Senate Democrats have found their latest tantrum to attack the Supreme Court since its conservative majority - the fact that Justice Samuel Alito reportedly flew two flags outside his homes they say makes him unfit to weigh in on matters concerning Donald Trump.
In mid-January 2021, Alito flew an upside down American flag - historically used by the military as a distress signal, while in July and September of 2023, he displayed an "Appeal to Heaven" flag - commissioned by George Washington in 1775 for maritime use - outside his New Jersey vacation home.
The flags have caused uproar among Democrats, who have been scheming for years to dilute the conservative power of the Supreme Court (see: court packing). In a Friday letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Democrat Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin and subcommittee head Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse urged Roberts to take steps to ensure Alito recuses himself from cases related to the 2020 presidential election and Jan. 6 attack. The Court currently has two such cases pending before it - one concerning federal prosecutors' use of an obstruction charge against Jan. 6 defendants, and another which addresses whether Donald Trump is entitled to immunity from criminal charges stemming from his actions following the 2020 election.
Now, the New York Times and Obama's law professor Lawrence Tribe are engaging in what people are referring to as "High-brow QAnon" conspiracy theories (aka 'BlueAnon);
High-brow QAnon pic.twitter.com/D5SziiqnsX
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) May 25, 2024
Absolute hypocrisy (what else?)
In 2016, Democrats were absolutely silent over Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's notorious and public hatred of Donald Trump - comments she later apologized over, calling them "ill-advised."
"I can’t imagine what this place would be — I can’t imagine what the country would be — with Donald Trump as our president," she told the NY Times during the election, adding "For the country, it could be four years. For the court, it could be — I don’t even want to contemplate that."
She also called Trump a "faker" and criticized him for not releasing his tax returns.
"‘Now it’s time for us to move to New Zealand,’" she joked.
Who cares, right? But Democrats playing in the sandbox want to throw sand over Alito.
When Sheldon Whitehouse, the guy currently demanding Alito's recusal, was asked by The Dispatch about Ginsburg's public comments opposing Trump during the 2016 campaign, he said "I don't know what cases she was ruling on at that point. They [Republicans] weren't asking for [recusal.].
In 2016, Justice Ginsburg—not her spouse—weighed in against Trump’s election, suggested fleeing the country, and made comments about his tax returns.
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) May 25, 2024
Why did Senate Democrats not call for her recusal in any Trump case—including one about his taxes? https://t.co/4b3syltgwV pic.twitter.com/AMg9HpftuG
Ginsburg notoriously weighed in on several cases involving Trump's policies, including the travel ban (Trump v. Hawaii), Trump's attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census (which was denied), and DACA - Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), though the major Court decision involving the case came after her 2020 death.
Wikipedia propagandists are hard at work
Meanwhile (and there's always a meanwhile), WikiPedia's entry on the Appeal to Heaven (aka 'Pine Tree') flag has radically changed over the past several days.
On Wednesday, it was referred to as 'a religious and political symbol by some conservative, nationalist, and Christian national activists' in the US. Now, the entry reads:
"The flag fell into obscurity until the 2020s, where it became seen as a symbol of Christian nationalism and support for President Donald Trump and his "Stop the Steal" campaign among far-right groups.
Wikipedia edits on the Pine Tree Flag page are fascinating.
— Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) May 24, 2024
On Wednesday, it was just a normal flag.
On Friday, it's a now a symbol of Christian nationalism and right-wing extremism.
And the Popular Culture section on the HBO miniseries has been completely removed. pic.twitter.com/vIadtsCiyZ
I screen capped this on Wednesday. Absolutely extraordinary! pic.twitter.com/sFfQ2NLJtD
— Just Curious (@shelley_curious) May 24, 2024
Oh...
lest you think this was just 2019, the Appeal To Heaven flag was flying outside San Francisco City Hall in 2023 as well — the same time frame as at Alito’s beach house
— Logan Dobson (@LoganDobson) May 25, 2024
Dastardly insurrectionists everywhere pic.twitter.com/x7oNSx2hct
The flag draws its meaning from a John Locke quote: "And where the Body of the People, or any single Man, is deprived of their Right, or is under the Exercise of a power without right, and have no Appeal on Earth, then they have a liberty to appeal to Heaven, whenever they judge the Cause of sufficient moment," -The Second Treatise on Civil Government (1689).
AOC Demands To Know Where Alito Bought An Upside-Down U.S. Flag https://t.co/HXtHCc4yvp pic.twitter.com/BQtmF90mbk
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) May 23, 2024