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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2005)
mmentáry Wednesday. Oct. 12, 2005 ' ClacRaiPaS Pf jilt 3 ace Off: Is Miers a good choice? jnyism and favors want in Bush Ministration .However, there is .some dis sent on the Right about the selection of Harriet Miers. This has been more shocking than her nomination. Apparently the Republicans feel, like me, that she is not qualified for the job.. Maybe the GOP is finally real izing that Bush doesn’t make smart decisions in hiring or promoting. Well, that’s what I thought until I read some more about Miers. Apparently, she has served as a mouth piece for George W. Bush ever since he was Christian and joined up with a very conservative church. Now* why do the neo-cons hate her so mtich? I can understand why Pat Buchanan doesn’t like her. He’s an actual conservative that has never liked Bush’s policies or decisions. • My only guess as' to why the Right is having problems with her is that it’s just a ruse. They’re onlysaying these things to get the Dems to think that maybe she really is a good choice. Well my fellow Democrats, please don’t fall for the trap (if that’s what this is). I haven’t had much faith.in the Democrats for a while now, just like I lost faith in the Republicans. Miers will probably get approved ho mat ter what, because even if some Republicans don’t vote for her, I know a lot of Democrats will. I’m just glad to see a divide in the Republicans over some- thing. Maybe the true conser vatives w i 11 final- i y I She used to be Bush’s Inal lawyer and was part of liggest law firm in Texas. L ally came as no surprise. I from Texas and a friend lush with no experience. Ine else see a trend? Governor of Texas. She worked for Bush in the White House as Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary. Who nominates a secretary to become a justice?. In the ‘70s she became an Evangelical speak up and say that the Bush administration is not conserva tive? I’m not a staunch con servative. I just miss actual conservatism just like I miss actual liberalism. What really steams me about this nomination is the lack of experience. She doesn’t have a paper trail we can look at to figure her out. The only paper trail she has just leads us to her strong ties with Bush and major corporations. Roberts didn’t answer questions; now with Miers, we get somebody who probably won’t answer any questions ami also has absolutely no experience being a judge. Please Mr. President, stop hiring your “buddies” and get some people with actu al experience. You remember what happened with “Bfownie,” right? At least the other justices we’ve had who weren’t judges previously were constitutional scholars or lawyers. Miers is neither. Ira will balance Political leaders like Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and Chairman of the Free Congress Foundation Paul Weyrich have had little if anything to say that is nega tive. It’s not that uncommon for Evangelical Christians to stray from traditional party lines and support an issue that may be viewed as liberal or not con servative, such as sending aid to Africa, the international sex trade, and global warming.f Bush had an opportunity to divide -this country, by nomi nating someone like Clarence Thomas or Antonin Scalia, both card-carrying conservatives. Instead he saw an opportunity to do something decent for this country by nominating a female who may prove to be judicially and ideologically like Justice David H. Souter. •Since so little is known about her past, how can we be sure Bush isn’t‘sending the United States into a judicial quagmire? My answer is to use religion bites to attempt to stimu late the grass-roots side of conservatism. Many pundits are now tout ing Miers’ religion and it seems to be working, as slow as it may be. One aspect of Bush’s nomination is giving me some trepidation. | Conservative radio talk show host James Dobson recent ly received a “confidential briefing” from Karl Rove, the president’s chief politi cal advisor. The information Dobson received caused him to agree with Bush’s decision to nominate Miers. The ques tion that arises is why , sena tors haven’t received the same information, seeing as how it’s up to the Senate to approve Bush’s nominations. Harriet Miers is a good nom ination. She is a good Christian with good morals and she will view the constitution in a way that will thwart any legislation from the bench. I’m optimistic. yo Stalnaker ¡Clackamas Print le would think George I would have learned his In about hiring inexperi- H staff. Well, his nomina- ■f Harriet Miers to replace Ira Day O’Connor proves Isn’t * ■ ers ■never I a ■ and I long-, ■friend •of Photo illustration by Jeff Sorensen Clackamas Print Visticmity and secu- i Sam Krause lion Editor ■ Sliers’ nomination as 5Sandra Day O’Connor’s ement is an astounding 'by the Bush administra- jiat the judicial system i balance. y-%.. i '■* ks ’ past as a lawyer close flush family, and specifi- our current president, is istrative of the conserva- pat a strong judicial sys- ieeds to exercise: a strict fetation of the constitu- don’t see Miers’ ►elical Christian faith as flag because I am opti- i. Some Evangelicals, many Democrats, have aded positively to Miers. — spir- itu- a 1 i t y against the righ teous right in the country, reach across the aisle and have faith in the president - no matter how lukewarm you may feel to the idea of another Supreme Court Justice nominated by a Bush family member. If there is any luck, Harriet Miers may end up just like O’Connor as a crucial swing vote for conservatives as well as liberals — specifically with Miers, narnet regards to abortion.^ Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht used to attend church with Miers. Hecht’s view on Bush’s nominee is clear. “She’s an originalist - that’s the way she takes the Bible and that’s her approach to the constitution as well.” But many conservatives have said virtually the same pre packaged one-liners and sound (a trina: FEMA’s foibles vs. Blanco's blunders , . — ■ labe Stone lii ickamas Print . In the aftermath of Hurricane Irina, all the finger-pointing and ¿wringing obviously didn’t help ffleismuch.Democrats,intheirbi| ivemme it fantasies, put the blame uarely on the Federal Emergency ffigei .'nt Agency. Republicans re eager to deflect criticism ning towards the White House Louisiana Governor Kathleen anco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, both Democrats «dentally. They targeted some of eir favorite government agencies for example, the Corporation for blic Broadcasting - for termina- n to help fund relief efforts. Both, of course, .can be served i with a heaping helping of blame, I with all levels of government suf- fering from paralyzing and incred- ible ineptitude First responders to disasters have traditionally been local and state authorities because, quite possibly, they are closer and as Americans we believe in federalism. By law, the federal government can’t step in unless asked'by the governor. Blanco dropped file ball getting multi-state National Guard assis- lance while she and Nagin were at odds on how to save their own people. Controversy has swirled around Nagin’s failure to follow New Orleans’own disaster plan and why all those school buses stood idle, Nagin contends no one was there to drive the buses. Where’s foe Guard when you need them? The federal act outlining FEMA’s mission says it is "to provide an orderly and continuing means of assistance ... to State and local governments in carrying out Rouge area residents. Let’s not their responsibilities to alleviate the forget everyone’s favorite former suffering and damage which result FEMA director and horse judge from such disasters.” They were Michael Brown, who had no emer- intended to be coordinators and gency management experience. facilitators, not the first (and last) FEMA’s previous director, Joe ii responders. Allbaugh, Bush’s campaign man However, FEMA’s preparations agerin 2000, recommended his col for Katrina paled in comparison to lege buddy Brown for his job, and Hurricane Rita, and it seemed they now is working for a Halliburton suffered from the same stultifying subsidiary. . confusion that local authorities did, FEMA also subsidizes cheap resulting from a byzantine bureau- insurance for rebuilding where peo- fH cratic boondoggle that failed thou- pie probably shouldn’t build in the sands of Americans. first place. Even worse, 75 percent More troubling, however, is its of its 2006 disaster preparedness history of wasting taxpayer money grants are targeted towards terror- and being a dumping ground for- ism, not natural or nuclear disas political cronies. When Hurricane ters, according to a Government Lili hit Louisiana in 2002. an Accountability Office report. analysis by the South Florida Sun- FEMA is already in the middle of a Sentinel revealed that FEMA gave storm; it needs to change direction $15.4 million to unaffected Baton before it runs aground. Photo illustration by Jeff Sorensen Clackamas Print Clackamas Print 9600 S. Molalla Ave. regon City, OR 97045 03) 657-6958 ex. 2309 he C lackamas Print is a weekly student publication and is' • tributed every Wednesday except finals week.' C o -E dttors - in -C hief : Ben Maras, James Tombe C opy E ditors : Katie Weinberg, E. E. West N ews E ditor : Katie Wilson C ommentary E ditors : Rev. Sam Krause, Laura Cameron F eature E ditor : C.J. Ciaramella ' S ports E ditor : N. P. Delzell A&E E ditor : Jadon Triplett P hoto E ditor : Jeff Sorensen A d M anager : (Your name here!) S taff W riters : Frank Jordan, Matthew Olsen, Tayo Stalnaker, Courtney O'Byme, Mike Guidice, Jimi McDonnell, Gabe Stone, Joe Piazzisi, Megan Koler, Kimberly Maier, Elizabeth Hitz, Adam Manley P roduction A ssistants : Christina. Copeland, Megan Koler, Tayo Stalnaker, Kyle Steele P hotographers : Andy Zehrung D epartment A dvisor : Linda Vogt D epartment A ssistant : Pat Lichen G oals : The C lackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased, professional manner. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the stu dent body college administration, its faculty or The Print. E-mail comments to chiefed@dackamas; edu. ■
