The more things change...

Meanwhile, rockets circle overhead, statesmen scale the summit, dark-skinned Africans and Asians are awakening in revolt against the imposition of restrictive control by foreign domination and white Southern demagogues are rising in massive resistance against the imposition of human decency by the Constitution of the United States, the strontium 90 falls all around all around, Jews in Israel are confidently building a state in the teeth of Arab and Soviet hostility, Jews in Europe are courageously rebuilding Jewish life despite decimation and dispersion, and we Jews here in the United States are gropingly seeking to maintain a meaningful Jewish life in the face of apathy, ignorance, and many signposts but few roads.

-Walter Lurie, President, National Conference of Jewish Communal Service

This is a quote from the opening remarks of the 1959 meeting of the National Conference of Jewish Communal Service. It wouldn't take much editing to keep it relevant today. (Attention Jewish communal speech writers: we have resources!)

white Southern demagogues are rising in massive resistance against the imposition of human decency by the Constitution of the United States

The tea party? Hopefully the first part of this quote will become less true and the second part, more true, the future composition of this Supreme Court permitting.