# World's smallest violin playing for Samuel Alito's wife. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 12, 2006, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720 "2006-01-12T22:05:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/121 "2006-01-13T04:55:38Z")
> [@lonesome loser](#): > > But come on, she’s a grown woman. It’s obvious it was done for the cameras. So is my mom, and as I noted, she’d almost certainly have excused herself several times if I was on the hot seat. Doesn’t mean her reaction would be “done for the cameras.” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/122 "2006-01-13T04:56:58Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > May I ask what the fuck “CAP” is? Concerned Republican Alumni of Princeton, a group opposed, as I understand it, to letting women and minorities enroll at the school. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/123 "2006-01-13T04:57:09Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > May I ask what the fuck “CAP” is? Concerned Alumni of Princeton ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/124 "2006-01-13T04:58:48Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Concerned Republican Alumni of Princeton, a group opposed, as I understand it, to letting women and minorities enroll at the school. I hear they eat babies, too. ---
**Author:** ![AFAIKnow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a6a055/32.png) [@AFAIKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AFAIKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/125 "2006-01-13T05:00:54Z")
> [@Dewey Cheatem Undhow](#): > > I hear they eat babies, too. Only black, hispanic, female babies. Not many of those around, but if you can find one I hear they are good eats. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/126 "2006-01-13T05:07:41Z")
> [@AFAIKnow](#): > > Only black, hispanic, female babies. Not many of those around, but if you can find one I hear they are good eats. See, I don’t understand the Republican stance against abortion. When we hear of the women that would be affected by abortion being outlawed, we hear of the poor minorities that will be affected. We never hear of rich white women being adversely affected. Abortion helps kill off poor blacks and Hispanics. Why the Republicans would oppose it is beyond me. After all, we’re out to kill all of “them”. Banning abortions would just increase the population of “those people”. A true quandry in my wish to eliminate minorities. I must rethink my Pro-Life views. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/127 "2006-01-13T05:08:06Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I’ve no idea what’s blinding _you_, but I suggest a vision check pronto. Your rejoinder has nothing to do with what I posted, which was a response to **John Mace** relating to candor by judicial nominees. The implication that I got from your previous post was that Judge Alito is lying about being uncommitted on _Roe_, that in fact he is just looking for any half assed excuse to overturn it, thus my response that there are valid reasons to overturn _Roe_, and should one of them be argued in his courtroom at a later date, he could honestly rule against _Roe_ and it would be consistent with being honestly uncommitted now. I support a woman’s right to chose, but _Roe_ is an awfully flimsy hook to hang it on. ---
**Author:** ![dbuzman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de0a6/32.png) [@dbuzman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbuzman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/128 "2006-01-13T05:12:49Z")
If, as the article states, she did have a migraine, that in itself could be what made her cry. It may not have had to do with the questions at all since migraines can be pretty damn painful. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/129 "2006-01-13T05:14:16Z")
> [@lonesome loser](#): > > John? Yoo Hoo. > > No response to your lie? What lie? Oh, it was 3 days as of yesterday. BFD. Same dif. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/130 "2006-01-13T05:14:19Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Concerned Republican Alumni of Princeton That made me laugh out loud. Was it deliberate? Very subtle, if so. ---
**Author:** ![AFAIKnow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a6a055/32.png) [@AFAIKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AFAIKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/131 "2006-01-13T05:15:13Z")
> [@Weirddave](#): > > The implication that I got from your previous post was that Judge Alito is lying about being uncommitted on _Roe_, that in fact he is just looking for any half assed excuse to overturn it, thus my response that there are valid reasons to overturn _Roe_, and should one of them be argued in his courtroom at a later date, he could honestly rule against _Roe_ and it would be consistent with being honestly uncommitted now. I support a woman’s right to chose, but _Roe_ is an awfully flimsy hook to hang it on. Same with _Griswold_. What SCOTUS giveth, SCOTUS can taketh away…eth. I like having a little _Me_ time. And I want it in writing dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/132 "2006-01-13T05:15:39Z")
> [@AFAIKnow](#): > > Ah, I get it now. Buncha crybaby libruls are mad that meany Bush is getting another judge appointed without their attack dogs being able to do a damn thing about it. HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Hey now, be fair: it’s pretty much just the one crybaby librul. Most of the other liberals in this thread have been telling him to shut the fuck up. As I am now: **lonesome loser** , shut the fuck up. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/133 "2006-01-13T05:29:22Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Cite? [Jan. 9](http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=4340403&nav=3YeX) > [@](#): > > Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman says tonight that a democratic filibuster against the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court is a definite possibility. Lieberman’s [probably just playing to his base:](http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/ap/2006/01/11/ap2443760.html)😉 > [@](#): > > Sixty-two percent of Connecticut voters approve of the way he is handling his job, while 24 percent do not and the rest didn’t know, according to the telephone survey. > > **Seventy-five percent of Republicans** , 61 percent of unaffiliated voters and 59 percent of Democrats said Lieberman deserves to be re-elected. > … > The phone poll of 1,369 registered voters in Connecticut was conducted from January 4-9 ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/134 "2006-01-13T05:36:25Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > [Jan. 9](http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=4340403&nav=3YeX) Lieberman’s [probably just playing to his base:](http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/ap/2006/01/11/ap2443760.html)😉 Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![AFAIKnow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a6a055/32.png) [@AFAIKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AFAIKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/135 "2006-01-13T05:48:02Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > [Jan. 9](http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=4340403&nav=3YeX) Lieberman’s [probably just playing to his base:](http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/ap/2006/01/11/ap2443760.html)😉 You might want to hold that wink. 