134 Comments
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Roger Loeb's avatar

Quote of the century, "...a Court that now treats the Constitution like it is a suggestion box at a Mar-a-Lago brunch buffet."

Martha Kenne's avatar

Another clever Michael statement! I can remember when SCOTUS was making serious decisions, and were highly respected.......

GREGG PLAPAS's avatar

My memory of when SCOTUS was making serious decisions, and were highly respected.......ended on January 21, 2010 !!!!!

Teri Gelini's avatar

That ship has sailed...

Kathy Hughes's avatar

That’s definitely a description for the ages!

Teri Gelini's avatar

Love that quote...

Jeep2727's avatar

the Supreme Court is out of control

Xplisset's avatar

Reading this like yeah, you can gerrymander a map but you can’t gerrymander an empty fridge or a shutoff notice. Voters might not track every court case, but they feel who’s in charge when the bills hit and the cart gets smaller every week. Man, keep running it down this plain, because this is exactly how we carry the story from the courtroom to the kitchen table. www.xplisset.com

ajay ess's avatar

good point, and it will be so unless trump and his gang come up with some serious new propaganda koolaid that keeps the voters lobotomized and ignorant. anyway, what we are seeing is that republicans are still voting republican - (though more at 2020 levels) - and that means there are millions of people who have decided to not see the truth, but rather to believe the lies and fascist racist hatred because it fits with their own beliefs and values.....

Jeff Lazar's avatar

Yes, the fascists in black robes have once more screwed the country. Remember, they have already proven the Constitution is irrelevant by elevating Demented Donnie Two-Dolls to the status of king. Next up, obviously, is to declare birthright citizenship (AKA 14th amendment) unconstitutional. Go for it, Boys!

Susan Booth's avatar

And after citizenship the White christian Nationalists, otherwise known as The Heritage Foundation, wants to abolish the vote for women. Yep. It's coming sure as shit.

ajay ess's avatar

thank you. great comment. the time for trying to work out the deeper 'why?' will come after they are defeated. we are in a war already and this vile minority of white supremist christian nationalist nazis must be defeated. trump opened up pandora's box in 2016 and gave credibility to the scum that would ensure his greed and egomaniacal delusions. the scum are 'out n proud'.

liberals/progressives/moderates don't turn away and pretend it didn't happen. no more being 'nice' and considerate liberals....being nice and believing love conquers all will just us another fascist dictator in the future.....

we need to be bold and get trump voters to confront themselves and their family - and they should be sending around videoa of what trump id doing to their demographic group....as they say 'SEE IT/READ IT....AND WEEP'

‘latinos for trump’ should be told straight out how they have helped trump to create a south american style dictatorship and they will always be racially profiled by white supremist trump.

‘african americans for trump’ should be told how they have supported a white supremist/return to slavery mentality.

‘islamist for trump’ for trump should be told how they have emboldened nyetayahoo war crimes, and economically boosted the apartheid state of israel

‘jews for trump’ should be told they have supported and enabled, yet another lying nazi, in the 21st century form of trump and his white supremist brown shirt thugs

‘women for trump’ should be told they have finally been granted 2nd class citizen status and therefore are able to make fewer decisions for themselves.

Et etc etc

PEOPLE HAVE TO PERSONALLY UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES OF VOTING TRUMP AND TRUMP REPUGNICAN..

but the dems will prolly just be all about being 'nice' and bipartisan.... :(

Geri Cochran's avatar

Yep it's coming, as is the banning of birth control, and the total ban of abortions. Women will be 'put in their place': which is to have children and support their man in his endeavors. :(

Martha Kenne's avatar

Sadly, I think it will happen. Constitution? What the hell is that?

Nancy Richardson's avatar

We The People are tired of the Supreme Court thinking the American people are stupid. We are not!!! There are some on this court that need to be replaced because they no longer uphold their oath to the Constitution.

Michael, great writing. Thank you.

Toni's avatar

They need to be impeached!

And we need term/age limits and an expanded court, and ethics reform. The more justices on the court the harder it will be for one President to stack it with compliant ideologues.

Nancy Richardson's avatar

I absolutely agree with you!

chev_chelios's avatar

I think the ( Despicable 6 ) on the SCOTUS should be redistricted .....to let's say someplace like El Salvador ?

Toni's avatar

Despicable Six! Love that! 👏🏻🎯

Tammy  Scott's avatar

The MAGA six in the Supreme corrupt court need to be impeached then tried for treason.

Texas is a majority minority state and no amount of squiggly lines will change that.

Annoy the Latinos, the biracial, the whites who believe in equality and the blacks there are not enough white nationalist here in Texas to stop that demographic from running rough shod over your white suppremist ass.

