THE "MINORITY RIGHTS" GAME

One of our tired old civil rights warlords surfaced over the weekend to weigh in on the filibuster controversy in Washington.  Lowery has jumped on this new twist that Democratic spin-masters conjured up ... that any attempt to end the filibuster on judicial appointments would constitute some sort of a violation of minority rights.  Yup .. that's right.  Allowing confirmation of judicial appointments by a majority vote of the U.S. Senate is a violation of minority rights. 

The Democrats were looking for a term.  Some term with some universal appeal that they could tie to the filibuster controversy.  Well, everybody's for minority rights, right?  Everyone wants to make sure that minority rights aren't violated, right?  Well, since it's a senate minority that's holding up the confirmation votes for these nominees, why not just say that this is all about minority rights?  That will resonate so well with the American people.  "Oh, look at those stalwart Democrats dear!  All this time we thought they were just trying to prevent any conservatives who actually believe our Constitution is the supreme law of the land from getting onto the appeals benches.  We were so wrong!  We should be so ashamed!  All this time it's really been all about minority rights!"

There is absolutely nothing in the Constitution .. nowhere .. that confers any privilege whatsoever on a Senate minority when it comes to the process of offering advice and consent on the nomination and confirmation of federal judges.  Since there is no right conferred on any Senate minority in this process, there are no "minority rights" as Warlord Lowery calls them. 

Let's look a bit to the future.  What happens if the loony, obstructionist left manages to establish the principal that a Senate minority has some sort of "right" to enforce during the judicial nomination process?  What's next? 

Let's just go for the obvious from the get-go.  Choose either the 2000 or the 2004 election.  In both elections the vote of the electoral college was close.  In 2000 the vote in Florida was close .. measured in the hundreds.   If minority rights are violated when the majority of the Senate casts a vote one way or the other, then are not the same minority rights violated when the majority of the electoral college votes?  Are not minority rights violated when the majority of voters in a state go for one candidate or the other?  Are minority rights violated when the majority of voters in a city or county vote to elect a mayor, councilman or commissioner?

This whole "minority rights" argument is insipidly stupid, even for Joseph Lowery -- who has never been challenged when it comes to making asinine statements.  It's stupid, but it works.  Democrats know that across the country people will nod their heads and say "Yeah ... my rights are being violated."  And why?  Well ... here we go again, but the blame goes to our system of government schools.  You have to be pretty stupid to buy this "minority rights" argument ... but our country is suffering from no shortage of the "pretty stupid."  Our government schools are too busy instilling false self-esteem to actually spend any time teaching the workings of our Constitution and how government is actually supposed to work.  I guess I should lighten up on the schools though.  If you can question the usefulness of teaching dead languages like Latin in the schools, why not question teaching the workings an all-but-dead Constitution?

FRIST STILL HOLDING BACK

More cringing cowardice coming from the Republicans in the United States Senate.  According to reports. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has the votes to change the Senate rules to limit debate with only 51 votes instead of 60....the so-called "nuclear option."  So why isn't he using it?

That's the mystery.  He still might.  We should know this week, probably tomorrow.  One thing is certain: with the coming nomination of at least one, maybe two Supreme Court justice nominees....the Republicans had better wise up.  If they don't slam the door on the Democrats while they still can, they're going to wind up needing 60 votes to be able to get any judges through. 

With the Republican majority only at 55, and at least 5 of them liberals...that could be tough.  Time to go for broke and push the button on the nuclear option. 

SAY WHAT?

Howard Dean is giving Democrats heartburn.  That's a good thing.  His performance on Meet the Press yesterday was less than impressive.  He did make some good points; his response to the question about his church-going habits, for instance.  But this one statement was, I thought, rather curious.  Dean was asked if the Democrats were going to use the Schiavo matter against Republicans in the next election.  He said  "The Schiavo case will probably be the turning point about our ability to make our case to Americans about the incredible invasiveness of Republicans when it comes to making personal, private decisions,"

Oh really?  Republicans are the ones who are invasive about personal and private decisions?  Does he mean decisions like how your own money is going to be spent educating your child?  Or how you are going to invest your own money for your retirement?  Those kind of decisions?  How about the decision on whether or not you want to join a union in a non right-to-work state?  That's a personal decision, isn't it?  Here's a personal decision:  Choosing your doctor!  Now, let me see.  Was it the Democrats or the Republicans who wanted to put a health care system in place where the government chose your doctor, and chose the medical procedures your doctor would and would not be allowed to perform on you.  And was it the Republicans or the Democrats who threatened us with jail if we actually made a personal and private decision to chose some other doctor. 

Yeah ... those Democrats are really champs when it comes to defending our freedom to make personal decisions, aren't they?

NOT ONLY MEDICARE, BUT MEDICAID ALSO?

