Lisa Graves replied on Permalink
Facts you overlook
There are so many factual errors in your screed it is difficult to know where to begin.
But, your suggestion that anyone who disagrees with you is "socialist, Anti-American ilk infesting our great nation" underscores how futile it would try to open your eyes to the lies you have been peddled by FOX and the right-wing propaganda machine.
On the judicial issue, the empirical data demonstrates quite conclusively that it is the Republican presidents who have packed the courts, both numerically and ideologically with judges who are far to the right. A review of the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary bears out that thesis. While President Reagan imposed ideological litmus tests on judges as did his successor, President Clinton repudiated the ideological pendulum and appointed primarily people whose record demonstrates that they are moderates to the court. Clinton has been criticized actually for not trying to pack the courts and for not trying to impose an ideological ounterweight to 12 years of Reagan/Reagan/Bush appointments. Despite those efforts, Republicans still blocked more than 60 of his judicial appointees, denying them an "up or down vote." When George W. Bush became president he returned to his father's playbook and put forward one of the most radically right-wing slate of judges in U.S. history. Despite this, Democrats confirmed more than 200 of President Bush's judicial nominees in their 18 months in control of the Senate. That is more judicial confirmations than Republicans allowed during the entire first term (48 months) of President Obama's administration. And, again, these nominees were more moderate than his predecessor's nominees.
But, I doubt you'll let the facts get in the way of the disinformation you have been fed, although one can still hope that facts may help open a real dialogue.
Nevertheless, I would urge you to please consider that your fellow Americans generally care just as much about this country as you do, cherish our Constitution and democracy just as much as you say you do, and have just as much of a right as you do to their opinions about how to make the American dream more real for themselves, their children and their grandchildren. Just because they believe in having some retirement and health security to protect them from being homeless as they age, and benefit from payments they have made into these programs their whole working lives certainly does not make them communists or anti-American. Only in an Ayn Randian dystopia could a program like Social Security, which has helped millions of Americans -- many generations of Americans, probably your parents, grandparents, and possibly great grandparents -- survive as they age out of the workplace be somehow considered anti-American.
And, as for your claims of the nuclear threat faced by our Nation, the U.S. has hundreds if not thousands more nuclear warheads than any other nation on earth. To suggest it is irresponsible to call for some reduction in that armory in the face of these facts and when we have so many other pressing threats to our future is to ignore the reality of how much money is being squandered on unnecessary and wasteful defense programs to the detriment of our real national security and our economic future.
I hope you will reconsider your effort to smear your neighbors based on the disinformation that the radio or TV hosts you follow have been spewing.