I live in the middle of what used to be Trump country. There has been Trump signs up for a decade in some places. Now all those signs of support are gone. The Texans who supported Trump are quietly existing the flame engulfed party of pedophiles.

Those of us who have hated Trump all along are becoming louder and more engaged.

Those Supreme morons watered down their republican strong holds assuming the minorities that once supported Trump will continue to do so.

I look forward to this gerrymandering back firing like a 1970s muscle car with a carburetor.

ajay ess's avatar

wonderful to read your comment - thank you.....

this is a real war.

a war of speech.

a war of our rights.

a war of all minorities.

a war started by white supremist dictator trump.

it's up to us to hear the words of the great human rights activists bob marley and peter tosh who sang…GET UP. STAND UP. STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT. GET UP. STAND UP. DON'T GIVE UP THE FIGHT...

RESIST. VIVA LA RESISTENCIA. VIVE LA RESISTANCE. SAMUD… :)

Geri Cochran's avatar

OH, there's some hope? Where I live there are still signs supporting him; and the people just blame Biden for everything. AND they cannot stand anything negative said about their savior the prez. I believe big city folks will vote for their own well being, but not rural magas. They still only listen to Fox Entertainment 'news', and their savior can do no wrong....OR if he does, it's because his cabinet person lied to him. smdh

WJB Motown's avatar

Could they repoen Alligator Alcatraz for the Demonic Despicable 6 goon show?

Geri Cochran's avatar

If the country still has any money left, I'd prefer to pay El Salvador's gulag to take them. They'd have too much money and help in this country and, if imprisoned, be sent to the wonderful private spa prison as Maxwell. They deserve something much less comfortable, imo.

Chris L's avatar

I hope some of those gerrymandered red districts actually flip blue just to piss the GOP off!

Toni's avatar

They might, because some of them contain a large number of Latino voters, who have swung back to the left as of the November elections. And no wonder! It would be such poetic justice if that cost Repugnicans more seats than they gain!

Bonnie Boyce's avatar

Hope springs eternal. I believe people vote their hate and prejudice before they vote their economic best interests.

Tammy  Scott's avatar

Latinos hate being racially targeted by ICE. So if your statement proves true then Texas will turn blue.

Geri Cochran's avatar

Crossing my fingers!

Geri Cochran's avatar

They've certainly been doing this in the current past, from my experiences. :(

Geri Cochran's avatar

I so hope you are right. I worry about my Hispanic neighbor who is pregnant. She doesn't seem to think she needs to be careful because she is a citizen. She refuses to believe that ICE doesn't care if one is a citizen until much later. And she and her family are magas; and do not want 'illegals' coming into the state. smdh

ajay ess's avatar

forward to her all the videos of latinos being arrested by masked men (and the ones where children are left abandoned by ice after snatching a parent off the streets) - and the statistics that show the vast majority of arrests are not people with violent crimes.....as that saying goes...first they came for the criminals, and i was not a criminal so i did not worry....then eventually they come for me....

Francesca Cee's avatar

That's what almost happened in Tennessee. They gerrymandered the state so that Nashville is cut in thirds and it's merged each third with a bunch of rural counties. They thought they were so safe with van epps, and look what happened. 13% swing towards the left. I hope a lot of those districts flip. I would love to see this blow up in their faces.

Penny Thibeaux's avatar

So, when is everyone going to protest the corruption in the Supreme Court. 6 of which should be removed. There must be a way to rid ourselves of the crooked, bastards, the corruption is in our faces Shoved down our throats.

When do we, the people rise up , and demand the 6 sellout bastards, leave. They have proved they are so unworthy

And

TRAITORS TO THE UNITED STATES !!!

Jax's avatar

Perhaps have them charged with sedition along with the rest of this Nazi regime!

Kelvin Hobbs's avatar

It would be tough to get rid of them short of impeachment, which seems unlikely. They could resign, retire or become unable to serve, but surely would be replaced with people as bad or worse and much younger, so able to serve far longer. But that is not the end. Congress can add a sufficient number of Justices to silence their voices. See Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution and this analysis. (“In addition to setting the size of the Supreme Court, Congress also determines the time and place of the Court’s sessions.”)

Source: Constitution Annotated https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artIII-S1-8-3/ALDE_00013559/

ajay ess's avatar

yes we need to gerrymander the court back to a civil, intelligent, ethical, honest, non partisan group of constitutional experts...

Kelvin Hobbs's avatar

Fine analysis, Mr. Cohen. Well written, concise, supported nicely … plus, a good read. IMO, one of your best posts, drafted so tightly and spot-on that it makes your point and assigns responsibility to those who earned it and now revel in the mess they made.

