Posted on 10/03/2005 11:08:03 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
Folks, here are posts made at WORLD MAGAZINE's BLOG SITE that have testimonies from people who know Harriet Miers for many years. There is also a short analysis of why choosing Ms. Miers might not be such a good idea.
I am posting them for what its worth...
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Which side are you on?
People are asking whether I support the Miers nomination. OK: I wish W had chosen one of the judges with a clear, on-the-record, conservative judicial philosophy, and then been willing to fight it out. In the absence of a clear record, it's important to know who a SCOTUS nominee's friends are. Since Nathan Hecht is a good friend of Miers and also a good guy, that's significant. So is the opposition of other thoughtful conservatives. Overall, this time, I'm in the "we report - you decide" camp. We'll put on this blog, and in World when we go to press on Thursday, views by credible people on both sides.
Posted by Olasky on Oct 3, 05 11:03 AM
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Harriet Miers -- pro, part 1
This begins a series of seven posts on Harriet Miers, based on interviews with those who know her. Some background for the first five: I spoke yesterday with Nathan Hecht, the Texas Supreme Court justice who is a prolife hero for strongly supporting parental notification laws five years ago when a SCOTEX majority was scuttling them. Hecht, 55 and never married, and Harriet Miers, 60 and never married, have known each other for 30 years and are -- to quote Hecht -- "very close friends. We dated some. The relationship has been close: Platonic... We go to dinner, I go to Washington for special things."
Posted by Olasky on Oct 3, 05 08:24 AM
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Harriet Miers -- pro, part 2 Miers has been a member of Valley View Christian Church in Dallas for 25 years, where Hecht has been an elder. He calls it a "conservative evangelical church... in the vernacular, fundamentalist, but the media have used that word to tar us." He says she was on the missions committee for ten years, taught children in Sunday School, made coffee, brought donuts: "Nothing she's asked to do in church is beneath her." On abortion, choosing his words carefully for an on-the-record statement, he says "her personal views are consistent with that of evangelical Christians... You can tell a lot about her from her decade of service in a conservative church."
Posted by Olasky on Oct 3, 05 08:23 AM ::
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Harriet Miers -- pro, part 3 Hecht says about Miers' judicial philosophy: "She's an orginalist -- that's the way she takes the Bible," and that's her approach to the Constitution as well -- "Originalist -- it means what it says." He notes that her legal practice involved writing contracts rather than tort law, so she was always looking at the plain meaning of the words: "Originalist." He also says she's not a social butterfly who will be swayed by Washington dinner table conversation: "She goes to the dinners she's supposed to go to. She's not on the social circuit."
Posted by Olasky on Oct 3, 05 08:22 AM
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Harriet Miers -- pro, part 4
Hecht says Miers never got married because she "probably worked too hard. She's close to her family, has a sister and three brothers, goes to her nephews' high school football games, bought a car for one of them." She "had a Catholic upbringing, had not been close to the church, it was off again, on again, then she came to a point in her life when she wanted to change that…. She made an abrupt change in 79 or 80. She was very hard-working and successful, she wanted new meaning, substance in her life.” Her father died when she was a freshman in college. "Look at her commitment in taking care of her [now 93-year-old mother] all these years. Look at her tax returns. She tithes, gave a full tithe to the church. Helps out in missions, Bible translation. These are the kinds of values she shows." Hecht and Miers "went to two or three prolife dinners in the late 80s or early 90s."
Posted by Olasky on Oct 3, 05 08:21 AM
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Harriet Miers -- pro, part 5
Questions are being raised about Harriet Miers' politics because published records show her making contributions of $1,000 to Lloyd Bentsen in 1987, Al Gore in 1988, and the Democratic National Committee that same year. Hecht says, "She was a Democrat years and years ago, in the early 80s." As far as the late 80s contributions, "If she did it, it was because the [law] firm made her do it." She is loyal to President Bush and he to her: "The president demands a lot. The people he's loyal to are productive." Miers and Laura Bush are "very close. Harriet just loves Laura, has the deepest respect for her. Laura has migrated in her faith, it’s stronger than when she got to Washington.”
Posted by Olasky on Oct 3, 05 08:20 AM
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Harriet Myers -- anti
Hecht's evaluation needs to be taken seriously, but here's one negative analysis from a lawyer who is a conservative Christian and worked with Harriet Miers in Texas (I agreed to go off-the-record with this lawyer, a credible person whose practice could be seriously hurt by this criticism of Miers): "Harriet could have become a conservative in Washington, but unless she did, she doesn’t have any particular judicial philosophy… I never heard her take a position on anything… We’ll have another Sandra Day O’Connor… Harriet worships the president and has called him the smartest man she’s known. She’s a pretty good lawyer…. This president can be bamboozled by anyone he feels close to. If a person fawns on him enough, is loyal, works 25 hours a day and says you’re the smartest man I ever met, all of a sudden you’re right for the Supreme Court."
Posted by Olasky on Oct 3, 05 08:19 AM
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Harriet Miers -- her pastor's view
I talked yesterday with Miers' pastor, Ron Key, who for 33 years (until a few weeks ago) was pastor of Valley View Christian Church in Dallas. “She started coming to church in 1980. She helped out with kids, made coffee, furnished donuts, served on missions committee. She worked out her faith in practical, behind-the-scenes ways. She doesn't draw attention to herself, she's humble, self-effacing." Key has still seen her in recent years because "her mother is 93. Harriet tries to get home as much as she can." When Key and Miers met in 1980, "I don’t know how strong her faith was at that time. She came to a place where she totally committed her life to Jesus. She had gone to church before, but when she came to our church it became more serious to her.... Our church is strong for life, but Harriet and I have not had any conversations on that…. We believe in the biblical approach to marriage."
