“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure” – Mark Twain
“I never listen to debates. They are dreadful things indeed. The plain truth is that I am not a fair man, and don’t want to hear both sides. On all known subjects, ranging from aviation to xylophone-playing, I have fixed and invariable ideas. They have not changed since I was four or five” – HL Mencken
These quotes apply to two people in the news this week who look ignorant even if they are not. Chief Justice John Roberts is clearly a follower of Mencken. The Chief says” “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race”:
Here is what Justice Sotomayor said in her dissent:
“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly and candidly on the subject of race, and to apply the Constitution with eyes open to the unfortunate effects of centuries of racial discrimination. As members of the judiciary tasked with intervening to carry out the guarantee of equal protection, we ought not sit back and wish away, rather than confront, the racial inequality that exists in our society.”
Then we have Cliven Bundy, who demonstrates Twain’s quote perfectly. He justifies his 20-year refusal to pay the Bureau of Land Management for grazing rights on the public land where he runs his cattle by claiming his ancestors gained livestock water rights in the 1870s:
Not true. KLAS, the Las Vegas CBS affiliate checked out the Bundy family’s history with that land. Although Bundy says water rights were handed down to him, records show that Bundy’s ranch was not purchased by his family in 1948. In 1998, a federal judge ruled that whatever inherited rights Bundy claimed were specious since the Bundys did not even begin grazing on the (then) public lands until 1954. The judge said Bundy should be barred from grazing his cattle on federal range land until he paid his fees to the BLM, just like everybody else.
Bundy sees things differently. He believes he has some special inherited right that cannot be proven in court. Therefore, he does not accept that the US government has any legal authority over Nevada.
And in other news, more followers of HL Mencken showed their colors, starting with the FCC:
The FCC’s idea of a level playing field:
News about Obamacare not good for Republicans:
Plutocrats say there is a ladder of opportunity for everyone:
The Roberts Court is every bit as active as the Warren Court. The difference is who they are acting for. The Warren Court attempted to put a thumb on the scale on behalf of the downtrodden. The Roberts Court is active for the haves and against the downtrodden. This will be considered a dark period in our history, years from now.