IRRITANTS

JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA wants everybody to know that he's smart. Most people concede that he is. Unfortunately, he has a Rumsfeld-like need to continually demonstrate his overwhelming (but ever-so-endearing) brainpower for all to admire. This tendency was on full display during three days of oral argument on Obamacare. 

Recognizing that the Courts' audiotape would be the most listened-to in its history, Scalia tried to bigfoot the moment, with endless hypothetical questions, and ended up looking small in the process.

In an effort to look particularly clever, Scalia wondered aloud if a particular provision of the bill, applicable only to Nebraska, would survive if the individual mandate was struck down. Unbeknownst to Scalia, who is paid to know these things, the provision he referred to did not make it through to final passage and was, for that reason, not before the Court.

Not smart.

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WILLIAM BENNETT was Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan. He has written books on morals, values, and patriotism. Bennett is one of the go-to guys in the right wing intelligensia. 

Bennett has posted an article on the CNN website entitled, "Rush to Judgment in the Trayvon Martin Case." Bennett purports to be concerned about the ascendancy of a "mob mentality". 

In order that cooler heads might prevail, Bennett draws our attention to what he describes as "complications and complexities" in the case. Specifically, Bennett mentions:  1) That Trayvon Martin had been suspended from school three times; 2) That Trayvon Martin's mother had filed trademark applications for protection against misuse of her son's name; and 3) That George Zimmerman was a registered Democrat. 

Dr. Bennett (he holds a Ph. D. and Law degree) has served up a fatuous plate of garbage that Rush Limbaugh would be hard-pressed to duplicate.

Stripped to its bare essentials, the facts of the case are as follows. George Zimmerman shoots and kills Trayvon Martin. Police take Zimmerman to the station for questioning. Lead Detective Chris Serino finds Zimmerman's story not credible, and recommends filing manslaughter charges. State Attorney Norm Wolfinger overrules Serino. No charges are filed. Zimmerman is released. 

The only rush to judgment that has occurred in this case is Wolfinger's decision to overrule the lead detective and release Zimmerman within hours of killing Martin.

Note:  Wednesdays Wars is going on Spring Break until April 18th, 2012.