I think that Prof. Chemerinsky has correctly noticed the symptoms but misdiagnosed the disease. The problem isn’t Scalia’s name-calling, it’s the overall coarsening of our culture, and in particular, the evolving double standard where those on the left are free to use bombastic, ad-hominem rhetoric, while those on the right who do the same are criticized for being “uncivil”. Hold your nose some time and look at the headlines of the articles on salon.com, gawker or (shudder) jezebel - this is how our friends on the left are taught to argue.
You have the coarsening of the culture down right. I recently visited Canada, which is full of warm, friendly people who use their turn signals and say “aboat” and “sorey” and “eh?”
I felt ambivalent about coming back to the USA because of 0bama and the political situation, but I wasn’t even thinking of having to deal with all the meanies, zombies and @$$holes down here, who seem to be remarkably few in number north of the border.
While Erwin is well published, he will never rise to the level of Justice Scalia. Never.
Erwin, lighten up baby. All Scalia is doing is given the Left a taste of their own medicine, a medicine developed by Saul Alinsky and William Kunstler.
If you can’t take it, don’t dish it out.
In court, there are no gentlemen. Only good liars.