The draft opinion (and subsequent ruling) rejecting a woman's right to choose and banning abortion laid bare the ugly truth of Supreme Court justices who pretended they would not overturn Roe v. Wade
Excellent piece this morning Steven. I also abhor liars, you can't trust anything they say and you should be on alert to not believe them.
I think the SCOTUS recent ruling will have an outpouring of voters demanding change in our constitution and our political makeup.
Although mainstream media, is not reporting the undercurrent that is happening in the country. If you read on social media you hear and see it.
I am not suggesting that anyone not pay attention to what is happening with the GOP and the extremist they embrace. They are trying to change this country to a fascist country, and many mainstream media folks are putting their heads in the sand and not talking about it.
Thanks for the latest article against Lying. Lying drives me crazy also. I hope that more people will get fed up with all of the lying since it seems that it is becoming too normalized. I grew up with the rule that lying was wrong and instantly punished when it happened.
Thank you for this piece. It , like many things I read on Substack and in the papers, brings no peace of mind.
Every day we are bombarded with so much that defies truth, logic, and intelligence. We are asked to not give up, to fight back, and to do so with donations here , there and everywhere.
I for one, at 78, live check to check. Despite that, I do donate, subscribe, sign petitions, write and call my members of Congress about the lies and actions imploding this country, so gratefully loved.
What do you recommend us to do, Mr. B? I am a paid member of the Democratic party at the Federal, State, County, and individual caucus level.
I believe that we must rally, and that we must reach out to Independents with all the facts we can muster.
We MUST remove the putrid republican who want an autocratic theocracy for their America. I cannot believe , that in the 21 st century, I am saying this.
I have a suggestion: please go to www.turnup.us/ and view the outstanding work of brilliant Harvard students who, according to Forbes Magazine, are the best volunteer organization registering potential young voters 18 to 29--and then turning them out to vote--all over the country but carefully limited only to "competitive" elections! In other words, saving their limited funds and resources for key races without wasting money on races where the incumbent is sure to win or the challenger is sure to lose! Yes, as Steve will confirm, the "sure bets" in Congress of absolute winners and losers is well documented over years!
And here is my further suggestion for all of us (I hope): TurnUp is a nonpartisan, nonprofit charitable organization so contributions are completely tax deductible and they need all the help we can provide this and next year--starting with the critically important NO campaign in Ohio being voted on August 8--so please click on the TurnUp link above and contribute generously and pass on your personal appeal to your friends and family and other SubStack websites you are participating in! TurnUp never mentions any candidates of either party: it consentrates on voter reg and turning out the vote!
By the way, if you aren't fully informed about the important anti-abortion effort in Ohio to make it harder to enact a statewide constitutional amendment to protect reproductive rights in that state, please note the following: this is the first big election battle about protecting abortion rights in the country this year! The pro-abortion groups have put a statewide constitutional amendment on the ballot for later this year, but the Secretary of State etc. have sneaked in a statewide vote ahead of time during the sleepy summertime on August 8 to increase the percentage to amend the State Constitution (which has been the law for generations) from 50% plus 1 to 60%, which of course would make it much harder to amend the Consitution to protect abortion rights later this year. Hasn't gotten much attention nationwide but it will in the few weeks. www.turnup.us/ will be in that battle with a very sophisticated paid social media campaign to TURN OUT THE VOTE TO PROTECT A WOMAN'S CHOICE. This important battle in Ohio will set the stage for the elections next year in which a nationwide abortion ban will be the BIG ISSUE.--please help out as much as you can--TurnUp needs to raise $15,000 for its aggressive campaign to encourage young voters to go to the polls. Please help and privately at my email address: IraLechner@yahoo.com recommend any leads to potential big donors? Many thanks .
Explaining the growing “seepage” of our Democracy towards a Fascist state is not enough. We must now visually and forcefully show what some of the Fascist horrors look like in countries,today, like Hungary and historically in 1930 s Germany and followed in Italy.
Send in the fearless journalists and the best marketing people to graphically show actual pictures of journalists, actors, public speakers and students being arrested or worse.
I too have no hesitation to support an increase in the number of SCOTUS justices just as Mitch McConnell had no hesitation to forestall Obama’s nomination of a justice well before the end of his term. McConnell’s action started this ball rolling and we must now carry that”ball” over the finish line.
