Randall Terry vs. Sonia Sotomayor

Browsing about Judge Sonia Sotomayor, I came a Post on a Forum I had not visited before, it is named 'ff free though forum', it has the following entry that I thought other people should read, it was posted by The Lone Ranger and he really washes Randall Terry's filthy laundry.

People as Randall is what passes today as Christianity, this malady is what we confront today, it is monstrous, sick, warped and deadly, this is what we are facing, but the real crime is that there is a legion of Hatemongers on the Media giving air space so sickos like Terry can spew their hatefully pernicious messages.

Randall Terry of "Operation Rescue" spoke locally yesterday. He was urging people to oppose Sonia Sotomayor's appointment to the Supreme Court. If he gave any specific reasons to oppose her nomination, the local paper didn't mention them.

I strongly suspect it's because Sotomayor hasn't said anything to indicate that she's a virulent opponent of Roe v. Wade. I'm sure that Terry would oppose any Supreme Court nominee who wasn't.

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What struck me as interesting was Terry's comment that Obama is "this baby killing monster in the White House." He also told listeners to "Think of death when you think of Sotomayor."

Now, see, I'm reasonably certain that Obama has never before killed a baby. Or, for that matter, performed an abortion.

So how can we possibly make sense of Terry's claim that Obama is a "baby killing monster"? I can only presume that he means to emphasize that the words and actions of public figures have impact, and that someone who's a prominent public figure therefore has a duty and responsibility to consider that what (s)he says and does will influence the behavior of others.

Ah, that makes sense, and I applaud Terry's understanding that public figures have a responsibility to consider that their words and actions will influence others.

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So, given this, I'm sure someone can explain to me why Terry goes around openly advocating hatred and murder?

"Intolerance is a beautiful thing...There are people that are politically correct that want to say the cardinal sin of the hour is intolerance and I think that is a bunch of junk."

-- Randall Terry

"Let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good.... If a Christian voted for Clinton, he sinned against God. It's that simple.... Our goal is a Christian Nation... we have a biblical duty, we are called by God to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want Pluralism. We want theocracy."

-- Randall Terry, from The News Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Aug 15, 1993

"When I, or people like me, are running the country, you'd better flee, because we will find you, we will try you, and we will execute you. I mean every word of it. I will make it part of my mission to see to it that they are tried and executed... If we're going to have true reformation in America, it is because men once again, if I may use a worn out expression, have righteous testoserone flowing through their veins. They are not afraid of contempt for their contemporaries. They are not even here to get along. They are here to take over... Somebody like Susan Smith should be dead. She should be dead now. Some people will go, "Well how do you know God doesn't have a wonderful plan for her life?" He does, it's listed in the Bible. His plan for her is that she should be dead."

-- Randall Terry, at the Aug 8, 1995 U.S. Taxpayers Alliance Banquet in Washington DC, talking about physicians who perform abortions and volunteer escorts]

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More to the point, perhaps somebody, anybody, can explain to me why Terry and his ilk claim to be shocked -- shocked, I tell you -- whenever someone who has listened to their spewing of hate goes out and does something entirely predictable, like shooting up a family planning clinic.

Because, for the life of me, I can't understand how someone can insist that public figures should be held responsible for the effects of their words and actions on others -- but that someone who openly advocates hatred, intolerance and murder should not.

Cheers,

Michael

Sotomayor Not an Activist Judge, Study Finds

FROM:



It is too much to ask for the Right Winger promoters of hate, including Republican Congressmen and Senators, to apologize to the Country, to the Hispanic / Latino Community and specially to Judge Sonia Sotomayor for their slanderous accusations?

Maybe it is too much to ask of the REGRESSIVE, however, should we just give them a pass? Or, should stridently denounce them?

Whatever we do should have no bearing on their responsibility to truthfulness and honesty by admitting their wrongdoing.

In any event, we, at the Hispanic / Latino Anti-Defamation Coalition SF, together with other people, groups, organizations, etc. will be expecting one.

In addition, the HLADC-SF Blog will be counting the time elapsed since the day that the Brennan Center for Justice released their report.

– 07/08/09
For Immediate Release

Contact: Jeanine Plant-Chirlin, 212-998-6289
Susan Lehman, 212-998-6318

New comprehensive data shows that Judge Sotomayoris neither an activist nor outlier judge

New York - A new comparative study of 1,194 constitutional cases shows that Judge Sonia Sotomayor is neither an "activist" judge nor an "outlier" jurist among her peers on the Second Circuit. In the run-up to next week's Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings, the unprecedented depth of this analysis provides hard data to counter the rhetoric of "judicial activism" that has plagued her nomination since May.

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law looked at each of the constitutional cases decided by the Second Circuit during Sotomayor's decade-long service, analyzed her decisions and compared them to those of her peers.

Measuring judicial activism and deference, the report considers whether a judge's vote was in accordance with his or her colleagues; whether it upheld or overturned a governmental action; and whether it affirmed or reversed the lower court.

"In this confirmation process, we hear a lot about ‘judicial activism.' But we hear too much rhetoric. We decided to look at the facts," says Monica Youn, primary author of the report and attorney in the Brennan Center's Democracy Program. "When we compared Judge Sotomayor's record against those of her peers, we found that Judge Sotomayor is squarely within the mainstream of the Second Circuit."

The report also examines whether Judge Sotomayor's decision making and that of her colleagues varied in specific cases - involving, for example, civil rights or criminal law - and also whether it mattered if a judge had been appointed by a Republican or Democratic President.

Among the findings:

* 94% of Judge Sotomayor's constitutional decisions have been unanimous.

* She has voted with the majority in 98.2% of constitutional cases.

* Even when she voted to hold a governmental action unconstitutional, the Republican-appointed judges on the Second Circuit voted with Judge Sotomayor in nearly 90% of cases.

* She overruled lower court and agency decisions at a rate that closely conforms to the circuit overall average.

* In the cases in which she voted to overrule a district court or agency, a Republican-appointed judge voted with her over 94% of the time.


"When the predictable rhetoric about ‘activism' began, the Center decided to weigh in on her nomination and this report offers a unique contribution to the debate," says Susan Liss, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center. "We were struck by the degree of unanimity and consensus on a court with nearly equal numbers of Republican and Democratic appointees, and Judge Sotomayor has agreed with her colleagues more than most."

"Reflections on Judge Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court carry particular emotional resonance for the Brennan Center because it is Justice Brennan's seat that is to be filled," says Burt Neuborne, Inez Milholland Professor of Civil Liberties at NYU School of Law and contributor to the report. "This report will help ground and shape the discussion surrounding the Senate Confirmation hearings."

For more information or to set up an interview with Monica Youn, Burt Neuborne, or Susan Liss, please contact Jeanine Plant-Chirlin at 212-998-6289 or jeanine.plant-chirlin@nyu.edu or Susan Lehman at 212-998-6318 or susan.lehman@nyu.edu.

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