The Moral Majority

I haven't seen much opinion on this (I admit that I don't view too many blogs or opinion sites), but I think it's interesting to point out that--as of the Senate vote tomorrow--the Supreme Court of the United States will have a majority of Catholics on the bench: Roberts, Thomas, Scalia, Alito, and Kennedy.

This bugs me on a number of levels--so many so that I won't even dwell on typical Adventist end-time interpretations. First, it is interesting to note that a perverse religio-political movement of befuddled evangelical protestants made this development so. I don't know how many Catholic congregations joined in the "Justice Sundays" that were broadcast nationwide, but I have a hard time believing there were that many, considering the liberal bent of Catholic leadership in America. Even more offensive is that some of the most blinded right-wing evangelicals I know are Adventists--close friends of mine, even.

Secondly, I value diversity in every place. Sandra Day O'Connor, whom Alito will replace, was the second great "diversity nominee" after Thurgood Marshall. Her presence on the Court dramatically shifted the Court to relevance and full representation of the American polity. On the other hand, Alito merely becomes the second Italian-American, the eigth male, and, yes, the fifth Catholic to climb. Was it a brave pick? No. It was the choice of a weak president in thrall to the Religious Right.

Finally, with this kind of ideological goose-stepping on the Supreme Court, is it safe to say that a woman's right to an abortion isn't the only right that will be lost on a court with only TWO Democratic nominees as opposed to seven Republicans. Thanks to President Bush, our country's Constitution will soon be devastated on a par with New Orleans, the World Trade Center and the Islamic Republic of Iraq.

So far, I've been good at avoiding political posts on this blog. I'll get back to faith and family on a subsequent post, but this was important.