“Over the past year, Virginia Thomas‘ political activism has raised some questions about the role of Supreme Court spouses and the advocacy that they may or may not bring to the public discourse. She is an executive behind Liberty Central Inc.a conservative tea partying lobbyist group, non-profit but accepting donations from corporate sponsors. Some critics have expressed understandable concern that there might be a conflict of interest.”

There is no conflict of interest, and the claim to the contrary is asinine. For God’s sake, Majorie Rendell, the First Lady of Pennsylvania and wife of (Democract) Governor Ed Rendell, is a Judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Nobody ever suggested that Fast Eddie can’t advocate for political positions because his spouse is a member of the federal judiciary! In fact, Judge Rendell was on the bench back when Fast Eddie was chairman of the DNC! And, for the uninitiated, the Third Circuit is one step below the Supreme Court, and they are governed by the same ethical rules and recusal standards.

It is also worth adding that Judge Rendell is an EXCELLENT judge. I’ve had the honor of appearing before her before, and if she’s on the panel the next time I appear before that Court I’ll be thrilled.

Lesson from the Democrats:
It’s OK to have a “public lynching” of a black man if he’s Conservative! – The Democratics and Their Media have shown they will rush to the defense of the lynch mob, and not the victim!

Querry:
Why do Democrats hate conservative blacks and hispanics?

awkward……….

Clarence Thomas ,Miguel Estrada , Jeff Sessions , Robert Bork …all smeared by Democrats .

Mediaite writing a story and trying to make something out of nothing? Say it ain’t so AF. How unusual.

Next thing you know, Colby will be calling Christine O’Donnel a “which”….oh wait, he already did that.

I’m seeing so much of the “are you willing to give an apology for…” rhetorical trick this week in “debate” after “debate”. Had to explain to a co-worker the old “Have you stopped beating your wife?” joke.

RT @brianbeutler: “Hello Clarence? This is your old Coca Cola can. I’m just calling to see if you’re ready to apologize.” #ginnyVMs #pubichair

Another psycho Tea Bagger…surprise, surprise.

TfT said:
Next thing you know, Colby will be calling Christine O’Donnel a “which”….oh wait, he already did that.

Give Colby a break. I think he’s a pretty fair guy.

AnonymousFinch said:
Give Colby a break. I think he’s a pretty fair guy.

And for the record, I don’t think Colby was saying he agrees with the criticism of Ginny Thomas. He accurately reported that some people have made an issue out of her political activities lately. He’s right–they have. But those people are substantively wrong and hypocritical to the extent that they never expressed any similar concern (wrongheaded though it is) with Judge Rendell.

AnonymousFinch said:
And for the record, I don’t think Colby was saying he agrees with the criticism of Ginny Thomas. He accurately reported that some people have made an issue out of her political activities lately. He’s right–they have. But those people are substantively wrong and hypocritical to the extent that they never expressed any similar concern (wrongheaded though it is) with Judge Rendell.

Yes, and while the perspective throughout Mediaite stories clearly runs left-of-center, I agree that most of the writers do present alternative and opposing viewpoints – just not as enthusiastically.

Jackie_Treehorn said:
Another psycho Tea Bagger…surprise, surprise.

Isn’t that the truth? There is no rational explanation for this. And, terribly, terribly inappropriate.

Why is it that the lead fact in the headline of this story is not referenced in any way whatsoever in the story itself? Why is the FBI in the headline if they’re not worth mentioning in the piece?

Ginny Thomas should be arrested for harassment, leave that poor woman alone. Didnt your husband do enough to her? Typical conservatives.

Ockham’s Razor: Sounds like Ginny’s looking for a little more PR to further her value and her cause.

Why give it more credibility? Stupid

Pablo said:
Why is it that the lead fact in the headline of this story is not referenced in any way whatsoever in the story itself? Why is the FBI in the headline if they’re not worth mentioning in the piece?

Anita Hill calling the FBI over this is the biggest case of overreaction since last week when The Real Royal King started calling the Secret Service to complain about commenters here.

The Real Royal King said:
There is no rational explanation for this. And, terribly, terribly inappropriate.

Why is it inappropriate? She didn’t threaten her. She wasn’t rude. She didn’t call repeatedly. She said let’s talk and try to resolve this after all these years. What’s so bad about that? Why does that justify a call to the FBI?

