Even were we to set aside the gifts from his “good friend“ Harlan Crow—who didn’t become a friend until after Thomas became a Justice—Thomas now suddenly reports hundreds of dollars in interest income each year, including an account at the Congressional Federal Credit Union, claiming he “inadvertently omitted” this information for the years 2017-21. Did the man not receive 1099 forms, as we all do when an account earns more than $10 in interest? Perhaps it is also time to look at his tax returns to see if he reported the interest income there.
I may have commented about this before, but I filled out government financial disclosure forms for over 30 years. The year I got engaged, I had to report my engagement ring since it was a gift from someone who was not a relative that met the threshold reporting requirement. It’s really not that hard to be honest on these forms, though they could sometimes be a pain to complete. Our forms were due in May of every year (and you could get an extension); it was relatively easy to track most of the information that had to be reported based on information required on your tax returns and in statements from various institutions. Reporting interest earned from a financial institution is so basic that it is beyond insulting, careless or “inadvertent” that Thomas failed to report it. His history of omissions demonstrates his contempt at being a true public servant, and it shows his belief that he is above the law.
Totally agree. Wondering if Clarence Thomas reported this income on his IRS returns. Regardless, where is the clamoring for a Congressional investigation for Thomas’ failure to report? (Not a real question...)
Sep 1, 2023·edited Sep 1, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
I did contact my Senators about SCOTUS ethics reform. Senator Rubio’s response:⬇️
“Further, in seeking to adequately punish those who intimidate federal judges for the purpose of altering the course of a legal proceeding, I joined Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in introducing the Protecting Our Supreme Court Justices Act (S. 1382). This legislation raises federal penalties for picketing in or near court buildings or the homes of judges. S. 1382 was referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.”
Yes, and more. Clarence Thomas is trying to make people think he was *burdened* by the financial reporting requirements. In a way, he and his lawyer were implying that the reporting requirements were too much for his mind to cope with.
He’s trying to play a “sympathy card” – posing as an ordinary man oppressed by “burdensome” government regulations.
does anyone think that Thomas actually sat down with a pencil and filled out the forms? He has "people" to do that. All he has to do is tell them what to put down. If he is "forgetting" thinks like bank accounts, maybe he should be asked to repeat "‘person, woman, man, camera, TV"
No different than Thomas' "this is a high tech lynching" defense against Anita Hill's testimony. He showed us who he was the first time, and too many did not believe him (to paraphrase Maya Angelou).
I occasionally receive canned responses like this from my reps that completely miss the mark. It's likely due to the extreme volume of communications they receive, and the need to triage them. I keep trying, though, hoping that one will break through.
Or likely due to not having a coherent thought in their head and go through the dictionary concocting word salads, throwing in a few S.1234s to make it look official. 😈
Yes! I even asked for a ruling on it! Rules on our form were very explicit. Any gift from a non-relative had to be reported if in excess of $1,000. There were five categories, A through F, with dollar ranges and my ring was substantially more than $1,000. I also had to report a few other engagement gifts, including silver that my future mother-in-law gave me. The form required me (and once married, my husband and later kids) to report on various potential conflicts, including being on the co-op board and other non-profit boards, stock and property owned, etc., because it is designed to be a record of potential conflicts of interest.
There is a wonderful tone of decency to your own remarks always,Robert, even when you are being critical. I am glad to see Kemp acting like a Governor instead of a party apparatchik and glad to see Georgia swinging back toward the Democratic party if that is indeed what is happening. North Carolina is becoming more benighted by the day!
The Legislature and judiciary in NC is out of control with only the Governor’s office and Attorney General maintaining some sanity. Robertson must not win the Governorship and the Supermajority must be broken so that our wonderful state can return to the more moderate values truly representative of its diverse population. VOTE IN 2024
We are working hard here in Asheville-the little blue bubble of sanity. We still believe in Democracy even though the rest of NC does not. But, we are familiar with all the ‘thugs’ tricks by now.
As a native North Carolinian, I remember when things were different. Phil Berger and Tim Moore seek only to increase their power and line their pockets.
"When, O Catiline, do you mean to cease abusing our patience? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us? When is there to be an end of that unbridled audacity of yours, swaggering about as it does now?" Cicero, 63 B.C.
[I used this same quotation this morning in a comment on Heather Richardson's blog, but something so good can sure stand the overuse!]
