Clarence Thomas' dangerous conceit
By Jonathan Turley
March 6, 2011
Louis XIV of France was infamous for his view that there was no distinction between himself and the state, allegedly proclaiming "L'État, c'est moi" ("I am the State"). That notorious merging of personality with an institution was again on display in a February speech by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas before the conservative Federalist Society.
Thomas used the friendly audience to finally address a chorus of criticism over his alleged conflicts of interest and violation of federal disclosure rules concerning his wife's income. Rather than answer these questions, however, Thomas denounced his critics as "undermining" the court and endangering the country by weakening core institutions.
In January, Common Cause released documents showing that Thomas had attended events funded by conservative billionaires David and Charles Koch. Thomas was even featured in Koch promotional material — along with Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and others — for events that sought financial and political support for conservative political causes.
Worse yet, Common Cause discovered that Thomas had failed to disclose a source of income for 13 years on required federal forms. Thomas stated that his wife, Virginia, had no income, when in truth she had hundreds of thousands of dollars of income from conservative organizations, including roughly $700,000 from the Heritage Foundation between 2003 and 2007. Thomas reported "none" in answering specific questions about "spousal non-investment income" on annual forms — answers expressly made "subject to civil and criminal sanctions."...
Virginia Thomas was receiving money from groups that had expressed direct interest in the outcome of cases that came before her husband, including Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, in which the court in 2010 struck down limitations on corporate contributions to elections.If you have read my posts about Icelandic films, you know how I feel about Clarence Thomas:
A justice is expressly required by federal law to recuse himself from any case "in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned." This law specifically requires recusal when he knows that "his spouse … has a financial interest in the subject matter in controversy or in a party to the proceeding, or any other interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding."...
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The film referred to in the title was called "Jar City" in its release in the USA. I use it as a device to understand the story of redemption. It is one of those items I immerse myself in over and over again. I heard Clarence Thomas speak on the radio today, and to myself I muttered, "Runar... that piece of filth!"
Mr. Thomas has incorporated himself into the image of Runar Gislason, instigator of a long line of bad karma in "Jar City". However, it is not the past that influences my casting of Clarence as Runar; it is the future that does.
It is time that Clarence "Runar" Thomas left the stage.
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3 comments:
It is a plain indication of just how far we have sunk that Thomas can get away with this and have the stones on top of it to blast his accusers with a patently nonsensical argument about the integrity of the Court. All of this is part of a piece. Nobody on Wall Street punished. No torturers punished. No war criminals punished. Wikileak Army enlisted man subjected to the tortures of the Inquisition. I must quit before I go scatological.
His explanation is the purest crap, too. How stupid can a person be. His only defense would be that he did not read the stupid tax code.
It is corruption at the highest levels, and that man degrades his position.
An amazing man is he,
with nothing to say on the bench, but try and shut him up when placed in front of a bunch of wackos. He is in his milieu.
Clarence Thomas!!!!!!!!
He is a character in a Satire, for heavens sake! Just like Goldman Sachs, the reality is so bizarre that literature could not keep up with them!
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