Free Republic

Dear xxxx, The results of Tuesday's elections in Maine, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Washington were a mixed bag but there are some clear lessons we can learn. Voters rejected right-wing radicalism. Democrats who fail to stand up for Democratic and progressive principles fail in elections. The Right's lies still work. Despite the stinging loss for marriage equality in Maine, evidence elsewhere shows voters moving towards support of equality for all Americans. The Far Right strengthened its grip on the Republican Party. We have a lot of work to do to educate people, expose right-wing lies and counter the...

Dear xxxxxx, This past weekend, at the urging of FOX News mouthpiece Glenn Beck, tens of thousands of tea baggers, birthers and other right-wing conspiracy theorists descended on Washington DC, many to show off their extreme hatred of President Obama and Democratic congressional leaders. Among the signs, characterizing the president as everything from a nazi to an illegal immigrant to the Antichrist, more than a few were spotted hailing Rep. Joe Wilson as a new hero of the right-wing extremist movement for his infamous "You lie!" outburst during the president's recent congressional address. One sign even read, "We Are All...

Without realizing it, I have apparently evolved – or been promoted. Instead of being just an average, everyday garden variety Republican, I am suddenly one of “them.” Without application or initiation, I now have a “hard line” membership with the far right – and the astonishing thing is, I didn’t have to do a damn thing to receive it, sort of like a President Obama tax “cut.” No longer am I just a middling conservative, or a meager traditionalist. I am an honest-to-goodness, above-board extremist now. How cool is that? I honestly thought there’d be more work involved in earning...

Norman Lear: New Right Will Emerge November 7, 2008 Jim Meyers TV producer Norman Lear has warned, the Republican Party will “take a hard turn to the extreme right.” Lear, co-founder of People For the American Way, wrote: “With the right in its new role as ‘the opposition,’ get ready to see an invigorated right-wing grassroots, media and organizational infrastructure.” Lear — whose TV shows included “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” — asserted that the The Heritage Foundation “is already digging in its heels saying they will not let President-elect Obama bring about the change he's promised.” The...

TV producer Norman Lear has co-signed an e-mail warning fellow liberals that with Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, the Republican Party will “take a hard turn to the extreme right.” Lear, co-founder of People For the American Way, and the organization’s president, Kathryn Kolbert, wrote: “With the right in its new role as ‘the opposition,’ get ready to see an invigorated right-wing grassroots, media and organizational infrastructure.” Kolbert and Lear — whose TV shows included “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” — asserted that the The Heritage Foundation “is already digging in its heels saying...

TV producer Norman Lear has co-signed an e-mail warning fellow liberals that with Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, the Republican Party will “take a hard turn to the extreme right.” Lear, co-founder of People For the American Way, and the organization’s president, Kathryn Kolbert, wrote: “With the right in its new role as ‘the opposition,’ get ready to see an invigorated right-wing grassroots, media and organizational infrastructure.” Kolbert and Lear — whose TV shows included “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” — asserted that the The Heritage Foundation “is already digging in its heels saying...

TV producer Norman Lear has co-signed an e-mail warning fellow liberals that with Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, the Republican Party will “take a hard turn to the extreme right.” Lear, co-founder of People For the American Way, and the organization’s president, Kathryn Kolbert, wrote: “With the right in its new role as ‘the opposition,’ get ready to see an invigorated right-wing grassroots, media and organizational infrastructure.” Kolbert and Lear — whose TV shows included “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” — asserted that the The Heritage Foundation “is already digging in its heels saying...

Press Release: Barack Obama Tuesday, November 8, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE On Election Day, Obama Introduces Legislation to Prevent Election Fraud WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) Tuesday introduced legislation to protect Americans from using tactics that intimidate voters and prevent them from exercising their rights on Election Day. Obama's legislation, the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2005, would make it illegal for anyone to knowingly attempt to prevent others from exercising his or her right to vote by providing deceptive information and would require the Attorney General to fully investigate these allegations. The legislation would...

