Sharp Notes Monday: ‘Almost Cut My Hair’

By Jandoli Institute on May 27, 2024 • ( 0 )

Samuel Alito is a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. David Crosby was a popular singer/songwriter who battled substance abuse, health issues and legal problems before he died last year at the age of 81.

What does such an unlikely pair have in common?

One of Crosby’s best-known compositions, “Almost Cut My Hair,” is a song about defiance. The lyrics tell the story of a young man with long hair who considers cutting his locks to conform to a society where long hair is not the norm. Ultimately, he decides to keep his long hair, a decision that makes him “feel like letting my freak flag fly.”

Flags of a different type have been at the root of recent news stories involving Alito. On May 16, The New York Times reported that an upside down U.S. flag had been spotted flying at the justice’s Alexandria, Virginia, home.

Flying the flag upside down is a symbol of emergency and distress. Since 2021, the gesture has been closely aligned with those who feel the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump.

Six days after its May 16 story, The Times reported that an “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which also has been associated with those who feel the election was stolen, had been flown at Alito’s vacation home on Long Beach Island in New Jersey.

According to news reports, the controversial flags are no longer flying at either of Alito’s homes, but critics suggest that the justice has thrown his objectivity into question. They feel he should recuse himself from cases related to the Jan. 6 insurrection that grew out of claims that the election was stolen.

But like Crosby, Alito is defiant – defiant by unapologetically flying flags that raise questions and ethical concerns.

We have no way of knowing what is going on inside those homes, but it is unlikely that “Almost Cut My Hair” is on Alito’s playlist, so you can listen to it here as this week’s Sharp Notes Monday selection.