It is as much as a done deal. Justice Samuel Alito will now sit on the bench of the highest court in our land for possibly the next 30 years. This ultra-conservative will rule against victims, grant unprecedented Executive power, re-interpret our laws, and promote the ultra-right agenda upon our country. Check Alito's America website for what we can expect to see from this KING GEORGE YES MAN!

Watch the careers of those who put him on the Supreme Court. Get the voting record at CSPAN and remember these so-called legislators at election time. With the exception of Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, every single Republican voted for the confirmation of Alito. A straight party vote, despite his checkered past on the bench. Republicans as a whole, voted their party-line rather than their conscience. It sickens me that these are the representatives of the people, and they are merely representing their party over the welfare of their constituents. I believe that Senator Chafee's statement is very clear, and well examined. Please read Senator Chafee's statement here.

While we have to generate the pressure on all Senators, the decision to filibuster (or not) will also be a leadership decision. Call the Leadership Offices! Harry Reid, NV Democratic Leader (202) 224-3542

Dick Durbin, IL Assistant Democratic Leader (202) 224-2152

Patrick Leahy, VT Ranking Member Judiciary Committee (202) 224-4242

Republican senators that have not yet come out in support of Alito:

Phone numbers:

1-888-355-3588

or

1-888-818-6641

Chafee, Lincoln- (R - RI)

Collins, Susan- (R - ME)

Snowe, Olympia- (R - ME)

Stevens, Ted- (R - AK) (Yeah, him)

And Jeffords, James- (I - VT) hasn't declared his position yet.

Senators leaning toward filibuster, call and urge them on: 1-888-355-3588

or

1-888-818-6641

Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas

Mark Pryor, Arkansas

Diane Feinstein, California

Joe Lieberman, Connecticut

Joe Biden, Delaware

Barack Obama, Illinois

Mary Landrieu, Louisiana

Ben Nelson, Nebraska

Kent Conrad, North Dakota

Tim Johnson, South Dakota

"President Bush said Alito was 'imminently qualified.' Then he said 'Unless imminently means not.'" --Conan O'Brien

It's time I came out of the closet. Although many of you know me as judybrowni (or judybrownibot) the annoyingly persistent poster of links to anti-Alito actions, in real life I'm the mild-mannered (well, actually kinda bitchy) editor of a series of joke books (which include The Comedy Thesaurus).

I come from a yellow-dog Democrat family (of at least four generations back), who also believed in the power of humor. As Sigmund Freud wrote in his book, Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious, "Every joke is a judgement."

And I've even injected my general interest joke books with a progressive slant.

So much so, that I once received a letter from a wingnut with time on his hands, who complained that he'd counted 50 jokes in one of my books with a liberal bias. To which I replied, "If we have to deal with your dangerous clown of a President, the least you can do is take a joke -- or 50 of them."

Now that I've revealed myself, I've decided to combine my avocation with my vocation: every time I hit you up with an action, I'll reward you with jokes.

It ain't over until the fat lady sings (and I'm not even humming yet.)

We may not be able to sway even some Democrat senators, but we can let them all know where we stand.

As long as we still have that right, let's exercise it:

If Repug, tell them "No" to Alito; if Democrat: FILIBUSTER!

CALL YOUR TWO SENATORS

John Edwards has endorsed this petition for FILIBUSTER!

People for the American Way has collected over 60,000 signatures to send to the Senate, please add yours:Save the Court Petition

[Update:]:

John Edwards is the first to endorse a filibuster petition. Here's the link.

Obviously many Democrats are concerned with the candidacy of Samuel Alito.  Unfortunately, many of them have no vote, not being Senators.

Many letters, petitions, and voices of outrage are out there circulating.  I just got my letter from John Edwards, which urges our Senators not to confirm Alito.

Here's a snip from his email:

Please join me in calling on Democratic Senators to stand up for the core principals of our party by opposing Alito's nomination. This is not my petition; it is ours, because all of us are threatened by this nomination. Sign our petition calling on Senate Democrats to stand together and block Alito's confirmation with every means at their disposal. We will share the results with Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sign it.  Pass it on.

Or sign a petition. Or sign one to filibuster.  Or sign on to demand an impeachment.  Or sign one to demand body armor for the troops.

You have a voice.

Use it.  Let them hear from you.

Obviously many Democrats are concerned with the candidacy of Samuel Alito.  Unfortunately, many of them have no vote, not being Senators.

