jail people indefinitely without trial, America needs a Supreme Court justice who will uphold our precious civil liberties, staying true to the balance of powers envisioned by our Founders. Judge Alito does not fit that mold.”
Romero noted that Alito has promoted an expansive view of executive authority and a limited role for the other branches of government in checking potential abuses of that authority. … […]
Romero noted that while Alito’s assurances that he would respect stare decisis, that offers little comfort since “as a Supreme Court justice, unlike a court of appeals judge, Alito would create precedent according to his own interpretation, not be bound by it.”Do read all, and tell that to wimpy party pooper Ben Nelson.
“ACLU Rebukes Justice Department Spin on Warrantless NSA Spying Program, Renews Call for Attorney General Gonzales to Appoint a Special Counsel”
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today strongly rebuked analysis provided by the Justice Department that argues that there is a legal basis for the warrantless domestic surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency as authorized by President Bush.
House Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are “scheduled to hold a forum on the issue tomorrow, where the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Director Caroline Fredrickson will testify. On Tuesday of this week, the ACLU filed a legal challenge to the NSA program on behalf of a group of prominent journalists, nonprofits, terrorism experts and community advocates. The ACLU has also called for the appointment of an independent special counsel to investigate the matter and has requested, through the Freedom of Information Act, information about the NSA’s program of warrantless spying on Americans. … a statement by Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director, follows …
And there’s this: ACLU to Testify at House Briefing on NSA Domestic Spying Program,
Panel to Discuss Flagrant Overreaching into Americans’ Privacy … Read all
Here’s another great Alito resouce: Alitosamerica.org, and here’s a link to the page where you can contribute to get Alito’s America ads on the air. (And remember CCR’s lawsuit and need for our support.) We will not only speak truth to power, we will stand up to power.