“Everyone can be an American, but some people, it seems, can be better Americans than others…”

As the debate on the confirmation of Sam Alito begins, it demands a clear idea of “judicial activism,” which reactionary Republicans claim to oppose.

In opposing “judicial activism,” reactionary Republicans hope to eradicate the constitutional “checks and balances” of presidential and congressional abuse of power. In opposing “judicial activism,” reactionary Republicans hope to achieve social homogeny and eradicate social pluralism.

For the reactionary Republican, social homogeny means: “Everyone can be an American,” as Nathan Glazer observed, “but some people, it seems, can be better Americans than others, and they have been defined through most of our history by race, religion, or ethnicity.”