Rev. Erudite Redneck, B.S., B.S., M.A., M.Div.

Calls for the president to nominate someone for the Supreme Court who can get unanimous approval in the Senate.

And who would that be? the 2 parties are so diametrectically opposed on everything that will never happen.

Never.
 

There are some moderates in both parties, but they have largely been hunted to extinction. They might help out this process, but they are, as I say, few.
In any case, who is truly impartial? No one, I'm sayin'. It is sometimes said that what is needed here is someone who merely interprets the Constitution as written, but the document itself is often beautifully vague, and is a living document in any case, and open to interpretation.
And what makes an 'activist'? One way of marking it is looking at who has overruled congressional measures the most. The two Supremes who have done so the most are Thomas (in the high-sixty percentile), closely followed by Scalia.
Mind you, I don't think that really makes the full definition of an activist.
And I didn't realize that you had a problem with that word I kept using last night. Sorry. Told you that I drink too much whiskey.
 

Done, and thank thee.
 

Thanks for providing that link, ER.
 

Rich, I am a longtime F-bomber myself. I've never been able to break the habit when I get mad or frustra5ted -- and sometimes for funsies. But the ER Nation includes some folks whose ears -- or eyes, I guess -- aren't exactly accustomed to the casual use of the word. It's for them that I -- except for one famous incident -- try to keep it more or less F-free around here. The famous incident: http://eruditeredneck.blogspot.com/2004/10/redneck-beat.html
 

I'll take yer bait, Nick.

Since you asked, yeah. Political reason: Because the the Republican leadership is doing such fundamental, long-term harm to this country. Historical reason: We're not talking about an executive agency or commission here, but a co-equal branch of government; it's too important to turn it completely over to the right wing.

There, I said it. This ain't a goldarn New England town meeting. It's a republic. The majority doesn't always rule.

Bring back brownshoe country-club Republicans!
 

Bull, Nick. I did not say anything about trashing the dang Constitution. We're talkin' politics. If the Senate finds a way to come to unanimity, just how is that disregarding the Constitution? If the wingnuts come to their senses, that's the Senate at work. If the Dems can wiggle their way into a position to have that kind of influence, it wouldn't be the Constitution blowing away, it'd be your party's grip on power. That's all.

I don't know what yer talkin' about with the ****'s. 'Less yer just being funny.

?
 

BTW, it ain't Jesus crying. It's Madison.
 

Nick, tell me again how the Demns doing whatever they can, politically, to get the result they want, is an affront to the Constitution.

You just want the Dems to, as Claytie Williams once famously said about rape in a Texas governor's race, "just lay back and enjoy it." Not bloodly likely.

And I'm not that keen on judicial acvtivism. Problem is, if it's you guys, or us guys, doing it, then I'll pick us guys. If you think you guys don't, yer blind.

What I want is your particular brand of "conservatism" to be outed as the farce that it is. Conservative my donkey.
 

More than that, though, I want a certain supposedly religious-oriented pseudo-church organization to just come out and admit it's just a prop for a right-wing political movement that is no better than anything on the worst of the left. Chuch Schumer should just stay home? What utter bullshit. But the drones that follow this so-called religious organization probably lapped up that drivel and now will believe in the heartiest of their heart-heart-hearts that he is the Devil Hisself for daring to keep his seat, his place and to vote his conscience. Oh, I forgot. If you don't march just the right way in the culture wars yoy don't habve a conscience. My bad.

Dude, Dr. ER, after reading one of our goings-on, said she couldn't tell from it that you and I are friends. I told her it reminds me more and more of brothers who hugged each other's necks -- then wentr to war, one in blue and one in gray.

I think yer nuts. Wacked out. I pray for you. And I expect you to feel the same about me and to to do likewise. God, whether you think so or not, was on BOTH and NEITHER side of the Civbil War. And he is on BOTH and NEITHER side of this.
 

OK, here it is in a nutshell.

You can NOT bring Christianity into the public square, in the way y'all do, without soiling it. Talk about the salt losing its ... seasoning (whatever)!

Politics is the world. The only way to be successful in it, when it gets right down to it, is to be as lying, conniving and dishonest, as bloviating, prideful and self-promoting, to be as loud, obnoxious and rude and downright mean as every other person and organization in the public arena.

And by those gauges, y'all are being successful. Congratulations.

How arrogant of you to think that because I don't march to the same drum as you that I don't put my faith to work with my vote. Unfortunately, my job keeps me from being able to be overt. If I were able, I for damn sure would NOT be on "y'alls' " side.

BTW, NOTHING is "pretty clearly laid out in Scripture." If it were clear, we wouldn't disagree on so much.
 

And WHAT is the deal with the *****'s? Jesus. JESUS. J-E-S-U-S. It's posting clearly on this end.
 

I am angry. Bitter. Disgusted. Embarrassed. Tired. But arrogant. No. Wrong guy.

If Jesus has quit showin up on your end of the comments window, I'd take that as a hint.

The above was: Smart-assed. Provocative. Pointed. Not arrogant.
 

I prefer smart. Witty. Erudite. ...

You realize that if you didn't exist, I would be forced to create a similar adversary. And vice versa.

I think I have more James in me than, say, Paul. Or Peter. I have busted my ass to keep my faith. I want others to have to, too.

I think that, more than anything, is why I react so negatively to the religionization of this country. I want the government to remain secular.

Christians of whatever stripe should participate however they see fit. Sure. Go for it.

But, GOD PLEASE let all of them quit acting as if they are mainstream, and quit acting as if you -- oops, they -- act for Christendom as a whole when you -- oops, they -- do not. You -- oops, they -- speak and act for only a part of the Judeo-Christian faith.

You know, when I was growing up, up until the right wing took over the Southern Baptist Convention in 1979, I could talk about being a Christian to almost anyone, and whether they believed or not, they didn't think any less of me because I did.

More and more since then, especially since "sharing the Gospel" has been replaced with heaven-or-hell-turn-or-burn-in-your-face proselytizing, the unsaved think Christians are nuts and freaks.

It's not the Gospel that makes them thnk so. It's people who took the old "Gospel gun" metaphor too literally and go about shooting anybody who disagrees with them.

Dude, I have been in the war zone that the religious righties created for that long. I was 14. I'm 41. Do the math.

Politically, I answered the Repubs declaration of war they made the day Bill Clinton took office. But my anger goes back before then, to Reagan. He was a joke then, and God rest his soul, he's still a joke, Peggy Noonan's soaring rhetoric notwithstanding.

I hate to say it, but -- gulp -- I think Nixon was the last national Repub that was worth LBJ's pitcher of warm spit! Relatively speaking. Heck, he grew into a selfish, deluded bastard -- but at least he started out on a decent track.