In a new, secret recording, the Supreme Court justice’s wife bemoans having to “look across the lagoon at the Pride flag”

Martha-Ann Alito, wife of Supreme CourtJustice Samuel Alito, is incensed about seeing rainbow Pride flags during Pride Month, according to a new recording obtained by Rolling Stone. If it were up to her, she would be flying a Sacred Heart of Jesus flag in response. Or she might design her own flag, one sporting the Italian word for “shame.”

In recent weeks, Martha-Ann Alito has been at the center of a national firestorm over two flags seen flying at their residences that have been associated with right-wing movements that question the legitimacy of the results of the 2020 election. Justice Alito has blamed his wife for flying those flags — and rebuffed calls from Democratic lawmakers to recuse himself from upcoming decisions in cases related to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Like her husband, Mrs. Alito is unbowed by the criticism and controversy — as she makes clear in comments recorded by liberal documentary filmmaker Lauren Windsor. Windsor, posing as a Christian conservative, spoke at length with Mrs. Alito at a dinner reception hosted by the Supreme Court Historical Society last week. Windsor attended the dinner as a dues-paying member and bought a ticket; a colleague joined her.

When Windsor tells Mrs. Alito she is being persecuted and depicted as “a convenient stand-in for anybody who’s religious,” the justice’s wife gets quieter, and her tone turns more serious: “Look at me, look at me. I’m German. I’m from Germany. My heritage is German. You come after me, I’m gonna give it back to you. And there will be a way — it doesn’t have to be now — but there will be a way they will know. Don’t worry about it. God — you read the Bible. Psalm 27 is my psalm. Mine. Psalm 27, the Lord is my God and my rock. Of whom shall I be afraid? Nobody.”

  • octopus_ink@lemmy.ml
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    Like her husband, Mrs. Alito is unbowed by the criticism and controversy — as she makes clear in comments recorded by liberal documentary filmmaker Lauren Windsor.

    I bet she is unbowed. Her husband is appointed for life and they are fabulously wealthy. Why wouldn’t she be? Everyone is unbowed when their position is entirely secure and can’t be changed no matter how awful their beliefs or actions.

      • bassomitron@lemmy.world
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        It can be changed, but it absolutely won’t be. These people have enjoyed unfettered lives since the founding of the country and before. They’ll continue to be shitty humans and get away with it until a full on revolution and/or societal collapse.

        Edit: For clarification, I refer to these people to mean mega rich, narcissistic, spiteful, bigoted assholes in general.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        People who try to change the system are routinely labeled “tankies” and accused of being foreign agents or computer reply machines.

        • oce 🐆@jlai.lu
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          Tankies would probably support this kind of oligarchy since it is what happens in their favorite foreign authoritarian countries. You may be confusing with revolutionary communists or something?

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      All it takes is one nihilist and a bomb to kill a czar. Nobody with power and security in it is so powerful and secure that they should act like they’re infinite in these traits

      • djsoren19@yiffit.net
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        Yeah, but that wouldn’t actually solve any issues here. It would make Alito a martyr and kick off the American Civil War the conservatives keep jerking themselves off over.

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          It took a war to contain nazis the last time. Maybe it takes a war this time around as well. And truthfully? Better to have it be a civil war when the head of state is a Democrat. Because if this won’t be a civil war or if Trump is in power when it starts, nukes will be used.

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    Mrs. Alito has a long memory: She complains at length about a Washington Post style section item from two decades ago that critiqued her attire.

    That’s not a long memory. That’s a spiteful grudge.

    • toast@retrolemmy.com
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      Wait, is this the article that has been gnawing at Martha Alito (Martha-Ann Alito, wife of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito) for almost two decades?

      Be a shame if, amongst other things, links to this article kept popping up everytime anyone did an internet search on her

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      This sounds familiar.

      Nearly 30 years ago, Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair magazine, described Trump in Spy magazine as a “short-fingered vulgarian.”

      “To this day, I receive the occasional envelope from Trump. There is always a photo of him—generally a tear sheet from a magazine. On all of them he has circled his hand in gold Sharpie in a valiant effort to highlight the length of his fingers,” Carter wrote. “I almost feel sorry for the poor fellow because, to me, the fingers still look abnormally stubby.”

      source

      Is being thin skinned, petty and spiteful a requirement for MAGA conservatives?

