A few quick notes tonight about some ongoing stories: There is more news about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his misreporting of his financial connections. This morning, Shawn Boburg and Emma Brown of the Washington Post reported that for twenty years, Thomas has reported rental income totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars from a real estate firm that was shut down in 2006.
A veteran Supreme Court justice who interprets the law and writes complexly reasoned opinions repeatedly misreports his financial connections for decades, and we're supposed to accept that they're innocent mistakes and omissions?
There's more than smoke here. It's a raging inferno of corruption. When will Clarence Thomas be held accountable? How long will he get away with making a laughing stock of the rule of law?
In Salmon Idaho we host a Salmon Select Sale for horses and mules each year bringing together people from across the country. Since I had a friend from Wyoming and a friend from Montana I thought it would be a good time to have a chat about the state of the nation regarding combat arms. Both of my guests have concealed carry permits and both have adequate arsenals of semi-automatic weapons. We have been friends for many years and continue to be so. In response to school shootings they argue for locating law enforcement within every school and hopefully teachers trained well enough to carry and be able to employ concealed weapons in the classrooms for the safety of the students. They stated they were more or less unaware of the numbers of mass shootings going on and was attributable to crazed individuals. When I asked why they felt they needed to own rapid fire weapons their answers were mostly a subterfuge but it was abundantly clear they felt the government (democrats in power) was targeting them in cahoots with “liberals” trying to take away their freedoms. Keep in mind they go armed at all times. They felt they needed a level of adequate protection against the armed crazies and that no force on earth was going to take away their right to keep and bear arms. I asked them if they felt like they might be the “armed crazies.” They consider me to be somewhat liberal minded even though I did my best to maintain an even composure so the discussion could discuss possible solutions as well as their indignant and loud protestations. Aside from ridding ourselves of Biden and arming the conservative camp further they could suggest no real solutions other than an inevitable shooting war. What was clear was the level of misinformation that had a firm grip on their understanding of political events nationwide. They really viewed themselves as the patriots who shouldered the burden of saving democracy. We think they know better and that is our mistaken judgement. That is all from here in cow country.
What a bizarre disconnect continues to make a mockery of American freedom and citizens' right to safety. The horrific shooting death of Robert Dotson by police in New Mexico demonstrated that having a gun does not protect against harm. That poor man awakened in the middle of the night probably had not understood that police were at his door. He opened his door pushing out his gun first and was met by deadly force from officers reacting (overreacting?) to the threat they saw. But that tragic loss is glossed over by all gun rights NRA supporters of the Second Amendment - a law drastically misconstrued in our time. Noem's quip about her granddaughter is horrifying. I continue to ask what about the right of citizens to life? The current radicalized GOP cares little for life unless they get to define and circumscribe it, and impose their beliefs on others. Small wonder Clarence Thomas keeps lying about his circumstances. His corruption is fine with his party as long as he finds ways to support the broader GOP in their dismantling of democracy. We are not safer.
Would be very helpful if all the members of the administration started mentioning the practical ways that "we in the seats" could help our "fight" for gun safety, for protection of reproductive rights, for preservation of our voting rights as a true democracy, for resistence to racism and anti-semitism? And the very best and actually easiest way to do all of the above is to encourage all of GenZ relatives and friends and all of the younger woman in our social and societal orbit--and all us who believe deeply in every woman's right to choose--to register to vote and in 2024, to turn out the greatest number of the voters who support some or all of the above in the history of this democracy in order to save it--and if I may respectfully suggest, the very best way to get this done is go on the website of a spectacular group of Harvard students who are attempting to work all across this country nonpartisan in 2,700 high schools and colleges in competitive congressional districts to register millions of younger voters through social media and active school voter registration drives-- and contribute now and often--www.turnup.us/ (I don't know why it won't send you to www.turnup.us/ this works) You will be amazed at what this young group are doing to save our democracy in an effective and cost efficient manner, Thank you and please do it--it's time folks!
