I Have Come To Bury Scalia

The following does not reflect the opinions of the Editors or owners of TGForum. They are entirely my own. Got that?

Supreme court Justice Antonin Scalia died Saturday, February 13, 2016 at a private 30,000 acre ranch in a remote part of West Texas. He was overweight, had a history of heart trouble, and yet the right wing noise machine say that none of that matters- Obama had him murdered. Yes, seriously.

Please forgive me for applying my “libril edumication” here and paraphrasing Shakespeare. (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene II)

Transpeople, Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Scalia, not to praise him

Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan (*spits*) in 1986. I’ll get to record shortly. But first, let’s ruffle some feathers.

I say that his death made the Nation and the world a better place.

“Oh, that’s HORRIBLE, Sophie! How could you say that!” or “Typical liberal demeaning a great man in death!” or “You should at least honor his service to our country!”

Service? SERVICE? Which country was he serving in 2011 when he said:
“Certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn’t. Nobody ever thought that that’s what it meant. Nobody ever voted for that. If the current society wants to outlaw discrimination by sex, hey we have things called legislatures, and they enact things called laws.”

Who was he helping when he wrote in 1996 (Romer vs. Evans):
“Of course it is our moral heritage that one should not hate any human being or class of human beings, But I had thought that one could consider certain conduct reprehensible—murder, for example, or polygamy, or cruelty to animals—and could exhibit even ‘animus’ toward such conduct. Surely that is the only sort of ‘animus’ at issue here: moral disapproval of homosexual conduct[.]”

Oh, sorry. Just kinda quoted him there.

Yes, his death helped our nation. This nation is fighting for its very soul right this minute. On one side is the current Republican party; with its billionaire owners, I mean donors; its propaganda machine (Fox News, et al); and its strong desire to destroy the separation of church and state and make us a theocracy. On the other side is, well, everyone else.

“Justice Scalia was an American Hero. We owe it to him, & the Nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next president names his replacement.” (Ted Cruz, Twitter, February 13, 2016)

Cruz says he was a “hero.” And Rafael Edward Cruz is an Honorable man (who won’t use his real name because, y’know, ‘Merica)

“Don’t you understand that when a fellow like me looks at the landscape and sees the depravity, the perversion — redefining marriage and telling us that marriage is not between a man and a woman? Come on Iowa! It’s nonsense. It is evil. It’s wicked. It’s sinful. They want us to swallow it, you say. We have to run this bunch out of Washington, D.C. We have to rid the earth of them. Get them out of there. Ted Cruz loves God.” (Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty, introducing Ted Cruz in Iowa on Jan 31, 2015.) (Cruz replied a couple of minutes later “What a voice Phil has to speak out for the love of Jesus. What a joyful, cheerful, unapologetic voice of truth Phil Robertson is.”)

Oops! Sorry. Using attributed quotes with times and places again.

Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell (Ky) issued the following statement about the life and service of Scalia, an hour after the Justice’s death was confirmed before the body was even cold.) “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.” (Feb 13, 2016.)

Umm, Senator don’t you want to say something nice about the deceased? No? (As of this writing on February 18, he still hasn’t.)

McConnell has nothing to say except that the Senate will obstruct the President (what else is new?) And McConnell is an Honorable man.

“The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” (McConnell, National Journal, Oct 23, 2010)

Oops Pardon me.

Donald Trump, upon hearing of Scalia’s death, tweeted the following:
“The totally unexpected loss of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a massive setback for the conservative movement and our COUNTRY!” (Twitter, Feb 13, 2016. Caps are his)

That sounds, um, heartfelt. In his defense, several hours later he issued the following statement.

“I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to the Scalia family after the passing of Justice Scalia. Justice Scalia was a remarkable person and a brilliant Supreme Court Justice, one of the best of all time.”

Trump said Scalia’s career “was defined by his reverence for the Constitution and his legacy of protecting Americans’ most cherished freedoms. He was a Justice who did not believe in legislating from the bench and he is a person whom I held in the highest regard and will always greatly respect his intelligence and conviction to uphold the Constitution of our country. My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time.”

