An MSM Mystery — Is RBG Still Ill?

The photos at left were taken by staff at the prestigious VD (Very Democratic) Hospital in DC on the day Justice Ginsburg was discharged after a bout of illness some weeks ago. The photos at right were taken within the last week or so by the District Police Department, who briefly detained her on suspicion of impaired driving. So how is she really doing?

The mainstream media have been reporting occasional private and semi-public outings by the seniorish Justice since she returned home. Alec Baldwin reported witnessing her cutting cheese in an elite SoHo fromagerie named Al’s, actress Helen Mirren* claims to have had mimosa’s with her at the Claridge Hotel in London, various members of the Democrat Congressional Caucus have told journalists she has already been back to the Supreme Court, where she was Runner-Up in the Annual SCOTUS Valentines Day Shuffleboard Tournament, even chugging all the champagne in Stevie Breyer’s winner’s trophy (in jest, of course). A doorman at the Manhattan Ritz-Carlton swears it was RGB who whistled down a late night taxi after an after-hours party hosted by Harvey Weinstein’s attorney. But...

But there have been few photos of her apart from the PD mugshots — actually, make that just one photo — of RBG’s various toots around the hot spots. The one we have does not inspire confidence.

Like most, I’m sure, we’re delighted by the anecdotal evidence that Justice Ginsburg has made an astonishing recovery from what certainly appeared to be a rather serious episode of ill health this winter. But we can’t help being concerned about the fact that the most recent photographs were in fact mugshots associated with a DWI offence and that the word of mouth stories about her doings mostly involve drinking, possibly to excess. (We note, too, that what seems an extraordinary weight gain on display in the mugshots may not be as healthy as it looks but a side effect of a high-calory alcohol-dominated diet. Just expressing concern here.) While this may explain the absence of press photos of the Justice, no doubt exhibiting their customary discretion about publicly embarrassing the nation’s legitimate leaders, it may not be doing any of us a service.

If America’s favorite Supreme Court judge is experiencing an understandable substance abuse problem in the wake of a no doubt painful illness, We the People have a right to know. And perhaps more importantly, the lady herself has a right to receive some professional assistance as soon as possible so that she can continue her magnificent performance on the nation’s highest bench.

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* About Helen Mirren. Look for our upcoming profile of her in a future post at InstaPunk Returns.