Women ignored. Professor Anita Hill warned us. Sen. Joe Biden chaired. He and womanizer and serious drunk and Chappaquiddick Liar Sen. Edward “Teddy” Kennedy sat.
Professor Anita Hill did not lie. Judge Clarence Thomas did lie. Judge Brett Kavanaugh lied.
Justice, Neil Gorsuch lied. Amy Comey Barrett lied.
The stench is a mess.
Impeachment is the answer for a few Scotus judges.
The onion that Clarence Thomas continues to be unpeeled, one layer at a time.
This latest incident seems innocuous, but could be more than just sloppy reporting, considering that he has failed to report many other questionable financial transactions.
As someone who watched the carnage of Viet Nam over our evening meal decades ago, I have to wonder if this generation even has a clue what the history of the previous generation was. LBJ tried to negotiate in 1968, Nixon stymied that effort. Same with forced birth. Does anyone remember the horrors to WOMEN (not one man) from the burden placed on them by the “loving” men in their lives, including my own Mom, although my Dad didn’t “hit and run” like so many who skate away with nary a care. Republicans want the horror back again. There was a time when the SC finally recognized the equal protection granted all citizens, then republicans decided that some were indeed more “equal than others,” and set about to dismantle hard fought gains on several fronts. Our reputation in the world has to do with consistent and honorable actions. Such is sorely missing from the republicans among us. As hard to find as hen’s teeth. And yet they crow…
First of all, thank you for including the very important work that VP Harris has been doing. I don't think she has gotten enough credit for everything she is accomplishing. God forbid MSM points these things out!
Clarence and Ginni are quite a pair, are they not? Not disclosing the sale of his property to his billionaire friend and now this ditty about a company that doesn't even exist is dirty pool. Yes, Thomas should be impeached but will that happen? Only in 2024 if Dems win both the House and the Senate and that's not a given. Think Chief Roberts will do anything? He's a wimp. I hope he proves me wrong but I have my doubts. Should be another interesting week.
Another senseless shooting in yet another shit-hole state governed by a Repub crazed governor. Honestly, until a literal gun is held to their heads, they won't budge. I am not advocating for violence. I am saying this is the only thing they will acknowledge that they might be afraid of. That very ignorant governor, Noem, brags about how her 2 year old granddaughter has her own gun. Isn't that just precious? Wait til she grabs it because her loving parents left it out, accidentally, and their sweet child picks it up and shoots herself or somebody else. Absolutely reckless and stupid these people are!
The fact that Justice Thomas reported income from a firm that doesn’t exist begs the question; where did the money come from?
There is also another, bigger, question hanging in the air over issues in re Clarence Thomas; where is Chief Justice Robert’s? This is his court being besmirched. This is his legacy. Indeed, it’s his court’s legitimacy, thus every ruling’s legitimacy, being undermined with every new revelation about Clarence Thomas.
Will Robert’s play the political hack and tough it out with Justice Thomas hoping for a Republican president, and a Republican majority in the Senate, after the 2024 election? That’s quite a long shot.
Or will John Roberts rise above politics, jettison Clarence Thomas sooner, and thus allow Biden and Senate Democrats to pick a liberal replacement before the next election, and before Justice Thomas permanently poisons the historical legacy of the Roberts Court? The court would still have a conservative majority..
Either way, Justice Clarence Thomas has to go.
Pick your place in American history, John Roberts.
Our VP: “I’ve been traveling around the world as your Vice President,” she said. “When we, as Americans, walk in those rooms around the world, we have traditionally walked in those rooms, shoulders back, chin up, having some authority to talk about the importance of rule of law, human rights.”
