The justice’s wife allegedly spat at her neighbors’ car and traded insults, prompting the young couple to call the police

After reports that an upside-down American flag had flown outside the Virginia residence of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito during the period surrounding Jan. 6, 2021, the conservative justice blamed the flag’s placement on his wife, Martha-Ann — claiming her actions were a result of a clash over a neighbor’s anti-Trump yard sign and a verbal insult.

Now, the Alitos’ neighbors — Emily Baden and her then-boyfriend, now husband — are disputing the Alitos’ version of events, according to the The New York Times, which reviewed text messages and a police call to corroborate the claims. According to the Badens, Martha-Ann instigated the weekslong conflict and, at one point, spat at their car as they drove by the Alito’s home.

Per the Times, the couple had placed signs on their yard that read “Trump Is a Fascist” and “You Are Complicit” shortly after the Jan. 6 insurrection. Emily told the publication that the second sign was not directed at the justice and his wife, but at Republicans in general. The signs were soon taken down by Emily’s mother out of safety concerns.

126 points

The signs were soon taken down by Emily’s mother out of safety concerns.

My wife pushes back but this right here is the reason I don’t have certain signs/flags on my property. If it was just me, fuck the fascists I would fly so much shit all the time. I just can’t in good conscious put my wife and kids lives in danger because of the rabid right-wing cultists out there. I understand that’s by design and exactly what they want but their safety is far superior to mine.

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72 points

When you conform and shut up, they win. This fear for your family is what they want you to feel and how they’ve silenced entire nations in the past.

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45 points

Yes but when they SWAT you and one of your family members dies you lose even harder.

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31 points

The lack of accountability of the police in the US is astounding. People talk about swatting like and avalanche or something. Yeah, it’s just going to kill you, nothing you can do about it.

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10 points

The Some More News podcast is doing a week of reporting on police training, misconduct/murder, and specifically “How they’re trained to kill you in your homes”- episode title. I’ll be following it and start to look at the topic myself since it’s an area I know nothing about but massively affects everyone. Other than experiencing the disgusting nature of dealing with cops and navigating the legal system with and against them, I don’t know how they function as a national system or how departments work. There is so much pro police or detective propaganda on TV and everywhere that the lines have become blurred on the reality of their actual jobs and role in society.

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16 points

This fear for your family is what they want you to feel

The reason to fear low-life creatures is because they will attack irrationally with little cause. There will come a time when good people must stand their ground, and it is not far - be prepared.

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1 point

I am sitting here contemplating the wording for a sign that says something along the lines of “This house’s guns are for dealing with fascists.” Should still fall under free speach and not fighting words or threats since it is devoid of specific intent and specific targeting words.

They seem to think they are the only ones who have means for aggression, they are direly mistaken.

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37 points

Same exact reasoning here, but I have another. Why paint a target on myself when the fascists are doing so voluntarily? A Trump flag says, “You are my enemy.” Why should I give them the same intelligence on me?

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22 points

They’re already making lists. Between apps like these and the kinda surveillance the US totally doesn’t do on US citizens, you’re probably already on a conservative’s hit list.

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17 points

We live in a bellwether county, meaning the vote (almost) always goes to the winner of the presidential election, so there’s a decent mix, but I still don’t put political signs on my lawn because I don’t want to deal with shit from people. We put up a sign on our lawn once that said that everyone was welcome in our home in multiple languages and my librarian wife had us put up a “We [heart] Our Library” sign, but that’s as political as I want people to think we are in this neighborhood because the last thing I need is to get into a nasty argument with a guy a couple of houses down with a Trump sign.

We do have a United Federation of Planets flag on the flag pole that came with the house though.

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16 points

Loving the library is a political sign nowadays, unfortunately. Let alone welcoming ESL speakers into your home.

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7 points
*

I realize that, but it’s not going to get my neighbor to come over to me and start yelling at me about voting for Biden.

(Also, this is a college town, so if they don’t like ESL people, they’re out of luck.)

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1 point

That is an excellent lesson to teach your kids /s

Jk, kinda. I don’t have kids (so totally easy for me to say) but I know of that one poem/saying that goes, I taught my daughter not to stand out and be obedient so she wouldn’t struggle against the fascists. Now, I realize I should’ve taught her to be herself and stand out, as that is what this world needs now more than ever… don’t remember exactly but it was something like that, I also don’t remember where I heard it

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47 points
*

Hoo boy the Alitos do not come off well. If the justice were true to his oath and had any respect left for his office, instead of staying silent he would have interjected and said something like, “thanks for the chat, you are completely entitled to your opinion. Isn’t our show on Martha-Ann? You folks have a good evening.” Not too hard, really.

Also, anyone else notice this subtle dig at the Post for burying their story?

When speaking to a Washington Post reporter (per a story published last week), that same day, Martha-Ann shouted that the flag was “an international signal of distress.”

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4 points

The Post had this story 3 years ago and didn’t publish because dolla dolla bill. They’re in the bag for the fascist traitors.

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17 points

I am shocked, shocked, that the guy hand picked by right wing extremist lobby groups to represent their views on the Supreme Court is a hard right wing extremist.

Shocked.

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83 points

If Roberts had any principles or just a spine he’d set an example, instead the SCOTUS legacy is beclowned daily and he does not care. What a failure of a once vaunted institution.

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15 points

Not defending Roberts, but he hasn’t the power to do shit about any other Supreme. It’s not like he’s the boss of the others.

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1 point

The Chief Justice calling on him to recuse would be one. Even better - advocating for a binding code of ethics.

At the very least, meeting with Congress.

He refuses to even do symbolic gestures.

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31 points

He is setting an example. He is an example that you can stack the supreme court with people who will do the bidding of their party, law be damned, and there is little to nothing to be done about it, at least not before it is too late. He is finally in a position where he doesn’t have to keep up with the act so much anymore.

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23 points

Roberts engineered all of this shit with Citizens United. He is putin’s man.

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0 points

What could Roberts do?

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1 point

Legally I’m not sure - symbolically he could do a lot. Call out the ethical judgement of Thomas and Alito for one. Recommend recusal. Hell, suggest resignations - if he were a principled Chief Justice that is, but alas….

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38 points

I’m going to teach my neighbor a lesson by flying my flag upside down. That’ll show em. 😂🤣🤣😂

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