An 'Independent Judiciary' Reality Check

An 'Independent Judiciary' Reality Check

Chief Justice John Roberts's assertion that we have an "independent judiciary" lacks credibility.

Let's set the record straight...

You may have heard that President Donald Trump is adamant about defending our southern border. Most recently, that defense has been focused on the migrant mobs attempting to breach our border between Tijuana and San Diego.

In a setback to Trump's efforts, one of Barack Obama's appointees on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Jon Tigar, blocked Trump's order requiring that illegal alien asylum applications, the free ticket to America, be processed at legal points of entry. (There's a reason that circuit is also known as the Ninth Circus and the Nutty Ninth.)

Trump responded to the ruling, "You go the 9th Circuit and it's a disgrace. And I'm going to put in a major complaint because you cannot win — if you're us — a case in the 9th Circuit and I think it's a disgrace. This was an Obama judge."

On that note, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, in an unprecedented rebuke of a U.S. president, chastised Trump for stating the obvious: that an Obama-appointed federal judge "was an Obama judge."

Roberts declared, "We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for."

It would have been proper for Roberts to say nothing about Trump's remark, but, ostensibly endeavoring to protect the integrity of the courts, he apparently felt compelled. Obviously, Justice Roberts knows full well how highly politicized the federal courts are — and his assertion that we now have an "independent judiciary" defies reality. The objective of impartial "blind justice" is certainly what our Founders prescribed for the judicial branch, but they knew that attaining equal justice under the law was a high bar.

The most recent skewering of then-SCOTUS nominee and now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh is an airtight case in point. So one might conclude that Roberts was projecting what he believes should be the nonpartisan nature of the courts. But as he stated it, he's flat wrong.

Responding to Roberts, Trump said, "I have a lot of respect for [Roberts] but I think we have to use some common sense. This 9th Circuit, everybody knows it's totally out of control and what they're doing, what they're saying, the opinions are very unfair to law enforcement, very unfair to our military, and they're very unfair, most importantly, to the people of our country because I'm keeping them safe."

Trump added: "Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have 'Obama judges,' and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country. It would be great if the 9th Circuit was indeed an 'independent judiciary,' but if it is[,] why there are so many opposing view cases filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned[?] Please study the numbers, they are shocking. We need protection and security — these rulings are making our country unsafe! Very dangerous and unwise! Judges must not Legislate Security and Safety at the Border."

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), a former federal prosecutor and a strong candidate for a Circuit Court nomination once he retires from the House, declared, "I wish Chief Justice Roberts were right. I wish there were not a politicization of the judiciary."

Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, added, "Every print article that you will go find ... refers to judges based on the president that put him or her in office. And you see terms like conservative and ultra conservative and liberal and moderate, which are political terms. ... So I wish Chief Justice Roberts were right. I wish that we did not refer to judges based on which president put them in office as if that is somehow going to inextricably lead us to the conclusion."

The fact is, federal judges have proven to be partisan for generations, and there is most assuredly a very distinct division and partiality on the federal bench.

Judges nominated and appointed by Republican presidents are partial toward Rule of Law and the Liberty enshrined in our Republic's Constitution. In the overwhelming majority of cases, they honor their oaths "to support and defend" our Constitution.

Conversely, judges nominated and appointed by Democrat presidents are clearly partial toward the so-called "living constitution" embraced by those who reject Rule of Law in deference to the rule of men, the irrevocable terminus of which is tyranny.

Of the latter, Thomas Jefferson warned they would "make the Judiciary a despotic branch." As the venerable former Sen. Sam Ervin (D-NC) once put it, these are judges who "interpret the Constitution to mean what it would have said if [they], instead of the Founding Fathers, had written it." Jefferson warned that such interpretation would render our Constitution "a mere thing of wax ... which [judges] may twist and shape into any form they please."

As James Madison cautioned, "There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

As for partiality on the Supreme Court, over the last 18 months, according to The Daily Wire, "The four left-leaning judges on the Supreme Court are far more consistent about voting together as a bloc than the conservatives on the court; Elena Kagan votes with Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg an average of 89% of the time; Breyer votes with his cohorts an average of 91% of the time; Ginsburg also votes with her pals an average of 91% of the time, and Sotomayor joins them 90.3% of the time."

