Alito's son, Phil

[JDPriestly]

Max Blumenthal quotes the following from the Colgate student newspaper about Alito's 19-year old son, Phil:

...I was born 9 months and 2 weeks later by a midwife/wolf named Janie Jean, who would prove very influential during my formative years. Shortly after, I became interested in politics and got involved with Gary Condit (not like that). I served as a parking aide to Nancy Pelosi (I won't even start on her) but was fired when Barbara Boxer came onto me.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/did-the-white-house-kidna_b_9918.html

So, this kid's sexual fantasies focus on Democratic politicians? I realize that Phil was trying to be funny, but there is always a kernel of truth in humor, and humor is often used to mask feelings of insecurity. Does young Phil yearn to escape from his strict conservative father's sexually repressive control? Does he secretly believe that Democrats are having more fun? I think Phil is one to watch. I have long suspected that the children of my conservative friends are far more prone to imbibe in drink, drugs, sex and rock 'n roll than my own children who were raised in a liberal home in which upright living is defined as honest, nonexploitive relationships with other people, themselves and the environment, not just abstinence. Does Phil harbor the secret desire to be seduced by a politically liberal Jezebel? This may prove interesting. Anyway, in my opinion, Phil is one to watch.

I look to a person's children to learn about the person, because, as the Bible says: "By their fruits ye shall know them."

[SteppingRazor]

1. It's an interesting theory...

My parents are both solidly Republican, and I'm a big fan of every vice you named :evilgrin:

[Wickerman]

2. Amen to that!

:rofl:

:headbang:

[OldLeftieLawyer]

3. Leave the kids out of it

This is about Alito, not his kids.

Don't do that. You're better than that.

Remember Rush Limbaugh's assault on Chelsea Clinton?

Don't drag anyone's kids into any political matter. It's not right.

[Nikki Stone 1]

5. I'm with you on this. IF you want to fight Alito, donate money to:

The Feminist Majority https://feminist.org/donations/fund/alito_reply.asp

NARAL

Planned Parenthood

[JDPriestly]

6. Our kids tell us what we are.

I have two, and I see every fault I have reflected in them. You do need to look at the kids. Chelsea is a great example of a child who is raised by loving parents to be strong, compassionate, nonexploitative -- herself. Compare her to Jenna and Barbara and the other Bush kids, and you will see what I mean. Chelsea is fine. Judging from their behavior, Jenna and Barbara have problems.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

8. Next time you apply for a job,

tell me how much your employer wants to know about your kids, how the employer wants to meet the kids, examine their grades, papers, reports, play habits, friends, etc.

Sorry, but the things that go on between you and your children are fine and precious, and, above all, private.

No one can tell anything about how a man or woman will do a job by what their kids write.

Leave the kids out of it. It's not right. They're entitled to privacy and protection, and, keep in mind that, in reality, no one knows anything about what kind of person Chelsea Clinton is - you don't know her.

[JDPriestly]

10. I know she has not been arrested thus far!

Maybe employers would be better off if they did look at an applicant's children before hiring the applicant. Mine would be. I'm very proud of my children. They do reflect what I and my spouse are -- far better than the kind of superficial signals I may give in an interview. Sorry if it offends you, but it is true. I take it you either don't have children or don't like what your children say about you. Sorry about that.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

12. No, you don't know that

You have no way of knowing anything about Chelsea Clinton. The protections afforded public figures are amazing.

I have children and grandchildren, and if anyone dared to bring them into anything regarding my professional life, I'd have their hides hanging on my wall in record time.

Sorry, but going after a nominee's children is just bad and wrong.

[JDPriestly]

15. Sorry, but going after the right to privacy is just bad and wrong.

This man wants to require me to allow my sex and family life to be scrutinized by the police state he wants to institute. I certainly have the right to scrutinize his sex and family life -- especially any aspect of it that he or his family publishes and opens to view. I didn't spy on this kid. He published his bio in a school newspaper for all the world to see. No, Phil has no right to privacy to something he published in a university newspaper. And the same goes for your children and mine.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

18. I will always disagree

That's like saying the health records of your physician's children should be subject to your scrutiny.

Kids are kids. They have nothing to do with their parents' professional obligations or ambitions or performances.

I would hate for any of us to be held to whatever we wrote as teenagers.

