We should have seen it coming (actually, we did) when the Orange Menace started packing the Supreme Court, as well the lesser courts, with not just conservative justices but with bona fide Nazis. With those of the Court’s current ilk, it’s difficult to watch their discomfort wearing black robes when we know that six of them would be more comfortable in white. One by one, the Court is reversing decisions once thought of as being landmark. Or is it benchmark?
It all started snowballing about a year ago when the Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a 50-year-old decision that the three latest justices had called “settled law” during their Senate hearings. Apparently, there are no repercussions for lying under oath.
Just this past week, the court tossed into the wind Affirmative Action. The 50-plus year ruling that called for affording minorities and the underclasses access to colleges and universities—both public and private—was found by the Court to be discriminatory in itself. Justice Clarence Thomas, whose best friend is Harlan Crow, the billionaire GOP benefactor and plantation owner who maintains a private museum of Nazi memorabilia, once waxed poetic about how Affirmative Action helped him to attain his undergrad and post-grad education.
Based solely on educational performance, without the earlier Court’s ruling, we can be assured that Thomas would be holding down some menial job that paid minimum wage. But even that type of employment might well be a challenge to his meager intellect.
But Thomas is all on board with turning his back on minority opportunities for academic and employment advancement. Affirmative Action, at this juncture, is available to privileged whites or those with parents who are able to build namesake chemistry labs. Only the most privileged of college applicants will gain access to our nation’s ivied walls.
Atta boy, Clarence! Would you please go yachting with your low-life friends before the next landmark ruling is nullified because it might not be to your wife’s liking?
The Court this week overturned a lower court decision that would have provided some debt relief to those who have been paying off student loans. One of the hallmarks of President Biden’s campaign, the Court’s decision punches a gaping hole in the Administration’s economic plan.
Kevin McCarthy, who made a Faustian deal with Mephistopheles to become House Speaker, lauded the Court’s decision, crowing something about the “87% without student debt” having to pay for the “13% who do.”
I’m assuming here that the 87% figure includes every American, not just college grads. The truth in numbers fall suspect when spouted by the GOP.
The 6-3 decision, matching the 6-3 vote against Affirmative Action, will combine to make those college aspirants be defined as too poor, too dark, or too ethnic. The promise of a bright, prosperous future to college graduates will disappear into the ether as ballooning college debt takes top spot in the family budget.
Meanwhile, in a case brought to the Court in the guise of First Amendment rights, a website designer who has yet to design a wedding website but has imagined that gay couples will be flocking to her laptop to purchase said design. This was a hypothetical case that she brought through a seven-year court battle. The Court sided with the plaintiff and found that she can choose to discriminate against—in the broadest sense—the LGBTQ+ community. What the case really says is that gay marriage can be recognized by the state, but website designers do not have to feel compelled to provide services.
The part of the First Amendment that is being overlooked is the separation of church and state, not the expression of free speech.
Gotta love the religious right, which would be a great party name to replace the GOP.
Since the courts have expanded their jobs to, basically, creating legislation through their rulings, the Supreme Court is initiating actions that would first, overturn the 21st Amendment that in 1933 overturned the 18th Amendment.
Brett M. Kavanaugh, the noted beer-guzzling associate justice, has indicated through his opinion that was represented by a 13-page sheaf of doodles, that he would side with the three liberal justices. Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett indicated that she might be the tiebreaker.
“Listen,” she said in a statement, “I’ve got seven kids and if I can’t throw back a few then I’ll have to abdicate my seat. Heck no, keep the damned 21st Amendment in place.”
Under the heading “Hypothetical” comes the chance that school will be put under siege by the religious right after their refusing to remove several titles from their shelves. To be sure that no book is ever opened, the astonishingly stupid will order all books be burned in every school playground.
Sadly, the book burners are the saddest of the lot. They are opposed to public discourse and receive all of their information through AM talk radio. If each of the burners would slip just one book under their robes (and read it), we’d be a step closer to never seeing a red MAGA hat again.
Photo illustration by Courtney A. Liska
Pork Marsala with Mushrooms
Always a favorite at my restaurant and at home. Serve with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans for a perfect weeknight dinner.
2 lb. pork tenderloin (about 2 tenderloins)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, finely diced
12 oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry Marsala
1 cup homemade or low-salt chicken broth
3 Tbs. heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Trim the tenderloins of silver skin and any excess fat. Cut the tenderloins into 2-inch-thick medallions. Flip each medallion onto a cut side and press down with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly. Season the meat with 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper.
Heat the olive oil and 1 Tbs. of the butter in a large sauté pan over high heat. When the butter is melted and foaming, add half of the meat and sear until nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until the meat is well browned and slightly firm to the touch, about another 2 min. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining pork.
Melt the remaining 2 Tbs. butter in the pan. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and sauté for about 30 seconds, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the mushrooms and sauté until all of the mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden, about 3 min. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt, sprinkle with the flour, and add the Marsala. Once the Marsala has almost completely evaporated, add the chicken broth and reduce by half, about 3 min. Stir in the cream and parsley, return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pan, and cook, flipping the pork once, until it’s firm to the touch and still a little pink in the middle (cut into a piece to check), 2 to 4 min. Taste for salt and pepper and serve.
