Well, maybe we were just being hopeful thinking it was Clement? And that's pretty scary, because she ain't exactly that moderate.
The new thinking is that it is not Clement. Alberto Gonzales recently cancelled some meetings to head back to Washington, but frankly, he makes no sense as a pick. What if it's the other Edith, Edith Jones? RbR especially will enjoy reading this story, given his crusade to convince everyone that the founding fathers were not as religious as the Dobson right would have us believe.
We find out for sure in three hours and a half, anyway.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Oh boy
Posted by Bell Curve at 2:34 PM
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2 comments:
This woman has positively frightening ideas. I shudder at the prospect of here apointment to the USSC. That the far right would attach such views to a group calling themselves "The Federalist Society" is offensive to Reason itself!
Now as for some of her specific points:
"The Framers created a government of limited power with this understanding of the rule of law - that it was dependent on transcendent religious obligation," said Jones.
This is incorrect. In Federalist 51 Madison and Hamilton argue that basing government on the presumption of (or requirement of) virtue religious or otherwise is a recipe for disaster. Far from presuposing "trancedent religious obligation" on the part of those in power, the founding fathers said "If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions." - Federalist 51 Note: DEPENDENCE ON THE PEOPLE, not GOD!
"She said that the business about all of the Founding Fathers being deists is "just wrong," or "way overblown." She says they believed in "faith and reason," and this did not lead to intolerance."
Hogwash! Here is what Jefferson says about religion:
"Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear." - Thomas Jefferson --- NOTE: "IF THERE BE ONE" hardly the halmark of a man basing his world view on faith!
More from the horse's mouth:
"Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination." - Thomas Jefferson --- HERE WE HAVE JEFFERSON SAYING THE CHRISTIAN DOMINATION WAS DEFEATED BY THE MAJORITY!
And this is my favorite:
"They [the clergy] believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of god, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough, too, in their opinion." - Thomas Jefferson
// posted by Raised By Republicans
The sad thing is that, if they weren't on the verge of taking power, people like Edith Jones would be regard as quaint relics of the Victorian period. These so-called conservatives hanker for late-19th century sexual morality, social structure, and dilettantish approach to law and government. They imagine that the saccharine religiosity of that age had always been there. Serious scholars stopped talking about a natural basis for law with Oliver Wendell Holmes and the generation that began to control academia at the turn of the 20th century.
Jones is obviously unfit to be a judge because she cannot separate her own religious beliefs from the law. Indeed, I don't think she's qualified to hear traffic cases.
// posted by LTG
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