First, Chief Justice John Roberts quoted Bob Dylan in a decision. Now, justice Samuel Alito quotes John Lennon:
Alito, 58, makes the point that public monuments can convey multiple messages, or messages that change over time. The Statue of Liberty, for example, came to New York as a symbol of friendship between France and the United States, Alito said, and only later became viewed as a beacon welcoming immigrants.
Similarly -- and here's where Lennon comes in -- the mosaic in Central Park in New York City that displays the word "Imagine" as part of the memorial to John Lennon conveys several messages. "Some observers may 'imagine' the musical contributions that John Lennon would have made if he had not been killed," Alito said, while others might think of Lennon's song by that name, which imagined "a world without religion, countries, possessions, greed or hunger."
Alito then drops a footnote that offers the full text of Lennon's lyrics to the song "Imagine."
I sure hope this ends the whole church and state controversy, which is getting to be a real drag. I mean, let's move on, you know? See it my way, people. Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend.
