I'm from Texas and I don't believe your statement ... "Senator Cornyn, a convert from the Democrat party"
is accurate.
" and a member of the Judiciary Committee, apparently doesn't know about Specter's pro abortion advocacy.. Call him and educate him"
been there done that.
RGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT
November 8, 2004
Ask Texas Senators To Oppose Pro-Abortion Senator Arlen Specter's Election to Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Summary
Pro-abortion U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) is in line to become the next chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. All of President Bush's appointments for federal judges, including justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, must receive the approval of that committee before being considered by the full Senate for confirmation. Senator Specter is a vocal supporter of legal abortion, and would have the power to kill the appointment of any nominee who does not support Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court used Roe v. Wade as the basis for striking down state laws banning the gruesome partial-birth abortion procedure.
But Senator Specter's election to chair that committee can be stopped if enough people contact their senators.
Please immediately contact Texas' two U.S. Senators -- Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn -- and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist by phone and by email. Ask them to vote against Senator Specter. See below for contact information.
Sample Message
These are sample messages; please use your own words.
Phone: "Hello, my name is __________________. I live in (city) , Texas. Please ask Senator _________________ to vote against Senator Specter for chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Thank you."
Email: "Dear Senator ____________. Please vote against Senator Arlen Specter for the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Include your name, street address, and email address)."
Contact Information
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)
(District Offices -- please call the office nearest to you.)
East Texas (Tyler), 903-593-0902
Central Texas (Austin), 512-469-6034
North Texas (Dallas), 972-239-1310
Southeast Texas (Houston), 713-572-3337
South Central Texas/El Paso (San Antonio), 210-224-7485
South Texas Region (Harlingen), 956-423-0162
West Texas Office (Lubbock), 806-472-7533
Email: visit www.cornyn.senate.gov/contact/index.html
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
(District Offices -- please call the office nearest to you.)
Abilene, 325-676-2839
Austin, 512-916-5834
Dallas, 214-361-3500
Harlingen, 956-425-2253
Houston, 713-653-3
San Antonio, 210-340-2885
Email: visit www.hutchison.senate.gov/e-mail.htm
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN)
Washington, D.C., 202-224-3344
Email: visit www.frist.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=AboutSenatorFrist.ContactForm
Background
It is likely that President Bush will have the opportunity to nominate two or more justices of the U.S. Supreme Court during the next four years. Pro-abortion advocacy groups are vowing to do everything in their power to block the President's nominees in the Senate. There has not been a vacancy on the Court for over 10 years, but in recent weeks the press has reported that Chief Justice William Rehnquist is seriously ill.
When President Bush nominates someone to the Supreme Court, that nomination goes first to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which conducts hearings and votes on the nomination. The chairman of the Judiciary Committee will be crucial in shepherding the President's nominees to successful confirmation votes in the committee and in the full Senate.
Soon, the Republican members of the Judiciary Committee must decide on who they want as their chairman. By seniority, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) is first in line.
Specter would be a disaster as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Senator Specter has a strongly pro-abortion record, and he is one of the leading champions of human cloning. In 1987, as a member of the Judiciary Committee, Specter played a key role in defeating President Reagan's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Robert Bork, who was on record in opposition to Roe v. Wade. In 1995, Specter briefly sought the Republican presidential nomination on a pro-abortion platform. In January 2001, Specter complained on a TV program that some nominees for the Supreme Court were reluctant to take clear positions on Roe v. Wade, and he said that he might have to start withholding his support in such cases.
On November 3, 2004, the day after the election, Specter told reporters that he considers Roe v. Wade "inviolate," and indicated that he believes that nominees who do not express support for that ruling cannot be confirmed. Asked if he would support President Bush's judicial nominees, Specter replied, "That obviously depends upon the president's judicial nominees."
On November 4, those remarks were widely reported in the news media as a "warning" to the White House. The same day, Specter issued a statement saying that he had been warning of possible filibusters by Democrats -- but he did not pledge to support President Bush's nominations to the Supreme Court.
If another Republican member of the committee decides to challenge Specter and gains the support of a majority of Republican members of the committee, the decision would go before the all of the Republican senators who will serve beginning in January. In that case, the 55 Republican senators would decide who will be chairman by a secret ballot.