😉 > **[Judging Alito: The Gang of 14 Factor](https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5080836)** > > The prospects of Judge Samuel Alito winning confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court will probably rest with a group of senators known as the Gang of 14. Political Editor Ken Rudin looks at the group of seven Republican and seven Democratic senators... > [@](#): > > Some in Connecticut are talking about finding a liberal challenger in the Democratic primary this year, when Lieberman runs for a fourth term. And things have changed since the hearings \*\*have actually taken place \*\* since that quote. > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON - Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said Thursday he is still undecided about whether to vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, and a filibuster to try to block President Bush’s choice for the high court is a long shot. > “When you consider the numbers involved, it is unlikely,” Durbin said, referring to the apparent lack of support among his fellow senators for such a move. Now, can I say “even Durbin is now talking no filibuster?” ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/136 "2006-01-13T05:48:42Z")
> [@Weirddave](#): > > The implication that I got from your previous post was that Judge Alito is lying about being uncommitted on _Roe_, that in fact he is just looking for any half assed excuse to overturn it, thus my response that there are valid reasons to overturn _Roe_, and should one of them be argued in his courtroom at a later date, he could honestly rule against _Roe_ and it would be consistent with being honestly uncommitted now. \ “It’s a miracle!” \ Evasion and lying are not synonyms, as close as they may be in this instance. Someone’s who has gotten as far in his legal career as Alito, has had ample time to digest _Roe_ and its implications, has a track record on abortion rights and the wholehearted support of the Bush Administration, cannot expect reasonable people to believe that he has no leanings whatsoever on _Roe v. Wade_ and no idea whether he might vote to overturn it. If someone running for Congress said that he could not answer questions about his support for abortion rights because it would depend on what abortion-related proposal might come up for a vote, the derision would be overwhelming. Supreme Court Justices, as we know full well, are not impartial godlike arbiters of the law but have political and philosophical leanings. We’re entitled to know about those views as much as possible before appointing nominees to lifetime terms. ---
**Author:** ![AFAIKnow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a6a055/32.png) [@AFAIKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AFAIKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/137 "2006-01-13T05:51:54Z")
Linky for second quote: [http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/politics/13611564.htm](http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/politics/13611564.htm) ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/138 "2006-01-13T06:12:12Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Someone’s who has gotten as far in his legal career as Alito, has had ample time to digest _Roe_ and its implications, has a track record on abortion rights and the wholehearted support of the Bush Administration, cannot expect reasonable people to believe that he has no leanings whatsoever on _Roe v. Wade_ and no idea whether he might vote to overturn it. Sounds like you know how he’d vote. So your argument that he should answer questions on the matter is moot. What would be the point? Chuckie Schumer made a rambling speech on how the lack of an answer made his decision on the vote harder to determine. Knowing full fucking well how he was going to vote before the nomination was ever hinted at. It doesn’t matter what Alito’s answer is. You’ll be against it. If Alito said “I swear on this stack of Bibles that I will never do anything to overturn Roe”, I’ll lay my money on the odds that you would come up with “Yeah, but Bush nominated him, so he’s lying!!!111!!!one!!elenty-one!” Followed by **Diogenes** bitching about the use of the Bibles. What the fuck is the point of the hearings? You won’t ever be happy no matter what he says. It’s a waste of time and money. And really, can’t this money be spent on the children? Everything is about the children. At least the one’s that are born. One good thing about the abortion argument is that anyone Pro-Choice has lost any and all credibility about this second-hand smoke bullshit. It’s not a person, it’s a fetus. Shut the fuck up about the health of the fetus. It’s not a person. I don’t care about it. It’s not a person. 'Scuse me while I light up in the maternity ward. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/139 "2006-01-13T06:25:43Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > \ “It’s a miracle!” \ > > Evasion and lying are not synonyms, as close as they may be in this instance. > > Someone’s who has gotten as far in his legal career as Alito, has had ample time to digest _Roe_ and its implications, has a track record on abortion rights and the wholehearted support of the Bush Administration, cannot expect reasonable people to believe that he has no leanings whatsoever on _Roe v. Wade_ and no idea whether he might vote to overturn it. > > If someone running for Congress said that he could not answer questions about his support for abortion rights because it would depend on what abortion-related proposal might come up for a vote, the derision would be overwhelming. Supreme Court Justices, as we know full well, are not impartial godlike arbiters of the law but have political and philosophical leanings. We’re entitled to know about those views as much as possible before appointing nominees to lifetime terms. Your “entitled” to hear only what the appointee wants to talk about. Your remedy is that you can not vote to confrim him (if you’re a Senator). Look, we elect Congressmen to vote in particular ways on particular policy issues. We appoint jsutices to be impartial and to look at the facts before they make a ruling. Your comparison of the two branches of gov’t is just plain wrong. The appointees own political views are irrelevant. Their job is to rule on the law as it exists, not make the law. But if you really want to hear about their personal opinions, you’ll need to convince the opposition party and the myriad interest groups not to go ballistic when they hear those opinions. You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth. ---
**Author:** ![Mellivora\_capensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mellivora\_capensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mellivora_capensis)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720/140 "2006-01-13T09:10:05Z")
Jesus, google on page 2 is advertising “Cattle Slaughterlines”. 😃 Anyway, I’m still pissed off at **Dio** , he called Ted Kennedy a buffalo. That’s insulting to buffaloes worldwide, and as the designated spokesperson for Buffaloes United against Libel, Labels, Sarcasm, Hovercraft, Insults and Terrorism, I demand an apology. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-smallest-violin-playing-for-samuel-alitos-wife/339720.md?page=8)