Tom Parker

Tom Parker's latest radio ad (listen here) may be the most vile and deceitful piece of campaign propaganda that I've ever heard aired in an Alabama political race. Here's what the ad says:

[Drayton Nabers:] "I'm a conservative."

[Announcer:] "Stop! Drayton Nabers is spending millions claiming he's a conservative. The real record? Nabers led the fight for the biggest tax hike in Alabama history and called voters bad Christians for opposing it."

[Drayton Nabers:] "The law must be based on moral values."

[Announcer:] "Stop! Nabers's court threw out a death sentence based on foreign law and unratified U.N. treaties."

[Drayton Nabers:] "I'm pro-life."

[Announcer:] "Stop! Nabers calls Roe v. Wade the law of the land, and his court backs legal abortion up to the day of delivery."

[Drayton Nabers:] "I believe in traditional marriage."

[Announcer:] "Stop! Nabers says he'd do nothing if a liberal judge ordered Alabama to recognize same-sex marriage. Nabers is no conservative. He's a Jimmy Carter style liberal, using his faith to cover up a liberal record. If he wins, he'll have six years to implement it. Alabama can't take that chance. Tom Parker for Chief Justice. Tom Parker - a conservative leader who backs up what he says and stands up for what he believes. Tom Parker for Chief Justice: fair, balanced, unafraid."

[Tom Parker:] "This is Justice Tom Parker."

[Announcer:] "Paid for by Parker for Chief Justice, Montgomery."

Nabers sets the record straight on his campaign's web site. There's a lot more to say about this, but for now, I'll leave it at this: Chief Justice Nabers is a traditional conservative jurist. He believes that his duty is to follow the law and to apply it justly, without regard to his own personal preferences or agenda. Tom Parker, on the other hand, apparently believes that conservative judges should learn to act like liberals, twisting the law so that it conforms to their own ideological leanings.

If Parker wants to strike fear into the hearts of liberals - a very worthy objective, in my opinion - then perhaps he should seek another office: Governor, legislator, or even dog catcher. Let him take his pick, so long as he stays away from the courts.