Mark Antony had Cicero killed, which was the last barrier to establishing the Roman Empire and the rule of the triumvirate; Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus. And we all know how that turned out.
Thanks for the reminder! At least, so far, no one has been murdered, even though the crowd at the Capitol were looking to kill Mike Pence! It's worrisome what some people will do to get their way!
I hope voters are asking themselves a very simple question. If Trump “‘didn’t do anything wrong” then why wouldn’t he want a speedy trial to prove his innocence and why are Republicans so hell bent on trying to stop the prosecution of the former President. This alone tells you all you need to know. The broadcasting of the trial will show everyone the facts and it will give everyone the opportunity to make up their own minds with unfiltered information.
Knowing how hot is in Georgia, I hope there will be some large fans in the courtroom. Wouldn’t it be FAB to see the orange hair fly off! Bwahahahahaha!
Sep 1, 2023·edited Sep 1, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
I'm glad Mitch McConnell was called by Biden following his latest episode. It's a sign of the congeniality that used to prevail. It is beyond my imagining that, in a correspondent time, Trump would have the empathy to call Schumer with similar wishes for a good recovery. I hope there are mature members of the GOP who want to reel back in the current levels of inter-party vitriol.
I know in my heart that Biden's call to McConnell must have stirred emotion in some former colleagues who still haunt the Senate. Joe makes calls like that because he is a man of compassion and empathy. When you have suffered as he has, all the political differences are parked for a while. It's one person concerned about the welfare of another. Basic consideration. And excellent political form.
That's role model stuff. That's what we would teach kids. It may be out of fashion in 2023. Just like the so many courtesies that have vanished this century. I am grateful that the leader of the free world has a heart for others and simultaneously has a head for brilliant strategy. Biden is demonstrating daily what leadership is all about. It is textbook behavior and consultants around the world will rename it and write their own books about it.
Well said, Bill! He is a rarity in today's world. I agree that history will name Joe Biden as a great President in the same category with FDR. His accomplishments so far in such a polarized Congress need to be recognized by the voting public!
It really speaks to the crassness of DJT that we find phone calls like Biden's to be exceptional rather than expected. DJT dumbed down the White House in ways never seen before. And all of us who have followed him in the NY Post since the 1990's have always known he was a narcissist, a blow-hard, a liar, unfaithful, and nasty. For a start.
Justice Thomas seems never to have resolved his feelings about not getting what he perceived as his “due”, when his hard work and efforts were not recognized when he graduated from law school. From what I’ve read he was passed over for the most lucrative and prestigious offers at the time, which he attributes to his having attained his acceptance to the law school because of affirmative action.
He, nonetheless achieved what so few jurists have not in being name a Justice of the Supreme Court. In his attempt to prove to himself that despite the opportunities he was afforded, he has made his achievements on his own he has denied the same opportunities to others, run away from his racial identity and has acted entitled to take every perk offered to him by his donors.
He should be held to ethical standards that he imposes on others.
I think that’s probably what he thought too and that the affirmative action didn’t erase that. He seems to have worked hard to make his outward appearance disappear, and convince himself that it doesn’t exist, and turn his back on it. I’m not reflecting on his choice of spouse or friends, but on his rulings that go toward denying others what he had. May be being harsh but his actions in my mind are racist.
Thank you for your insights and comments. Thomas is a threat to democracy and to its people. His response is a spit in the face of all of us Infuriating. Have a good weekend, dear Robert.
This country desperately needs a conservative party and conservative politicians with integrity. Brian Kemp has the capacity to stand up to the crazies and that is a good thing. He denies claims that his actions amounted to voter suppression, but I am not convinced. He was too quick to bounce people from the voter rolls. Personally, I never remember whether I included my middle initial in my voter registration. If I lived in Georgia, he would have found a way to stop me from voting for listing my name incorrectly. He does not seem to be a conservative politician consistently behaving with integrity.
He wants to be a US Senator and is appealing to independents. He is motivated by ambition and practicality, not by morality. But if Republicans act rationally because they see the handwriting on the wall, that's okay. Responding to electoral pressure is the way the system is supposed to work.
Hmm. Not too late to enter the race for Tim Kaine's position. He's 75, just about the right age these days to run for President. Trump? Thomas? Consider subscribing to Len's Political Notes https://lenspoliticalnotes.com . Free information about political candidates.