[tx_dem41]

26. Since you don't believe in the right to privacy either....

tell me about your sex and family life? What sexual acts do you practice? What are your kids like? Do they do drugs? Have sex?

If you want me to take your posts seriously, I demand the right to know!!! :eyes:

[zanne]

54. WRONG!

We're all individuals. You can't make mistakes for your parents. Having a close family is great, but that shouldn't prevent individuality. And every family is different. You can't just look at your family and say "This is the way families are". It doesn't work that way.

[Straight Shooter]

9. These are quotes from the 19-year-old "kid" himself.

He's over 18 and responsible for what he says, legally, right? Yet despite his high-profile father, he engages in incredibly sophomoric and ludicrous sexual fantasies which involve "putting down" high-profile Democratic women: "I served as a parking aide to Nancy Pelosi (I won't even start on her) but was fired when Barbara Boxer came onto me.

Does the acorn fall that far from the tree? I doubt it, in this case. We have another Dubya-style elitist smart-mouth smarmy brat in Phil Alito. And his words smack of misogyny, as well.

In my book, he's fair game. He reflects poorly on his parents. In all seriousness, I bet the daughter is the epitome of decorum and manners. After all, that's the way "girls" are supposed to be, according to conservatives. And boys will be boys.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

19. He's a kid

I just don't think it's right, and I never will.

If you're willing to be held to standards defined by an adolescent boy's musings and fantasies, that's your choice.

But I will always maintain that people's kids, famlies, should be left out of this whole process.

[Straight Shooter]

22. He is not a kid.

Sorry, I disagree. Sexual putdowns are serious, an extreme character flaw. Expressed in private, that's one thing. To write it for a college paper, that's another; it reveals a very brazen callous attitude. 19 years old. He should have known better, or been taught better, by the time he reached puberty.

In the real world, parents are judged by how their children turn out, more or less. That's why so many parents get bent out of shape when their children get in trouble, in addition to the personal sense of turmoil that their child is in fact in some sort of trouble.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

25. In my world, people are judged as they are

I'm proud of my kids, but they have very little - in fact, they have nothing - to do with how I'm perceived in my professional capacities. Parents get upset when kids get in trouble because we're parents. We don't want our kids to do stupid things, nor do we want our kids to get hurt.

If you're going to hold a kid's words against him as a means of opposing his father's professional ambitions, then I would ask you what you think of freedom of speech?

I believe free speech must be free, and a kid has the same rights to be goofy as does his parents. Or your kids. Or mine.

By your reasoning, a kid who turns out to be a Nazi skinhead would then be proof that his parents were inferior, incompetent, or just plain bad people. That's not fair, and it's a terrible generalization.

There's plenty about Alito to work with in terms of opposing his nomination without having to involve his children and whatever they might have written for their school paper.

When people try to use a kid's words against his parent's professional career, I draw the line, and, while we could go round and round about this, without changing each other's minds, I will always believe that to drag in the kids, whatever their ages, is just wrong.

[Straight Shooter]

29. Well, then, leaving aside that argument for a moment, one question:

Did Alito ever step forward and denounce what his 19-year-old son wrote?

If not, I rest my case. Like father, like son.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

32. Again,

measuring the worth of a father against the free speech of the son is an exercise that, to me, leads nowhere, means nothing, and if my parents had ever dared to speak out in public about what I wrote in my college paper, they'd have been sorely out of line.

I believe in free speech for everyone, including children.

You have no case. Your reasoning is designed to try to hang Alito with a rope fashioned of his teenage son's words, and that's just absurd.

As I said, we'll not change each other's minds. That's what free speech is all about, and I don't suppose your parents will come after you for exercising such a basic right, right?

[Straight Shooter]

35. Heh. My father used to say:

"I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say something so stupid."

Then again, my father thinks derogatory sexist comments about women reflect poorly on character and upbringing. I'm not talking about freedom of speech here; I'm talking about what a person's speech tells the world about how they think. That's how we evaluate our political candidates, right? We look at what they do, but we also listen to what they say.

Phil Alito has had every advantage a young man can have to become someone of admirable character. Instead, his mind is in the gutter and he apparently thinks it's amusing. Pity.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

48. I just find it sad

that you, a presumably grown adult, need to fixate on the words of a kid whose life is private.

Who cares how Alito's son sees the world?

That in no way reflects anything about Alito's competence to serve on a court.

You're being mightily unfair, and, I note, you ducked much of what I posited to you. That's something your father probably wouldn't approve of, either.

