08 February 2017

Neil Gorsuch's yearbook quote


In the 1988 Columbia University yearbook, the quote accompanying Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch's photo comes from Henry Kissinger -
"The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer."
However, Snopes notes that "determining Gorsuch's intention in offering this quote back then is a matter of speculation. It should be noted that Gorsuch founded a school newspaper called The Fed at Columbia University, which frequently published satirical content." 

7 comments:

  1. We often reveal our true selves in our humor.

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  2. I would guess Kissinger wasn't offering this as satire...

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  3. I came across the quote a few years ago. I use it a lot for humor. I'm not sure if Kissinger offered it as satire, or in what context. I think its hilarious, and a great comment on practical necessity.

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  4. Full quote:
    "Before the Freedom of Information Act, I used to say at meetings,
    “The illegal we do immediately; the unconstitutional takes a little longer.“
    But since the Freedom of Information Act, I’m afraid to say things like that."
    I would guess there is much more to this quote.

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  5. Please note that Gorsuch did not found "The Fed" as snopes reports (liberally biased in my opinion), but was the founder of "The Federalist". Also, please refer to a definition of 'federalist' in a dictionary for context.

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    Replies
    1. Stan, where do you get that information? I think "The Fed" is a modern renaming of the original "The Federalist". I just looked at this webpage from Columbia University -

      http://www.columbia.edu/cu/thefed/v3/volume15/5/fedhistory.shtml

      - which says

      "Neil M. T. Gorsuch, Andrew L. Levy, and P. T. Waters, who were, according to a former Fed editor from the early 90s, a libertarian, a conservative, and a socialist (although no one knows which was which), founded the then-monikered Federalist Paper in 1986."

      But I could be wrong. Your turn.

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  6. I'm not sure just where I got my info. Seems I was wrong. My brain must be tuned in to 'fake news'. Thanks for the reply.

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