I had to read this new story from Reuters twice this morning to believe what I was reading.
(Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said the COVID-19 pandemic had led to “previously unimaginable” curbs on individual liberty, singling our restrictions on religious events.
…
“The COVID crisis has served as sort of a constitutional stress test,” he said during his address over a video link for the conservative organization’s (Federalist Society) annual conference.
...
“Think of worship services! Churches closed on Easter Sunday, synagogues closed for Passover in Yom Kippur”, he said.
“It pains me to say this,” Alito added, “but in certain quarters, religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right.”
Ah, the old — and phony — religious persecution complex rears its ugly head! The false claims of victimhood repeated by someone with the power to affect our daily lives. And we know that Alito is not alone in his religious zealotry on this Court.
But Sam didn’t stop there. Next up, the “freedom of speech” canard because he is restricted from saying that marriage is not for those scary LGBTQ people — even though he says it:
The justice said freedom of speech was also under threat.
…
Social norms had created a list of things that it was now unacceptable for students, professors and employees to say, he added.
“You can’t say that marriage is a union between one man and one woman”, he added. “Until very recently that’s what a vast majority of Americans thought. Now its considered bigotry.”
Because it is bigotry, Sam! And because opinions change over time, much to your chagrin, apparently.
Packing the Court with religious zealots (Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh, Coney Barrett) is a serious threat to our democracy likely to have restrictive consequences on our daily lives. The toxic mix of religion and governmental policies and social issues paints this Court as extremist (to say nothing of its corporate-friendly bent which adds Gorsuch to the list).
We can expect these aggrieved, “Christian” justices to wield their power on a host of issues including gay marriage, abortion, restrictions on the voting rights of minorities, and on First Amendment issues where claims such as Alito’s will, in fact, limit free speech rather than expand it.
Expanding the Court is probably out of the question, given the results of the election. So when Alito says out loud where this current Court is headed, we should be alarmed. They are out of step with a vast majority of the country, but they will not hesitate to impose their will.
NOTE: Slate also just posted a story on Alito’s speech that includes the full video of his address.
Sam Alito Delivers Grievance-Laden, Ultra-Partisan Speech to the Federalist Society
The justice railed against COVID restrictions, same-sex marriage, abortion, and the alleged persecution of conservatives.
…
But Alito abandoned any pretense of impartiality in his speech, a grievance-laden tirade against Democrats, the progressive movement, and the United States’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alito’s targets included COVID-related restrictions, same-sex marriage, abortion, Plan B, the contraceptive mandate, LGBTQ non-discrimination laws, and five sitting Democratic senators.
This is what we are in for, folks. If you had any doubts that these religious bigots will seek to enforce their will on the broader society, Alito’s speech should remove those doubts.