Extremely scary editorial in the NYTimes today.
Adam Cohen points out the possible ramifications of a Bush victory in regards to the make-up of the Supreme Court. It's not that we havent discussed it here, of course. It's that these words will reach many more people than dKos.
Abortion might be a crime in most states. Gay people could be thrown in prison for having sex in their homes. States might be free to become mini-theocracies, endorsing Christianity and using tax money to help spread the gospel. The Constitution might no longer protect inmates from being brutalized by prison guards. Family and medical leave and environmental protections could disappear.
Cohen rightly suggests that Bush is hiding these intentions from the American electorate. Wonder why.
Some of the dire predictions:
If Roe is lost, the Center for Reproductive Rights warns, there's a good chance that 30 states, home to more than 70 million women, will outlaw abortions within a year; some states may take only weeks.
If Justices Scalia and Thomas become the Constitution's final arbiters, the rights of racial minorities, gay people and the poor will be rolled back considerably.
A Louisiana inmate sued after he was shackled and then punched and kicked by two prison guards while a supervisor looked on. The court ruled that the beating, which left the inmate with a swollen face, loosened teeth and a cracked dental plate, violated the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. But Justices Scalia and Thomas insisted that the Eighth Amendment was not violated by the "insignificant" harm the inmate suffered.
A Scalia-Thomas court would dismantle the wall between church and state.
The editorial states that "cruelty is a theme running through many Scalia-Thomas opinions," and cites further inexcusable examples of their rulings. If Bush is allowed to fill THREE vacancies, America will not look the same, and it will not recover for decades.