October 9, 2014, - 12:00 pm
Told Ya So: Conservative S. Ct Justice Said WHAT?! About Muslim Beards
Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito believes that not only should Muslims be allowed to grow beards in prison, but that jail guards should be required to “comb through them” if they are concerned about security. HUH? When even Alito subscribes to this absurdity, you know we’ve lost the Court–and America–irreparably. And that’s exactly the situation in the case of Gregory Holt a/k/a Abdul Maalik Muhammad, a convert to Islam who trained in Yemeni terrorist camps, who is in prison for life.
Don’t Worry, Be ISIS: Justice Alito Sides with Islam, Terrorists & Abdul Maalik Muhammad Against Prison Security
Several months ago, I warned conservatives not to cheer the Supreme Court decision on the Hobby Lobby, contraception, and ObamaCare. I said it would be used in favor of Muslims to our detriment. And I was right. Holt a/k/a Muhammad used the language of the decision and its expansion of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to his advantage at the U.S. Supreme Court, this week. And ALL of the Justices seemed to be on his side, so I predict they will be unanimous in allowing this dangerous cretin to grow his beard in prison and hide who-knows-what in it.
Yes, this Muslim prisoner’s beard is only a half-inch in length. But tomorrow, another Muslim will argue for an inch in length or three-quarters of an inch, long enough in which to hide a razor blade. In fact, a blade can be fashioned that is less than half an inch.
And what does Justice Alito say about that? Well, he’s got a “fabulous” solution: prison guards will have to comb through the beards to find out if there is anything in them. He says that the prisons can force the inmates to do the combing, but you know they won’t be thorough, just like we know O.J. Simpson faked that the gloves didn’t fit. So, the guards will end up being the ones doing the combing . . . if they want the prisons to remain secure. Yeah, that’s the ticket: force guards to become at once cosmetology school interns and put themselves in unnecessary proximity to dangerous Muslim prisoners in the process.
The justices turned to the question of whether Muslim prisoner Gregory Holt’s half-inch beard could threaten the security of the Arkansas prison system. No, most of the justices appeared to conclude — but they worried that the next cases might involve longer beards or other religious demands, with no end in sight. At what point, several of them said, should a state’s security interests surmount a prisoner’s religious rights? . . .
The issue before the court was Arkansas’ requirement that prisoners be clean-shaven, unless they have a medical reason for keeping a quarter-inch beard. While more than 40 state prison systems allow beards in general, Holt had agreed to keep his to a half-inch — virtually negating the chance he could hide weapons or contraband in it, and making it harder for him to change his appearance by shaving.
A law passed by Congress in 2000 was intended to protect prisoners’ religious rights, much like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 was meant to protect religious freedom in general. That law was cited by the court in June when it allowed family-owned corporations with religious objections to be exempted from providing health insurance for contraceptives.
The justices appeared to agree that the law regarding prisoners does work in Holt’s favor. Several also belittled the state’s stated fears: that an escaped prisoner could hide a weapon or contraband in his beard, and change his appearance after an escape by shaving. “Not one example has ever been found of anybody hiding anything in his beard,” said Justice Stephen Breyer. And Justice Samuel Alito suggested that prison officials could just force inmates to comb through their beards. “Anything else you think can be hidden in a half-inch beard, a tiny revolver, it will fall out,” Alito said.
Uh, not necessarily. We’re not talking guns. A beard can hide razors, tiny blades and sharp objects, and even a SIM card for a cell phone. And, again, the inmates won’t do an adequate combing, so the guards will have to do it. And there’s another security concern:
Arkansas Deputy Attorney General David Curran noted that the state prison system houses inmates in barracks and employs them on maintenance jobs outside prison grounds, where they might engage in mischief. “We’re not like California. We’re not like New York. They have cell-block housing,” Curran said. “A beard is one of the quickest and easiest ways to change one’s appearance.” University of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock, representing Holt, admitted prisons could face “some teeny, tiny risk” because of prisoners’ beards.
Teeny, tiny? Not exactly. And, you know what’s amazing? That one of the most liberal Justices on the bench is the only one who seems to get it.
Other justices said the state deserves some deference in setting security policies. Rather than “teeny-tiny,” Justice Elena Kagan suggested, the risk could be “measurable, although small.” And she noted that taxpayers’ costs rise if prisons take on extra security risks.
Wow, amazing. She has more of a brain on this than Alito. (A broken clock still has a better record of being correct though.)
Holt, also known as Abdul Maalik Muhammad, convinced the court to hear his case with a 15-page, handwritten petition citing his desire to keep a beard as part of his Muslim faith. His grievance stems from the Arkansas Department of Corrections rule prohibiting beards unless medically required. “This is a matter of grave importance, pitting the rights of Muslim inmates against a system that is hostile to these views,” he wrote in his petition. “It can affect thousands of inmates and is creating unnecessary attention between Muslims and their keepers.”
Um, the system is “hostile” to Islam? Really? Here’s a tip: prison systems all over the country bend over backward–and forward–to Muslims. That’s why it’s the best location for converting criminals to the religion and radicalizing them. It’s also why the Blind Sheikh, Omar Abdul Rahman, was able to recruit jihadists in Spain . . . from his Supermax prison cell! Uh, no, the prison system ain’t hostile to Islam. It’s a petri dish for it. The religion spreads and dominates like Ebola there.
Prison officials call Holt “a Yemen-trained Muslim fundamentalist” who threatened to kidnap and harm President George W. Bush’s daughters. He is serving a life sentence as a habitual offender for aggravated residential burglary and domestic battery after stabbing a former girlfriend in the neck and chest.
Both the federal district and appeals courts ruled against Holt, even though a magistrate who heard testimony said it was “almost preposterous” to think he could hide a weapon in his beard. The judges reasoned that Holt had been granted several other religious concessions, such as a prayer rug, a special diet and holiday observances, and they deferred to the state’s judgment about its security needs.
The federal government and 16 religious and law enforcement groups have lined up behind Holt. The Justice Department cited what it called the state’s “exaggerated fears or mere speculation” about security. Eighteen states backed Arkansas in the case.
Figures that Obama and Eric Holder are on this cretin’s side, but which idiotic law enforcement groups are? I’ll look into it and let you know.
Bleepin’ morons!
” I warned conservatives not to cheer the Supreme Court decision on the Hobby Lobby, contraception, and ObamaCare. I said it would be used in favor of Muslims to our detriment.”
Yep. Great call, Debbie.
DS_ROCKS! on October 9, 2014 at 4:44 pm