Valerie Bertinelli's Bold Statement About The Recent SCOTUS Rulings
The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled on two important and divisive issues over the past two days, abortion and gun control, and celebrities and lawmakers alike are chiming in with their thoughts on social media. On Thursday, June 23, SCOTUS "struck down" a New York state law that required citizens to have "proper cause to carry a handgun," loosening the regulations for who can obtain a concealed carry permit (via USA Today). This decision was especially disappointing for lawmakers like Governor Kathy Hochul, who is working toward more gun control in New York in the wake of the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas (via USA Today).
One decision to further divide the country wasn't enough for the Supreme Court to have on the docket this week, so on Friday, June 24, Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett voted to reverse Roe v. Wade (via NPR). Now, it will be up to the states to regulate abortion, and some states may plan to criminalize abortion providers (via Count On 2). These two decisions have rattled the country and sparked a lot of conversation on social media. Celebrities and celebrity chefs like Valerie Bertinelli are historically not afraid to use their platform to speak their minds on these issues, and she tweeted a bold statement about the recent SCOTUS rulings today.
'We are not the greatest country in the world'
In the wake of the recent SCOTUS rulings, celebrity chef and cookbook author Valerie Bertinelli tweeted today that "We are not the greatest country in the world," (via Twitter). The tweet is especially ominous because she tweeted the exact same thing one month ago to the day about the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The statement is likely in response to both of the Supreme Court rulings, because she followed it up with this tweet: "The majority of Americans want stricter gun laws and more access to healthcare. The minority of white Christian nationalists run our country and are not Christian in any sense of the word. We are NOT the greatest country in the world."
As expected, the replies to her tweet are very divided. "Free to find another place youd prefer," replied one Twitter user. A few others sang the same overplayed "if you don't like it then leave" tune, while others echoed Bertinelli's sentiment. "We haven't been for a long time. This just makes us a Third World country now. America has lost our greatness for generations to come," replied another Twitter user. "Making an exit plan as we speak. I refuse to live in Gilead," replied @mindybonner.