(BosHerald) Justice fires back (LTTE by Antonin Scalia) . . .

[TaleWgnDg]

Justice fires back

(LTTE) by Antonin Scalia(, Associate Justice SCOTUS)
(Boston Herald,) Wednesday, March 29, 2006 - Updated: 12:39 AM EST

To the Editor:

It has come to my attention that your newspaper published a story on Monday(, March 27, 2006) stating that I made an obscene gesture - inside Holy Cross Cathedral(, Boston, Massachusetts), no less. The story is false, and I ask that you publish this letter in full to set the record straight.

Your reporter, an up-and-coming “gotcha” star named Laurel J. Sweet, asked me (o-so-sweetly) what I said to those people who objected to my taking part in such public religious ceremonies as the Red Mass I had just attended. I responded, jocularly, with a gesture that consisted of fanning the fingers of my right hand under my chin. Seeing that she did not understand, I said “That’s Sicilian,” and explained its meaning - which was that I could not care less.

That this is in fact the import of the gesture was nicely explained and exemplified in a book that was very popular some years ago, Luigi Barzini’s The Italians:

“The extended fingers of one hand moving slowly back and forth under the raised chin means: ‘I couldn’t care less. It’s no business of mine. Count me out.’ This is the gesture made in 1860 by the grandfather of Signor O.O. of Messina as an answer to Garibaldi. The general, who had conquered Sicily with his volunteers and was moving on to the mainland, had seen him, a robust youth at the time, dozing on a little stone wall, in the shadow of a carob tree, along a country lane. He reined in his horse and asked him: ‘Young man, will you not join us in our fight to free our brothers in Southern Italy from the bloody tyranny of the Bourbon kings? How can you sleep when your country needs you? Awake and to arms!’ The young man silently made the gesture. Garibaldi spurred his horse on.” (Page 63.)

How could your reporter leap to the conclusion (contrary to my explanation) that the gesture was obscene? Alas, the explanation is evident in the following line from her article: “ ‘That’s Sicilian,’ the Italian jurist said, interpreting for the ‘Sopranos’ challenged.” From watching too many episodes of the Sopranos, your staff seems to have acquired the belief that any Sicilian gesture is obscene - especially when made by an “Italian jurist.” (I am, by the way, an American jurist.)

. . . snip . . .

Sincerely,

Antonin Scalia

. . . more at . . . http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=132653

(hyperlinks added in Scalia's letter to the editor (LTTE) by TaleWgnDg)

This on-going Scalia saga in Boston about Scalia apparently giving an obscene Italian hand gesture to a news reporter in a Roman Catholic Church environs would be very funny, indeed, if were not so serious. Serious, that is, because of its source.

This is not TV's The Sopranos!

Instead, this is about the mannerisms and demeanor of a sitting U.S. Supreme Court associate justice! Indeed.

As a member of the bar, I am appalled that Justice Scalia cannot seem to control himself in public -- from his arrogant off-the-cuff responses to the general public including the press media to recipients of his post-lecture Q&A sessions whether in the States or abroad in Switzerland at his alma mater (.pdf format), University of Fribourg, to lawyers appearing before the SCOTUS bench. This justice is a detriment to the bar, the bench, and to America, and all Americans. What a horrific role model is he! He should be removed upon "bad behavior" as our constitution authorizes.

Scalia's newest faux pas, i.e., poor impulse control of a sitting SCOTUS justice . . . this time, in Boston . . .
1.) http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=132311
(Laurel J. Sweet's BosHerald article, Monday, March 27, 2006)
2.) http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=132482
(Laurel J. Sweet's BosHerald article, Tuesday, March 28, 2006)
3.) Scalia's written letter to the editor (here) in response . . .


Pope Scalia, SCOTUS associate justice,
can never be wrong! Never.

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Scalia seems to protest a bit too much

Sorry Tony, I'm Sicilian too and flipping the hand under the chin is usually considered an obscene gesture. I've never heard anyone claim it meant 'I could care less'. Seems Tony cares too much is the problem.

[saigon68]

2. He is like a TURD

IN A PUNCH BOWL

[LiberalPartisan]

3. "It's Sicilian"

Does 'Fat Tony' fancy himself some sort of wiseguy?

[ClintonTyree]

4. Fat Tony Scalia is a little upset...........

Laurel Sweet might end up with a horse-head in her bed, or worse. This fat, crazy bastard fancies himself to be some omnipotent Mafia Don with the rest of the Supreme Whores as his mob. Oh, how I wish it had been Scalia that was hunting with Cheney that day, and that Cheney's aim was better.
As a human being, Fat Tony leaves a LOT to be desired. :mad:

[Skittles]

5. except, you slimy f***, YOU'RE FROM NEW JERSEY

what an asshole

[chelsea0011]

6. It doesn't matter what the meaning was in the old country, it is how

it is used today and that gesture means "fuck off", "screw you", or Cheney's favorite "go fuck yourself". I find it funny that the hard right all have decided to adopt the go fuck yourself approach. And as other posts note, this shouldn't be the behavior of a judge. This guy is losing it and he has become much worse since not be appointed Chief Justice.

[TaleWgnDg]

7. Ah, yes, how true. However, as Scalia views it . . .

It's something like his originalist, textualist legal view of the U.S. constitution. It's rigid. Never wavers. Never changes. And, oh, hell, no, it NEVER evolves. Eh. Damn, what a guy, huh?

BTW, who does that remind you of? How about George Walker Bush? Yup. No wonder Bush and Company loves this guy. One's as rigid and immovable as the other! Neo-cons.

[Binka]

8. an up-and-coming “gotcha” star WTF? I Hate This Fucking Excuse

They roll this tired old canard out of the closet any and every time one of them (Fascists) gets caught doing something unseemly. Sheesh these fuckers never take any fucking responsibility for their base and boorish behavior. Hey Tony STFU Lauren wasn't their to "get" anything, you did what it is you always do, behave like a fucking swine.

[rodeodance]

9. his sarcastic comment is not cute.

[Binka]

10. It Exposes His Petulant Narcissism n/t

[gratuitous]

11. Gee, so glad Fat Tony takes up op-ed space

Because heaven knows he doesn't have any other platform for getting his story or his views out, so it's good that the Herald gave away several column inches and apparently acceded to Fat Tony's demand that his rambling rant be printed in full.

The sense of entitlement is just appalling. Fuck Fat Tony and shame on the Herald.

[Kelvin Mace]

12. If it is not something you are ashamed of

and it is as you described. Why yell at the photographer to not run the picture?

[Javaman]

13. I'm Sicilian and to me, that gesture means, "fuck you". nt

[William Seger]

14. Hey, this is great!

In this election year, I propose that we make this gesture the National Salute to Republicans, every time they appear in public. Can you imagine hundreds of people at a Bush "town meeting" or an Ann Coulter speech saying "I couldn't care less" in Sicilian! :rofl: