04/14/09 Public Square

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Justice Clarence Thomas: In His Own Words

According to this New York Times article, Justice Clarence Thomas spoke to a group of winners of a high school essay contest.  He talked about his job and more about himself, than I have ever heard before.  What follows is Justice Thomas in his own words.

“I tend to be morose sometimes.”

“I am rounding the last turn for my 18th term on the court, this endeavor, or, for some, an ordeal.”

“That’s one thing about this job, you get a little tired.”

“Sometimes, when I get a little down. [he goes online] “I look up wonderful speeches, like speeches by Douglas MacArthur, to hear him give without a note that speech at West Point — ‘duty, honor, country.’ How can you not hear those words and not feel strongly about what we have?”

“Today there is much focus on our rights, indeed, I think there is a proliferation of rights.”

“I am often surprised by the virtual nobility that seems to be accorded those with grievances, shouldn’t there at least be equal time for our Bill of Obligations and our Bill of Responsibilities?”

“It seems that many have come to think that each of us is owed prosperity and a certain standard of living. They’re owed air-conditioning, cars, telephones, televisions.”

“This job is easy for people who’ve never done it.  What I have found in this job is they know more about it than I do, especially if they have the title ‘law professor.’ ”

Anyone else think Clarence might be a secret blogger on that place-that- shall-not-be-named?

This is MoJo’s take on Thomas’s words:

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/04/clarence-thomas

Iggy Donnelly…

Astroturf Onslaughts: GOP Party of Fools or Dangerous Opponents?

Paul Krugman was commenting on the Tea Parties that the Republicans have been setting up for this upcoming Wednesday.  He seems unsure as to whether he should laugh out loud at the GOP’s shenanigans or to be worried.  Such astroturf tricks have worked well in the past for the Republicans; Krugman recalls the efficiency of the faux riot in Miami-Dade county that stopped the vote in Florida during the 2000 election.  This was not a real “grass roots” protest, but one carefully manufactured by GOP strategists to achieve an end – which they did.  Astroturf activism seems to be big on corporate (or other powerful interests) money, and low on average citizen participation.  The tea parties have been backed by Murdock owned media outlets.

To drive home his point about his mixed feelings on the current embarrassing displays by the Grand old Party, Krugman states:

“But here’s the thing: the G.O.P. looked as crazy 10 or 15 years ago as it does now. That didn’t stop Republicans from taking control of both Congress and the White House. And they could return to power if the Democrats stumble. So it behooves us to look closely at the state of what is, after all, one of our nation’s two great political parties.”

My hope is that Krugman is wrong, because while the GOP may remain crazy after all these years, I sincerely want to believe that the electorate has not.

What do you readers think?

Iggy Donnelly

Amazon Excluding LGBT Material from Searches

Yeah, I know.  I said I wouldn’t post and would keep it to comments, but I thought this might raise some eyebrows and generate some group groaning.

The title pretty much says it all, but it seems Amazon may be backing down.  When I find out for sure, I’ll let you know.  Until then, you can read all about it.

http://markprobst.livejournal.com/15293.html

wicked