If you think you know Phil Alito by virtue of a piece written for a school paper, you're really going out there to a place where reality doesn't quite have that some solid ring that it does for others.

[Straight Shooter]

49. I'm not fixated on the words of his son.

"Unfair" is a subjective perception. And Phil Alito is perfectly welcome to judge me according to what I have written.

Again, he had a choice of what to write. He wrote a disparaging "joke" about Democratic women. He didn't say anything about Ann Coulter, did he, or Elizabeth Dole or Laura Bush.

Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks his words are cause for concern. The article was scrubbed.

My father and I used to butt heads all the time. But I never would have embarrassed my parents by writing such trash. It is trash. All words can come back to bite us in the butt. And, whether it's right or whether it's wrong, our families are part of how the world perceives us. And, as I mentioned, Sam Alito has not denounced what his son wrote. What he doesn't say speaks volumes more, to me, than what his son writes.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

50. You call it "trash," which is a harsh critique

I call it "free speech."

Hateful speech is the very kind that requires the most protection.

A parent's job is not to denounce what his child writes of his own free will.

I am only grateful I'm not your kid. Your requirement that a father "denounce" what his son wrote is beyond belief.

Absolutely astonishing.

[Straight Shooter]

53. I do not "require" that his father denounce his son's words.

I do believe that in his position, however, it would be a sign of respect towards women, Democratic women of power in particular, that he make some acknowledgement that his son's attitude does not reflect his own.

And to tell me that you are "grateful" you are not my kid is beneath you. I am astonished, as well.

[goclark]

60. Exactly!

His father is telling grown people all day long what they should or should not have as values.

He needs to start with his own son,GROWN.

If this is the way that he honors and respects women,where did he learn those ideas?

From his mother,grandmother, father, school mates, his sister?

I would like for this little immature ADULT to insert the name of his mother or sister into the comments that he made about women in politics.

[beaconess]

74. Maybe he does - none of us know what he tells his own children

or what he tries to teach them or whether they listen to him or not.

Because it's none of our business. And it has nothing to do with his qualifications to be on the Supreme Court.

Leave his kids out of it.

[goclark]

78. You may leave anyone out of it that you wish to

You do NOT have the poswer to tell me what to do.

[ElectroPrincess]

57. Shit! I hate it when I agree with you OLL!?!

On Edit ... let me add <I'm TEASING!> :hi:

[OldLeftieLawyer]

58. Stop it!!!

Stop it right now or we're never going to get into another of our down and dirty dustups, you disgustingly goodnatured remnant of royalty.

Now, say something rotten so that I know it's you ...........<wink>

[JDPriestly]

63. This is not a free speech issue.

We all have the right to free speech. The fact that we are judged by what we say does not diminish our freedom of speech.

What we say reflects who we are. Literature reflects the thoughts of the author.

As I write this, it occurs to me that Phil may really have worked for Condit, parked Pelosi's car and had some kind of encounter with Boxer. If no, his fantasies betray animosity toward these Democrats. If so, his statement contains the innuendo that dealing with these people was unpleasant and possibly had sexual overtones. Someone else might have talked about the same events, whether imaginary or real, in different language. His choice of language reveals something about him, and possibly or possibly not something about his father. Think, if he met Pelosi and Boxer, he must have met a lot of other middle-aged politicians, but he chooses to make fun of Pelosi and Boxer. That tells me something.

As a lawyer, you know how a judge's personality and character affect his or her decisions. That is why Alito's personality and character are at issue.

We are about to have a Supreme Court with only one woman on it. That Court could make decisions about the lives of women (as well as men) that may place the well being and freedom of many, many women in jeopardy. Because he will make decisions that reach deep into our lives, I think we have a right to know everything about his personality and life. His family is on the line as far as I am concerned.

And, by the way, the big law firms are very interested in the spouses and children of the associates they plan to name as partners. It's part of the game. The extent to which sexism and ageism and racism determine who makes partner in the big firms is obvious from a quick look at Martindale Hubbell's. The percent of female associates is high, but that percentage falls drastically when you start looking at the partners. Rampant discrimination in the legal profession, both past and present, is one of the reasons that we have so few female candidates for the Supreme Court at this time. For women, that is a serious problem.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

65. That you would even seriously consider

paying any attention to some attempt at humor by a 19-year-old college student when his father is nominated for a job suggests to me that you feel inadequate and incompetent to challenge the father on his own merits.

