Chief Justice Roberts' reasoning in yesterday's decision on the Affordible Care Act was "Argle-bargle." The decision against the Defense of Marriage Act was "Jiggery-pokery." That's the power of words to hide the embarrassing truth and in Scalia's case, the truth is he's arguing the reverse of last years' Bargerly Argle.
"Three years ago, when the Affordable Care Act’s constitutionality was challenged, Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Sam Alito read the law in such a way as to see all eligible consumers receiving subsidies, regardless of state or federal exchanges. In today’s dissent, these three had to read the law in the polar opposite way" writes Steve Benin.
Contradictions like these say a lot. They say that the Court's most "conservative" spokesmen see the law in a rather situational way, That is to say it's right or wrong depending on who's doctrinal ox is being gored. In this case maybe we can call it argumentum ad Obama, or "whatever he does is wrong." If words have lost their meaning, which in a sense is true, perhaps it has much to do with the kind of rhetorical wriggle-wragle or humpity-bumpidy defenders of antiquated hoogely-boogely use to justify their dishonest HokeyPokey
Scalia-the Judge Judy of SCOTUS.
ReplyDeleteAt least she speaks English.
ReplyDeleteI feel left out. Where are my rights? What am I? Sashimi in your eyes?
ReplyDeleteIf trans-gender people can have rights, and trans-racial people can have rights, how about trans-species people?
I want to marry my domestic partner, Ms. Naughty Nautilus, but Tony Perkins says we can't because he considers us an abomination. I consider him an abomination too ... just because he's not getting what I'm getting.
I demand civil rights for cephalopods. NOW!
O Octos, come and walk with us!'
DeleteThe Walrus did beseech.
A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach. . .
The fear all along is that if we let Sally marry Shirley we'll have to allow dogs to marry cats. I guess it's coming true. Sorry, I draw the line at animal husbandry,
"Sorry, I draw the line at animal husbandry"
DeleteToo late! It's raining dats and cogs outside. And we are not animals; we are cephalopods, which means we are far more humane than most humans pretend to be. We demand our rights, or else!
So Sartre is walking along the beach when he comes to a seafood shack. "Fresh Octopus" says the sign over the closed door. Feeling hungry, he knocks and knocks again. Finally he hears a voice from inside saying "sorry - Hui Clos"
Delete'O Octos,' said the Carpenter,
You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none —
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one."
If you love sushi, like I love sushi. . .
I'm beginning to dislike (the word hate is too over used) the media's 24/7 fixation with all things negative. It would be refreshing if have a month, week, even a day with nothing but the positive reported. But alas, negativity outsells the positive every time.
ReplyDeleteToo true. News reporting isn't a public service, it's part of the entertainment business and it's probably always been that way, at least half of it is advertizing and part of the news itself is advertising.
DeleteI could complain all day - but mass murder and beheadings in France, bombings all over Europe get no coverage and no outrage, while a single shooting here gets 500 hours of sobbing, wailing and lamentation. They pick out two or three stories and supersize them.
Try BBC News America or PBS's News Hour. No screaming, breathless reporting of only beheadings and shootings. Plus they spend more than 30 seconds on reporting a serious news story. No cable news for me. IMO, it's theater, not news.
DeleteI do watch them sometimes, but I think Aljazeera is better. I prefer to read though - much faster than listening to someone talk plus I don't have to listen to ads, sports, pop culture and the rest of hte junk food.
Delete