Supreme Court Justice Thinks It’s 2000

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito spoke at Rutgers yesterday and talked about a ton of things, I’m sure, but the Associated Press picked up that he bashed The Sopranos, and so that’s what every news story says.

Yes, The Sopranos! The show that everyone liked ’til it cut to black during the final episode last year is apparently still a hot topic for spaghetti-eating mafia members Italians, because Alito says it’s offensive. Apparently, he was so excited about people calling Ed Rendell racist for saying some white people won’t vote for a black person, he wanted to hop on the offensiveness train, too.

During a visit to Rutgers University, Alito complained the hit HBO television drama “The Sopranos” not only associated Italian-Americans with the Mafia, but New Jerseyans as well.

“You have a trifecta — gangsters, Italian-Americans, New Jersey — wedded in the popular American imagination,” Alito said at an event sponsored by the university’s Italian studies program. Alito lived for nearly two decades in a West Caldwell home in the same area of New Jersey where the fictional Tony Soprano was supposed to live. Alito told the gathering of about 100 people that a friend in California once sent him a map of Sopranos-related locations. “He wanted me to put down where my house was on the map,” Alito said to laughs.

Later, Alito talked about how offensive The Untouchables was.

Alito takes on ‘Sopranos’ during visit to Rutgers [AP/Courier-Post]

Sunday Justice Sunday

Whoo! Aren’t well all just super excited for Justice Sunday III? Man, I can’t wait to see Hulk Hogan’s big rematch against the Ultimate Warrior! And “Macho Man” Randy Savage taking on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin! And who could forget the big battle between The Undertaker and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair?!

Wait, what? Justice Sunday III isn’t a pay per view wrestling event? Are you sure? Shit. Now you got my hopes up for a rally for Sam Alito? He’s not a wrestler at all! Aw, man.

Okay, so here’s the deal: the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Sam Alito begin next week. And so Sunday night a bunch of Christian leaders will be holding a rally at Greater Exodus Baptist Church up on North Broad. No, Pat Robertson won’t be there, but Jerry Falwell and James Dobson will be! And what would a conservative rally be without our city’s very own Rick Santorum?

I don’t really get the whole politics/judiciary/religion mashup, but, hey, whatever you want to do. And, of course, outside there’s going to be a bunch of protests, consisting mainly of pro-choicers and yada yada yada. You all know where this is going, on both sides.

Anyway, although there won’t be any wrestlers there (as far as I know), there will be at least one athlete: former Philadelphia Eagles tailback Herb Lusk. A good guy and decent-ish backup on those less-than-stellar Birds teams of the 1970s, Lusk runs the church on North Broad where the event’s taking place. (That’s him in the photo with Bush.)

The Family Research Council is organizing Justice Sunday III, and they have a little bio of Lusk up on the website. This part caught my eye:

A former professional football player for the Philadelphia Eagles, Herb Lusk was nationally-recognized as the “Praying Tail Back” for his customary kneeling and praying in the end zone after each touchdown, thus giving the honor and glory to God.

I’m glad they added on that explanation at the end. Here I always just thought he had really bad knees.

Alito fight comes to Phila. [Inky]
Bio: Rev. Herbert Lusk [Family Research Council]