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      You’re talking about a fan of the guy who still obsesses over an article that called his hands small in the 1980s.

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      I like that they helpfully linked the article, although sadly there’s no picture of her “peeled banana” dress.

  • MartianRecon@lemmus.org
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    These people don’t realize that the only reason they are sleeping comfortably in their beds at night is because people on the left are abiding by a social contract that they are trying to break.

    If they break that social contract, their little McMansion isn’t going to be nearly enough to protect their delusional positions.

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      They keep trying to break the norms and standards that are the only thing standing in the way of them being punched in the face. I suppose this an inherent flaw of fascism actually – the democratic and societal norms that fascists want to overthrow are also the exact same norms that are stopping political violence against them.

      And perhaps therein is our strongest advantage against fascism in the modern era. With how readily available news is, a lot more people know what’s going on and are up to date on current events. More of the masses are informed and politically active than back in the 1920-40s. Overturning Roe alone has created a very large angry population.

      A fascist takeover means all bets are off, and there’s more of us than there are of them.

      • MartianRecon@lemmus.org
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        There’s that, and the fact that despite what media tries to tell you. Most people are indeed good people who just want to live their lives.

        What we just saw in the special election in Ohio proved this. a 20 point swing in a deep red district is insane to think about. Yet, we just saw it. If half of that swing holds nation wide, the Republicans are in the minority and we actually win seats in the senate.

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          That’s another powerful advantage we have from the information age. We aren’t just limited to our neighborhood and towns anymore, we can talk with people all over the country and worldwide. Cities are also more populous. The average person is exposed to far more diversity than before, and they know that people different from them also just want to live their lives in peace.

          I think fascism has become fundamentally disadvantaged compared to the last century. The only reason we’re observing an apparent rise is because people trust the system will keep them away and we won’t need to act otherwise. But if fascists prove us wrong and break the system, there is a much larger oppositional force than they would’ve faced back in the 1920s-40s, and it is in much closer communication than before.

          • MartianRecon@lemmus.org
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            There’s that, and there’s also the silent majority of people who simply aren’t engaged in other spaces (like on the internet) and flat out are disgusted with trump and the rights antics.

            A few buddies of mine that are veterans are very much Eisenhauer style conservatives and they absolutely hate trump. They don’t post about it, they don’t rant about it online, but they will vote against him.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    When her husband talks about “no compromise between left and right”

    It’s because they view it as a war and anyone not loyal to their sky daddy is the enemy.

    Doesn’t matter if you just don’t care about religion, you’re either with them or against em.

    Which is why it’s fucking insane moderate Dems refuse to act like it’s a fucking war already.

    Biden needs to do something about the SC, before it’s too late and he loses the election. He needed to do shit 4 years ago, he just won’t fucking do anything.

    And we’ll pay the price.

    • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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      Another day, another baseless anti-Biden comment from givesomefucks.

      Justices are impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate. Biden has no say here.

      Article III judges can be removed from office only through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate. The Constitution also provides that judges’ salaries cannot be reduced while they are in office.

      The Supreme Court could be expanded by Congress. Biden has no say here either.

      Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution gives Congress the authority to change the size of the Supreme Court.

      Democratic citizens need to turn out for congressional elections if they want to see legislative change. Make note of your state’s election dates and vote.

      https://ballotpedia.org/Elections_by_state_and_year

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        It’s insane to me that people look at these religious fascists who just tried to overthrow the government, and looks at people who think we should have a living wage, healthcare, and affordable housing…

        And their takeaway is the best course forward is right down the middle.

        When that’s the only two options, the religious extremists always win, it’s just sometimes they win more than others.

        Everyone else always loses.

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        Their attacks aren’t all shitty. Far-right stochastic terrorism has killed people, lots of people really. They’ve declared war and started killing people, that anyone still treats them with kid gloves is mind-boggling.

    • crusa187@lemmy.ml
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      Should have dropped the filibuster and codified Roe after the memo leaked, but didn’t.

      Clearly needs to resize the court before the end of his term as the loss in November looms, won’t do that either.

      Democrats are professional losers, and it shows. People looking to the controlled opposition for a way out of the mess our country’s in are in for a very rude awakening.