Yes, it’s time to fight fire with fire, but our fire should be to visually and truthfully show how the actions of the Republican leaders are leading, if not stopped, to a Fascist government
I share in your abhorrence of lies. People who claim to follow Christ should remember that Jesus abhorred lying too:
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” <John 8:44>
Let's be clear, the intent of the "the previous White House occupant" and his web of supporters (including the justices noted) is to install him as America's first King on January 20, 2025. What he says will be the truth. There will be no Constitution or separation of powers, and no need for Courts, or Congress because they will only be symbols of his authority.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. MLK
An approach the Brennen Center has put forward is to have the Justice positions filled from the Judiciary on a rotating basis, so that no one is on the Court for very long. I like that idea. The process of filling Court vacancies has become a political sham. To give someone so much power with so little oversight seems naive and undemocratic to me.
I’m hoping that the availability of OTC birth control pills will help stem the need for abortions and save some lives. That being said it’s probably the next thing to be made illegal
Interesting to note how current this posting still is. But now we know, not without a doubt but most assuredly, that Judge Alito himself probably leaked the draft and he’s proud of it. What, to scare the nation? To prepare us for the wickedness and hatred coming from the court? To alert us to the personal opinions that now serve as law? Of course we don’t trust the SCOTUS and that’s well deserved. And it goes without saying, what with all the deceit, lack of ethics and integrity, and outright disdain for the America people, that yes, Gorsuch, Roberts, Kavanaugh, Barrett, and Thomas all lied to get lifetime positions on the court.
Well said. And mainstream media's propensity for pussy-footing around what is happening is also tantamount to lying, IMHO. Passive lying maybe but every missed opportunity for directly addressing the travesties taking place is lying nonetheless.
I differ on the subject of adding justices. I would rather see term limits. A proposal has been made that they serve 18 years with two new ones appointed with every presidential term.The Republicans of today with all their conspiracy theories , crazy laws, uncooperative ways would not go for it, but it would not have hurt them thru the years as there have been 18 Republican and 15 Democrat presidents.The number of justices has been changed 6 times, staying 9 since Grant.
Of them all, I think Thomas (1991) and Alito (2006) have been the worst at serving during good behavior. I would bet they have been accepting bribes, money, trips for way longer than we have recently heard
Justices remembered are John Marshall for judicial review (Marshall U where I got masters. Guess who else went there. Soupy Sales. Remember him?) and Roger Taney for the awful Dred Scott decision.
I have no doubt that every politician has lied. Presidents surely have . Abe denied every discussing an end to the war with confederates so would be no opposition to his slavery bill. Wilson talked of freedom yet was a racist, self determination of nations, yet only white, European Christians. FDR swore that he would not involve the country in Europe's war while all along aiding the British. Reagan's trickling economics was a lie that still affects us, and he said things as truth that were but lines from movie scripts. Ike lied about the U 2 flight. No need to mention Nixon. LBJ made up the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Clinton lied about Monica. Bush 43 lied about Iraq. Biden lies about all the new job creations when so many already existed but were left because of covid. Even the Father of our country misled the people saying he was going to attack New York instead of truth of going South, as his soldiers mainly from Mid Atlantic and would be disinclined to sign up to fight there. (Parson Weems not withstanding )George Santos lies are wrong and plentiful but rather funny, while trump's would destroy our country.
Closer to home, people lie on their resumes. Women say, oh what a pretty dress, thinking the opposite. A woman at work tells people she moved to a bigger home that is on the water- it's a trailer and a pond, and that her brother died in Viet Nam while last week, he was suffering from post traumatic stress.
As Mark Twain said: There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics.