I know all about big law firms, and this is hardly the kind of information any respectable law firm would ever consider in hiring an attorney. You see, I'm the managing partner here.

So, you're impotent and you have to drag the kids into it. I daresay you've got nothing.

That much is obvious.

[JDPriestly]

76. What percentage of the partners in your firm is female?

What percentage of them entered law school after the age of 40?

What percentage is African American? Hispanic? American Indian? My experience is that law firms do check out their associates family situations and that white male associates have the easiest time making partner.

in trying to find more out about the father, I came across this article on the son. I thought it was very interesting. I think it may reveal something about Alito that we won't find any other way. Why are you so sensitive about this?

And, if you are a managing partner of a law firm, aren't you embarrassed to have failed to distinguish between an attack on the right to free speech and a criticism of speech for arguably being bigoted. I absolutely support the right of other people to watch films that I can't stand.

You seem to take everything rather personally. I don't know you from Adam and am not attacking you personally. Please don't attack me personally. Where is your sense of humor? Sorry if I stepped on your toes about children reflecting their parents natures and values. It's just a fact. I'm very much the product of my parents, and what is more, I married someone who is very much like the parent of the sex opposite of me, and we have been very happy together.

[A Simple Game]

72. I agree with you 100%.

Sometimes the best use of free speech is to remain silent.

[whatever4]

27. "write it for a college paper" yes. It's glaring. College nm

[ptolle]

37. precisely

And could someone here tell me how this does not reflect the sort of sharia law perspective that how many 19 year olds have died or been permanently maimed trying to prevent?But of course this scion of the Guardians Of Privilege will never see a uniform except for newscasts or should he be unfortunate enough to have to attend the funeral of a lower caste acquaintance.

[okieinpain]

43. I don't think he should be drawn into this, but I do find his comments

a little peek behind the curtain at this family. I see dems are not high on his list of people.

[JI7]

21. there is NO comparison to what Rush did to Chelsea

we are commenting on what he wrote in a paper for the public. he is over 18 also and the comments focus on what he said concerning politicians.

Rush attacked Chelsea on her looks and at a time when she was a kid. she had not done or said anything to deserve that.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

31. Well said.

[Hollow Shells]

44. I have to agree with Oldleftielawyer

There are too many factors we don't know about Alito's child, and we don't need to know. This should be about Alito, his beliefs on abortion shows that he has a regressive view on womans rights. Bringing his kids in the debate to reprove what Alito himself admits to seems unnecessary.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

46. Well, well, well ..............

A big welcome to DU, Holloween, and it's a fine start you've made (by my standards, anyway).

The beer-drinking pussycat salutes you, and bids you welcome, as well:

[ElectroPrincess]

56. He's an adult and he sure as sh*t ain't an undercover CIA agent ...

As the putrid leakers in the Executive Branch say, "He's Fair Game!"

The gloves are off!

Ask yourself why the Moderate Republicans NEVER (NOT EVER!) disrespect the Fundies and the Rabid Right Wing? Because they do their dirty work for them.

If you want to stop this guy, all's fair that's legal.

[wrathofkahn]

67. Well...

...since the fecal matter has already made accelerated contact with the rotary propulsion device, let me just go ahead and say that I agree with you on this. It just plain looks bad and smacks of "low blow" no matter who does it.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

70. It's always a treat

to watch ostensibly enlightened liberals turn into the villagers storming the castle, complete with flaming torches, isn't it?

Lee Atwater and Karl Rove would be so pleased to know their work lives on, but any way you cut it, it's wrong.

And, welcome to DU :woohoo:

[beaconess]

75. Hear hear - there are few things sadder than seeing people turn into

what they claim to hate.

One of the things that separates us from them - or so I thought - is that we are not petty, judgmental, small-minded, stick-our-nose-into-other-folks'-family-business kind of people.

But it's hard to tell by reading some of these posts ...

[FreedomAngel82]

79. If his father is going to be

on the highest court in this land and making all sorts of decisions about me as a woman I have ever damn right to know what type of parent he is. He'll be effecting every single one of us. I want to know everything about this person's life including his kids. If you don't like it than tell him to stay the fuck out of my life where it concerns private issues on me. Until rightwingers stay out of my life I can butt into their's.

