The Supreme Court

As I see it, aside from the economy and national security, one of the most important issues in the 2008 election is the composition of the Supreme Court. At some time, within the next four years, two or three Supreme Court justices will retire (or expire). That means that our next president will be in the position to appoint new Supreme Court judges to the bench.

We have all witnessed the Bush Administration's corruption of the justice department. Competent liberal judges were fired and replaced by Liberty University-grown conservative judges, hand picked by the Bush administration. We are also aware of the far right wing agenda that makes up the base of the Republican party. With the naming of Sarah Palin as the VP candidate, the base has come home to support McCain-Palin. Those McCain once labeled "agents of intolerance" (Falwell, Dobson, Perkins, etc.) have been outed as soulmates. In the past few weeks, we have become quite familar with their English-only, Christian nation, flag waving, anti-immigrant, pro-life, abstinence-only, anti-embryonic stem cell research, book banning, creationist philosophy, and denial of man's role in climate change, reactionary policies.

If the Values Voters Summit is any indication that the far right has risen from the ashes, the speakers list includes disingenuous neo-con blowhards Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Jonathan Falwell, Lou Dobbs, Michael Medved, Bill Bennett, and others who spew hate from pulpits, air waves, TV and other media outlets. In fact, disparaging racist, sexist, and discriminatory, anti-Obama, anti-Democratic platform merchandise was available for sale at the summit. All that seemed missing were the white pointy hoods and burning crosses. And these people call themselves Christian, patiotic Americans! (See ValuesVoters.org.)

Just last May, during the primary race, John McCain delivered a speech on the nature of the Supreme Court. Without naming specific legislation, McCain stated his belief that the issue of abortion should be turned over to individual states. In other words, McCain seeks to overturn Roe v. Wade, setting back decades women's reproductive rights. Perhaps John McCain envisions women returning to the days when they or their friends risked their lives with backroom abortions or were forced to sneak out of state for the procedure. The repeal of Roe v. Wade would criminalize all abortions, except in the case of threat to the life of the mother. (see video of Jeffrey Toobin, the NewYorker at www.fora.tv.)

Citing another Supreme Court case, John McCain rebuked Justice Kennedy's recent ruling that the U.S. would no longer allow the executions of underaged criminals. Kennedy's ruling removed the U.S. from the list of the few remaining countries in this modern world that still execute children: the Congo, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and a few other Middle Eastern countries. John McCain's view is that states should be free to make that decision as well. Immediately, visions of ethnic Texas, Georgia, Florida, and Arizona youth popped into my head.

It just doesn't add up.
As I see it, no woman chooses abortion as a first option or as a form of birth control. The abortion decision is never made lightly. It is a medical decision reached between a patient and a doctor. It is a personal and spiritual decision, between a woman, her mate, and her God. Present law (Roe v. Wade) does not force any woman to have an abortion, but it does preserve the right. Like those famous words of Voltaire, " I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," we must preserve a woman's right to choose. Criminalizing abortion has been tried before, and like criminalizing sex and abstinence-only sex education, it just doesn't work.

I have to wonder how the party that opposes abortion seems to have no problem approving the execution of children. The same bunch that proudly flexes its muscles to find a military solution to almost every foreign policy problem, cites the "sanctity of life" when it comes to abortion. This is true even in cases where pregnancy of a child is a result of incest or rape. The political "maverick" party that just sent over 4,000 young men and women to their deaths in an unnecessary war and wishes to continue that war for 10-100 years is willing to execute children and put pregnant women's lives in jeopardy.

It will take only one more conservative judge on the Supreme Court to tip the scale to the right. More than one, it tips even farther to the right. Supreme Court judges are appointed for a lifetime (or until they retire). That could be our lifetimes, a truly frightening thought.

Another reason to say, "No McCain, no Palin, no way!"