In the Barney Fife years (1960-64) of “The Andy Griffith Show,” Black people appeared only in the background & never w/speaking parts, despite their making up 24.5% of the population of North Carolina, where the fictional Mayberry was set and shot in black-and-white. Well... 1/5

Maybe “black-&-gray” is more accurate. Yesterday (1/19/23) Indiana’s Supreme Court heard arguments: is a “near-total” abortion ban unconstitutional? The Court’s chambers lacked color, specifically green, chosen by supporters of women’s rights to express their views. 2/5

People who wore green, even without expressive intent, were told to remove the item. Colors were not treated equally: blue, the color of those who oppose a woman’s right to choose, were allowed to enter the chambers fully-clad, in both finery and rights. Was there trouble? 3/5

The Court is a place for order, but pro-choice people aren’t raucous. We are in the majority. A 2020 SurveyUSA poll of Indiana voters showed 58% said Roe v. Wade should remain the law of land and 27% said it should be overturned. That brings me back to Mayberry. In 2013? 4/5

Jim Nabors “came out” as gay (but other cast members knew long ago). We can imagine a more colorful Mayberry, w/Rainbow flags on Main Street, but the show fails in demographics, as does Indiana’s Supreme Court (IN 50.8% women, Court: 20%; 11% Black, Court: 0%). Gollee! 5/5