Another Tale From the House of Representatives


Over in the Mad House of Representatives - continuing to be the rubber stamp organization for the Rightest wing of the GOP - there's a bill to allow them to overrule the Supreme Court. That the title includes those GOP buzzwords "Judicial Activism" is a waving, red flag.

So, they not only want the power to create the laws, but they want to be able to overrule the organization specifically created to judge if the laws they've crafted are constitutional?

Defenders of the bill insist that the two thirds requirement raises the bar so high that objections are purely the work of alarmists. Also, they remind us that as per Article III, Section 2, Clause 2 of The Constitution: the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.

My initial, and cautiously sustained reaction to this bill (introduced back in March, as you'll see by following that first link) is negative, but let's consider the longer road for a moment.

Let's say the bible-thumpers turn out in force, and all of the Bushie money has managed to continue to fool the gun owners into thinking that they're the only ones preventing some DNC disarmament of the people and destruction of the nation, and has cast out enough lies about John Kerry that many likely voters just decide to give up and stay home on election day. This give Bush four more years, and likely at least as powerful a political action base in both the House and Senate. Further, let's say that this leads to one or more Supreme Court placements under Bush.

If the wrong people get onto the Supreme Court - say, people in the mold of John Ashcroft, who fervently believe that all of our laws ultimately derive from Divine ones - the rest of us might have reason to wish this mechanism was in place, so that our directly-appointed representatives can undo the dictates of a possibly theocratic Supreme Court. It's certainly a matter of some consequence, and so is worthy of careful consideration by every citizen.

Where I become worried is when I think of how in a perceived time of crisis Congress has voted, in the name of national unity, for things such as the PATRIOT Act and to allow Bush to have massive powers to mobilize wartime activities without a need for immediate, congressional approval.

Finally, this bill, for purposes of the readers' personal checklists as to whether or not it's someone from their territory in line behind this, is being sponsored by the following congressmen: Terry Everett (R-AL), Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Trent Franks (R-AZ)
Wally Herger (R-CA), John Doolittle (R-CA), Richard Pombo (R-CA), Joel Hefley (R-CO), Tom Feeney (R-FL), Jack Kingston (R-GA), Michael Collins (R-GA), Donald Manzullo (R-IL), Mark Souder (R-IN), Mike Pence (R-IN), Ron Lewis (R-KY), Nick Smith (R-MI),
Walter Jones (R-NC), Howard Coble (R-NC), Cass Ballenger (R-NC), Joseph Pitts (R-PA), Jim DeMint (R-SC), John Duncan (R-TN),
Sam Johnson (R-TX), John Carter (R-TX), Pete Sessions (R-TX),
Edward Schrock (R-VA), Virgil Goode (R-VA).

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