• Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
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      12 days ago

      Those were honorary knighthoods that generally mean nothing. OPs article claims that Alito pledged “an oath to the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George.” That is an entirely different thing if true. As the saying goes, a man cannot serve two masters. If he has pledged an oath to this order and the Constitution of the United States of America, which takes precedence in his mind?

      • DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social
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        12 days ago

        I’d certainly never accuse Reagan and a Bush of being Christo-fascist neocrusaders who innately hold anti-republican and anti-democratic ideals.

      • iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com
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        12 days ago

        The “cannot serve two masters” argument was used as a reason not to elect the first Catholic US President, JFK. I find it to be pretty uncompelling.

        The important thing is that the US not recognize any titles.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          12 days ago

          I would find it uncompelling if this wasn’t one of 9 people we trust to actually enforce the Constitution, and it was just their religion. No he knew this was unconstitutional and sought it out anyways.

  • Arcka@midwest.social
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    13 days ago

    I don’t think the U.S. Constitution bans anyone from getting a title from some random French family, only from a “King, Prince, or foreign State”.

    Is this article intentionally misrepresenting? There’s plenty of scummy things he’s done without having to invent weird distractions.

    • frezik@midwest.social
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      12 days ago

      It does ban public officials from receiving titles of nobility, so yes, it applies to Alito. There is an old amendment to strip the citizenship from any American who receives one, but it hasn’t been ratified by the states. Has an odd history to it.

  • nifty@lemmy.world
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    12 days ago

    Should be an automatic disqualification for holding any US judiciary position. The UK is a failed state which is desperately trying to resolve its woes by usurping American global influence. Cunts

    • seejur@lemmy.world
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      12 days ago

      Except the title is not from the UK? Can you at least read a bit more than the title before commenting?

      Heck, OP even put it in the effing summary. No need to click the article even.

  • Snapz@lemmy.world
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    12 days ago

    Seriously, they are just, literally, mentally ill people. It’s not more complex than that - look at his face. They have chemical imbalances that could be quickly and effectively addressed with commonly available medication (as millions of Americans take willingly each day). They’ve just made a religion out of refusing that treatment and living in their delusions. reagan emptied the mental hospitals and shut them down, the patients ran right into the gop’s tent and haven’t left since.

    • treefrog@lemm.ee
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      12 days ago

      Antisocial personality disorders are notoriously hard to treat, and medications aren’t the first line of treatment

      • Snapz@lemmy.world
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        12 days ago

        You’re focusing on semantics, replace "medicated work “treated by a professional” here if it helps you get the larger point?

        I didn’t say APDs directly, while that would be low hanging fruit here, I wouldn’t be surprised if Alito and some of these people turned out to be borderline paranoid schizophrenics - They are taking “oaths” from “magical royal orders” and flying upside down flags with trees on them to signal pending widespread violence to their imagined allies, where Christians will literally eviscerate their perceived enemies with swords. All the while they are stock piling wrappings and terrified of a looming foreign threat that they are convinced will eat their house pets. All along the way, they all furiously reference (while rarely reading) an old book, written in a dead language, about magical talking bushes and men who can control the sea water with their minds and come back from the dead after having walked on water and spontaneously generated fish and wine.

        • treefrog@lemm.ee
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          12 days ago

          Yeah it’s possible they have some sort of schizoaffective disorder. I think more likely they pay lip service to their religion and don’t buy half of the shit that they sell because it gives them power .

          In other words everything you mentioned I believe is justification for their behavior. Not the cause of it.

  • collapse_already@lemmy.ml
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    12 days ago

    If we are talking emoluments,I am less offended by Alito taking a title than Trump spending over $135M of taxpayer dollars on various trips to Trump hotels. Nothing ever came of that, so I bet we know what will happen here.

    • uis@lemm.ee
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      12 days ago

      Trump spending over $135M of taxpayer dollars on various trips to Trump hotels

      He really took moves from United Russia playbook, didn’t he?

    • bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      13 days ago

      This has the added benefit of stripping Meghan Markle of her citizenship as well.

      I really have no opinion of Meghan Markle but thought this was funny. It’s insane that it’d be easier to ratify an amendment from 1810 which would impact a good handful of people to target Alito, than implement robust Supreme Court ethics reforms.

