Justice Scalia flips the finger in church

Justice Scalia flips the finger in church

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia startled reporters in Boston just minutes after attending a mass, by flipping a middle finger to his critics.

A Boston Herald reporter asked the 70-year-old conservative Roman Catholic if he faces much questioning over impartiality when it comes to issues separating church and state.

"You know what I say to those people?" Scalia replied, making the obscene gesture and explaining "That's Sicilian."

And some called Justice O'Connor the nut.

Nice find, Loam. BTW I always enjoy your avatars and your posts.
Hmm, we have Mr. Cheney telling someone to go (#) himself, George W. Bush calling the Constititution "just a (##) piece of paper" and now Scalia flipping off reporters for asking him a very good and fair question. What's going on with these people? They profess to be good Christians and patriots but...don't these people have any dignity?

-Forestlady

Mod edit
I realize you are quoting from reality, but it still counts as circumventing the censors.


[edit on 27-3-2006 by masqua]

These guys crack me up!

"Don't publish that," Scalia told the photographer, the Herald said.

He was attending a special mass for lawyers and politicians ...

Yeah, lawyers and politicians need something!

[edit on 27-3-2006 by Benevolent Heretic]

I guess whatever they were looking for in that "special" mass didn't work...

He denies it!

According to AP: "The sign he used in Boston is frequently used by Italians to express displeasure with someone - from mild to deep irritation. It is done by cupping the hand under the chin and flicking the fingers like a backward wave."

Yeah, riiight! Another liar in the chain of liars!

If he didn't do it, then why did he say not to publish it???

OMG!

I doubt the reporters got the two hand gestures confused.

Give me a break.

:shk:

[edit on 27-3-2006 by loam]

I am so proud to be an American that our leaders can be such a great example for the youth of our Nation. sar Cam oFF.

How desperate are these reporters that they have to camp outside a church and then harass people as they leave asking questions with obvious agendas behind them?

I think the reporters are low balling here too despite what supporters of them are saying.

Reporters are supposed to ask tough questions of those in high places. I know it doesn't happen much anymore but that's what they're actually meant to do. To uncover truths, to reveal inconsistencies.

To show concern about the highest court in the land and their position on the separation of church and state is a reporter doing their job.

And attributing the fact that Scalia flipped people off to the reporters who asked him a question is an indication of the toilet that this country is being flushed down. It wasn't the reporters fault. They were doing their job.

I don't support the reporters, I support the truth. And Scalia obviously knows how to avoid that.

The title of this thread is not only misleading, it is false. Justice Scalia did not "flip the finger in church". I think you know that, loam, or you should have known it, if you had done a cursory examination of the facts.

If you do not know the difference between "flipping the finger" and the gesture that Justice Scalia made, then I suggest that you need to expand your cultural experience.

In a shining example of poetic justice, the photographer that released the photo was summarily canned by the Archdiocese of Boston.
www.cbsnews.com...

When Loam wrote this thread, several stories said it was a finger gesture and the photo wasn't released. To imply that he somehow knew differently is to suggest he has supernatural abilities, and while he's pretty cool, I don't think he's all-knowing.

So that's the way we deal with journalists who don't do what they're they're told by officials, huh? We fire them. Oh, that's great! Either they report the news they're told (to show the public officials in a nice light) or they lose their job! Just great!

I guess that's what some people think journalism is. Reporting what they're told and keeping the dirty little secrets away from the public. Now, that's freedom of the press! It's no wonder this country's losing rights right and left with a populace that supports this kind of secrecy.

If Scalia didn't want the public to see his nasty little gesture, then he shouldn't have done it to the journalists!

“The judge paused for a second, then looked directly into my lens and said, ‘To my critics, I say, ‘Vaffanculo,’ ” punctuating the comment by flicking his right hand out from under his chin, Smith said. The Italian phrase means “(expletive) you.”

Source

If you want to know more specifically what the word he said means, see the source or Google it, because I can't write it here. The gesture isn't all that obscene by itself, but used with that word, it's worse than the simple flipping of the bird, just in another language.

And I don't know about Loam, but I've never seen the Sopranos.



[edit on 2-4-2006 by Benevolent Heretic]

Originally posted by jsobecky
The title of this thread is not only misleading, it is false. Justice Scalia did not "flip the finger in church". I think you know that, loam, or you should have known it, if you had done a cursory examination of the facts.