I need your help today so that People For the American Way can do what we do best... turn back the Religious Right! Dear xxxxxx, Whether the Religious Right succeeds in writing homophobic discrimination into the Constitution of our most populous state is up to us... and what we do in the next 30-90 days. With just three months to go before Election Day, the Right's pouring millions of dollars into their effort to roll back marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples by passing Proposition 8 in California. I really need you to help with a donation so we...

The Huckabee Surge Proud "Freeper" at Home with the Religious Right When Huckabee is speaking before a Religious Right audience, he likes to remind them that he appears “not as one who comes to you but as one who comes from you.” And that’s not just a politician’s rhetorical flourish. Huckabee is an ordained minister with degrees from Ouachita Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. One of his first jobs was staff assistant for televangelist James Robison, a fiery orator and early advocate of conservative Christian involvement in politics. Huckabee served as pastor of several Baptist congregations during the...

Mike Huckabee's triumph in Iowa is being felt in Washington. The left-leaning advocacy group People For the American Way today released a statement this afternoon on the Arkansas Republican's win in the caucus. Long story short: Don't be fooled by a few folksy one-liners, PFAW says: If there were any doubts that Religious Right voters are still a powerful force in the Republican Party, Mike Huckabee’s huge win in Iowa put them to rest. Huckabee’s rise was built on fervent grassroots organizing by Religious Right activists who embraced him as their dream candidate, even as the movement’s national leaders kept...

The left-leaning advocacy group People For the American Way today released a statement this afternoon on the Arkansas Republican's win in the caucus. Long story short: Don't be fooled by a few folksy one-liners, PFAW says: If there were any doubts that Religious Right voters are still a powerful force in the Republican Party, Mike Huckabee’s huge win in Iowa put them to rest. Huckabee’s rise was built on fervent grassroots organizing by Religious Right activists who embraced him as their dream candidate, even as the movement’s national leaders kept their distance while making calculations on electability. Huckabee has pledged...

Dear xxxxxx, We did it. You did it. You Changed the Map! Yesterday, Virginia voters elected a Democratic majority state Senate. The activism of Virginia PFAW members was crucial, and so was the support of PFAW members across the country who made donations to these races through People For the American Way Action Fund's -- our connected 527 organization -- ActBlue Map Changers page. PFAW Action Fund targeted four close races with the goal of flipping party control of the Virginia Senate. This was part of an ongoing strategy to make sure right-wing, Republican majorities do not control the redistricting...

A months-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling quickly weakened the ability of taxpayers to sue government for violating the separation of church and state, legal experts say. The court ruled in June that taxpayers could not sue over executive branch spending that allegedly promoted religion. The 5-4 decision dismissed a lawsuit by the Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation that challenged President Bush's faith-based initiative.Taxpayers only have the standing to sue when Congress specifically authorizes money for religious purposes, Justice Samuel Alito wrote. Otherwise, courts would be clogged with cases complaining about the day-to-day activities of government employees, he wrote. At the...

We picked up 12 seats in the legislature. It just shows what a good gerrymander can do. -- U.S. Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA), quoted in an 11/07/01 CNSN article on the 2001 Virginia state elections Dear SOS, Virginia's state elections are right around the corner and you have a chance to make a long-term impact on how well Virginians are represented in Congress. The state legislators who are elected in the "class of '07" will have a say in the state's redistricting process following the 2010 census. Right now, Republicans control both chambers of the legislature, and if nothing changes,...

Finally, Alberto Gonzales has resigned from his post as "Enabler General" for the imperial Bush presidency. Good riddance. THANK YOU to the tens of thousands of PFAW activists who joined the "Gonzales Must Go" petition, and who continued to take action to keep the pressure on since March, when we first called for Gonzales' resignation. Now, we have a unique opportunity to clean up the Department of Justice, but it's going to require strong backbone from senators, and grassroots support from you to make sure the Senate does its job. Tell your senators that they must insist on an attorney...

Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:25:00 -0700 Subject: Send Ann Coulter a message. From: "People For the American Way" PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY August 15, 2007 Stand up to Ann Coulter's divisive hatemongering. Please kick in $5 to support Xavier's progressive student groups and as much as you can for People For's efforts to track, refute and defeat the Radical Right. Dear xxxxxx, On September 6, Ann Coulter will be speaking at Xavier University in Ohio. You can help turn her hatemongering against her, and the rest of the Far Right. Here's how. People For is teaming up with...

