Okay, I was exercising my first amendment right to free speech and thought it would be a worthwhile endeavor to voice my concerns over the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, specifically her stance on the second amendment. I fired off a couple of strongly worded e-mails to my state Senators Bill Nelson (D) and Mel Martinez (R).
I guess I expected that I would receive a “canned” response; I guess I expected that it would be a colossal waste of time; what I did not expect was the striking similarity between the two responses given that these Senators are from opposing parties.
The most glaring omission is their stance on this nominee; not a word on how they planned to vote just platitudes, generic rhetoric and gratuitous pandering. This is emblematic of why the average American hates politicians; they ride the fence right up until the point we shove them off of it.
For those of you out there that believe either major party has your interests at heart take the time to parse these two responses. I would be willing to bet that should I remove the signature line very few of you would be able to discern which Senator wrote which response. It’s like opening a box of Neapolitan ice cream and finding that it’s all one flavor (you decide which).
These kind of noncommittal responses from my elected representatives are insulting and demonstrate that regardless of their stances during elections all we are really getting is manure on the right and horse crap on the left. If I were an organic farmer I guess I would be appreciative.
The first letter is my response from Mel Martinez (RD):
Below is a response to the recent comments I received from you:
Dear Mr.:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve as Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to respond to your concerns.
The position of Supreme Court justice is one of the highest and most respected in the land. The decisions of this Court resonate at the very foundations of the beliefs upon which our nation is built. When it comes to the role of federal judges, I agree with Chief Justice Robert's view: they should be like umpires and simply call balls and strikes. Judges have a duty of interpreting laws, not writing them.
When it comes to judicial candidates, we ought to look at experience, fairness, impartiality, temperament, and knowledge of the law. I look forward to participating in a fair and thorough process as the Senate conducts its constitutionally-required examination of Judge Sotomayor's qualifications for serving on the nation's highest court.
Over the coming weeks, I will be examining Judge Sotomayor's record closely to determine whether she exhibits a proper understanding of the role of a judge within our constitutional structure. At this time, I have a variety of questions regarding some of Judge Sotomayor's past public statements. In addition, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be conducting their own examinations and hearings. Judge Sotomayor has been involved with some 3,600 decisions all of which need to be review before her hearing with the Judiciary Committee. For now, it is important to treat Judge Sonia Sotomayor with dignity and respect. Her personal story is one of great accomplishments and a source of inspiration; it demonstrates the great opportunities our nation has to offer to its citizens.
Again, thank you for sharing your views of our Nations Supreme Court. If you have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
Mel Martinez
United States Senator
This is my response from Bill Nelson (DR)
Please do not reply to this e-mail. If you need to send another message to Senator Nelson, please use the form on his Web site: http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm#email
Dear Mr.:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the next Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
President Obama has picked someone with extensive judicial experience and a keen intellect to serve on the Supreme Court. I'm told she brings an open mind to each case she hears and decides them on their merits. I look forward to a more detailed review of her record during the confirmation process.
I appreciate your letter. Please do not hesitate to contact me again.
Sincerely,
Senator Bill Nelson
The only discernible difference between the responses is Martinez took up a lot more room to say nothing that Nelson did. Crap is crap and regardless of the size of the pile it all stinks.