[beaconess]

82. So you were in full agreement with the right wing obsession with sniffing

Bill Clinton's bed sheets? After all, he was in a position to affect the lives of everyone in the country, including the right wing whackos so, by your logic, they had every right to know the most intimate details of his personal life.

And around and around we go until no one can tell the difference between us and them.

No thank you.

[No Exit]

83. I'll leave the 19-yr-old "kid" out of it when they

leave OUR 19-yr-old "kids" OUT of FUCKING IRAQ!!!!

[OldLeftieLawyer]

88. How do you make that connection?

Boy, that's one serious stretch.

The kid deserves his own life, and it's reprehensible, this "let's hang the father for the words of his son" mentality, any way you cut it.

Iraq?

[LittleClarkie]

84. Before I even clicked on your post, that was the example

I thought of.

This is about Alito.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

89. Amen

Dragging people's families into it is what Rove and Libby and Cheney did when trying to discredit Joe Wilson.

How utterly disheartening and disturbing to find such attitudes here.

I guess some of us are just as bad as Rove and Libby and Cheney, and that's unfortunate.

[...of J.Temperance]

4. Well it IS an ESTABLISHED fact that

Democrats are better in bed. Not that I've ever experienced a Repuke, and nor would I want to, but one can just tell that they'd be flops.

Democrats, like in other areas, are open-minded and...I'd better stop there I think :)

[whatever4]

7. He wrote "was fired when Barbara Boxer came onto me"

Wow. I agree, it says a lot about him. Exactly what it say, I think I'm shying away from wanting to know. Feels free to say such things about elected representatives, the female ones. Seems to have nothing nice to say about those he was involved with or worked for. Fancy that.

[elehhhhna]

11. ONLY A MORON would admit to being fired.

Only a moron would write " BB came on to me". Barbara, sue that boy for libel. Please.

[whatever4]

28. Then there's that. Only a moron.

Or, a really immature person, believing any problems they face must surely, always, be the fault of someone else.

And we all know who's at fault these days, right?

No, I'm sorry, high school maybe. College? No way. Isn't his father a rather educated person, I mean, why is this 19 year old so far off kilter? Lack of education? I doubt it. Wanna bet he likes Coulter, but hates to admit it now??

[JDPriestly]

14. I feel particularly piqued by the comment about Barbara Boxer.

I do not know her personally, but I have heard her speak. I believe she is a very sincere advocate for the liberal viewpoint. She has given her life to speaking out for those who are oppressed and underrepresented. I look at her as a sort of hero. The item from which the quote was taken was a very short, fantasy biography. Interestingly, it was one of several biographical sketches of college kids working on the paper. Phil's was the only one that was made up. His was the only one that didn't simply and clearly tell the truth about the background of the person being described. There may be some other simple explanation for his publishing such a silly biography, but until I find it out, I have to think he was embarrassed to tell the truth about his dad and wrote the nonsense he wrote to make a joke out of something in his background that is painful to him.

[Straight Shooter]

23. I think he made it up because jokes about Dem women are common at his home

Maybe I'm wrong. But it wouldn't surprise me to learn that Sam Alito, his father, makes comments that are derogatory to women, or especially high-profile Democratic women.

If, at 19, I had written a joke biography about a high-profile Republican coming on to me, my parents would have hit the roof that I could act like such a classless piece of trash.

[elehhhhna]

33. Well "got fired when I glimpsed BB's ankle & came all over her tires"

would be rather embarrassing.

[mitchum]

66. LMAO!!!

[ComerPerro]

13. I'm afraid to look at what comes before "nine moths later I was born"

Yikes...

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. Phil's queer as a three-dollar bill

pretty obviously.

[No Exit]

17. GET THEE TO IRAQ, YOU LITTLE CHICKENHAWK!!!!!!!!!!

Why isn't this 19-yr-old in Iraq, helping to spread freedom and democracy??

[FSogol]

20. What is a midwife/wolf? n/t

[Straight Shooter]

24. Just another disparaging insulting remark about a woman.

Midwives are very skilled and dedicated people. To insult her by tying her identity to being half "wolf" implies that she is sexually ravenous, maybe?

[whatever4]

30. One wonders how he speaks of and to his own mother nm

[Straight Shooter]

34. If his father is a typical Italian, he treats her with utmost respect.

The mother is highly regarded in Italian "society," for lack of a better term. From what I've experienced in my family, the position of mother is held in higher esteem than the position of wife. Not that the wife is actually disrespected; it's just that the mother has the higher honor.

