There must have been something good about Scalia.

[cali]

Ruth Bader Ginsberg loved him dearly.

[Agnosticsherbet]

1. It shows that there is even more wonderful about Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Brilliant, considerate, loving, and able to see the good in everyone.

[roguevalley]

30. he Notorious RBG ;D

[Agnosticsherbet]

32. Notorious is being famous for a bad reason, so Aclaimed, Renowned, or Lauded

would be better.

[roguevalley]

33. that is her internet name, a lay on notorious b.I.g

[Agnosticsherbet]

43. I had no ides. She continues to amaze me.

[HooptieWagon]

2. They probably had great respect for each other's intellects.

Justice Ginsberg is awesome.

[Rex]

3. That is the one thing cali, you found it.

Otherwise he was a pox on the American people. An extension of Ugly Reagan long after he was gone.

[HockeyMom]

4. He had family who loved him

I know that is true being married to a Republican for 41 years where all of us are Democrats! He is a Husband, Dad, and Poppa; Politics aside. I am sure Scalia was as well to his immediate family.

Condolences to his family, whatever our political view of him may be.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

10. Yep

I'm always amazed at the grave dancing that goes on here when someone on the other side dies. It says much, none of it good, about those folks.

[IrishEyes]

27. Yes, he was married to the same woman for 56 years.

He also had 9 children.

[Gabi Hayes]

45. and, yet, he was out killing things a couple thousand

miles away on valentines weekend.
frying pan to head in my world

[blm]

5. Shared love of opera.

Kinda like you and me, cali - shared love of DU, even though we butt heads, sometimes. ; )

[yortsed snacilbuper]

6. Sky Daddy probably has an important mission for him!

[dsc]

7. To be fair

he actually was the only justice who got it right about the Independent Council Law, he was downright precient about it.

[roguevalley]

31. also said that if a gun case came before him a lot of cons and pugs would be terribly surprised.

[Kingofalldems]

8. Yeah, but that Hillary Clinton on the other hand....

[Hortensis]

9. We are all many-faceted. I have many

conservative friends who are nice and responsible people to those they consider like them.

We don't talk about how to deal with the problems they see arising from "others" and the world "out there." That too often forces me into accepting or refusing to associate with people who, for instance, believe it will be regrettable (the nicer ones) but necessary to use our nuclear arsenal to murder 70 million Iranians. This is just one of many instances of severe differences that would arouse varying degrees of disapproval and even disgust going both directions if we opened that box. I have said a permanent goodbye to a number of acquaintances because of that but try to hold on to relationships with neighbors or people I particularly otherwise like and admire, also those my husband enjoys fishing with and their spouses.

Justice Ginsberg is no sweet but foolish old lady. She undoubtedly accepted that Scalia was a man of parts, like all of us, and liked and admired him for those facets she found likable and admirable in him.

[valerief]

11. I don't recall what wonderful things he said about her. Anyone know? nt

[former9thward]

14. From a LA Times article.

Scalia, 79, and Ginsburg, 82, frequently dine and vacation together. Every Dec. 31, they ring in the new year together. Their relationship has even inspired an opera, set to debut this summer.

"Call us the odd couple," Scalia said this year at a George Washington University event with Ginsburg. "She likes opera, and she's a very nice person. What's not to like?" he said dryly. "Except her views on the law."

Seated next to Ginsburg on the stage, Scalia teased her about the minor uproar that occurred after they were photographed together on an elephant during a trip to India in 1994. "Her feminist friends" were upset, Scalia said, that "she rode behind me." Ginsburg didn't let him have the last word, noting that the elephant driver had said their placement was "a matter of distribution of weight." The audience, including Scalia, roared with laughter.

She describes her fondness for "Nino" by recalling the time she first heard him speak at a law conference, before they became judges. "I disagreed with most of what he said, but I loved the way he said it," Ginsburg recounted.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-court-odd-couple-20150622-story.html

Regarding the last sentence I can attest to that. I was at a luncheon with about 1000 lawyers in Phoenix about 2 months ago and Scalia was the speaker. He had the audience in stitches, laughing at his non-stop jokes about life on the court and D.C. personalities. He was very funny.