Ah. Somehow I thought you were commenting facetiously on a different comment of mine and were writing about Clarence Thomas. I agree. Kemp will run for either the Senate or for President. And he will be a tough out.
While some may ascribe President Biden's outreach to Senator McConnell to some personal motive, I choose to see it as an eminent display of human decency and an example we should all follow. We can have a tremendous dislike for someone's actions and beliefs, but we can still be decent human beings. That's perhaps what I've missed the most over the last couple of decades.
Sep 1, 2023·edited Sep 1, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Thank you, Robert. Your post reflects a bit of the anger so many feel, the outrage as we continue to watch, read, and listen to the GOP assault on democracy and justice.
Moreover, you demonstrate a self awareness of passions while writing with a clear head to call out the key points in the conduct of both the justice and legislators who put this country and its citizens at risk. In fact, it is appalling to read the statements by Justice Thomas’ lawyer. It reminds me of both Justice Thomas’ angry retort during his confirmation that “this is a high tech lynching” and Justice Kavanaugh’s angry testimony at his confirmation after, as I understand it he was coached by Don McGahn, the White House counsel to do so.
On so many fronts we see the playbook responses to accountability from TFG down to the GA senate’s Colton Moore stirring up the right wing extremists on Bannon’s platform.
We must follow your lead to call out these reprehensible actions and provocations while concurrently taking actions as you suggest to contact our elected leaders, write letters to the editors of our local news AND continue our unrelenting efforts to secure election voting, access to voting, and getting out the vote up and down the ballot.
I feel the tensions between my anger and the need to respect our legal system and those who show respect for the rule of law as Joe Biden & Brad Raffensberger have done.
We have a problem in that there seems to be no media except for you, Joyce and Heather to defend Biden. Biden knows how to get things done and it’s not attacking rivals but as he said in his first press conference as president is that “Politics is all timing”. Regarding Justice Thomas who from his senate hearings back in 1991 when asked about his judicial philosophy stated it came from an article Louis Lerhman wrote about “natural philosophy” it was evident he had no philosophy or critical thinking about anything except representing special interests. The next task is to look at all the decisions made in favor of his sponsors and call him out for this criminality against the interests of both the constitution and the American Citizenry.
I also want to take every Democrat in Congress to task for not getting in front of the microphone and defending Biden and his accomplishments over and over. The treatment of Hunter Biden versus Clarence Thomas and Trumps children and is horrifying!
What particularly galled me was that Clarence Thomas asserted he feared for his safety after he received threats based on the Dobb’s leak. Harlon Crowe stepped in to transport him in a private jet. What about women who desperately needed a medical abortion? Did Thomas’ friend fly them to a safe state for care?
Like Trump, Thomas is a narcissist. He has no thoughts for others and defends indefensible behavior of his own while punishing others because his race likely deprived him of enviable positions as he left law school. While that shouldn't have happened, we see many intelligent and talented black professionals who have succeeded to positions not as high as Thomas's current position, who do not display this ruthless, uncaring and self-serving behavior towards women and those less fortunate than he has been.
I doubt Clarence Thomas has any real "good friends" at all. His relationship to Harlan Crow and other super wealthy Republicans is like Trump's relationship to Putin--a Useful Idiot. If Thomas hasn't deluded himself into thinking that he's actually been accepted for who he is, as opposed to being used for what he does, then he's pathetically willing to be used. Either way, this man is not even close to being qualified to be a Supreme Court Justice in either temperament or morality. This is a fact which Thomas has proven on a regular basis his entire time on the court.
For me, what is sad about Thomas is that he took a Supreme Court seat that was previously held by Justice Thurgood Marshall, one of the most honorable and respected justices of our times. Alas, we now find Justice Amy Comey-Barrett having filled the seat of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Neither of these two justices hold a candle to their predecessors. Of course, that is why the Federalist Society, Traditionalist Catholics (aka anti-abortion), and business deregulation folks show no comparison for anyone while putting profits before people and are willing to spend their $$$s on immorally offered “gifts.”
Steve, I agreed with and "liked" your comment. I assumed none of my statement was new or surprising to you. I just added to what you said because Clarence Thomas has been so corrupt and incompetent for so long, I felt the need to reply to your comment for my own peace of mind. That man is a moral sinkhole who deserves to be called out often until he's off the bench.
