I abhor the Supreme Court confirmation process I have witnessed
As an Independent voter who has in the past voted for both parties, I abhor the Supreme Court confirmation process I have witnessed these last two weeks. A process that is meant to be non-political has been politicized to the extreme at the expense of the reputation of two well-meaning citizens.
No one seems to care how we arrived at this state nor the need to fix it. In the past, candidates have been confirmed by over 90 percent approval of the Senate. It took approval of members of both parties for confirmation. This forced the president to recommend candidates that were politically acceptable to both parties.
So what happened? During the Obama administration, three candidates were named by the president to fill openings in the district court. The Republicans would not accept any of them. Harry Reid then changed the rules, so judges could be confirmed with a simple majority. This action changed all district courts and the Supreme Court into organizations that would be controlled by politics.
It is time to demand that our elected officials fix the confirmation process if they want our votes, and it would not hurt for the N.C. Legislature to take note as well.
James M. Geyer
Rolesville
No gloating
Regarding “Conservatives are wrong to gloat about Kavanaugh” (Oct. 9), I agree with David Marcus that there is not much to gloat about here. Let’s be real, Brett Kavanaugh is just not Supreme Court caliber.
But then Marcus mentions a more conservative judicial branch unlocking “heretofore locked doors” on “gun control.” My goodness, is he advocating making guns even more prevalent than they are now? To my way of thinking, the NRA with Republican support already has the key to the lock on gun control, and they will block any legislation that reduces gun violence.
But that’s not all. Marcus fears Democrats would turn the Supreme Court into “a third elected branch of the federal government.” Does he not realize that Mitch McConnell destroyed Supreme Court non-partisanship when he stonewalled the nomination of Merrick Garland?
Lastly, Marcus states that President Trump’s bluster “pushes (Republicans) farther from the new center of conservative power.” Does he not know where that center is? It is whatever seat Trump is sitting in. Most moderate conservatives I follow are now Independents.
John May
Chapel Hill
Collins’ reasons
Watching Sen. Susan Collins explain why she decided to cast a vote for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, I was very impressed with her reasoning. She pointed out that this nation has never been so divided and polarized. I do hope she realizes that our current president is very much to blame for the sad state of our country.
I do wish Kavanaugh all the best as he joins the Supreme Court, and I hope all of the glowing critiques don’t turn out to be hypocritical. As President Trump often says, ‘We’ll see.’
Herb Stark
Mooresville
Trees down
It seems like everywhere I drive trees are disappearing. In Cary, major urbanization has occurred with the growing population, so my family drives past a block of newly cleared land regularly. I have learned to love the trees in North Carolina, and I appreciated them even more when I took the time to study tree biology in high school.
When people think about deforestation, they commonly attribute it to big industry: the pulp and paper companies around the world. They can fail to realize the significant impact of deforestation right in their neck of the woods for the expansion of their city.
Though development is important to have as our population increases, trees play a crucial role in the ecological community and shouldn’t be needlessly cut down. Not only do trees protect us from the sun, but they also purify the air, root the ground to prevent erosion, and lodge diverse species in ecosystems.
We need to find ways to balance development in places like Cary with the importance of forest ecosystems.
Nicolas Morales-Gagnon
Raleigh
Good citizens
The protestors in Washington last week may have been annoying and loud, but they were not a “mob.” They were people who disagreed with the actions of the Judiciary Committee, and then the full Senate, and were exercising their First Amendment right “to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
In short, they were being good citizens, involved and active in civic affairs. Do not call them a “mob.” Save that for the brutal gathering in Charlottesville last year.
Andrea Gomez
Raleigh