Yes, but at this moment in time, we are like adolescents, in the middle of an Identity Crisis. How can we be the example when we are divided not just by the politics of party but by the extremes of political divide? On critical issues, the courts and the GOP block laws and discussion about gun safety and laws, Women’s Rights to choose, not only Abortion but what’s in our medicine cabinet. Voting rights, Social Security and Medicare for all. Even the Postal services. Public schools and banning Truth. I know this is a rerun comment. But I have to write it again. At least a Democracy is possible. If we Vote like our Democracy depends on it.
While the never ending travails of 'No clearance " Clarence keep attention focused upon the Supreme Court, I think another issue of the Court's might possibly be even more important.
When Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated in 1861, our country's population was about 30 million. Today, we have 10 times that many people, yet EXACTLY the same number of Supreme Court Justices.
Clarence Thomas and Ginny and their billionaire benefactor and the pattern described at WaPo tonight are cause for impeachment of Thomas. Add to this we have the serial lying and compulsive dishonesty of the nomination hearings of GOP candidates and the treatment of Garland.. and we have DESTROYED the credibility of SCOTUS. Abortion is the smoking gun, the canary in the mine shaft. The over all PATTERN is the STENCH... Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is the ethical or Glacial anomaly. And look what she had to go through. Similar issues are flowing in Australia... with rape charges... and Brazil, Moscow, Turkey, Hungary, Poland, and a few others are Glacial Anomalies.
A REPUBLIC IF YOU CAN KEEP IT - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
Will Clarence and Ginny take a tumble? We shall see.
On the other hand, thanks to VP Harris.
“And so, this is a moment that history will show required each of us, based on our collective love of our country, to stand up and fight for and protect our ideals…. [W]e have been called upon to be the next generation of the people who will help lead and fight in this movement for freedom and liberty based on our love of our country…. [W]e stand for our democracy. And we stand for foundational and fundamental principles that have everything to do with freedom, liberty, and equality for all people.”
"South Dakota governor Kristi Noem complained about liberals who “want to take our guns,” and boasted that her granddaughter, who is not yet two, has a shotgun and a rifle."
The governor is crazy for giving an (almost) toddler two guns. To what end?
A veteran Supreme Court justice who interprets the law and writes complexly reasoned opinions repeatedly misreports his financial connections for decades, and we're supposed to accept that they're innocent mistakes and omissions?
There's more than smoke here. It's a raging inferno of corruption. When will Clarence Thomas be held accountable? How long will he get away with making a laughing stock of the rule of law?
Governor Noems statements about her two year old granddaughter having a rifle and a shotgun were chilling.
In Salmon Idaho we host a Salmon Select Sale for horses and mules each year bringing together people from across the country. Since I had a friend from Wyoming and a friend from Montana I thought it would be a good time to have a chat about the state of the nation regarding combat arms. Both of my guests have concealed carry permits and both have adequate arsenals of semi-automatic weapons. We have been friends for many years and continue to be so. In response to school shootings they argue for locating law enforcement within every school and hopefully teachers trained well enough to carry and be able to employ concealed weapons in the classrooms for the safety of the students. They stated they were more or less unaware of the numbers of mass shootings going on and was attributable to crazed individuals. When I asked why they felt they needed to own rapid fire weapons their answers were mostly a subterfuge but it was abundantly clear they felt the government (democrats in power) was targeting them in cahoots with “liberals” trying to take away their freedoms. Keep in mind they go armed at all times. They felt they needed a level of adequate protection against the armed crazies and that no force on earth was going to take away their right to keep and bear arms. I asked them if they felt like they might be the “armed crazies.” They consider me to be somewhat liberal minded even though I did my best to maintain an even composure so the discussion could discuss possible solutions as well as their indignant and loud protestations. Aside from ridding ourselves of Biden and arming the conservative camp further they could suggest no real solutions other than an inevitable shooting war. What was clear was the level of misinformation that had a firm grip on their understanding of political events nationwide. They really viewed themselves as the patriots who shouldered the burden of saving democracy. We think they know better and that is our mistaken judgement. That is all from here in cow country.