The plaints from Justice Thomas' attorney border on shystery. No one who had issues with Lewis Powell or Chief Justice William Rehnquist and their judicial philosophy ever accused either man of financial impropriety-because there wasn't any. Justice Thomas does not have a fig leaf to wear in this regard.
I’ve been struck by the fact that Thomas’s most recent response to criticism has come through *his lawyer*! A Supreme Court Justice speaking through a *lawyer* ?
Totally agree on the significance of Kemp’s remarks. The man is a weathervane. He goes where the wind blows. Yes, he had the “courage” to say the 2020 election was legit both in 2020 and in his re-election bid in 2022, but he could also have vetoed the atrocious bills that arrogated unto the legislature new powers over local government, and the right to remove duly elected prosecutors like Fani Willis, but he let those become law. The fact that he now stands in the way of the legislature using these new powers suggests that once again he is following the wind.
The Science Fiction author Robert Heinlein coined the phrase, TANJ. There ain't no Justice. True today as it was then. Anybody who has ever delt wit the IRS on a tax payment issue knows that non reporting of income can lead to penalties, fines, and years of intense scrutiny.
Except if you are a millionaire Justice on the Supreme Court. Then your infractions come under the second tier of Justice in America. One for us, and one for those who sit in ultimate judgement.
Even were we to set aside the gifts from his “good friend“ Harlan Crow—who didn’t become a friend until after Thomas became a Justice—Thomas now suddenly reports hundreds of dollars in interest income each year, including an account at the Congressional Federal Credit Union, claiming he “inadvertently omitted” this information for the years 2017-21. Did the man not receive 1099 forms, as we all do when an account earns more than $10 in interest? Perhaps it is also time to look at his tax returns to see if he reported the interest income there.
I may have commented about this before, but I filled out government financial disclosure forms for over 30 years. The year I got engaged, I had to report my engagement ring since it was a gift from someone who was not a relative that met the threshold reporting requirement. It’s really not that hard to be honest on these forms, though they could sometimes be a pain to complete. Our forms were due in May of every year (and you could get an extension); it was relatively easy to track most of the information that had to be reported based on information required on your tax returns and in statements from various institutions. Reporting interest earned from a financial institution is so basic that it is beyond insulting, careless or “inadvertent” that Thomas failed to report it. His history of omissions demonstrates his contempt at being a true public servant, and it shows his belief that he is above the law.
Totally agree. Wondering if Clarence Thomas reported this income on his IRS returns. Regardless, where is the clamoring for a Congressional investigation for Thomas’ failure to report? (Not a real question...)
I did contact my Senators about SCOTUS ethics reform. Senator Rubio’s response:⬇️
“Further, in seeking to adequately punish those who intimidate federal judges for the purpose of altering the course of a legal proceeding, I joined Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in introducing the Protecting Our Supreme Court Justices Act (S. 1382). This legislation raises federal penalties for picketing in or near court buildings or the homes of judges. S. 1382 was referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.”
(Not a real answer…😉)
Thanks for reaching out to Rubio. Someone tallied your comment, even if Rubio didn't respond to your comment.
Classic GQP obfuscation.
Yes, and more. Clarence Thomas is trying to make people think he was *burdened* by the financial reporting requirements. In a way, he and his lawyer were implying that the reporting requirements were too much for his mind to cope with.
He’s trying to play a “sympathy card” – posing as an ordinary man oppressed by “burdensome” government regulations.
does anyone think that Thomas actually sat down with a pencil and filled out the forms? He has "people" to do that. All he has to do is tell them what to put down. If he is "forgetting" thinks like bank accounts, maybe he should be asked to repeat "‘person, woman, man, camera, TV"
No different than Thomas' "this is a high tech lynching" defense against Anita Hill's testimony. He showed us who he was the first time, and too many did not believe him (to paraphrase Maya Angelou).
I occasionally receive canned responses like this from my reps that completely miss the mark. It's likely due to the extreme volume of communications they receive, and the need to triage them. I keep trying, though, hoping that one will break through.
Or likely due to not having a coherent thought in their head and go through the dictionary concocting word salads, throwing in a few S.1234s to make it look official. 😈
Ugh! I’m so sorry you had to read his response!!
What?
Wait! You had to report your engagement ring?!?
