Section Five
You know, when Justice Scalia dies, they are gonna play hell trying to find a preacher to say nice things about him.
Conservative justices on the Supreme Court expressed skepticism Wednesday about whether the federal government should still be requiring preclearance of voting system changes in certain places with a history of racial discrimination in elections.
Justice Antonin Scalia suggested that the continuation of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act represented the “perpetuation of racial entitlement,” saying that lawmakers had only voted to renew the act in 2006 because there wasn’t anything to be gained politically from voting against it.
“Perpetuation of racial entitlement,” is a privileged rich white old man’s term for “they’ve been treated equally for far too long.” Wowzza.
It is perfectly obvious that Scalia has never (1) been to the south, or (2) read anything about what’s happening in America beyond his chambers.”
To her everlasting credit, Justice Sonya Sotomayor, who’s got 50 IQ points on Scalia, had a comeback.
Justice Sonya Sotomayor said that Shelby County, Ala., probably wasn’t the right part of the country to be challenging a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.
“Some parts of the South have changed. Your county pretty much hasn’t,” said Sotomayor. “You may be the wrong party bringing this.”
No kidding.
This is another sad day for America from this court.
And, to continue the suckitude: Van Cliburn died today.
1Just when you thought these nuts couldn’t twist logic into a tighter pretzel, they come out with something like the Voting Rights Act is “perpetuation of racial entitlement.”
Lets not forget that the Violence Against Women Act is an attack on men (and their right to abuse).
I was born and raised a Republican, most of my family are still Republican, and I wish I could say there was a side of me that is sorry to see my dear old departed parent’s party dissolving into total idiocy, but the truth is, I am not sorry. The GOP needs to go. Now. Before more people get hurt.
Thank you, Tea Party, for speeding up the GOP’s self-destruction.
2Same here, Deb. Same history, although I was a Republican until the meanness and reactionary fringe started taking a big hold about 15 years ago. It’s almost as if today’s Republican leaders are the bastard sons of the best traditional Republicans, born and grown up without ethics, values, compassion or principles.
3What an evil, evil man.
4Can’t Scalia do something useful for a change? Like maybe go duck hunting with Dick Cheney?
5A 102-year-old black woman waited in line 3 hours to vote WHERE?
In the South. But….
In fact, all of the “vote fraud” bills and voter id laws are desperate attempts by a shrinking white majority to impose American apartheid, even outside the South.
You can pay lip service to the voting rights act, and still have partisan whites who makes sure that suburban white Republican districts have plenty of voting machines, while inner city black districts have 1 or two. Or that weird geryymander districts are drawn so that all the AfAm voters are stuck in one weirdly curly-q district, to produce safe, white Republican seats around it.
There are plenty of ways to disfranchise people while not taking away their vote. It’s still happening today. In my state. In my TOWN. A place that isn’t even subject to these provisions.
We don’t need to pare down the Voting Rights Act, we need to EXPAND it.
6Only if Section 5 is expanded to the entire country would messing with this bulwark of civilization be justified. Get in your handbasket, Fat Tony, you’ve got a ticket to ride.
7Deb, don’t forget that wanting to marry the person you love and receive all the government perks of marriage is “demanding special privileges for homosexuals.”
Loved David Horsey’s cartoon about the GOP “standing for the average American” which ends up being a southern white guy who lives on a golf course:
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-republican-fallacy-20130222,0,1602705.story
To their recent motto– “Reality is whatever we say it is”– the GOP has added “If you don’t think you can win the election, cheat.”
8I used to live in Shelby County Alabama. The staff at a local Subway would joke about the hockey players that would come in. You know, the ones with no front teeth.
9It’s amazing to me that that particular county in the US would think they had gone beyond the racism. In the middle of Alabama, of the South, a public university (U. of Montevallo) had about a 1% population of African-American students. Diverse it was not. Same with the faculty.
Sigh.
“Get in your handbasket, Fat Tony, you’ve got a ticket to ride.” Texas Ellen, I am putting that on a sign and hauling my butt to the Supreme Court. Put on your fancy shoes ‘cuz you’re going with me.
10JJ and Texas Ellen,
TOO friggin’ hilarious. I will be out back making my sign.
I do want ALL OF US GALS to get us some matching fancy RED “Pope Pumps” to wear while we protest Fat Tony, who will undoubtedly be buried by one of my Church’s pedo-priests~hope it is soon~
11Mississippi didn’t ratify the constitutional amendment to end slavery until 1995. Then they “forgot” to file the paperwork. It was finally submitted to Washington D.C. on February 7, 2013. No problems with civil rights in the South anymore?
12I’m an old lady with bad feet, but I’ll see about getting a pair of red crocs.
13I wish there was a “like” button for the comments because, I sure would be hitting it. JJ you and your readers crack me up.
14I commented on Facebook that Ole Fat Tony looks like Porky Pig in a business suit … my apologies to Mr. Pig.
Love all the comments!!
15As long as there is a Popus emeritus, there will be someone to say nice things about El Nino (who stole my tilde?) because there will always be someone worse than even him.
16Here are Scalia’s comments in context http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/scalia-voting-rights-act-perpetual-racial
JUSTICE SCALIA: …This Court doesn’t like to get involved in — in racial questions such as this one. It’s something that can be left — left to Congress.
The problem here, however, is suggested by the comment I made earlier, that the initial enactment of this legislation in a — in a time when the need for it was so much more abundantly clear was — in the Senate, there — it was double-digits against it. And that was only a 5-year term.
Then, it is reenacted 5 years later, again for a 5-year term. Double-digits against it in the Senate. Then it was reenacted for 7 years. Single digits against it. Then enacted for 25 years, 8 Senate votes against it.
And this last enactment, not a single vote in the Senate against it. And the House is pretty much the same. Now, I don’t think that’s attributable to the fact that it is so much clearer now that we need this. I think it is attributable, very likely attributable, to a phenomenon that is called perpetuation of racial entitlement. It’s been written about. Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them through the normal political processes.
I don’t think there is anything to be gained by any Senator to vote against continuation of this act. And I am fairly confident it will be reenacted in perpetuity unless — unless a court can say it does not comport with the Constitution. You have to show, when you are treating different States differently, that there’s a good reason for it.
That’s the — that’s the concern that those of us who — who have some questions about this statute have. It’s — it’s a concern that this is not the kind of a question you can leave to Congress. There are certain districts in the House that are black districts by law just about now. And even the Virginia Senators, they have no interest in voting against this. The State government is not their government, and they are going to lose — they are going to lose votes if they do not reenact the Voting Rights Act.
Even the name of it is wonderful: The Voting Rights Act. Who is going to vote against that in the future?
17Hey JJ rent a bus and ill help you pay. Lets roll on these people. We will have a good road trip and they will be… The same. I am still crying…
18Further evidence that Scalia is from another planet. He said that a 98-0 Senate vote was “a representation of political positions”? Is anybody monitoring what comes out of his mouth? You can’t get 98 senators to agree that water is wet, but they all voted in 2006 to extend the Voting Rights Act for 25 years. Seems a pretty clear statement of intent to me.
19Before y’all start chartering buses and stuff, you need to know that you are too late. The Supremes have moved on to other stuff.
However, Charlie Pierce was there and reported this:
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/voting-rights-hearings-protests-022713
There were, apparently, no supporters for the bigot side there. Not that it has a damn thing to do with how they will vote.
Let’s just all pray for Sotomayor’s persuasive powers, shall we?
20But, but, but, even though I’ve not worn high heels in a while, I sure am longing for a fancy pair of bright red PopePumps~
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