] ] The time to reassert the right of the American people to
] ] instruct the court through the Legislative and Executive
] ] branches has come. America is a free nation and it is the
] ] duty of those who would represent the American people to
] ] find mechanisms for our generation which block activist
] ] judges from stripping us of the freedoms and values we
] ] believe in.
]

Every time I start leaning more towards voting Republican this election, I run into someone from the Bush administration who uses the term "activist judges", and every time I hear that term, I am so horrified, that it makes me go back to scrutinize other possibilities of who else I can vote for.

There are many things that I agree with the Republicans on. But the things I most disagree with them on are the social issues, and this absurd notion that judges are "activists" who need to be reined in. It's wrong-headed, and it violates one of my core values, which is a deep belief in the separation of powers between the branches of government. I really really wish Bush and the other members of his administration would drop the term "activist judges" from their lexicon. I lose respect for them every time they use it.

- Elonka

Elonka wrote:
] ] ] The time to reassert the right of the American people to
] ] ] instruct the court through the Legislative and Executive
] ] ] branches has come. America is a free nation and it is the
] ] ] duty of those who would represent the American people to
] ] ] find mechanisms for our generation which block activist
] ] ] judges from stripping us of the freedoms and values we
] ] ] believe in.
] ]
]
] Every time I start leaning more towards voting Republican this
] election, I run into someone from the Bush administration who
] uses the term "activist judges", and every time I hear that
] term, I am so horrified, that it makes me go back to
] scrutinize other possibilities of who else I can vote for.
]
] There are many things that I agree with the Republicans on.
] But the things I most disagree with them on are the social
] issues, and this absurd notion that judges are "activists" who
] need to be reined in. It's wrong-headed, and it violates one
] of my core values, which is a deep belief in the separation of
] powers between the branches of government. I really really
] wish Bush and the other members of his administration would
] drop the term "activist judges" from their lexicon. I lose
] respect for them every time they use it.
]
] - Elonka

Well I don't start leaning Republican. There are three things that make political decisions; economic, social, and foreign policies.

First is economics. The claim of being the "party of fiscal responsibility" is one of the most insulting lies I have ever heard. Starting with Reagan, the phrase heard over and over was "Tax and spend liberal." Well the difference I've seen has been that the republicans of the last 25 years blow through money like it's going out of style without any regard to where it comes from. Fully 25% of the federal budget is INTEREST of the national debt, over 80% of that debt added under Reagan and the Bushes. The ones who have held the line against that have been Democrats. That is something that holds up all the way to FDR who had the first standing deficits, and those started fighting the Great Depression and World War II, I think that one can be cut a little slack.

On social policy, while I may disagree with some things on the Democrat side, they aren't trying to force themselves into MY life. If two gay people want to get married, it may not be something I'd do, but it doesn't affect my life one way or the other. I'm still free to be just as homophobic and bigoted as I want to be, but that should not be the position of the government. The bedrock of American philosophy starts with "All men are created equal." Whether you believe in god or not, whether you're jewish, catholic, muslim, southern baptist, pagan or atheist doesn't matter, at all. The republicans of the last 25 years have tried everythin... [ Read More (0.1k in body) ]

Chris Hall, an old friend of mine, who now teaches spacecraft design at Virginia Tech, posted a reply to my post in his own blog, which then got some interesting replies that I also think are worth reading. For anyone who'd like to check it out, please go to:

///////

Update: Whoops, sorry, the original URL I posted was incorrect, since I linked to the comments but not to his original post. The complete thread can be seen here:

http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~cdhall/Space/archives/001276.html