[Drahthaardogs]

20. When you are rich, you have the luxury of opposing someone's viewpoints but still liking the person,

politics does not have to be personal. It can remain abstract. When you live paycheck to paycheck, every political decision can determine if you get to put food on the table and purchase medicine. EVERYTHING is personnel.

[LuvLoogie]

24. Well I don't think wealth has anything to do with it.

Nor does living paycheck to paycheck.

Misery loves company, too, it seems.

I live paycheck to paycheck, and I don't limit my friendships according to politics.

[mountain grammy]

25. Yes indeed, his decisions hurt many..

allowing states to "opt out" of the Medicaid expansion has certainly contributed to the suffering and even deaths of thousands. The medicaid expansion in Colorado has helped many of my friends get medicine and health care they've needed for too long.

Scalia's narrow and conservative point of view and decisions were damaging to huge numbers of Americans. I don't care if he was charming and funny, I don't care if he was intelligent, I don't care if he loved his family or if they loved him, I'm glad he's dead and will do no more damage to people who have no recourse. This is one time I wish I wasn't an atheist. I so want to believe he's burning in hell.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

12. Good story here

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/02/13/what-made-scalia-and-ginsburgs-friendship-work/

“If you can’t disagree ardently with your colleagues about some issues of law and yet personally still be friends, get another job, for Pete’s sake,” is how Scalia once described their lifetime appointments. “As annoyed as you might be about his zinging dissent, he’s so utterly charming, so amusing, so sometimes outrageous, you can’t help but say, ‘I’m glad that he’s my friend or he’s my colleague,’ ” Ginsburg said. Sometimes, she said, she had to pinch herself to not laugh in the courtroom when Scalia said something audacious.

Even in that VMI case, Ginsburg was grateful for how Scalia disagreed: giving her a copy of his dissent as soon as possible, so she could properly respond. “He absolutely ruined my weekend, but my opinion is ever so much better because of his stinging dissent,” she said. Whether or not it was how Scalia saw it, for Ginsburg their public friendship also made a statement about the court as an institution: that it was strengthened by respectful debate, that it could work no matter how polarized its members were.

[appal_jack]

13. Texas v. Johnson & DC v. Heller for two

Texas v. Johnson & DC vs. Heller, both penned by Scalia, are great decisions, upholding liberties that too many would heedlessly discard.

RBG's respect and affection also do count for something.

Nonetheless, Scalia did more harm than good most of the time (Bush v. Gore & Citizens United votes especially), and his sanity did seem to leave the rails permanently some time ago.

-app

[TeddyR]

15. Apparently he and Kagan

Became big hunting buddies too after she joined the Court. I recall reading that once before but had forgotten until I saw it in a piece today.

[trof]

16. Except...he gave us 8 years of Bush.

I can never forget that.
2 trillion dollar Iraq 'war'.
Hundreds of thousands of lives, dead or maimed for life.
And the maimed ones will cost taxpayers billions (trillions?) of dollars in years to come.

[eppur_se_muova]

17. Non sequitur.

Love is blind, haven't you heard ?

[Brickbat]

18. People in power have relationships the rest of us can only wonder at.

[boston bean]

19. I suppose on some personal level he might

have had qualities that made him likeable.

But i have to say that I don't think I could have separated the personal from his professional. He had too much power and mostly caused millions some pain and anguish. I dont think I could overlook that.

[intrepidity]

21. Sense of humor?

I heard he had a good sense of humor.

Sometimes, that can break down tough walls.

I still despise what he has done to this country, no matter how funny he may have been.

[panader0]

23. Welcome to DU.

[intrepidity]

28. Thank you

...although I've been here a long time. Lurking for almost a year because I couldn't find my old login info, lol.

Yesterday finally did it for me though... I just had to be able to post again.

