Don’t look now, but the children in Washington, D.C., are squabbling again. What a surprise! This time the cause of their malaise involves the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the iconic Supreme Court Justice who died just 10 days ago at the age of 87.
Timeout for a quick history lesson.
Ginsburg was born in 1933 in Brooklyn, N.Y. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and later enrolled in law school at Harvard. She finished her law degree at Columbia Law School, where she was graduated in a tie for top honors in her class. She then went on to teach at both Rutgers Law School and later at her alma mater of Columbia. In 1980 she accepted an appointment from President Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a position she held until 1993, when President Bill Clinton appointed her to the United States Supreme Court. She was only the second woman (Sandra Day O’Connor was the first) to be appointed to the court.
During her tenure on SCOTUS she championed such causes as gender equality, women’s interests, and civil liberties, and she also became known for her strong dissents in a number cases. In her later years she courageously battled a number of cancers before finally succumbing to metastatic pancreas cancer.
As a tribute to the respect accorded her, she became the only woman ever to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol. She ultimately will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
In paying tribute to her Chief Justice John Roberts said, “Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague.”
At some point during her final days, NPR reported that Ginsburg dictated the following final request to her granddaughter, Clara Spera: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
Composed by Pelosi?
Predictably Trump refused to believe this, and he even suggested in an interview with “Fox & Friends” that if indeed there were such a note, it might have been written by a high-ranking Democrat or even by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Of course Trump had no evidence to support his claim.
So how can the death of a woman this revered cause such anger among the kiddies on Capitol Hill? Well, it all has to do with naming Ginsburg’s successor. You see, the republikids want Trump to get his choice in before the upcoming election so that if the whole mess ends up in Supreme Court’s lap, the court is likely to side with Trump.
On the other hand, the demochildren are saying protocol demands that a sitting president should not make a Supreme Court appointment this close to an election and instead should defer the choice until after the election to give the new president a chance to choose the next Justice.
As you would expect, Trump already reportedly has named his choice (Amy Coney Barrett, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit), and the Trumpites seem to have enough votes to have her confirmed. Of course, all the hoopla about this is completely unnecessary because Trump has made it pretty plain that he won’t be leaving the White House even if he loses the election!
In a recent interview after he was asked whether or not he would graciously accept defeat if he lost, he replied, “We’re going to have to see what happens. You know that I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster.”
There’s No Place Like Home
Now after he refused to honor Ginsburg’s request about naming her successor, some of the Trumpites became concerned about whether or not the guy even had a heart. And that’s why we now find him aboard Air Force One as it touches down on the yellow brick runway in the Land of Oz.
From the airport it’s a short ride to the palace of the all-powerful Wizard of Oz. After a little wait in the reception area Trump is ushered into the Wizard’s office by a girl wearing a blue and white checked dress and ruby red shoes. And the following conversation ensues.
Wizard: Hello, Donnie, and welcome to Oz. What can I do for you?
Trump: Well, I’ve got an important election coming up, and some of my advisers think I’m a bit short in the heart department.
Wizard: Yes, I know all about the election. And you’re in luck because I just happen to have one heart left over from my supply. All you need to do is answer three questions absolutely honestly.
Trump: No problem! Bring them on.
Wizard: First, have you ever in your time as president told a lie?
Trump: Absolutely not!
Wizard: Have you ever mocked someone with a physical or mental handicap?
Trump: Of course not! What kind of a person do you think I am?
Wizard: Finally, have you always treated members of the media with the utmost respect?
Trump: These questions are too easy. I love the members of the press, and they love me back. I would never do anything to damage my superb relationship with them.
Wizard: Okay. I’ve had my fact checkers working while we’ve been talking, and we will have the results momentarily.
Knock on the office door.
Wizard: There they are now. Come on in, Dorothy.
Enter the girl in the blue-checked dress and ruby shoes, followed by a smiling tin woodsman, a scarecrow deep in thought and carrying a calculator, and a growling lion.
Wizard: These are my fact checkers, Donnie, and they never lie. Okay, scarecrow, let’s have the results.
The scarecrow hands a sheet of paper to the wizard, who examines it carefully before finally speaking.
Wizard: Well, well, Donnie, you have a perfect score. You managed to answer every question incorrectly; therefore, your request for a heart is flatly denied. Dorothy, please show Donnie out.
Dorothy takes Trump by the arm, but he jerks away from her angrily and is about to protest when finds himself face-to-face with a snarling lion. Trump quickly gives his arm back to Dorothy, who escorts him out of the office followed by the others.
The Wizard is about to pour himself a glass of Chivas Regal when Dorothy knocks and opens the door halfway.
Dorothy: Excuse me, sir. You have one more person waiting to see you.
Wizard (irritably): What do they want?
Dorothy: Not really anything. Just stopped to say hello.
Wizard: I can’t imagine someone who doesn’t want something from me. All right, send them in.
Enter Joe Biden.
“Don’t be distracted by emotions like anger, envy, resentment. These just zap energy and waste time.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg
