Campus Progress, and other efforts to strengthen progressive work among young people, won’t succeed unless young people lead. We can provide some expertise and resources, but the most energy and the best ideas will come from young people. We see that now at Princeton, where students from the Campus Progress-supported Princeton Progressive Review are leading a filibuster at the Frist Campus Center. They’re giving time and stretching lungs to highlight the work of one Frist heir, Senator Bill, to weaken our democratic principles in pursuit of confirmation for every last arch-conservative, out-of-the-mainstream judicial appointment of the Bush Administration.

It’s late in the semester, but if you want to, you can filibuster on your own campus. You may not have as fitting a forum as a Frist Center or a Lott or Cheney center, but you have someplace where students, faculty, staff and others can hear your message. If you want tools to help – handouts, talking points, etc. – let us know: Contact Emily Hawkins of our staff at ehawkins@americanprogress.org .

Whether or not you want to have your own filibuster, we hope you’ll suggest some read-out-loud material for your fellow students, at Princeton and wherever else this may go next. Please post your ideas as comments to this post.

Here’s mine, not the coolest choice but one that’s relevant: In 1999, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, which sits in Richmond, struck down the part of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act that authorized rape and domestic abuse victims to sue their attackers in federal court. The seven conservative judges on the Court ruled that Congress lacked the power to create such a law (and the five conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court later affirmed that decision). The four moderate to liberal judges on the court in Richmond joined together in a dissenting opinion by Judge Diana Gribbon Motz. Read Judge Motz's dissent because it highlights what’s at stake as more and more Scalia-like judges join the bench. Read it for its tough, smart analysis of the issues. Read it because it’s plenty long and will fillabuncha hours. To read, click here and search the page for this phrase:
“MOTZ, Circuit Judge, dissenting”