Now that a few days have passed and some of the emotional turmoil surrounding Terri Schiavo/s passing has calmed, it might serve America/s best interests to look at the actions of federal lawmakers.

The actions and rhetoric of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay come immediately to mind.

DeLay led the congressional rush to pass a law in an attempt to get Schiavo/s feeding tube re-inserted, after both Florida state and federal courts refused to issue such orders. As we have said earlier in this space, the federal government had no reason to intervene in the Schiavo case, and the efforts of Congress and certain of its members to do so flew directly in the face of the judiciary and the U.S. Constitution.

After Schiavo/s death, DeLay made this comment: "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior."

That sounds suspiciously like a call to arms to retaliate against the judges who made rulings in this case. And it is extremely dangerous talk, from a supposedly intelligent member of Congress, in the wake of recent, murderous violence involving the killing of judges in Chicago and Atlanta.

DeLay also said he would make sure the GOP-controlled House of Representatives "will look at an arrogant and out-of-control judiciary that thumbs its nose at Congress and the president."

Does he mean right-wing Republicans and the Bush administration intend to change the balance of the three branches of government, a principle upon which this nation was founded and has been governed for more than two centuries? Perhaps DeLay doesn/t understand the concept of the judicial branch having the responsibility to administer the law, without regard for the political whims of the party in power.

Instead of being the subject of scorn, the Florida state and federal courts should be praised for having the courage to do what was right in the face of the inflammatory and misleading campaign to hijack our legal system. Conservatives apparently are OK with state/s rights when it suits them, but not when courts do their best to honestly uphold the law.

DeLay is probably the last person who should preach about ethics. His ethical lapses have been well-documented, and if anyone should be impeached, it/s probably this Texas Republican. He epitomizes what is wrong with politics in this country.

April 4, 2005