Did Justice Scalia have an undisclosed conflict of interest?

[shadowmouse]

This one disturbs me: http://news.yahoo.com/antonin-scalia...175800512.html

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spent his final hours with members of a secret society of elite hunters, it has emerged.

Before he was found dead at a lodge in Texas on February 13, he took a hunting trip with members of a secret society known as "The International Order of St. Hubertus," according to the Washington Post.

I'm not going to go tinfoil hat and conspiracy theorist about his death, but I do wonder why such a prominent figure's death didn't involve an autopsy. It now comes out that Justice Scalia, who had several major health issues, was found with a device for treating apnea.

It has also emerged that a breathing machine used to treat sleep apnea was found on Scalia's bedside table.
According to the police report: "The hose for the machine was resting on the edge of the bed. The breathing machine was switched off and the hose was not connected to Scalia."

The 79-year-old, who was remembered at a funeral last weekend, suffered from heart disease, obesity and diabetes, a Supreme Court doctor has said.

Some of you may have OSA or know someone with it. Given that cluster of problems -- heart disease, obesity, and diabetes -- I'd be inclined to bet that his apnea was severe. Sleeping with a face mask isn't exactly comfortable, but sleeping without using your CPAP leaves you waking up through the night choking. It is odd that he wouldn't have his mask on and CPAP turned on, sleeping without it is sort of the lite version of being waterboarded if your apnea is severe.

I gather that Justice Scalia was involved in at least one case that involved the Order and Dick Cheney. I'd think that an autopsy would be normal just to prevent conspiracy theories from springing up. I'm willing to bet that I could have killed a 79 year old guy with his health using a good meal, a couple of glasses of strong wine and a sleeping aid if I could also disconnect his CPAP (diabetes presents the danger of blood sugar swings, and a person with OSA has to be careful about alcohol and sleep aids).

[xChurch]

I'm not going to go tinfoil hat conspiracy about his death but here is a tinfoil hat conspiracy.

[Hoover Hog]

I don't understand. Is the conflict of interest between him wanting to stay alive and wanting to stop breathing?

[Tierbook]

Well I found the "Secret Society" here's a pic from their website

[breadisfunny]

Shit. Obama had him killed so he could take over SCOTUS and become king.

for the tenth time it was those killer quail assassins the dnc hired.

[Piglord]

Well I found the "Secret Society" here's a pic from their website

They get fucking capes. Where do I sign up?

[Pangean]

They get fucking capes. Where do I sign up?

If you join you have to hunt wearing them.

[xChurch]

If you join you have to hunt wearing them.

Is shooting your lawyer in the face part of your initiation?

[Pangean]

Is shooting your lawyer in the face part of your initiation?

Only for higher initiates with big purse strings or Vice presidents of a country.

[Tierbook]

Is shooting your lawyer in the face part of your initiation?

No but getting shot in the face is part of the initiation. To add insult to injury you must publicly apologize for getting in the way.

[Hoover Hog]

No but getting shot in the face is part of the initiation. To add insult to injury you must publicly apologize for getting in the way.

But you get to do it while wearing your BRAAND. NEEEW. CAAAAAAAPE.

/roll price is right theme

[hrugner]

Sleeping without a CPAP machine can make your sleep unrestful as you simply stop breathing, no choking involved. They are very noisy and many people elect not to use them when in company unless they are having severe problems with restlessness or snoring louder than the machine. People deciding to just not use the damn thing is also a huge problem(50-80% use it https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4549693/). Since he remained uniformly obese, and CPAP use correlates well with weight loss, it's safe to assume he didn't use it consistently.

[Pangean]

Sleeping without a CPAP machine can make your sleep unrestful as you simply stop breathing, no choking involved. They are very noisy and many people elect not to use them when in company unless they are having severe problems with restlessness or snoring louder than the machine. People deciding to just not use the damn thing is also a huge problem(50-80% use it https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4549693/). Since he remained uniformly obese, and CPAP use correlates well with weight loss, it's safe to assume he didn't use it consistently.

