Ogre-oid: The Supreme Court

Chief Justice Roberts (makes my mouth fill with bile to type it) does not believe the Justices should remain silent during the State of the Union.  He also feels he needs to lie about the situation to law students:

"The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering while the court -- according to the requirements of protocol -- has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling."

Roberts was engaging in political hyperbole, plain and simple, and he must surely know it. Given today's low standards of civility, he's lucky some student didn't yell out, "You lie!"

One need only look at this 47-second video clip from YouTube to see that, in truth, Democrats in the chamber stood and calmly applauded the president's deferential remarks, but there was no "cheering and hollering," as Roberts falsely exaggerated down South. Indeed, the only noisemaking beyond modulated applause was, in fact, discernible grumbling from Republicans. 

Roberts is also opposed to the separation of church and state, affirmative action, whistleblower protection, is for letting cops search you automobile without cause, forcing judges to sentence according to guidelines, is against protecting endangered species, and so much more.

 Justice Samuel Alito does not understand why non-Christians might object to an enormous cross on public land or why non-Christian veterans might feel the monument excludes them.

"The cross doesn't honor non-Christians who fought in the war?" Scalia asks, stunned.

"A cross is the predominant symbol of Christianity, and it signifies that Jesus is the son of God and died to redeem mankind for our sins," replies Eliasberg, whose father and grandfather are both Jewish war veterans.

"It's erected as a war memorial!" replies Scalia. "I assume it is erected in honor of all of the war dead. The cross is the most common symbol of … of … of the resting place of the dead."

Eliasberg dares to correct him: "The cross is the most common symbol of the resting place of Christians. I have been in Jewish cemeteries. There is never a cross on a tombstone of a Jew."

"I don't think you can leap from that to the conclusion that the only war dead the cross honors are the Christian war dead," thunders Scalia. "I think that's an outrageous conclusion!"

Far less outrageous is the conclusion that religious symbols are not religious.

Alito's track record is generally horrible and recently he mouthed "not true" when Obama criticized their finding in the Citizen's United case, breaking a protocol that has been observed since the founding of this country.



Justice Anthony Kennedy sucks just for being a Reagan Republican ideologue who does not have a sound understanding of the separation of powers, supports guns, guns, guns, believes we (meaning the government) can not be held responsible for abuses in privately owned prisons (which should not exist at all but that's another diatribe), pro death penalty despite lack of evidence, supports giving public money to parochial schools, and is opposed to rape victims being able to sue their attackers.  Though generally conservative he has come down on the right (as in "correct") side occasionally.

Justice Clarence Thomas is not only a twisted right wing ideologue, he's also kind of a nasty man.

Justice Stephen Breyer is too moderate to help create a balance between right and left on the court.  It is currently weighted var to the right.

Justice John Paul Stephens continues to surprise.  Nominated by President Ford he has been a generally left leaning moderate during his long career. 

Justice Ruth Bader Guinsburg is perhaps my favorite of the current justices.  She, as gloated over by the loathsome Jim Bunning, may very well die in the next few years.