Why Clarence Thomas's acceptance of bribes pisses me off. Am I being too harsh?

[AverageOldGuy]

Friend of mine -- call him Jim because that's his name -- died two days ago. We entered the Army together, went through Infantry Officer Basic Course, Airborne training and Ranger training together. Chased women, cleared out bars together . . . set out together all full of piss and vinegar to save the world from . . . well, from something.

Went to Vietnam, assigned to the same division. I arrived two months after Jim. Four days after I arrived, Jim was shot up, evacced to the States, and the Brigade Commander sent me to take over Jim's infantry platoon.

Little over two years later, I went back to Vietnam to command an infantry company. Damn if Jim didn't arrive three months later, I got my ass shot up two days after he arrived, and he took over my company.

Things are strange like that.

Time went on. I stayed with the Infantry, Jim transferred to Military Intelligence (the Army's intell branch). We had normal advancements in rank, then, Jim retired a couple of years before I did -- wounds caught up with him.

He took a job with General Dynamics selling super-secret electronics gear to Korea, Japan, Singapore (and Taiwan, but don't tell anyone about that). I was assigned to USForces - Korea, planning to retire at the end of that tour (1995).

Jim came to Korea once, on a swing through Western Pacific, checking with his customers.

Because he was a contractor, I could neither accept nor offer favors to Jim, he had the same restriction, in spite of the fact he was not doing a cent's worth of business with US forces and even if he were I had nothing to do with the stuff he was selling.

We went out to dinner and Korean bar-hopping a couple of times -- he paid his, I paid mine AND KEPT THE RECEIPTS. He could play on the US Forces golf courses because of his retired status, but he paid his way even at the 19th hole, I could not take him as a guest on my membership.

Should I be pissed at "Justice" Thomas, or am I over-reacting?

[MLAA]

1. We should all be really pissed.

[roamer65]

3. +1000

Hell yeah.

[dchill]

14. 100% best answer.

[Goonch]

4. 👇👇👇👇👇

[CanonRay]

5. No, I'm really pissed too

I was in Federal law enforcement. I had to file financial disclosure every year. If I had gotten ANY gift and not disclosed it, I'd have been fired, then prosecuted. I of course never took so much as a cup of coffee. His MF knew exactly what he was doing.

[barbtries]

6. i worked in a pharma company

applying for a BARDA grant. we had an on site meeting with their team and could not even offer them lunch. They all pulled out cash and paid for their own lunches.

he went on a half million dollar trip on this man's dime. cannot be legal.

[Generic Brad]

9. If anything, you are underreacting

He's been bought off and there is no excuse that makes what he did morally right. He is unfit to wear the robes of justice and needs to step down or be forced to step down.

[EndlessWire]

10. I don't think you're over-reacting.

We have a compromised USSC, thanks to Clarence Thomas and his wife. And he's appointed for life. He made a lame excuse that wouldn't fly for the rest of us, hence the careful adherence to the RULES you gave. Of course, the SC has decided not to put itself under the rules the rest of the judiciary has to follow, because, you know, they don't have to, seeing as how they are the Rulemakers...it's very frustrating. We all should be very angry.

It just keeps getting worse.

[DENVERPOPS]

23. Who was the French guy back in the 1700's who said

"Democracy will work until people, or some group of people, figure out that they can vote themselves money....."

[Rebl2]

11. Until

the American people start speaking out loudly about how the SC gets away with this type of grift, nothing will be done. They should have to disclose any gifts (or as you say, bribes) from anyone, including their family. Also any gifts to their family members should have to be reported. Are you being harsh? NO.

[czarjak]

12. Moocher's gonna mooch. Moo Cha Cho?

[Leith]

13. You certainly are NOT overreacting

I was never in the military, but I lived in Japan for 3 years in the 1980s. The only English language radio was Armed Forces radio. They didn't run commercials, but there were a lot of spots telling soldiers to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest. If the lower ranks have such things drilled into them, surely somebody who served as a state assistant attorney general and legislative assistant to a Senator before being appointed into a judgeship should know about such things.

He has worked steadily in government since 1981. There's no excuse for "not knowing" and there is no doubt that he really did.

Verdict: Thomas is scum and on the take.

[dchill]

15. He'll have to play the IOKIYAR card.

[plimsoll]

16. Nope it's not over-reacting.

Every year I had the privilege of taking ‘Accepting Gratuities’ training. All this does it confirm our status as peons, so when the GOP says “we’re not a democracy we’re a republic,” you can ask if they even know what a republic is.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

17. Expecting Clarence to understand conflict of interest

is like expecting him to understand the law, he just doesn't and he won't and the people pay him don't really want him too, unless they really tell him they want him too, and then he like totally understands...