The assessment notes further, "By contrast, among the four right-leaning judges, Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and John Roberts, Gorsuch sided with them an average of 82.7% of the time; Thomas 86.3% of the time; Alito 85.7% of the time, and Roberts 80.7% of the time."

As Cal Thomas concludes, "If all judges thought the same, as Roberts seems to suggest, why are there so many 5-4 rulings by the high court?"

And regarding significant immigration decisions by the lower courts since Donald Trump took office, according to a Washington Times review, "53 of the 54 Democrat appointed judges who issued or signed onto opinions in immigration cases ruled against the Trump administration's get-tough approach." The Times study noted further, "By contrast, among GOP-appointees to the federal bench, 15 judges have backed the administration in immigration cases and 13 have not."

As I have noted, judicial opinions are not about "Right" versus "Left"; they're about Liberty versus tyranny. Thus, in 2016, when I voted for Donald Trump instead of his leftist opponent, Hillary Clinton, I voted for the Supreme Court. And indeed, President Trump has consistently nominated constructionist judges to both the upper and lower courts.

And finally, what debate about the Supreme Court would be complete without Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) offering one of his mind-numbing observations. In an opinion that sounded far more satirical than senatorial, Schumer offered an affirmation of Roberts's assessment of judicial independence, while in the same breath accusing Roberts of partisanship in his decisions: "I don't agree very often with Chief Justice Roberts, especially his partisan decisions which seem highly political. ... But I am thankful today that he ... stood up to President Trump for an independent judiciary."

Yes, you heard that correctly: Schumer sided with Trump about the Court's partisan nature, then laughably implied that he supports "an independent judiciary."

But no sooner had he sucked up to the chief justice than he was back to his old obfuscatory games. This week on the Senate floor, Schumer, singing the Demos' midterm "rigged election" theme song, declared, "Justice Roberts will go down in history as one of those who worked to take away voting rights when he authored the Shelby decision and stated that he didn't believe that ... more or less, he stated that he didn't believe that discrimination existed any longer, so we wouldn't need Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act."

Of course, Roberts never wrote that. In fact, quite the contrary. In that decision, Roberts noted, "At the same time, voting discrimination still exists; no one doubts that."

Never let it be said that Schumer allowed inconvenient facts to get in the way of a partisan cheap shot.

About That Blue Wave

About That Blue Wave

On Tuesday, conservative victories at the ballot box put the Senate even more firmly into Republican hands. Despite Democrats taking the House, they actually lost ground in the upper chamber and, overall, their "blue wave" failed to materialize. 

Leftists always insisted that the midterms were a referendum on Donald Trump, but they miscalculated — his focus on and victory in the Senate only solidified his leadership.

Across the nation conservatives have much to celebrate, with Republicans maintaining the majority in governorships and expanding their Senate hold. For example, in Tennessee, former governor Phil Bredesen fell far short of the votes needed to keep Republican Marsha Blackburn from becoming the state's first female senator.

Democrats will use their new House majority to ramp up their obstruction, but Tuesday wasn't a blue wave. We must renew our conviction that the daily fight for Liberty does make a difference, and it's only with your help that we will be able to stand on these front lines for so many years.

Oprah sets her platform with Stacey Abrams!

Oprah sets her platform with Stacey Abrams!

·       She would reverse a state income tax cut.  Supports tax credit for lower-income families, expanding Medicaid and new scholarships and tax credits to make child care more affordable.

·       Supports expanding Medicaid and exploring a program to stabilize health insurance premiums.

·       Supports “historic investment” in early childcare and learning and public schools and a needs-based higher education scholarship.

·       Supports stricter gun laws, including universal background checks for private sales of firearms and a repeal of the “campus carry” legislation that allows permit holders to carry weapons on college campuses.

·       Pledges to eliminate the use of cash bail for some poor defendants, backs taking steps to decriminalize marijuana, expanding accountability courts and ending capital punishment.

·       Opposed Georgia House Bill 87, a crackdown on illegal immigration that lawmakers approved in 2011, saying it has “harmed our immigrant and refugee communities.”

·       Religious Liberty; opposed bills that threatened to legalize discrimination or allow some Georgians to be treated differently under the law.

·       Opposes further abortion restrictions. Planned Parenthood endorsed her during the primary campaign.

·       Marijuana: She supports in-state cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes. She would seek to decriminalize some marijuana offenses, and invoked a new Atlanta policy that calls for a maximum fine of $75 and no mandatory jail time for small amounts.