The ultimate slap in the face to democracy, all based on a lie endorsed by the Liar and Chief Profligate Donald Trump of white supremacy and a return to a different time when women and anyone of color had no rights. He and his cohorts appear to continue to win by causing delay, spreading more lies, and poisoning our system of government while fleecing the deplorables into believing that our country has failed them when just the opposite is true. Although we still have not been able to solve poverty while the rich continue to get richer and those truly in need of assistance still can't get it because of the selfish, self-centered MAGAs redirecting the tremendous wealth of our nation to fewer and fewer at the top, and working very successfully in denying everyone but the white majority from voting. I believe it is time for a revolution, hopefully at the ballot box, but if not, on the streets. The MAGAs are taking our schools, or local and state governments and our Congress into some form of autocratic theocracy based on evangelical Christian beliefs that are certainly not democratic, and certainly not in the interests of the majority, because they feel they have God on their side, just as certainly a minority, and a well-funded one at that. Why do you think they have abused our Constitution by saying everyone should be armed - because they want to take over by force if necessary. They are destroying our educational systems because they do not want the common people to understand what freedom really means. The majority of Americans, especially those who take our freedoms for granted, better wake up to a lot of things, i.e., global warming, the right to vote for all, the freedom to have a mind of our own. Millions of Americans have already lost their freedom of thought to the MAGAs and the religious right, luring the rest of us with their fake platitudes of a moral right and godliness, all immoral. Wake up, folks. The next few years are going to tough unless the majority of voters who believe in everyone's rights to choice in many arenas, not just abortion, do their jobs and make sure anybody but the MAGAs win in the next elections.
Steve and All: please check out a very infomative Brookings Institute piece on July 17 about DeSantis' flat out lies about his success against crime in Florida compared to other "liberal" cities--this guy is a very bad liar but I haven't seen any media (or R candidates) exposing his lies? Just click this link:
Fortunately, IMHO DeSantis, and his syncophant Florida Karen, is going to go crawling back to Florida soon under the weight of all the lies and misinformation he’s spewed across this nation. Hopefully FL voters will get a gut full by the next election, wake up and understand what horrible deceit and lies they’ve been fed.
No. Unless the super majority Republican legislature find a way to change existing law, which I think is constitutional, he can only serve two terms before stepping down. He can however, run again after at least a four year gap. And knowing DeSantis, he probably would just to be back on the stage. Or run for Senator from Florida - ugh!
That’s the problem today with most journalists who are hesitant if not stymied by their paper, or other media giant, to expose lies in fear of being called unbiased. When Democracy is at stake I believe it is the journalist’s responsibility to expose lies when they are used to move us toward a Fascist state.
We substantially outnumber the MAGATs and brainwashed sycophants. We just must raise our voices and do everything in our power to reach the Independents and the youth to get them to engage now with democracy-protecting organizations and to vote blue up and down the ballot in November 2024, lest our precious democratic ship of state founder and turn into a christofascist, authoritarian, dictatorial state.
Your reference to lying took me back many years, when a friend/colleague asked: "Vince, why are you so brutally honest?" I smiled, reflected for a moment, and said, "I guess you never met my old man." I learned at a very early age that while telling the truth might be painful, the opposite of truth would be far more excruciating. If you the reader know anything about the Scots/Scots-Irish, my ancestors, you will understand. As they say, "That red hair ain't for nothing!"
Lying = betrayal. Betrayal = forfeiture of trust. There is no turning back, actually. Once deceived, twice wise. Lie to me once, I will never trust you again. We witness an entire body of liars in today's US of A. The senate, the house, the supreme court; and, yes, the White House. Morals and ethics are tossed aside all for the gain and benefit of self-made glory and hoped-for one-upmanship. Congress and the Court once were considered our most august collective of men and women. Perhaps that was myth then. Indeed, it most certainly is myth today. Our country is being crippled by the quacks and the deceivers. The state of our republic's disrepair may make her irreparable.
Excellent piece this morning Steven. I also abhor liars, you can't trust anything they say and you should be on alert to not believe them.
I think the SCOTUS recent ruling will have an outpouring of voters demanding change in our constitution and our political makeup.
Although mainstream media, is not reporting the undercurrent that is happening in the country. If you read on social media you hear and see it.
I am not suggesting that anyone not pay attention to what is happening with the GOP and the extremist they embrace. They are trying to change this country to a fascist country, and many mainstream media folks are putting their heads in the sand and not talking about it.
Thanks for the latest article against Lying. Lying drives me crazy also. I hope that more people will get fed up with all of the lying since it seems that it is becoming too normalized. I grew up with the rule that lying was wrong and instantly punished when it happened.
Make Lying Wrong Again!!!!
“Make lying wrong again” is a statement that accepts that lying is now right. Which is itself a lie.
