Here we go again! The man in the White House not only makes bad decisions, but he seems not to be able to profit from them. Bad decisions beget more bad decisions. And cronies beget more cronies.
Bush has appointed Harriet Miers to replace Sandra Day O’Connor as U.S. Supreme Court justice. It is similar to the assignment made with Michael Brown. Remember, Brown is the horse trainer who was appointed to head up FEMA. With no experience in disaster, he went on to create the biggest man-made disaster in the country’s history after the biggest natural disaster in the country’s history.
Harriet Miers has no experience as a judge. Let me repeat that: Harriet Miers has NO experience as a judge. She has experience as a high-powered attorney with big corporations as her clients. Miers is also the personal attorney for George W. Bush and has been an integral part of his inner circle in the White House. This means that she is part of the circus at 1600 Pennsylvania.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying people can’t learn. I think I’m quite capable of learning many things. I could be a brain surgeon if I wanted to. Without the proper education and training, I don’t think you’d want me on your surgical team if you had a brain tumor. The point is, when you have an important job affecting millions of people, you don’t hand it off to an amateur.
I know most of us are smart enough to figure out what is happening to the High Court. If you didn’t know how powerful this entity is, you saw it first-hand when it decided who the U.S. president would be in 2000.
African Americans, other people of people of color, and poor folks should not expect much from this soon-to-be consolidated court. The conservative bench has done enough damage; it could only accelerate with an overwhelming majority of right wingers.
Affirmation action? It has been whittled away since the Bakke decision in 1974.
Voting rights? Don’t forget how many of us were disenfranchised during the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.
Health care? Most decisions have favored the medical industrial complex. If hospitals or pharmaceutical companies mess up, you have limited rights to sue for compensation.
Housing? That dream home can now be claimed through eminent domain by developers.
Criminal justice? The Court not only upheld mandatory minimum sentencing but also stiffened the sentences under certain situations.
Statehood for Washington, D.C.? Thumbs down on that as well.
Although Democrats claim they are going to take Miers through the burning sands, similar barks turned into whines during the Roberts’ confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. Twenty-one Dems gave their votes to Roberts despite all the reasons they cited for a disqualification. It’s doubtful if their unprincipled behavior changes when the Senate confirmation hearings begin for Miers.
Having a Thurgood Marshall on the bench seems like ancient, ancient history. The gains made by the civil and human rights movements are slowly being eroded. We shouldn’t give up on this branch of government no more than any other of its bankrupt branches. But it may be time to start looking elsewhere for justice. The courts have been a fair-weather friend to the majority of us citizens.
By the way, Harriet Miers served as the chair of the Lottery Commission in Texas. Her experience should remind us that our chances at getting justice from this court will be about the same as winning the lottery.