Adding to his long history of reactionary Supreme Court decisions, Antonin Scalia's latest stance that the vital Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act represents "racial entitlement" is a disgrace to the Court and to our Constitution. After playing a major role in throwing the 2000 presidential election to loser George W. Bush, Scalia continues his erosion of this nation. Injustice Scalia should resign.

::::::::

Antonin Scalia, a Reagan appointee to the Supreme Court of the United States, is the longest-serving member of that Court, now for more than twenty-five years.  During that entire period, he has been a staunch advocate of positions which violate the intent of the Constitution of the United States, as well as common decency and humanity.  He should resign.

Injustice Antonin Scalia's latest gaffe is his stance on renewal of the vital Voting Rights Act.  Recently, he called Section 5 of that vital Act a "perpetuation of racial entitlement."  Scalia's words once-again make perfectly clear his opposition of laws promoting the equality of all Americans.  What is even worse is that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court is actually considering agreeing with Scalia and striking down this vital law.  As is often the case, Scalia appears to be the prime-mover here, with a scathing style which pressures his colleagues on the Court to take reactionary positions.

Since I now live in Georgia, I can clearly see how vital this section of the Voting Rights Act is, even today, even if it is detested by many in Georgia's power structure.  What galls racists and their ilk is that Georgia, like most other Southern States, must seek Federal approval of significant changes in voting laws and rules.  Yet, just judging from the most recent national elections, the era of disenfranchisement in Georgia is far from past.  Some of my own college students were among those prevented from using their college ID cards as proof of residency, so that they could vote in their college districts, where they reside for more than half of each year while in school (their drivers' licenses usually show their family addresses.)

That stance took place even under the present Voting Rights Act, and is intended to reduce the number of young people who often vote progressively.  If Injustice Scalia gets his way, such disenfranchisement will become considerably more rampant.  Any fair-minded person, unlike Antonin Scalia, realizes that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is not about "racial entitlement" -- it is about Constitutional Justice.

Now, I must confess to holding a well-deserved grudge against Antonin Scalia, over his demand that vote counting in Florida in the 2000 presidential election be stopped, which allowed George W. Bush to become president even though his rival, Al Gore, had undoubtedly won the Florida popular vote (as well as that of the entire nation.)  On a TV interview not too long ago, Scalia recounted how proud he is, to this day, over that unconstitutional violation of the will of the American people.  He told his interviewer that Americans who did not believe that his determined efforts to see Bush elected were fair or proper should "just get over it."

After several needless wars, our financial and economic near-collapse requiring massive federal bailouts, the authorization of torture-tactics to squeeze often-inaccurate information from often-innocent people, and the horribly-botched handling of the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, all products of the George W. Bush and Dick Cheney administrations, I am far from ready to "just get over it."  Antonin Scalia played a major role in saddling America with the worst presidency in our history, by depriving this nation of its rightful presidential choice in 2000.  It is truly said that those who fail to learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat it.  For a host of bad decisions, endorsements of illegal actions, and even constitutional violations, Injustice Antonin Scalia should resign.

Submitters Bio:

Author's Biography

Eugene Elander has been a progressive social and political activist for decades. As an author, he won the Young Poets Award at 16 from the Dayton Poets Guild for his poem, The Vision. He was chosen Poet Laureate of Pownal, Vermont for his poem Pownal People. His three new verses for America the Beautiful:September 11, 2001 were widely acclaimed and read into the Congressional Record by U.S. Senator Chris Dodd.
Dr. Elander has authored four volumes of poetry: The Right Click, The World Click, Journeyings, and Philosophy over Fika, all written from 2004 to now, in the U.S. and Sweden -- as well as two published novels: The Goat of God, and Turning the Tides, both available via Signalman Publishing on Amazon.com in Kindle and electronic pdf editions. A self-help book titled Empowerment:Taking Charge of your Life was recently completed and is available via Amazon.com KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing.
Dr. Elander is a freelance columnist who published a newspaper for ten years in New London, CT. He is an economist and college lecturer, and has been an agency executive director, emergency management consultant, investigator; and former animal control officer, deputy code enforcement and health officer for Farmington, New Hampshire. He and his wife Birgit, who co-authored The World Click, divide their time between Georgia and her homeland, Gotland, Sweden.
Several other books are underway, including a sequel to The Goat of God, and a public version of his doctoral dissertation on Cooperatism, a new economic system he developed which includes all stakeholders (workers, consumers, and the public as well as stockholders) in crucial decision making. Dr. Elander has been a member of the Stonepile Writers group in Georgia and the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. He is president of his own Elander Press.