Discussion for article #244252
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“Don’t cram it down the throats of an American people that has always honored God on the pretext that the Constitution requires it,” Scalia said of secularism.
Why should the American people who do not believe in a god have one crammed down their throat, you imbecile?
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He told the crowd that if American citizens don’t want the government to support religion, then they need to vote on it, according to the Times-Picayune.
And what constitutional provision allows this kind of vote on whether or not government should support religion?
This senile old man is cribbing his talking points from Fox News.
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The constitution doesn’t ban the Government from supporting UFO’s either.
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What is Scalia talking about? If it’s the fact that the government grants religious institutions tax-exempt status, it’s a nothingburger. But if he’s putting a stalking horse out there for Hobby Lobby type arguments that religious belief trumps equal protection under the constitution - then he’s dangerously mad.
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Cornell University Law School - Legal Information Institute
The First Amendment’s Establishment Clause prohibits the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.” This clause not only forbids the government from establishing an official religion, but also prohibits government actions that unduly favor one religion over another. It also prohibits the government from unduly preferring religion over non-religion, or non-religion over religion.
So in technical terms - Scalia is full of crap!
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I’m not a lawyer, but “does too.”
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Yes
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Nor does the Constitution ban voluntary retirement from aging justices who pretend to be strict constructionists only when it suits their political agenda.
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The American People must have throats like the Holland Tunnel, considering all the things that get crammed down them.
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Atheists: We always thought so. I want govt to support the Religion of Atheism.
Flying Spaghetti Monster Religion: Thank you Mr Scalia.
Mormons: We want govt to support 40 wives as our founder did. It should be enforced upon all Americans. This will also provide tax breaks for all.
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Oh, and don’t forget Allah! Or multi-armed Indian goddesses. Etc.
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And he’s touted as the smart one.
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Jesus Christ (pun very much intended)!!
Talk about a selective reading of the U.S. Constitution!! There is nothing in there even remotely resembling what he’s suggesting. This man they call Scalia is as much an “originalist” as my poop doesn’t stink. In other words, neither is true. Seriously, Scalia needs to be removed from the Supreme Court, else be recused from half the cases they accept to hear. I’d be very interested to hear from John Roberts and RBG – what their thoughts are to their colleague’s comments here. This is very serious.
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Scalia is, as usual, wrong.
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Another year gone and Scalia still isn’t any smarter.
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He told the crowd that if American citizens don’t want the government to support religion, then they need to vote on it
Vote on what?
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What is it with homophobes constantly going with the metaphor of having things “crammed down their throats,” anyway?
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Hey Fat Tony - This is why you only get to write dissenting opinions.
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Heres a history lesson for you Justice Scalia:
“Secularism” is a practice (tradition if you will) that separates religion and overt displays of piety from public life.
“Atheism” is a belief that God does not exist.
As a nation, we started out as a fairly religious but secular society, practicing our religion in our homes and churches, not out on the sidewalk, in our halls of Congress or in our local grocery store. But as we as a nation became less religious, “the religious” sought ever increasing ways to demonstrate their “purity in the eyes of God” by making sure everyone could see their piety. Gradually, every public appearance became a “piety pageant” and fewer people practiced their religious belief at home. Our politicians allowed more overt religious practices to become part of their governmental office as a way to curry favor with the still politically powerful “religious” segments of society.
By saying we have never been a secular society you have conflated “secularism” with “atheism”. This completely subverts the original intent of our Founding Fathers and is a violation of your oath to uphold the Constitution.
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