[whatever4]

42. One can only hope!

Now if his mother would just beat him a little more often. Oh, okay no wait, that's Irish...

You know, that reminds me, my mother is from Boston, and she grew up knowing racial issues between Irish and Italians. Believe that? Now, to me, that was bizzare. I had no idea, and I don't know enough about Boston to know if it's even still like that. I guess it was being immigrants, and competition pressures on both of them? I don't know.

It was cute, because when she told me about that, she remembered how fun it was, as a kid when she visted friends from big Itallian or Jewish families. She said, sometimes, it really was like a happy family dinner commercial, and coming from a small home, that it was great. Fun. Loud! I still remember her telling me about that.

I don't know how I feel about a mother being superior to a wife. I know I hope my boys always listen to me. But, then again, I'm always the type of person to not give much choice. Well, it won't always be my choice though, I have to remember that.

[Straight Shooter]

Not that the mother is superior. I may have worded it poorly.

It's a different kind of honor. Hard to explain.

Your comment about "beat him a little more often," LOL. Ah, yes, the Irish. Actually, my mother is Italian, my father is of Irish descent, with some German. I told a deli operator in Houston once that I was Irish-Italian. He looked at me, laughed, and said, "You fight with yourself a lot, don't you?"

At the time, I didn't understand what he meant, but I do now. :D

[whatever4]

51. LOL You fight with yourself a lot, don't you?

ha that's cute! :)

[JDPriestly]

61. She looks like a nice person, but I could easily be wrong.

Can't tell from the picture, but she makes a good first impression.

[TahitiNut]

36. I took it as a very clumsy allusion to the Romulus & Remus myth.

The Alito family is ethnically Italian, so the kid might have fantasies about his heritage.

[Straight Shooter]

38. I wondered about that, also. Do you suppose he thinks he's Romulus?

From Wikipedia:

Romulus and Remus, the traditional founders of Rome, appeared in Roman mythology as the twin sons of the priestess Rhea Silvia, fathered by the god of war Mars. According to the legend recorded as history by Plutarch and Livy, Romulus was the first King of Rome.

[TahitiNut]

41. Well, Romulus killed Remus so maybe his sister should be wary.

The Romulus and Remus story is also premised on the parents abandoning them ... setting them adrift in a river and saved by the she-wolf before going over the falls and being killed.

All in all, it's a pretty sick allusion, I'd say.

[maxsolomon]

39. phil alito, who cares?

the daughter is attractive. i'm not sure how old she is so i'll leave it at that.

[FizzFuzz]

71. thanks for the sophisticated contribution. n/t

[Igel]

40. It was sophomoric.

At age 19, I'd expect it's likely he was a sophomore. If he was frosh, the expectations are lower.

I know when I was 19, I was a science/humanities double major. I was a fundamentalist Xian, learning languages, and loved Bach and Haydn.

My mother loves Elvis Presley, my father hates music. Mother's virulently atheist. Father's agnostic. Both are monolingual speakers of American English, to the extent that they don't even understand British sitcoms. Neither's got even a single college credit.

At family get togethers, we discuss the weather, and then sit and stare at each other, we have so little in common.

This apple didn't just fall far from the tree. This apple landed in another state.

I'd prefer that people judge (to the extent they feel they have a right to judge) me based on my actions, and judge my parents based on their actions. They have so little in common.

[okieinpain]

45. yeah but why the dem angle. did he really work for pelosi, and boxer

[Igel]

90. No.

It's a mock self-aggrandizing spoof that's not uncommon in some circles.

And I assume that he's notorious in some circles for being conservative, or at least the son of a conservative--remember, Colgate doesn't have 32 thousand undergrads, it's rather a small school, 2750 students total (probably including grad students).

He didn't write it for us or for his father's career: he wrote it for his friends, and possibly adversaries.

[ovidsen]

47. Much ado over nothing

Just a sophomoric attempt at humor by a teenager. If he's planning on being a comedian, I hope he keeps a day job as a backstop. If this indicates Phil has deep underlying psychological issues, then it's time for all Democrats/liberals/lefties who have joked about the sexuality of Laura Bush, Barbara Bush, Condi Rice, etc. to take a number and wait for the next available couch.