And yet, TX apparatchiks and the (presumably) six rodeo clowns forget this from 1871 by Helmuth von Moltke “No plan of operations extends with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy forces” and what later became “every dog will have its day,” as voiced by Hamlet in Hamlet 5.1 (1599-1601): “The cat will mew, and dog will have his day.” Voters will vote their wallets and will take no notice of artificial, fabricated and meaningless district lines of division drawn in red.

More cheating will follow.

James E Kent's avatar

Makes you wonder who all was redacted from the Epstein files.

Toni's avatar

Thomas being in there wouldn't surprise me at all!

AMY STARKEY's avatar

That is a for sure in my opinion. Alito as well. And I believe Roberts has his hands dirty also. Donny Boy has them all by the balls.... Oh and one pussy. We already know how he likes to grab pussy.

Roy Cohn taught him how to collect Kompromat on people to use as blackmail. Makes one wonder if this Epstein thing was an operation of pedophiles from around the world. But for Donny and Jeffy, it was a way of asserting control, maybe?? To collect videos of men who shouldn't be there and who were harming children. They were taking massive amounts of boxes out of Epstein's property in the end. We are not being told the truth, and I think they know exactly his involvement. Maybe a majority of his people are on the blackmail list

Yeah. Yeah. I know. Sounds like a conspiracy. I just can't get my head around the 180 on producing those "files" from people like Patel and Bongino. Bondi knew before them and still played the game. She's the fall guy. Right?

CanadaIsNotForSale's avatar

I hope the people of Texas see through this power grab and vote in their best interests. But I fear many are stupefied from the Kool-aid they've been served to drink for a very long time in them parts.

Linda Myers's avatar

Once maga is thrown out, the once Supreme Court, now the flunkies of maga, will have to be dealt with.

Ramona Jeffery's avatar

Fascists in high power positions are not new to the US. There are documentaries about why the US was so slow to help Europeans with Hitler. It will curl your hair.

Jax's avatar

In the lost history of Nazis, many forget that they were started in the United States, then adopted by Germany.

AMY STARKEY's avatar

nope, sorry. Don't want to seem rude but you have that all wrong. Nazism arose from the German Workers' Party in 1920. It was in the mid-thirties, when the German American Bund was organized in our country. It was derived from their Nazi Party. The group's name changed multiple times. Their fight was "against Communism, Marxism, and 'Jewish arrogance.' They wanted a white, nationalistic, Christian-ruled United States......"

Sounds familiar, huh?

Jax's avatar

Thanks for the information. I was basing what I said on a documentary I saw. I’m glad for the info!

Jax's avatar

Yep.

There was a huge gathering at Madison square gardens of Nazis. I don’t recall exactly what year but somewhere late 1920’s to early 1930’s…

Cathy's avatar

Great write-up.

Amanda's avatar

Thank you, MTN. Your steadfast commitment to our Constitution has provided a measure of reassurance during this challenging period. Ben, you are fierce!😁

Rick N's avatar

We need to remember that the current makeup of the SCOTUS was a long-term plan of the GOP and its think tanks to curb what they visualized in the 1990s as a trend of the country going liberal. The Federalist Society began vetting appointees rather than the ABA. The five justices appointed in the 2000s all fit this bill. The chief justice began work to eliminate the Voting Rights Act while in the Reagan administration. The other justices all have similar agendas to undo liberal government. I'm not sure they will always vote in Trump's favor, but if his cause of entrenching an autocratic government aligns with theirs, there well always be a majority vote.

Kelvin Hobbs's avatar

[The vision was put into play earlier] President Reagan nominated Bork for the Supreme Court on July 1, 1987, to replace a retiring Lewis Powell. Senator Ted Kennedy reacted with a public statement that quickly drew political battle lines over Bork’s nomination.

“Robert Bork’s America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens’ doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists would be censored at the whim of government, and the doors of the federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens for whom the judiciary is often the only protector of the individual rights that are the heart of our democracy,”

Senate Democrats brought up legal writings from Bork dating back to 1963, when he wrote a New Republic article opposing the proposed 1964 Civil Rights Act. Bork’s opponents were critical of his opinions about the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.

Source: Senate rejects Robert Bork for the Supreme Court October 23, 2023; National Constitution Center https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-senate-rejects-robert-bork-for-the-supreme-court

[How wrong was Kennedy about what he foresaw as the GOP’s long game? Not at all.]

Jerri Peake's avatar

I hope you are right about how people will vote but I know people(like my mother in law) who would NEVER vote for a Democrat, no matter what!

Jax's avatar

Yes, you can’t cure stupid!

Tammy  Scott's avatar

Then she will likely do what my husband is doing, disengaging. Hubby won't vote at all before he votes for a democrate.

MAGAs staying home is good enough for me. I am an independent thinker and I will vote for what is best for this country.

So let thier MAGA asses sit the next decade or two out at least they will be out of the way.