Frist’s Attack On Civil Rights
Frist’s Attack On Civil Rights
The flier for the Bill Frist endorsed telethon reads: “The filibuster was once abused to protect racial bias, and it is now being used against people of faith.”
Speaking of racial bias…
One of the nominees the filibuster could be used against is Terrence Boyle, opposed by nearly every conceivable minority group for his abominable record on civil rights. During the redistricting of North Carolina in the 1990s, the state created a congressional district to reflect the strong African-American population of the area. Boyle tried to block the district’s creation and declared it unconstitutional, a decision reversed twice by the Supreme Court and called “clearly erroneous” by Justice Clarence Thomas. Judge Boyle also has a record of siding with employers in cases of workplace discrimination.
In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the National Bar Association questioned Boyle’s “professional competence,” “judicial temperament,” “commitment to equal justice under the law” and “cultural sensitivity.”
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Not to be contrarian but the filibuster WAS used to protect racial bias…
April 15th, 2005 at 3:19 pmSarah, what does that have to do with Bill Frist and the Repthugs using religion to justify their power-grabbing attempt to destroy the filibuster today? Context…….it’s all about context.
April 15th, 2005 at 3:25 pmYes, the filibuster was used nefariously in the past. The reasons (sadly) were supported by that senator’s constiituency.
The filibuster, as an option of the minority, cannot be removed. There is no other effective tool to slow-down legislation stemrolled by a senate majority. If a constituency doesn’t approve of a senator’s filibuster, I’m sure they’ll vote him/her out when they get the chance…
The filibuster shouldn’t be attacked on how it was used in the past. If the right wants to revert to that argument, we can counter by saying that guns have been used to kill people (in some cases – don’t tell the NRA), so they should be outlawed too…
April 15th, 2005 at 3:35 pmtrying to make the so called attack on faith into something more. That is why the comparison to racial bias.
April 15th, 2005 at 3:36 pmHey, isn’t that the kid from “Malcolm in the Middle”?
April 15th, 2005 at 3:42 pmTrue or false: it is a good thing for a judge to receive a lifetime appointment to the Federal bench, including the Supreme Court, on a strict party-line vote. FALSE! It is an ABOMINATION that a judge could get on to the Supreme Court by way of a 50-50 vote in the Senate and a tie-breaker cast by the Vice President.
A judicial nominee who cannot garner ANY support from the other side simply does not deserve a lifetime appointment. Period. End of discussion.
Just like my Democrats lost control of the Congress by pushing too much of a left-wing agenda on the American people (gays in the military, Hillary health care, etc.), we are now beginning to see how the extreme right wing nuts are going to cause the GOP to lose control of Congress in some future election.
April 15th, 2005 at 3:44 pmI wonder if these Senators understand that they too would eventually have to become victims in a fascist theocracy. The priesthood, once empowered cannibalizes even its own leadership–we need to think more about Torquemada, than we do Hitler or Mussolini
April 15th, 2005 at 3:46 pmDurbin had a great speech on the floor today – Frist joined in to filibuster one of Clinton’s nominees in 2000.
April 15th, 2005 at 3:53 pmthis links http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/imt/nca/nca-01/nca-01-07-means-18.html
April 15th, 2005 at 4:06 pmgoes to an interesting read if your up for it.
Frist is a rookie who has painted himself into a corner. This is a win-win situation for the American people. This government should have been shut down four years ago yesterday.
Rookie.
April 15th, 2005 at 4:37 pmLuv ThinkProgress.org, luv the mission, luv just about everything, etc. But have to dissent just a bit here.
Dr. “Video” Frist is not attacking Civil Rights. He’s making a weak and deceptive argument for the nuke option–ending the filibuster practice.
That could, as you correctly observe and qualify, help get Terrence Boyle confirmed. (Or not).
The team behind Terrence Boyle’s selection are the ones seeking to further undermine Civil Rights. Frist is just aiding and abetting a more general process. I doubt he knows the history of each candidate–only that they’ve been “W” approved.
That–the team behind these selections, the histories of these candidates– deserves more attention. But it’s almost a separate focus.
More revealing, which you don’t comment on at all, is the Justice Sunday poster you display: the one that offers a false choice between Faith in Christ and Public Service.
That’s Frist’s primary false argument here: the filibuster is being used “against people of faith.” (The misleading Civil rights comparison is offered just to further seize the high moral ground).
Bull Sh*t. How do the views of one small highly politicized community represent the “people of faith”?
Likewise, for years, Christians of all denominations have been involved with public service at all levels. There’s no record of discrimination: only that we’re a republic and not a theocracy, a nation founded on “natural”–civil–law that applies to all, and not religious law that applies differently to believers and non-believers and, restricts freedom of speech, worship and other constitutionally guarenteed rights and liberties.
So, my objection: It almost comes off like you’re changing the subject, conceding to Frist the “people of faith” argument and talking instead about Civil rights.
Don’t. It’s distortions, misrepresentations and lies all around. So hit it from 360 degrees.
The faith rationale is just wrong. The Civil rights comparison is false and odious. The people Frist would help push through are partisans that most Americans would reject: activist judges in the worst sense. & the think tanks behind these nomination selections have stated agendas that the majority of Americans would also reject.
So please don’t concede anything but the truth, and in this case, just about nothing that Frist claims is.
April 15th, 2005 at 11:26 pmMy first response to this is to let Frist become fully involved with these nutjobs,and let the GOP sink into the ooze and die the grisly death that it fully deserves. However,this could be very messy and kill a lot of people with it.This needs to be opposed at every turn.less this country become a total theocracy
April 16th, 2005 at 9:55 amLet’s not forget Bill Frist perception base, he is a physician by trade. My experience with the medical profession is that he is often wrong but never in doubt.
April 16th, 2005 at 3:18 pmSenator Orrin Hatch: “(F)or the first time in history, we have had filibustering of judicial nominees. Only President Bush’s judicial nominees have been filibustered…”
http://rnc.org/News/Read.aspx?ID=5336
Yet, the Senates own history proves that to be a lie.
http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Filibuster_Cloture.htm
http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Filibuster_Derails_Supreme_Court_Appointment.htm
April 25th, 2005 at 1:46 pmMust I point out (where’s Captain Obvious when you need him?) that those same people of faith are in charge? Their agenda is being pushed through, and, finally, the minority stands up and says, “You’re not taking the one tool the minority has left!” Now they’re boo-hooing that it’s about faith? Please. What if the table was turned? Would they be so adamant about abolishing the filibuster if they had to rely on it? Of course, they would say that they’d never allow themselves to be put into a position to rely on such a tool. However, despite the way it’s been used, it’s still helps keep what little balance we still have left. . .
May 16th, 2005 at 3:00 pm
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