Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire

Darat

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Darat
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Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire


... IN LATE JUNE 2019, right after the U.S. Supreme Court released its final opinion of the term, Justice Clarence Thomas boarded a large private jet headed to Indonesia. He and his wife were going on vacation: nine days of island-hopping in a volcanic archipelago on a superyacht staffed by a coterie of attendants and a private chef.

If Thomas had chartered the plane and the 162-foot yacht himself, the total cost of the trip could have exceeded $500,000. Fortunately for him, that wasn’t necessary: He was on vacation with real estate magnate and Republican megadonor Harlan Crow, who owned the jet — and the yacht, too. ....​

Hopefully it gave him time to reflect on his latest rulings.
 
As my former Boss used to like to say: "You can't make this stuff up." From Darat's link:
For more than two decades, Thomas has accepted luxury trips virtually every year from the Dallas businessman without disclosing them, documents and interviews show. A public servant who has a salary of $285,000, he has vacationed on Crow’s superyacht around the globe. He flies on Crow’s Bombardier Global 5000 jet. He has gone with Crow to the Bohemian Grove, the exclusive California all-male retreat, and to Crow’s sprawling ranch in East Texas. And Thomas typically spends about a week every summer at Crow’s private resort in the Adirondacks. The extent and frequency of Crow’s apparent gifts to Thomas have no known precedent in the modern history of the U.S. Supreme Court.
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How does Thomas explain this? He doesn't. What he has said is:
“I prefer the RV parks. I prefer the Walmart parking lots to the beaches and things like that. There’s something normal to me about it,” Thomas said. “I come from regular stock, and I prefer that — I prefer being around that.”
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The above is a quote from an interview Thomas did for a documentary about his life, a documentary billionaire Dallas real estate developer Harlan Crow helped finance.
 

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Harlan Crow, the man who provides Thomas with all the expensive goodies, explained in a statement his reason for doing that.
"We believe Justice Thomas to be one of the greatest Americans of our time." Forbes news link
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Clarence Thomas is one of the greatest Americans of our time? Love to hear Mr. Crow explain that one. :boggled:
 
newyorkguy said:
Harlan Crow, the man who provides Thomas with all the expensive goodies, explained in a statement his reason for doing that.


Clarence Thomas is one of the greatest Americans of our time? Love to hear Mr. Crow explain that one. :boggled:
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Well he has a much better record of serving the US's enemies than Benedict Arnold for one.
 
Why is this surprising anyone? Scalia died at a billionaires ranch who had cases before the Supreme Court he rulled on. Ethics does not apply to the Supreme court.
 
Hanging out with lawyers, law professors, and law students has brought to my attention that, in legal academia, the U.S. Supreme Court is viewed with almost as much reverence as the twelve Mormon apostles are by their church. That is, they're seen as gods and goddesses among humanity, blessed with unparalleled powers of reason and a fanatical devotion to the prestige of the law and the principles of fairness. They are often seen as above reproach and beyond the criticism of us mere mortals.

********.

I simply don't see how they merit such deference. And we rank-and-file certainly don't grant them much these days. But they don't care, because they are politically unassailable. As much as this post could be about the wanton politicization of the Court, it really just comes down to a serious disconnection between what Justice Roberts and his associates (and, per supra, what some academics) seem to believe about themselves and want generally to believed by us, and what we actually believe—and why.

Roberts et al. JJ. lament that the Court isn't respected. And they seem to think they've been unfairly or naively judged. When they issue blatantly partisan reasoning, they think we can't see what they're doing, or that our criticism of their judgment lacks legal or logical merit. When they act blatantly like aristocrats, they bristle at being called to account. They seem to have forgotten a very basic lesson: respect is earned, not demanded. Their tone deafness and disconnection have reached a level of comedy that we can all appreciate now.

Okay, sure, let Justice Thomas enjoy the company of his bougie friends. Let him and others enjoy the perks of being prominent, well-connected citizens. But disclose it. The whole point of public disclosure of such things is to let the people you preside over decide whether that affects their faith in you. You simply can't demand that people consider you dispassionate and fair while at the same time deciding for yourself what to tell people about who might be currying your favor and how. We've had to suffer for decades from judgments clearly arising from opinions and assumptions predicated on the Justices' own lives of pleasure and comfort. They come from American aristocracy; they dress, act, and rule like the wealthy elite. But then they whine when we don't bow down and worship them. It's as tone-deaf as it can possibly be.

