Clarence Thomas, the "I'm here to be a strict constructionist and nothing else" member of the Supreme Court, is back with a new book I'm not planning to read.
I remember the fall of 1991 when the confirmation hearings took place. My reaction to Anita Hill's sexual harassment testimony was that it needed a public airing because Thomas' allegedly-boorish behavior (remember the mentions of the porn star Long Dong Silver and the pubic hair on the Coke can?) would be relevant in terms of how he voted on issues pertaining to women. A friend of mine disagreed, saying he thought that Thomas' confirmation needed to be opposed, but not by dragging in alleged sexual misconduct.
But Thomas managed to utter the magic words about the hearings being a "high-tech lynching" and George Butch Sr. (who appointed Thomas) made a lasting contribution to American jurisprudence--and one that came in handy when the Supreme Court appointed George Butch Jr. to the Presidency.
And the door was opened wide for both political parties to play "gotcha" regarding private sexual behavior from public officials for the next decade-and-a-half.
Regarding Britney Spears losing her two sons to Kevin Federline: it would have been more merciful for the children to be put in foster care than to be handed from one irresponsible jerk to another.
But perhaps Star Jones was right when she mentioned on Larry King's show recently that, no matter how good or bad Britney's behavior is, the kids will be pretty much raised by the nannies.
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