Might Prof. Hill be inflating events in her mind (again)?

bealzebubba said:
Ockham’s Razor: Sounds like Ginny’s looking for a little more PR to further her value and her cause.

Ginny Thomas didn’t go to the press about it. Anita Hill did. How do you conclude that Thomas was looking for pr?

AnonymousFinch said:
Anita Hill calling the FBI over this is the biggest case of overreaction since last week when The Real Royal King started calling the Secret Service to complain about commenters here.

Zing!

AnonymousFinch said:
Anita Hill calling the FBI over this is the biggest case of overreaction since last week when The Real Royal King started calling the Secret Service to complain about commenters here.

One of the funnier things ever posted on this site…

NORBIT said:
Lesson from the Democrats:
It’s OK to have a “public lynching” of a black man if he’s Conservative! – The Democratics and Their Media have shown they will rush to the defense of the lynch mob, and not the victim!

Querry:
Why do Democrats hate conservative blacks and hispanics?

You haven’t had a good word to say about Black people since I’ve started reading this blog. Who do you think you’re fooling? What, now you “love” Clarence Thomas? Why? Because he’s Scalia’s silent valet on damn near every case?

–Cobra

Big Eddie said:
Clarence Thomas ,Miguel Estrada , Jeff Sessions , Robert Bork …all smeared by Democrats .

They deserved to be smeared. Prove to this civil rights loving Black man they shouldn’t have been.

–Cobra

Cobra said:
They deserved to be smeared. Prove to this civil rights loving Black man they shouldn’t have been.

Isn’t the presumption of innocence a civil right? I thought that if you are making an allegation of wrongdoing against another person, you have the burden to prove it.

AnonymousFinch said:
Anita Hill calling the FBI over this is the biggest case of overreaction since last week when The Real Royal King started calling the Secret Service to complain about commenters here.

That’s not true. From Rupert Murdoch owned Wall Street Journal:

“Ms. Hill said she initially assumed the call, which a Brandeis spokesman said came in at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday, was a prank. She notified campus security, Brandeis spokesman Charles Radin said, which in a routine procedure alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation.’

I don’t blame Professor Hill one bit. I would’ve called campus security as well. Document EACH AND EVERY contact, and record every word that comes out of the mouths of the Thomas family and other angry right winged operatives who accused her of being a LIAR to the entire world. Who does Virginia Thomas think she is?

I don’t know why some feel that minorities should bow down and supplicate themselves to “get along” in 2010 America.

–Cobra

AnonymousFinch said:
Isn’t the presumption of innocence a civil right? I thought that if you are making an allegation of wrongdoing against another person, you have the burden to prove it.

Is “smearing” somebody against the law? Please cite the legislation.

–Cobra

Cobra said:
That’s not true. From Rupert Murdoch owned Wall Street Journal:

“Ms. Hill said she initially assumed the call, which a Brandeis spokesman said came in at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday, was a prank. She notified campus security, Brandeis spokesman Charles Radin said, which in a routine procedure alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation.’

I don’t blame Professor Hill one bit. I would’ve called campus security as well. Document EACH AND EVERY contact, and record every word that comes out of the mouths of the Thomas family and other angry right winged operatives who accused her of being a LIAR to the entire world. Who does Virginia Thomas think she is?

I don’t know why some feel that minorities should bow down and supplicate themselves to “get along” in 2010 America.

–Cobra

Isn’t Mr. Thomas a minority??? Was smearing him OK with you. Should he just “bow down”?

Cobra said:
That’s not true. From Rupert Murdoch owned Wall Street Journal:

“Ms. Hill said she initially assumed the call, which a Brandeis spokesman said came in at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday, was a prank. She notified campus security, Brandeis spokesman Charles Radin said, which in a routine procedure alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation.’

I don’t blame Professor Hill one bit. I would’ve called campus security as well. Document EACH AND EVERY contact, and record every word that comes out of the mouths of the Thomas family and other angry right winged operatives who accused her of being a LIAR to the entire world. Who does Virginia Thomas think she is?

I don’t know why some feel that minorities should bow down and supplicate themselves to “get along” in 2010 America.

Wow! A lot to unpack in there.