Posted by Olasky on Oct 3, 05 08:18 AM
Oh yeah. Well, I'm an original originalist.
No, she's a tasty snack cake and a minty breath freshener!
I just can't stop grinning.
Didn't Sununu say the same thing about Souter? Forget I give up. The point is that we shouldn't have to play these games about who is telling the truth about her and who is not. It should be clear.
http://www.tnr.com/etc.mhtml?pid=2832
For instance economic conservatives pleased by her corporate law background may find it distressing that in 1990 Miers voted for a 7 percent property tax increase during her short tenure on the Dallas City Council. And Miers's long affiliation with the ABA will serve up lots of interesting tidbits that are unlikely to please social and legal conservatives. For instance, she apparently submitted the following report to the ABA's House of Delegates. Here are two of the report's recommendations:
Supports the enactment of laws and public policy which provide that sexual orientation shall not be a bar to adoption when the adoption is determined to be in the best interest of the child. ...
Recommends the development and establishment of an International Criminal Court.
You've posted this things again and again. Give us more than some selected opinions! Her judiciary track is non-existent!!!
Sununu wasn't POTUS, and Bush 41 had no idea who Souter was. That was the mistake there.
The only thing we know is that Bush has screwed the Republican Party! He has named a friend of his family.
Harriet is going to please conservatives more than Roberts.
It is Roberts I am worried about the most.
Harriet is for a ban on partial birth abortion.
Harriet tried to get the bar to stop being pro choice.
Harriet worked in a tort form law office.
Harriet worked with Bush to pick conservative judges for the circuit court bench.
This is what we get in terms of ringing endorsements?? It's like an Onion piece.
Where, where, where?! Give us any proof! She hasn't a track: What can you say about affirmative action, government spending, property right, gun right, abortion, death penalty?
I thought she was part of exodus of ministries to was against gay marraige.
I thought her views were those of strict constructionist.
I don't think there's any evidence that "she" was in favor of Gay adoption. The committee she chaired recommended...and she was only one vote amongst many.
No, she isn't. Even if this boy post these things many times, she remains very delusional.
No, she isn't. Even if this boy posts these things many times, she remains very delusional.
No, she isn't. Even if this boy posts these things many times, she remains very delusional.
W. has worked closely with this person for years.
Right, uh-huh. I'd like to hear her say that it was because the law firm made her do it, and while she's at it, explain why she switched parties. Has she ever made an attempt to do so, any time in the seventeen years since she last contributed to the Dems? If not, the most likely conclusion that suggests itself is that it was purely a political calculation for her career.
Well, the SCOTUS needs coffee and donuts...
How about you actually follow those links instead of eating up liberal propaganda. She was the chair of a committee which took in submitted reports which were to be presented at the delegates meeting. THOSE ARE NOT HER VIEWS.
Where did you read she was in favor of gay adoption and International Criminal Court. That would not make her a strict constructionist then.
I would change my mind then.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1495772/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1495754/posts
A couple of previous posts about this.
Just who do you expect would believe that he didn't know about the guy he was nominating for the job?
She is 15 years too old no matter what.
I expect everyone to believe it, mainly because Bush 41 said it himself. He trusted Sununu based on the guy's enthusiasm. He got burned.
I feel good about Harriet.
Alberto Gonzales would have been Horrible. I think we should count our blessings....
Nail hit on head.
Her mother is still alive so maybe she has good genes.
She also isn't married so we can expect her to be on the court for life like Renquist.
The only thing we know is that Bush knows her very well and that you are a troll.
Doesn't mean it's true. Could you really see yourself nominating someone you didn't know from a hole in the wall?
Besides, if Sununu, who marketed himself as a conservative, did know Souter and promoted him, how are we to know that any other politician who markets himself as a conservative is truly pushing a constitutionalist candidate?
Paul specifically taught on those who were called to the
single life as Christians...being able to give their all
to God and His service....vs those who had spouse and children
and who had to concern themselves with pleasing same...
Remaining single is a high calling in the Christian church
or at least it used to be...
There should really be no stigma attached to it...in fact
just the opposite...
At least according to St. Paul
The last one is that you're an idiot.
<<<<
You've posted this things again and again. Give us more than some selected opinions! Her judiciary track is non-existent!!!
>>>>
Can anyone tell me whether it is a MUST that someone nominated for the SCOTUS, MUST HAVE BEEN a JUDGE AT ALL ?
Is it a requirement that such experience must be in your resume before you can be nominated ?
Just asking.
I'll just repeat it.
She did not advocate for the ICC or for gay adoption. She was the chair of a committee which took in submitted reports which were to be presented at the delegates meeting. THOSE ARE NOT HER VIEWS.
You won't last long, troll.
When you have a number of liberal Northeastern Republicans in the Senate, I think a stealth candidate is the best option. I don't trust McCain and his crew.
You mean be happy that we're (supposedly) not getting completely screwed by a Republican President and Republican Senate? Talk about lowered expectations...
Thank you "inquest", maybe LENIN is unable to understand.
Nope.
Rehnquist wasn't.
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