When I was a little kid I loved watching the A-Team, maybe it was my 7 yr old mentality, but seeing those four guys blow stuff up was a lot of fun. Out of that pack, the most famous was Mr. T and people still use his lines today. For some reason I thought of his euphemism today when I read about Clarence Thomas' latest interview. It is incredible to me that someone like him sits on the highest court in the country. What he thinks of the other eight justices is telling of his character and what it means to have him on the bench.
From U.S. News:
There's a reason why Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas doesn't talk much from the bench: He thinks judges should be seen and not heard. "My colleagues should shut up!" he says. In a rare scolding of his fellow judges, Thomas Wednesday night took off after those who ask questions and debate cases out loud during oral arguments while defending his own, oft-criticized, silent treatment.
Asked at an event honoring Winston Churchill sponsored by independent Michigan school Hillsdale College if he would talk more from the bench to "give us relief" from the other chatty judges, Thomas said, "I don't think it's my job to give you relief." Thomas noted that through history, most top judges rarely asked questions. "What's changed? Have the laws changed? What's changed? And why are all these questions necessary? That should be the question," he demanded of the near epidemic level of judicial questioning at Supreme Court hearings.
Hmmm, where do I start....First of all the other justices would never disrespect one of their fellows by telling them to "shut up." This isn't the Jerry Springer Show, its the top of the Judiciary branch. Second, judges should ask questions. They are there to make sure laws are followed and are constitutional. If they need to ask questions, then it shows they have active minds. Clearly, Thomas' is shut down like Fort Knox.
Oh and yeah, laws do change. They change all the time, that is why we have legislators to craft bills that fit to our civilized societies. When this country was founded people still found it respectable to have duels with actual pistols. Women didn't vote and Thomas' ancestors were slaves...so um yeah, sorry Clarence, you are absolutely wrong. Putting him on the Supreme Court was one of the bigger mistakes of 1991.
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