Another day, another Supreme Court ruling that the ugly-ass ballroom that the Trump administration is building can proceed, against the wishes of just about every American out there and definitely the rest of the world.
In a 5-to-4 vote, because the Supreme Court is still allowed to vote on things, the Court said that the preservationists who challenged the construction of the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom did not have legal standing to bring their lawsuit because they were “not directly harmed” by the $400 million project, according to the New York Times. Because being chartered by Congress to protect historic buildings does not mean you can just run to the courts whining that President Special Boy is singlehandedly doing Independence Day on the White House and expect them to agree that the blatantly illegal things President Special Boy is doing are blatantly illegal.
Okay, well this is how I know I should be on the Supreme Court because I can very easily make a case for direct harm from that goddamned ballroom. First of all, it’s ugly. I have to see this ugly shit assaulting my eyeballs every single day and I live on the other side of the country! It’s got to be horrible for anybody who has to walk by it all the time. I would probably have to get a big dog just so I could take it to do its poopies as close to the grounds as possible just like I used to do to my bigot neighbors’ Yes On 8 signs. (Pour one out for my beloved old Gracie the pit bull, gone but never forgotten, who had enormous and very smelly turds that were perfect for leaving on bigots’ lawns.)
Second of all, it’s getting built as a monument to one man and I am pretty sure our Constitution (remember that, guys? Remember when we had one of those?) frowns upon those sorts of things. Third of all, a beautiful monument to the people — the East Wing, the People’s House — has been destroyed for a monstrous, swollen, infected ego.
Ew.
Fourth, it’s just so goddamn ugly. I can’t stand it. Did I mention how ugly this whole thing is? I can’t bear to look at new photos coming out of the White House, even though I have to, because it’s all just so goddamn ugly. The National Trust for Historic Preservation literally sued for the tort of holy shit it’s all just so goddamn ugly, which according to the New York By God Times used to be a thing you could sue over but now you can’t because Grandpa needs a Hitler bunker.
I can find beauty in just about anything, but not something that looks like the worst of the 1980s had a baby with the worst of the aughts and then that baby ate too much postmodernism and threw up all over DC. That poor baby needs help, and better parents, probably!
So there you have it. I am personally injured — aesthetically and morally — by this tacky shit, and so are all the rest of us. So where’s my fucking payout?
Anyway, great news, the Supreme Court isn’t really sure it’s making the right decision here, but by God five of them are going to make it anyway!
“The majority emphasized that its order was not addressing the legality of the project and instead the question of who could sue to try to block it,” says the New York Times, very soberly.
“But in practical terms, the order was a significant setback to the most serious legal challenge to the project, meaning the president seems likely to be able to complete construction. Halting the project now would probably require a fresh lawsuit from an individual or group with standing, such as Congress, which would be a nonstarter while Republicans control the House and Senate.”
Here’s the kicker though. This is my favorite part.
“In an unusual lineup, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and the court’s three liberal justices dissented, saying the construction was ‘likely unlawful.’”
Thanks Chief Justice John Roberts! If only there was some sort of group that decided what things are or are not unlawful!
The Supreme Court says that it’s not their problem though, or at least five of the nine people who somehow are deciding my fate, and yours, and the rest of the millions and millions of Americans out there, so I guess we all just get to live in this tacky-ass country now.
I would very much like to see our next president who is not part of the QAnon Party tear this ugly shit down, pour gasoline all over it, and invite America to a very large and happy bonfire, before rebuilding the People’s House and maybe doing it the right way (i.e. without slave labor) the next time around. Wouldn’t that be a nice time? I love a nice time.
Now it is your OPEN THREAD.
Harry says finally a box big enough for me and my shadow!
https://substack.com/@ziggywiggy/note/c-327231437?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2knfuc
It seems to be a trend. News broke today that the Mahwah, NJ home and recording studio of guitarist and inventor Les Paul was bought and razed without notice by a property developer.
That place was the literal Room Where It Happened. The invention of the solidbody electric guitar. The invention of multitrack recording. Things that changed the sound of modern music.
One guy did that, in his garage. Where he recorded How High the Moon with his wife, Mary Ford.
And now it’s just not there any more. My loathing of developers is without boundary.