Thank you for this piece. It , like many things I read on Substack and in the papers, brings no peace of mind.
Every day we are bombarded with so much that defies truth, logic, and intelligence. We are asked to not give up, to fight back, and to do so with donations here , there and everywhere.
I for one, at 78, live check to check. Despite that, I do donate, subscribe, sign petitions, write and call my members of Congress about the lies and actions imploding this country, so gratefully loved.
What do you recommend us to do, Mr. B? I am a paid member of the Democratic party at the Federal, State, County, and individual caucus level.
I believe that we must rally, and that we must reach out to Independents with all the facts we can muster.
We MUST remove the putrid republican who want an autocratic theocracy for their America. I cannot believe , that in the 21 st century, I am saying this.
How can we reach the Independents?
All of us can only do what we can and everything you do is amazing and impressive
Most of us can’t write large checks to the Democratic Party or the candidates but we should follow your example and do what we can.......
Thank you..my little donations do add up..
Yes indeed thank you
I have a suggestion: please go to www.turnup.us/ and view the outstanding work of brilliant Harvard students who, according to Forbes Magazine, are the best volunteer organization registering potential young voters 18 to 29--and then turning them out to vote--all over the country but carefully limited only to "competitive" elections! In other words, saving their limited funds and resources for key races without wasting money on races where the incumbent is sure to win or the challenger is sure to lose! Yes, as Steve will confirm, the "sure bets" in Congress of absolute winners and losers is well documented over years!
And here is my further suggestion for all of us (I hope): TurnUp is a nonpartisan, nonprofit charitable organization so contributions are completely tax deductible and they need all the help we can provide this and next year--starting with the critically important NO campaign in Ohio being voted on August 8--so please click on the TurnUp link above and contribute generously and pass on your personal appeal to your friends and family and other SubStack websites you are participating in! TurnUp never mentions any candidates of either party: it consentrates on voter reg and turning out the vote!
By the way, if you aren't fully informed about the important anti-abortion effort in Ohio to make it harder to enact a statewide constitutional amendment to protect reproductive rights in that state, please note the following: this is the first big election battle about protecting abortion rights in the country this year! The pro-abortion groups have put a statewide constitutional amendment on the ballot for later this year, but the Secretary of State etc. have sneaked in a statewide vote ahead of time during the sleepy summertime on August 8 to increase the percentage to amend the State Constitution (which has been the law for generations) from 50% plus 1 to 60%, which of course would make it much harder to amend the Consitution to protect abortion rights later this year. Hasn't gotten much attention nationwide but it will in the few weeks. www.turnup.us/ will be in that battle with a very sophisticated paid social media campaign to TURN OUT THE VOTE TO PROTECT A WOMAN'S CHOICE. This important battle in Ohio will set the stage for the elections next year in which a nationwide abortion ban will be the BIG ISSUE.--please help out as much as you can--TurnUp needs to raise $15,000 for its aggressive campaign to encourage young voters to go to the polls. Please help and privately at my email address: IraLechner@yahoo.com recommend any leads to potential big donors? Many thanks .
Ira
Done!
Many thanks
Explaining the growing “seepage” of our Democracy towards a Fascist state is not enough. We must now visually and forcefully show what some of the Fascist horrors look like in countries,today, like Hungary and historically in 1930 s Germany and followed in Italy.
Send in the fearless journalists and the best marketing people to graphically show actual pictures of journalists, actors, public speakers and students being arrested or worse.
I too have no hesitation to support an increase in the number of SCOTUS justices just as Mitch McConnell had no hesitation to forestall Obama’s nomination of a justice well before the end of his term. McConnell’s action started this ball rolling and we must now carry that”ball” over the finish line.
