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*********************************** Extra! Extra! Read All About It As you all know, Citizen Outreach was neck deep in the just-completed Justice for Judges marathon (www.justiceforjudges.com). I did manage to squeeze in about 5 hours of total sleep during the 52+ hours we were engaged in this effort starting early Wednesday morning. I'll have more to say on the entire experience in the days ahead (including a revealing, in-depth insider after-action report this Sunday in DC Confidential), but here's a nice write up by CNS News on the marathon which notes our participation in this important effort: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200311\NAT20031112a.html ************************************ Sit Ubu, Sit ***QUOTE*** As the Senate concludes its 30-hour talkathon on judicial filibusters, we thought readers might like to peer inside the filibustering Democratic mind, such as it is. This plunge into the murky deep comes from staff strategy memos we've obtained from the days when Democrats ran the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2001-2002. Or, rather, appeared to run the committee. Their real bosses are the liberal interest groups that more or less tell the Senators when to sit, speak and roll over -- and which Bush judges to confirm or not. Here are some excerpts: November 6, 2001/To: Senator Dick Durbin "You are scheduled to meet with leaders of several civil rights organizations to discuss their serious concerns with the judicial nomination process. The leaders will likely include: Ralph Neas (People For the American Way), Kate Michelman (NARAL), Nan Aron (Alliance for Justice), Wade Henderson (Leadership Conference on Civil Rights), Leslie Proll (NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund), Nancy Zirkin (American Association of University Women), Marcia Greenberger (National Women's Law Center), and Judy Lichtman (National Partnership).... "...The primary focus will be on identifying the most controversial and/or vulnerable judicial nominees. The groups would like to postpone action on these nominees until next year, when (presumably) the public will be more tolerant of partisan dissent." November 7, 2001/To: Senator Durbin "The groups singled out three -- Jeffrey Sutton (6th Circuit); Priscilla Owen (5th Circuit); and Caroline [sic] Kuhl (9th Circuit) -- as a potential nominee for a contentious hearing early next year, with a [sic] eye to voting him or her down in Committee. They also identified Miguel Estrada (D.C. Circuit) as especially dangerous, because he has a minimal paper trail, he is Latino, and the White House seems to be grooming him for a Supreme Court appointment. They want to hold Estrada off as long as possible." February 28, 2002/To: SENATOR [Kennedy] "Ralph Neas called to let us know that he had lunch with Andy Stern of SEIU. Andy wants to be helpful as we move forward on judges, and he has great contacts with Latino media outlets..." April 17, 2002/To: SENATOR [Kennedy] "Elaine Jones of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund tried to call you today...Elaine would like the Committee to hold off on any 6th Circuit nominees until the University of Michigan case regarding the constitutionality of affirmative action in higher education is decided by the en banc 6th Circuit....The thinking is that the current 6th Circuit will sustain the affirmative action program, but if a new judge with conservative views is confirmed before the case is decided, that new judge will be able, under 6th Circuit rules, to review the case and vote on it." June 12, 2002/To: SENATOR (Kennedy) "...Ultimately, if [Chairman Pat] Leahy insists on having an August hearing, it appears that the groups are willing to let [Timothy] Tymkovich [10th Circuit] go through (the core of the coalition made that decision last night, but they are checking with the gay rights groups)." Mr. Tymkovich apparently got the gay OK. ***UNQUOTE*** - Wall Street Journal editorial, 11/14, 03 ************************************ Battle of the Blowhards Who is the biggest "windbag" in the Senate? Cast your vote by clicking on the "Survey Says!" button at www.citizenoutreach.com Also, some folks suggest that it's better if we DON'T break the Democrat filibusters, so that WE can use the filibuster against liberal nominees if, God forbid, she-who-shall-not-be-named gets elected and Republicans lose the majority in the Senate. What do you think? Vote in our "Online Poll" at www.justiceforjudges.com ********************************* Consciousness Raising Chuck: Good work, by the way, covering the marathon. I'm sending a donation soon, in the form of No-Doze. . . . Seriously, I've watched more C-SPAN lately than I have my entire adult life. And if this is any indication of how things are debated in general, may the gods deliver us all. I sometimes felt I was watching a cross between Comedy Central and a Michael Moore production. Let's hope a few discerning Americans were able to sort through the blather, discover some semblance of the truth in this issue, and took the time to raise hell with their senators. I did...and then some. Thanks again, Chuck." - Swede Swenson of Ardmore, Oklahoma (Yes, THAT Ardmore, Oklahoma...where the "Chicken D's" from Texas hid out earlier this