scalia gives church-state separation the finger ... LITERALLY

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."

The 20-year veteran of the high court was caught making the gesture by a photographer with The Pilot, the Archdiocese of Boston's newspaper.

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

He was attending a special mass for lawyers and politicians at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, and afterward was the keynote speaker at the Catholic Lawyers' Guild luncheon.

Well? Where is it?

except that jay-z probably has more respect for church-state separation.

Boston Herald:

Minutes after receiving the Eucharist at a special Mass for lawyers and politicians at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had a special blessing of his own for those who question his impartiality when it comes to matters of church and state.

'You know what I say to those people?' Scalia, 70, replied, making an obscene gesture under his chin when asked by a Herald reporter if he fends off a lot of flak for publicly celebrating his conservative Roman Catholic beliefs.

'That?fs Sicilian,' the Italian jurist said, interpreting for the 'Sopranos' challenged."

The Supreme Court is about to hear a case that will test whether the government is required to provide detainees at Guantánamo Bay with special military tribunals. At a talk a couple of weeks ago, Antonin Scalia made it clear that he's already made up his mind on this case:

"War is war, and it has never been the case that when you captured a combatant you have to give them a jury trial in your civil courts," he says on a tape of the talk reviewed by Newsweek. "Give me a break."

Challenged by one audience member about whether the Gitmo detainees don't have protections under the Geneva or human-rights conventions, Scalia shot back: "If he was captured by my army on a battlefield, that is where he belongs. I had a son on that battlefield and they were shooting at my son and I'm not about to give this man who was captured in a war a full jury trial. I mean it's crazy."

you mean, retire or die tryin'.

Photographer: Herald got it right

“It’s inaccurate and deceptive of him to say there was no vulgarity in the moment,” said Peter Smith, the Boston University assistant photojournalism professor who made the shot.

Despite Scalia’s insistence that the Sicilian gesture was not offensive and had been incorrectly characterized by the Herald as obscene, the photographer said the newspaper “got the story right.”

YA RLY

How many people are offended by the "obscenity in church after mass" aspect, but don't give a shit about "fuck you church/state separationists, I'm a SCoTUS justice" part? Because I'd think a lot of neo-GOPer Catholics would overlook the former to promote the latter. I'm saying that as a political tool, this is a very weak wedge, I guess.

Just reading the msg`s posted,and am a little lost??? So, is Justice Antonio Scalia for church and state to be separated? - sorry, just trying to catch up. Many thanks for your help.

Sue