Alarming Alito Flags
And a drawing of a dog
We learned yesterday that at Chief Justice Alito’s beach house, he and his wife flew an “Appeal To Heaven” flag, a symbol carried on the January 6th insurection as a symbol of overthrowing the government in favor of a more Christian nation. This was done two years after another incident where they flew an upside down American flag at their Virgina residence. Normally a symbol of distress, this was also a symbol used by the January 6th insurrectionists. When asked recently about the upside down flag, Alito deferred, “I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag,” Justice Alito said in an emailed statement to The Times. “It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.” As far as I know he has not commented on the Appeal to Heaven Flag. Judicial experts say this is a clear violation of ethics rules for the Supreme Court. The Court is not supposed to show any bias.
When we say that a Trump presidency would be conservative, that’s only the half of it. Or the third of it. I’ve lived through conservative administrations and it was okay. Some better than others. But Trump will take so many of our rights away, and worse. We see how he has controlled the Supreme Court— it also extends down to state governments. Today the Supreme Court cleared the way for South Carolina to keep a district voting map that maintains racist gerrymandering. From the NYTimes:
“Justice Alito for a court majority has once again come up with a legal framework that makes it easier for Republican states to engage in redistricting to help white Republicans maximize their political power,” a legal expert said.
It’s constant, this chipping away at what is good in our democracy. And as someone pointed out: that Alito feels confident enough to fly those flags is astounding. He must know no one can do anything about it. Can that be true? I need to hear from someone that there is recourse to remove a Justice.
Anyway.
I drew these three on the subway today. They looked like a mother and daughter. In my drawing, the dog looks a little like a pig— but I was using my finger and couldn’t get the nuance of his/her nose! I think the dog is cute, regardless. Always a treat to see a dog on the subway!
Above is the video screen grab. Enjoy!
I wish you a happy Thursday. See you tomorrow.
We live in strange times but also very informative ones, don’t we? Still, I’m finding that little dog just the thing that makes me smile right now. Know that I am grateful for him (or her!) Liza.
The dog looks alarmingly like our very plump Pug, Edith Elizabeth. 😬
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I wrote this last night during a fitful bout of insomnia.
A dystopian fictional journal entry set in the future:
>March 15, 2025<
I don’t know if keeping a journal is helping me stay focused or driving me into insanity.
Biden won the 2024 election but no safeguards were in place to protect his second term. We thought voting would be enough. It wasn’t. The GOP won enough seats nationally and statewide so Project 2025 was launched and here we are in a hellscape that George Orwell couldn’t even imagine.
The Supreme Court voted to give Trump blanket immunity so he is in all but name the dictator of this country.
The America I once knew has been swallowed by a beast of its own making, a grotesque caricature of democracy twisted beyond recognition. The nightmare began when Congress, in a move that would make Machiavelli blush, overturned the 2024 election results. Trump, the supposed loser, was declared the victor. What followed was a rapid descent into a bleak dystopia.
The first casualty was women's rights. Birth control and abortion, stripped of legality, have driven women into the shadows for dangerous, clandestine procedures. Clinics have been shuttered, as if the clock had been turned back to a more barbaric age.
Healthcare, a once-unquestioned safety net, has been ripped to shreds. Public health services are gutted, and pre-existing condition protections are a distant memory. I live in perpetual fear of illness, knowing we can't afford treatment. The rich grow fatter on the spoils while the rest of us face the abyss.
As a married lesbian couple, we navigate a minefield of bigotry daily. Protections against discrimination have evaporated. Employers and businesses flaunt their prejudice openly. Hate crimes are not just on the rise; they are tacitly encouraged. We live with the constant specter of losing our home or jobs, persecuted for the simple fact of our love.
Voting rights have been butchered. Draconian laws have made the ballot box a mirage for many, especially minorities and the elderly. Endless lines, strict ID requirements, and shuttered polling places silence countless voices. Democracy itself feels like a relic, replaced by an autocratic regime that thrives on fear and suppression.
Environmental protections have been obliterated. Factories spew toxins with impunity, and rivers flow with poison. The regime scoffs at climate change, abandoning efforts to stave off disaster. The future we envisioned for our grandchildren now seems perilously uncertain.
Workers' rights are a fading dream. Safety regulations have been dismantled, leading to more workplace injuries. Fair wages are an anachronism, and discrimination in the workplace runs rampant. The younger generation faces a grim reality of harsh labor conditions and dwindling hope.
Public education is in ruins. The Department of Education has been eradicated, replaced by a narrow, conservative curriculum. Critical thinking and diverse perspectives are eradicated. Our grandchildren are denied the broad, inclusive education we once took for granted.
Social services, lifelines for so many, have been eviscerated. Food assistance and housing support programs have disappeared, leaving countless families on the brink of survival. The sense of community and mutual aid has disintegrated, replaced by a pervasive, gnawing desperation.
Surveillance has metastasized, spreading an ever-present sense of dread. Policing powers have ballooned, and privacy is a quaint notion of the past. Every move we make is under scrutiny, our freedoms strangled by a constant, oppressive watchfulness.
The most direct threat, though, is to our very existence. The regime has made it clear that people like us are not welcome. Hate crimes surge unchecked, with the government often looking the other way or stoking the fires of hostility. Conversion therapies have resurfaced, and safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people are vanishing. We live in perpetual fear of being torn apart or assaulted simply for who we are.
One night, a sign of was bolted into the curb in front of our house “Homosexuals live here” delivered a stark message: we are no longer safe. The police, emboldened by new laws, dismissed our pleas for help. "You people should know better than to talk up your queer lifestyle," one officer sneered. We are left to fend for ourselves in a hostile world where survival is a daily struggle.
I can't help but think back. We should have sold our house and fled to Canada when we had the chance, but we didn't believe it could really happen. We voted. But we ignored the warnings, failed to heed the signs. Now, we are trapped in a country that no longer feels like home, fighting to survive in a world that has turned against us. Every regret, every moment of disbelief, haunts us as we face an uncertain, perilous future.
If only we had done more than vote hoping for the best, trusting our Democratic Party and the Biden administration to be militarily and civilly united to ensure no repeat of January 2021.