Yes! I even asked for a ruling on it! Rules on our form were very explicit. Any gift from a non-relative had to be reported if in excess of $1,000. There were five categories, A through F, with dollar ranges and my ring was substantially more than $1,000. I also had to report a few other engagement gifts, including silver that my future mother-in-law gave me. The form required me (and once married, my husband and later kids) to report on various potential conflicts, including being on the co-op board and other non-profit boards, stock and property owned, etc., because it is designed to be a record of potential conflicts of interest.
Your experience highlights Clarence Thomas's lack of integrity.
Wow! Your family, too! Obviously, I had no idea, but I appreciate your putting your experience into this context.
There is a wonderful tone of decency to your own remarks always,Robert, even when you are being critical. I am glad to see Kemp acting like a Governor instead of a party apparatchik and glad to see Georgia swinging back toward the Democratic party if that is indeed what is happening. North Carolina is becoming more benighted by the day!
The Legislature and judiciary in NC is out of control with only the Governor’s office and Attorney General maintaining some sanity. Robertson must not win the Governorship and the Supermajority must be broken so that our wonderful state can return to the more moderate values truly representative of its diverse population. VOTE IN 2024
We are working hard here in Asheville-the little blue bubble of sanity. We still believe in Democracy even though the rest of NC does not. But, we are familiar with all the ‘thugs’ tricks by now.
Very active in the Triangle if you want to join forces or find out what we are doing
As a native North Carolinian, I remember when things were different. Phil Berger and Tim Moore seek only to increase their power and line their pockets.
Me too as a transplant if 34 years
Cheers. Came to UNC in 1981, moved to Greensboro in 1989.
Amen! Doing what we can!
Quotation of the day!
"When, O Catiline, do you mean to cease abusing our patience? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us? When is there to be an end of that unbridled audacity of yours, swaggering about as it does now?" Cicero, 63 B.C.
[I used this same quotation this morning in a comment on Heather Richardson's blog, but something so good can sure stand the overuse!]
Love Cicero! I had to translate his works in high school Latin. Overuse away; give us more, if possible!
Great quote. Cicero was assassinated wasn’t he?
Mark Antony had Cicero killed, which was the last barrier to establishing the Roman Empire and the rule of the triumvirate; Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus. And we all know how that turned out.
Thanks for the reminder! At least, so far, no one has been murdered, even though the crowd at the Capitol were looking to kill Mike Pence! It's worrisome what some people will do to get their way!
I hope voters are asking themselves a very simple question. If Trump “‘didn’t do anything wrong” then why wouldn’t he want a speedy trial to prove his innocence and why are Republicans so hell bent on trying to stop the prosecution of the former President. This alone tells you all you need to know. The broadcasting of the trial will show everyone the facts and it will give everyone the opportunity to make up their own minds with unfiltered information.
Knowing how hot is in Georgia, I hope there will be some large fans in the courtroom. Wouldn’t it be FAB to see the orange hair fly off! Bwahahahahaha!
I'm glad Mitch McConnell was called by Biden following his latest episode. It's a sign of the congeniality that used to prevail. It is beyond my imagining that, in a correspondent time, Trump would have the empathy to call Schumer with similar wishes for a good recovery. I hope there are mature members of the GOP who want to reel back in the current levels of inter-party vitriol.
I know in my heart that Biden's call to McConnell must have stirred emotion in some former colleagues who still haunt the Senate. Joe makes calls like that because he is a man of compassion and empathy. When you have suffered as he has, all the political differences are parked for a while. It's one person concerned about the welfare of another. Basic consideration. And excellent political form.
That's role model stuff. That's what we would teach kids. It may be out of fashion in 2023. Just like the so many courtesies that have vanished this century. I am grateful that the leader of the free world has a heart for others and simultaneously has a head for brilliant strategy. Biden is demonstrating daily what leadership is all about. It is textbook behavior and consultants around the world will rename it and write their own books about it.
Well said, Bill! He is a rarity in today's world. I agree that history will name Joe Biden as a great President in the same category with FDR. His accomplishments so far in such a polarized Congress need to be recognized by the voting public!
“Courtesies” and DECORUM!
It really speaks to the crassness of DJT that we find phone calls like Biden's to be exceptional rather than expected. DJT dumbed down the White House in ways never seen before. And all of us who have followed him in the NY Post since the 1990's have always known he was a narcissist, a blow-hard, a liar, unfaithful, and nasty. For a start.
