Happy 1st day of Summer and… a good day to stop putting up with the BS from SC Justices Alito and Thomas’
And… the rest of McConnell’s constitutional “hit team”
Happy Summer solstice TAT followers,
Well, it’s our longest day of the year and my birthday. This will make today’s piece a bit shorter. I am deviating from just being a bit of a bum today, in order to call out SCOTUS Associate Justice Alito for his OP-ED this morning in the Wall Street Journal.
From this morning’s REUTERS’ article:
“Alito wrote a commentary published in the Wall Street Journal late on Tuesday defending his conduct hours before news outlet ProPublica published an article raising questions about the justice's failure to report the trip with Paul Singer on mandatory financial disclosure forms or recuse from cases involving Singer's business.”
-Andrew Chung
REUTERS
21 June 2023
What the hell has happened to our most prestigious US institution, SCOTUS? Mitch McConnell’s greed has not only enabled the abuse of the majority of citizens by the so-called 1%, but also the undermining of the very values and principles, built in to our constitution. Between Clarence Thomas’ overt breach of ethics, maybe the law, his wife’s direct involvement in supporting Seditious Conspiracy, Chief Justice John Robert’s and now Alito’s failures regarding financial disclosures, McConnell has saddled America with a generation of democracy dismantlers.
First, about the WSJ Op-Ed. I refuse to read any publication owned by Rupert Murdoch, owner and chief, anti-American propagandist of FOX News. Frankly, I read OP-EDs very rarely, preferring to do my on analysis on the facts of news by least biased reporting like, REUTERS, The Associated Press, USA TODAY and BBC News. If our democracy is to survive, all should citizens should do the same, forgoing the hyperbole of impersonators like FOX, MSNBC, NEWSMAX, BRIETBART and far worse.
Back to SCOTUS. Justice Alito, whose opinion regarding the dismantling of Roe v Wade, based on a 17th Century opinions of an English judge named Hale, who is best known for sentencing women to death for witchcraft and legally justifying marital rape, is bizarre, misogynistic and disrespectful of honest legal scholarship of previous Courts. In my opinion, he also violates our constitutional right to Separation of Church and State in his majority opinion.“
“Hale was a famous and well-respected judge from the 17th century who authored major legal treatises that are still regarded by historians as important sources of English common law. Like most other men from the 17th century, however, Hale also held views on women that would now be described as misogynistic. Not only did Hale lay the foundation for the common law marital rape exemption, which gives legal immunity to men who sexually assault their wives, but he was also known for inspiring the Salem witch trials.
-https://www.courthousenews.com/author/kelsey-reichmann/
On a related note, recent decisions by SCOTUS related to States vs. Federal rights have been in my lay opinion, skewed towards States rights over Federal, especially on most voting and exclusively on Abortion and gun rights. Preeminent global scholar, “Father of our Constitution” and third POTUS, James Madison is rolling in his grave at their behavior. Subverting decisions towards business at the citizenry’s expense also has him turning.
Most of our founders were from either elite or prestigious backgrounds. Even they, other than their slavery decisions, had no intention of skewing American law in favor of an elite class. Too bad this SCOTUS seems to be adverse to be following the constitutional guidance of the principles our founders established. To date, the only people benefiting from such decisions are the elite wealth groups or the politicians who support them. Truth is in their behavior, not in their lofty justifications for undermining our constitution.
The bottom line to all of this is that we must have citizens willing to defund organizations, politicians, financial backers and legal council that enable crooks the likes of Mitch McConnell who install SCOTUS Justices that undermine our democracy and reward those who pay for it, at the expense of the rest of us.
One of my favorite historical quotes comes from one of our most iconic, historical, Supreme Court Justices, Louis B. Brandies:
“Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”
ProPUBLICA, has provided this “sunlight,” in the case of Alito’s undeclared “gifts.” Their reputation in providing factual, honest, in-context reporting is remarkable. It’s time that the, “post truth era” ends and for all citizens, regardless of their political beliefs.
Getting this off my chest is my birthday gift to me. Now… off to enjoy the rest of the day.
Wishing everyone that very best for this first day of Summer,
Paul
