Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire

[MinnesotaBrant]

I guess that I don't care all that much that Clarence Thomas has a rich friend that gives him gifts. Funny thing I read though is that Clarance Thomas views himself as a man of the people. He is about as much a man of the people as Rush Limbaugh. I view the two of them in a very similar light. Actually that's how I view it. Not criminal but probably further separates him from the life of ordinary people

 

[autumn1971]

The Clintons are politicians. Clarence Thomas is a judge. Politicians are expected to be partisan. Judges are not. There is no equivalence here.

Also, the Clintons were moderate Republicans.
But simple facts are for chumps.

 

[autumn1971]

Yes, but the sending in federal troops is a bit much.
Point is that the idea of a state defying a supreme court ruling is pretty dangerous. People always forget things change and YOUR side might be on the receiving side in a few years.

The side of free people has been on the receiving side for over forty years.

It’s time to punch back.

Also, inciting insurrection and open treason are not protected speech.

 

[JayUtah]

I guess that I don't care all that much that Clarence Thomas has a rich friend that gives him gifts. Funny thing I read though is that Clarance Thomas views himself as a man of the people. He is about as much a man of the people as Rush Limbaugh. I view the two of them in a very similar light. Actually that's how I view it. Not criminal but probably further separates him from the life of ordinary people

Yep, rich people gonna rich, no matter who they are or what their job is. I think it's hilarious that he mentions RV-ing in the Walmart parking lot, like he has to quickly come up with something he thinks ordinary people do. You don't have to read too much into some of the Supreme Court's decisions to conclude that they have no idea how ordinary people in the United States actually live their lives. Their baseline seems to be Lifestyle of Affluent, Well-Connected White People.

But yeah, because rich people gonna rich, that's why we have the disclosure rules. We don't stop them from doing what they are naturally going to do. And power attracts money. Harlan Crow protests, "He's been my personal friend for 25 years." Well, yeah, but he's been a Supreme Court justice for 32, and that's more likely to be why you're friends with him. Currying favor for a long time doesn't make less suspicious. People with lots of money are going to try to influence people with lots of power. That's just human nature. But do it out in the open instead of under the table, so we can decide for ourselves whether to have faith in some particular decision or action. It's the hypocrisy of requiring everyone else at that level in government to disclose what they receive from their rich friends, but somehow the nine most individually powerful people in the United States get to keep it a secret. That's the part I'm not okay with.

 

[Stacyhs]

We just have to disagree. I think shutting down somebody right to speech because you might not like it is very authoratarian.

He's not saying to shut down the right to free speech when he says "Institute controls on freedom of speech similar to the European Union." We already have some restrictions to some speech.

People in the U.S. can sue civilly for grounds like defamation and invasion of privacy, but the government can't treat speech as a crime except in the rarest of circumstances, like publishing military secrets or inciting a riot or making threats. In some countries, some speech by itself can be prosecuted. Holocaust deniers in Germany, for example, can go to prison for five years. I don't think that's a road Americans want to go down.

The highlighted is what I was referring to when I said there are already some restrictions on free speech.

Saying that there should be some controls on free speech similar to the EU is not saying they should be exactly the same as those in the EU nor is the EU authoritarian (although Turkey is questionable). Nor did he say speech should be limited just because you might not like it.

 

[MarkCorrigan]

Turkey isn't in the EU, and the EU does have one authoritarian-lite government in the Orban neofascist semi dictatorship.

Which is why Hungary should be booted from the EU.

Anyway, derail over.

 

[Stacyhs]

Turkey isn't in the EU, and the EU does have one authoritarian-lite government in the Orban neofascist semi dictatorship.

Which is why Hungary should be booted from the EU.

Anyway, derail over.

Brain fart. I was thinking NATO when I said Turkey. But the rest of my post stands.

 

[Bob001]

The highlighted is what I was referring to when I said there are already some restrictions on free speech.
.....

Those criminal restrictions on speech are only when they are directly related to action, like causing a riot. It would be a big, big step to make expressing opinion or promoting lies crimes by themselves. That doesn't mean injured parties can't or shouldn't be able to pursue civil action.

 

[Bob001]

Clarence's billionaire buddy collects Nazi stuff.

