SCOTUS

Doesn't that seem like some kind of private body part?  SCOTUS?  Nasty!

Just yesterday, one of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) justices apparently died unexpectedly in his sleep.  Of course, that just throws all of the politicians of the country into a flurry of activity.  Here we have a Lame Duck President, whose responsibility it is to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court, and a whole bunch of presidential wannabes who would rather fill the position themselves after one of them is inaugurated almost a year from now.  They are calling for the Prez to let the job fall to his successor.  Think he will do that?  Not on your life!!

Antonin Scalia was politically conservative and hard-nosed about it.  President Obama is a liberal politician.  Why would he pass up the opportunity to nominate a justice to the highest court in the land?  Of course, he can nominate anyone he wants, but then the nomination must be approved by Congress, and there's the rub.  Whoever is appointed will be in that seat until voluntary retirement or death.  It's not a position to be taken lightly, and folks on both sides of the political fence will be playing it for all it is worth.  President Obama can nominate anyone he chooses, but how long can the Conservative Republicans stall off approval?   I've read that the longest period to get a justice through the nomination/approval process took 125 days for Brandeis.  Obama has 342 days left in office. Care to guess if we are going to see a new record?  I should start a betting pool!  The odds are in my favor.

I bring this up for two reasons:
     1.  I'm not sure if I have the stamina to endure the political posturing that is going to take place now.  I have absolutely no patience for people who play games with our country and the lives of those they claim to champion for their own political gain.  None.  It angers me to the point of having to walk away from the news if I still want my blood pressure to stay down so I can sleep at night.
     2.  I have two immigrants from Russia living in my house right now.  They speak English on a rudimentary basis and ask a lot of questions.  I have tried to explain what they are seeing on the news in the best way I can with a limited vocabulary of comprehension.  Although they are not citizens and cannot vote, what happens will affect their lives as well as mine.  I am trying not to bias them or frighten them...but if I AM biased and scared, myself, how am I to do that?  How can I impart how strong a nation we have if we fight each other over stupid political games??

Whoever President Obama nominates will come under close personal scrutiny.  It won't be fun.  I hope to God that this whole process doesn't send us down yet another road to Perdition.  Praying about that!!!