I have been a long critic of many of Justice Clarence Thomas’ opinions which often reject basic individual rights while embracing police and national security powers. However, I believe that Thomas is often treated unfairly for being a black conservative on the Court. While others like Justices Alito, Scalia, and Roberts routinely vote along the same lines, Thomas’ race is commonly cited in commentary while that is not a factor in the other justices on the right of the Court. This unfairness was vividly shown by the comments of Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) that Thomas is an “Uncle Tom” and suggested that he was not an authenticate black person. He has refused to retract or apologize of the attack. In the meantime, Democrats are uniformly silent in the face of this uncivil and outrageous attack.
In an interview with CNN, Thompson said that Thomas apparently “doesn’t like black people, he doesn’t like being black.” After raising votes in areas like voting rights, he added that “All those issues are very important and for someone in the court who’s African American and not sensitive to that is a real problem.”
Let’s be clear, I did not view Thomas as someone who was well-suited for the Court. However, many of these justices and their predecessors were on an the top lists of legal experts. They were selected for their lack of prior controversy or other more political factors. What concerns me is that his race is constantly raised by critics. He has every right to be a conservative and has shown a consistent and committed jurisprudence supporting those views. I do not agree with those positions but I fail to see why he should be defined by his race. Indeed, I thought that one of the key objectives of the civil right movement was to allow African Americans to be judged not by the color of their skin. Thomas follows the same interpretive approach as his colleagues — an approach mind you that is not supposed to be based not on a jurist’s personal desires or association with any group. He is not supposed to show loyalty to a particular group or fulfill expectations due to his race. I have no problem with criticizing Thomas for his votes in the same way as we often criticize his colleagues, but he should not face a race test by critics.
Thomas deserves better. I have always been moved by his life’s story. His father was a farm worker and his mother was a domestic worker. They were poor and both descendants of American slaves. The family spoke Gullah as a first language. His mother literally worked for pennies a day and his early life was spent in a home without indoor plumbing. The second of three children, he later lived with his grandparents when they became homeless. Thomas was the only black person at his high school in Savannah and yet was able to remain an honor student. He went on to attend college and Yale Law School. While few seem to want to admit it, that is a remarkable and inspiring life. He developed conservative principles and values in his life. Some find that incomprehensible but his incredible struggle produced a strong personality and will that can be admired even if you strongly disagree with his views.
What concerns me most is the virtual silence from Democrats to denounce this type of race-based attack. Being called an Uncle Tom is obviously deeply offensive to African Americans. Thomas and his family have gone through too much suffering and struggle to be treated so unfairly in my view. The suggestion is that being genuinely black requires you to reach the right conclusions and support the right positions. However, the very struggle that Thompson is describing was a fight to allow black men and women to be treated as individuals and not categorized by the color of their skin. Thompson should apologize and Democrats should show that they are not selectively outraged by race-based attacks.
What do you think?
Source: Washington Post
Who are you addressing your 10:03 comment to, Spinelli?
Yes, Annie. I know and love Wisconsin. I don’t know what the beef is about “cheeseheads”. I thought Nick loved everybody.
If someone had told me 10 years ago that major cities in California would go bankrupt, I would have that it was impossible.
And yet, one after another, large cities in CA have indeed gone bankrupt. They collapsed under debt and unfunded liabilities.
It happened internationally in Greece, Iceland, and other nations. It’s happened right here in the US at the city level.
It is irresponsible in the extreme to continue growing our debt at this breakneck speed. Mathematically, it will have only one conclusion if it continues.
Karen, you do know that the cities that went bankrupt in CA were San Diego, under the GOP. Stockton, and that is about it. I do not know the political party in charge at that one though I suspect it was the GOP too. Our last crash was done thanks to the GOP policies under Greenspan, who is an Ayn Rand disciple. I think that says it all about the financial “responsibility” of the GOP. At least, GHW Bush had the political courage to reduce the vast debt they ran up under Reagan by working with Democrats. Clinton continued the policies which reduced the debt even further.
I am an independent politically. I vote for Dem, Rep, 3rd parties. That’s who I am.
“We non-ideologues”?
Scorn and derision is heaped any Democrat that has lived in the last 100 years, but one making such charges is still to be called a non-ideologue. Someone is very mistaken.
