On Obama not going to Justice Scalia's funeral
Given his behavior at the Mandela funeral, we might be glad he is skipping the funeral of a giant of American jurisprudence
There are some things we just do as human beings. My father-in-law referred to them as "done things".
They might be difficult, unpleasant, uncomfortable, boring, or whatever but as people of integrity we just do them.
Hospital visits, weddings, funerals, distant relatives, and such often fall into "done things". Not everybody relishes these responsibilities of life but we do them. We don't make lame excuses and we don't send someone else.
It is with that background that I share these thoughts. I am horribly embarrassed by the fact that President Obama is breaking a 62-year precedent by not attending the funeral of Justice Scalia. Regardless of their political differences, attending the funeral should fall under "done things". The President was able to make time to attend the funeral's of Daniel Inouye,the Senator from Hawaii, civil rights leader Dorothy Height and Nelson Mandela as well as the victims of the Charleston Church shooting. Of course none of them was white or right leaning.
Then again, given his behavior at the Mandela funeral, we might be glad he is skipping the funeral of a giant of American jurisprudence. And, I'd wager that if the roles were reversed, Scalia would have attended Obama's funeral.
Victoria Vaughn
Englewood, FL
Read next: A Judges' Oath: To God, King and Justice! October 2026
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