With perhaps 10,000 dead in the Gulf Coast, it seems almost silly to talk about one man’s death. But the man who died first came to our attention with bushy sideburns, thick glasses, and wide lapels.

William Rehnquist was never a politician. He was just a judge. His devotion to the Constitution was amazing. He never deviated from his path of original understanding and legislsative intent. When Rehnquist authored an opinion, it was right in the eyes of the law, in the eyes of democracy, and in the eyes of God.

While Rehnquist never inspired crowds to rise up and fight, he did inspire the thoughtful to think, and, in thinking, to do what was right.

Our loss is heaven’s gain. Godspeed, William. May your reunification with Ronald Reagan involve great joy and many beers.

Eternal rest grant unto our Chief Justice, O Lord. Let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

UPDATE: Alan Dershowitz is evil incarnate. On the night William Rehnquist died, that bastard Dershowitz showed up on Fox News to badmouth the dead. Nothing in the history of civilization has caused more societal pain than Mr. Dershowitz and his ruthless pursuit of the almighty dollar. I pray for the conversion of his heart, and in its absence, for Dershowitz’s placement in a particularly terrible place in hell.