I am officially freaked out.

[mandolin]

Okay, so most people know I'm pretty liberal but moderate. I've been annoyed with some things the Bush administration's been doing lately, but I haven't really been scared before.

Until I was pointed to H.R. 3920, the "Congressional Accountability for Judicial Activism Act of 2004."

The point of this bill? To allow Congress to reverse the judgments of the Supreme Court.

Yep.

Is it just me, but wouldn't this pretty much mess up the system of checks and balances in the federal government and wipe out the judiciary balance completely?

And why are they doing this? 'Cause they want to ban gay marriage.

*headdesk*

*headdesk*

*headdesk*

Tell me I'm not the only one who will cry if this doesn't die in committee.

Comments

[mommie-geek.livejournal.com]

*headdesk*

*headdesk*

*headdesk*

I swear Canada starts to look better all the time.

[jonathlee.livejournal.com]

Yes! Come join us! Live in the sane country!

... well, insane in a fun way, at the very least.

[weirdweb.livejournal.com]

Love to. There's just the small problem of getting a JOB up there... and getting eligible for citizenship... oy.

I've joked about it for years, but lately I've started to consider it as a serious option. *sigh*

[mommie-geek.livejournal.com]

Love to. There's just the small problem of getting a JOB up there... and getting eligible for citizenship... oy.

Exactly. But oh, if it was a simple matter, I'd be there in a heartbeat.

[mtgat]

*comfort* This is actually the reason why some of us had the "Oh frell" moment as soon as the election results came out. And people called us paranoid.

On the plus side? Canada is a very nice country, and not too far.

[mtgat]

Oh, try out HR3799 for fun.

[mommie-geek.livejournal.com]

I think I'll start filling out those emigration papers now.

[weirdweb.livejournal.com]

Argh! *facepalms* They might as well just go around saying, "Let's dismantle the Supreme Court!"

At least THAT ONE'S been stuck in committee for a month...

[kevenn.livejournal.com]

This is why all of us twenty somethings need to get off of our complacent asses and vote for Kerry!

[kimera.livejournal.com]

*clings to her country*

So, so glad I'm Canadian. And British Columbian, at that.

[marielogan.livejournal.com]

I'm with you.

* smug, smug, smuggity, smug * :D

[jennies.livejournal.com]

There are times my country scares me. *This* is one of them.

What the hell are they thinking?!? Is there really enough religiously zealous conservative clout in Congress right now that they're actually SERIOUS about this bullshit, or is it just a way of distracting the voters from legitimate issues?

The system of checks and balances is the entire POINT of this country. We elect the Legislature, We elect the Executive, and the two of them together quibble over who gets into the Judicial branch (ie, Supreme Court) - who, in theory, is there to make sure political agendas and presidential stupidity don't jeopardise the rights and freedoms of the public. To even SUGGEST the Legislature should have the power to second-guess our Judges just makes my skin crawl. It undermines the system. And could you *imagine* the chaos that would ensue if the Supreme Court decided the bill was unconstitutional, and Congress decided they wanted to reverse *that* judgment?

It's just....I mean....REALLY!

And you know what scares me even MORE than this bill? Baby boomers - who according to the polls are generally against gay marriage and the other highly-charged issues (abortion, cloning research, etc) Bush's conservative camp have taken aim at - considerably outnumber Generations X and Y. So even if we twentysomethings throw our weight around, there's a possibility we'll be overruled.

In which case, I'm going back to Ireland. Or possibly New Zealand. I'd rather be an expatriate than a citizen of a hypocrisy ruled by idiots...

[leiza.livejournal.com]

In which case, I'm going back to Ireland. Or possibly New Zealand.

I'd opt for the Philippines (my home country), but they are as bad. They are gunning for an actor on presidential elections. Not insulting Reagan, but this guy doesn't know jack about politics!

[weirdweb.livejournal.com]

To even SUGGEST the Legislature should have the power to second-guess our Judges just makes my skin crawl. It undermines the system. And could you *imagine* the chaos that would ensue if the Supreme Court decided the bill was unconstitutional, and Congress decided they wanted to reverse *that* judgment?

Ouch.

It also bugs me because didn't Bush have the opportunity to appoint four Supreme Court justices, giving the conservative judges a majority? (Correct me if I'm wrong.) If that's the case, and the administration STILL wants to pull this kind of a stunt, there is something VERY wrong here.

[mommie-geek.livejournal.com]

I'd rather be an expatriate than a citizen of a hypocrisy ruled by idiots...

Ditto. And if there was an easy, affordable way to get out of here, I'd be gone in a New York minute.

great googly moogly

[melrae.livejournal.com]

I think some people have forgotten just what this country's founding ideals were. Freedom plain and simple. There was a little phrase I seem to remember "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Looks like there is an object lesson there. I for one am spreading word to my friends about this little bill on Capitol Hill. Everyone should write thier congress people and let them know how you feel about this bill. Even if it's in committee now. It might not die there or your congressman/woman might be on that committee.

[(Anonymous)]

Actually, Congress already has the power to limit the jurisdiction of the federal courts (it's in the Constitution), and this may not be too far a step from that. I'd need to see more details on the legislation.

I'm rather conservative, and the general opinion among we weird, un-American folks ;-) is that the judiciary has arrogated far too much power over the course of the past half-century. If we applied the current treatment of Supreme Court decisions to history, we would likely have been an all-slave nation as soon as the Dred Scott decision came down.

Matthew L. Martin

[weirdweb.livejournal.com]

That's partly why I want to try to look up more on this... since Congress ALREADY can limit the federal courts' jurisdiction, I want to know how much more control they want.

I suppose this also bugs me because they're doing it on the crusade to ban gay marriage... and whether or not I agree with that idea (and I don't), it seems like an issue that's not worth going to these lengths for. To quote a favorite show of mine, it's like shooting off a cannon to kill a flea.

[liddle-oldman.livejournal.com]

Great tapdancing...

So why isn't this in the damn papers? I have the feeling that any day they're going to burn down the Reichstag and declare an emergency...