Justice Thomas seems never to have resolved his feelings about not getting what he perceived as his “due”, when his hard work and efforts were not recognized when he graduated from law school. From what I’ve read he was passed over for the most lucrative and prestigious offers at the time, which he attributes to his having attained his acceptance to the law school because of affirmative action.
He, nonetheless achieved what so few jurists have not in being name a Justice of the Supreme Court. In his attempt to prove to himself that despite the opportunities he was afforded, he has made his achievements on his own he has denied the same opportunities to others, run away from his racial identity and has acted entitled to take every perk offered to him by his donors.
He should be held to ethical standards that he imposes on others.
Clarence Thomas rebranded himself because he was and is an angry black man who feels slighted.
Sometimes, I think he hates his own blackness. He tries to divest himselft of his heritage:
White schools, white friends, white wife. His anger is pointed toward his perceived lack of wealth, not racial justice.
Yeah, and he could have been passed over because of racism, which is far more likely to be the case.
I think that’s probably what he thought too and that the affirmative action didn’t erase that. He seems to have worked hard to make his outward appearance disappear, and convince himself that it doesn’t exist, and turn his back on it. I’m not reflecting on his choice of spouse or friends, but on his rulings that go toward denying others what he had. May be being harsh but his actions in my mind are racist.
Clarence Thomas has borne (not well) the additional burden of having appointed to fill the seat that was occupied by the great Thurgood Marshall.
To make matters worse for Thomas, President Bush crowed that Thomas’s appointment would give Democrats “fits”.
Thank you for your insights and comments. Thomas is a threat to democracy and to its people. His response is a spit in the face of all of us Infuriating. Have a good weekend, dear Robert.
This country desperately needs a conservative party and conservative politicians with integrity. Brian Kemp has the capacity to stand up to the crazies and that is a good thing. He denies claims that his actions amounted to voter suppression, but I am not convinced. He was too quick to bounce people from the voter rolls. Personally, I never remember whether I included my middle initial in my voter registration. If I lived in Georgia, he would have found a way to stop me from voting for listing my name incorrectly. He does not seem to be a conservative politician consistently behaving with integrity.
He wants to be a US Senator and is appealing to independents. He is motivated by ambition and practicality, not by morality. But if Republicans act rationally because they see the handwriting on the wall, that's okay. Responding to electoral pressure is the way the system is supposed to work.
I fully expect him to run for president in 2028
Wise to remain skeptical of Brian Kemp’s seemingly honorable position on Trump attempting to steal Georgia votes.
He will run for either the Senate or president the next time around.
Hmm. Not too late to enter the race for Tim Kaine's position. He's 75, just about the right age these days to run for President. Trump? Thomas? Consider subscribing to Len's Political Notes https://lenspoliticalnotes.com . Free information about political candidates.
Ah. Somehow I thought you were commenting facetiously on a different comment of mine and were writing about Clarence Thomas. I agree. Kemp will run for either the Senate or for President. And he will be a tough out.
Tim Kaine is a Senator from Virginia, not Georgia. A good man, by the way.
Got it. I initially thought the comment (which showed up on my screen) was a facetious comment about Clarence Thomas, not about Kemp.
Kemp is absolutely going to run for president in 2028
Yikes!
While some may ascribe President Biden's outreach to Senator McConnell to some personal motive, I choose to see it as an eminent display of human decency and an example we should all follow. We can have a tremendous dislike for someone's actions and beliefs, but we can still be decent human beings. That's perhaps what I've missed the most over the last couple of decades.
Thank you, Robert. Your post reflects a bit of the anger so many feel, the outrage as we continue to watch, read, and listen to the GOP assault on democracy and justice.
Moreover, you demonstrate a self awareness of passions while writing with a clear head to call out the key points in the conduct of both the justice and legislators who put this country and its citizens at risk. In fact, it is appalling to read the statements by Justice Thomas’ lawyer. It reminds me of both Justice Thomas’ angry retort during his confirmation that “this is a high tech lynching” and Justice Kavanaugh’s angry testimony at his confirmation after, as I understand it he was coached by Don McGahn, the White House counsel to do so.
On so many fronts we see the playbook responses to accountability from TFG down to the GA senate’s Colton Moore stirring up the right wing extremists on Bannon’s platform.
We must follow your lead to call out these reprehensible actions and provocations while concurrently taking actions as you suggest to contact our elected leaders, write letters to the editors of our local news AND continue our unrelenting efforts to secure election voting, access to voting, and getting out the vote up and down the ballot.
