Most of Justice Thomas’ $267,000 loan for an RV seems to have been forgiven, Senate Democrats say (msn.com)

Apparently a great number of people find Clarence Thomas’ conduct to be just fine. If a man has spent his life as a hard cold right wing warrior, you will have many defenders. Clarence Thomas (and his wife) have many allies in government, media and among the punditry. They say there is nothing wrong with him taking gifts and trips from the wealthy. Not even loans, the kind that you don’t have to pay back disturbs their equanimity.

He lives a life of enormous privilege paid for by wealthy conservatives. His actual salary pales in significance to the number and value of what he receives.

Yet, we are told over and over again on conservative media that there is nothing wrong in having wealthy friends and taking the occasional goodie. That’s just common practice. This does inspire a certain curiosity for what is “common practice” among conservatives. There does seem to be a certain craving for luxury items among the conservative elite. I could refer to an certain governor’s lectern, for instance.

And Clarence Thomas’ failure to report these many, many items? Why, that’s just a grey area of the law. Thomas says he spoke to apparently completely and utterly anonymous lawyers of great repute – who tole him he did not have to report these kinds of gifts. I have one of those law degrees and I an unable to envisage any attorney under any circumstances telling Thomas that these gifts did not have to be reported. But who I am compared to the many anonymous figures in law that he says he consulted?

And then we have the wife of Clarence Thomas, Ginni Thomas. She has a non-profit political advocacy organization that she founded. So, people can make contributions to her organization. And we are told there is nothing wrong or unethical about the wife of a sitting Supreme Court Justice gathering political contributions. I am not so sure of that. It appears to me that you could give money to her organization and it would not be far-fetched to assume that you had gained some influence with her husband. However, much this may be denied.

I believe that the evidence provided publicly can lead to only one conclusion.

Clarence Thomas’ conduct is unethical and wrong.

No judge should take expensive gifts. No judge should fail to report accurately on their financial disclosure forms. No judge should have a wife who runs a political organizations that take contributions.

It is true that some of this falls into a grey area of legality or illegality. But a good and honest man would not have found so many grey areas to live in and Clarence Thomas appears to frolic in them.

He won’t resign, of course. To his allies, he is shining example of what is right and true. After all, aren’t his decisions vital for their interests?

But I will call him out for his moral failings.

It must be done. If we are to live in a moral world where evil and immoral acts have consequences, tolerating his conduct with out speaking or writing is just wrong.

We have an obligation as citizens of the United States to rebuke our leaders when they have strayed from morality and ethics.

Let us not be afraid to carry out our duty.