Ralph Neas of People for the American Way is guest-blogging this week at Time Magazine's Swampland, in case you want to let him know what's on your mind. Anyone can leave comments on his entries, but please only post civil comments and questions lest they start deleting comments or requiring registration.

When did Americans begin to take the Constitution for granted? When did our vision for justice blur so dangerously? As activists and Americans, every day we gaze, gawk, and stare at a President who defies the values we hold dearest. Some of us are angry. Others terrified. Many of us are both. And yet as members of People For the American Way, we can repair our battered Constitution. We can fight off President Bush's coming assaults on the Constitution. We can see a better way. It takes vision. And it takes action. If you're angry or terrified or share our...

The House Judiciary Committee did its constitutional duty yesterday by voting to hold Josh Bolten and Harriet Miers in contempt of Congress. That's because, under orders from President Bush, they have flat-out ignored subpoenas and refused to cooperate with the investigation into the U.S. Attorney scandal. Our petition calling on Congress to hold chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers in contempt received over 20,000 signatures in less than 24 hours! Sign the petition! Demand that the full House hold them in contempt! Congress has a responsibility to oversee the executive branch and the president....

IN the old Shel Silverstein cartoon, two inmates stand side by side, spread-eagled and shackled hand and foot to the wall of a windowless and impossibly tall prison cell. One turns his head and says to the other, hopefully: “Now here’s my plan.” Liberals talking about the Supreme Court in recent days are a bit like those cellmates — both in the dire nature of their plight, now that the conservative victory at the court has revealed itself in full dimension, and in their belief that there must be something they can do about it. Political activists within the liberal...

“What PFAW’s review reveals is a lawyer who too often allows his legal judgment to be driven by his close relationship with the President rather than adherence to the law or the Constitution. The risk that such lack of independence poses … is simply too great to warrant [Gonzales’] confirmation.” -- Ralph G. Neas, January 4, 2005 “[Gonzales] has never stopped being consigliere to Mr. Bush’s imperial presidency.” -- The New York Times Editorial Page, March 11, 2007 The evidence of AG Gonzales’ failure has piled up too high and cannot be ignored any longer. If you agree that Gonzales...

A former diplomat, a past president, some actors and some rockers convene to raise money and awareness. Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong mingled with former diplomat Joseph C. Wilson IV and his wife, outed CIA operative Valerie Plame. Comedian George Lopez tried to rouse support for gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides. (Not an easy task these days among some members of the celebrity set.) And former president Bill Clinton came to town to raise money for the Democrats. There's been so much going on in Hollywood this week, you needed that cloning doctor from "Multiplicity" to keep up with it all...

Former Clinton political hitman James Carville, who recently touted New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for a 2008 presidential run, is reportedly behind an advertising campaign attacking President Bush for his 1990 sale of Harken Energy stock as well as his ties to the oil industry in general. American Family Voices, a group described by the New York Times as "secretive," has paid to run a 30-second commercial on cable news programs in Washington, D.C., and in New York through Thursday. The ad blasts President Bush as "sly like a fox" for talking down his dealings with Harken Energy, which Democrats...

Is there an effort in your state, locality or neighborhood school to introduce creationism or sideline evolution in the science classroom? If so, this toolkit was made for you.Unlike private schools, public schools are intended to provide an education to every child, regardless of religion or creed. You have a right to expect that religious activists will not be able to use public school curricula to promote the beliefs of particular religious traditions in ways that are unconstitutional and that undermine scientific education.Activists are increasingly targeting science education with attempts to ban the teaching of the theory of evolution, or...

Dear xxxxx, If you want to protect voting rights and share our outrage at the Ohio Secretary of State’s tactics, please show your support with a secure online contribution. Make a tax-deductible contribution of $35, $50 or more to register voters and end voter suppression in Ohio. --Sharon J. Lettman Thank you. With your support, People For the American Way Foundation continues to help protect the vote in Ohio by registering new voters in historically disenfranchised communities and fighting back against Secretary of State Ken Blackwell’s voter suppression tactics. The response so far has been overwhelming with donations topping $25,000....

