Hysterical MSNBC leftist propagandist Rachel Maddow — our description not hers — has taken a strange tack in her defense to a lawsuit brought by One America News accusing her of defamation. Instead of glaring at OAN from behind her serious black glasses and defending the journalist label she claims to wear, Maddow just says aw shucks she’s only a colorful commentator, and what she says is not to be taken seriously. (Her description.)
We haven’t taken Maddow seriously for years and didn’t need her to urge us to do so.
We made our decision independently.
Redstate’s analysis of her defense is worth pondering, "Here lies the real humor in this decision. In the process of denigrating OAN as an illegitimate news source, Rachael Maddow had to rest on the defense that what she was delivering was itself illegitimate 'infotainment.' By her own admission, the primetime hostess has declared her own words to be little more than sparkly storytelling. While the network has appealed the decision, in a manner OAN has won a victory. It managed to get Rachael Maddow to declare in court records that she is a fabulist whose reporting does not need to be taken as the least bit accurate."
The judge agreed and ruled against OAN.
That in and of itself is not as good as gold, but Maddow’s assertion should prove to be useful in the future. OAN naturally disagrees and is appealing the ruling. This means Maddow’s assertion she is not to be taken seriously will progress to circuit court and be aired once again for the public’s benefit.
The other court ruling that caught our attention was no laughing matter.
Now that Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has retired it appears Chief Justice John Roberts has decided it’s now his job to become the court’s weathervane.
The First Amendment to the Constitution is very simple and written in plain language: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
That prohibition also applies to state and local authorities.
Unfortunately, it appears Roberts — the judge who saved Obamacare — is applying his medical knowledge to the law again. This time he’s found a germ waiver.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports Roberts was the deciding vote in a five to four decision to reject a challenge by a Pentecostal church in Chula Vista (San Diego County) and its bishop, who said the state is discriminating against religious institutions by setting undue limits on attendance."
The lawsuit was filed after Gov. Gavin "Doc" Newsom ruled in early May that some businesses could open, but churches had to remain closed.
The Ninth Circus Court upheld that decision before the ruling was appealed to the Supremes.
In his decision Roberts wrote, "detailed decisions on health-related issues should generally be left to 'politically accountable' state officials unless they clearly violate a constitutional right such as religious freedom."
So, according to Roberts the Constitution only protects your right to worship whom you please as long as you’re at home.
He added, "Similar or more severe restrictions apply to comparable secular gatherings, including lectures, concerts, movie showings, spectator sports, and theatrical performances, where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time."
True, except Costco isn’t protected by the First Amendment.
Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch asked an obvious question in their dissent with which we agree, "Why can someone safely walk down a grocery store aisle but not a pew?"
And more to the point, why doesn’t Justice Roberts think Christians have enough sense to take the same China flu precautions that liquor stores and pot shops do?
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian’s Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!)." Read Michael Shannon's Reports — More Here.