And I strongly agree with OldLiberalLefty and others who say that a child's scribblings, let alone his character should in no way be used to judge the character of his/her parents, no matter how old the child is.

In other words, lighten up. A much more interesting discussion could be had if we found out how Phil feels about the Iraq War. If he's for it, ask him why he hasn't enlisted. If he's against it, ask him why he's sitting on his hands.

[JDPriestly]

62. People like Alito are very good at hiding their true natures.

Reading a text is a means of finding out a lot about a person, but to find out who the person, let's say, Alito. is, we have to look at his life.

I guess it is my years of studying literature, but I believe that in order to understand fully the writings of a person, you have to understand the context, that is their life, in which that person wrote them. If you don't know about Proust's relationship with his mother and his companion, you do not understand Proust's writings.

Of course, Phil's writings are sophomoric and intended to be funny, but they also reveal a lot about Phil and, at 19, about where he comes from. What does he think is funny and why? His bio shows that, among other things, he thinks middle-aged Democratic women are a joke. As a middle-aged Democrat, I am offended by that. And I am wondering what experience in his life caused him to feel free to poke fun at middle-aged Democrats. Both Boxer and Pelosi are members of protected classes based on their age and gender. They have civil rights that need to be respected. Let's say they were African-Americans or members of some other respected class. Wouldn't it be of interest to you if he were joking about their sexuality? Wouldn't you ask what he has heard at home about women's rights and Democratic women in politics?

I have raised children myself. They make mistakes as we all do, but they tend to reflect certain basic values that they learned at home -- even when they disagree with their parents about just about everything. Phil's jokes betray the value of disrespect for older Democratic women. Where did he pick that up? I hope it wasn't from his father. Is it simply a form of rebellion? Maybe, maybe not. But the possibility that he picked it up at home bears investigation.

This appointment is to the Supreme Court for life, and Alito is a young man. If he is appointed to the Supreme Court, we will have only one woman on the court. Roberts wrote memos suggesting that he thinks or at least thought little of women's rights. We don't need two such opinions on the Court. There may be something in Alito's background that indicates that he is extremely supportive of professional women. Let's find out. I'd love to dismiss Phil's statement as a just a joke, but I can't, knowing what I do about human nature.

[ovidsen]

64. Point taken

You raise some valid questions. But having once been a 19 year old guy at an Ivy League school (a long time ago), surrounded by a lot of other 19 year old guys, I'm not surprised by young Phil's attempt at humor. A tad offended, yes. But not surprised.

There are important questions concerning Judge Samuel Alito that deserve our attention, including his written opinions on women's rights and gun control. His son's attempts at humor are superfluous. IMO, of course.

Thank you for providing some food for thought.

[goclark]

52. When did this GROWN man write this bio?

He is not a kid, he is grown.

If he was /is a comedian I could see it.

If he is really saying it to smear Boxer,Pelosi etc., that is not funny.

Especially since his father is a JUDGE for God sake.

I believe that 80% of the time the apple theory applies.

And, if you are talking about real Christian values, the percentage should be far better than that because they are smug another to put others down.

IMO, he has some strong explaining to de.

As far as I can tell, he is not much better than his grandmother!

[Straight Shooter]

55. Thank you for adding your comment.

You said more in less words than if I had written all day.

I cannot bear to add any more to this discussion after this. Further, if I don't get to work, I'll be shirking my responsibilities. Can't wait to see how this thread evolves by this evening. ;)

[PDittie]

59. This discussion has been

enlightening. And also recommended.

[Catherine Vincent]

68. What a punk!

[gardenista]

69. "came onto me"?

Hmmm.... Didn't he mean something else?

Now if Barb Mikulski had done that, it might be a different story, but it's only the Congressional hotties, eh?

And I'm sure Mary Landrieu tried something, too!

[cosmicdot]

73. wonder how he feels about being 'hidden'?

Is he still attending Cogate?
If so, he's probably a Sophomore there.


on the 2004 election:

What's At Stake
By Phil Alito
Published: Tuesday, November 2, 2004

The effects of this election will be felt for decades. Indeed, issues like the War on Terror, tax cuts, and Supreme Court appointees really pose fundamental questions about the future of America: what is America's role in the world? How will we fight terrorism? What role do we want the government to have in our everyday lives? Are we willing to allow the judiciary to make policy? As much as this election is a referendum on the policies of George Bush, it is an election in which voters will determine the answers to these questions. The election of John Kerry would be more than a setback for conservative policy, it would be a devastating blow to conservative thinking. A Kerry presidency would effectively cement a philosophically liberal way of approaching these questions for the next generation. The stakes have never been higher for conservatives in America.

