Via Raw Story here is a copy of the thank-you letter that Samuel Alito sent to James Dobson and that Dobson read on the radio.
Dear Dr. Dobson
This is just a short note to express my heartfelt thanks to you and the entire staff of Focus on the Family for your help and support during the past few challenging months.
I would also greatly appreciate it if you would convey my appreciation to the good people from all parts of the country who wrote to tell me they were praying for me and for my family during this period.
As I said when I spoke at my formal vestiture at the White House last week, the prayers of so many people from around the country were a palpable and powerful force.
As long as I serve on the Supreme Court, I will keep in mind the trust that has been placed in me.
I hope we’ll have the opportunity to meet personally at some point in the future. In the meantime, my entire family and I hope that you and the Focus on the Family staff know how much we appreciate all that you have done.
Sincerely Yours, Samuel Alito
The next time a newly minted Supreme Court justice writes a thank-you note I want it to be addressed to the netroots and I want them to remember the trust we placed in them.
The next time a newly minted Supreme Court justice writes a thank-you note I want it to be addressed to the netroots and I want them to remember the trust we placed in them.
Be careful what you wish for
GOP to hold ‘mastering blogs’ session with Stephen Colbert
Those GOP bloggers might be able to put in a good word for the Democrats, you think? I might have ideas worth ignoring but evidently others do too.
I wonder what all the Wuss Democratic Senators who were too chickenshit to filibuster this guy are thinking today. All the President wannabes failed this country by refusing to stand up to nothing less than a full-out assault on our civil liberties by the lunatic right, or which we now have 4 on the Supreme Court: Alito, Roberts, Scalia, and Thomas.
As another post on Booman said recently…..WE ARE FUCKED.
Joe, Joe, Hillary, etc. at least you could have kissed while you were …..
Still, Never Give Up.
Christian soldiers!
Damn, that is so outrageous, so, umm, inappropriate.
The right isjust chomping at the bit to get cases with their issues before the court now.
Just yesterday, the “the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the death sentence of Laroyce Smith. That would be unremarkable news except for the fact that the case was on remand from the Supreme Court’s November 2004 per curiam reversal of that very judgment (Smith v. Texas, 125 S. Ct. 400 (2004)). In some parts, as I understand it, the fact that the Supreme Court has found a death sentence constitutionally flawed means further review of the matter is at an end. But Texas is, as the state tourism slogan has it, “A Whole Other Country.”
Supreme Court opinions, aka precedents, had invalidated a death judgement – the SCOTUS remanded TWICE! & now Texas still won’t follow the law! Guess there hoping third time’s a charm!
Yup …we are in for mnay years of horrible court decisions. Likely to no longer be the place to look for relief in many many areas.
Meself, I don’t want any judges thanking or remembering anybody once they’re on the bench. Their job is to remember the law.
Before neo-fascist corruption bludgeoned American’s moral sense, Alito’s little note would have been seen as the unbelievable promise of quid pro quo that it is. Alito is no novice — he’s supposedly an experienced, sophisticated judge who knows the system. He has violated both the substance and the appearance of judicial neutrality.
I was strongly opposed to his appointment, but this blatant promise of favoritism shocks the hell out of me anyway. I knew he was an ideological wackjob but didn’t foresee this kind of shameless cronyism. It gets harder every day to be an American and to be a Democrat.
I’m shocked he wrote it and asked for his sentiments to be disseminated. But, this is nothing new. If we want a progressive judge we have to flex progressive muscle. Wishing otherwise won’t make it so.
I don’t think the issue here is progressive or not progresive. It’s about basic judicial neutrality. It’s about openly paying back supporters as if he were an alderman instead of a “justice” on our highest court.
One silver lining: his little note will make great fodder for an impeachment campaign when he votes to overturn Roe/Wade. Even conservatives will find it hard to support quid pro quo from the SC.
I would hope that whenever a secular democracy advocate becomes president again that his administration will have as ahigh priority challenging the suitability of Alito being on the SC based on this “thank you” not to the psychopath Dobson.
The appearance of ideological pre-judgement and possible quid-pro-quo dynamics shouldbe enough to force Alito off the court at some future date.
That’s “…’thank you’ note…”, not “…’thank you’ not…”.
Aww.. that letter makes me want to cry!
Pax
Did he just make a case for his recusal? This is a rather dumb thing for a judge to do, even a Supreme, since it opens the door to charges that on specific cases he is openly prejudiced (as opposed to being secretely prejudiced).