Should you be concerned by that flag?

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2024

Now for the rest of the story: Should you be concerned about that second flag—the flag which flew above Justice Alito's seaside home in New Jersey? 

That second flag said, "Appeal to Heaven." It featured a very large tree. Our analysts were calling it "Palo Alito," but then we told them to stop.

Should you be concerned about those flags? The upside-down American flag, followed by this second flag, the one with the very large tree?

We'll go with a maybe yes, but also a maybe no. Also, we'll compliment Jamelle Bouie for doing something very unusual in his new column for the New York Times.

Below, you see the passage in question, headline included:

Justice Alito Is a True Believer

[...]

All of this brings us to the most recent controversy surrounding Justice Samuel Alito. Not long after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, my colleague Jodi Kantor reported last week, someone in the Alito household flew an inverted American flag in the front yard. The upside-down flag, a sign of naval distress, was one of the preferred symbols of the movement to “stop the steal”—a statement of solidarity with those who disbelieved the results of the 2020 presidential election and fought to return Trump to office against the rule of law and the verdict of the Constitution.

Alito says he did not put up the flag. He says his wife did, “in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.” There is no evidence to say otherwise...

For the moment, we're stopping right there. In our view, Bouie deserves a lot of credit for acknowledging the things he doesn't know about the flag in question.

He acknowledges that he doesn't know who raised the inverted flag. He acknowledges that Justice Alito's statement about his wife may in fact be accurate.

Bouie deserves a lot of credit for this! Elsewhere, the New York Times, and Blue America in general, have been awash in silly statements in which Justice Alito is criticized or doubted for saying that it was his wife who unfurled the inverted flag.

Childishly, our lizard brains tell us to criticize Justice Alito for saying something which, for all we know, is the unvarnished truth. So it goes when we humans split into tribes and spend our days happily planning for war as we assail The Others.

In our view, Bouie deserves a lot of credit for acknowledging the limits of his knowledge about this most recent exciting incident. In our view, he undercuts the strength of the passage we've posted as he continues along from there. 

We'll show you what we mean down below. For now, let's consider this:

There's a fair amount of material which New York Times readers may not know about the inverted flag incident.

That additional material may not cause you to change your mind about either one of these incidents. That said, it might be interesting as a critique of the way information flows to members of the two Americas in this highly tribal journalistic age.

Below, you see the rest of Bouie's thumbnail account of the inverted flag incident. There's nothing "wrong" with what he writes, although we think what he writes isn't wise:

Alito says he did not put up the flag. He says his wife did, “in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.” There is no evidence to say otherwise although it is a strange coincidence that Mrs. Alito would deploy this particular flag to retaliate against a neighbor within weeks of the moment that it became a fraught symbol of violent opposition to the constitutional order. The initial provocation, as Fox News reported, was that the neighbor in question had put up a sign directly blaming Mrs. Alito for the Jan. 6 attack.

Having said that he doesn't know what caused the inverted flag to fly, Bouie says it seems strange to think that Mrs. Alito would do such a thing at that particular time.

Maybe yes, maybe no. But in Bouie's account of "the initial provocation," which he attributes to a Fox News report, he falls far short of telling his readers what Fox News has actually reported.

For whatever reason, Bouie's link to what "Fox News reported" led us to the second of Shannon Bream's four X posts, in which she reported what Justice Alito told her about the inverted flag incident.

As with Stormy Daniels' colorful story, so too with Justice Alito's! We have no way of knowing whether his account is accurate. But here's the full text of Bream's four posts, the second and least troubling of which Bouie's link led to:

Shannon's Bream's four-tweet account of her interview with Justice Alito:

I spoke directly with Justice #Alito about the flag story in the NYT.  In addition to what's in the story, he told me a neighbor on their street had a "F--- Trump" sign that was within 50 feet of where children await the school bus on Jan 21.  Mrs. Alito brought this up with the neighbor.  1/

According to Justice Alito, things escalated and the neighbor put up a sign personally addressing Mrs. Alito and blaming her for the Jan 6th attacks. 2/

