I remember watching the Congressional hearings where Clarence Thomas was a candidate for the Supreme Court. I remember particularly the unnecessarily abusive way in which Arlen Specter questioned Anita Hill. I remember hearing Thomas’ life story, his accomplishments and the help he got from institutions and people along the way. I remember the meanness of the “ABC” taunt he heard as a child. It was clear that given his education and experience he was clearly not a viable candidate for the Supreme Court. And sadly that has been clearly proven in the past 19 years. The color of his skin was why he was there. Sadly the inappropriate telephone message left on Anita Hill’s telephone by his wife Ginni has helped no one. We know there was another potential witness at the time of the hearing, Lillian McEwen, who, because of that phone call decided to “end her 19-year silence about Justice Clarence Thomas.” Now there is talk demanding that Thomas be impeached for perjuring himself before the committee. ( More from the Washington Post )
Sadly Thomas’s best move 20 years ago would have been to thank his “champion” whoever that was and decline the offer. For the seeds of deceit finally germinated leaving no path forward and no possible retreat. A book, “Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas” by Jill Abramson and will fill in all gaps you need.
[Finally this little aside, something I heard at a technical meeting around that time. George Bush had received some kind of award and to the surprise of his audience he used his thank you speech trying to justify why he (Bush) had nominated Clarence Thomas.]
For readers wanting to stimulate their memory here is one of many links to detailed explanations: ( Consortiumnews )
Is there a Perjurer on our Supreme Court? | Kelley's View ……
Here at World Spinner we are debating the same thing……