Senator Bill Frist
509 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Frist:
I am a Christian. I am also a Democrat. Is there a reason you think these two identities are somehow mutually exclusive?
I urge you to reconsider your participation in the April 24th telecast project being called “Justice Sunday,” the organizers of which dare to accuse the Democratic party of religious prejudice in blocking a handful of President Bush’s judicial nominees.
I support blocking these judges because, based on court decisions they have made and statements they have publicly issued, there is legitimate reason to believe that these individuals cannot fulfill their proper duty as impartial arbiters of the law.
Furthermore, as a United States Senator, I hope you realize that what qualifies America as a democracy is not simply majority rule, but also a complex and thoughtful system designed to protect the rights of minorities. To this end, the filibuster is an essential tool of a valid democracy, part of the mechanism of checks and balances that prevents tyranny of the majority. An independent and impartial judiciary is also an essential part of the Founding Fathers’ vision for America.
Faith should not be a political issue. In this country we have both freedom of religion and separation of church and state; those with beliefs different from yours – even those who choose not to subscribe to any particular faith or ideology – have equal rights, access and protection under the Constitution.
I pray and read the Bible for guidance on a daily basis. The lessons and values I take from Scripture far more closely align with the priorities of the Democratic Party than that of the Republican party today. In fact, the Democrats are not nearly as liberal as I would like for them to be.
No political party can claim to be the sole guardian of faith and morality. Furthermore, it is most certainly immoral to falsely accuse the Democrats of being anti-faith. You know full well the concerns Democrats have about these nominees, and it’s utterly disingenuous to allege wholesale prejudice. You might be able to fool some voters, but there’s Someone who knows exactly what’s going on.
Yours in Christ,
Andy
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14 comments:
Wow, thats a really good letter, and a really good point. as well as the point u made: I hope you realize that what qualifies America as a democracy is not simply majority rule, but also a complex and thoughtful system designed to protect the rights of minorities."
Did you come up with that all by yourself?
http://bushwhackerliberal.blogspot.com/2005/04/judge-not-lest-ye-be-judged.html
"Freedom and democracy is just as much about protecting the rights of the minority, as it is serving the intrests of the majority." April 12th, 2005
Actually I plagiarized enormous chunks of Democracy for Dummies.
Of course, he has no interest in well-considered opinions. This is a doctor who is so politically twisted that he offered his medical opinion on a patient in a vegetative state by looking at an old snippet of video.
Not a good human being, this man, and not interested in your view. But it was a good letter anyhow.
Yes, I loved the letter that Maureen Dowd wrote about in her column a few weeks ago: "Dear Dr. Frist, please take a look at this video from our family reunion last year and tell me based on your expert opinion as a heart surgeon whether this mole on my mother's neck is cancer."
The republicans argument that judge's rulings must be in line with popular sentiment is so stupid. If that were true, we'd still have segregated schools and women and black people wouldn't be able to vote. And Al Gore might be president.
Great letter! Even if parts of aren't original, the key thing is you put it together and sent it! BRAVO!
Chris
Definitely seeting a good dexample. Reminds me that I should write to my congressfolk more as well.
Chris: I was being sarcastic, the letter is 100% Andy. I was responding to Nick's subtle suggestion that perhaps I paraphrased his blog.
Matthew: when writing to Republicans, be sure to use small words.
Also when writing to the President, spell big words fonetikly.
"I am a Christian. I am also a Democrat. Is there a reason you think these two identities are somehow mutually exclusive?"
Nice of you to ask that but I wonder if it is entirely fair considering you seem to feel Republican and Intelligent are mutually exclusive identities.
"I pray and read the Bible for guidance on a daily basis. The lessons and values I take from Scripture far more closely align with the priorities of the Democratic Party than that of the Republican party today. In fact, the Democrats are not nearly as liberal as I would like for them to be."
I also read the Bible daily but the lessons and values I take from it seem to be more endorsed by the Republican party. It is a matter of interpretation. Does that make me wrong? No. Does that make you wrong? No. I do find myself wishing that on a whole Rebublicans were more "liberal" in nature. However, extreme stances (left or right) are very distasteful and hinder the mobility of the U.S. in the long run. Maybe you should think about that before you try to "rescue" the world from people like me simply because I call myself Republican.
When I say "rescue," I'm just trying to save the country from people who think it's okay to take the world to war under false pretenses, who say with a straight face that government treasury bills are worthless IOU's, who think global warming is a hoax, who think gay people are a threat to civilization, who think freedom of religion applies only to evangelical conservatives, who see nothing bizarre about driving the country into the deepest debt it's ever seen while slashing the tax burden of the least burdened.
I hope you don't think the Senator will actually see that letter. His lowest level aides very briefly scanned it and dumped into the bag of hate mail from people who are not his constituents. What I find to be really amusing is the flip flopping both parties engage in concerning the courts. Typically the Liberals love the courts. However, when the Supreme Court weighed in durung the 2000 election all you Liberal cry babies were ready to hang every Judge in the land because they had a different opinion than you. At the same time the Republican jackasses who had for months criticized "activist" judges warmly embraced what could be interperated as a very "activist" rulling. Have you read Tom Delay's latest statements. That guy is going to be out of a job if he doesn't shut up. Anyway both parties consist of a bunch of bitches that should be improsoned on some remote island and starved to death. I am sure those blood thirsty bastards would eat each other to survuve.
A really poor attempt at lecturing a Senator is not going to get him to listen to you.
I think the fact that both parties get equally pissed off by the judicial branch means the system is working and we should, for the most part, leave it alone.
But as I pointed out in my guest blog today on Matt's World, DeLay is not actually correct, especially with regard to the Terri Schiavo thing, that the judges were acting independently of public opinion. In fact, DeLay's position was the clear minority view. He's a nutcase. My only complaint is that a scandal just isn't a scandal in this country unless sex is involved. Our priorities are so misplaced.
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