 Rehnquist Visit |
|||
|
|||
|
Posted on 05/27/2002 6:52:39 PM PDT by Balding_Eagle
Two distinct groups of people awaited William Rehnquist in Shorewood on Friday.
Inside the north gym of Shorewood High School was the congenial group: classmates and community members proud to honor the alum who now serves as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
|
Outside, on the corner of E. Capitol Drive and N. Oakland Ave., was the less congenial crowd: demonstrators upset that Rehnquist, one of the high court's most conservative members, was being honored.
Rehnquist, who graduated from Shorewood High in 1942, appeared to be in a good mood, smiling, finding old classmates and cracking jokes.
The school awarded him its first Tradition of Excellence Award for his prestigious achievements in the legal field. The Village Board declared Friday, "Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist Day."
Rehnquist, 77, wearing a dark gray suit, offered just brief remarks - mainly thank-yous and a mention of how glad he was to see some of his classmates.
After Shorewood Village President Rodney Dow accidentally said Rehnquist had served in World War I instead of World War II, Rehnquist said, "Let me tell you about the dogfight I had with the Red Baron."
After seeing the village, "I was amazed at how little has changed," Rehnquist said.
About 300 protesters, through posters, T-shirts, chants and interviews, blasted Rehnquist, who they say has used his position on the court to undermine the rights of racial minorities, women and the disabled, among others.
One poster declared: "Rehnquist and the death penalty - both are cruel and unusual."
But for many in the demonstration, the biggest issue was their anger over the Supreme Court's key ruling in the disputed 2000 presidential election.
Protesters also demonstrated for the same reasons against Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia when he spoke at Marquette University last year.
"I want the president to be voted in by the people, not by the courts," said Derl Howe of Milwaukee. "The people's right to vote has been stolen. He should have said this is not the business of the court."
Rehnquist was chosen for the award by a committee of alumni and school district administrators. Nine others will be honored with the award in the fall.
The school had planned to hold an assembly for all students Friday, but after learning about potential demonstrations and concerns about security, school officials chose to have an invitation-only gathering for students and staff before the reception in the gym. Representatives of various student groups were invited.
"You don't invite a guest and insult them," said Karen de Hartog, Shorewood High's director of communications.
Zahava Blumenthal, a Shorewood High senior, said many students didn't mind that the main assembly had been changed to an invitation-only event. The majority of the student body is fairly liberal, she said, and would probably have been bored or railed against Rehnquist.
Rehnquist was born in Milwaukee on Oct. 1, 1924, and grew up in Shorewood. During high school, he worked for the student newspaper, Shorewood Ripples. Known by the nickname "Bugs," Rehnquist ran on the cross country team and was a member of the National Honor Society, among other activities.
Harriet Meyers-Pulley, 77, flew in from Oklahoma City to watch her high school classmate get honored.
"He was really very studious," Meyers-Pulley said. "He has a fabulous sense of humor."
Rehnquist was "not really a heartthrob, but had lots of friends," she said. "For some reason, you could be impressed with him and not even know him."
He received his law degree from Stanford University. Former President Richard Nixon nominated Rehnquist to the Supreme Court, where he began serving in 1972. In 1986, he took over as chief justice.
Rehnquist's plaque, which features a black-and-white portrait of him, is dated Sept. 14, 2001, the day the award ceremony was originally scheduled to take place. Because of the Sept. 11 attacks, the event was postponed.
The chief justice got lots of cheers from his admirers in the gym. As he was driven away from the school, he got a round of boos from the protesters.
And for that we need to be greatful to the scum that, lost in their hatred for law and order, protest Rehnquist.
What he did say was, "this is not the business of the Florida Supreme Court". Democrats are perfectly happy to have the Florida Supreme Court interfere in the election process.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