Many letters, petitions, and voices of outrage are out there circulating.  I just got my letter from John Edwards, which urges our Senators not to confirm Alito.

Sign it.  Pass it on.

Or sign a petition. Or sign one to filibuster.  Or sign on to demand an impeachment.  Or sign one to demand body armor for the troops.

You have a voice.

Use it.  Let them hear from you.

Enough with the smug and obscuring bloviation from Republicans,

make your own voice heard on Alito:

Go right to the top, and tell 'em "No" to Alito's confirmation:

Phone, fax, and email addresses for the Judiciary Committee.

Here's another "Veto Alito" tool:

    Write a letter to the editor of your local paper and contact your congress critters -- all with one click.

People for the American Way has collected over 60,000 signatures on their Anti-Alito Petition to send to the Senate, please add yours:

Save the Court Petition

Okay, it's your very last chance to wield your John Hancock against Judge Samuel Alito.

People for the American Way, for one, has collected over 59,000 signatures to be sent to the Senate -- why not sign 'em up to a nice round 60,000?

A penstroke (well, some clicking, actually) and you could be nudging the Senate to filibuster, so c'mon!

So far in the 12 Days of Justice daily series you have learned that:

• Judge Samuel Alito does not respect the primary role of the Legislative branch of our government.
  By Tampopo




• Judge Alito will threaten the fundamental rights and basic legal protections for working Americans of all ages.
  By AP




• Judge Alito has violated the laws and ethical codes that govern the conduct of federal judges and was a member of the radical and discriminatory group CAP.
  By Steven D




• Judge Alito's view of discrimination against persons with disability is so restrictive that "few if any...cases would survive summary judgment."
  By susanhu

Todays diary for Day 5 will be a short and to the point explanation of Judge Alito's views concerning women and abortion rights. It will deal with his radical and demeaning views from the perspective of his positions revealed in certain abortion cases, memos, applications, and discussions of Roe v Wade.

Join me in the back alley below the fold.

Edited to reflect the addtion of reasons and actions for Days 1 through 12 of the 12 Days of Justice.
Updates are in the comments. Thanks! CM1

There are many reasons to be wary of the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.

Over the next 12 days the Anti-Alito Brigade will be bringing you many of those reasons, and also some actions that you might consider to help stop this horrible nomination.

The main intention of this nomination is to try and tip the balance of power away from the legislative branch and towards the President.

Alito is an activist judge that will legislate from the bench on many of the issues that all progressives hold dear to their heart.

There's more below the fold, so plug your nose and dumpster dive into the rest of this post with me!

We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular... We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. - Edward R. Morrow.

The Gang of 14* (listed below) struck a deal not to use the "nuclear option" to blow up the Senate and to filibuster judicial nominees only under extraordinary circumstances.  The nomination of Samuel Alito to SCOTUS now requiresus all to revisit that dubious agreement.  Since this bi-partisan coalition did not specify what "extraordinary circumstances" might entail, let's review some potential, qualifying indicators. So far, at least, the Gang seems to be intact, but still unenlightened about what may constitute the extraordinaire.

In 2000, Judge Samuel Alito authored an opinion in which he concluded that Congress did not have the power to require state employers to comply with the Family Medical Leave Act. This ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2003, with a 6-3 margin. Voting in dissent? That's right, everyone's favorite activist justice, Antonin Scalia.

Now why should this somewhat arcane labor issue be of interest to me, particularly in light of Alito's involvement in the much more controversial and interesting Casey decision? Well, I am an employee of the state of Washington. Had Alito and Scalia gotten their way, my employers could have denied me leave, and I wouldn't be in the position I am now--able to provide assistance to my disabled sister and brother-in-law while he fights for his life against an aggressive and deadly lymphoma. I am here at my sister's and brother-in-law's side because of the Family Medical Leave Act.

Here are the first of what I hope to many petitions from progressive groups opposing the nomination of right-wing extemist Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. This post will be updated as new petitions come online. MoveOn: Stop Alito

NARAL: Tell your senators to oppose anti-choice Alito

PFAW: Stop Alito

Planned Parenthood: Act Now! Hard Line Conservative Judge Threatens Women's Rights (Via Cortexer "Oslo")

NOW: Ask Sandra Day O'Connor to stay on the Supreme Court (Via Cortexer "Oslo")

From MSNBC: "Do you support President Bush's nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court?"

(Note: Apologies, all; this post should have gone under "Code Blue" for activism, which can be accessed from "Create New Article.")