But WE THE PEOPLE STILL POSSESS THE ULTIMATE POLITICAL POWER IN THIS NATION! And the Pickering nomination is vital for several reasons:

• For the sake of the Fifth Circuit — Pickering's background and qualifications indicate he would make a fine addition to the Fifth Circuit; consult www.judicialselection.org for more information and refutation of the spurious charges being made against him;

• For the sake of the Federal Judiciary — Currently, as Court Watch as previously reported to you, over half of the federal bench is occupied by Democrat-appointees, who tend to be overwhelmingly activist/liberal, and by a number of GOP-appointees who tend to be likewise;

• For the sake of the U. S. Senate — Long known as the "world's most exclusive club," Senators have an almost incredible habit of deferring to one another even on measures about which they bitterly disagree; the most powerful influences all too often on all too many Senators are: 1) their peers, 2) their party, 3) pressure groups whom they favor (e.g., NARAL, PFAW, etc), 4) their personal preferences and predilections. And who is missing in this list of influences??? WE THE PEOPLE ARE MISSING, and it is long past time for us to constantly and forcefully remind the Senate that THE SENATE IS RESPONSIBLE TO US--not to the other influences listed. The Pickering nomination gives us the opportunity to start this vitally important Senate-educating process.

To join this crucial fight in the Campaign for Courting Justice:

• Phone the White House and urge Bush to unleash all his power in favor of this unfairly embattled nominee;

• Phone your Senators: If they are Democrats, urge them to use all their legitimate power to generate a favorable vote by the Judiciary Committee; if they are Republicans, urge them to unleash all their power in favor of Pickering;

• Focus particularly on the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee; and be especially involved if you reside in the Fifth Circuit (Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi), or in the home state of a Committee member;

• Let your Senators know that you will be following their vote, and that they will continue to hear from you about this judicial crisis;

• Don't let busy signals on the phone deter you--this is a battle where we can begin to turn the tide in favor of JUDGES WHO WILL COURT JUSTICE, and it our time is short.

TO FIGHT WELL THE LONG-RANGE BATTLE OVER AMERICA'S COURTS AND CULTURE, PLAN NOW TO ATTEND THE "COURTING JUSTICE CONFERENCE" WHICH IS DETAILED BELOW:

• Date & Location: Greensboro, NC, Mon., April 15-Tues., April 16, 2002

• Co-Sponsors: Eagle Forum's Court Watch, Family Research Council, & the William Wilberforce Society of Greensboro

• Keynote Speaker: Phyllis Schlafly

• Other Speakers: Virginia Armstrong, Ken Conner, Tom Jipping, & Jan LaRue

• Conference Director: Ed Purgason, William Wilberforce Society

• Lodging: Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons, Joseph Koury Convention Center

• For More Information: The Sheraton @ 1-800-242-6556 or Conference Coordinator, Amy Kirkman @ 336-288-9235