Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

From time-to-time it is a good idea to skip all the pontification by various groups and actually go back and read the Constitution of the United States of America.

Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech…

In a demorcratic replublic the most important form of speech is speech for or against those who do or may represent the people. As has been argued by many for years, no matter how well intended, McCain-Feingold is unconstitutional since it restricts political speech, albeit by corporations not individuals. The Constitution does not qualify who gets freedom of speech: Congress shall make no law…

But what happens if we allow corporations to spend millions endorsing or opposing a particular candidate or plan, some corporation will support, some oppose and some not spend the money. If we allow Acme Corporation to spend a zillion dollars praising someone or something, how is it different from all the other organizations that spend money now?

As the Surpreme Court reconsiders the issue, at the end of the day I would rather trust in the people not to be convinced by political advertising, rather than infringe in any way on freedom of speech.

According to the AP:

Sonia Sotomayor's success at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing has some Republicans in a tight spot, with conservative senators forced to weigh the political calculus of voting on the court's first Latina nominee, who also is the first liberal nominee in 15 years.

The underlying politics are dicey for Republicans. They must be careful to keep faith with constituents like National Rifle Association members who oppose her, yet avoid offending the Hispanic voters who represent the fastest-growing segment of the electorate.

A newsflash for Republicans and conservatives: The American people elected a liberal Democratic president and a liberal Democratic congress.

Big surprise: This liberal Democratic president nominated to the Supreme Court someone who seems to agree with his liberal views.

Second big surprise: The liberal Democratic Senate will confirm someone who agrees with their liberal views.

Get over it!

Oppose the nomination if you believe Judge Sonia Sotomayor is not qualified. (One should note that the Constitution provides no guidelines for qualifications to be a Federal or Supreme Court judge.)

Okay, so no litmus test for Supreme Court nominees, just a few simple questions:

1. Do you believe life begins at conception?
2. If no – if not a human life, what is created?
3. If yes – how can you justify taking a defenseless, innocent human life?