US Supreme Court Is No Longer Apolitical

The Supreme Court of the United States was designed by the Founding Fathers to be apolitical. It was given one responsibility, to ensure that every law in our nation conforms to the Law of the Land: The Constitution of the United States of America.

The Court we have today is far from neutral. It has been stacked by Moscow Mitch McConnell (R- Ky), and right-wing extremists outnumber progressive-leaning justices 6-3. Little by little, it is undoing the advances made over the last 60+ years for the people of the United States.

What will happen will set back women’s rights to the 1950s when women were considered second and even third-class citizens. Three of the Supreme Court justices were nominated by Trump and confirmed by a Republican-dominated Senate. None of the three are qualified, but they share a common goal: repeal Roe v Wade and prevent legal abortions in most states, even in cases of rape and incest.

If this Supreme Court serves right-wing politicians and the Christian Religious Right while ignoring the needs and wishes of the majority of our nation’s people, do we need it? It has failed its purpose and is nothing more than a façade of the Supreme Court’s purpose. These justices should face the exact future of our legislative branch: term limits. A lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court is ludicrous.

Over my 75 years, I have lost respect for nearly every authority figure. Our government is undoubtedly the most ineffective and corrupt in the world of developed nations.

Americans must protect the Constitution. It has been under attack by those who call themselves “Republicans” for more than 40 years. Special interests take precedence over the needs and wishes of 331 million people.

For nearly one-half of our nation’s people, Christianity is the one religion of the country. This is a direct violation of the First Amendment. Furthermore, most of the ideals of democracy have been removed and replaced by a plutocracy, which cannot survive unless the system controlling a nation is founded in fascism.

US Constitution Sidelined by Conservative Supreme Court

Women have been fighting for equality for 245 years. Unfortunately, the old, white men who sit on the right side of the aisle continue to deny what the Constitution guarantees them. However, change is coming, and it cannot be stopped. Not only do women dominate the population 51-49 percent, but they also control the nation’s wealth. More women than men enrolled in our colleges and universities, and more women ran for office in 2018 and 2020.

There is no excuse for the fact that our nation has more mass shootings than days on the calendar. The loss of innocent life in America can be significantly reduced if we end domestic, white terrorism. The ambiguous second amendment does not protect the rights of an average American to own military assault rifles or high output magazines whose only purpose is to kill as many human beings as possible in the shortest period of time. To the NRA, just say “f**k you.”

Voting is every adult American’s right; it is their obligation and the only weapon against a greedy and corrupt government. Unfortunately, voting rights are being suppressed by right-wing legislatures in red states every day. Today’s Republicans in Name Only (RINOs) are afraid of everyday Americans and their election choices.

It has been repeatedly proven that when there is a large turnout in our elections, Democrats and Independents win most of the available seats. It is also a fact the without the Electoral College, there may never be another right-wing president in the White House. Since 1993, only once has a fake Republican won the popular vote, and that was after Geroge W Bush’s reelection in 2004, and the margin was minimal.

Lastly, but of equal importance, is income inequality. The gap between the super-rich and the working class continues to widen. During the height of the pandemic, as more than 20 million Americans lost their jobs and every working-class family struggled to survive, wealthy men and women in America not only survived, their bank accounts grew tremendously.

Before COVID-19, there were 650 billionaires in America. In 2019 there were 11.6 million millionaires in the United States. Capitalism has failed most of the nation’s people, but “Republicans” do not want to help the average citizen; they want to lower taxes for the wealthy and corporations once again. Fair taxation is not an ‘issue,’ it is a necessity if the United States is to survive.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

CNBC: Supreme Court signals it will side with Kentucky attorney general in bid to defend restrictive abortion law; by Kevin Breuninger
AP: Justices’ views on abortion in their own words and votes; by Mark Sherman and Jessica Gresko

Featured and Top Image by Sunira Moses Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Fibonacci Blue’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License