“Justice Alito says he and his wife were walking in the neighborhood and there were words between Mrs. Alito and a male at the home with the sign,” wrote Bream. “Alito says the man engaged in vulgar language, ‘including the c-word.'” 3/

Following that exchange, Mrs. Alito was distraught and hung the flag upside down "for a short time." Justice Alito says some neighbors on his street are "very political" and acknowledges it was very heated time in January 2021. 4/4

That's Shannon Bream's four-tweet account of what Justice Alito told her. One immediately thinks of Woody Guthrie's explanation of Pretty Boy Floyd's first killing. (For the relevant text, see below.)

That's Bream's account of what Justice Alito said. You can read all about it at Mediaite, in a report by Colby Hall which carries this unvarnished headline:

Justice Alito Claims His Wife Hung Coup Flag Because Neighbor Called Her a C***

You can also read about it at the Fox News site, in a news report which carries this more circumspect dual headline:

Alito says wife displayed upside-down flag after argument with insulting neighbor:
Alito tells Fox News neighbor put up sign that read ‘F--- Trump,’ insulted his wife

That Fox News report mentions the F-word and the C-word. For whatever reason, for good or for ill, those parts of the story have been withheld from accounts at the New York Times.

As with Daniels, so too here—we have no way of confirming, or of refuting, any of these assertions. That said:

Is it possible that someone on the Alitos' block placed a F*ck Trump sign within sight of a school bus stop? Is it possible that Mrs. Alito complained about this, and the neighbor then dropped a C-bomb on her?

Yes, of course it's possible! It's also possible that the actual story is different.

That said, that isn't our point. Our actual point would be this:

People in Red America are hearing this fuller story about what allegedly happened. It seems that we who live in Blue America are perhaps being shielded from such accounts.

Bouie's column offered a tapioca version of the "Fox News report" to which he supplied a link. We attribute that to Bouie's column, not to Bouie himself, because that may have been an editorial decision concerning which he had no control.

Questions:

Did Mrs. Alito become distraught when a neighbor called her a c***? 

We can't answer that question.

If that's an accurate account of what happened, does that make the flying of the inverted flag a more understandable offense?

Maybe yes, maybe no. That's up to the judgment of the individual. But we can tell you this:

People in Red America are hearing the fuller story. Those of us in Blue America are being shielded from that fuller account.

This sort of things transpires all day long as we in our two Americas cling to the Storylines propagated by our segregated corporate news orgs. The corporations rake in the dough as they pleasure our tribes in such ways.

For ourselves, we're less concerned about the inverted flag than we are about our own Blue America's devolving political culture. Our thought leaders like to stir our small-bore partisan fury. We regard this as dumb and perhaps disingenuous. We'll also offer this sad thought:

Purely as a political matter, it looks like it may not be working. 

That said, how about it? Should you be concerned about the inverted flag? 

For ourselves, we aren't hugely concerned by either one of those flags. We're more concerned about the unhelpful political culture to which our flailing Blue America increasingly seems to be drawn.

Pretty Boy Floyd and his wife: As told by Woody Guthrie:

It was in the town of Shawnee,
On a Saturday afternoon,
His wife beside him in his wagon
As into town they rode.
There a deputy sheriff approached him
In a manner rather rude,
Using vulgar words of anger,
And his wife she overheard.
Pretty Boy grabbed a log chain,
And the deputy grabbed his gun,
And in the fight that followed
He laid that deputy down.

Guthrie's anthem continues from there. People, we're just saying. 

58 comments:

  1. "Within weeks"?? How many weeks? Just when did the inverted flag go up over the Alito home?

    If it was not put up at the time of the fuss about Trump's claim that the election was stolen, then it seems more likely that the flag was about neighbors' behavior, rather than the election.

    So, why didn't the Times give us more precise dates? Why do most Alito critics ignore the timing entirely? We know the answer to the 2nd question: Divulging the actual timing would have weakened the Democrats' narrative

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    1. Hey David. What did Trump mean by "unified Reich"? Any thoughts on that, fuckface?