Dear MoveOn member, We all know the right wing dominates the media: they have think tanks full of "experts," and a whole media echo chamber to amplify their "talking points." But we can counter their well-funded machine with grassroots action. When MoveOn members organize events around the country, we can inject a progressive viewpoint into the news. But doing it successfully takes a bit of skill. That's why you're invited to an innovative new training program designed to give progressives the skills to get media coverage. The Center for Progressive Leadership (CPL) Action Network, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, has set...

In the May 5 American Way we announced a new site – www.WikiThePresidency.org – set up to allow the general public to keep an ongoing record of White House wrongdoing for all to see. After many of you jumped in to start adding content, our server provider's hard drive irreparably failed and we were told no backups were made. Well we’ve put it back up – on a new server maintained by a great new vendor. We’ve also returned as much content from the previous incarnation as possible, but we urge you to return and help compile a complete Bush...

{Link provided in the above header}Based on the same technology as the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.org, this site allows members of the public to add and edit topics and content. Those of you who wish to add or change content in order to improve this resource, please observe these two simple rules: 1. Post factual claims – this is intended to be a public resource not an op-ed page, so we ask that you refrain from posting your own commentary;2. Provide links to supporting material – all factual claims should be supported with links to sources widely regarded as credible (either...

PFAW Voters Alliance Calls on RNC to Repudiate Hate-Fueled Congressional Campaign; Statement of PFAW Voters Alliance President 5/3/2006 4:24:00 PM WASHINGTON, May 3 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a statement by People For the American Way Voters Alliance President Ralph G. Neas, on North Carolina Republican congressional candidate Vernon Robinson: "There is no room in mainstream politics for Vernon Robinson's bigotry and scapegoating. The Republican National Committee should immediately repudiate his tactics, demand that he pull his current radio ad ( http://vernonrobinson.com/media/miller_mariachi.mp3 ), and withhold all forms of support and urge Republicans to do the same. "It may be...

February 16, 2006 Allies in Action: In cooperation with PFAW, MoveOn.org is holding Constitution Vigils on February 22 to bear witness to the President's law breaking. Find a vigil near you or host one yourself ! On the Ground: Check out our new activist toolkit for ways you can get involved in our campaign for the Constitution! PFAW.org/go/IllegalSpying Call for Special Prosecutor The Bush administration has brought the country to the brink of a constitutional crisis with its disregard for the people's elected representatives and the laws they enact. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' refusal to answer a host of key...

A coalition of liberal groups and teachers’ unions -- including the ACLU, People For the American Way and the National Education Association -- is denouncing David Horowitz’s new book, The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America. The coalition, dubbed “Free Exchange on Campus,” calls the book a blacklist of 101 professors. A press release attacking the book was distributed on Collegiate Presswire and posted as a review on Amazon.com. "The book is purposefully misleading," said Kathy Sproles, president of the National Education Association's National Council for Higher Education. “Mr. Horowitz claims to be protecting the classroom, but most...

Democrats don't need hearings Jan 23, 2006 by Kay Daly Judging from the microseconds between President Bush’s announcement of Samuel Alito to be the next Supreme Court Justice and the hysterical howls from the multitude of leftist organizations in the quickly formed anti-Alito chorus, it is clear that no matter how Judge Alito performed in the hearings, the Left would not be remotely interested in a fair confirmation process. It has been this way since the beginning of the Bush administration. President Bush’s hand was barely off the Bible in his first term when liberal legal activists, such as Abner...

Your Invited to Help Save Our Democracy A colloquium to rescue our democracy from the far right on Saturday, January 21, 2006. BUY TICKETS NOW! Dear Stuck on Stupid, On January 21st, People For the American Way Foundation, along with the New Democracy Project, Demos, and The Nation , will co-host Saving Our Democracy: A Colloquium to Rescue Our Democracy from the Far Right. This is an all day event, from 9:00am to 5:30pm, and will feature keynote addresses from Congressman John Conyers and Professor Sean Wilentz, author of the The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln, and eight...

