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JANUARY 12, 2006 -
It's called a two-shouldered bigot, and Alito, like so many
conservatives, is one of them. Publicly,
they embrace all races and both sexes. They will hire people
and associate with people of all shades.
But only to a limited extent. And
when it gets down to reality - after they have checked back over
their right shoulder, then checked back over their left shoulder to
make sure no one is around (the two-shouldered bigot check) - they
openly admit that they think black people are inferior, as are
women, and make racist jokes and comments.
Someone does not join a group like Alito
did and brag about it on an application unless they are one of that
group. As Al Franken astutely pointed out today on his radio
show, someday, 30 years from now when bigotry against gays is called
what it is and not accepted, people will deny they remember being
parts of groups that openly opposed rights for gay people.
Back in the 1980's, it was ok to be
openly bigoted in conservative circles to a greater extent than it
is now. Reagan followed a "southern strategy" for a reason.
And so bigots like Alito were proud to be a part of racist, sexist
groups like the one he joined and Princeton and bragged about it to
get ahead politically.
If Alito had just been going through a
phase and knew the mission of that organization was wrong, he would
simply acknowledge he had been member but now disagreed with the
mission.
But he instead is lying. There is
no way he doesn't recollect the group that he found so important
that he put it on the application, unless he committed fraud on his
application. Either way, he wanted to be associated with the
groups mission. And the only reason not to own up to it would
be if that sentiment has not changed.
Just like with abortion, like with
executive power, Alito's is simply lying to pretend his positions
aren't what they are. He can not own up to the past and admit
youthful indiscretions because he does not want to disown that part
of his past, because it is still who and how he is.
He didn't want more black people at
Princeton. He didn't want more women. He liked the rich
white boy club feel. If he was for fairness he would have
joined a group that also opposed unfair advantages for legacies -
people whose relatives had gone to the school, i.e. how Bush got
into Yale as an inferior student - or advantages for rich donors.
But he didn't. He joined a group, or at least pretended he
had, that existed to stop the school for letting more blacks and
women in.
Publicly, he is pretending not to
remember anything about it. As we all know, once he does the
standard two-shoulder check of the two-shouldered bigot, he will
have a good laugh about how ridiculous a confirmation process that
simply allows you to lie evasively is, and be glad of the fact his
racist self will get to preside over the nation's most powerful
court.
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