Nine White Men

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has already received dispraise, e. g., from Media Blog and PowerLine, for demanding a Supreme Court “that looks like America”, coupled with a pitch-perfect rendition of the Liberal Plantation Medley:

In losing a woman, the court with Alito would feature seven white men, one white woman and a black man, who deserves an asterisk because he arguably does not represent the views of mainstream black America.

Hmm, I am under the impression – no doubt the learned editors of Milwaukee’s leading source of fish wrap will correct my error – that the Court that unanimously rejected Jim Crow in Brown v. Board of Education “featured” nine male persons of pallor. Though perhaps Hugo Black deserved an asterisk, because he arguably did not represent the views of mainstream white Alabama.

Comments

[Anonymous]

I guess then we don't really need a court that even remotely resembles the diversity of race, gender, class or ethnicity of this great nation. After all, white christian males can throw a bone to blackie every now and then. Why would blackie need to worry about being represented. His benevolent white masters know what is best for him and will occassionaly wink some justice his way.

What a load of crap.

[PM]

The idea that Thomas "doesn't count" in the diversity tally because he is a conservative is offensive to me, and I'm a liberal who disagrees with him almost all the time. It should bother people of all political persuasions when the rationale for choosing a female or a person of color is so that they'll rule "a certain way." But it can't be denied that something as intimate as race or gender profoundly effects a person's life experiences and his or her understanding of the world. While I may learn about the black experience as a white woman, I will never truly understand it, just as a man will never truly understand what it means to be female. It's in this sense that race and gender should be considered as two of the many elements that make a person qualified to sit on the Supreme Court. Even though nine wealthy white men can fairly decide a case that impacts people very different from themselves, a diverse court stands a better chance of reaching the fairest result and in winning the public trust in that result.

[JON]

Something to consider:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/11/02/alito_writing_backed_privacy_gay_rights/

Special rights for gays? Weakening the CIA? Does he still seem like the home run we were promised?

Me: Sure, I believe “JohnnyRedState@hotmail.com” is a faithful conservative who sincerely wants to alert the world to Judge Alito’s closet radicalism. Just like I believe in judging candidates for office – any office – on the basis of what they wrote as college seniors 35 years ago.