If a Democrat senate majority leader did what McConnell did it would be styled as high treason
I just wish sometimes we are willing to fight them in the gutter where they reside
Bush vs Gore
Dens talked about fairness and not damaging democracy
Republicans led by James Baker talked of winning at any cost
Yes, it’s time to fight fire with fire, but our fire should be to visually and truthfully show how the actions of the Republican leaders are leading, if not stopped, to a Fascist government
I share in your abhorrence of lies. People who claim to follow Christ should remember that Jesus abhorred lying too:
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” <John 8:44>
Let's be clear, the intent of the "the previous White House occupant" and his web of supporters (including the justices noted) is to install him as America's first King on January 20, 2025. What he says will be the truth. There will be no Constitution or separation of powers, and no need for Courts, or Congress because they will only be symbols of his authority.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. MLK
An approach the Brennen Center has put forward is to have the Justice positions filled from the Judiciary on a rotating basis, so that no one is on the Court for very long. I like that idea. The process of filling Court vacancies has become a political sham. To give someone so much power with so little oversight seems naive and undemocratic to me.
I’m hoping that the availability of OTC birth control pills will help stem the need for abortions and save some lives. That being said it’s probably the next thing to be made illegal
Interesting to note how current this posting still is. But now we know, not without a doubt but most assuredly, that Judge Alito himself probably leaked the draft and he’s proud of it. What, to scare the nation? To prepare us for the wickedness and hatred coming from the court? To alert us to the personal opinions that now serve as law? Of course we don’t trust the SCOTUS and that’s well deserved. And it goes without saying, what with all the deceit, lack of ethics and integrity, and outright disdain for the America people, that yes, Gorsuch, Roberts, Kavanaugh, Barrett, and Thomas all lied to get lifetime positions on the court.
He doesn’t do it so the others didn’t get cold feet before official publication and change their vote!
Well said. And mainstream media's propensity for pussy-footing around what is happening is also tantamount to lying, IMHO. Passive lying maybe but every missed opportunity for directly addressing the travesties taking place is lying nonetheless.
I differ on the subject of adding justices. I would rather see term limits. A proposal has been made that they serve 18 years with two new ones appointed with every presidential term.The Republicans of today with all their conspiracy theories , crazy laws, uncooperative ways would not go for it, but it would not have hurt them thru the years as there have been 18 Republican and 15 Democrat presidents.The number of justices has been changed 6 times, staying 9 since Grant.
Of them all, I think Thomas (1991) and Alito (2006) have been the worst at serving during good behavior. I would bet they have been accepting bribes, money, trips for way longer than we have recently heard
Justices remembered are John Marshall for judicial review (Marshall U where I got masters. Guess who else went there. Soupy Sales. Remember him?) and Roger Taney for the awful Dred Scott decision.
I have no doubt that every politician has lied. Presidents surely have . Abe denied every discussing an end to the war with confederates so would be no opposition to his slavery bill. Wilson talked of freedom yet was a racist, self determination of nations, yet only white, European Christians. FDR swore that he would not involve the country in Europe's war while all along aiding the British. Reagan's trickling economics was a lie that still affects us, and he said things as truth that were but lines from movie scripts. Ike lied about the U 2 flight. No need to mention Nixon. LBJ made up the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Clinton lied about Monica. Bush 43 lied about Iraq. Biden lies about all the new job creations when so many already existed but were left because of covid. Even the Father of our country misled the people saying he was going to attack New York instead of truth of going South, as his soldiers mainly from Mid Atlantic and would be disinclined to sign up to fight there. (Parson Weems not withstanding )George Santos lies are wrong and plentiful but rather funny, while trump's would destroy our country.
Closer to home, people lie on their resumes. Women say, oh what a pretty dress, thinking the opposite. A woman at work tells people she moved to a bigger home that is on the water- it's a trailer and a pond, and that her brother died in Viet Nam while last week, he was suffering from post traumatic stress.
As Mark Twain said: There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics.