First, when I said she called the FBI, I was responding to someone who claimed that Ginny Thomas was looking for publicity. The point is that Ginny Thomas didn’t hold a press conference or issue a press release. She just made a phone call. That’s all.

Second, why did Anita Hill feel it was necessary to call campus security? There was no threat. It was a phone call, plain and simple.

Third, why did campus security call the FBI? Since when is calling someone a federal crime? Seriously, the FBI has real work to do. Let’s not bother them with trifle crap like this.

Fourth, who the hell is asking a “minority” to “bow down and supplicate themselves”? Clarence Thomas is just as black as Anita Hill. All I’m saying is that Hill completely overreacted to this. She is trying to make something out of nothing, and the fact that she is doing so now feeds my suspicion that she has done so in the past as well.

Jonathan Scott said:
Ginny Thomas should be arrested for harassment, leave that poor woman alone. Didnt your husband do enough to her? Typical conservatives.

This is pathologically insane. Making a phone call isn’t harassment.

Mrs. Thomas is like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction… “I will not be IGNORED, Anita!”

My advice to Prof. Hill is to get a restraining order and a watch dog ASAP.

I have a random question for AnonymousFinch: have you read To Kill A Mockingbird?

whytee said:
I have a random question for AnonymousFinch: have you read To Kill A Mockingbird?

I surely have. You have a problem with that?

AnonymousFinch said:
I surely have. You have a problem with that?

I don’t have a problem with it. It’s one of my favorite books of all time. It just seems like a curious choice for someone on the right to make.

whytee said:
I don’t have a problem with it. It’s one of my favorite books of all time. It just seems like a curious choice for someone on the right to ma

Then you don’t understand the right.

I believe in the Constitution. All of it. I believe in the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws, but I also believe in the limitations on federal power contained in the Commerce Clause and the Tenth Amendment.

And although I don’t have to prove my bona fides to you, let me tell you a few things that might surprise you. First of all, although I am an attorney in private practice, I’ve done a great deal of pro bono civil rights work. I’ve successfully litigated two different racial profiling cases in federal court. I’ve also done prisoner’s civil rights work. I do those cases (entirely for free) because, again, I believe in the WHOLE. Constitution.

In Mockingbird, Atticus tells Scout that “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” Isn’t that exactly the mistake you’ve made with me? And isn’t that exactly the fallacy that modern liberalism is predicated on. You assume (because the people who do your thinking for you tell you you must assume) that conservatives are racists and hate black people. I think my black ciivl rights clients (who I’ve worked for entirely for free and and have never taken a dime from) would be quite surprised that anyone would ever accuse me of that.

I, a conservative who isn’t a racist, literally don’t exist in your political ontology. I respectfully suggest that you forget the stereotypes that you’ve bought into, and get to understand what conservatism is all about.

whytee said:
My advice to Prof. Hill is to get a restraining order and a watch dog ASAP.

Out of curiosity, do you think Atticus’ reaction to Ginny Thomas’ phone call would have been, “Let’s go get a restraining order”???

Cobra said:
You haven’t had a good word to say about Black people since I’ve started reading this blog. Who do you think you’re fooling? What, now you “love” Clarence Thomas? Why? Because he’s Scalia’s silent valet on damn near every case? –Cobra

…and for someone indoctrinated into a primitive, “group-identity” world view, your stereotypical bias is understandable.
However, I would refer you to progressive treatment of black and hispanic conservatives over the past 50 years to illustrate True RACISM!

WE’RE NOT BUYING LIBERALS’ RACIST SMEARS ANY LONGER!!!

AnonymousFinch said:
Out of curiosity, do you think Atticus’ reaction to Ginny Thomas’ phone call would have been, “Let’s go get a restraining order”???

Atticus would ignore it, thinking Ginny Thomas got it out of her system with just the phone call. But eventually Ginny Thomas would sneak up on Prof. Hill’s kids when they were walking home in the dark and…

whytee said:
Atticus would ignore it, thinking Ginny Thomas got it out of her system with just the phone call. But eventually Ginny Thomas would sneak up on Prof. Hill’s kids when they were walking home in the dark and…

Nope, Atticus would invite Ginny Thomas over for dinner and wouldn’t make fun of her if she poured syrup all over her meat.