That's just silliness. Obesity will often result in the need of a CPAP but a CPAP does not cause weight loss in of itself. I use a CPAP machine and according to your logic I should be a fucking scarecrow by now. 10 years use, every night without fail.

[breadisfunny]

Sleeping without a CPAP machine can make your sleep unrestful as you simply stop breathing, no choking involved. They are very noisy and many people elect not to use them when in company unless they are having severe problems with restlessness or snoring louder than the machine. People deciding to just not use the damn thing is also a huge problem(50-80% use it https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4549693/). Since he remained uniformly obese, and CPAP use correlates well with weight loss, it's safe to assume he didn't use it consistently.

my dad uses one for his snoring issues. it helps him to breathe.

[hrugner]

That's just silliness. Obesity will often result in the need of a CPAP but a CPAP does not cause weight loss in of itself. I use a CPAP machine and according to your logic I should be a fucking scarecrow by now. 10 years use, every night without fail.

I said it's continued use correlates well with weight loss. Not that using it will continue to make you lose weight, but that using it will keep your weight lower for as long as you use it. Since the burning of fat is only really done when your body is getting enough air, there is also a reasonable explanation as to why that correlation would be there. I realize I wasn't very clear in my explanation, no it isn't a magic fat pump, but yes it will reduce the amount of fat your body tries to store.

But you're right, it isn't the strongest point. I think the fact that many people simply don't use the things, particularly around other people, is more than enough of an explanation as to why it wouldn't have been used. Good for you using yours consistently though, I managed to escape mine through weight loss which was fortunate(just weightlifting, no magic fat pump), my younger brother ended up needing some sort of nose/throat surgery to clear up his sleep apnea and avoid those awful pumps.

[shadowmouse]

I'm not going to go tinfoil hat conspiracy about his death but here is a tinfoil hat conspiracy.

Not quite. I haven't speculated about who could gain or any of the other elements of conspiracy. The point is not that they killed him for some nefarious purpose, the point is that when someone like Justice Scalia dies under conditions that are in any way questionable there should be an autopsy. Not using his CPAP is unusual. His pillow was found in an unusual place. None of these things mean anything untoward happened, but that should have been properly ruled out through an examination.

As someone who retired from the practice of law because of OSA and related issues, I'm concerned that he hadn't stepped down. Nobody does their best thinking while sleep deprived, and CPAP isn't a perfect replacement for restful sleep. Diabetics can have issues because of swings in their blood sugar. That's a separate issue.

I am further concerned about why any Justice would be involved with a group that is identified as a secret society. That's a fundamental lack of transparency that raises the appearance of impropriety. In at least one of Justice Scalia's cases (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheney...District_Court), he did not recuse himself (http://edition.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/18/scalia.recusal/) It was a 7-2 decision and aside from the controversy over not recusing himself Justice Scalia does not appear to have played a significant role, but he would have been part of deliberations and there is no real way to measure what influence that might have had. In the case I've mentioned, Justice Scalia said he had no significant contact with Cheney, but now his involvement with a secret society should throw that into question.

Supreme Court Justices who just happen to die after refusing a security detail and in connection with a secret society simply doesn't look right. Given his position, transparency and accountability should have been key. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...emote-resorts/

[Mormolyce]

You mean apart from the very obvious conflicts of interest he basically built his entire career on?

[xChurch]

The thing is I don't think anyone stands to gain from his death. It is pretty obvious that no one is going to be elected to replace him before the election so it really just serves to muck up the court for a year.

[Pipebomb]

Also worth mentioning is the fact that the St. Hiberius' American chapter was launched at the infamous Bohemian Club in 1966. /tinfoilhat

[ezgeze]

http://www.iosh-usa.com/

The International Order of St. Hubertus is a worldwide organization of hunters who are also wildlife conservationists and are respectful of traditional hunting ethics and practices. Founded in 1695, the motto of the Order is “Deum Diligite Animalia Diligentes” or “Honoring God by Honoring His Creatures.”

So basically its a group of religious hunters that give thanks to God for providing them with the bounty of a successful hunt.


OMGSECRETSOCIETY!!!