When Republican megadonor Harlan Crow isn’t lavishing Justice Clarence Thomas with free trips on his private plane and yacht (in possible violation of Supreme Court ethics rules), he lives a quiet life in Dallas among his historical collections. These collections include Hitler artifacts—two of his paintings of European cityscapes, a signed copy of Mein Kampf, and assorted Nazi memorabilia—plus a garden full of statues of the 20th century’s worst despots.

https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/...ionaire-benefactor-collects-hitler-artifacts/

 

[Trebuchet]

I'm figuring at least four of Uncle Thomas's fellow Supremes are actively begging him for introductions.

 

[TheGoldcountry]

My favourite is:

The Onion: “Don’t you think it’s unethical to accept gifts from political donors?”

Clarence Thomas: “Of course, which is why this wasn’t a gift, but payment for services rendered.”

The logic is unassailable.

 

[Gulliver Foyle]

You have never read the Constituion, have you?

Your constitution has been non-functional since 1861. America's tragedy is that the opportunity wasn't used to institute a better one.

PS the constution of the US has only ever been honoured in its breech.

 

[Susheel]

Your constitution has been non-functional since 1861. America's tragedy is that the opportunity wasn't used to institute a better one.

PS the constution of the US has only ever been honoured in its breech.

You shouldn't be throwing stones at crystal palaces like that. Why do you hate America?

 

[Gulliver Foyle]

People in the U.S. can sue civilly for grounds like defamation and invasion of privacy, but the government can't treat speech as a crime except in the rarest of circumstances, like publishing military secrets or inciting a riot or making threats. In some countries, some speech by itself can be prosecuted. Holocaust deniers in Germany, for example, can go to prison for five years. I don't think that's a road Americans want to go down.

In the US you can call for the mass murder of all jews to protect the white race without sanction. In the EU, barring Hungary or possibly Poland, such incitement to mass murder is rightly illegal and subject to severe punishment, as is holocaust denial.

 

[Gulliver Foyle]

"How many divisions [have they] got?" (Paraphrase Joseph Stalin)

I was thinking of putting Jackson's dictate to good use, at last. "Let Roberts enforce his ruling."

 

[Suddenly]

You're kidding, right? I assume you're watching Candlepin Bowling hosted by Don Gillis on Boston's WCVB Channel 5? I loved that show! I watched that since I was a little kid until the day it was cancelled in 1996. I was shocked when it was cancelled, and I still haven't forgiven the owners of the station. That was must-watch TV all over New England.

That's the one. I can't get the theme song out of my head.

I'm afraid to ever google Tom Olsztra because I'm terrified he wound up being an serial killer, MAGA, or a country music legend.

 

[shemp]

That's the one. I can't get the theme song out of my head.

I'm afraid to ever google Tom Olsztra because I'm terrified he wound up being an serial killer, MAGA, or a country music legend.

According to his bio at Candlepin Bowling Hall of Fame, he is alive and well, and does not appear to have murdered anyone.

 

[Donal]

Restricting free speech.

What on his list does he do that?

Attempting the impossble by brnging back the Fairness doctrine in age of the Interenet, Satellite broadcasting and streaming.

I agree that's futile, but that doesn't make it authoritarian.

Sceptical about taxing the Churches, since I thin, given the OP hatred of religio,he wants to close them down.

So, because you personally have a gripe with him, there's no merit to this idea posed b ya lot of people? You're OK with churches abusing their tax-exempt status and de facto community leadership roles to influence politics?

Things like "endind racism" without giving any idea of how we do that.
Sounds pretty authoratarin to me.

Are you using a different definition of "authoritarian" than everyone else?

I also think this whole "We are doomed and nothing we can do about it"attitude helps nobody but the right wing nutjobs.

Almost as much as extreme centrism.

This is a serous situation, and posturing just because it looks cool on the Internet does not help matters.

Performative centrism is even less helpful.

 

[Donal]

One thing can, and eventually will, be done to break this volksgerichtshof's stranglehold on the application of injustice on your nation. All it will take is for one state governor to declare a ruling to be illegitimate and that would be ignored within their jurisdiction. What would Roberts do if Governor Newsom declared his next illegal ruling is to be ignored in California.

The Supreme Court has no power of enforcement in the final analysis.

The problem is Democrats, in general, actually want to govern. They want three functioning branches at the federal and whatever each state has going. My contempt for the neo-liberal wing is well documented, but at least we can agree on that.

No current Democratic governor is going to do that, especially one with presidential aspirations like Newsom.

 

[Ladewig]

The Onion: “Members of Congress are prohibited from accepting any lobbyist gift valued at over $50. The trip you took with GOP megadonor Harlan Crow was worth $500,000. Any comment?”

I would have gone with “think of it as 10,000 very-short, consecutive trips each worth $50.”