Evangelical-Republican Extortion Conspiracy Unmasked

ex·tor·tion (ik-`stŏr-shən)
n.
1. The act or practice of extorting esp. money or other property; specif The act or practice of extorting by a public official acting under color of office

From the LA Times:

Evangelical Christian leaders, who have been working closely with senior Republican lawmakers to place conservative judges in the federal courts, have also been exploring ways to punish sitting jurists and even entire courts viewed as hostile to their cause.

An audio recording obtained by the Los Angeles Times features two of the nation's most influential evangelical leaders, at a private conference with supporters, laying out strategies to rein in judges, such as stripping funding from their courts in an effort to hinder their work.

Which meshes well with earlier quotes from ethically-challenged Republican Majority Leader Tom "the Bugman" DeLay:

DeLay has spoken generally about one of the ideas the leaders discussed in greater detail: using legislative tactics to withhold money from courts.

"We set up the courts. We can unset the courts. We have the power of the purse," DeLay said at an April 13 question-and-answer session with reporters.

In other words: Nice little courthouse ya got there judgie. It'd be a shame if somethin' was t' happen to it.

Apparently the Republican Congress' view on Constitutional checks and balances is much like Fox "News" concept of "Fair and balanced".

(And this just in: War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.)