Sign the Filibuster Petition Here, or call Your Senators Toll-Free at 888-355-3588.
It was reported Thursday on CNN that John Kerry was working the phones, trying to get Democrats to filibuster the Alito vote. Good for him; if ever there were a Supreme Court nominee worthy of a filibuster, the 'Unitary Executive'-loving, Federalist Society-belonging, Constitution-ignoring, no conflict of interest-recognizing, half-baked side-of-Bork Samuel Alito would be the one.
Unfortunately, the last I checked, Kerry wasn't doing well. Once again, the majority of the timid Dems seem to be 'laying back and enjoying it' instead of fighting tooth-and-nail, and the rest of us poor suckers are along for the ride -- over a cliff.
"It is hard to imagine a moment when it would be more appropriate for senators to fight for a principle. Even a losing battle would draw the public's attention to the import of this nomination..."
[...]
"A filibuster is a radical tool. It's easy to see why Democrats are frightened of it. But from our perspective, there are some things far more frightening. One of them is Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court."
-- The New York Times on Alito's likely confirmation in "Senators in Need of a Spine," Jan. 26, 2006.
Here's a transcript of Kerry's Jan. 25th speech on the Alito nomnation.
The vote may be as early as this Monday. Call your senators toll free at 888-355-3588 and tell them to stop Alito from gaining a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court.
Will the petition or phone calls do any good? I don’t know, but it’s worth the few minutes it takes to sign or call to find out. Alito will be a disaster for our country if he gets on the high court bench.
I’ve criticized Kerry plenty in the past for weakness but maybe he’s come to his senses, or else he thinks this is a good move to shore up the Democrat base for another run at the presidency. Either way, if it puts some pressure on the Dems to filibuster Alito, I’m all for it.
The MSM is treating the Alito confirmation like a done deal; if that’s true, how come Sam is running all over Capitol Hill at this late date greeting senators; how come the Republicans are slinging threats about forcing a vote?
If enough people contact the Senate to object to this guy, it might sway some of the Democrats and even a few Republicans.
As I said, it’s worth a try.
----------------------------
Death Toll of Ground Zero Workers Rising
Remember when it was revealed that Bush's EPA had lied about the air quality at Ground Zero in New York after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the WTC? They had claimed it was safe; later internal documents surfaced that showed they knew it was not.
Once again, as in New Orleans last year, innocent Americans are suffering and dying needlessly from the incompetence and deceptiveness of the Bush Administration. The deaths from cancer of men in their 30s and 40s who helped save lives and get things functioning again could have been prevented had they been warned of the dangers from the toxic air and worn the proper protection. But they weren't wealthy campaign donors, or even necessarily Republican, so they weren't important to the Bushistas.
Can you imagine this? After hailing these workers as heroes and mining their sacrifices for political photo-ops, the Republicans can't even be bothered to step forward and pay for their medical and burial bills.
The attorneys for the survivors of the victims of Bush's EPA should be suing the Bush Administration as well as the city of New York.
The Pit's toll rising
By Robert F. Moore and Thomas Zambito
Daily News Staff Writers
New York Daily News
January 14, 2006
James Zadroga, the 34-year-old Manhattan homicide detective buried this week, is believed to be the first member of the NYPD who worked on the Ground Zero cleanup to die.
But the Daily News has learned that an additional 22 men, mostly in their 30s and 40s, have died from causes their families say were accelerated by the toxic mix of chemicals that lodged in their bodies as they searched for survivors or participated in the cleanup after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Among them are private employees, a sanitation worker, a correction officer, a Con Ed worker, transit workers, firefighters and cops. They died from black lung and cancers of the esophagus and pancreas.
David Knecht, a Lucent Technologies employee, worked for two months to reestablish communications at businesses near Ground Zero. He died in March, leaving behind two girls, now ages 3 and 4.
"My husband was only 35 when he was diagnosed with lung cancer," said Cathleen Knecht, 38, of Berkeley Heights, N.J. "He was a nonsmoker and a swimmer."
Thousands more are sick, suffering from respiratory illnesses. Nearly 400 firefighters and paramedics have left the job because of career-ending illnesses that followed their work at Ground Zero.
"This was a toxic waste site," says David Worby, the attorney for some 5,200 Ground Zero workers. "People should have been walking around in moon suits. ... These guys are the tip of the iceberg."
Copyright 2006 Daily News, L.P.
Read the rest here.
No comments:
Post a Comment