To the editor:

I am presently living and volunteering in a rural indigenous community in north central Nicaragua and I read the other day that the Bush administration is trying to eliminate the congressional right to filibuster judicial nominations. Here in my small Nicaraguan town, everyone is outraged at both the Liberal Party (the name is misleading; they are considered conservative by American standards) and the Sandinista Party because they appointed their district party nominees without consulting the people in the countryside, only those of the city (Matagalpa).

The family I am living with and my neighbors call it “currupto,” or corrupt. They understand that they are the minority of the population, but they still see it as unjust that they have no say in party nominees. It is my understanding that the Bush administration is attempting to legalize this “silencing of the minority” in the United States — and with as important an issue as Supreme Court justice nominations. Some are calling it the “nuclear plan” or the “constitutional” plan and, if passed, it would eliminate the checks and balances that are so important in the United States government.

I urge everyone to call their senators now, as the bill is being ruled on within a few days. Tell your senator that when a president is appointing an individual to not only represent, but also help establish, the moral framework of our country, we want our government representatives to have a say in it — even if they are in the minority.

Justin Riley,

Lawrence