The reason lesser judges are aghast at this new revelation is because they labor under draconian disclosure rules. Even petty gifts have to be declared, and so many choose not to accept them rather than to have people pick through the paper trail of the potential influences and second guess them. This is what they recognize to be the price of elevation to positions of great power and authority. This is what they recognize creates the perception of impartiality.

What really galls us ordinary citizens is the degree to which the U.S. Supreme Court members consider themselves exempt from ethical standards that go without saying in any other judicial context. The Constitution clearly puts limits on the Justices' tenure: that of "good behavior." There's no constitutional reason that Congress cannot impose a code of ethics on the Supreme Court. And the letters etc. from the historical period the Originalists love to wallow in clearly seems to suggest impeaching Justices and replacing them with people who behave better was not supposed to be an uncommon or unfathomable.

We've reached the point where Supreme Court justices literally believe their answer to such scandals can be, "So what are you gonna do about it?" And this hubris has now so walled them up in a tight circle of elitism that they really don't seem to understand why they are increasingly more reviled.
 
It would seem to me that the status quo of the USA is untenable and undesirable for the majority of citizens. The justice system does not work. The electoral system does not work. The rest of the free world really need you guys to get your act together.

You should start thinking about what means will be necessary to fix your country. Might need to go out of your comfort zone.
 
uke2se said:
It would seem to me that the status quo of the USA is untenable and undesirable for the majority of citizens. The justice system does not work. The electoral system does not work. The rest of the free world really need you guys to get your act together.

You should start thinking about what means will be necessary to fix your country. Might need to go out of your comfort zone.
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I suspect violence, and lots of it. Unlikely to happen unless people finally start getting fed up with school shootings.
 
uke2se said:
It would seem to me that the status quo of the USA is untenable and undesirable for the majority of citizens. The justice system does not work. The electoral system does not work. The rest of the free world really need you guys to get your act together.
Click to expand...

I can assure the free world that many of us here in the United States suffer from a deep sense of despair and futility over the things you mention and more. Where our country stands now doesn't seem familiar or comforting, and we are terrified of where it seems headed. It feels like being strapped to a seat on the bus being driven by Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
 
uke2se said:
It would seem to me that the status quo of the USA is untenable and undesirable for the majority of citizens. The justice system does not work. The electoral system does not work. The rest of the free world really need you guys to get your act together.

You should start thinking about what means will be necessary to fix your country. Might need to go out of your comfort zone.
Click to expand...

For ******* christ sakes, do you think we DON'T think about what's necessary!? I am so sick and ******* tired of non-Americans like you lecturing us about our broken system and that we are at fault for not fixing it! WE CANNOT ******* FIX IT!!! PERIOD!!! The ******* "Founding Fathers" left us with a Constitution that is extremely difficult to amend! The Constitution cannot be amended if as few as 13 state legislatures decide they don't want to. As a result, the ******* Republican Party has this nation by the short hairs!

We know what we need to do:

  • Institute national gun control.
  • End gerrymandering.
  • End the ability of the rich and powerful to buy politicians and their votes.
  • Make our representatives dependent upon the common people, not the rich and powerful.
  • Institute controls on freedom of speech similar to the European Union.
  • Bring back the Fairness Doctrine and end the right-wing control of much of the media.
  • End racism.
  • End misogyny.
  • End prejudice against LGBTQ people.
  • Tax the rich to extent they should have been taxed for the last 40 years.
  • Tax the churches.
  • Enforce the restrictions on political activity by churches.
  • End corporate giveaways and bailouts.
  • Etc.
  • Etc.
  • Etc.

But none of this will happen, because the status quo suits a sizeable chunk of ******* moron voters who are gulled into voting Republican because of the fear of Crime, Blacks, Hispanics, Feminazis, Foreigners, Gays, Lesbians, Drag Queens, etc. etc. etc.!

So stop lecturing us! We know we're ****** up! Short of a civil war or widespread collapse of society, nothing is going to change it!
 
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JayUtah said:
I can assure the free world that many of us here in the United States suffer from a deep sense of despair and futility over the things you mention and more. Where our country stands now doesn't seem familiar or comforting, and we are terrified of where it seems headed. It feels like being strapped to a seat on the bus being driven by Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
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And this. And the bus is filled with bombs that will go off if we go under 100 mph!

