Patrick Guerriero, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, noted that the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court was appointed by Ronald Reagan. He praised O’Connor for her role in lifting state sodomy laws, “Which confirmed that the principle of individual liberty extended to gay and lesbian families.”
“Justice O’Connor’s retirement is a clarion call to every American that our rights are in grave dangers,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “The loss of [ her ] moderate voice is a serious threat to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, to women’s right and to protections for racial, ethnic and religious minorities.”
Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, called O’Connor’s retiring “a sad day for the Supreme Court and for America.” He urged the President “to honor the advice and consent role the Constitution gives the Senate” through a meaningful interaction with that body.
Paula Ettelbrick, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, expressed her shock and fear “about the direct impact Justice O’Connor’s retirement will have on each of our lives. Despite her very conservative philosophy, she has been a powerful swing vote on critical reproductive, women’s and LGBT issues.”
Some groups are even taking action in response to the resignation. The state and local chapters of the National Organization for Women ( NOW ) planned to stage rallies July 5 throughout Illinois to call for the nomination and confirmation of fair justices on the Supreme Court. Terry Cosgrove of Personal PAC, an Illinois pro-abortion group, added that concerned citizens should contact President Bush and urge him to select a nominee who will protect abortion rights and Roe v. Wade. Cosgrove also suggested contacting U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama and ask them to support only a nominee who believes Roe should stand.
by Bob Roehr 2005-07-06
Analysis:
The news that Sandra Day O’Connor will step down from the U.S. Supreme Court has panicked social liberals who now have to contend with two new, potentially conservative appointments before President Bush’s second term as President expires. The above article appeared in the Windy City Times, which bills itself as “The Voice of Chicago’s Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Trans Community Since 1985.”
It is doubtful that any individual picked by the President will please the ungodly. However, it would be a shame if Bush bowed to pressure, and appointed someone who would not protect the family, and the morals upon which this country was founded and has thrived for over two centuries.
We should pray to God for Bush, as our country’s leader, as per 2 Timothy 2:1-2, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”
