Thoughts on Alito
I was reading the Alito transcripts from today here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/11/AR2006011101148.html?nav=rss_nation/special
I think it is difficult to figure out how any judge will rule in the future by asking him/her questions. But I was troubled by his convenient loss of memory regarding his membership in the Concerned Alumni of Princeton (a group that opposed admission of increased numbers of women and minorities).
Here is a little snippet of Senator Durbin's questioning:
Durbin: Let me just go to the Concerned Alumni of Princeton. I didn't understand your answer.
Your answer said something about ROTC being discontinued at Princeton University. I know you were involved in ROTC. I'm told that by the time you filled out this application ROTC had been restored. I don't believe you were suggesting that bringing more women and minorities to Princeton would somehow jeopardize the future of ROTC. I don't know that that's the case.
ALITO: I've said what I can say about what I can recall about this group, Senator, which is virtually nothing. I put it down on the '85 form as a group in which I was a member. I didn't say I was anything more than a member. And since I put it down, I'm sure that I was a member at the time. But I'm also sure -- and I have wracked my memory on this, that if I had participated in the group in any active way, if I had attended meetings or done anything else substantial in connection with this group, I would remember it.
ALITO: So that's the best I can reconstruct as to what happened with this group. I mentioned in wracking my memory about this, I said, "What would it have been, what could it have been about the administration of Princeton that would have caused me to sign up to be a member of this group around the time of this application?" And I don't have a specific recollection, but I do know that the issue of ROTC has bothered me for a long period of time. The expulsion during the time of the units, at the time when I was a student there, struck me as a very bad thing for Princeton to do.
DURBIN: Did women and minorities have anything to do with that?
ALITO: No. And I did not join this group, I'm quite confident, because of any attitude toward women or minorities. What has bothered me about -- what bothered me about the Princeton administration over a period of time was the treatment of ROTC. And after the unit was brought back, I know there's been a continuing controversy over a period of years about whether it would be kept on campus, whether in any way this was demeaning to the university to have an ROTC unit on campus, whether students who were enrolled in ROTC could receive credit for the courses, whether the ROTC instructors could be considered in any way a part of the faculty. All of this bothered me, and it is my recollection that it continued over a period of time.
*end of snippet*
How can someone join an organization, list it on a Justice Dept. job application and not know why they joined? What does working in the Reagan Administration do to people'e memories?
I think a better answer would have been "I don't know much about the organization -- my wife signed me up for it".
I realize this is a very small point with so many more important issues regarding a Supreme Court Justice appointment but I prefer honesty above (almost) all else. The "I don't recall" excuse irritates me!
That's all --
p.s. Mo, I flew with a very Texan captain (you know the type) but found out 4 days into a 6 day trip that he was Democrat and hated Bush. We agreed on several issues and I was totally shocked! (After that discovery I almost didn't mind his whisting in the cockpit.) I don't know how you live there....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/11/AR2006011101148.html?nav=rss_nation/special
I think it is difficult to figure out how any judge will rule in the future by asking him/her questions. But I was troubled by his convenient loss of memory regarding his membership in the Concerned Alumni of Princeton (a group that opposed admission of increased numbers of women and minorities).
Here is a little snippet of Senator Durbin's questioning:
Durbin: Let me just go to the Concerned Alumni of Princeton. I didn't understand your answer.
Your answer said something about ROTC being discontinued at Princeton University. I know you were involved in ROTC. I'm told that by the time you filled out this application ROTC had been restored. I don't believe you were suggesting that bringing more women and minorities to Princeton would somehow jeopardize the future of ROTC. I don't know that that's the case.
ALITO: I've said what I can say about what I can recall about this group, Senator, which is virtually nothing. I put it down on the '85 form as a group in which I was a member. I didn't say I was anything more than a member. And since I put it down, I'm sure that I was a member at the time. But I'm also sure -- and I have wracked my memory on this, that if I had participated in the group in any active way, if I had attended meetings or done anything else substantial in connection with this group, I would remember it.
ALITO: So that's the best I can reconstruct as to what happened with this group. I mentioned in wracking my memory about this, I said, "What would it have been, what could it have been about the administration of Princeton that would have caused me to sign up to be a member of this group around the time of this application?" And I don't have a specific recollection, but I do know that the issue of ROTC has bothered me for a long period of time. The expulsion during the time of the units, at the time when I was a student there, struck me as a very bad thing for Princeton to do.
DURBIN: Did women and minorities have anything to do with that?
ALITO: No. And I did not join this group, I'm quite confident, because of any attitude toward women or minorities. What has bothered me about -- what bothered me about the Princeton administration over a period of time was the treatment of ROTC. And after the unit was brought back, I know there's been a continuing controversy over a period of years about whether it would be kept on campus, whether in any way this was demeaning to the university to have an ROTC unit on campus, whether students who were enrolled in ROTC could receive credit for the courses, whether the ROTC instructors could be considered in any way a part of the faculty. All of this bothered me, and it is my recollection that it continued over a period of time.
*end of snippet*
How can someone join an organization, list it on a Justice Dept. job application and not know why they joined? What does working in the Reagan Administration do to people'e memories?
I think a better answer would have been "I don't know much about the organization -- my wife signed me up for it".
I realize this is a very small point with so many more important issues regarding a Supreme Court Justice appointment but I prefer honesty above (almost) all else. The "I don't recall" excuse irritates me!
That's all --
p.s. Mo, I flew with a very Texan captain (you know the type) but found out 4 days into a 6 day trip that he was Democrat and hated Bush. We agreed on several issues and I was totally shocked! (After that discovery I almost didn't mind his whisting in the cockpit.) I don't know how you live there....
posted by Notsocranky Yankee at 5:22 PM
3 Comments:
I agree with you completely--it's very troublesome. Even if we give Alito the benefit of the doubt and believe that his motivations really did have something to do with ROTC, he would be worse than oblivious to not be aware of their discriminatory platform. By his membership and his reference to his membership on a job application, he was endorsing them.
I joined the KKK just for the new friends; I don't recall anything else about the organization.
i seriously am afraid for the future. seriously.
jessica, you hit the nail on the head. and i agree with both of you. you don't join an organization just because of one thing. you join it because you agree with what they stand for.
these guys will say and do anything they need to in order to get confirmed. of course he doesn't remember. of course he thinks he isn't a bigot (of course, bigots don't think they do anything wrong).
ok, writing a book now. have a great weekend!
NSCY, Great site! Would love to hear more about your Texan captain! Great shots of Aruba BTW. Last time I was there it was very windy and hot. Heard windsurfing is the sport du jour on the island. Cheers! Oh, and could you send a bit of that snow my way???
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