year.) ********************************** Major League Butt Covering "Thank you for contacting us with your concern. This gives us the opportunity to provide you with the latest correct information. Hallmark was not involved in the production of 'The Reagans,' is not a sponsor of the program and with current information about the program now available, will not be involved in its distribution. We appreciate the time you took to share your views." - Latest official response to folks who emailed Hallmark Cards objecting their distribution of the now-cancelled Reagan hatchet job on CBS ********************************** Move On Says Rocky; Not So Fast Says Roberts Sen. John Rockefeller (D) is under fire because a memo by one of his unidentified staffers exposed a plan to use the Senate Intelligence Committee to hammer the President and Republicans in next year's election over prewar Iraqi intelligence reports. Republicans and the White House are livid over the plan and have stopped work on the intelligence investigation. But Rockefeller, in a letter to committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R), says it' s time to let bygones be bygones and move on. No way, Jose, says Roberts. The chairman is demanding an acknowledgement of wrongdoing and an apology for the memo. Nice try though, Rocky. ********************************** Yuletide e-Mail Tax? "The effort to make permanent a temporary ban on Internet access taxes has stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate. But don't blame the Democrats. Fault instead two GOP senators, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and George Voinovich of Ohio. Both are using procedural legerdemain to prevent a vote on the Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act, a provision that not only keeps the taxman away from your AOL or EarthLink account but also bans 'multiple or discriminatory' levies on electronic commerce. A temporary Internet tax moratorium, in place for the past five years, expired on Nov. 1. If Congress doesn't act to extend it before winter recess, don't be surprised by a yuletide e-mail tax." - Wall Street Journal editorial ********************************** The Case Against the Federal Abortion Ban "A loud din has arisen from opponents of the national ban on partial-birth abortion signed into law by President Bush on November 5. I might actually agree with them but, if I did, our policy reasons would be light years apart. . . . (I) believe partial-birth abortions should be illegal, (but my) inclination to question the law just signed by the president is that he, rather than a governor, signed it. It's about federalism. Why is abortion the business of the federal government?" - Columnist and highly-missed former NM GOP Chairman John Dendahl (Satan made me say that!) ********************************** The Greatest Hero of the 507th "As former POW Jessica Lynch prepares for the release later this month of her $1 million memoir, the airing of her first TV interview, and a TV movie about the attack on the Army's 507th Maintenance Company, the soldier considered by many to be the 507th's greatest hero enjoys more modest rewards. Reduced-priced license plates, just $3, for receiving the Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War medal. "...At sunrise on the morning of March 23, the vehicles and soldiers of the 507th were being torn apart. (23-year-old Pfc. Patrick) Miller set out alone to wreak havoc on a contingent of Iraqis who were trying to lob mortars on several of the soldiers. The Army says Miller 'may have killed as many as nine Iraqi combatants.' "With an aversion to bragging, the Kansan has no doubt about what he did or did not do, how many he killed or wounded: 'Seven in the mortar pit, one in the tree line, and I ran over one guy.' "If it wasn't for his actions during the ambush, which earned Miller one of the military's highest awards, the Silver Star, several soldiers feel certain they would not have survived." - Honolulu Advertiser, 11/3/03 ( Note: Read the full story, including Miller's humorous Skoal "candy" story by going to: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Nov/03/mn/mn01a.html/?print=on ) ********************************** Campaign War College: Basic Training By the way, details on our one-day-only, 12-hour Campaign Boot Camp in Las Vegas on November 29th can be found by clicking the "Campaign War College" button at www.citizenoutreach.com. To sign up and pay your tuition using PayPal, just go to: https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=donations%40citizenoutreach.com&item_name=Campaign+Boot+Camp&amount=149.00&no_shipping=1&no_note=1&tax=0¤cy_code=USD *************************************** 4.75 cents-per-minute Long Distance * All state-to-state calls in the continental U.S. * Residential or commercial * 6-second billing increments * 24 hours/day * 7 days/week * No access codes * No minimums * No activation fees * Calling Card Rate is 10 cents per minute * No monthly service charge unless your bill is less than $20.00 a month (then a $1.99 service charge will apply) * No need to change your local phone company * No hassles * Easy sign-up. * And a small portion of each bill goes to help continue publishing our FREE Chuck Muth's News & Views e-newsletter. 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