AnonymousFinch said:
In Mockingbird, Atticus tells Scout that “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” Isn’t that exactly the mistake you’ve made with me?

No, I just said I thought it was a curious choice.

AnonymousFinch said:
And isn’t that exactly the fallacy that modern liberalism is predicated on. You assume (because the people who do your thinking for you tell you you must assume) that conservatives are racists and hate black people.

You just typed this: “In Mockingbird, Atticus tells Scout that “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” Isn’t that exactly the mistake you’ve made with me?” Then followed it with the above. Do you see the disconnect?

AnonymousFinch said:
I think my black ciivl rights clients (who I’ve worked for entirely for free and and have never taken a dime from) would be quite surprised that anyone would ever accuse me of that.
I, a conservative who isn’t a racist, literally don’t exist in your political ontology. I respectfully suggest that you forget the stereotypes that you’ve bought into, and get to understand what conservatism is all about.

You got all this based on one statement that I thought Atticus was a curious choice for someone from the right. If you had any interest in why I thought it was curious, you could have asked. I just read Mockingbird again last week and was struck by how relevant it remains, especially now, not just about race but about attitudes toward community and justice, right and wrong, truth and integrity, and I wondered what kind of reception it would receive if it were published today.

AnonymousFinch said:
Nope, Atticus would invite Ginny Thomas over for dinner and wouldn’t make fun of her if she poured syrup all over her meat.

Perhaps. But I read more of a threat in Ginny Thomas’s phone message, so she seems more like a Ewell than a Cunningham to me.

whytee said:
You got all this based on one statement that I thought Atticus was a curious choice for someone from the right. If you had any interest in why I thought it was curious, you could have asked. I just read Mockingbird again last week and was struck by how relevant it remains, especially now, not just about race but about attitudes toward community and justice, right and wrong, truth and integrity, and I wondered what kind of reception it would receive if it were published today.

Well, interestingly, as I pointed out here recently, progressives are starting to reject Atticus. You should google and read the Malcom Gladwell article that was recently in the New Yorker called Atticus Finch and Southern Liberalism.

Guys, we still don’t know why the hed mentioned the FBI but the body of the article doesn’t.

AnonymousFinch said:
Well, interestingly, as I pointed out here recently, progressives are starting to reject Atticus. You should google and read the Malcom Gladwell article that was recently in the New Yorker called Atticus Finch and Southern Liberalism.

I’m not interested but thanks anyway. Nothing will sully my esteem for Atticus or Lee’s great book. Evidently the character was based on Lee’s own dad, but unlike Atticus, her dad quit lawyering after that case. For someone of such integrity, having to watch justice miscarry so horribly must have been be soul-crushing.

Yo Ginny! You talk about an apology. Thought you might like this from JohnFugelsang’s Blog:
“600,000 dead Iraqi civilians just called Clarence Thomas’ wife for an apology from her husband for putting Bush in office.”

tatboy said:
Isn’t Mr. Thomas a minority??? Was smearing him OK with you. Should he just “bow down”?

Minorities are smeared INCESSANTLY on this blog. Point me to the post where you ask the same of others. Clarence Thomas was unqualified for that seat, and he “bows down” every day of his life to the anti-minority White conservative agenda.

NORBIT said:
…and for someone indoctrinated into a primitive, “group-identity” world view, your stereotypical bias is understandable.
However, I would refer you to progressive treatment of black and hispanic conservatives over the past 50 years to illustrate True RACISM!

WE’RE NOT BUYING LIBERALS’ RACIST SMEARS ANY LONGER!!!

Who’s “we”? I would take the past 50 years of progressive treatment of minorities in America over the FIRST 174 any day of the week. I LIKE having the right to vote. I LIKE having Civil Rights. I LIKE having equal access to public accommodations.

You’re post is VERY revealing, NORBIT, that you think minorities had it better BEFORE those things happened.
But I’m used to seeing White Conservatives spout that kind of jibberish.

AnonymousFinch said:
The point is that Ginny Thomas didn’t hold a press conference or issue a press release. She just made a phone call. That’s all.

Ginny Thomas made a phone call accusing Anita Hill of being a liar. Perhaps that wouldn’t mean anything to you givien YOUR PERSONAL HISTORY with the Thomas family. To Anita Hill…different matter.

