Colbert on the meaning of the cross

Steven Colbert had a great riff Wednesday night on the recent Supreme Court case about the Mojave Cross.  The case involves a large white cross that was erected on federal land as a memorial to fallen soldiers. In a rather odd line of reasoning, Justice Scalia argued the cross isn’t necessarily a Christian symbol, saying: “It’s the — the cross is the — is the most common symbol of — of — of the resting place of the dead, and it doesn’t seem to me — what would you have them erect? A cross — some conglomerate of a cross, a Star of David, and you know, a Moslem half moon and star?”

During the proceedings, ACLU lawyer Peter Eliasberg pointed out that the cross is not a universal symbol of death since one is hard-pressed to find a cross in a Jewish cemetery. 

And now, Steven Colbert jokes that maybe the cross is actually a symbol of gratitude — a big “T” for “Thanks, Jews”. Take  a look:

And on a more serious note, Paul Waldman has a great piece over at The American Prospect in which he argues that Scalia’s convoluted comments do not show the lack of a brain. No, what the Justice  lacks is heart! Waldman says this case is really about empathy and the lack of empathy that some in the Christian majority (Scalia included) have for religious minorities or non-religious Americans. Read his piece here.