What a bizarre disconnect continues to make a mockery of American freedom and citizens' right to safety. The horrific shooting death of Robert Dotson by police in New Mexico demonstrated that having a gun does not protect against harm. That poor man awakened in the middle of the night probably had not understood that police were at his door. He opened his door pushing out his gun first and was met by deadly force from officers reacting (overreacting?) to the threat they saw. But that tragic loss is glossed over by all gun rights NRA supporters of the Second Amendment - a law drastically misconstrued in our time. Noem's quip about her granddaughter is horrifying. I continue to ask what about the right of citizens to life? The current radicalized GOP cares little for life unless they get to define and circumscribe it, and impose their beliefs on others. Small wonder Clarence Thomas keeps lying about his circumstances. His corruption is fine with his party as long as he finds ways to support the broader GOP in their dismantling of democracy. We are not safer.
Would be very helpful if all the members of the administration started mentioning the practical ways that "we in the seats" could help our "fight" for gun safety, for protection of reproductive rights, for preservation of our voting rights as a true democracy, for resistence to racism and anti-semitism? And the very best and actually easiest way to do all of the above is to encourage all of GenZ relatives and friends and all of the younger woman in our social and societal orbit--and all us who believe deeply in every woman's right to choose--to register to vote and in 2024, to turn out the greatest number of the voters who support some or all of the above in the history of this democracy in order to save it--and if I may respectfully suggest, the very best way to get this done is go on the website of a spectacular group of Harvard students who are attempting to work all across this country nonpartisan in 2,700 high schools and colleges in competitive congressional districts to register millions of younger voters through social media and active school voter registration drives-- and contribute now and often--www.turnup.us/ (I don't know why it won't send you to www.turnup.us/ this works) You will be amazed at what this young group are doing to save our democracy in an effective and cost efficient manner, Thank you and please do it--it's time folks!
The pattern is the story.
Women ignored. Professor Anita Hill warned us. Sen. Joe Biden chaired. He and womanizer and serious drunk and Chappaquiddick Liar Sen. Edward “Teddy” Kennedy sat.
Professor Anita Hill did not lie. Judge Clarence Thomas did lie. Judge Brett Kavanaugh lied.
Justice, Neil Gorsuch lied. Amy Comey Barrett lied.
The stench is a mess.
Impeachment is the answer for a few Scotus judges.
The pattern is the story.
The onion that Clarence Thomas continues to be unpeeled, one layer at a time.
This latest incident seems innocuous, but could be more than just sloppy reporting, considering that he has failed to report many other questionable financial transactions.
As someone who watched the carnage of Viet Nam over our evening meal decades ago, I have to wonder if this generation even has a clue what the history of the previous generation was. LBJ tried to negotiate in 1968, Nixon stymied that effort. Same with forced birth. Does anyone remember the horrors to WOMEN (not one man) from the burden placed on them by the “loving” men in their lives, including my own Mom, although my Dad didn’t “hit and run” like so many who skate away with nary a care. Republicans want the horror back again. There was a time when the SC finally recognized the equal protection granted all citizens, then republicans decided that some were indeed more “equal than others,” and set about to dismantle hard fought gains on several fronts. Our reputation in the world has to do with consistent and honorable actions. Such is sorely missing from the republicans among us. As hard to find as hen’s teeth. And yet they crow…
First of all, thank you for including the very important work that VP Harris has been doing. I don't think she has gotten enough credit for everything she is accomplishing. God forbid MSM points these things out!
Clarence and Ginni are quite a pair, are they not? Not disclosing the sale of his property to his billionaire friend and now this ditty about a company that doesn't even exist is dirty pool. Yes, Thomas should be impeached but will that happen? Only in 2024 if Dems win both the House and the Senate and that's not a given. Think Chief Roberts will do anything? He's a wimp. I hope he proves me wrong but I have my doubts. Should be another interesting week.
