Senators? Opening Statements In Judge Alito Hearing Reveal
Culture War!
By Rev. Louis P. Sheldon
Washington, DC ? In watching Senate Judiciary
Committee members read their opening statements on the first
day of Judge Alito?s confirmation hearing to the Supreme Court, I
couldn?t help but notice the glaring contrast between conservative
and liberal world views on life, privacy, and government.
For those who watched these Senators and listened carefully to
their opening statements, it should have been a wake up call to
those who don?t believe a culture war exists in our nation. The
clash was evident from the beginning.
Liberal Democrats clearly revealed their belief that the
Constitution is whatever nine unelected robed masters say it is?not
what the original founders meant when they wrote it. Republicans,
however, believe that the Constitution means what it says?and
Supreme Court justices have no right to redefine the meaning of it
to suit their own political agendas.
Democrats believe that because a few Supreme Court justices
?discovered? a ?right? to abortion in the Constitution (a right
somehow hidden from view for two centuries), this ?right? is now
absolute and cannot be repealed because of ?precedent.? Killing an
unborn baby can never be considered a ?right? -- any more than a
19th Century Supreme Court was ?right? in claiming that
?slaves? were property. The Court was wrong on slavery two
centuries ago and is wrong on abortion today.
Democrats want activist liberal judges on the court who will
impose liberal social engineering on all of us. Senator
John Cornyn (R-TX) made the case for judicial conservatives on
the court. He stated: ?I want judges on the Supreme Court who will
not use that position to impose their personal policy preferences
or political agendas on the American people. I want judges on the
Supreme Court who will respect the words and the meaning of the
Constitution, the laws enacted by Congress and the laws enacted by
state legislatures.?
He noted that a Supreme Court is not a ?roving commission to
rewrite our laws? however they wish! This is the stark difference
between liberal activist judges and judges who believe in
restraint. It is evident from the writings of Judge Samuel Alito
that he is a judicial conservative. This is why liberals on the
Senate Judiciary Committee and their special interest allies are so
viciously attacking Alito. They cannot stand the possibility of
losing their stranglehold on the Supreme Court as their last
bastion of control over our nation?s laws.
As Senator Cornyn so wisely pointed out, liberal special
interest groups, ?really don?t want a fair-minded judge who has an
openness to both sides of the argument. Rather, they want judges
who will impose their liberal agenda on the American people; views
so liberal that they cannot prevail at the ballot box.?
What liberals want is for our nation to be ruled by what Judge
Robert Bork has called
?Our Judicial Oligarchy,? a gaggle of robed masters who think
they know better than we do how to rule ourselves in this
Republic.
Well, that liberal vision of America?s future is fading, and it is
very likely that in my lifetime I will see the return of our court
system to what the Founders originally intended it to be?a branch
of government that understands its proper role as an
interpreter?not creator?of laws. Our nation will be a far better
place when the Supreme Court stops viewing itself as a judicial
oligarchy. That time is fast approaching.
Rev. Louis P. Sheldon is author of
The Agenda: The Homosexual Plan To Change America. TVC is an
inter-denominational public policy organization speaking on behalf
of more than 43,000 churches. For more information, call Amy N.
Skeen (202) 547-8570. TVC, 139 C Street SE, Washington, DC 20003.
Web site address: www.traditionalvalues.org