So Trump said Scalia had reverence for the Constitution. And Trump is an honorable man.

“Yeah, she’s really something, and what a beauty, that one. If I weren’t happily married and, ya know, her father?.?.?.?” (Discussing his daughter, Ivanka, Rolling Stone Magazine, Sept 9, 2015)

Ouch. Sorry, those attributed quotes just keep slipping out!

(Oh, and Trump also thinks Obama had Scalia murdered.)

What did Jeb Bush have to say about the death of the man who appointed his brother president?

“Justice Scalia was a brilliant defender of the rule of law — his logic and wit were unparalleled, and his decisions were models of clarity and good sense. I often said he was my favorite justice, because he took the Constitution, and the responsibility of judges to interpret it correctly, with the utmost seriousness. Now it is up to all of us to fight for the principles Justice Scalia espoused and carry fourth his legacy.” (Feb 13, 2016)

So Jeb says Scalia took the Constitution seriously. And Bush is an honorable man.

“I would abolish the Department of Education as it now exists, reducing the 2,000 person bureaucracy to about 50.” (Orlando Sentinel, Nov. 1994)

Because Edumication is important… oh wait.

Ok, enough of that. I don’t mean to wrong those who, you all know, are all honorable men. (ibid)

“The death penalty? Give me a break. It’s easy. Abortion? Absolutely easy. Nobody ever thought the Constitution prevented restrictions on abortion. Homosexual sodomy? Come on. For 200 years, it was criminal in every state.” Scalia, speech at American Enterprise Institute (a conservative think tank) 2012.

“Today’s opinion is the product of a court, which is the product of a law-profession culture, that has largely signed on to the so-called homosexual agenda, by which I mean the agenda promoted by some homosexual activists directed at eliminating the moral opprobrium that has traditionally attached to homosexual conduct.” (Scalia, Lawrence vs Texas, 2003)

I think I’ve made my point. Scalia was an enemy of LGBT rights (among many other things that a 21st century country needs, like healthcare…) His death allows the Supreme Court to maybe, Maybe, move into the 21st century. Or will it?

As I noted above, McConnell and Cruz said that they would stop ANY nominations by the President to fill the empty seat. Here’s McConnell’s quote again:

“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.”

Senator, the American people DID have a voice. We voted for President Obama in 2012. It is his job to nominate, and the Senate’s job to screen and confirm new justices.

“He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.” (US Constitution, Section 2, Clause 2.)

Right. Obama has about a year left to serve. Historically, the LONGEST any nominee has waited for the senate to confirm, deny, etc, is 125 days. By that token, Obama could nominate three justices. Unless, like a friend of mine said, he only gets 3/5 of a term… being, you know, black and all.

Now remember, Cruz, Bush, and Trump all have praised Scalia’s dedication to the Constitution. And they are all honorable men.

Yet they, and the entire GOP, would defy the Constitution to deny the people a functioning Supreme Court. Why? So Obama doesn’t get his way. Period. The GOP’s will be done.

Remember, Scalia voted FOR Citizen’s United (legalized bribery) and FOR the Bush junta to be installed as president (causing hundreds of thousands of lives, including the lives of an average of 20 veterans a day due to suicide, all due to his illegal war.)

He voted AGAINST LGBT rights (of course) and AGAINST health care for all Americans.

I should respect him? Never. “If Scalia Wanted Respect In Death, He Should Have Shown It To More People In Life.” (Abby Zimet, Common Dreams, Feb 16, 2016)

I respect and honor human beings.

Shakespeare had it absolutely correct when he wrote

“The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.” (ibid)

Did Scalia do good? Not any that I heard of. But he certainly did Evil. And THAT is his legacy.

The World is a better place today.

QED.

Be well.

Tags: featured, opinion, politics, Scalia

Category: Transgender Opinion