The sign of a sinking man
Tom DeLay is now attacking Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy, for anyone who pays attention, was one of Reagan's appointees to the Court, and has been a moderate to conservative type for his whole tenure on the Court. So here's DeLay, who in his desperation to find anything that will distract from his own problems, attacking the man for researching cases online.
Here's a unique thought, one that probably hasn't penetrated his paranoid skull yet: Maybe Kennedy is just doing his job, or better yet, not leaving this to law clerks and aides. There's many resources online. Lexis-Nexis' legal research database and Westlaw are two places to research case law histories, and it sure beats using thick books. I took constitutional law, so I can sympathize in this regard.
Granted, DeLay is also furious over the references to international law in the decision on capital punishment for juveniles. Here's the quote from Fox News Radio, via the Washington Post:
Asked if he would include any Supreme Court justices among those he considers activist and isolated, DeLay singled out Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who was named to the court by President Ronald Reagan. "Absolutely," DeLay replied. "We've got Justice Kennedy writing decisions based upon international law, not the Constitution of the United States. That's just outrageous. And not only that, but he said in session that he does his own research on the Internet? That is just incredibly outrageous."
Notice what he said. It's "outrageous" that Kennedy used international law in helping him make his decision, but it's "incredibly outrageous" that he does his own research on the Internet, where there are reputable sites with legal information, case law, and the like, including, might I add, the House website and the Library of Congress.
I think the Majority Leader has lost his grip on reality for good. It's a debatable point over whether international law should have any influence over an American constitutional proceeding. While I think execution of juveniles is absolutely immoral and heinous, regardless of their crimes, and that the decision was right, it worries me greatly to see that precedent established.
However, bending Kennedy over for using the Internet for research makes DeLay a Neanderthal of the worst sort. Telling a judge, let alone a Supreme Court Justice, that it's incredibly outrageous to be doing their own research is like telling a doctor that he shouldn't consult medical databases when trying to cure an ill patient, or telling a pharmacist not to look online to see if a prescription might cause a reaction when mixed with another medication the patient has been taking for a chronic condition. Or it's like telling a legislator to pass a bill he or she has had no time to review....oh wait, the House has been doing that under DeLay....nevermind.
This is just further proof that the Republicans, for their own good and for the nation's good, need to replace this man. He just isn't with it anymore, and he's going to become more dangerous as the trouble grows for him.
Here's a unique thought, one that probably hasn't penetrated his paranoid skull yet: Maybe Kennedy is just doing his job, or better yet, not leaving this to law clerks and aides. There's many resources online. Lexis-Nexis' legal research database and Westlaw are two places to research case law histories, and it sure beats using thick books. I took constitutional law, so I can sympathize in this regard.
Granted, DeLay is also furious over the references to international law in the decision on capital punishment for juveniles. Here's the quote from Fox News Radio, via the Washington Post:
Asked if he would include any Supreme Court justices among those he considers activist and isolated, DeLay singled out Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who was named to the court by President Ronald Reagan. "Absolutely," DeLay replied. "We've got Justice Kennedy writing decisions based upon international law, not the Constitution of the United States. That's just outrageous. And not only that, but he said in session that he does his own research on the Internet? That is just incredibly outrageous."
Notice what he said. It's "outrageous" that Kennedy used international law in helping him make his decision, but it's "incredibly outrageous" that he does his own research on the Internet, where there are reputable sites with legal information, case law, and the like, including, might I add, the House website and the Library of Congress.
I think the Majority Leader has lost his grip on reality for good. It's a debatable point over whether international law should have any influence over an American constitutional proceeding. While I think execution of juveniles is absolutely immoral and heinous, regardless of their crimes, and that the decision was right, it worries me greatly to see that precedent established.
However, bending Kennedy over for using the Internet for research makes DeLay a Neanderthal of the worst sort. Telling a judge, let alone a Supreme Court Justice, that it's incredibly outrageous to be doing their own research is like telling a doctor that he shouldn't consult medical databases when trying to cure an ill patient, or telling a pharmacist not to look online to see if a prescription might cause a reaction when mixed with another medication the patient has been taking for a chronic condition. Or it's like telling a legislator to pass a bill he or she has had no time to review....oh wait, the House has been doing that under DeLay....nevermind.
This is just further proof that the Republicans, for their own good and for the nation's good, need to replace this man. He just isn't with it anymore, and he's going to become more dangerous as the trouble grows for him.
posted by Thad at 12:41 AM
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