Harriet Meir

[PW2]

What, no posts and gnashing of teeth over the selection of Ms. Meir for the Supreme Court.<br /><br />Myself, I don't know enough to form an opinion one way or another, but I do know the Dems need to be cautious in their praise of her. The quickest way to get conservatives up in arms about her is for Harry Reid to get on national TV and sing her praises.<br /><br />Again, I know nothing at all about her, but it is said that she once said that GWB is the smartest man she's ever met, and if that is true, you clearly have to question her judgement.

 

[kenimpzoom]

Re: Harriet Meir

Which is it PW2, is Bush an incompetent idiot, or is he an evil war mongering maniac.<br /><br />You can't have both.<br /><br />As for Ms. Meir, no one knows what she thinks, so no one can fight her. I thought it was a bit of a cop out by Pres Bush, but I guess he has his reasons.<br /><br />Ken

 

[oddjob]

Re: Harriet Meir

Yeah hes more like a genius right?....cant believe you and I are agreeing so much these days PW..<br /><br /><br />I dont know anything about her. Cant wait for the trial.

 

[jimonica]

Re: Harriet Meir

I was surfing around on the political news channels last night and someone made the comment that if you asked the top 10 or 20 conservative law Professors in the Country and ask them to name the top 100 conservative legal minds, Harriet Meir wouldn't be on anyone's list.<br />What struck me about that comment is that it came from a conservative! I want to say it was Tucker Carlson, but I was flipping around so much I can't remember.<br />But lets not kid oursleves here, Harriet Meir is good little Republican foot soldier. Bush doesn't promote anybody that will give him anything but complete loyalty.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Harriet Meir

jimonica, are you saying she's just another Bush lackey lap-dog, like Brown?

 

[alden135]

Re: Harriet Meir

 

[JB]

Re: Harriet Meir

Harriet Miers is known in Texas for some views and activism that I consider far right.<br /><br />Her public activism included lobbying the ABA to change its position on Roe v. Wade, defending the (since overturned) Texas anti sodomy law and in general adhering to the far right agenda to limit privacy and individual liberty if they conflict with her evangelical Christian values.<br /><br />It will be interesting to see if she can convince the moderate Republicans in the Senate that she can set aside her views and adhere to the Constitution and the law without bias. It is not a sure thing.<br /><br />I believe Chief Justice John Roberts to be a conservative, but he convinced me that he finds the law a more powerful force than personal views.

 

[DJ]

Re: Harriet Meir

Harriet Meir wouldn't be on anyone's list.<br />

Since when is NOT being on a list a bad thing?

 

[PW2]

Re: Harriet Meir

Yes, JB, and thank you for correcting my spelling of her last name. It is indeed Meirs.<br /><br />While I have no idea of what she will do on the bench, I would have supported her position on Roe vs. Wade with the ABA. The ABA should be a non-partisan organization, and as such, should take no position on partisan issues.<br /><br />And I don't know why some have difficulty separating what a person believes individually with how they would rule from the bench.<br /><br />Personally, I know I believe lots of things, that while comfortable for me, would not make good public policy. I cannot imagine anyone so arrogant as to believe their own personal beliefs should necessarily be the law of the land.<br /><br />All that being said, I have no idea how she wiil do as a judge, but the one's I know the conservatives wanted I would hate, so there is a chance at least with Ms. Meirs.<br /><br />I am ok with Roberts as well. While I don't necessarily agree with him generally, he strikes me as a principled, intelligent, and fair person, and you can't ask for much more than that.

 

[DJ]

Re: Harriet Meir

PW2,<br /><br />"Personal beliefs" are ONLY a problem when they disagree with yours. Right?<br /><br />Be honest!

 

[treedancer]

Re: Harriet Meir

Was she part of the legal team that got him elected the first term?

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Harriet Meir

I hate this nomination. A stealth candidate is not a nominee I can support regardless of their political stripe. When the supreme court carries a lifetime appointment, some documentation of their ideology should be made public. She can dodge and weave providing non-answers and we end up with one mans personal opinion of a judge for the next 25 years. Bush promised me another Scalia or Thomas when I voted for him and now I have no clue what I got for my vote and no way to remove her once approved. Bush has proven a pretty liberal Republican to date, but his judicial appointments have been outstanding. None the less, I am not happy.

 

[treedancer]

Re: Harriet Meir

Don’t worry about it pointer in my opinion it’s a big con job.

 

[12Footer]

Re: Harriet Meir

bzzzzt.<br />short circuit. axe me about her after the inquisition.

 

[JB]

Re: Harriet Meir

Right, 12Footer. I hope we learn what she is all about there.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Harriet Meir

Originally posted by JB:<br />....and in general adhering to the far right agenda to limit privacy and individual liberty if they conflict with her evangelical Christian values.

Hmmmm, JB? I didn't know that the 'rights' that you have here inferred, were cast cast in stone as of this point. Maybe in your mind, but certainly not in the nations.

 

[JB]

Re: Harriet Meir

Did I say "rights", Boomer? Don't be so paranoid. <br /><br />I took no position specifically to avoid speeches about public passions. What the Constitution says IS cast in stone. What it MEANS is up to an unbiased Supreme Court to decide.<br /><br />The "nation" you refer to has been wrong before in interpreting what "equal justice to all" means in terms of privacy and of individual liberty.<br /><br />How popular a point of view is is irrelevant to an unbiased Court. Our Constitution guarantees that if one citizen is alone in a view, but correct, he should win. That is the way it should be. <br /><br />Case decisions based on public passions are exactly what our founders forbade.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Harriet Meir

Originally posted by JB:<br />.... What it MEANS is up to an unbiased Supreme Court to decide.

'Unbiased' is the operative word here. It is also incumbent on the Court to make it's decisions on the 'original' intent of the Constitution and not to manufacture some obscure link to any of its decrees.<br /><br />If the original intent is deemed insufficient for today, then it is up to the Legislatures/States to amend the Constitution, not the Court to morph it.

 

[JB]

Re: Harriet Meir

Exactly, Boomer. We agree.<br /><br />It is the "manufacture of some obscure link" that we both object to. <br /><br />A Justice who holds extreme views and allows them to color interpretation of law is more likely to manufacture said link, don't you agree?

 

[Vlad D Impeller]

Re: Harriet Meir

POINTER94 wrote: " Bush promised me another Scalia or Thomas when I voted for him and now I have no clue what I got for my vote and no way to remove her once approved."<br />______________________________________________________________<br /><br />Like JB said " Harriet Miers is known in Texas for some views and activism that I consider far right.<br /><br />Her public activism included lobbying the ABA to change its position on Roe v. Wade, defending the (since overturned) Texas anti sodomy law and in general adhering to the far right agenda to limit privacy and individual liberty if they conflict with her evangelical Christian values."<br /><br />________________________________________________________________<br /><br />GWB is doing just as he promised, Pointer you have nothing to worry about