About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 28, 2003)
EMBARRASSING JUSTICE Here is the text of the speech given by UGA Professor of Law Donald E. Wilkes, Jr. in the Tate Student Center Plaza at the University of Georgia, May 17. 2003 to protest U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's speech at the law school graduation. I thank you for attending this Justice Thomas Protest Demonstration. Our purpose is to publicly and peaceably protest U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who is speaking at the UGA law school graduation ceremony today. You know, one of the strangest things I have learned recently is that Clarence Thomas' followers and admirers, who, like Thomas himself, are of the far right-wing persuasion, think that we have no right to have this demonstration. They also think that I have no right to give this speech, no right to participate in this demonstration, no right to criticize Thomas, no right to refuse to attend the law school graduation ceremony, and no right to JIM HIGHTOWER G'ratffiinQ Our < C\>!rwaves You've got to love the Bushite's orches tration of Orwellian wordplay when they issue new edicts to gut the public interest. Instead of simply admitting that they're rigging the rules to further enrich their cor porate campaign contributors, they use poll-tested phrases to make a negative sound positive, such as "balancing environ mental excesses" or "modernizing outdated labor laws." These Orwellian phrases always cover up a gotcha. The latest example comes from the FCC, which is supposed to be our watchdog over the public airwaves. But Chairman Michael Powell is the lapdog of the big conglomer ates that want to turn our airwaves into their private, for-profit plaything. He's now trying to ram through a rigging of FCC own ership rules that would let this handful of global media giants gain almost total con trol over mass-market news in your city... and throughout the country. But rather than admit that this is a giveaway of an essential public asset—our airwaves—Powell plays wordgames, claiming that he's simply revising the rules of a bygone era. Well, if he means an era in which a diversity of opinions, local news, free- flowing information and real competition exist on our airwaves—that certainly will be long gone under Powell's "revision." For example, he wants to allow a single con glomerate to control the TV programming for 90 percent of the American people. He also wants to let a single corporation own the newspapers and practically all of the radio and TV stations in any city—or in any number of cities. This isn't the marketplace at work, as the Bushites claim -it's forced monopoliza tion, and it will destroy any democracy on our airwaves and in our news sources. This power grab is so outrageous that Powell allowed only one perfunctory public hearing o^.it and plans to ram it through in a rushed up vote. To fight for a democratic media, call the Free Press Media Reform Network at (413) 585-1533. Call now! Jim Hightower is a political columnist, radio commentator and former Texas agricul ture commissioner. speak at the time he speaks. Others of Thomas' right-wing claque seem to think that while I may arguably possess these rights it is odious for me to exercise them. Well, let me say this: This is America! And may the day never come when in America a law pro fessor at a university is prohibited from delivering a public speech, and participating in a peaceable demonstration, criticizing any government official having power over our lives and liberties, including judges on the Supreme Court! Today's protest demonstration is fitting because Justice Thomas is—quite justly—the most detested judge in America. Do you know of any other judge on our highest court ever being dubbed "The Crudest Justice" in a New York Times editorial? RIGHT WING DARLING Today's protest is hardly surprising. Just about every time he visits a law school. Justice Thomas is greeted with protests and demonstrations by faculty and students. Justice Thomas' defenders mistakenly interpret this telling phenomenon by claiming that the Justice is the innocent victim of racism, of ignorance, of intolerance, of mean spiritedness—all perpetrated by a left-wing con spiracy of depraved scoundrels. Indeed, nothing is more evident than that the members of Thomas' claque can see absolutely no basis what ever for anyone ever criticizing Thomas in even the slightest degree; and therefore they disdain fully reject as illegitimate and fraudulent com mentators or commentaries that point out defects in Thomas'jidicial philosophy or record. In lashing out at Thomas' critics they play the race card with shocking cynicism. The truth is, the Thomas claque talks about his judicial opinions the way Christian fundamentalists speak of the inerrancy of the Bible. Thomas, they seem to think, is infallible. Tragically, Justice Thomas himself shares this bunker mentality. He thinks all criticisms of him are either spurious or personal. He labels all protests as "bilious and venomous assaults." He thinks that demonstrators want to deny him the right to think the way he does. Like his band of supporters, he manifests an unhealthy proclivity for branding his critics as racists. These