I feel the tensions between my anger and the need to respect our legal system and those who show respect for the rule of law as Joe Biden & Brad Raffensberger have done.
Thanks Robert,
We have a problem in that there seems to be no media except for you, Joyce and Heather to defend Biden. Biden knows how to get things done and it’s not attacking rivals but as he said in his first press conference as president is that “Politics is all timing”. Regarding Justice Thomas who from his senate hearings back in 1991 when asked about his judicial philosophy stated it came from an article Louis Lerhman wrote about “natural philosophy” it was evident he had no philosophy or critical thinking about anything except representing special interests. The next task is to look at all the decisions made in favor of his sponsors and call him out for this criminality against the interests of both the constitution and the American Citizenry.
I also want to take every Democrat in Congress to task for not getting in front of the microphone and defending Biden and his accomplishments over and over. The treatment of Hunter Biden versus Clarence Thomas and Trumps children and is horrifying!
Well stated. Thank you Christopher.
What particularly galled me was that Clarence Thomas asserted he feared for his safety after he received threats based on the Dobb’s leak. Harlon Crowe stepped in to transport him in a private jet. What about women who desperately needed a medical abortion? Did Thomas’ friend fly them to a safe state for care?
Like Trump, Thomas is a narcissist. He has no thoughts for others and defends indefensible behavior of his own while punishing others because his race likely deprived him of enviable positions as he left law school. While that shouldn't have happened, we see many intelligent and talented black professionals who have succeeded to positions not as high as Thomas's current position, who do not display this ruthless, uncaring and self-serving behavior towards women and those less fortunate than he has been.
I wonder how many “good friends who happen to be poor” Clarence Thomas has?
I doubt Clarence Thomas has any real "good friends" at all. His relationship to Harlan Crow and other super wealthy Republicans is like Trump's relationship to Putin--a Useful Idiot. If Thomas hasn't deluded himself into thinking that he's actually been accepted for who he is, as opposed to being used for what he does, then he's pathetically willing to be used. Either way, this man is not even close to being qualified to be a Supreme Court Justice in either temperament or morality. This is a fact which Thomas has proven on a regular basis his entire time on the court.
For me, what is sad about Thomas is that he took a Supreme Court seat that was previously held by Justice Thurgood Marshall, one of the most honorable and respected justices of our times. Alas, we now find Justice Amy Comey-Barrett having filled the seat of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Neither of these two justices hold a candle to their predecessors. Of course, that is why the Federalist Society, Traditionalist Catholics (aka anti-abortion), and business deregulation folks show no comparison for anyone while putting profits before people and are willing to spend their $$$s on immorally offered “gifts.”
Of course.
Steve, I agreed with and "liked" your comment. I assumed none of my statement was new or surprising to you. I just added to what you said because Clarence Thomas has been so corrupt and incompetent for so long, I felt the need to reply to your comment for my own peace of mind. That man is a moral sinkhole who deserves to be called out often until he's off the bench.
The plaints from Justice Thomas' attorney border on shystery. No one who had issues with Lewis Powell or Chief Justice William Rehnquist and their judicial philosophy ever accused either man of financial impropriety-because there wasn't any. Justice Thomas does not have a fig leaf to wear in this regard.
I’ve been struck by the fact that Thomas’s most recent response to criticism has come through *his lawyer*! A Supreme Court Justice speaking through a *lawyer* ?
Totally agree on the significance of Kemp’s remarks. The man is a weathervane. He goes where the wind blows. Yes, he had the “courage” to say the 2020 election was legit both in 2020 and in his re-election bid in 2022, but he could also have vetoed the atrocious bills that arrogated unto the legislature new powers over local government, and the right to remove duly elected prosecutors like Fani Willis, but he let those become law. The fact that he now stands in the way of the legislature using these new powers suggests that once again he is following the wind.
The Science Fiction author Robert Heinlein coined the phrase, TANJ. There ain't no Justice. True today as it was then. Anybody who has ever delt wit the IRS on a tax payment issue knows that non reporting of income can lead to penalties, fines, and years of intense scrutiny.
Except if you are a millionaire Justice on the Supreme Court. Then your infractions come under the second tier of Justice in America. One for us, and one for those who sit in ultimate judgement.
TANJ, There Ain't No Justice.