Here's your "how they're spending your tax money" story for today.  In New York we find that 193 individuals who are listed as Level 3 sexual offenders are getting Viagra under Medicare.  This isn't limited to New York.  It's happening across the country.  In your own home state your own state government is probably using some of that money it has seized from you to pay for sexual enhancement drugs for sexual predators.  That's rather like taking tax money to pay for free handguns for career criminals.  Makes a lot of sense, right?

Well, that's Medicaid money.  We're also spending Medicare money on Viagra so that senior citizens can get erections.  The initial cost estimates on the Viagra for senior sex initiative run to about $500 million a year.  We know how initial estimates go. The true tab will probably be in the billion-dollar-a-year category in no time at all. 

I know of no clause in the Constitution which guarantees an active sex life to any citizen.  Therefore, there is no legitimate reason to compel taxpayers to pay for erections for either rapists or senior citizens.  

Can't make it any plainer than that.

ISLAMIC HOSPITALITY

Yesterday First Lady Laura Bush, on a tour of the Middle East, visited The Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem.  This is considered one of Islam's holiest sites.  After her tour, trouble began.  About 50 protesters surrounded her and her Secret Service detail and started chanting and pushing closer, saying things like "How dare you come here" and "You don't belong in this mosque." Ahhhh ... those wonderful, hospitable, peace-loving Muslims.  Don't you just love them?

So why would a bunch of Islamic malcontents interrupt a peaceful visit by the First Lady of the United States?  Aside from the fact that they hate the United States and despise George Bush in general, what took place at that mosque yesterday goes right to the heart of how Islam treats women. 

Most reasonable people, even if they disagree with the policies of her husband, don't hold it against Laura Bush.  She has a very high approval rating.  That's the civilized way to look at it.  But not in the Middle East...where the violent religion of Islam is the order of the day.

But this was a sloppy security breach.  Israeli security had to link arms and get the First Lady and the Secret Service out of there in a hurry.  Any one of those Islamofascist cretins could have pulled the rip cord on a suicide bomb and blown everyone to smithereens.  This comes on the heels of the grenade incident with the president in Georgia the other day.

Another close call...things are slipping a bit in the presidential security department.

CLARK HOWARD'S BOOK

Friday I put a picture of the cover of Clark Howard's next book, Clark's Big Book of Porn!, here on Nealz Nuze.  Several staffers -- like String and The Pig Farmer, pleaded with me to take the book cover off the web page.  They were oh so afraid that Clark was going to be (gasp!) offended!  Sooooo ... around noon I took down the image.  Then, wouldn't you know it, I get a call from Clark at about two hours later asking me to put it back up!  Well ... keep watching.  Sometime this week .. the return of Clark's Big Book of Porn!

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

Here's more evidence that rednecks are particularly good at multi-tasking. View the rest of the Redneck Scrap Book. We've received some redneck scrap book submissions from listeners, so look for those to start showing up soon.

Japanese edition of Newsweek

YOUR READING ASSIGNMENTS

You won't read it anywhere else, so here is the past two week's worth of good news from Iraq.

It's time to reign in the International Red Cross.  This organization, not to be confused with the American Red Cross, does not particularly like the United States.

When an election is iffy in Germany, pull out the anti-Americanism.  This time it didn't work.

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean went on Meet The Press yesterday, and moderator Tim Russert let him have it.  It's about time.  Oh, and here's a transcript, in case you missed it.

British MP George Galloway made some colorful remarks before the U.S. Senate the other day...but Christopher Hitchens says that doesn't change the fact that he was Saddam's favorite MP.

Even if the Koran were desecrated, are violent riots justified?  Irshad Manji takes a look.  As you can imagine, the answer is no.

The United States cozied up to Uzbekistan after 9/11, but William Kristol says it's time for the U.S. to take a look at the relationship with the dictatorial regime there.

Do PBS and NPR deserve federal funding?  Mort Kondracke says yes, but also says the liberal networks need balance.  Yeah right...that'll be the day.

Iraq is a total disaster, and keeps getting worse all the time.  Such is the verdict of the CBS television network, as the Media Research Center reports.

Even the media is starting to admit that there is a bias in the press against the media.  John Leo calls that disgraceful, but explains that it's about time somebody told the truth.

Make no mistake: the entire debate over the nuclear option, the filibuster and President Bush's judicial nominees is all about one thing: future Supreme Court nominees.  Robert Novak has more.

The CAFTA trade agreement is a win-win for the Central American countries it covers and the United States companies that will be able to tap those markets.  Naturally, Democrats are opposed.  Michael Barone says the left is just opposing free trade.

The mainstream media has concluded that there is no way to move between the classes.  In other words, if you're poor, you're going to stay poor.  Star Parker says that itself is a formula for staying poor.

Medicaid paying for Viagra for convicted sex offenders and rapists.

Morning Sickness: Britney Spears pukes by pool.

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