ALABAMIANS: Help - e-mail Sen. Specter

[trof]

Senator Arlen Specter's vote in the senate judiciary committee could block Bill Pryor's nomination for circuit judge. Please e-mail him. Coming from Pryor's fellow Alabamians, he may pay attention.
[e-mail]

Dear Senator Specter,

I am not a constituent, but I implore you to read this.
I am 62, a life-long Alabamian, and I write in opposition to circuit court judgeship for Bill Pryor.
I know that my two senators will support the "hometown" boy, so I must appeal to you.
Below are a few of my reasons, gleaned from coverage of our attorney general in local newspapers.
Thank you.
Massey Lambard
Foley, AL

Political Action:
Perhaps his most visibly partisan action was helping create the Republican
Attorneys General Association, a fund-raising arm of the Republican National
Committee. The group raised money for Republican attorneys general campaigns
around the country, accepting money from many of the corporations against
whom some states had filed lawsuits.

Federalism:
Under federal law, Pryor told a U.S. Senate committee last year, "air
pollution prevention ... is the primary responsibility of states and local
governments."

Practically speaking, his position dovetailed nicely with that of Alabama
Power Co., which could have faced billions of dollars in clean-up costs.

The Birmingham-based utility's employee political action committee has been
a major campaign contributor to Pryor. In a Friday interview, Pryor said
those contributions did not affect his position.

Religion:
Pryor told a Christian Coalition gathering in 1999, "One of the greatest
threats to (the) Judeo-Christian perspective is the building of what Richard
John Neuhaus calls 'the naked public square,' in which religious expression
and religiously grounded morality are systematically excluded from our
public life."

He delivered the speech in support of then-Circuit Judge Roy Moore's fight
to display the Ten Commandments in his Etowah County chambers. Moore has
since been elected chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and has placed
a Ten Commandments monument in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building.
Pryor has defended that display, as well.

He has also supported the right to student-led prayer in public schools.

"The greatest threat to the future of our republic is the rise of moral
relativism -- the notion that there are no universal moral standards," Pryor
told the Christian Coalition. "This perspective is fueled by an assault on
religion and the exclusion of religious expression."

[trof]

1. I know you're out there.

[revcarol]

2. Only ONE Alabama DU-er?

Unbelievable!!

[trof]

4. syrinx, ulysees, AlabamaYankee, others

I'll keep kicking

[Ripley]

3. Thanks for the heads up Trof!

Pryor is as looney as Justice Moore!

I'll use your talking points if that's ok?

:hi:

P.S. I need to include a statement he made recently too about the Sodomy ruling by SCOTUS. He said what Santorum said but added even more outrageous items to the list like: it will open the door to masturbation!

[AlabamaYankee]

5. Done. Here's my letter

Senator Specter,

As a native Pennsylvanian who is now a resident of Alabama, I urge you in the strongest possible way to vote in opposition to the nomination of William Pryor to the Circuit Court of Appeals.

As Attorney General of Alabama, Mr. Pryor has made decisions that have cost the state millions of dollars, while protecting campaign donors. The most outrageous of these is his decision not to join the States' lawsuit against major tobacco until after it was settled. His role in the Republican Attorney Generals' Association fund raising has not been clarified, and he evaded the issue during his testimony.

It is his theocratic views regarding the separation of Church and State, however, that concern me the most. He has publicly supported Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore's campaign to keep a monument to the Ten Commandments in the Alabama Supreme Court building. He has supported student-led prayer in public schools. His views on abortion and women's right to chose are extreme.

During his testimony before the Judiciary Committee, I noticed he was careful to state that, as Attorney General, he upheld the law despite his personal feelings. As you well know from being a District Attorney, the roles of Prosecutor and Judge are fundamentally different. As prosecutor or Attorney General, his role is most certainly to enforce the law. An appellate court judge interprets the law using precedence, the facts of the case, and, inevitably, his personal views. His extreme views, if applied over the many years he could occupy the bench, would do serious harm to the Constitution and to the United States.

Please vote to oppose his nomination.

Thank you

AlabamaYankee
Auburn, AL
Formerly State College, Pennsylvania

[walkon]

9. Done

Hope it helps!

[trof]

10. Wow. Double barreled.

PA AND AL.
Terrific!
And a kick for the evening crowd.

[jody]

6. Request acknowledged and action completed

:hi:

[trof]

7. Knew you guys were lurking

around somewhere.

[southpaw]

8. Here Here

Just found the thread, but I will be writing. Thanks for the connection!