FFS

[housecat]

20. lol! definitely

[republianmushroom]

18. No, I don't think you are over-reacting.

[Warpy]

19. I have found Thomas nauseating for the duration his ass has disgraced the USSC bench

and I thought at the time (and have not reconsidered) that the Democrats should have gone after him on his credentials and radical views instead of his abuse of women he worked with. GOPs don't give a shit about women and neither did many of their Dem. brethren when Thomas was confirmed.

That he is as horrendous a person as is coming out surprises me not, nor do his execrable rulings.

Don't tell me anybody on DU is surprised that he's living large on bribery. We paid attention. We knew what he was.

[Permanut]

21. Three things..

First, this is an exceptional post.

Second, thanks from this Navy vet for all that you did in service to the country we used to love.

Finally, I hope to see more people who are equally pissed.

[Jarqui]

22. Thank you for your service.

Too late to thank Jim but I appreciate his service too.

Judge Thomas' behavior is outrageous, unethical and dishonorable - to say the least.
His failure to recuse given the behavior of his wife is also unconscionable.
I'm understating how I feel.

He should be impeached but Republicans are too corrupt to do that.
The Supreme Court additions Trump made has corrupted the court.

There was a time when this behavior wouldn't be tolerated.
But that is covered in the books Republicans will ban or in the libraries Republicans will defund.

Another sad day for America.

[housecat]

24. Of course you should be pissed at this career worthless piece of shit. You and Jim (RIP)

are good men. That's the difference. Thank you both for your exceptional service.

[Irish_Dem]

25. For those who make the rules, there are no rules.

And we should be pissed as hell about it.

They think we are suckers and losers for following the law.

My dad was like you. Career military and followed all laws and rules his entire life.

Thank you for what you have done.
For doing the right thing.

[WA-03 Democrat]

26. You and Jim

Had honor and served your country.

Thomas is a treason bastard who should be treated and punished as such.

Thank you and Jim for protecting us and serving the USA. Sorry about Jim's death and I wish you and his family the best.

[Rhiannon12866]

27. He's on the Supreme Court, making decisions that affect every one of us

The Supreme Court is mandated to follow the law - so if one justice is not objective, we should all be mad as hell - and he should be removed.

[JHB]

28. "Pissed" is the only approriate response

[Artcatt]

29. No, you're not overreacting

First of all, thank you for your and your friend’s service and integrity.

You played by the rules. “Justice” Thomas played the system to his own benefit and believes there’s nothing wrong with what he did.

That isn’t a mistake or a fumble. That’s absence of integrity.

It’s amplified by Thomas’ position: upholding the rule of law for the greater good.

My 2 cents.

[catrose]

30. I feel the same way. As a government contractor employee

I could not accept lunch or even a holiday card (just a greeting, no money) from a vendor.

And I'd been accustomed to dropping my mail in with the outgoing company mail. One time when my bills didn't get delivered, I told HR, because if my bills weren't delivered, maybe important government stuff wasn't either.

HOW DARE I?

An all-hands meeting was called to explain how expecting the mail room to deliver your mail to the post office was STEALING FROM THE GOVERNMENT and WOULD NOT BE TOLERATED.

Some months later we had some interns from Russia. They took reference books from the library, packaged them up, and shipped them to Russia, on the government's dime. There wasn't much library left at the end of their tenure. Was it wrong to giggle maniacally?

But, yeah, I'm pissed, also about removing government documents from the site, which I never did. It was impressed on us that this was INCREDIBLY WRONG and WOULD BE PUNISHED.

IOKIYAR

[crickets]

31. I'm incandescently ticked off about it. We all should be.

You're not overreacting, and I appreciate you sharing this story with us. Good on you and Jim.

[Bob_in_VA]

32. No over-reaction

Like everyone here, I am disgusted/outraged/etc. about ol' Clarence's corruption. I understand that impeachment is a no-go given the current crop of GOPers in Congress. My question is, did he report these "gifts" on either his annual financial disclosure forms or his taxes? If these "gifts" aren't on both of those reports, he has broken the law. Federal criminal law.

We know he failed to report his wife's income for years on the disclosure forms but he was allowed to "skate", claiming he "thought" he didn't have to report her income. (Yeah, right) Might be a little tough using that same argument to claim that the "gifts" given to him also didn't need to be reported.

[eppur_se_muova]

33. "Rules are for lilttle people" -- every Republican in power, ever. nt