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    2. Yes, that's right, Dickhead in Cal. When I get in an argument with my neighbor the first thing I do is go get the American flag and fly it upside down in solidarity with the insurrectionists who attacked the National Capitol. Doesn't every one?

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    3. Quaker in a BasementMay 23, 2024 at 4:24 PM

      "Divulging the actual timing would have weakened the Democrats' narrative"

      And acknowledging the Christian nationalist "Appeal to Heaven" flag at the Alito beach house? Does that inform us about "the narrative" at all?

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    4. When I have trouble with a neighbor, I fly the MAGA flag.

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    5. So you’re a MAGA flagger. Me too.

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    6. 4:06 PM Has your lizard brain told you the unvarnished truth about what Trump meant by reposting the video that had "unified Reich" in it?

      Please do share it!! Or shall we all simply become emotionally triggered and scared without making direct statements or accusations about its use?

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    7. 5:21,

      Clearly you don't give a fuck, so fuck off, maggot. I want David to address it but he is very good at averting his eyes.

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    8. What's on the video?

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    9. Averting his eyes to what exactly? Please tell us. You were the one that brought it up. What is the problem with it? What are you afraid of? You don't even have the balls to say. You're a pussy.

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    10. Dumbshit: what is your direct accusation about the video?? What is it?

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    11. You're so retarded you don't even know.

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    12. This is because the non-event is being used by people that are smarter than you, which is not a difficult position for someone to reach, but people that are much much smarter than you, who are using the non-event as political propaganda. But you're too stupid to see it.

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    13. Oh, please. Resident idiot-moonbat is craving attention. Same as always. Don't feed the troll.

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    14. Hey David in Cal, fuck these American hating insurrectionists.

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    15. DIC, "If it was not put up at the time of the fuss about Trump's claim that the election was stolen" The asshole has been moaning about fixed elections from 2016 until today. Just what time frame you have in mind?

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  2. When I feel that I need to worry about that flag, then I will know the country's in perfect shape.

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  3. Quaker in a BasementMay 23, 2024 at 4:33 PM

    I do wish the Times and the rest of "Blue America" media would come right out and say why they think the flag(s) are significant.

    Is there reason for anyone to believe that there are right-wing extremists in positions of power in our country? Would some of them gladly do away with parts of our Constitutional order they find obstructive to their aims? Do these extremists act the part of institutionalsts who support the system of government we have prized for more than two hundred years?

    Your answer might be different from mine. When members of the Supreme Court and their families start displaying the banners used by extreme factions in our country, are we being alarmist to suspect that the justices who are sworn to protect our Constitution may hold beliefs they don't make known to the public?

    I'll adopt the moderate position espoused by Our Host: Maybe, but maybe not.

    I don't think it's at all odd to ask the question, though.

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    Replies
    1. QiB: We didn't need to learn about the flags to understand that the supreme court is corrupt is corrupt to it's core. All we have to do is read Alto's opinions and listen to him watch him in action. These fucking fascists are hiding anything. They have to power and they dare you to try to stop them.

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    2. Wow, I definitely need a proofreader. Sorry about that.

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    3. @Anon 4:41: As for my own opinion, I may largely agree with you.

      Nevertheless, the flags are in the news. Many of the articles about them fail to provide any context or explanation of their newsworthiness.

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    4. The whole thing is just silly clickbait. We all know what a nasty piece of work Alito is. But watching his initial reaction to throw his wife under the bus was the chef's kiss!

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    5. The Supreme Court Justice is flying a flag showing solidarity with the people who attacked the Capitol, he’s ruling on a case about weather those who did it should be held accountable. His explanation is ridiculous. How is this not newsworthy?

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    6. "Elsewhere, the New York Times, and Blue America in general ...."
      Conflation 101.

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  4. Alito is evil. Any line of attack against him is good.

