codex: involute stream of consciousness

I stipulate that the President's judicial nominees deserve fullest possible consideration of the Senate, in its capacity as a deliberative body charged with the responsibilty to "advise and consent" the Executive branch. However, fulfilling that responsibility does not necessarily mean having an "up or down vote", which would be capitulation to the tyrrany of the majority.

The fillibuster is an essential part of the deliberative process of the US Senate, and has been for two centuries. In controlling all three branches of government, the current majority party has unprecedented control over the government now, so to engage in changing time-honored rules of order to ensure their party's influence beyond the tenure of their "mandate" at the expense of the rights of minority is degenrate, unpatriotic, and counter to the spirit of our Constitution, bordering on treasonous. Those who would support such an exercise deserve the opprobrium of all Americans, and forfeit their ability to be respresentatives of a free citizenry as a result, if ever they had any.

(Sent as a letter to the Editor of the Austin American-Statesman)