I haven't been able to relax in years! I take medicine to control anxiety attacks just about every other day! I have absolutely no ******* hope whatsoever for the future of the U.S., nor the entire world! I'm 65, and I'm scared ******** that soon there'll be no Social Security, no Medicare, that the economy will collapse and my savings and investments will be destroyed, and that our society will collapse into civil war or widespread poverty and I'll die without being able to at least enjoy a few years of retirement first!

AND IT'S ENTIRELY THE FAULT OF THE ******* REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE IDIOTS WHO VOTE FOR THEM!!! PERIOD!!!
 
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shemp said:
For ******* christ sakes, do you think we DON'T think about what's necessary!? I am so sick and ******* tired of non-Americans like you lecturing us about our broken system and that we are at fault for not fixing it! WE CANNOT ******* FIX IT!!! PERIOD!!! The ******* "Founding Fathers" left us with a Constitution that is extremely difficult to amend! The Constitution cannot be amended if as few as 13 state legislatures decide they don't want to. As a result, the ******* Republican Party has this nation by the short hairs!

We know what we need to do:

  • Institute national gun control.
  • End gerrymandering.
  • End the ability of the rich and powerful to buy politicians and their votes.
  • Make our representatives dependent upon the common people, not the rich and powerful.
  • Institute controls on freedom of speech similar to the European Union.
  • Bring back the Fairness Doctrine and end the right-wing control of much of the media.
  • End racism.
  • End misogyny.
  • End prejudice against LGBTQ people.
  • Tax the rich to extent they should have been taxed for the last 40 years.
  • Tax the churches.
  • Enforce the restrictions on political activity by churches.
  • End corporate giveaways and bailouts.
  • Etc.
  • Etc.
  • Etc.

But none of this will happen, because the status quo suits a sizeable chunk of ******* moron voters who are gulled into voting Republican because of the fear of Crime, Blacks, Hispanics, Feminazis, Foreigners, Gays, Lesbians, Drag Queens, etc. etc. etc.!

So stop lecturing us! We know we're ****** up! Short of a civil war or widespread collapse of society, nothing is going to change it!
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to lecture you. I'm hoping to help you move beyond despair and into action. The US is currently a bulwark against autocracies, but if it should slip into autocracy itself, it will open the door for many bad actors. I am acting out of self-interest when I tell you to get your act together.

You know what you need to do. You provided a list. In order to do that, you need to acquire power. The GOP knows this. You need to do whatever it takes. Organize. Get weapons.
 
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shemp said:
For ******* christ sakes, do you think we DON'T think about what's necessary!? I am so sick and ******* tired of non-Americans like you lecturing us about our broken system and that we are at fault for not fixing it! WE CANNOT ******* FIX IT!!! PERIOD!!! The ******* "Founding Fathers" left us with a Constitution that is extremely difficult to amend! The Constitution cannot be amended if as few as 13 state legislatures decide they don't want to. As a result, the ******* Republican Party has this nation by the short hairs!

We know what we need to do:

  • Institute national gun control.
  • End gerrymandering.
  • End the ability of the rich and powerful to buy politicians and their votes.
  • Make our representatives dependent upon the common people, not the rich and powerful.
  • Institute controls on freedom of speech similar to the European Union.
  • Bring back the Fairness Doctrine and end the right-wing control of much of the media.
  • End racism.
  • End misogyny.
  • End prejudice against LGBTQ people.
  • Tax the rich to extent they should have been taxed for the last 40 years.
  • Tax the churches.
  • Enforce the restrictions on political activity by churches.
  • End corporate giveaways and bailouts.
  • Etc.
  • Etc.
  • Etc.

But none of this will happen, because the status quo suits a sizeable chunk of ******* moron voters who are gulled into voting Republican because of the fear of Crime, Blacks, Hispanics, Feminazis, Foreigners, Gays, Lesbians, Drag Queens, etc. etc. etc.!

So stop lecturing us! We know we're ****** up! Short of a civil war or widespread collapse of society, nothing is going to change it!
Click to expand...

SOrry, but your list sounds like a left wing version of the same Authoratarian crap that right is peddlling.
I note how much you want to silence any criticsim of the left.
Frankly, I get the feeling you would be happy with the end of democracy if it ended with the political left in charge.
 
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