·       Climate Change: Calls “climate change is real” and would strengthen environmental protections. She says her policies could put the state in position to create as many as 45,000 high-wage jobs in the growing alternative energy sector.

The Radical Left Quotes on Brett Kavanaugh – Bringing America Together

The Radical Left Quotes on Brett Kavanaugh – Bringing America Together

“In selecting Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, President Trump has put reproductive rights and freedoms and health care protections for millions of Americans on the judicial chopping block. ... I will oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination with everything I have, and I hope a bipartisan majority will do the same.” — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“He would tip the balance of the Supreme Court even more against workers’ rights, civil rights, and women’s rights for decades to come.” — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a potential 2020 presidential contender.

“President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will be a rubber-stamp for an extreme, right-wing agenda pushed by corporations and billionaires.” — Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

“With a subservient Republican Congress and a far-right Supreme Court, there is a real risk that the worst impulses of the Trump presidency will go unchecked.” — No. 2 Senate Democratic leader Richard Durbin of Illinois.

“This is a nominee who wants to pave the path to tyranny.” — Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.

"If Kavanaugh is confirmed, we could see progress rolled back on many issues including the right of women to make their own medical decisions, voting rights, rights of workers to organize for better wages and working conditions, the principle of equal justice under the law & more." — Sen. Corey Booker, D-N.J

"If confirmed, American citizens will hemorrhage basic rights, and corporations will have an open door for a hostile takeover."— Tom Steyer, billionaire Democratic financier.

"A woman's right to choose is on the line, LGBTQ rights could be rolled back, affordable health care could be brought down, fair housing, consumer protections and environmental protections could all be decimated."— JB Pritzker, Democratic candidate for Illinois governor.

“This nomination as a destructive tool on a generation of progress for workers, women, LGBTQ people, communities of color & families, and to radically reverse the course of American justice and democracy."— House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

"OK Ladies and Gentlemen who care for and respect ladies, it is official. The move back to Medieval Values, Shariah Law even, where old, bitter men get to tell women what is best for their bodies, lives, and well being is as done a deal as this is Twitter. Unless we say NO! NO!" — Ron Perlman

"Brett Kavanaugh is a true Second Amendment radical. He believes assault weapon bans are unconstitutional, a position way out of the judicial mainstream, far to the right of even late Justice Scalia."— Sen. Chris Murphy

"With a Justice Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, we could see reversals of hard-won gains securing equal opportunity in education, employment and housing. We could see further exclusion of communities of color from participation in our democracy. We could see racism continue to flourish within the criminal justice system. We could see the elimination of effective tools for proving discrimination."— NAACP statement.

"In selecting Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, Donald Trump has put reproductive rights and freedoms and health care protections for millions of Americans on the judicial chopping block."— Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

"The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh will threaten the lives of millions of Americans for decades to come and will morph our Supreme Court into a political arm of the right-wing Republican Party."— Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

"If Brett Kavanaugh survives the confirmation process, he will rapidly advance a fringe right agenda on the court that will accelerate plutocratic control of our economy and politics, actively undermine the steps our country must take towards greater racial equity, and directly lead to the deaths of countless women with the dismantling of abortion rights."— Jim Dean, chairman of Democracy for America.

"If Trump gets what he wants here what's the court gonna look like the next 30 years? We're looking at a destruction of the Constitution of the United States." Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.

A Brilliant Jurist Remarks About The Democrat Lynching of Kavanaugh

Brett Kavanaugh Opening Statement Excerpts

Since my nomination in July, there’s been a frenzy on the left to come up with something, anything to block my confirmation. Shortly after I was nominated, the Democratic Senate leader said he would “oppose me with everything he’s got.” A Democratic senator on this committee publicly referred to me as evil. Evil. Think about that word. And said that those that supported me were “complicit and evil.” Another Democratic senator on this committee said, “Judge Kavanaugh is your worst nightmare.” A former head of the Democratic National Committee said, “Judge Kavanaugh will threaten the lives of millions of Americans for decades to come.”

But I would say to those senators: Your words have meaning. Millions of Americans listened carefully to you. Given comments like those, is it any surprise that people have been willing to do anything to make any physical threat against my family?

Some of you were lying in wait and had it ready. This first allegation was held in secret for weeks by a Democratic member of this committee and by staff. It would be needed only if you couldn’t take me out on the merits. When it was needed, this allegation was unleashed and publicly deployed over Dr. Ford’s wishes.

