What A Great Day To Be An American--In The Land Of The Maya

I wouldn't say that today started like any other day.

Most days here I haven't gotten up until 10 or 11.  This morning, though, room service was knocking on my door just before 6 with breakfast--I had to catch a tour bus at 7.  I'd swear I didn't get a moment of sleep last night, but I was still able to get out of bed, eat, shower, and be downstairs in time.

Our first stop was Tulum.  I've only been there once before, in 1989, and hence my memory of the site has become somewhat hazy in time.  I had a camera with me, but I thought I should take a couple pictures with my phone so I could easily put them on Instagram later, so I powered up my phone.

I thought I had int'l roaming off, perhaps I missed a setting, but the notifications started coming in fast and furious.
Notification.
Notification.
Notification notification notification.
Notifi/notifi/notifi/notifi/notification.

Over a dozen messages and emails.  Clearly, something important had happened.

My heart started racing.  I had heard that perhaps the Janus ruling might come down today, and I hoped, hoped, for a positive ruling.  I wasn't sure I wanted to read them, but I just had to.  As in the Obamacare case, it would only take one out-of-place justice to make this ruling go the wrong way.  When Friedrichs was decided 4-4 2 years ago, I thought for sure that our best chance in a generation to eliminate forced unionism had died with Justice Scalia.  That was a very sad day.

I snuck a peek at a message from a politically-minded friend, and saw "5-4 along party lines".  That gave me the boost I needed to start reading the others, and what I saw overwhelmed me.  The Supreme Court ruled in Mark Janus' favor!  And I am to be free of being compelled to pay a union that doesn't represent me!

Here's what I was looking at when I started receiving the notifications:

For over 40 years since the 1977 Abood decision, freedom-loving teachers have wandered in the wilderness, looking for the Promised Land of Freedom.  I myself have wandered that wilderness for over half of those years.  But today, we were delivered.

The left in general, and unionistas in particular, are not taking today's news well.  Scratch a leftist, and a totalitarian bleeds--and many of them are showing their violent sides today.  One take-away is that elections have consequences.  All you Never Trumpers out there--had things gone your way, Felonia von Pantsuit would be on her 2nd Supreme Court pick right now.  Would it really be worth it?

In one day, Korematsu was repudiated, Abood was overturned, and the number of right-to-work states jumped from 28 to 50.  Is this a great day, or what?!

Update:  while the ruling came down today, don't forget that I was there the day history was made:

Update #2:  The Court, rather than a narrow ruling, went even further than some of us had dared hope (although the topic was mentioned in amicus briefs):  not only do we not have to pay a union, we don't have to opt-out.  Payment of union dues is now opt-in--and it's the law of the land!