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Antonin Scalia, a sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justice, has died:
US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia - one of most conservative members of the high court - has died. Justice Scalia's death could shift the balance of power on the US high court, allowing President Barack Obama to add a fifth liberal justice to the court. The court's conservative majority has recently stalled major efforts by the Obama administration on climate change and immigration.
Justice Scalia, 79, was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. He died in his sleep early on Saturday while in West Texas for [a] hunting trip, the US Marshall service said. Justice Scalia was one of the most prominent proponents of "originalism" - a conservative legal philosophy that believes the US Constitution has a fixed meaning and does not change with the times.
Justice Scalia's death is, unsurprisingly, now being widely reported.
From the San Antonio Express News:
According to a report, Scalia arrived at the ranch on Friday and attended a private party with about 40 people. When he did not appear for breakfast, a person associated with the ranch went to his room and found a body.
[...] The U.S. Marshal Service, the Presidio County sheriff and the FBI were involved in the investigation. Officials with the law enforcement agencies declined to comment.
A federal official who asked not to be named said there was no evidence of foul play and it appeared that Scalia died of natural causes.
A gray Cadillac hearse pulled into the ranch last Saturday afternoon. The hearse came from Alpine Memorial Funeral Home.
Most major news outlets are covering this story, including CNN [video autoplays], The Washington Post, The New York Times, and NBC.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 14 2016, @06:32PM
That's funny. Technically, if I really want to work at it, I suppose the description could apply to me and the town where I live. I don't get upset by the description though (it's not a "big condescending fuck you" to me), because frankly - I have to work at it to believe for moment that he's really talking about me.
Most people I know that get upset by this old speech are those who were already looking for a reason to get pissed off, and this was a handy thing to grab. (Sorry - "cling on to.")
He's right - there are lots of places that have fallen through the cracks, and were either ignored or penalized by the various administrations over the years. So when "everybody's again' 'ya, whattre 'ya gonna do?" Same thing all small towns have done over the years - cling together, support each other (except for "those" people who live over on that side of town. They may look and sound like us, but they're not really "US" are they?). It causes insular thinking - and naturally you're going to turn against things being imposed from the outside. Regardless of who is in the White House (or the Governor's Office), regardless of whether or not it'll be a benefit or a hindrance down the road. It didn't come from my town, my people, and therefore I'm suspicious and somewhat against it.
Grow up. Seriously. The world isn't against YOU, because frankly you're not important enough for most of them to even realize that you're out there. My town's small. I like it. I'm happy here. I wish more people could figure out how to live without allowances (sorry - "tax breaks and incentives"). At the same time, I am an adult with a fully functioning brain and a reasonable chance of recognizing the self-pity trap of "it ain't my fault everbudy's poor and hard-done by here. Must be the guvmint's fault. They're comin' to take our gunz and our wimminz. And dont' get me started about them furriners. I don't mind immgrants, some of my best friends is immgrants. But THOSE immgrants ain't from around here. They's driving down wages and takin' our jobs."
... or am I laying it on a bit too thick there? Just trying to distill some of the discussions I've had occasionally during family gatherings.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday February 14 2016, @09:14PM
That's funny. Technically, if I really want to work at it, I suppose the description could apply to me and the town where I live. I don't get upset by the description though (it's not a "big condescending fuck you" to me), because frankly - I have to work at it to believe for moment that he's really talking about me.
Are you a social conservative? Are you someone who just needs a job to keep from bitterly clinging to deeply held religious beliefs or other ugly behaviors that San Franciscans tut-tut about?