Dick Durbin
Dick Durbin
Richard Joseph "Dick" Durbinis the senior United States Senator from Illinois, in office since 1997. He has been the Assistant Minority Leader, the second highest position in the Democratic Party leadership in the Senate, since 2015...
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth21 November 1944
across army army-and-navy assistance country cutting direct dramatic government helping hurricane money outpouring red salvation second support talking tape victims whether
Whether we're talking about Red Cross, or Second Harvest, Salvation Army or other groups, this is direct assistance right to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. We need to do our part at the government level, but this dramatic outpouring of support across the country to the Red Cross and other agencies, is money well spent. It's money that really is effectively cutting across a lot of red tape and helping people,
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Whenever we asked Judge Roberts basic questions about his moral compass and his life experience, he declined to answer.
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Judge Samuel Alito, millions of Americans are concerned about your nomination. They're worried that you would be a judicial activist who would restrict our rights and freedoms.
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In my lifetime, it's the Supreme Court, not Congress, that integrated our public schools, that allowed people of different races to marry, and established the principle that our government should respect the value of privacy of American families. These decisions are the legacy of justices who chose to expand American freedom.
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Hard to imagine 40 years ago people could be convicted of a crime, fined, sent to prison for using the most common forms of birth control.
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We see it in attempts on Capitol Hill to impose gag rules on rules on doctors on what they can say to their patients about family planning. And we certainly see it now with an effort by the government to tap our phones; invade our medical records, credit information, library records and the most sensitive personal information in the name of national security.
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As a government lawyer, Samuel Alito wrote that he personally believe very strongly the Constitution does not protect the right to an abortion.
believe years issues
I have thought about this issue of abortion time and again. It is not an easy issue for most people.I came to believe over the years that a woman should be able to make this agonizing decision with her doctor and her family and her conscience, and that we should be very careful that we don't make that decision a crime except in the most extreme circumstances.
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There is also the issue of personal privacy when it comes the executive power. Throughout our nation's history, whether it was habeas corpus during the Civil War, Alien and Sedition Acts in World War I, or Japanese internment camps in World War II, presidents have gone too far.
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In going too far, they [presidents] have taken away the individual rights of American citizens.
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We want to make certain that every American who stood in silent tribute to Rosa Parks hopes that the Sepreme Court Judge will break silence and speak out clearly for the civil rights that define our unity as a nation.
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The courage of federal Judge Frank Johnson is well-known.He was the one that gave the legal authority for the right to march from Selma to Montgomery, and he suffered dearly for it. He was ostracized and rejected. His life was threatened as a result of it.
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Under unitary executive theory, the [George W.]Bush administration has claimed the right to seize American citizens in the United States and imprison them indefinitely without a charge.
sacrifice men brave
We all join the President in applauding the sacrifices made by our brave men and women in uniform. But we must continue to provide them the tools they need to accomplish the difficult tasks they face.