are dis turbing indications of his unfitness to be a judge. Since my Open Letter of Feb. 18 [Flagpole, April 30], I have been showered with insulting letters and emails from Justice Thomas' claque. Omitting the worst of the profane maledictions and vituperative epithets directed at me by these admirers of Justice Thomas for daring to criticize Justice Thomas, the claque has called me a "racist" and a "bigot." I have been told, "You do not deserve to live in this state or even the country." I am said to be "extremely petty and immature" and an "ardent socialist." I have been called "left-wing pro-criminal." I have been accused of engaging in "theatrics" and a "pub licity stunt." I am charged with "displaying] a venomous hatred." I am accused of being a "hater" who "hate[s] traditional values, the foun dations of American justice, and anyone who loves those things." My views have been called "disgusting," "mean-spirited and full of hate," as well as "misguided, unfounded, and even laugh able." I have been said to be "immature," "childish," to "whine," to be a "whiny baby" and "another whiny liberal," to "display an appalling lack of professionalism," and to have made a "vit riolic call for censorship." I have been accused of being "pitiful and repugnant," and of having ascended to "the height of arrogance." Another message I received tells me, "(0]nce it becomes clear that your feelings are not shared by a 'majority' of students, it is in the best traditions of our country and our moral compass to sit down and shut up." I am said to be a "jackass." One gentleman kindly sent me an email informing me that where he comes from they spit on people like We Warned You Those painted bulldogs are beginning to crop up around down, and don’t say we didn’t warn you (Flagpole. April 30]. Soon there will be 37 giant ceramic dogs hulking here. Some, shall we say. look better than others, depending on the artist. The point is to raise money for charity and showcase local artists. Like Athens didn't already have enough bulldogs. me. I am accused of "belonging] to the far left 'in-crowd' that has been mixing Metamucil with Viagra." I have even been charged with being "a walking, talking sphincter." Speaking from my own experience, therefore, I can assure you that anyone with the temerity to speak out against Thomas' astoundingly terrible judicial voting record on human rights issues will be subjected to torrents of personal abuse from right-wing extremists-name-calling, foul lan guage, gutter talk, and ceaseless invective, epi thets and expletives. Personally, I believe there is great significance in the fact that the lunatic fringe of the right-wing is so slavishly devoted to Thomas. It tells us a lot about what sort of judge Thomas is. Contrary to what his supporters claim, how ever, there are good reasons indeed for the detes tation of Justice Thomas, and I want to now speak about some of them. EVASIVE TESTIMONY Let me begin with the circumstances under which Thomas was confirmed by the Senate by a 52-48 vote in 1991. There can't be much doubt that Thomas was deceptive or evasive in his con firmation hearing testimony. He concealed his right-wing extremist views and pretended to be a moderate middle-of-the-roader, dismissing as irrel evant or inconsequential numerous far right-wing positions he was on record as having taken; he professed to be free of preconceived ideologies or agendas when in fact he was a rigid ideologue with an activist right-wing agenda; he spoke as though he empathized with prisoners and criminal defendants when in fact he despises them; he claimed to be committed to "the little guy, the average person" when in fact his heart and mind belong to big government and the establishment; he claimed to broadly support the Voting Rights Act when he does not; he claimed to support affir mative action when he does not; and he claimed his mind was not made up on issues such as abor tion when it fact it was. He even claimed that he had never in his life discussed the Roe v. Wade decision with anyone. In light of his previously stated positions toeing the line on the right-wing agenda, Justice Thomas' confirmation statements smacked of men dacity at the time they were made. Subsequent events have confirmed suspicions that those ► continued on page 6 THIS MMhKU W*KL» by TOM TOMORROW LOVE. 'EM OR HATE ’EM, ONE THINGS FOR SURE — THOSE BUSHIES ARE MASTERS Of IMAGE MANAGE MENT.' FROM THEIR METICULOUSLY-PLANNED USE Of NATIONAL LANDMARKS AND OTHER PATRIOTIC SETTINGS-- HOW'S THIS LOOK, KARL? M VERY PRESIDENTIAL, SIR, YOUR PHOTO ON MOUNT . ***- $5.00 --TO THE UBIQUITOUS BACKDROP SLOGANS WHICH SUBTLY UNDERSCORE THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE OF THE DAY—no DETAIL IS OVERLOOKED! —AND THAT IS WHY DEMOCRATS MUST CEASE THEIR FUTILE OPPOSITION—AND INSTEAD WORSHIP ME LIKE A 60DH AND OF .COURSE, THEY REALLY OUTDID THEMSELVES with THAT PHOTO op on THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER! ARI. IS IT TRUE THAT THE PRESIDENT CHARTED THE COURSE, PILOTED THE ill AND LANDED IT HIMSELF? WELL, UH—LETS JUST SAY THAT THE WHITE HOUSE HAS NO PLANS TO DISABUSE You oF THAT NOTION. MAY 28, 2003 • FLAGP0LE.COM 5 T < M , (?R*WO2003 ... www.thismodernwor1d.ccm PETE McCOMMONS
