It's Time to Get Active

Well.. the first one has stepped down. Sandra Day O'Connor has officially retired. We've (and by 'we', I mean political activists) known for a while now that several of the Supreme Court judges would be leaving us. They are old, they've served a long term, and they tried to last long enough to see another Democrat in the White House. That would have been an assurance that their succesor would not be a right-wing conservative. Unfortunately, we have Shrub, and he is aiming exactly for a strict conservative who will swing the votes on so many important social issues.

I've gotten emails from Planned Parenthood, NARAL, NOW and the Human Rights Campaign today asking for action. I URGE everyone out there to do the same. Fight hard for a moderate judge who will be fair and logical in their decision making. Fight hard for a judge who will protect your rights and freedoms in the United States, the land we consider to be the home of the free. This issue goes beyond abortion, so don't let the Right trick you into thinking that's all this is. It includes gay rights, affirmative action, and protecting the people. Even just looking at reproductive rights, there is access to accurate and comprehensive sex education, birth control, and emergency contraception and even basic medical care for poor or uninsured women -all ways to PREVENT the need for abortion.

The Human Rights Campaign has pointed out 2 very bad options for judges, and I know the other groups will have their own lists. For your information:

**Michael McConnell, a U.S. Court of Appeals judge. Here's what he has to say about GLBT anti-discrimination statutes, which he opposes: "At bottom, the problem is that anti-discrimination statutes label anti-homosexual feeling as 'discrimination' -- akin to racism. The law thus contains an approval of homosexual behavior."

**Michael Luttig, another U.S. Court of Appeals judge, who has upheld the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy criticizing fair-minded judges for even discussing the issue of whether the military had the right to exclude openly homosexual individuals from service.

I'll keep you posted on any others. Until then, start emailing or writing or calling (or all of the above) your senators and tell them they'd better fight tooth and nail to stop the Right from placing a conservative judge.