This summer, I had the exciting and oh-so enviable task of driving across a large portion of the state of Wisconsin. It was an excursion into a red area of the country, and in turn a trip to a new social and political atmosphere, made obvious to me by the many anti-abortion billboards that sprinkle the highways.
As I passed a sign that proudly proclaimed the “fact” that life starts at conception, I couldn’t help but ponder the future of our nation. America is a land that promises freedom to every citizen, and for the most part our country gets that objective right. But taking a field trip into the red portion of the country shows that not all Americans see eye to eye on the issues of personal freedom. And if you like your rights, you might find yourself fighting for them soon.
Freedom is an important issue considering current events. The President has recently been placed in the unique position of having two slots to fill on the United States Supreme Court (the judicial body that brought you the presidency of George W. Bush). Earlier this week, Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. sailed through the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings with a vote of 13-5. He will now be looking for the approval of the full Senate for the position of Chief Justice. I guess John Paul Stevens, who has nearly thirty years on the court, will have to wait just a little longer for a shot at the big seat.
The Roberts approval hearings were just like a hot girl wearing those trendy oversized sunglasses: so much potential, but a little sad in the end. Roberts ducked or dodged questions that might actually inform the committee about important issues in the manner typically reserved for Supreme Court nominees. Then again, the senators didn’t hammer away at him very hard; most spent their hour of questioning droning away with prepared statements remarking just how momentous the occasion was. You know—the occasion they weren’t participating in.
So it looks like Roberts is a sure thing for the Chief Justice seat, but the retirement of Sandra Day O’Connor leaves yet another vacancy. Now, replacing Chief Rehnquist with Roberts does not necessarily destabilize the court; Rehnquist was a relatively conservative justice. Sandra Day O’Connor, on the other hand, has long been a vital liberal voice on many issues. She has been the deciding vote on a range of topics that include abortion, gay rights, and race. With the right in control of the legislature and the White House (and soon the Supreme Court), hot-button issues are floating into the stream of national consciousness.
Make no mistake, the Supreme Court will have issues of societal importance brought before it in coming years, and the selection that Bush makes for this final seat may have an impact on issues that you care about: The right for a woman to have an abortion. The right to purchase contraceptives without a prescription. The right to practice butt-sex (which is still illegal in a surprisingly large number of places). The right to write this edit note.
Bush has been tight-lipped on the potential identity of his next pick, but rumors have been flying. One name that keeps emerging to the foreground is Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The rumored candidate has already come under fire in the past for his involvement in the “interrogation techniques” practiced at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Call me crazy, but the thought of Alberto Gonzales on the Supreme-fucking Court makes me tremble. All I’m saying is we might want to think twice about giving a seat on the highest court in the land to a man who described the Geneva Convention as “quaint” and “obsolete.”
And while President Bush is ultimately the only man who can nominate a Justice, and while the Congress is the only body that can approve or disapprove of him, we as Americans still have a duty to guide that government. The Constitution is not a document set in stone. The Patriot Act and the actions of the government to “protect” our country since September 11 have already shown us our rights can be taken away. It might be impossible to change the mind of George Bush, but I urge you all to stay abreast and stay vocal on these issues. If we don’t, the next billboard you see might be pro-choice rather than pro-life.
Still waiting for my nomination,
Charles Wiff
