Roberts Nomination and the SMEAR Campaign

I was enthused when there was no real partisanship shown in the initial hours after President Bush nominated John Roberts to the Supreme Court. Since, it has been a perverse and incredible parade of idiotic statements like the one attached below. Yesterday, Ted Kennedy and today John Edwards.

John Edwards is perhaps the poster child for trial lawyers. He, more than perhaps anyone else, should understand the importance of Attorney-Client profiled and being an advocate for a client. Instead, he and the party of the trial lawyers support the release of private documents that in a criminal or civil trial would have the ACLU and the trial lawyers screaming about violations of their Constitutional rights. As an aside, this is also a wide departure from the standards set in the 80's and 90's with Justices like

Additionally, it is unbelievable that Senators Schumer and Leahy have publicly espoused litmus tests which would exclude any practicing Catholics, Protestants, orthodox Jews or any person whose religous convictions would personally not allow them to accept abortion or euthenasia in their own lives rather than as a rule of law. The Kennedys and Schumers of the world have also begun smearing Judge Roberts's wife. When did family become fair game? Oh, I remember - in the campagin when Vice-President Cheney's lesbian daughter and President Bush's "normal" college-aged kids' antics became a focus.

Where has the debate over ideas gone? If the loss of power by the Democratic party so cancerous that the hard core Democrats like Kennedy, Byrd, Feinstein, Schumer and Leahy will stop at nothing? I hate to quote Sean Hannity, but folks, you have to win elections and then you get the priveledge of appointment and agenda. If it were not for Ross Perot Bill Clinton would not have been elected in 1992 and the greedy power base created by the Democrats in the 1990's would not have happened.

I will say I heard Sen. Lieberman this afternoon and he, at least, sounded reasonable and that he would go into the vortes with an open mind.

Kennedy and Edwards criticize Roberts' record
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former
Democratic senator and vice presidential candidate John Edwards harshly
criticized Supreme Court nominee John Roberts Friday, calling him "a partisan
for conservative causes."
Roberts, finishing his second week of visits with
senators in search of confirmation votes, was being criticized from the
sidelines in a speech that Edwards prepared for the American Constitution
Society.
This came a day after Sen. Edward Kennedy accused Roberts, 50, of
having a questionable commitment to civil rights.
Although the complaints
aired Friday were among the toughest yet since Bush picked Roberts for the high
court, there still were differences of opinion within the Senate Democratic
caucus. And there remained no hint of a filibuster.
In fact, some other
Democrats have called Roberts "outstanding" and have said they'd been assured he
wouldn't be a conservative activist on the court.
But a review of paperwork
that Roberts drafted while he worked in the Reagan administration shows a "very
different young lawyer at work, a partisan for conservative causes," said
Edwards.

Pennsylvania Coach Should be Beaten like Player

Can you believe this story? As the dad of a child with Down Syndrome, I am appaled. I can honestly say that there are many more "idiots" out in the world than there are children with diabilities. This "coach" who apparenlty is still coaching in the league should be treated in the same manner as he treated the mentally challenged player, but by adults. Let me throw a ball at his groin and then his ear.

I am not for "policial correctness" but I am for the golden rule and it says treat others as you wish to be treated which is apparently to be beaten because he has been found limited in his abilities.

Let's remember folks HATE is a learned action and so is Discrimination. How will these children on this team treat others with disabilities or who are different because of what this coach has taught them?

Coach to Stand Trial Over Hurt Player

By RAMESH
SANTANAM, Associated Press Writer Thu Jul 28, 8:53 PM ET
UNIONTOWN, Pa. - A
youth baseball coach on Thursday was ordered to stand trial for allegedly
promising to pay one of his players $25 to hurt a 9-year-old mentally disabled
teammate.
Eight-year-old Keith Reese testified at a preliminary hearing that
T-ball coach Mark R. Downs Jr. made the offer before a June 27 playoff
game.
"He told me if I would hit (the teammate) in the face, he would pay me
$25," Keith said.
Reese said he had never before warmed up for a game with
his mentally disabled teammate, Harry Bowers. But on that day, he did.
His
first toss hit Bowers in the groin area. As the boy walked away, he said his
coach told him to "go out there and hit him harder."
"So I went out and hit
him in the ear," Reese said.
Downs, 27, will be arraigned Sept. 15 on two
counts of criminal solicitation to commit aggravated assault and one count each
of corruption of minors, criminal conspiracy and recklessly endangering another
person.
A motive for the beaning was not discussed in court Thursday. But the
injured boy's mother had told police that the coach looked for ways to keep her
son out of games because he was not as good as other kids.
Reese's father,
Keith Reese Sr., testified that the coach admitted after the game to offering
his son money to hurt the other boy.
"He told me, 'I did something ignorant.
I told (Keith) I'd give him $25 to hit Harry in the face to take him out of the
game,'" Reese said.
Downs' attorney, Thomas W. Shaffer, denied the
allegations.
Shaffer said the $25 comment likely referred to a previous game,
when the coach jokingly told his team he'd offer $25 to "anybody who can line
drive the ref with the ball" when he was cautioned by the umpire.
The team was part of the R.W. Clark Youth Baseball League, which ended its T-ball season
earlier this month. The game was in North Union Township, 40 miles southeast of
Pittsburgh.
The younger Reese said he asked the coach for the money when the
team met at an ice cream parlor after the game, but did not receive it. He said
the coach told him he'd get $25 if he signed up for the fall season.
Bowers also took the witness stand, confirming he was hit twice, in the groin and ear,
during warm-ups.
His mother, Jennifer Bowers, told the court that the coach
came up to her afterward and suggested her son shouldn't play.
"He said the balls must be after (her son)," she testified.
Eric Forsythe, president of the R.W. Clark Youth Baseball League, said league officials looked into
accusations against Downs before the season ended, but could not prove the coach
did anything wrong. But Forsythe said league officials did not interview either
boy.
League organizers have said Downs won't be allowed to coach again if he
is convicted of criminal charges. Shaffer said Downs is not suspended and
remains a coach in the league.

What's this about

Other than some rants on what is on talk-radio or in the paper, this blog is about what's going on in the world, how society is deteriorating, how the media is reporting it and what it all means from my perspective.

Now you, fine reader, may say, what the hell do you know?
Well - probably not more than you do, but I certainly have the gift of perspective. If you disagree with my assessment, please post and let's debate. If you agree, tell me why.

When it gets to basketball season, we can debate even more passionately since next to breathing and my family, Kansas Basketball is the most important think out there!