Senator Brownback Uses Lame Gay Wedding as Excuse to Stall Judicial Appointment

[Laura PourMeADrink]

http://www.theangryfag.com/2006/11/27/senator-brownback-uses-lame-gay-wedding-as-excuse-to-stall-judicial-appointment/

Senator Brownback Uses Lame Gay Wedding as Excuse to Stall Judicial Appointment


by The Angry Fag @ 2:09 am.


Someone needs to explain Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas to me. The senator, a Republican naturally, is stalling the nomination of Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Janet T. Neff for a lifetime appointment as a US District Judge because of the fact that she attended a lesbian wedding. The wedding, which took place in Massachusetts in 2002. Neff is a personal friend of one of the women who got married and attended the ceremony in a private capacity. On Sunday Brown beck said "But what I want to know is what does it do to her look at the law?"

Since when did attending a same-sex marriage ceremony suddenly equate into a political litmus test on the issue of gay marriage? I guess if we applied Senator Brownbeck’s standard across the board, every person who attends a heterosexual marriage ceremony would be homophobic or something of the sort. Or that every woman who has not had an abortion was anti-abortion and every man who has never had sex with a woman gay. The very notion is ridiculous. Judge Neff, in a response to Brownback’s asinine question on her attendance at the wedding, stated that "the ceremony, which was entirely private, took place in Massachusetts, where I had no authority to act in any official capacity and where, in any event, the ceremony had no legal effect."

Of course the Senator is grasping at straws on the issue. He is simply looking for anything he can find that would allow him to disqualify a candidate who is not radically right-wing like himself and this is the one thing he managed to find. Thank the gods that the Democrats have control over both houses to Senator Brownback and other social throw-backs like him are relegated into the minority since we are stuck with him actually holding office at all. Besides, since appointments are made by the Bush administration, should not Senator Brownback allow the choice made by the administration to go through and allow the Judiciary Committee and the full Senate vote on Judge Neff’s appointment?

Categories: Politics, Gay Rights
Tags: Gay Marriage

[tanyev]

1. Ooh, maybe Brownback will go after Condi, too.

The U.S. State Department is in the business of diplomacy and avoiding faux pas, so the turns of phrase recently used by Secretary of State Condi Rice can be assumed to be intentional. Flanked by First Lady Laura Bush, Secretary Rice recently administered the oath of office for new Global AIDS Coordinator Dr. Mark S. Dybul. Dr. Dybul placed his hand on a Bible held by his homosexual partner Jason Claire. First the State Department's Deputy Chief of Protocol, Raymond Martinez, and then Secretary Rice herself referred to Mr. Claire's mother as Dr. Dybul's "mother in law." Both Martinez and Rice referred to Dr. Dybul's "family," which, under the circumstances (Dr. Dybul's parents were also present), contained enough truth to be generically proper. A photograph of the swearing-in, on October 10, appears on the State Department's web site. In the world of protocol, verbal miscues are anathema. The question arises, what guidelines do the State Department and White House follow? Neither federal law (the Defense of Marriage Act) nor District of Columbia law recognizes a marriage between Dr. Dybul and his partner, and "mother in law" is therefore both linguistically (and possibly legally) improper and morally provocative. Why did Secretary Rice deploy the term in the presence of the First Lady?.

Quote from a Family Research Council email newsletter.

[pdxmom]

2. So he's admitting that he only wants an up or down vote on those

nominees that meet with his particular approval. Good for him. I want their hypocrisy to shine like a star. He's also admitting that if any nominee has gay friends, they aren't "acceptable" to him as a good Repuke. I guess all those Repukes who say they aren't bigots, cause they have gay friends, are also unacceptable to Brownback. I love it when their blatant hate comes to light.

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. So by his logic, attendance at a Muslim wedding...

... is de facto proof that a judge favors Islam and thus will rule against Christians and thus should be barred from holding judicial office.

:eyes:

[SaveElmer]

4. Oh ok...so all judicial nominees don't deserve an up or down vote...

Isn't the opposite what the RW hypocrites have been telling us for 6 years...

Glad to see they have cleared that up!!!

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. Of course they do!

"All" of the ones that he personally approves of, that is.

[Hav]

5. .

Ah I see, they are already starting their Primary :eyes:.
He probably only tries to score some points.

[Ganja Ninja]

7. He can only stall for another month then he's powerless.

I'm gonna enjoy watching assholes like this pout after the new congress is sworn in.

[Chipper Chat]

8. BrownNose needs to go the way of Ricky-boy Santorum.

Whaddya say, Kansas?