Say what you will...

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spoke yesterday at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C. The gist of the speech, from what I can tell, was the continued politicization of the high-court:

In a 35-minute speech Monday, Scalia said unelected judges have no place deciding issues such as abortion and the death penalty. The court's 5-4 ruling March 1 to outlaw the juvenile death penalty based on "evolving notions of decency" was simply a mask for the personal policy preferences of the five-member majority, he said.

"If you think aficionados of a living Constitution want to bring you flexibility, think again," Scalia told an audience at the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think tank. "You think the death penalty is a good idea? Persuade your fellow citizens to adopt it. You want a right to abortion? Persuade your fellow citizens and enact it. That's flexibility."

"Why in the world would you have it interpreted by nine lawyers?" he said.

Laura Ingraham was playing sound-bites from the speech this morning on her radio program. From what I can tell, they included some quotes not found in the print-story and as such, offer additional insight into the justice's views. As I listened to this most articulate of men, it struck me just how powerfully intelligent this man is.

Say what you will about him, he's no dummy...