Sanity Pills

I’m embarrassed by the cloture vote. Absolutely pathetic. These Dems, especially people like Lieberman shot themselves in the feet with this vote. There will be grassroots movements for strong primary challenges of all of these Dems.

Voting “yes” were 19 Democrats and 53 Republicans.

Voting “no” were 24 Democrats and one independent.!

Democrats Yes

Akaka, Hawaii; Baucus, Mont.; Bingaman, N.M.; Byrd, W.Va.; Cantwell, Wash.; Carper, Del.; Conrad, N.D.; Dorgan, N.D.; Inouye, Hawaii; Johnson, S.D.; Kohl, Wis.; Landrieu, La.; Lieberman, Conn.; Lincoln, Ark.; Nelson, Fla.; Nelson, Neb.; Pryor, Ark.; Rockefeller, W.Va.; Salazar, Colo.

Democrats No

Bayh, Ind.; Biden, Del.; Boxer, Calif.; Clinton, N.Y.; Dayton, Minn.; Dodd, Conn.; Durbin, Ill.; Feingold, Wis.; Feinstein, Calif.; Kennedy, Mass.; Kerry, Mass.; Lautenberg, N.J.; Leahy, Vt.; Levin, Mich.; Menendez, N.J.; Mikulski, Md.; Murray, Wash.; Obama, Ill.; Reed, R.I.; Reid, Nev.; Sarbanes, Md.; Schumer, N.Y.; Stabenow, Mich.; Wyden, Ore.

Democrats Not Voting

Harkin, Iowa.

Republicans Yes

Alexander, Tenn.; Allard, Colo.; Allen, Va.; Bennett, Utah; Bond, Mo.; Brownback, Kan.; Bunning, Ky.; Burns, Mont.; Burr, N.C.; Chafee, R.I.; Chambliss, Ga.; Coburn, Okla.; Cochran, Miss.; Coleman, Minn.; Collins, Maine; Cornyn, Texas; Craig, Idaho; Crapo, Idaho; DeMint, S.C.; DeWine, Ohio; Dole, N.C.; Domenici, N.M.; Enzi, Wyo.; Frist, Tenn.; Graham, S.C.; Grassley, Iowa; Gregg, N.H.; Hatch, Utah; Hutchison, Texas; Inhofe, Okla.; Isakson, Ga.; Kyl, Ariz.; Lott, Miss.; Lugar, Ind.; Martinez, Fla.; McCain, Ariz.; McConnell, Ky.; Murkowski, Alaska; Roberts, Kan.; Santorum, Pa.; Sessions, Ala.; Shelby, Ala.; Smith, Ore.; Snowe, Maine; Specter, Pa.; Stevens, Alaska; Sununu, N.H.; Talent, Mo.; Thomas, Wyo.; Thune, S.D.; Vitter, La.; Voinovich, Ohio; Warner, Va.

Republicans No

None.

Republicans Not Voting

Ensign, Nev.; Hagel, Neb.

Others No

Jeffords, Vt.

The Times has a decent piece on how Alito’s nomination is the culmination of a nearly 25-year plan by the Federalist Society to reorgnaize the US court system toward conservative freakshows. The subject matter is great, but there really is hard evidence of bias. Liberal media my ass.

The article adds further proof that Alito is a wingnut and will definitely vote to overturn Roe v. Wade (which, by the way, I’m starting to think won’t be such a bad thing afterall), in addition to increasing the power of the Executive Branch and the influence of corporations over all aspects of our lives (the primary reason to oppose the guy).

Judge Alito’s confirmation is also the culmination of a disciplined campaign begun by the Reagan administration to seed the lower federal judiciary with like-minded jurists who could reorient the federal courts toward a view of the Constitution much closer to its 18th-century authors’ intent, including a much less expansive view of its application to individual rights and federal power. It was a philosophy promulgated by Edwin Meese III, attorney general in the Reagan administration, that became the gospel of the Federalist Society and the nascent conservative legal movement.

I don’t like how the author stated as fact the original intent of the Constitution. First, that’s unknown. And second, their original intent may have been for an evolving Constitution more in line with how liberals currently view it. The author should have phrased this more explicitly to say that the intent of the Federalist Society is to reorient the Constitution to what they THINK is the original intent of the writers.

Where is the competing liberal movement???

By last week it was clear that the judge had enough votes to win confirmation. And the last gasp of resistance came in a Democratic caucus meeting on Wednesday when Senator Edward M. Kennedy, joined by Senator John Kerry, both of Massachusetts, unsuccessfully tried to persuade the party to organize a filibuster.

Was clear or seemed clear? Those are two very different things, and as of this morning, Alito’s confirmation was far less set in stone than it appeared to be at the end of last week. Right now there are 37 votes (some say 39) for a filibuster, but some Dems who won’t back Alito are waffling now about whether to support a filibuster (Biden and Feinstein appear to have switched positions).

Still, on the brink of this victory, some in the conservative movement say the battle over the court has just begun. Justice O’Connor was the swing vote on many issues, but replacing her with a more dependable conservative would bring that faction of the court at most to four justices, not five, and thus not enough to truly reshape the court or overturn precedents like those upholding abortion rights.

