Another White Dude
I’m not a big supporter of Affirmative Action. Though it might help nudge worthy candidates over the persistent hump of prejudice, I’ve always felt that it leaves a nasty stain--a kind of badge of dishonor that implies that the recipient could not have made it on his/her own. I’d rather fight like a demon in an unfair battle than have any one question my cred.That said, I am utterly depressed over GWB’s nomination of yet another WHITE GUY to the supreme court. I mean, come on, in all the land you couldn’t find ANY qualified females or people of color? I know Bush will say that he picked the most qualified candidate without regard to race or gender, but I think something else is going on here. Actually, I think three things are going on here.1) Tit for Tat. Roberts handed Bush a judicial victory recently in Hamdan V. Rumsfeld, upholding the legitimacy of military tribunals with starkly reduced defendant's rights (e.g. the defendant has no right to be present at his own trial; unsworn statements rather than live testimony can be used as evidence; and the presumption of innocence can be taken away at any time). These tribunals, in fact, have fewer protections for the defendant than the tribunal the US helped the Iraqis set up to try Saddam Hussein. Oh and incidentally, there is nothing in Roberts’ opinion that prevents Bush from using these tribunals against US citizens. Bush gets to shred the Constitution; Roberts gets a swank new address. Tit for tat.2) Christian suck-up. Roe V. Wade is history. Need I say more.3) Putting women and minorities in their rightful place. Bush’s own wife campaigned for a woman, so perhaps the selection of Roberts is a coded antifeminist smackdown that, because of the looming catastrophe of a post-Roe world, will keep paying dividends for a long time. Take that, you uppity bitches.Well done, GWB. Thanks for helping to make America a little more white, a little more male, and a little less free. Oh and while we’re handing out gratitude, thanks for helping Islamic fundamentalists in Iraq usher in a theocratic state in that formerly secular country. Really, they couldn't possibly do it without you. Bravo.