Rove, Hatch and Sessions: Empathy and the Constitution Don't Go Together. Translation: We Can't Have Judges With Hearts!

They Believe In The Dick Cheney Version:
The Credo Of The Inquisition!

I love it when people call me a "bleeding heart liberal" because, let's face it, they're realizing that I HAVE a heart! Have you ever heard the words "heart" and "neo-conservative" together in the same sentence? In the same paragraph? On the same page?

From the man who used to be "Bush's Brain"*:

Karl Rove:

On the other hand, she’s [Judge Sonia Sotomayor, a potential nominee for the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy] also likely to draw opposition from conservatives because her opinions on the Circuit Court of Appeals have been very liberal and very expansive. In fact, this is going to be one [of] the big dividing lines. President Obama…said he wanted a judge who would uphold the Constitution, but also a judge [who] would be empathetic. These two things are in conflict.

Then there's Orrin Hatch:

From Crooks and Liars:

Hatch: I have no problem with judges having a heart, wanting to do what's right and wanting to live within the legal constraints that do exist. When they start substituting their own personal policy preferences for what the law really is then that's the misuse of empathy, and a person like that shouldn't be sitting on the bench.

Compassionate Conservatism goes out the window.

Now we have the problem of Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (R - AL) possibly heading the Judiciary Committee. Irony: this is the same committee which once denied him a Federal Court bench offered to him by Reagan. Reason for the refusal: "gross insensitivity” on racial issues. (He once said that the KKK wasn't so bad - that was until he found out that some of them smoked pot!)

Two controversial issues puts Sessions at the top of the torture heap:

- he opposed John McCain's anti-torture amendment and...
- he supported Cheney's proposal to exempt the CIA from any ban on the use of torture.

Watch Rachel Maddow's show about Sessions. Do you think he'll in any way agree about whom an African American President nominates for the Supreme Court? Today, Sessions seems like a throwback to Big Daddy in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (watch Burl Ives below). We'd better watch out, because Big Daddy's in power!

Just a thought.

*Now he's more like the Bush Administration's mouth.

U.S. Soldiers Told To: Hunt for Jesus

What To Give With Those Free Bibles:

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Ryan Grim ryan@huffingtonpost.com | HuffPost 05/ 4/09 02:24 PM

Soldiers In Afghanistan Given Bibles, Told To "Hunt People For Jesus"

A U.S. church raised money to send Bibles, printed in the Pashtu and Dari languages, to American soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, a report on Al Jazeera documented Sunday night.

It is against military rules to proselytize -- a regulation one of the soldiers filmed by the network readily acknowledged. "You cannot proselytize, but you can give gifts," says the soldier. It is a crime in Afghanistan to attempt to convert anyone from Islam to any other religion. "I also want to praise God because my church collected some money to get Bibles for Afghanistan. They came and sent the money out." The footage is said to be roughly a year old.

The Al Jazeera report also shows a military preacher urging army parishioners to "hunt people for Jesus."

If Jerry Falwell couldn't get people to convert by raining 600,000 bible tracts down on the tsunami victims, I guess the next move for conversion must be more direct: have occupying troops throw them at people. Watch the video below:

My question: those New Testament "Bibles" and supposedly full Bibles are very, very small. Is Pashtu that succinct of a language? Are the Muslim Afghanis tiny people? Does it come with a microscope? Is this the Reader's Digest Version of the Bible?

And this thing about "hunting for people." Do you bring them back to camp hanging from a pole shouldered (front and back) by soldiers? Can you set traps? Do you need a license? Is there a specific season?

Seriously, it's rather insulting for a foreign soldier to tell you that he has a gift for you* and you find out that it's the book being used as justification to kill you. In Afghanistan, it's illegal for anyone to proselytize. And it's illegal to be an apostate.

Just what are these idiots doing?

Just a thought.

* Rev. Rod Parsley would rather soldiers give them a bullet...in the head.

Rush Limbaugh Is In Love With Joe The Plumber

From Media Matters (via Pam's House Blend):

LIMBAUGH: Why are they still kneecapping Sarah Palin? Hmm? I mean, I know I'm fair game. I'm out there. But why are they still kneecapping Sarah Palin? They're out there kneecapping Bobby Jindal. They're still kneecapping -- the drive-bys, the Democrats -- Rick Santorum. They're still jumping on Joe the Plumber -- a private citizen, for heaven's sake. All he did was ask Obama a question. Why are they continuing to try to destroy virtually anyone and everyone who can articulate conservatism? It's 'cause they are afraid of us.

Yes, we're afraid of them, but not for the reasons Limbaugh might rant about. Conservatism isn't at issue here. Uber Right Wingnutism is. People like Rush Limbaugh support right-wing violence by what they say...and what they DON'T say. Also, Rush, Sam Wurtzelbach (JtP) gave up being a private citizen a long time ago because he realizes that being a "celebrity" means more money than being a part-time-apprentice-would-be-small-business-owner plumber. He's enjoying the part of a fake John Doe. He's fair game as much as you are, Rush.

And as for Sarah Palin: she's gonna damn well keep herself in the limelight if she has to murder her whole family. Jindal and Santorum will also willingly join her in the Hypocrits Hall of Fame.

Another reason to think that the Right is in terrible straits: Rush Limbaugh defending Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum and Sam Wurtzelbach (JtP) as if they matter in the scheme of things. They don't. But please don't tell him.

Just a thought.