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.
■