An Update on Fingergate: Nino Is Still Cool
As we previously clarified in these pages, Justice Antonin Scalia did not give the finger to a Boston Herald reporter while standing inside a church. So we downgraded him a little on the scale of coolness and bad-ass-itude.
But now it's time for an upgrade. Nino just a saucy letter to the Boston Herald, clarifying that the Italian gesture he did make -- "fanning the fingers of my right hand under my chin" -- was not obscene. Here's the letter:
We love it when the subjects of news coverage mix it up with the media! Here are some choice quotes:
Your reporter, an up-and-coming 'gotcha' star named Laurel J. Sweet, asked me (o-so-sweetly) what I said to [my critics].
Catty characterizations of reporters -- fantastic! Puns based on their last names -- delicious! (Justice Scalia has employed this tactic before, most notably when he derided an article by Supreme Court reporter Tony Mauro as "Mauronic.")
Scalia's next move? He strikes a blow against anti-Italian-American bias (a la critics of "Scalito") -- and works in a swipe at HBO:
From watching too many episodes of the Sopranos, your staff seems to have acquired the belief that any Sicilian gesture is obscene - especially when made by an 'Italian jurist.' (I am, by the way, an American jurist.)
Ouch. Take that, Laurel!
This is great, great stuff. If you ever want to lash out at the blogosphere, Justice Scalia, you know where to reach us.
Scalia Seeks Justice Over Gesture [Boston Herald]
Earlier: For the Record: Justice Scalia Is Less Cool Than We Thought