[BACKGROUND]Supreme Court Nominee Samuel Alito touted membership in reactionary organization People For the American Way has requested access to the records of Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP) stored at the Library of Congress in the archive of former National Review publisher William Rusher. The records should shed more light on the activities and ideology of the highly controversial organization and could sharpen questions about why Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito touted his membership in the group when applying for a promotion to a high level job in the Reagan Justice Department. The records are held at the Library of Congress...

On the brink of his confirmation hearings, Judge Samuel Alito still has the backing of the American people for his selection to the Supreme Court according to every major poll, the Washington Times reports today. With the nation's political attention diverted by the NSA intercepts and the Abramoff plea, it's unlikely that Alito opponents will get much media oxygen to reverse it before testimony begins next Monday: Despite a major coordinated campaign, liberal interest groups have failed to convince the American public that the Senate should reject Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. Every major poll indicates that far...

(This is the fourth installment in my series, begun January 2005, about the campaign to bowdlerize religion from American culture) There has been a backlash by some conservative pundits and commentators against the trend to eliminate Christmas from the holiday lexicon. Their campaign is having an effect as people – who realized there was this trend to eliminate Christmas yet thought that they were being too dogmatic or fanatical – now realize it is those who want to eliminate Christmas who are the fanatics. The campaign to eliminate religion from public life is not new. It is a doctrine that...

According to sources with ties to third-party groups opposing the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel Alito, the Knight Ridder newspaper analysis of Judge Alito's judicial record -- which ran in many of the papers operated by KR -- mirrors analysis that was pulled together by staff of People for the American Way, Alliance for Justice, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, all groups that are coordinating their anti-Alito efforts. "The analysis and cases are similar to what we pulled together in the first week of the nomination. Some, but not all of the same cases, that kind of...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 - It is the time of year when bedtime stories and television specials often recall the plucky reindeer and the little girl of Whoville who managed to save Christmas. This year, some conservative groups are hoping to add a new name to that pantheon of heroes: Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., the Supreme Court nominee. "Liberal groups like People for the American Way and the A.C.L.U. have opposed public Christmas and Hanukkah displays and even fought to keep Christmas carols out of school," declares a radio commercial paid for by the conservative Committee for Justice beginning Monday...

It looks like the third time was the charm for the Federalist Society. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has long been an active participant in the conservative legal society, an influential group that sometimes goes to great lengths to play down its influence. Alito has been a member for at least 15 years and has spoken before both the national organization and its student chapters on a number of occasions. That's a welcome change for the group after the last two Supreme Court nominations: -John Roberts, the new chief justice, is well-liked by Federalist Society members but belatedly denied he'd...

PFAW's Save The Court Campaign" PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY October 31, 2005 Bush Nominates Alito for Supreme Court Dear Senators, The Senate must reject President Bush's attempt to reward right-wing special interests by nominating Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court of the United States. Alito's record as an ideological activist makes his confirmation a threat to civil rights protections, reproductive and privacy rights, environmental protections, religious liberty, and laws safeguarding workers. I urge you to vote not to confirm Samuel Alito to a lifetime position on the Supreme Court of the United States. Click here to add your...

For two publicity-craving liberal talk hosts looking to milk recent circumstances, results are so far mixed. Ed Schultz thought he had a deal to broadcast to U.S. soldiers, but the Pentagon now says otherwise.In part one here, Fargo, North Dakota-based Ed Schultz is reaping a mini-whirlwind of press attention, for making unsubstantiated claims against Armed Forces Radio. Possibly in response to a Democrat-led push for greater ideological programming "balance" on global military broadcasts, the Ed Schultz show was, in theory at least, to begin Monday. Instead, his nationally syndicated program was halted before even a single airing. Was it ever...