“It has been a long time coming,” Judge Bork said, “but more needs to be done.”

Jesus Fucking Christ.

UPDATE: The unthinkable has happened. A Republican broke rank. According to Armando at DailyKos, Lincoln Chafee will not back Alito. I doubt he’d support a filibuster, but who knows. He comes from a liberal region and is currently the second most conservative Senator from New England, right behind Joe Lieberman.

UPDATE 2: Jeffords will not support cloture. I never understood why he didn’t just switch parties all the way.

Disregard my post on January 26th.

Do not recommened a David Mamet to people who see fewer than 2 movies per year. They won’t like it.

I knew it would eventually happen, Alzheimer’s has finally struck Sen. Robert Byrd. He’s supporting Alito.

Democrats Nelson and Johnson both support Alito, and Landrieu promised not to join a filibuster (I doubt Jeffords would back a filibuster either). That means there’s probably not 40 41 souls on the right side of this fight. We lose unless a handful of Repugs break ranks, but they never do that.

Alito’s in easily, and Bush will be able to brag during the State of the Union.

Dan,

You helped drive Theo out of town with that column a few days before Halloween and, strangely, I believe this will actually make the Sox stonger because it allowed him to sort out some of his issues with the organization. No thanks to you. He is now back on his own terms. Now, only a few hours after his return, you submit that he is coming back ignorant of his new role: “We have no idea where he’ll rank on our flow chart…”

Dan, you and I both know that Theo would not return without having some idea of where he will rank on the ‘flow chart’. Furthermore, slipping in those jabs towards the end. “He’s been at best, immature and at worst, duplicitous.” I’m not sure how you construe being principled as being immature. He was unhappy with his job so he left, and he said that he would not come back until things changed. This seems entirely mature and professional to me. An immature man would have left the organization in a fit of rage and rashly vowed never to come back. And duplicitous? That is beyond hyperbole.

It seems to me that an immature and duplicitous man… a man who hates his job… would use his column to create controversy, cause in-fighting, and basically toy with peoples’ emotions to make them perceive issues that aren’t there.

I’m saddened because, when I was young, I used to think that you were a great columnist. Maybe I was young and naive. Or maybe you were a great columnist but now you are nothing but a bitter, hollow man who doesn’t seem to believe in anything but increasing readership. Actually, make that a bitter old man. If I can remember reading you when I was young… You should really update that little black and white picture they put next to your column.

Anyhow, I will no longer read your work. This letter will be posted on numerous blogs and will be forwarded through email and print. Hopefully people will join me. I know this won’t scare you. It’s not meant to. I don’t have a big enough soapbox to turn people against you en masse, but just know that slowly people are realizing what you are. I hope you take this to heart even though that may be impossible.

Dan Donato

Well it seems Greenpeace has set a new standard. Let the word go forth that a horse head in your bed is now a cheap stunt.

To add to the recent SCOTUS ruling giving people more control over their bodies, the SJC added another blow to the right-to-life camp.

The Fag-loving court decided that the state could remove from life support a young girl beaten into a coma, and most likely a permanent vegetative state, by her parents. The stepfather wanted to become her guardian and keep her alive because he may face murder charges after she dies, but the SJC said “fuck you” to that guy.

The story is sad and unfortunate as is, but yesterday it took an unfortunate turn into Terri Shiavo-like realms. Apparently the girl is “responding to stimuli.” I’m hopeful that this will start a frenzy of activity in Western MA, with lunatics from all over coming to “pray” and fight for the girl’s right to live.

Let the idiocy commence.

I’m going to plan my trip soon. I’m really excited to get back to the Happy Valley, especially after finding out that Rachel Maddow lives in Cummington.

I like physician-assisted suicide, in fact, I think it’s pretty awesome. We should get past the abortion fight and make this the new pro-choice v. pro-life fight.

SCOTUS denied Ashcroft’s attempts to block the Oregon law.

In a stinging defeat for the administration, the justices upheld a U.S. appeals court ruling that Ashcroft’s directive was unlawful and unenforceable, and that he had overstepped his authority.

There’s a bunch of commies working at Reuters.

The decision was 6-3.

Scalia, Thomas, and Roberts dissented—-I see how it’s going to be from now on.

So these guys go to trivia nights all over metro Boston and document each visit on their blog. They call it the Trivia Jihad and choose their targets from the Stump! Trivia website.

Because of this, they were unaware of my trivia night (which by the way is Monday nights at 9:30pm, John Harvard’s in Harvard Square) but I formally invited them. According to their blog, they are both grad students at Harvard which is apparently not demanding enough.

How much longer will I have to wait to glow green?

List of things I will do when I glow:

• Make home-porn tapes without needing to invest in night vision for my camcorder
• Sell all my flashlights on ebay…probably at midnight and probably without turning on any lights
• Sneak up on Dick Cheney one night, tell him that I am the devil come to claim his soul, and hopefully give the bastard a heart attack.
• Coolest moneyshot ever.