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Are the newsmedia reinventing Judge Jones as a conservative Republican?
http://www.evolutionnews.org/2005/12/dover_in_review_pt_4_are_the_n_1.html#more ^

Posted on 01/02/2006 12:35:01 PM PST by truthfinder9

Note: This is the fourth part of a multi-part series. You can read the first three installments here and here and here.

Some in the newsmedia have been attempting to portray Judge Jones as a conservative Republican who is devoutly religious. Frankly, I don't care whether Judge Jones is either conservative or religious. My concern is whether he is fair and accurate as a judge. But I do object to the media's transparent attempt to reinvent Judge Jones in order to supply a veneer of credibility to his incredibly biased decision. The media are cultivating the impression that Judge Jones must have been fair and impartial (his sloppy and biased opinion notwithstanding) because he is a deeply-religious conservative who should have been initially sympathetic to the school board and intelligent design.

In reality, there is very little evidence to suggest that Jones is either a conservative or particularly religious.

According to news reports, Judge Jones has described his political mentor as Tom Ridge, a fairly liberal "pro-choice" Republican. Moreover, according to information Judge Jones supplied to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearings in 2002, after graduating from college he never became a member of any conservative group, unless one counts the Boy Scouts. He also never became a member of any church or other religious charitable organization.

In addition, Judge Jones does not seem in sync with most conservatives' attitudes toward crime and punishment. During his confirmation hearings, he spoke with pride about defending a murderer of a twelve-year old boy and how he was able to get the murderer spared from the death penalty:

I served for 10 years, Madam Chairwoman, as an assistant public defender in Schuylkill County, and so very frequently I found myself enmeshed in unpopular areas representing unpopular people. In particular, in 1989, I represented an individual who was alleged to have murdered a 12-year-old boy. It was, as you can imagine, coming from a small town, a highly charged atmosphere. We had a week-long trial. I represented him throughout in a most difficult circumstance, with the community at large very much against him. He was convicted. I was able to keep him from suffering the death penalty in that case... I was very proud to do that as an assistant public defender consistent with my obligations as an attorney.

The idea that Judge Jones is somehow devoutly religious apparently derives from one comment he made to The New York Times shortly before he handed down his decision. Asked whether he attends church, he told the reporter that he goes on occasion to a Lutheran church favored by his wife. That may make him a dutiful husband, but it doesn't make him religious, especially since he never became a member of any church or any religious group of any kind.

By the way, although Judge Jones declined to join any religious or conservative groups, he did join the trial lawyers association. At the time of his confirmation, he also was a 20+ year member of a country club. Thus, it might be appropriate to call him a "country club Republican."

Please don't misunderstand me: Judge Jones has every right to be a "country club Republican" if he so chooses, and he certainly has every right to be as religious or non-religious as he wishes. The point here is to challenge the media's effort to turn Judge Jones into something he's not in order to defend a biased and sloppy ruling.

(Note: You can verify for yourself the above information about Judge Jones' memberships and his comments at his confirmation hearing by going to the U.S. Government Printing Office and downloading the pdf version of S. HRG. 107–584, PT. 4, Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments, U.S. Government Printing Office, 2003, Serial No. J–107–23. See especially pp. 73 and 191-192.)



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: courts; creation; darwinfundies; design; dover; evolution; id; mediabias; pa; science

1 posted on 01/02/2006 12:35:02 PM PST by truthfinder9
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To: truthfinder9

It's the David Gergen effect. The media finds a liberal who at some time has had some connection to a Republican. Then, forever after, they introduce them a a 'Reagan Administration Official' (in the case of Gergen) just before Gergen vomits all over everything Reagan worked to accomplish.


2 posted on 01/02/2006 12:40:08 PM PST by ModelBreaker
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To: truthfinder9

They (through Rush) did such a good job of making the Republican moderate stance out to be the Conservative principles of the time that they are trying again to paint it all to the left.


3 posted on 01/02/2006 12:42:17 PM PST by Spirited
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To: Junior

Archival ping.


4 posted on 01/02/2006 1:04:29 PM PST by PatrickHenry (Virtual Ignore for trolls, lunatics, dotards, scolds, & incurable ignoramuses.)
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To: truthfinder9
...incredibly biased decision.

No, it wasn't biased, you're just a sore loser.

5 posted on 01/02/2006 1:38:56 PM PST by Rudder
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To: Rudder

Never mind, He problably thinks "Dred Scott" was a fair decision too.


6 posted on 01/02/2006 1:53:01 PM PST by Pikachu_Dad
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To: truthfinder9

More sore loser whinging.

This case was a loser from the very beginning. There's a reason that the Discovery Institute refused to join it - the school board knew that what they were doing was un-Constitutional, which is why they had to hide both their motives and the money trail.

The judge was right to slap down the board - what else should we do with perjurers?


7 posted on 01/02/2006 1:55:04 PM PST by highball ("I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." -- Thomas Jefferson)
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To: highball

The whole issue shouldn't have gone to court. It's a local school issue. However, guess who brought it to court? The ACLU/liberals/anti-God Team.

On the other hand, why didn't the judge question the integrity of the Darwin Fundies? They paraded in court and pretended they believed God & evolution are compatible and not at odds, but in their writings talk about how much they hate religion. The judge had his mind made up before hand.


8 posted on 01/03/2006 6:01:40 AM PST by truthfinder9
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To: truthfinder9
The whole issue shouldn't have gone to court. It's a local school issue. However, guess who brought it to court? The ACLU/liberals/anti-God Team

It's a Constitutional issue, which rightly belongs in the courts.

If you're looking for someone to blame, blame the school board members. They knew what they were doing was un-Constitutional, or they wouldn't have had to lie about their motives, and they wouldn't have had to hide the money trail.

This case was such a loser that the Discovery Institute itself didn't want anything to do with it. They were distancing themselves from the fallout they knew would come.

On the other hand, why didn't the judge question the integrity of the Darwin Fundies?

I don't know, maybe because they didn't lie on the stand?

9 posted on 01/03/2006 6:53:30 AM PST by highball ("I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." -- Thomas Jefferson)
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Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: wbmstr24
if these folks actually lied on the stand, why didnt the judge charge them with perjury?

Judges don't charge anybody with anything. It isn't their job.

As to why the prosecutors haven't charged them, I'd guess they didn't think it's worthwhile. Piling on, after they lost the case.

Doesn't change the fact that they got caught lying.

11 posted on 01/09/2006 10:28:00 AM PST by highball ("I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." -- Thomas Jefferson)
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