RBG
“Think
back to 1787. Who were ‘we the people’?...They certainly weren’t women…they
surely weren’t people held in human bondage. The genius of our Constitution is
that over now more than 200 sometimes turbulent years, that ‘we’ has expanded
and expanded.”
Supreme
Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
First,
let me say that 2020 feels like the year of the return of Mordor, the rise of
Voldemort, and the build-up to the reign of Hitler all rolled into one, served
with a side order of pandemic. In my seven decades, this is the one year that I
cannot wait to see end. And now this! The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
is a body-blow, not just to women, but to human rights around the world. She represented
the conscience of America better than anyone ever has.
When I
read the quote above, I know that what she said is true: the “we” has expanded.
But now, it feels as though dark forces are working to cause our freedoms to
contract. Ginsburg stood for “big-tent America.” The one that includes all of
us, regardless of race, gender, age, religious affiliation, or social standing.
Homeless people living on the streets of American cities have the same rights
under the constitution as those living in mansions. Everyday Americans, who simply
pay their taxes in support of government services, have a right to equal representation,
the same as those who make massive donations to political campaigns but skirt
the tax system by having smart lawyers to find all the loopholes. At least,
that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Ginsburg understood that and was in no way
influenced by big money or name recognition. She was the heart of the Court as
well as the intellect.
I cannot
imagine how she can possibly be replaced. Today, we have a big hole in the
Court and in the country, left by a small woman with a huge heart and
unstoppable intelligence. Rest in peace Ruth Bader Ginsburg—you good and faithful
servant.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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