[LuvLoogie]

22. I have a couple of friends.

One of whom is a neoliberal/libertarian supply sider. The other a very conservative, never vote Democrat in a million years. But they are great people. The first is a a mergers and acquisitions private equity guy. The other is a global sales rep.

Deep down the first lacks the killer instinct, though. His real calling I believe is as a writer. He's really funny.

The other is just a very warm and friendly, passionate guy.

I could never see either as an enemy in anything.

[guillaumeb]

26. He was not twins. eom

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

29. He liked opera. Maybe he was kind to animals.

He is said to have had a good sense of humor. Apparently his family loved him. But his actions as a Supreme Court justice were very damaging, so I really wish he had chosen another career.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

34. "Maybe he was kind to animals."

He was at that ranch to hunt birds, they use tame birds that can't fly and blast them for sport!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

35. Well, that's disgusting.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

36. This is their advertisement, the rich people in PA do the same thing!

Bird Hunts

A most remarkable hunting experience on the ranch is our pheasant and chukar shoots, available for eight or more hunters at a time. These take place at the base of a bluff from which the birds fly in a style similar to a European driven bird hunt. Hunters who participate are always thrilled by the shoot – and so are the spectators who watch. An open-air breakfast and full beverage service accompany the drive for this experience.

White tailed dove, blue quail and related quail species can be a difficult quarry that requires a good level of marksmanship and athletic ability, but if you are up for the challenge, we will gladly set up your trip!

Put and take bobwhite hunts are conducted on our native pastures and mountain terrain. We take pride in selecting birds from superior breeders and handling them in a fashion that assures a fulfilling hunting experience. Our guides and modified Humvees together with the scenic mountains, enhance the pleasure of the hunt. For those who prefer a stationary shooting experience, we also offer our boxed bird range.

*Please note that in order to support our bird population, we do not overhunt. Our staff will inform you of any census limitations prior to your excursion.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

37. Guess where cheney goes to hunt birds,

Pennsylvania!

[tammywammy]

38. According to the owner, he didn't participate in the hunt. n/t

[yortsed snacilbuper]

39. He croaked,

so he had to cancel!

[yortsed snacilbuper]

40. Scalia's last moments on a Texas ranch — quail hunting to being found in 'perfect repose'

When Texas millionaire John Poindexter invited Justice Antonin Scalia to his remote ranch near the Mexican border, it was for a private party with about 35 other guests, a weekend of hunting and sightseeing on his painstakingly restored and cultivated 30,000-acre spread.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-scalia-ranch-20160214-story.html

[tammywammy]

41. Yes, there's hunting at the resort, but Scalia didn't participate.

From your own link:

“He did not hunt. He was out on the property, looking at it,” Poindexter said. “It’s a reasonably attractive place. He seemed to enjoy himself. He got off the truck once and seemed to enjoy himself.”

[yortsed snacilbuper]

48. Also from the link,

" And in 2004, he went duck hunting with then-Vice President Dick Cheney — flying with him on a plane that served as Air Force 2 — while the high court was considering a case that challenged the secrecy of an energy task force led by Cheney."

He probably didn't feel good because he was getting ready to die, but he had plans to hunt tame birds, why else would you go on a bird hunting trip?

[krispos42]

42. Well, he had the courtesy to die without taking anybody with him

"I want to die like my grandpa... peacefully in my sleep. Not screaming in terror like his passengers."

[Gabi Hayes]

44. only makes me respect GinsbUrg less

He was all these things: fatuous, bombastic, hypocritical, corrupt, senile, dishonest, bullying blowhard

what's not to like?

[Orrex]

46. I believe he served as a buffer between her and Thomas

Providing a considerable barrier between RGB and the drowsing form of the semi-inert Justice.

[ScreamingMeemie]

47. He was her friend, not mine.

Even the worst of the worst are loved by someone. His quote about executing innocent men makes him not-ever-good to me. But that's okay that Ruth loved him.