This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election, fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record, revenge on behalf of the Clintons and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups.

Those that make allegations always deserve to be heard. At the same time, the person who is the subject of the allegations also deserves to be heard. Due process is the foundation of the American rule of law. Due process means listening to both sides.

BILLY GRAHAM'S SON IS TELLING THE SAD TRUTH

BILLY GRAHAM'S SON IS TELLING THE SAD TRUTH 

Time is like a river.  You cannot touch the water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again.  Franklin Graham was speaking at the First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, when he said America will not come back. 

He wrote: 

"The American dream ended on November 6th, 2012.  The second term of Barack Obama has been the final nail in the coffin for the legacy of the white Christian males who discovered, explored, pioneered, settled and developed the greatest republic in the history of mankind. 
A coalition of blacks, Latinos, feminists, gays, government workers, union members, environmental extremists, the media, Hollywood, uninformed young people, the "forever needy," the chronically unemployed, illegal aliens and other "fellow travelers" have ended Norman Rockwell's America. 
You will never again out-vote these people.  It will take individual acts of defiance and massive displays of civil disobedience to get back the rights we have allowed them to take away.  It will take zealots, not moderates and shy, not reach-across-the-aisle RINOs to right this ship and restore our beloved country to its former status. 

People like me are completely politically irrelevant, and I will probably never again be able to legally comment on or concern myself with the aforementioned coalition which has surrendered our culture, our heritage and our traditions without a shot being fired. 

The Cocker spaniel is off the front porch, the pit bull is in the back yard The American Constitution has been replaced with Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" and the likes of Chicago shyster David Axelrod along with international socialist George Soros have been pulling the strings on their beige puppet and have brought us Act 2 of the New World Order. 
The curtain will come down but the damage has been done, the story has been told. 

Those who come after us will once again have to risk their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to bring back the Republic that this generation has timidly frittered away due to white guilt and political correctness." 

BREAKING NEWS: Seventy-Two Killed Resisting Gun Confiscation In Maryland.

BREAKING NEWS: Seventy-Two Killed Resisting Gun Confiscation In Maryland.

National Guard units seeking to confiscate a cache of recently banned assault weapons were ambushed by elements of a Para-military extremist faction. Military and law enforcement sources estimate that 72 were killed and more than 200 injured before government forces were compelled to withdraw.

Speaking after the clash, Massachusetts Governor Thomas Gage declared that the extremist faction, which was made up of local citizens, has links to the radical right-wing tax protest movement.

Gage blamed the extremists for recent incidents of vandalism directed against internal revenue offices. The governor, who described the group’s organizers as “criminals,” issued an executive order authorizing the summary arrest of any individual who has interfered with the government’s efforts to secure law and order.

The military raid on the extremist arsenal followed wide-spread refusal by the local citizenry to turn over recently outlawed assault weapons.

Gage issued a ban on military-style assault weapons and ammunition earlier in the week. This decision followed a meeting in early this month between government and military leaders at which the governor authorized the forcible confiscation of illegal arms.

One government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out that “none of these people would have been killed had the extremists obeyed the law and turned over their weapons voluntarily.”

Government troops initially succeeded in confiscating a large supply of outlawed weapons and ammunition. However, troops attempting to seize arms and ammunition in Lexington met with resistance from heavily-armed extremists who had been tipped off regarding the government’s plans.

During a tense standoff in the Lexington town park, National Guard Colonel Francis Smith, commander of the government operation, ordered the armed group to surrender and return to their homes. The impasse was broken by a single shot, which was reportedly fired by one of the right-wing extremists.

Eight civilians were killed in the ensuing exchange.

Ironically, the local citizenry blamed government forces rather than the extremists for the civilian deaths. Before order could be restored, armed citizens from surrounding areas had descended upon the guard units. Colonel Smith, finding his forces over matched by the armed mob, ordered a retreat.

Governor Gage has called upon citizens to support the state/national joint task force in its effort to restore law and order. The governor also demanded the surrender of those responsible for planning and leading the attack against the government troops.

Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and John Hancock, who have been identified as “ringleaders” of the extremist faction, remain at large.

And this fellow Americans, is how the American Revolution began, April 20, 1775.

History. Study it, or repeat it.