Another senseless shooting in yet another shit-hole state governed by a Repub crazed governor. Honestly, until a literal gun is held to their heads, they won't budge. I am not advocating for violence. I am saying this is the only thing they will acknowledge that they might be afraid of. That very ignorant governor, Noem, brags about how her 2 year old granddaughter has her own gun. Isn't that just precious? Wait til she grabs it because her loving parents left it out, accidentally, and their sweet child picks it up and shoots herself or somebody else. Absolutely reckless and stupid these people are!
The fact that Justice Thomas reported income from a firm that doesn’t exist begs the question; where did the money come from?
There is also another, bigger, question hanging in the air over issues in re Clarence Thomas; where is Chief Justice Robert’s? This is his court being besmirched. This is his legacy. Indeed, it’s his court’s legitimacy, thus every ruling’s legitimacy, being undermined with every new revelation about Clarence Thomas.
Will Robert’s play the political hack and tough it out with Justice Thomas hoping for a Republican president, and a Republican majority in the Senate, after the 2024 election? That’s quite a long shot.
Or will John Roberts rise above politics, jettison Clarence Thomas sooner, and thus allow Biden and Senate Democrats to pick a liberal replacement before the next election, and before Justice Thomas permanently poisons the historical legacy of the Roberts Court? The court would still have a conservative majority..
Either way, Justice Clarence Thomas has to go.
Pick your place in American history, John Roberts.
Our VP: “I’ve been traveling around the world as your Vice President,” she said. “When we, as Americans, walk in those rooms around the world, we have traditionally walked in those rooms, shoulders back, chin up, having some authority to talk about the importance of rule of law, human rights.”
Yes, but at this moment in time, we are like adolescents, in the middle of an Identity Crisis. How can we be the example when we are divided not just by the politics of party but by the extremes of political divide? On critical issues, the courts and the GOP block laws and discussion about gun safety and laws, Women’s Rights to choose, not only Abortion but what’s in our medicine cabinet. Voting rights, Social Security and Medicare for all. Even the Postal services. Public schools and banning Truth. I know this is a rerun comment. But I have to write it again. At least a Democracy is possible. If we Vote like our Democracy depends on it.
The emperors have no clothes.
Fellow Friends of HCR,
While the never ending travails of 'No clearance " Clarence keep attention focused upon the Supreme Court, I think another issue of the Court's might possibly be even more important.
When Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated in 1861, our country's population was about 30 million. Today, we have 10 times that many people, yet EXACTLY the same number of Supreme Court Justices.
That is nothing short of ridiculous
Clarence Thomas and Ginny and their billionaire benefactor and the pattern described at WaPo tonight are cause for impeachment of Thomas. Add to this we have the serial lying and compulsive dishonesty of the nomination hearings of GOP candidates and the treatment of Garland.. and we have DESTROYED the credibility of SCOTUS. Abortion is the smoking gun, the canary in the mine shaft. The over all PATTERN is the STENCH... Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is the ethical or Glacial anomaly. And look what she had to go through. Similar issues are flowing in Australia... with rape charges... and Brazil, Moscow, Turkey, Hungary, Poland, and a few others are Glacial Anomalies.
A REPUBLIC IF YOU CAN KEEP IT - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
Thank you Heather.
Will Clarence and Ginny take a tumble? We shall see.
On the other hand, thanks to VP Harris.
“And so, this is a moment that history will show required each of us, based on our collective love of our country, to stand up and fight for and protect our ideals…. [W]e have been called upon to be the next generation of the people who will help lead and fight in this movement for freedom and liberty based on our love of our country…. [W]e stand for our democracy. And we stand for foundational and fundamental principles that have everything to do with freedom, liberty, and equality for all people.”
Yup.
"South Dakota governor Kristi Noem complained about liberals who “want to take our guns,” and boasted that her granddaughter, who is not yet two, has a shotgun and a rifle."
The governor is crazy for giving an (almost) toddler two guns. To what end?