The ultimate slap in the face to democracy, all based on a lie endorsed by the Liar and Chief Profligate Donald Trump of white supremacy and a return to a different time when women and anyone of color had no rights. He and his cohorts appear to continue to win by causing delay, spreading more lies, and poisoning our system of government while fleecing the deplorables into believing that our country has failed them when just the opposite is true. Although we still have not been able to solve poverty while the rich continue to get richer and those truly in need of assistance still can't get it because of the selfish, self-centered MAGAs redirecting the tremendous wealth of our nation to fewer and fewer at the top, and working very successfully in denying everyone but the white majority from voting. I believe it is time for a revolution, hopefully at the ballot box, but if not, on the streets. The MAGAs are taking our schools, or local and state governments and our Congress into some form of autocratic theocracy based on evangelical Christian beliefs that are certainly not democratic, and certainly not in the interests of the majority, because they feel they have God on their side, just as certainly a minority, and a well-funded one at that. Why do you think they have abused our Constitution by saying everyone should be armed - because they want to take over by force if necessary. They are destroying our educational systems because they do not want the common people to understand what freedom really means. The majority of Americans, especially those who take our freedoms for granted, better wake up to a lot of things, i.e., global warming, the right to vote for all, the freedom to have a mind of our own. Millions of Americans have already lost their freedom of thought to the MAGAs and the religious right, luring the rest of us with their fake platitudes of a moral right and godliness, all immoral. Wake up, folks. The next few years are going to tough unless the majority of voters who believe in everyone's rights to choice in many arenas, not just abortion, do their jobs and make sure anybody but the MAGAs win in the next elections.
Steve and All: please check out a very infomative Brookings Institute piece on July 17 about DeSantis' flat out lies about his success against crime in Florida compared to other "liberal" cities--this guy is a very bad liar but I haven't seen any media (or R candidates) exposing his lies? Just click this link:
https://connect.brookings.edu/e3t/Ctc/DF+113/c1x-m04/VX9-WB2H--54W7ytYGd1YDvwnW3rtmkr514gsyMrH-SB3q2SZV1-WJV7CgR1YW6b3K7H4cxwwnW1xKV8N1XWkrXW7dWwtQ7q6j-CW5-FhZK6SnBjTW1DQZzm5s6VnzW8h0zMQ2K8cntW3QGXVh8Xc0mcVdYp9j5t3HfNW4gz2xW5H3lvwW26mghw17Yk95VZgmh53P5nq4N6F9J5nsZdHyW1rQBJf7FdkJ2W5Z5CxD4-CJ1BW6wTmrG23cP3JW12Mgh71jtZrvN4glZFnYdZ36W7BG-hZ3zmpMGW726NPf5D_Qg-W5njY4N7rYZkYW8C5S1g3-p-K1MmXKcV3Z8Vl36jQ1
Fortunately, IMHO DeSantis, and his syncophant Florida Karen, is going to go crawling back to Florida soon under the weight of all the lies and misinformation he’s spewed across this nation. Hopefully FL voters will get a gut full by the next election, wake up and understand what horrible deceit and lies they’ve been fed.
Been elected twice can he repeat under Fl law?
No. Unless the super majority Republican legislature find a way to change existing law, which I think is constitutional, he can only serve two terms before stepping down. He can however, run again after at least a four year gap. And knowing DeSantis, he probably would just to be back on the stage. Or run for Senator from Florida - ugh!
Thanks he will be done by then
That’s the problem today with most journalists who are hesitant if not stymied by their paper, or other media giant, to expose lies in fear of being called unbiased. When Democracy is at stake I believe it is the journalist’s responsibility to expose lies when they are used to move us toward a Fascist state.
Great piece. Thank you. One question. Do you believe that the liars believe their own lies?
We substantially outnumber the MAGATs and brainwashed sycophants. We just must raise our voices and do everything in our power to reach the Independents and the youth to get them to engage now with democracy-protecting organizations and to vote blue up and down the ballot in November 2024, lest our precious democratic ship of state founder and turn into a christofascist, authoritarian, dictatorial state.
Your reference to lying took me back many years, when a friend/colleague asked: "Vince, why are you so brutally honest?" I smiled, reflected for a moment, and said, "I guess you never met my old man." I learned at a very early age that while telling the truth might be painful, the opposite of truth would be far more excruciating. If you the reader know anything about the Scots/Scots-Irish, my ancestors, you will understand. As they say, "That red hair ain't for nothing!"
Lying = betrayal. Betrayal = forfeiture of trust. There is no turning back, actually. Once deceived, twice wise. Lie to me once, I will never trust you again. We witness an entire body of liars in today's US of A. The senate, the house, the supreme court; and, yes, the White House. Morals and ethics are tossed aside all for the gain and benefit of self-made glory and hoped-for one-upmanship. Congress and the Court once were considered our most august collective of men and women. Perhaps that was myth then. Indeed, it most certainly is myth today. Our country is being crippled by the quacks and the deceivers. The state of our republic's disrepair may make her irreparable.