Tag Archives: SCOTUS

Who ever thought … not, Scalia

The United States Supreme Court today affirmed the right of marriage for all people in a 5-4 judgement in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Justice Antonin Scalia dissented. Among other things he wrote:

Who ever thought that intimacy and spirituality … were freedoms?

In his heavy-handed need to disparage his associates, he seems to have forgotten some of our basic roots. If not a legal basis, a sounding on where the framers (Thomas Jefferson, et al) stood:

heading of Declaration of Independence… all men are created equal, … with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are … the pursuit of Happiness.

If intimacy and spirituality are not among some of the basic pursuits of happiness of anyone, then nothing is.

I also think the irony of the invective that he throws earlier in his dissent is lost on him.

It is one thing for separate concurring or dissenting opinions to contain extravagances, even silly extravagances, of thought and expression; …

Yes, it is “one thing”, Mr. Justice.

Plotz steps in some Aggie Poo

I was listening to the Slate Magazine Political Gabfest: The Never Alone edition as I do every week.  Their third topic (30:00) was the affirmative action case brought by Abigail Fisher against The University of Texas and race-based admissions policies being accepted by the Supreme Court.

At some point in to it (38:00) David Plotz supports the policy of automatic admission to the university by the top 10% of graduating high school students (in the state) as a nice alternative mechanism to obtaining diversity.  The truth of the matter is the 10% isn’t as automatic as it was in the 80s, and the 10% policy has been around for a long time – though I’m not sure if it predates affirmative action laws.

“The 10% idea, taking the top 10% of a class, is a really appealing one. … I presume that at Texas A&M, which is sort of second tier, maybe it’s the top 20% or something. …”

A a child of two UT alumni, and the 4th generation graduate of the UT, I laughed heartily at that one.  It’s been a few decades since I’ve had to deal with college admissions, but I recall their policies being relatively the same (I was accepted by both).  I can’t  wait to hear if John’s inbox filled up with letters from Aggies.

Then Plotz turns around and calls the top 10% of the class “ten percenters” which is generally a term for people who don’t put in more than 10% effort.  And it of course make Frank Black‘s voice stream through my brain singing about a slacker soda jerk: Continue reading