At least we liberals and Progressives and Democrats are honest enough to say who we are.
You’ve got to admit it is hard to take a person seriously when they have a wedge of foam cheese on their head.
Paul, Come on, that’s chump change. We need a $5/gallon gas tax like Europe. Next, we’ll only be allowed to bathe once a week.
A successful marriage means respecting your spouse and her family. An elderly parent means family, both nuclear and extended, need to step up to the plate. Unlike so many who divorce, we have been married for 37 years because we love each other and respect family. I know some very lonely people, cruising bars, joining dating websites, who are divorced because they don’t understand that. Pity, don’t you think.
Nick – I am constitutionally cheap. 18.5 cents a gallon is too high.
Feynman, I am not anti train. I just don’t want them shoved down my throat and built where there is no market for them. In certain corridors they make sense. I grew up in Ct. They make sense back there. We are not Europe, we are exponentially bigger and more individualistic. I rode the bullet train from Milan to Florence in December. I LOVED it and stated so here. But, if I wanted to see Tuscany w/o being like a refugee, I needed a car. So, I rented one. And, if you don’t think we are a nation of car lovers then we have no reason to proceed w/ this discussion.
There are those here who love Wisconsin, myself included, who wouldn’t live here if we hated it. Doesn’t make any sense at all to live somewhere one hates.
Feynman, Wisconsin is rich in natural beauty and genuinely decent people (who haven’t gone nuts yet). Sounds like you know Wisconsin.
Feynman, Some of those places are nice. The problem is there are Cheeseheads there. The state is picturesque. I’ve been to all but 4 states[Oregon, Hawaii, Alabama and ND]. I would put Wi. ~20th or so in being picturesque.
Nick,
You do not speak for a nation. You are a party of one. You do not speak for me. You do not speak for my family. You are a man of opinions. They are not universally shared. Goodness knows, we do not expect you to change.
And a “car nation” that doesn’t want to pay to maintain those roads is going to present a bit of a problem.
I am paying 18.5 cents a gallon in federal tax to maintain roads. Am I not doing my part?
I am thinking Canada can make good use of them. They need a good NFL team.
Nick.
Nobody wants the Dells? Door County? Green Bay? The Northwoods? Lake Superior Byway? Bayfield? scenic drives in the Fall?
Who are the haters that gotta hate?
Cars connect us much better than trains. We are a car nation. That ain’t gonna change.
Maybe they could rename the state Wississippi. 💡
Paul, Half of them, we’re an old f@ckin’ state, come down to your state every winter. You can spot them easily. They say, “Yah hey” all the time. They are all obese, the men w/ Milwaukee tumors[beer belly]. They don’t tip. They have shitty RV’s. They wear Packer or UW gear EXCLUSIVELY. They order brandy and are shocked when a bar doesn’t have a full selection. They only will eat a fish fry on Friday. Not for religious reasons, it’s just what you do! Prime Rib on Saturday night and take the woman back to the RV for a little pickle tickle.
Trains.
People ride trains because they hate the TSA, or because they are afraid of flying, or because trains are 1000 times more comfortable than planes, or because they live in Champaign and want to go to Chicago to catch a flight, or they are a college student and have to get home, or they are a parent who wants their children see America, or because the World Trade Towers have been blown up and they have to get home to their family, or because trains connect a nation, or because it has a smoking car, or because they get motion sickness, or because they are claustrophobic, or because of romance, or because they don’t drive, or because they are traveling in a group, if there is an airline strike they provide an alternate mode of transportation.
I cannot fathom why this does not occur to you. Your life experience is very different than mine.
You have family members who do not ride trains. I have family members who do. Perhaps we should omit anecdotal evidence.
Trains provide some jobs for small towns, they connect to the next small town, they help prevent some towns from dying, they are a means of transportation.
On the East and West Coast trains are important. However, except for light rail, els, etc. in cities, in the West, they are almost worthless. To take a passenger train from Phoenix you have to either drive to Tucson (90 miles) or Flagstaff (100 miles the other way). We are a major metropolitan area and we are not serviced by a passenger train.
I personally see no reason to pay for anyone else to ride a train I cannot get to.
No black GOPers in this state that I know of, certainly none in the Legislature.
“We non ideologues”…. 😕