Posted on 11/08/2004 6:53:20 AM PST by Always Right
Pro-life leaders have planned a "pray-in" in Washington on Tuesday to protest Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) being considered for the chairmanship on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Talon News reported on Friday that Specter, who openly acknowledges his support for abortion, issued a warning to President George W. Bush after the election last week about nominating conservative judges to be considered for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Specter said he "would expect [Bush] to be mindful of the considerations which I am mentioning," namely for him to select judges who would not overturn the landmark ruling of Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion.
Responding to the public outcry that he sent the president a warning about judicial nominations, Specter later modified his statement when he said he "would never apply any litmus test on the abortion issue."
Even still, the "Stop Specter Pro-Life Pray In" will feature prominent national pro-life leaders such as Operation Rescue's Troy Newman, Christian Defense Coalition's Rev. Pat Mahoney, Faith and Action's Rev. Rob Schenck, and New York-based Catholic pro-life, pro-family activist Chris Slattery.
Planning to assemble near the U.S. Supreme Court at the Dirksen Senate Office building in Washington at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, these pro-life leaders said the role of the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is too important for someone like Specter to continue the obstruction that was used by the Democrats over the past four years regarding President George W. Bush's judicial nominations.
A prayer service will be conducted outside as well as in the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), the man primarily looked to for making suggestions for committee appointments.
"We urge people to contact Senator Frist and let him know that the President needs a loyal man at the helm of the Judiciary Committee, and that man is not Senator Specter," Mahoney said in a statement.
Expressing his outrage over Specter's threat against the president to prevent pro-life judges from being considered, Newman said this is "outrageous."
"[Specter] cannot be allowed to single-handily hold nominees hostage with whom he has a personal axe to grind," Newman exclaimed in a statement.
Many pro-life leaders recall Specter's role in 1987 when he, as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was one of the key opponents to President Ronald Reagan's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Robert Bork, who publicly revealed his opposition to the controversial 1973 abortion case, Roe v. Wade.
"Its time to bork the man who borked Judge Bork," Slattery contended in a statement. "Most pro-life activists worked tirelessly for the President's reelection with the hope and expectation of judicial conservative U.S. Supreme Court nominations."
He added that Specter "has flip-flopped on a pledge to allow these nominations to go through and has created a ground swell of opposition and mistrust from the pro-life community."
These pro-life leaders urge people to contact Sen. Frist directly regarding the Specter appointment as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee at 202-224-3344.
Also, they are also asking citizens to contact their Republican U.S. Senators, including those who won in last week's election, at 202-224-3121 as well as the nine members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
It only takes 11 members of the Republican caucus to call for a secret ballot to replace a committee chair.
Priority 1: Remove Specter from Judiciary (Day 6)
Urgent! Committee Assignments are being made THIS WEEK! There are spots on the Judiciary Committee to be assigned. Tell Sen. Frist and Sen Kyl we need Conservative members on the Judiciary and NO Arlen Specter!
Specter's in line for Chairman, but it can be Challenged! It has happened in the past. Moderate Lugar challenged the Great Jesse Helms for Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A Challenger will have to come forward with the GOP members of the Judicial Committee meet on November 17th! We need to find a member with the Courage to Challenge.
Saw Bork on Fox this weekend. He had some good things to say about keeping Specter out.
Specter Ping.....If anyone is in the DC area, this seems like a very worthy effort to support.
Interesting fact. Will add when I update tommorrow.
IMHO, this is way too much evangelical activism, way too soon. You're scaring the bejeepers out of me, and I'm a pretty good conservative.
I am not "pro-choice", but I am not particularly anti-Roe v. Wade either. I am against late- and mid-term abortions, but I think early-stage terminations are sometimes justified. So what does this make me? Can I no longer be a respected member of our party?
My advice is to let Frist and Bush handle Specter. There are moderates in our party too, please don't forget. Keep this up and you'll split this party sure as God made little green apples. Just my humble opinion.
By the way, I was an active Bush volunteer and a max contributor, too.
What does this say about Senator Specter?
IMHO, Specter brought this on himself and deserves what he is getting. Specter telling Bush what Bush can and can not do as far as appointments just crossed the line, especially coming from a Senator Bush provided critical campaign support to. That along with Specter's history of stating limit test for judges who oppose Roe v. Wade make Specter unsuitable for the job. Roe v. Wade is being used in many circuits to overturn reasonable restrictions on abortions like parental notification and partial birth abortions. Court appointments is a hot issue and is what drove many of the more religious voters to the polls. They have the right to be heard just as much as leftist activist. Don't be uncomfortable, they more than any group made the difference in the last election. Would you rather be discussing President-elect Kerry right now?
Another weak-kneed newbie come to drag us down on takeoff?
WE were too cautious in '95, and it cost us in lost seats in the '96 election. We won't make that mistake again; we're running with the largest mandate that any president in my lifetime has procured.
Hi. A number of folks around here worked with Slattery in NY when the move was made to try to "regulate" crisis pregnancy centers and expectant mother care centers. You may remember reading about that -- PlannedParenthood's not so subtle move through its friends in high places to shut down the alternatives to their abortuaries.
Specter is not a moderate -- he is very liberal.
Abortion is a crime against humanity -- the unborn at any point is considered human life -- since life begins at conception.
Roe vs Wade only did away with punishing people who had abortions -- it technically did not make abortion legal.
Any crimes against humanity can never be legal, according to the constitution.
Whereas Dred Scott decision of 1854 dealt with inhumane treatment, abortion is terminating a human life.
Unless you are will to contend that the point at which you had both mother & father -- conception -- you were not human.
The most unique part of our life is conception.
Any sort of problems very early in our life can lead to SEVERE problems later in life -- missing arms, legs, hands, feet, etc. These are early pregnancy problems.
I repeat:
I think early-stage terminations are sometimes justified. So what does this make me? Can I no longer be a respected member of our party?
Can you not answer these questions? I ask them in the spirit of unity, and because I am concerned about the rifts that this could cause. I think we won because we were a united party - united against the empty suit that was Kerry, united against the appeasers, united against the Hollywood/NY intellectual elites.
You ask if I'm trying to "drag us down on takeoff". Your use of the word "us", first of all, indicates that my positions, my beliefs, renders me an outsider, or little more than a troll. I resent both your tone and your implication.
Now what I am about to say is still just an opinion - but not such a humble one. If you keep up this tone, if you continue to act in such an exclusionary manner, if you don't open the doors of the party to those with divergent opinions, not only will you lose my respect, but the respect of millions of others like me. It is you who will be relegated to the fringes of the party.
Yes, my President was given a mandate - but should not wield it like a club on those with different beliefs. Of course, I think President Bush gets this - it's you who don't.
Ping.
The GOP Platform is 100% pro-life. How and why does the idea of Christian Social Activism scare you?
Not to mention the theological problem here, what did Jesus say about praying in public?
So I don't like this as a media tactic or even theological tactic.
Absolutely!
I just fear a backlash from this. We have a majority to keep building, it's too early to start doing palace coups.
This is why I'm not too worried about your respect. The Lord said that he who sheds man's blood shall have his blood shed by man. If you have enabled one abortion, then you fit into the above. Abortion is premeditated murder.
So we turn our backs on the murder of inocent babies to build a majority? Me thinks that the majority that you will build is headed to hellfire in the fast lane!
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