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    She also lamented to her husband “But when you are free of this nonsense …”

    So … checks notes about how the Supreme Court works … that means she’s eager for him to either die or resign, correct? Hey lady, at least we share some common goals.

    • bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      If Trump wins (and the senate is R), Thomas and Alito are for sure resigning and will be replaced with younger shitter people who will make major decisions for the next ~30 years.

      Our system sucks but it is what it is. Voting for Biden doesn’t mean you endorse everything he’s done, it means you realize the alternative option is worse and for sure don’t want that.

        • spidermanchild@sh.itjust.works
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          I disagree, a vote for Biden is a vote for his whole apparatus - appointments, advisors, the people at EPA trying to regulate PFAS and carbon, etc. I’m happy to support the majority of this coalition because they are doing some good stuff. I don’t understand the need to try and paint Biden voters exclusively as anti-Trumpers, it just serves to gloss over the good that is going on.

          • bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            It’s a double edge sword, but I think people are just sour that there is no choice for this election. If there were primaries in 2024 and Biden didn’t win, then that would be unprecedented and a recipe for losing against Trump. One could argue that in 2020, the primary process forced Biden to adopt a more liberal stance with regard for Student Debt loan forgiveness, which he would not have done otherwise.

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              That’s just the reality of allowing presidents to serve two terms though. There’s an incumbent advantage, so to forgo that for the sake of choice every 4 years for both parties vs 4-8 years for both parties is a tradeoff. It’s just part of the reality of the framework.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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    You’re getting flak because you and your husband are supposed to represent nonpartisan compromise. That’s your one fucken job and you’re picking sides instead. Fuck you.

  • Gerudo@lemm.ee
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    Fuck this shit. Dems need to win November and pack the court, and then put a cap on the number.

    Stop playing nice, fascists are taking over.

    • Optional@lemmy.world
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      Stop playing nice, fascists are taking over.

      We’ve been saying this since Reagan, fwiw. Yes, Trump scared enough DNC that they’re finally starting to move, but it’s taken a failed coup and the planet dying just to get there.

      That’s how bad the DNC leaders have been. It’s been a long road.

      • Delusional@lemmy.world
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        We’re still not there either. The guy who started the coup is still free and running for presidency again as if it’s not the most fucking absurd thing in the world.

        The republicans in office who helped with the coup are still in office and affecting policy.

        It may have been brought to a lot of people’s attention because of the fascist shit they do but they are still being allowed to pull their fascist crap constantly. They are even still allowed to constantly lie to their voters about the coup so their stupid ass voters don’t even think it’s true.

        This won’t stop until they are stopped completely.

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        It’s the most boring part about centrists. They’re staying to freak out now, whereas leftists have seen the writing on the wall for decades, and are now desensitized. There’s a serious argument that we’ve already missed our chance to course correct for humanity’s survival, but I guess back then it was all just “panicked hysterics” over the growing power of the M.I.C. and rise of right-wing religious fascists.

  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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    Is okay. Pretty much everyone condemns you, lady. Even the sycophants in your own party because there is no such thing as a “pure” zealot.

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    I’ve been reading a bit of the (non-paywalled) articles around this. On first glance, this seems a bit similar to the stuff that Project Veritas pulled, except as far as I can tell she didn’t selectively edit any of the stuff. Yeah, she did ask some leading questions, but note how she asked the same leading questions to Roberts and he doesn’t take the bait. The Alitos, however, showed us exactly who they are.

    Come to think of it, it’s interesting that she released her conversation with Roberts, too, even though he didn’t fall into the trap. It’s like the journalist is making the point that she’s not out to smear all Conservatives, and it’s possible for judges to be fair no matter where on the spectrum they fall. (Or, I suppose, Roberts might have been smart enough to see what was going on and put on his “fairness” mask. Which is still showing more awareness than the Alitos…)

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    You heartless bastards! The poor woman has to look at a rainbow flag and suffers. I mean there are photos and you can actualy see her pain, you animals!

  • Delusional@lemmy.world
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    Conservative propaganda really skewed what the pride flag stood for and now republicans believe bullshit because of their lying propaganda.

    Though they do that for everything. Just like abortion, BLM, defund the police, trans people, drag queens. They really love lying to their dumb voters to get them up in arms over nothing at all.

    Lie to your constituents about it so they get angry and hate it without ever really understanding why they’re hating it. The republican way.