the Centrist

It seems our friends on the right don’t know how to lead, at least that is what Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich says in his new book “Winning the Future” … then, as if to emphasize his thesis he rails against fellow Republican Tom Delay. Folks these Republicans have met the enemy and they are in their mirrors. They simply will not stick together for the greater good. It is obvious to most that the ACLU and its patrons have been using the judiciary branch to change American society for decades. When an elected official of great influence finally emerges from the mirth of minions to challenge them many on the right cowardly flee. House Majority Leader Tom Delay has panicked both the left and the right with his accusations: the left because they have gotten their way without the will and consent of the people (by legislating from the bench); the right, because they have more fear for their jobs than for their country. So we hear propaganda and spin from the left and damage control from the right, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. One of Delay’s criticism was against Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy had stated that he used international law and the Internet rather than the Constitution in a recent Supreme Court decision. The Supreme Court is sworn to interpret the law as either Constitutional or not … using popularity and international laws for the criterion of American Justice is simply dereliction of duty and an impeach able offence. In his stance Delay is not only holding Kennedy to his oath of office, but he is also Constitutionally correct … all be him politically incorrect. Furthermore, while the media and the left rail and spin against Delay for his affront to the Justice Kennedy, they were curiously silent when merely one month before Senate Minority Leader Harry Reed called into question the intellect of the only person of color on the court, Justice Clarence Thomas. Rather than embrace the possibility that Thomas could be the first ever minority Chief Justice, Reed blasted Thomas with as blatantly bigoted, mean spirited, and ugly an accusation ever spoken against people of color by an elected official. Yet the press ignored this prejudiced charge and moved against the target of choice, Conservative Tom Delay.
At the center of all accusations against Delay is the payment of election funds to his wife and daughter and the almost 10 year old travel expense to foreign nations. Each of these incidents were reported by Delay himself to the Ethics Committee. The incidents are neither illegal, nor uncommon in either Legislative Body. The Democrats answer to their accusations is to refuse to attend Committee meetings rather than resolve the issue. Since the Ethics Committee is the only committee which has an equal number of members from each party when they refuse to show up for hearings there is no quorum and thus, no business can transpire. The Dems say they will not meet because they do not like the rule changes made by the majority. Nobody has questioned the validity of the changes, just that they don’t like them. Think about that for a moment, I do not like it that my school taxes have gone up, should I extrapolate from the trend setters in Congress and just not pay them because I do not like them? These modern day ‘kings’ are above the law. The Democrats, by refusing to meet ‘delay’ Delay and keep him in their cross hairs and on the front burners of the press. By postponing Delay’s hearing until election time, together with an ever so willing press, they can either force the cowardly Republicans to get rid of an effective leader or spin this into an election issue. The three changes that were made on the Ethics Committee seem reasonable and fair: the first is that the accused be immediately informed (rather than be ‘informed’ by the press); the second that the accused can bring his/her own council (rather than be appointed counsel by the Committee); and the third is that it takes a majority of the committee before anybody can be accused and that charges must be acted upon within 45 days of the accusation. The third point, majority rule and the right to a speedy trial, is what has been called into question by the left. Yet, since the uncertain majority can not grasp the fact that the Delay issue is merely a delaying tactic and that along with the majority comes the obligation to accomplish their agenda … they backed off their new rules and acquiesced to the mighty minority.