I have had lots of time on my hands these days due to back and knee issues, which have severely limited my activities. So, instead of getting up and about doing all the stuff I normally do, most of the time I sit propped up on the sofa surfing the internet.
The time has not been spent completely frivolously though. I am actually learning a thing or two about what is going on in the world, and within the good old USA.
This morning, after ingesting my second cup of coffee, and when I finally came truly awake, I could hear that Pete was listening to something of note upstairs on his computer. So instead of reading the newspaper, I turned on my wonderful little MacBook and linked to C-SPAN-3.
There was something important going on! The Senate Judiciary Committee was meeting to question our Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, regarding the firing of eight Federal Justices for what appears to be purely political reasons.
It is truly amazing how little Attorney General Gonzales recalled about how the dismissals came about. Gonzales did not seem to remember who did what ... or who decided what ... at the time. Now, I for one, do not believe that Mr. Gonzales is actually having memory problems ... but that, of course, is possible.
Toward the end of the hearing it seemed that one after another, nearly every member of the Judiciary Committee asked Mister Gonzales to step down … since he was either incompetent, or worse.
One thing that seemed to trouble one of the Senators was the fact that the Justice Department spent considerable time investigating voter fraud cases. The time spent investigating these cases was not about the large number of reported incidents where eligible voters were turned away from the polls or discouraged from voting altogether. The investigations were primarily about the possibility that some people voted, who were not, in fact, eligible to vote.
Insuring voting rights in a democracy is of immense importance. And this is rightly in the province of the Justice Department, which should be free of political aspirations. Of course people aren't perfect and neither is our court system ... but being apolitical in administering justice should always be the goal.
The fact that this issue, and many others, are now coming to light is certainly encouraging. My hope for America righting our wrongs is increasing. There is much to do on this and other fronts, but maybe, just maybe, we will succeed!
Right now, our Senator, Barbara Boxer is addressing Global Warming. Onward ... Onward.