Alan Keyes has reared his ugly head again, smelling a publicity vehicle in the Schiavo case like no one else can (perhaps he'll toddle down here to sunny Florida and repeat his Illinois humiliation by running for the Senate... or maybe the governorship in 2006? Come and get it, Alan...)
Keyes' latest adventures in public insanity include making the usual right wing rounds, Hannity, et. al, but also turning up on the Randi Rhodes show on Monday, where he was promptly humiliated by the Florida-by-way-ofBrooklyn host for citing the wrong section of the Florida constitution to make an invalid point (namely, that Jeb Bush not only has the power to override the 25-some-odd court findings in the case and seize Terri Schiavo from her hospice bed, but that he also possesses the unique and wonderous ability to -- by himself -- determine the constitutionality of any law. Just try that one on for size, Florida Supreme Court!
Keyes' wacky forum RenewAmerica has also taken on a new role: bashing Gov. Jeb Bush. I guess he's really become Pontius Pilate in the eyes of these people. Never thought I'd find myself defending Jeb, but this is just ridiculous stuff:
At the most critical junctures, Gov. Bush had been a virtual no-show --willing to let the powerful judiciary define his options in ways that effectively strip him of his statutory and constitutional authority.
[Really? My understanding is that Jeb agrees with you, Mr. Keyes. He even pushed for and signed a law that went to absurd lengths to yank Terri Schiavo from the custody of her husband (a law eventually ruled unconstitutional), and over the weekend, was prepared to send in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to extract her, barely averting a public confrontation between the FDLE and the Sheriffs, who had been ordered by the judge to prevent such a snatching. Jeb has risked multiple Constitutional crises over this case, not to mention his credibility as the man charged with faithfully executing the laws and Constitution of the state...]
That's not the role of the executive under our system of government--to be a sycophant to black-robed elites. As a result, an innocent woman will likely die a horrible death.
[Jebbie a sycophant to "black-robed elites?" you mean the same Jeb who quietly pushed for a special legislative session in 2000 and signed an immediate "certificate of ascertainment" handing his state's 25 electors to his brother as Bush v. Gore wound its way toward the Florida and U.S. Supreme Courts?]
Here's what Gov. Bush said on Sunday, in clear abdication of his defined powers: "I cannot violate a court order. "The order he had in mind was a pre-emptive usurpation by circuit judge George Greer of the governor's statutory authority under Florida law to immediately take Terri into protective custody. Had the governor simply acted as he is duly empowered, Terri would not now be threatenedwith death. Instead, Gov. Bush cowered at Greer's threat literally to arrest the governor if he proceeded under legislative statute--as though Greer had such imaginary executive clout.
[No, actually, Jeb was right to reverse himself on the seizing Terri thing. To do so would have created a constitutional crisis, pitting one law enforcement agency against another...]
What on earth is going on here? To defend his impotence, Gov. Bush told CNN after attending Easter services, "I don't have powers from the United States Constitution or--for that matter from the Florida Constitution--that would allow me to intervene after a decision has been made" by an out-of-control, arrogant judge.
So much for the assertive action needed to preserve not only an innocent woman's life, but our republic itself. As Dr. Keyes argues, imbalance of the kind described above means we really don't have law anymore. Instead, we have a judicial dictatorship, whereby the courts aggressively define and control all elements of government without regard for the Constitution, the intention of the founders, or the rights and prerogatives of the other branches.
Is Jeb really "powerless," as he claims? Can he rightfully "wash his hands" of this whole matter and leave it in the hands of others, when he alone is the supreme executive authority in the state, empowered and responsible to protect the health, safety, and life of his state's citizens?
Okay, so he's Pontius Pilate again ... I think that's all I can stand. So the good folks at RenewAmerica ignore the fact that Jeb Bush attempted to do precisely what they have been demanding, and decry his submission to the "tyrannical court" which has the authority under the Constitution -- and indeeed the obligation -- to exercise its prerogatives and restrain what would otherwise be dicatatorial gubernatorial power.
It all makes sense now. Keys and his merry men want to "overthrow" judicial tyranny be replacing it with fundamentalist, religion-fueled executive tyranny, architected by their version of God, whose will is to be interpreted and administered by his chosen representatives on earth: them.
<%
dim done
done = request.form("done")
if done = "" then
done = "No"
%>
Tell a friend
<%
Else
if request.form("done") = "Yes" then
'sets variables
dim email, sendmail
email = request.form("email")
Set sendmail = Server.CreateObject("CDONTS.NewMail")
'put the webmaster address here
sendmail.From = "webmaster@aspbasics.com"
'The mail is sent to the address entered in the previous page.
sendmail.To = email
'Enter the subject of your mail here
sendmail.Subject = "Check out this website"
'send a specific page or send a site url
dim url
'url = Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
url = "http://www.aspbasics.net"
'This is the content of the message.
sendmail.Body = "Site recommendation from a friend!" & _
vbCrlf & vbCrlf & "A friend has sent you this email and thought you would should check out this site." & _
vbCrlf & url & vbCrlf
'this sets mail priority.... 0=low 1=normal 2=high
sendmail.Importance = 1
sendmail.Send 'Send the email!
response.redirect Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
'Response.write ("Sent to ") & email
End if
End if
%>
"[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.' Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84, August, 1788
