Breaking scandal around Justice Clarence Thomas

[Surya Gayatri]

Just heard on KGO/Bernie Ward about a breaking story on Clarence Thomas accepting gratuities from dubious sources. Can't find anything in the Corp. Media for the moment. Anybody got anything? SG

[Hawkeye-X]

1. If it is true..

Then the Senate must IMPEACH Thomas. There are laws in place just to do it just like there are laws to IMPEACH Chimp.

[driver8]

2. Hey -- maybe we can get a "two for one" deal. Save the

taxpayers some money and get rid of two lumps of shit at the same time!

Oh please, please, please, PLEASE let this be true!! :popcorn:

[Surya Gayatri]

4. I've sniffed around on the usual sites

but haven't seen anything in print. But several callers have mentioned it on KGO/Bernie Ward. Here: http://www.kgoam810.com/listenlive.asp# SG

[uncle ray]

13. or * will hit yet another trifecta.

three Supreme Court vacancies during his term.

[driver8]

17. Oh crap...I didn't think of that. n/t

[Surya Gayatri]

18. Gawd forbid,

Yoiks! We've gotta get * out before this comes to a head. SG

[Kaylee]

31. My thoughts exactly!

Although it is not like Thomas was a friend of the left anyway.

[Surya Gayatri]

3. But, will they be any more disposed to

take out one of their own on the SCOTUS than in the executive branch? I just hope this proves to be so outrageous it can't go unpunished. SG

[Canuckistanian]

6. Watch out, he'll have a good lawyer

That would be one court scene I'd pay to see.

[Surya Gayatri]

8. LOL! Me too!

Can't you see him up before his "peers"--Scalia, Roberts, et al. Although I suspect Scalia is up to his eyeballs in the same kind of muck, albeit with more discretion. SG

[Swamp Rat]

5. Bernie Ward: "Terrorist Surveillance."

[Surya Gayatri]

11. Swamp Rat, do you mean

Bernie is doing the surveilling or is under surveillance himself? I suspect the latter...SG

[anitar1]

7. Doesn't surprise me. But he will never be impeached by

the pugs. Bush will stand up for his guy. Of course if they did impeach, by some mircle, Bush would probably appoint Priscilla Owens.

[Surya Gayatri]

9. From fryng pan into fire! n/t

[Moochy]

10. ABC news nightline?

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Investigation/story?id=1534260

Other Justices Received Gifts

While there are ethics rules in place for lower federal court judges, there is no explicit code of ethics for the nine Supreme Court justices. Some practices have in turn come under scrutiny, such as accepting trips from groups with political and judicial agenda and gifts from private parties who may at some point have business before the court.

Ron Rotunda, a law professor at the George Mason School of Law, author of a textbook on legal ethics and who is himself a member of the Federalist Society, finds no problem with the Supreme Court justices attending events sponsored by the organization. "I'm a member of the Federalist Society, the NAACP, and the justices get invited to both, and I think that's a good idea," he said. "The organization doesn't have litigation before the judge and is unlikely to have litigation before the judge."

An examination of the Supreme Court disclosure forms by ABC News found that five of the justices have accepted tens of thousand of dollars in country club memberships. And Justice Clarence Thomas has received tens of thousands of dollars in valuable gifts, including an $800 leather jacket from NASCAR, a $1200 set of tires, a vacation trip by private jet, and a rare Bible valued at $19,000.

"The rules dealing with gifts don't apply to Justice Thomas because the rules only apply to lower court judges," Gillers explained. "People give gifts to judges and justices because they have power. And they have power because of their position that they hold in trust. And to suggest that it doesn't matter, no one will care, seems to me to be whistling in the dark."

[Surya Gayatri]

14. Voilà, that's what i was looking for!

Thanks for the post. SG

[Moochy]

15. I'm guessing thats why callers were hip to the fact

They watched the EXCLUSIVE nightline report.

[Surya Gayatri]

19. i don't get US teevee

except clips on-line. SG

[xultar]

12. I heard about this a while ago. Things must be coming to the surface

because of Abramoff.

[Surya Gayatri]

16. And may they continue to

"bubble, bubble toil and trouble"! SG

[DoYouEverWonder]

29. Yes, it looks like the Abramoff stink

is rising all the way up the cloaks of our Supreme Court Justices.

I hope this scandal takes them all down.

[still_one]

20. nothing will happen

...
An examination of the Supreme Court disclosure forms by ABC News found that five of the justices have accepted tens of thousand of dollars in country club memberships. And Justice Clarence Thomas has received tens of thousands of dollars in valuable gifts, including an $800 leather jacket from NASCAR, a $1200 set of tires, a vacation trip by private jet, and a rare Bible valued at $19,000.


http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Investigation/story?id=1534260

I don't even think it is illegal, highly unethical, but probably NOT illegal

[Surya Gayatri]

21. If its not illegal it damn well should be!

The highest court in the land should be above reproach and at least maintain an appearance of impartiality.:grr: SG

[shraby]

22. Your absolutely right. I wonder what kind of

gratuities they received in the year 2000?

[still_one]

26. you are absolutely right, it should be

[Moochy]

23. Heres' the link to the LBN version

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2061512&mesg_id=2061512

for your crosslinking pleasure

[Surya Gayatri]

24. Thanks Moochy, didn't know

this was up over at LBN. SG

[xchrom]

25. who gives tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts and

expects nothing in return?

who gets tens of thousands of dollars worth of gift and expects not to have to return the favor sometime?

[malaise]

27. Isn't NASCAR a front for the

Rethugs?

[xchrom]

32. mostly.

it's that their viewers are mostly repukes that really gets me.

[DanCa]

28. I miss the days when I was a kid readding Superman comics.

And thinking that these people were looking out for the rest of us. Gawd I hate being an adult.

[leftchick]

30. me too...

Though I preferred Spiderman. :(

[Hubert Flottz]

33. Hi-O-Silver!!!!

Long Gone Silver?

EDIT...Mr. T is no stranger to scandal.