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  5. On Trump’s contention that Biden’s justice department intended to assassinate him and his claim that the Courthouse in New York was in lockdown. Would Bob object to journalists calling these claims lies?

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    Replies
    1. Oh, probably.

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    2. Biden's focus on accomplishments that do not significantly improve the lives of Black people may lead to decreased support from Black voters in future elections.

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    3. 1:54,
      Ho-hum. Let me know when the Republican Party stops suppressing the votes of black people.

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    4. anon 8:27, in what way are Republicans suppressing the votes of black people? Blacks apparently do vote. As far as I know, there aren't any laws that say blacks can't vote.

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    5. AC/MA is obtuse.

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  6. First today it was Mr. T. Now it's Woody Guthrie. Is Grampa Bob gonna break out the butterscotch candies next?

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    Replies
    1. Just the other day I was chiding my wife about filling a jar with butterscotch candy. Then I popped one in my mouth and stopped complaining.

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  7. I wonder if Dr Tillman did well in algebra.

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  8. An anonymouse asked about "unified reich." The explanation is at the link, starting around 1:30, including the actual ad where the words appear

    https://townhall.com/videos/2024/05/23/the-trump-reich-hoax-cruz-unchained-msnbc-elitism-n2639452

    When you watch the ad, you will understand why Trump critics don't show the ad, just their interpretation.

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    Replies
    1. " ... townhall.com ...."
      Someone forgot to empty the trash

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    2. I think it is Donald J Chickenshit demonstrating his mastery of persuasion skills once again, wouldn't you agree, dickhead in Cal.

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    3. "you will understand why Trump critics don't show the ad"

      They show screenshots to avoid giving his ad bigger reach.

      So the excuse this time--and always--is "It's not Trump's fault." I'm sure MAGA would be equally understanding if a Biden ad featured a headline praising George Soros and advocating for jihad.

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    4. What exactly is not Trump's fault? Be specific.

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    5. Nothing is Trump’s fault, because he has no faults.

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    6. The statement, "They show screenshots to avoid giving his ad bigger reach" -- could not be more wrong. In fact, the only way that "reich" term is visible is as a screenshot. It only lasts a second or two, and the print is not particularly blatant. I watched it twice, looking for those words, and I didn't see them.

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    7. I watched. I saw them. Why were they in there?

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    8. Yes David in Cal, the Trump detractors latching onto every alleged Trump Nazi reference are clearly poisoning the blood of the election.

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  9. Interesting that the comment section erupts with hooting innuendo about a made up controversy that speaks exactly to the tribalistic media landscape and tribal jumping to conclusions mentioned in the blog post. 

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    1. Who among us hasn't had a little Nazi propaganda accidently slip into one of our presidential campaign videos?

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    2. If you want to help Trump become president, you should keep talking about and promoting this controversy. I know that seems counterintuitive. This controversy is another present, wrapped up with a shiny bow, laid upon Trump's feet by the very people who claim to despise him.

      It's incredible, simply incredible, to see it happen over and over and over and over and over and over again.

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    3. Agreed. Saying Trump is a fascist just gets Republican voters more amped-uo to vote for him.
      Say what you will about Trump being a rapist, but his voters crave his bigotry.

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    4. Yes, you've got it, moonbat. Moonbat confessions are the highest praise.

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  10. What’s the point of even having a rike if it’s not unified?

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  11. The one thing I want to know about Dr Tillman: is she good at algebra?

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    Replies
    1. I want to know how she felt about home schooling.

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    2. Who parents were preachers?

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  12. Alito was put on the Supreme Court to make Clarence Thomas look like a hard-worker in comparison to him.

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  13. Alito and Thomas are hacks who should never be on the Supreme Court.

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  14. Defund the Supreme Court!

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  15. I invite David and Cecelia to read about the protest at UCLA:

    https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/16/us/ucla-student-protests-counterprotesters-invs/index.html

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  16. So, if Ketanji Brown Jackson flies a "Black Lives Matter" flag on her property.....that's no big deal either.

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