AnonymousFinch said:
Second, why did Anita Hill feel it was necessary to call campus security? There was no threat. It was a phone call, plain and simple.

Have you watched the news or even read this blog in the past year? Many White Conservatives, from Breitbart, to Fox News to James O’Keefe to confederate Tea Baggers have declared War on minorities, Black people in particular. God BLESS Anita Hill for REPORTING this call right away, so that the agents of hate in the White Right couldn’t have “twisted’ that incident to their own devices in yet another attempt to take down and destroy a Black professional. We don’t have to cross to the other side of the street when some White Conservatives get angry (much to the chagrin of Norbit, who pines for America 1960)

AnonymousFinch said:
Third, why did campus security call the FBI? Since when is calling someone a federal crime? Seriously, the FBI has real work to do. Let’s not bother them with trifle crap like this.

It’s bigger than them too. I salute them for getting this call to the authorities. Anita Hill shouldn’t have to live in fear of retribution and retaliation from this Tea Party Activist with ties to the highest seats of power in America. The FBI should fully investigate the Thomas family for this incident.

AnonymousFinch said:
Fourth, who the hell is asking a “minority” to “bow down and supplicate themselves”? Clarence Thomas is just as black as Anita Hill. All I’m saying is that Hill completely overreacted to this. She is trying to make something out of nothing, and the fact that she is doing so now feeds my suspicion that she has done so in the past as well.

Many White Conservatives do that every day, especially on this blog. Anita Hill was already attacked and harassed for testifying 19 years ago, and now this Tea Party Activist Thomas wants a second chance? Why should she be so accommodating to the revisionist fantasies of this Tea Party Activist? Why?
Yeah, Clarence Thomas is by definition, a “black man”. People on this blog would sell him down the river faster than you could whistle Dixie if he ever started speaking off-script, and advocating for something besides the White Male Power Structure or the Industrio-Military complex (which is symbiotic in America). If you don’t believe me, look what these folks say about Colin Powell?

Minorities don’t have to kiss up anymore, and that’s more than some White Conservatives in America can stand. Go Anita, Go!

–Cobra

Right on Cobra! I remember very clearly when Thomas was appointed to the court as the replacement for Thurgood Marshall. He was championed by ex Sen John Danforth as being the most qualified black jurist in the country which, of course, was taken as huge joke at that time, and certainly an insult to all blacks as well as anyone concerned about having the best people on the court. True to form, he’s turned out to be utterly incompetent and a disgrace even to the current conservative dominated court. Anita Hill’s testimony had the ring of truth at that time and that’s been reinforced over the past 19 years. Unlike Gov Rendell’s wife who is a distinguised judge, Ginny Thomas is a political operative who’s been fed her husband’s Kool-Aid. Both she and her husband are a disgrace and it’s unfortunate that he will continue to pollute the legal system in this country for many more years.

FBI Contacted After Clarence Thomas’ Wife Ginny Calls Anita Hill Asking For An Apology

Paranoia amongst the liberals runs deep.

Anonymous Finch: It was inappropriate because there is no relationship to patch up, nothing to “put behind” them.

Anita Hill has never shown the least intimation of recanting. Thomas may choose to believe her husband, it’s her perogative, but she chose rather to call Hill and ask her to confess to lying, a confession which would have significant political overtones.

Hill has made her explanation of why she did it. Others have confessed to taking part in the smear campaign to make it seem she was lying (cf Blinded by the Right). On its face Thomas doesn’t seem to be acting in good faith,. I don’t know why the FBI got involved, at this point I’m not going to second guess them (though I suspect it’s over-reaction). I don’t fault Hill in the least for making this public.

Norbit: Let me get this straight, one group of cops refers a case to another group of cops and you say it’s the work of liberals?

Right. The FBI, that hotbed of left-wingers. Got it.

Not that you will listen (and really, better for your opponents it you don’t), but the immediate claim of “left-wing” as the motive for everything which makes a Conservative an object of the news, doesn’t make you look all that reasonable.

Which makes you easier to mock.

Which means you are pretty much preaching to the choir, because the more rationally persuaded will disregard you.

In short, it may feel good, but all you are doing is wanking in public.