The following is an email from Tim Turner
(Posted 5-11-02)

Dear Editor:

As a gay American, I'm writing to say the time has come to say enough is enough to the Democrats in the Senate. They have gone too far on blocking judges, and our court system is now in a serious crisis.

There are 96 vacancies on the federal bench today, and President Bush has sent 98 federal judicial nominations to the Senate for review and confirmation. So far, the Democratic Senate has blocked most of them. Many of them are being accused of being bad on civil rights, and the Democrats are counting on average Americans not looking deep enough to see the real facts.

I did a little research on some of these Bush nominees, and I was astounded to see many of these nominees have excellent records on gay rights, going against what might be considered politically safe ground. Judge Charles Pickering, who the Democrats torpedoed in March, protected a lesbian campground from an anti-gay citizens group trying to drive them out of a small Mississippi town. Judge Brooks Smith, still waiting for a Senate vote, ruled in Pennsylvania that same-sex partners have visitation rights in the prison system.

How can the Democrats think they can get away with this? I for one think it's time for the Democratic Senate to knock it off and let President Bush's nominees come to the Senate floor for an up-or-down vote. Principled people welcome debate and voting. Only cowards do what the Democratic Senate is doing.

Sincerely,

Tim Turner
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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