by The Mess that is the Judicial Confirmation Process
I was reading today how Senator Levin from Michigan has a cousin-in-law that he wants to get confirmed and is stalling the entire confirmation process for all nominees for that area because of it! How can this happen?
It’s amazing that 9 “qualified” to “well-qualified” nominees (according to the ABA) can be subject to years of indecision based on a litmus test or the fact that they are unrelated. Do we have leaders and statesmen for senators or something else?
Bands continue to try to get people not to listen
It seems that they don’t learn. Back with Natalie Maines made her statements in London about George W. Bush, the result was radio stations taking them off the air, big vehicles smashing their CDs, etc. Granted, some of their concerts got more attendance– protesters, those wanting to see what would happen next, along with fans– but some of the fans just wanted the music, not the politics.
So, the story out there now is that a bunch of bands are having a Vote for Change tour. They want to encourage people to vote against Bush. Will this backfire and cause more people to be irked at these entertainers and their views? Or the better question, will it really change anyone’s mind?
Leaky Security needs some Duct Tape
Why is it that we cannot expect those with Security clearances to keep their mouths and pants shut? First it’s Sandy Berger and the classified documents at the National Archives, and now’s it’s Richard Shelby. Who’s next?
The whole nomination process is a mess right now. But I’m unsure mainstream Americans understand that! In your last sentence on the subject, I lean towards the latter. We do not have statesmen who see the nominee as best for the country, they see the nominee as an opportunity for them to ‘rig’ the outcome. It isn’t about choosing who’s best qualified, but for them to show who THEY believe is qualified. Very self centered and wrong.
A good question on the bands article. Music is very powerful. To the less informed I think it does have a lot of sway. But to the extent the nominal believer actually falls for the artists and blindly follows what their agenda, only shows how shallow they follow current events. One doesn’t get confidence in a person who votes on the basis they went to a concert and Natalie Maines told them all there is to know about the geopolitical process I do commend the artist in actually being vocal, I only wish Christians wouls also speak out more vocally and be more involved in the process.
As for the nomination process– the corruption goes to what you said about rigged outcome. One side of the debate believes that the only way to get controversial “laws” in place is to have people on the bench favorable to thier views. This is not the intent of our judicial system, but it is (to some degree) what it has become. Otherwise we would not have so many very controversial, split court decisions legalizing everything from abortion to gay marriage– these should be relegated to the legislatures.
I think that there will be a few impressionable people that may be swayed– but I doubt many go to these concerts because they want to hear political statements. There are vocal Christians– but a lot of them have their biggest audiences in church and cannot risk violating their IRS tax exemption! However, there needs to be a united strong voice that will not back down.