    • frezik@midwest.social
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      12 days ago

      Doesn’t matter here. The Constitution (Article I, Section 9, Clause 8) bans public officials from receiving titles of nobility. Alito already falls under this. The writers of the Constitution thought this one was so important that it’s not even an amendment. It’s in the OG document.

  • diffusive@lemmy.world
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    12 days ago

    For a bit of context: the house of Bourbon - Two sicilies has no land for 150 years. They used to rule the south of Italy but after the Italian “unification” (or conquest) they got kicked out and have no real power.

    While this may still be a conflict of interest since I am pretty sure they are still filthy rich and they may have economic interests in the US. But there is no foreign power interference here since there is no foreign power 🙂

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      12 days ago

      No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

      By the strict wording it’s a violation because they absolutely style themselves as princes to a throne in exile.

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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        12 days ago

        Do they need to be recognized by the US as a foreign prince for it to count?

        If not, could Will Smith “The Fresh Prince” grant a disqualifying title?

      • NevermindNoMind@lemmy.world
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        12 days ago

        Interesting issue. Does their belief in their right to power control? There’s that crazy lady in Canada who calls herself the queen of Canada and issues edicts and whatever every now and then (somehow connected to qanon, I don’t remember the details). Could a US official accept a “title” bestowed by her, since she claims nobility and authority?

        My recollection on the emoluments issue was SCOTUS punted in the same way they did with respect to Trump’s ability to run for office after the insurrection - Congress must declare the violation, and the remedy is presumably impeachment. So the practical effect is zero, since Congress would never take this up, let alone impeach and remove. I’d love if Dems did though, it would be fun seeing Republicans defend their justice receiving nighthood from some weird ass secret society thing.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          12 days ago

          That would be an issue for a court but it would be really hard to make the case that actual nobles bestowing actual titles in actual knight orders isn’t a violation.

          It would be an impeachment regardless because the remedy is to fire them and that’s how you fire a SCOTUS judge.

  • darth_tiktaalik@lemmy.ml
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    12 days ago

    Oh look a corrupt Republican appointment to the scotus. If only we had some method of preventing Republican presidents from making nominations to the supreme court…

  • BigMacHole@lemm.ee
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    13 days ago

    Who the FUCK cares about the Constitution when it’s used to do ANYTHING besides Defend a Gunman who Murdered a CLASSROOM FULL OF CHILDREN! I’m Pro Life btw :)

    • Todd Bonzalez@lemm.ee
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      12 days ago

      No, that’s actually extremely funny. Make them vote on whether or not he’s french nobility. I need more Looney Toons C-SPAN coverage.

    • masterofn001@lemmy.ca
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      13 days ago

      Knights of Malta are having a rebirth and have been active with his sort.

      (Edit: well, waddaya know: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/justice-alitos-royalist-cosplay.html

      Conservative lobbyist and court-packer Leonard Leo belongs to the Sovereign Military Order of the Knights of Malta, a Catholic lay order that dates to the Crusades. The Opus Dei organization, best known for its super-kinky corporal-mortification rules, sent a priest wearing a spiked garter under his cassock to convert a swath of Republicans in Washington — a project that has proved quite successful.)

      He does fly this flag at his home, though

      It’s not because of it’s original use.

      It’s because he’s a major player/member in the NAR (the new apostolic reformation) which is an accelerationist movement with the explicit intent to bring about Armageddon so Jesus can return.

      I shit you not.

      https://www.thebulwark.com/p/appeal-to-heaven-flag-nar-alito

      • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        12 days ago

        Lol what a shit flag. It looks like fucking clip art. Some of the most boomer-coded shit I have ever seen in my life.

    • mojofrododojo@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      seems like the president has so much immunity for official actions that Alito accepting his knighthood should be an automatic empty slot on the court, Harris should appoint his replacement immediately so Alito can concentrate on his royal duties.

      And when she does, she should point out the law, and Alito’s dedication to originalist interpretation of said document.

      • frezik@midwest.social
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        12 days ago

        Alito has a chance here to prove originalisim is an actual, good faith interpretation of the Constitution, and not just rhetoric pulled out to get what you want. All he has to do is step down.

      • RubberDuck@lemmy.world
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        12 days ago

        66 is only because of the filibuster right? Bit they could get rid of that if they would get a majority in the Senate… I know, its copium.but today I’m taking copium.