Reid Pushed By Liberal Groups In Opposing Judge Roberts: "The Senate Democratic Leader, Harry Reid Of Nevada, Said ... That He Would Oppose The Confirmation Of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. As Chief Justice, Surprising Both The White House And Fellow Democrats Still Conflicted About How To Vote." (Sheryl Gay Stolberg and David D. Kirkpatrick, "Top Democrat Says He'll Vote No On Roberts," The New York Times, 9/21/05) "'He Got The Message Loud And Clear, Didn't He?' Kim Gandy, President Of The National Organization For Women, Said Of Mr. Reid On Tuesday." (Sheryl Gay Stolberg and David D. Kirkpatrick, "Top...

People For American Way Seeks $1 Million to 'Save' the Supreme Court Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005 6:58 p.m. EDT In a desperate last-ditch effort to thwart President Bush’s nomination of John Roberts as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, People For the American Way is seeking $1 million in contributions to "save” the Court. The left-wing organization, co-founded by TV producer Norman Lear, has sent out an e-mail letter to potential contributors, signed by the group’s president Ralph G. Neas. "The battle we knew we would face is here,” the letter begins. "With John Roberts nominated for Chief Justice and...

...Elevating Judge Roberts to Chief was a logical decision, both politically and on the merits. The Senate and media have been investigating the nominee since July, and have found superlatives with nary a negative. The Judge is in a position to be rapidly confirmed.... More importantly, what we have learned about Judge Roberts suggests that he shares Chief Justice Rehnquist's judicial philosophy. If Mr. Bush now follows with the nomination of an equally distinguished conservative for the Court's second opening, the Roberts Court will be able to continue the legal restoration that the late Chief Rehnquist began.... That historic mission...

“The fact that far left groups like NARAL and People for the American Way (PFAW) would smear Judge Roberts with outlandish inaccuracies to advance their political agenda, is hardly newsworthy. Ralph Neas and Company have been railing against the President's nominee before one was even nominated. The only group that should be truly concerned with PFAW’s report is the Sierra Club, given how much paper was wasted to print this dishonest and disingenuous report.” Tracey Schmitt, Press Secretary PFAW Attacked Roberts Selection Five Minutes Before President George W. Bush’s Official Announcement:People For The American Way Issued A Press Release Denouncing...

The controlling arm of the Demokratic National Committee has issued a jihad against John Roberts. In conspiracy with People for the "American" Way, MoveOn.Org has emailed their members with their marching orders. I suspect their effort at rallying the Blue State Hate America First crowd will fall flat on its face. Here's their Email with links as needed: From : Ben Brandzel, MoveOn.org Political Action Sent : Wednesday, August 24, 2005 2:36 PM To : "H. Greeley" Subject : Take your questions straight to John Roberts Dear MoveOn member, In less than 2 weeks the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin...

How the left's unsuccessful attempt to invoke the legal culture of the 1970s has led to an increasingly desperate effort to distort John Roberts's record.WHAT A PLEASURE it has been to read the excerpts from the Reagan-era memos of John Roberts served up by the mainstream media. First, they confirm Roberts' status as a solid conservative. Insisting, for example, that civil rights laws are about promoting a colorblind society, Roberts opposed racial quotas in hiring and promotion, court ordered busing of students, and congressional redistricting intended to create a pre-ordained number of "safe" seats for minority politicians. He denounced a...

A coalition of liberal special-interest groups is settling on three major criticisms of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts that it hopes will resonate with two key Democratic constituencies: African-Americans and women. The coalition, which includes nearly 90 organizations, is organized by Ralph Neas, president of People for the American Way, whom conservatives view as the mastermind behind the opposition to President Bush’s judicial nominees. By targeting Roberts on issues of importance to blacks and women, the interest groups will make it difficult for Democrats not to pose a strong challenge to Roberts during the Senate confirmation process. So far, Democratic...

In a televised interview originally aired on July 2, 2000 that was replayed Sunday on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, John Roberts said three important court rulings striking down limits on reproductive choice, defending church-state separation, and upholding the Miranda decision, made "a compelling case that we do not have a very conservative Supreme Court." Roberts said Court decisions overturning a state ban on specific abortion procedures, holding unconstitutional organized prayer at public school activities, and upholding the Miranda's ruling were defeats for conservatives. Roberts praised the Court ruling upholding the Boy Scouts' ban on gay scoutmasters. People For the...