American conservatism is rooted in limited government, a strong military, and the conservation of an entrepreneurial, individualistic, and religious spirit that qualifies as uniquely American. If John Kerry is elected, conservatives can expect all three of these core aspects of conservatism to suffer, and to suffer badly.

Every one of Kerry's domestic policies would result in an increase in the size of the federal government. His health care plan, which aims to cover Americans in the same way members of Congress are covered, would cost $7,000 per person. Contrast this with the President's plan, which allows an individual to control his or her health care through a tax-free Health Savings Account. Kerry's education plan, too, would expand government. He has called for ensuring more quality teachers, more school services in his "Schools Open 'Till Six" plan, and for upping funding for the No Child Left Behind Act. So where will this money come from? The logical answer is through taxes. Although Kerry has promised not to raise middle class taxes (Bill Clinton made the same claim in 1992), Kerry will be forced to do just that in order to fund new government programs, effectively combat terrorism, and cut into the deficit. These policies empower bureaucracies rather than individuals and pump money into a leviathan.

~snip~

It is essential that judges who interpret law rather than public opinion be appointed. But it is the less tangible aspects of conservatism, the core beliefs that are manifested in specific policy that gives the ideology legs as a philosophy. That's what this election is about for conservatives: preserving a philosophy that shapes our lives in the most fundamental ways.

http://www.colgateforum.com/media/paper764/news/2004/11/02/SpecialElectionIssue2004/Whats.At.Stake-891988.shtml

[tritsofme]

77. Sounds like something....gasp....a college student might write

and think its funny.

There are far more important things to dwell on with this nomination, like 30+ years of this man trying to reverse the progress we've made in the last 100.

[MADem]

Dupe, sorry, my mouse is jumpy

[MADem]

80. This was not private, it was published ON THE WEB

What I find amazing is that they can "scrub" away the indiscretions of the children of the rich and powerful, but the average schmuck has to live with his own stupidity....



http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:-PktagdYrFEJ:forum.collegepublisher.com/main.cfm%3Finclude%3DcustomPage%26name%3DBios+%22Quinn+is+a+member+of+the+Delta+Kappa+Epsilon+fraternity%22&hl=en&start=1
Editor - Phil Alito
First, God made the heavens and earth. Then came Arby's, followed shortly by Carl Jr. and other inferior brands of fast food. Fast foward. Homer's epics, Texas was created, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier, died at the Alamo, King Kong attacked Manhattan, and then, in a completely reactionary move, I was concieved. I was born 9 months and 2 weeks later by a midwife/wolf named Janie Jean, who would prove very influential during my formative years. Shortly after, I became interested in politics and got involved with Gary Condit (not like that). I served as a parking aide to Nancy Pelosi (I won't even start on her) but was fired when Barbara Boxer came onto me. Eventually, I decided that my teeth needed to be cleaned, so I came to Colgate with a band of gypsies (who I have declared war on and will one day destroy). I decided to join "The Forum" to make friends but obviously that hasn't worked out. So, soon I will probably find a cow at a nearby farm and ride my way to glory in either LA or at the Calgary Rodeos.


Edited because I double posted that opus!

[Fabio]

81. I [strongly] suspect Phil's article was satire

[LittleClarkie]

85. So when the RW talks about Chelsea or Alex and Vanessa Kerry

or the kids of another liberal politician, don't forget it's all fair game.

[ElectroPrincess]

86. We won't ...

The gloves are OFF! :-)

On Edit: Politics is a dirty game to begin with (always has been) ... if you don't use everything that's LEGAL, you will lose, and lose BIG.

[tsuki]

87. That was what was so out of kilter with the last election. While

Republicans talk, talk, talk family values, if you looked to the children, you could see who LIVED family values. The Dems children were so in control and confident.

I feel sorry for children raised in a repressive Republican Conservative household.

[progressivebydesign]

91. We're keeping "kids" out of it.. but... allowing attacks on Boxer?

I notice there's no moratorium on attacks on female Democratic leaders!! It's okay for this "kid" to make allegations against Barbara Boxer, but we have to be so so delicate with him? uh okay.