Ann Althouse comes right out and says what everyone has suspected for years, but has been afraid to admit in public, probably for fear of Thuggish Hibernian-Style Retaliation: Charles Pierce is an anti-Italian bigot.
"Tony Scalia's Retirement Has Started Early."
Says Charles P. Pierce on the Esquire website.
Calling a man of Italian ancestry "Tony" when that isn't his nickname? Isn't that on the level of calling a Latino "Jose" or a black man "Leroy" (or some such stereotypical name)?
Of course, quite aside from that, the blog post is bilge:
I think Justice Antonin Scalia isn't even really trying any more. It's been clear for some time now that he's short-timing his job on the Supreme Court. The job bores him.... he's now bringing Not Giving A Fuck to an almost operatic level.
Opera... see? That's like talking about a black person and throwing in watermelon.
His "originalism" was always a shuck, even if it was consistent, which it rarely was, and even if it was principled, which it never was.... But at least, for a while, he actually tried to act like a judge in a democratic republic, and not the lost Medici pope.
Pope? More anti-Italian (and anti-Catholic) stereotyping crap, which Pierce probably thinks is just fine, indeed hilarious, because it's against a conservative.
You may be inclined to consider this ridiculous. However, Shocking Footage has emerged of an enraged Pierce hurling barrels at an innocent Italian plumber, probably because Pierce suspected the little fellow is Catholic:
On the merits of Scalia's performance in the ACA arguments, it's really disappointing that Pierce just can't concede the obvious, that Scalia turned in a delicious performance. The truly non-partisan, objective observer can only quietly applaud and say of it, "Ah now, that's a-spicy-a meat-a-ball."