No, I didn't know that. As BH says (thanks for defending my honor, BH, btw ), at the time this thread was created, the news reports only indicated the gesture was a middle finger...

BUT, since you bring up the requirement to conduct a "cursory examination of the facts," let's do so...shall we?

Here's the actual photo that was released after this thread was created:



And in this UPI story from yesterday, it says:

Peter Smith, a photography teacher who was freelancing for the Boston Archdiocese magazine, said he also heard Scalia mutter an Italian obscenity. Scalia's run-in with reporter Lauren Sweet occurred as he left the Red Mass, a special service for judges and lawyers at the cathedral in Boston.

"The judge paused for a second, then looked directly into my lens and said, 'To my critics, I say, 'Vaffanculo,' punctuating the comment by flicking his right hand out from under his chin," Smith told the Herald.

Photo fuels flap over Scalia's flip

So, jsobecky, I suppose in your book that is a vast improvement.

Just to be clear, "vaffanculo" is really "va fa in culo" and is indeed an explative phrase that means go "F" yourself. If there is anyone who needs to broaden their cultural horizons, it's Scalia, and all who believe his back peddling BS. The hand gesture means "Che me frega", which in Italian essentially means "What do I care?", and really doesn't make sense in conjunction with with his verbal pronouncement that the reporter should go "F" himself.

BTW, I have never seen a single episode of the Sopranos, and I happen to have lived in Italy, off and on over the course of my life, for a number of years....and yes, I speak fluent Italian.

Next?



[edit on 2-4-2006 by loam]

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
When Loam wrote this thread, several stories said it was a finger gesture and the photo wasn't released. To imply that he somehow knew differently is to suggest he has supernatural abilities, and while he's pretty cool, I don't think he's all-knowing.

He implied that it was fact, that he knew the exact details of the incident. And there were many who were very quick to agree with him.

So that's the way we deal with journalists who don't do what they're they're told by officials, huh? We fire them.

Yep. That's the way that employers deal with employees that don't follow instructions.

If you want to know more specifically what the word he said means, see the source or Google it, because I can't write it here.

Too bad this thread is about the gesture and not the word, eh?

originally posted by loam
BUT, since you bring up the requirement to conduct a "cursory examination of the facts," let's do so...shall we?

Here's the actual photo that was released after this thread was created:
< snip >
And in this UPI story from yesterday, it says:

Sorry loam, too late. The time to verify your facts and supply supporting information was before you authored the false thread.

I happen to have lived in Italy, off and on over the course of my life, for a number of years....

Either you're pulling our leg, or you must have been awfully young, since none of the culture seems to have rubbed off on you.

Next?

Originally posted by jsobecky
...awfully young...

Actually , I was just thinking the same thing about you and your juvenile response.

It's funny how you decided to ignore the substance of this thread and instead insult me as a rebuttal to the topic.

Originally posted by jsobecky
Next?

No next, this time, just DONE. I'm in need of more adult conversation than you can apparently provide....

My reference to your age when in Italy was not an insult. It was a valid observation and conclusion, since that gesture is quite common. So for you to bring it up as an insult is misinterpretation on your part.

JSOBECKY, he told the reporter to go F himself. How much more clear can it be? That together with the gesture, would be interpreted as flipping someone off.
For the record, the initial accounts of the story read that the reporter was flipped off. People who are astute usually pay close attention to the news so that as soon as it is reported, they read it. Often, valuable information is reported at first, but not in subsequent accounts. Here, it appears that whoever broke the story got it basically right, but didn't make clear why it was phrased as "flipping off" the reporter.
JSOBecky, why are you attacking Loam so harshly? Are you more concerned with proving Loam wrong than looking at the content of the news item?
Loam speaks fluent Italian for crying out loud, he should know what the phrase means.
OK so back to the topic: What can be said about a member of the highest court in the land who leaves a church service making obscene gestures/phrases to a reporter asking him a fair question? Not very dignified, mature or professional. How can we expect him to make good, mature decisions as a member of the Supreme Court?

Loam, I've always found your comments to be very accurate and informed and your news stories to be ones that are not found in many other places. Keep up the good reporting.

-Forestlady