#82 - Happy Mother's Day

In an America where almost anything jurisprudence-related – no matter how unreasonable it seems in the current context – can be justified if you can find a quote from an old, dead Englishman, it's a good time to reflect on the Bard's sentiments regarding the legal profession. Among Shakespeare's most famous locutions, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers" (Henry VI, Part 2) can be interpreted in several ways but in the current moment let’s posit that it’s criticism of lawyers for siding with the wealthy and privileged to protect their power and money from the peasants. A majority of the justices on the Supreme Court have aligned themselves with this feudal sentiment, and as they (and many members of Congress) are lawyers, it speaks poorly of what is being taught in law schools. And regarding the SCOTUS Leak, the less said about the better, though the one thing it clarified is that the news media is a feeding frenzy of speculation determined to instill fear of the future as a means to keep us watching CPAP, boner pill, and insurance commercials. The fifth estate would serve us better if they stuck with “what is” as opposed to “what if”. Of course, dealing in actuality takes hard work and a dedication to approaching topics with as much objectivity and truthfulness as possible, while “what if” merely requires opening one’s mouth and bloviating. 

In other news of the week, a Tennessee lawmaker cited Hitler’s experience as a means to show that being homeless can be a building block to a better life. As always, if you are citing something Hitler said as a means to win an argument, you have already lost the argument. And the rash of attacks on performing comedians continued with the attempted on-stage assault of Dave Chappelle. Like the Chris Rock Slap, there was an absence of a rapid response from those entrusted with the safety of the artist. It’s unfortunate that there is an increasing need for more police-like security at live shows, but that’s where we are given the sensibilities in the country and the lack of easy access to mental health care.

Finally, it was Mother’s Day this past Sunday, a holiday that Lewis’ mother Jeannette refuses to acknowledge, having forcefully argued for a long time that that every day is Mother’s Day if you’re a mother or have a mother. Whether you agree with Mrs. Black or not, it’s certain that even at 103 years old, her arguments are more cogent and intellectually and historically sound than Justice Alito’s.

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