Tony’s finger

Brian Zick

I noted a bit ago John's link to the Scalia bird-flipping in church story. This is the full text of the report, from John's original UPI source: Justice Scalia flips the finger in church BOSTON, March 27 (UPI) -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia startled reporters in Boston just minutes after attending a mass, by flipping a middle finger to his critics. A Boston Herald reporter asked the 70-year-old conservative Roman Catholic if he faces much questioning over impartiality when it comes to issues separating church and state. "You know what I say to those people?" Scalia replied, making the obscene gesture and explaining "That's Sicilian." The 20-year veteran of the high court was caught making the gesture by a photographer with The Pilot, the Archdiocese of Boston's newspaper. "Don't publish that," Scalia told the photographer, the Herald said. He was attending a special mass for lawyers and politicians at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, and afterward was the keynote speaker at the Catholic Lawyers' Guild luncheon. ---- "Don't publish that," like, y'know, just fuck the First Amendment (because, well, judicial activism is A-Okay if you're a Republican). And then what's this "special mass for lawyers and politicians" all about?

The text is from the poem “QUADRENNIAL” by Golden, reprinted with permission. It was first published in the Poetry Project. Inside front cover photo by Golden.
Get 10 issues for $19.95

Subscribe to the print magazine.