Every Stone

Alito has, until this point, flown under the radar.

That means not that he does not pose a threat, that he has not wrought havoc upon our liberties, but only that we have not been paying enough attention.

For instance, we were lax when he upheld the strip search of a 10-year-old girl, when he expressed opinions in favor of machine guns for all, when he ruled for the defendant in 14 of 18 employment discrimination cases. He couches his decisions in unremarkable, “un-explosive” language. And yet the language conceals a remarkably, virulently, violently conservative view that would, in the words of his colleagues, “immunize the employer from Title VII” when consciously racially biased (Bray vs. Marriott, 1997).

That we were not entirely cognizant of his work, of Alito’s rulings, is not surprising. As this judge demonstrated his extreme judicial philosophy in ruling after ruling, our attentions were diverted to more pressing matters. But bit by bit, he eroded basic freedoms and civil liberties where possible in each perch he held.

Imagine what amplified voice and powers he would enjoy on the Supreme Court.

Read up, read up, my fellow feisty liberals.