Just Saying…

Justice Alito’s partisanship in support of the insurrection is so outrageous that we were going to write about it for “Just Sayin”. Since we couldn’t have said it better than Robert Hubble in his Saturday newsletter, please read his comments below:

Judy Loeb

The righteous indignation over Justice Alito’s display of the Stop the Steal flag days after the January 6 insurrection is increasing. Two additional pieces of information that compounded Alito’s traitorous behavior emerged on Friday.

First, Alito contacted Shannon Bream of Fox News to offer a more detailed “defense” of the display of the Stop the Steal flag. That defense amounts to “a neighbor posted a “F*** Trump yardsign, so we posted a flag supporting insurrection after the bloody assault on the US Capitol.” The explanation is offensive and absurd. But even if it were not ludicrous, Justice Alito is bound by the Supreme Court Code of Ethics that prohibits any political display by justices—much less a call for insurrection.

Moreover, Alito’s expanded explanation did not attempt to disassociate himself from the message conveyed by the Stop the Steal flag. He did not condemn the Stop the Steal movement. He did not apologize to the American people.

Finally, Shannon Bream is a social friend of Mrs. Alito (see picture) and is a news host for a network that supported the overthrow of the US Constitution. See NPR (2/28/23) Under oath, Murdoch concedes Fox stars ‘endorsed’ lies about 2020 election. If Justice Alito was genuinely interested in clearing up the matter, he should not have given his exclusive interview to a co-conspirator in the insurrection.

More ominously, a 2021 interview with former Trump attorney Sidney Powell explains that the coup plotters planned to delay the count of the electoral ballots and then file an emergency motion for a stay with Justice Alito. See Ron Filipkowski on Twitter and embedded video.

If Alito was an active supporter of the “Stop the Steal movement” in January 2021—as his display of the Stop the Steal flag indicates—the coup plotters came within hours of having Justice Alito issue a temporary injunction against counting the electoral ballots. As Sidney Powell explained, the coup plotters’ plan was foiled only because Nancy Pelosi insisted that the House go back into session immediately upon the restoration of order in the Capitol.

The facts create a strong inference that Justice Alito was an integral part of the coup attempt—witting or unwitting. He must recuse himself from Trump-related matters. Failing that, Justice Roberts must refer Alito’s conduct to the Judicial Conference for investigation. Justice Roberts must issue a public statement calling on Justice Alito to recuse himself. And Congress should begin an impeachment inquiry.

Justice Alito could clear up this matter if wanted. He could offer to testify before Congress. He could sit for an interview with the FBI. But giving an exclusive interview to a family friend who reports for Fox news isn’t the way to restore the faith of the American people in a Court that appears to have been “in” on the plot to throw the election to Trump—at least with respect to Alito and Thomas.

Justice Alito created the appearance of impropriety; if neither he nor John Roberts will remove the stain from the Court, Congress should act.

A Letter from Your Grandma
Barbara Leish

I’m writing this letter out of love for you and fear for our country.

First of all, I know you are horrified by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So am I. What’s happening in Gaza is appalling, and Netanyahu is leading Israel down a very dangerous path. But you must understand why Israel was created in 1948 in the first place, and why it is essential that it survive today. And you mustn’t let your anger over Gaza cloud your understanding of the dangers facing us here in the U.S.

Simply put, we are in danger of losing our freedom.

I know that your generation looks at Biden and sees an old man. What I see is a man with enormous experience and a long track record of supporting a fair system for all, in which women’s rights are protected, children aren’t allowed to go hungry, medicine is affordable, every citizen can vote, and the super wealthy pay their fair share.

Then there’s Trump. He brags about overturning Roe v. Wade. He holds up bibles he’s never read and says we must be a Christian nation. He says immigrants are animals. He promises bloodbaths, promises to prosecute his enemies, promises to let Putin do “whatever the hell he wants” in Europe. He lies about everything. On top of all this, he’s showing clear signs of mental decline.

I am terrified that Trump – an immoral egotist who wants to be a king – will be elected.

Don’t let that happen. I believe Biden must be re-elected. And he needs your vote.

A CIVIL RIGHTS TRIP
Judy Loeb & Jane Eisenberg

We’ve just returned from a week in Georgia and Alabama, tracing the history of African-American civil rights in America. The tour was led by Road Scholars which provided excellent guides and historians who shared their often firsthand experiences and led us through wonderful museums and pivotal churches in Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma and Birmingham.

While many of us believe we know the history of The Civil Rights Movement, what we’ve learned only brushes the surface. The sustained discrimination and brutality suffered by black people over hundreds of years was hard to watch and harder to absorb. From the emancipation proclamation on, each gain was met with brutal crackdowns, hatred and horror. Every step forward resulted in vicious attacks and setbacks. For those of us who have always regarded The Holocaust as the ultimate example of brutality and hatred, it is clearly rivaled by the long history of black oppression.

That leaders like Martin Luther King, John Lewis, Rosa Parks and others were able to summon the fortitude to meet each horrible set-back, including murders, torture and bombings, with renewed dedication to the non-violent fight for ending segregation and obtaining voting rights is stunning.

People fought so hard for the right to vote that today so many cavalierly dismiss or ignore. It is heartbreaking and infuriating! Our country is literally on the brink of losing our democracy. Nothing and nobody is coming to save us. Our only recourse is to out-vote the other side. We must redouble our efforts to do all we can to get out the vote for Joe Biden and Democrats everywhere!