Free Republic

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...

Rehnquist Redux Why Ralph Neas and Ann Coulter are both wrong about John Roberts (SNIP) and on the Far Right Instead, let's turn, as my cousin-in-law probably did not, to "far-right wacko" Ann Coulter. The day after the nomination the columnist offered criticism of Judge Roberts from the right, calling the next justice, a "Souter in Roberts' clothing." Some conservatives might want to dismiss Ms. Coulter. Not me. She is always provocative (that is a good thing), and a powerful writer. In questioning whether Judge Roberts will be the kind of justice whose rulings will reflect the values of social...

An organized and well-funded coalition of liberal interest groups is prepared to launch a hard-hitting, unified campaign of attack, unprecedented in its scope, against any truly conservative nominee President Bush puts forth for the Supreme Court. As anticipation of a Supreme Court vacancy grew over the past few months—culminating with the July 1 resignation of Sandra Day O’Connor—leaders of liberal activist groups gathered at weekly strategy meetings in Washington, D.C., to plan their attack.Depending on whom Bush nominates—an announcement is now expected in late July—the coalition of groups is prepared to collaborate and instantly take aim at the nominee. “Within...

E-mail Author Author Archive Send to a Friend Version July 06, 2005, 9:31 a.m. Big Corporations Finance the War on Bush's Judges Why are they contributing to People for the American Way? The liberal advocacy group People for the American Way (PFAW), which has sought to kill a number of President Bush's judicial nominations in recent years, is preparing to play a leading role in opposing the president's nominee for a place on the Supreme Court. But what few people know is that PFAW will do its work financed, in part, by several of the country's leading public —...

On April 29 and 30, liberal activists gathered in New York City for a weekend conference on "Examining the Real Agenda of the Religious Far Right." The program consisted of speeches with alarmist titles like "The Rise of Dominionism in U.S. Government," "Is an Unholy American Theocracy Here?," "Christian Jihad," and "Fundamentalism: The Fear and The Rage." There were no conservative Christians on the program. The conference was sponsored by People for the American Way, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and the National Council of Churches (NCC), along with the left-wing periodicals The Nation and The...

FROM MOVEON.ORG The power grab has failed! Last night, 14 senators struck a deal that, for now, takes the nuclear option off the table. It's a big blow for Bill Frist and the radical right, and a win for democracy. Join us at 8pm ET/5pm PT for a call with Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid, the MoveOn staff, and other members nation-wide. Join online or get the conference call number here. Dear MoveOn member, President Bush, Bill Frist and the radical right-wing of the Republican Party have failed in their attempt to seize absolute power over the courts. Together, we've...

For Immediate Release: 10/21/2003 Judicial Nominee Janice Rogers Brown - To the Right of Thomas and Scalia California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown, nominated by President Bush to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, has a record of ideological extremism and aggressive judicial activism that makes her unfit to serve on the appeals court. Remarkably, her judicial philosophy puts her even further to the right than the most far-right justices now sitting on the U.S. Supreme Court, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. In August, People For the American Way and the NAACP released a...

" Dear Activist, We’re down to the wire—and we’re going to need IMMEDIATE response to stop Senator Frist when he attempts to trigger the “nuclear option” to shut down debate about judicial nominees. So, we’re trying something new and groundbreaking—and we need you to be part of it.It’s called Mass Immediate Response (MIR) and it allows thousands of people to contact the Senate and make their voices heard all at the same time. Here’s how it works: As soon as Senate Republicans trigger the “nuclear option,” we’ll send a text message to your cell phone. Embedded in that text message...

A federal court in New York last month dismissed a lawsuit alleging that the Bible contains passages that are defamatory toward members of certain nationalities or ethnic groups. The court summed up the plaintiffs' claims as follows:"[P]laintiffs claim to be persons who are "injured and/or libeled and/or defamed and/or slandered and/or embarrassed, and/or humiliated and/or degraded and/or abused, and/or discriminated against" by the Holy Bible. The complaint lists eight passages from Scripture, specifically from the Book of Genesis, which are purportedly "false and libelous against plaintiffs herein since according to the 'Holy Bible' plaintiffs herein should not have existed, and/or...